The sound of Weiss's footsteps echoed through the halls as she made her way past several servants who were busy hauling cleaning supplies to another part of the castle. The ex-heiress strutted through the hallway with urgency, lightly shoving past anyone who got in her way. Realistically, there wasn't anything to worry about; she had no reason to rush. But her anxiety skyrocketed with each step she took toward the training hall.

Reaching the heavy oak door, she sighed deeply and looked at her companion, who gave her an encouraging smile. Steeling herself, she placed a hand on the door and pushed it inwards, entering the training hall she had visited yesterday. The midday sun blazed overhead, pouring harsh sunlight into the sandpit from the open roof.

In the center of the room two fighters clashed, their swords slamming together harshly. The force of the blows sent the training weapons flying away from each other, but the warriors clashed again. A voice that she recognized as Yang's yelled out as the two blades met, snapping in half when they struck together. The broken edges fell to the floor, and Yang let out a loud groan.

"That's the third set of training swords we broke this month! Port's gonna be on my ass for this," She complained, straining to remove her helmet and allowing her long blonde hair to spill out.

"That's not my fault," Jaune replied, taking his own helmet off. "I can barely swing a sword, let alone break one," He said with a depressed shake of his head. Yang just shot him a sympathetic look as he threw his helmet to the ground and sat down.

"Hey, it's fine. You're not that terrible, and you have plenty of aura. You just need to refine your skills a bit more," She encouraged, holding out a hand to help him up. "By the end of the year, we'll both be knights."

"Heh. You will; you can beat most of the knights in the castle right now. Between who your parents were and how hard you've trained, you're destined for greatness. Not me. I won't ever become a knight, and no one even thinks I will."

Yang just frowned. "Ruby did," The blonde whispered, and Jaune just winced. "Ruby believed you had the potential to be a great knight, and I trust her," She declared with a hand on her hip.

"But you don't really think I can, do you?" Jaune asked bitterly, making Yang bite her lip.

"It's... hard to say," Jaune just scoffed. Not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation any longer, Weiss coughed politely to inform them of her presence. Jaune looked up in surprise and Yang whirled around, eyes wide. "O-oh! It's just you. Nice to see you, Weiss!" She forced a smile, and Weiss just rolled her eyes.

"I take it I'm interrupting something?" She asked, but the duo just shook their heads.

"We were just talking," Jaune explained, before his expression filled with worry. "I heard about what happened last night. I'm really sorry that I-" Weiss just held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm fine. And it wasn't your fault I was attacked. Torchwick would have attacked me regardless of where I went in Vale, and it was fortunate he did so after I purchased the dust from the shop you recommended to me," She told him before he could start blaming himself. Yang just scowled and clenched her fists.

"That bastard. I can't believe he's been getting away for so long," The taller woman said with a shake of her head. "If we were knights, we'd go out and hunt and put a stop to his little operations," Yang declared. Jaune just frowned at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We just have to trust the other knights to find him," He explained, and the blonde just gave him an angry glare.

"Look how well they've done with capturing him!" She said, gesturing wildly. "He's been kingpin for what, eight years? And the big thefts started happening about two years ago. But we still haven't even come close to catching him. Weiss probably came closer to stopping him than any knight of Vale has done in months!" She ranted, but Jaune just held firm.

"Yang... we can't get him on our own. He's not going to crawl out of his hole to fight a couple of knights in training, and we aren't exactly suited to track him down in the city. The instant word reaches him that we're investigating into him, he'd start sending hitmen to whittle us down before coming and doing it himself," Jaune rationalized, and Yang just breathed in deeply.

"Yeah. You're right. Sorry I blew up on you guys," Yang apologized, looking at her feet. "Speaking of, what is it you need Weiss?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Doctor Oobleck requires my assistance with retrieving something from a nearby city. I believe it was called Mountain Glenn?" The pair in front of her flinched at the name, Yang more so than Jaune. The blonde boy sent his training partner a nervous look, but Yang just signaled for Weiss to continue talking.

"In a week's time, I must enter the city and recover a book that will help him translate some ancient texts that my late grandfather dedicated his life to transcribing."

"And you want to finish his work, so that's why you're in Vale. But that doesn't explain why you came here? Did you want some training before you head out?" Jaune inquired, but Weiss just shook her head.

"No. Doctor Oobleck instructed me to find three other individuals to help me with the translator's retrieval, and I wanted to ask you if you would aid me," The white-haired girl explained, and Jaune and Yang just nodded.

"Well, you're new to Vale, so it makes sense you don't know many people. You use magic, so it's probably best for us to get knights since you already have the mage thing covered. I can give you the names of a few knights strong enough to help but not so strong they would be too busy if you'd like?" Yang offered, causing Weiss to blink in surprise.

"N-No, I was referring to you two. I wanted to ask if you'd help me recover the book?" She asked hesitantly. She felt embarrassment creep up her neck as the two just gaped at her like dead fish.

"U-Us? As in Yang and I?" Jaune asked incredulously, and Weiss nodded mutely. "Why?" To that, the noble merely shrugged.

"I already know you both, and I fought Yang yesterday so I have a good gauge of your skill. I don't find either of you particularly aggravating, and you both have powerful auras. You are my best options," She explained pragmatically. Yang just gave her a teasing grin.

"Aw, you wanted to hang out but didn't know how to ask, so you decided to make something up to spend time with us. That's adorable!" The blonde laughed, making Weiss huff in anger.

"I did not! Doctor Oobleck gave me specific instructions to choose three companions to help me, and I chose you two!" She pouted and stomped her foot slightly. Too late did she realize that she had risen to Yang's bait, and she scowled as the blonde began to clutch her stomach, hearty laughter rang out through the training hall.

"Oh you're too easy to tease," She said, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "But you really want two knights in training to accompany you into a Grimm infested ruin?"

Weiss nodded numbly. "I really only know you two, and our spar yesterday showed that you are strong enough to hold your own against the Grimm," The noble told the taller girl before turning to Jaune. "And while you may claim to not be skilled, I know that you will be more than a match for untrained bandits and lesser Grimm. Not to mention you both have plenty of aura, meaning you can help activate my glyphs."

Jaune and Yang just looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess that makes some sense," The boy stated, Yang nodding along. "But you really want to take us? It would be easy for us to kidnap you and sell you to your father," He cautioned, but Weiss just smiled slightly.

"I know you aren't the type of people to do such a thing."

"I definitely wouldn't do that, but why are you so trusting of us?" Yang asked incredulously. It made sense for her to be suspicious of them; she was running from one of the richest men on Remnant, and many would be willing to return her to her father for a large bounty. But here she was, asking two people she had just met the day before to go with her into Grimm territory, the perfect place to capture her without a struggle.

"Just a feeling, I guess," Weiss said slyly. Her ice-blue eyes flicked over to Ruby for a brief second. They were Ruby's friends and family, and Weiss was certain she could trust the spirit when she said they were trustworthy.

"So you want us to help you find this book?" Jaune questioned. "Not to be greedy, but what do we get out of it? Risking our lives for some book doesn't sound all that appealing to me, so I want to know if we get something to encourage us."

Yang just punched him in the arm. "We get the thrill of adventure, dumbass! Not to mention Port would be pretty impressed with us if we managed to pull this off. We may even get knighted early if this goes well," The exuberant blonde cheered, and Weiss just rolled her eyes.

"While that may seem appealing to you, Yang, Jaune is clearly not thrilled with the idea of no reward. Of course, since you're happy enough to go as is, I don't suppose you'll mind if Jaune takes your share of the reward money," Weiss teased. Yang's eyes lit up and her grin stretched ear to ear.

"Reward money? How much?" She asked, stepping way too close to Weiss. The heiress stepped back, holding her hands up to keep Yang away from her. Jaune just grabbed Yang's arm and pulled her away from the ex-heiress, who sent him a grateful smile.

"I recall that Oobleck mentioned it was around one thousand Lien for each person," The smaller woman informed them, and Yang practically started drooling.

"O-One thousand? I could buy so much with that! You've got yourself a deal!" Yang exclaimed as she thrust her hand out to seal the deal. Weiss held out her own, and the blonde shook it roughly. Turning her attention toward Jaune, she gave him a questioning look.

"You really think I'll be helpful?"

Weiss just smirked. "Of course. We need someone to act as bait, after all," She teased the boy, who rolled his eyes as Yang began to laugh at him. "In all honesty, I don't know how useful you'd be in a fight. But that's why we're bringing Yang; so she can do all of the hard work," Weiss explained with a smirk. Yang let out an offended "Hey!" while Jaune just chuckled.

"Well I can't argue with that logic," The boy smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But who are you planning to bring as the fourth person?" Weiss just froze, and, blushing slightly, awkwardly looked at the floor and mumbled.

"I was hoping one of you would have someone in mind," The white-haired woman stated, sending Yang into another laughing fit. Unbeknownst to her, Ruby was doing the exact same thing her older sister was. Seeing the two sisters laugh at Weiss made her eye twitch, but she needed Yang to go with her, and she'd look crazy if she started screaming at the air to stop laughing at her.

Finally, Yang calmed down enough to form words. "That face you're making is priceless!" She pointed and laughed. Weiss just gave her a deadpan look before she heard Jaune snicker behind her, and she sent him a withering glare. After seeing her friend freeze up at her gaze, Yang started laughing even harder.

"Are you done?" Weiss asked snarkily. Yang just held up one finger and laughed even louder for another minute before calming down with a loud sigh. She straightened up and looked at Weiss with a teasing smirk.

"I know someone who'll help us out," She explained, causing Weiss, Jaune, and Ruby to all send her incredulous looks. "I do! She's great, and could use the pay!" The blonde warrior told them, but they still looked at her in disbelief.

"Who is it?" Jaune asked teasingly, and Yang just stuttered.

"Y-You don't know her."

"Try me."

"Fine. Her name is Blake Belladonna. She's a friend of mine," Yang told them. Weiss sent Ruby a curious look, but Ruby just shrugged in confusion. Jaune, likewise, seemed to not know who she was talking about. This Blake was a complete stranger to the three of them, but Yang seemed to trust her.

"Is she any good in a fight?" Weiss inquired, not wanting to bring some defenceless civilian into Grimm territory. Yang just gave her an enthusiastic nod.

"She's plenty good; not a traditional knight, but she can certainly beat that noodle we call Jaune," The knight-in-training informed her, and Weiss nodded.

"Alright. We'll be leaving in a week, so be ready. Make sure to bring your imaginary friend, Yang," She teased, and Yang just stuck her tongue out at her. "I'll get in touch with Doctor Oobleck and have him arrange the payment. Thank you for your assistance."

Yang just smirked at her. "Are you kidding? This is a chance to prove myself ready to be a knight; I'd pay you to let me come with you," She exclaimed, and Jaune just sent her a smug smirk.

"Then why don't you give me your pay? You clearly don't want it," He teased, but froze when he felt Yang press the edge of her broken training sword into his throat. He gulped.

"Very funny, Jaune. But I do want that money, and I'd be happy to take your share of it as well," She said with a glare. Weiss couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Jaune visibly shaking in fear at the sight of the smaller woman holding a blunted sword, but she would feel the same were she in his place. "Let's get back to training, Jaune," She said through gritted teeth. Jaune sent her a pleading look.

"I'll leave you two to it then. Have a nice day," Weiss bid farewell and headed out off the training grounds. Jaune let out a whimper as Yang grinned evilly. Honestly, what did he expect Weiss to do? She wasn't going to fight Yang again; she was still sore from her match yesterday, not to mention her injuries from Torchwick. Ruby's infectious laughter rang out through the hallway as she headed back towards her room to find a way to spend her time.

She glanced at her ghostly friend and gave her a gentle smile. After over a year and a half of nothing, they were finally getting close to helping her. Translating the two parchments wouldn't be enough to let Oobleck finish her grandfather's translation, but it would be a start. Once they found the translator, they'd move on to the next step. She'd save Ruby, one step at a time. And she was happy the ghost was there to walk alongside her.

"It's nice to see them so happy," Ruby spoke up.

"They seemed upset before we spoke to them," Weiss observed, making Ruby frown.

"Yeah. I can guess why," She said dejectedly, and Weiss cursed herself when she realized her blunder. They had been talking about Ruby, and the ghost wasn't happy that her death was hurting them so much.

"How do you plan on explaining things to them? Once you come back?"

"Easy. I walk up, tell them something I would know, and then we hug," She explained as if it were the most simple thing in the world. Weiss just laughed.

"If anyone else in the world said that, I'd assume they were an idiot. But with you, I can see that working."

"Then I'll explain that my best friend Weiss was the one who brought me back, and they'll be super thankful!" She cheered, and Weiss blushed slightly.

"I doubt that would go so well. I'm not exactly the easiest to get along with."

Ruby just blinked. "Weiss, you know my family likes you, right? They're teasing you and making jokes with you. They already think you're pretty great!" She told her friend.

"I... I see," Weiss said, not knowing how to respond to that. She was so unsure of how to actually make friends she wasn't sure if how Yang and Tai had been teasing her was rude or friendly. She was happy that they liked her; she wanted them to, after all. She didn't want to be some stranger when she brought Ruby back. She wanted them to like her enough to let her stay and not send her back to Father.

"Weiss, you're getting all sad again. Did I do something wrong?" Ruby asked concernedly.

"No. I'm just thinking, that's all," Weiss dismissed. "What do you think of this? Going to get the book?"

Ruby looked down. "I'm... scared. Mountain Glenn is where my mom... died," She whispered quietly.

Weiss just let a soft "Oh," and gave her companion an apologetic look. "I didn't mean to-"

"You didn't do anything wrong. You just asked a question, that's all," Ruby told her. "Besides, that's not what I'm scared about."

"What are you scared about then?" Weiss asked, and Ruby just sent her an odd look.

"You. And Yang. And Jaune. And whoever this Blake is, I guess. I don't want anyone to get hurt on my behalf," The silver spectre whispered, and Weiss just gave her a determined look.

"Ruby. While it is true I am doing this for you, I am doing so because I want to. And I'm sure the others would do the same were they in my position," Weiss explained to her friend, who sent her a grateful look.

"Thanks, Weiss. You're the best friend I could ever ask for!" Ruby stated. Weiss felt a small wince of guilt, because she had truly been a terrible friend to Ruby. She had hated the girl at first, taken a year and a half to figure out how to help her, and even spent time hiding information that could save her from the ghost. Instead of voicing her thoughts, she merely gave Ruby a confident smirk.

"Of course I am. I am a Schnee. I am the best at everything I set my mind to!" She boasted. "Now come on, Ruby. Let's find something we can do to pass the time," Weiss said, trying to force down the feelings of self-loathing that had been springing up in her. she couldn't afford to feel like this; not when Ruby had far more important matters to deal with. She needed to be strong for Ruby.

The rest of the week passed by quickly. The duo spent their time either reading books in Weiss's new living space, training with Yang and Jaune, or talking to Oobleck. When the night fell, Weiss spent a brief hour practicing her necromancy in her washroom to prevent anyone from walking in on her before going to bed. Ruby would spend the night slipping into nearby rooms and snooping around, until Weiss devised a genius system to keep her occupied.

The heiress set up a small glyph on the table that would create a small gust of wind every five minutes and turn the page of a book lying on the table so Ruby could read throughout the night. It hadn't been all that complicated, and it allowed the ghost to read without needing Weiss to turn the pages for her. The spirit's only complaint was that she sometimes couldn't read fast enough, but otherwise seemed happy with the arrangement.

Meals were small affairs, often eaten in solitude. She would purchase a cheap serving of food from the kitchen servants with the money Oobleck had given her and return to her quarters. Once, Yang and Jaune had invited her out to eat with them, which she happily obliged. Oobleck had even held a meeting over lunch the day before, and Ruby complained the entire time about how good the food looked and how jealous she was.

Eventually, the day they were to set out came, and Weiss was making her way to the southern cliffside leading into the Emerald Forest. Waiting for her there was Jaune, Yang, and a raven-haired woman she assumed was Blake.

"Weiss! Over here!" Yang called out, waving a hand in the air. Weiss just rolled her eyes and walked over to them. They were the only ones on the cliff, so it wasn't like it was hard to spot them.

As she approached the group, she took in the sight of them. Jaune was wearing white plate armor, with leather underneath adding extra protection. In his hands he held a longsword and a shield bearing a double crescent moon insignia. Yang was wearing full plate armor with golden gildings covering it. She had her own longsword slung across her back, and her shield adorned her arm.

The newcomer, Blake, was wearing a long white coat and a black shirt that cut off above her stomach. She wore black pants, with smooth metallic greaves that went up to her thigh covering most of her legs. A white belt with several throwing knives hanging from it wrapped around her waist, and a Mistralian sword Weiss recognized as a wakizashi was sheathed over her back. Another Mistralian weapon, a tanto, hung from her belt.

Most notable, however, about Blake was the pair of cat ears perched atop her head. "She's a faunus," Weiss thought numbly to herself. She hadn't really thought about whether she would be one, and she couldn't help but stare. Unfortunately, Blake caught her staring and gave her a slight scowl.

"Are they bothering you, Schnee?" She snarked, making Weiss blush.

"N-No, I... I'm just surprised. That's all," She explained. "Thank you for agreeing to help me with this. I appreciate the assistance," She said, causing Blake to blink in surprise before nodding. She still looked at Weiss warily, but didn't seem as suspicious as before. The cat faunus held out a hand for Weiss to shake.

"Blake Belladonna. It's a pleasure to meet you," She greeted. Weiss took her hand and tested her aura, finding it to be slightly weaker than her own. That merely meant she couldn't use as much magical power, however. It wasn't to say that the woman was less skilled, which Weiss could tell was the opposite of the truth from the way she carried herself.

"The pleasure is all mine," Weiss said amicably. She had no desire to make this girl dislike her, and she wanted to make up for offending her with her staring. Blake gave her a small smile and nodded respectfully at her.

"Great, we're all here. We can head out now!" Yang cheered, but both Blake and Weiss stopped her before she could walk off.

"Let's come up with a travel plan before we head into the forest teeming with Grimm, alright?" Blake teased. Yang just blushed in embarrassment, making Jaune laugh and Weiss and Blake to snicker quietly.

"I think we'll get along well," Weiss commented to Blake as Yang wrapped Jaune in a headlock and began to rub her knuckles against his scalp. The boy yelped in pain as the armored gauntlets Yang wore dug into his head and he desperately tapped on Yang's arm to get her to let go. Blake snickered and turned to face Weiss.

"I suppose we might," She stated as she observed the humorous scene from the corner of her eye. Weiss was about to tell Yang to cut it out when a question popped into her head.

"How did you and Yang meet, anyways?" The ex-heiress asked innocently, making Blake freeze up. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just wanted to learn more about you," She explained.

"It's... a long story," Blake stated, and Weiss just shrugged as she looked at the sight of the two fighting blondes over Blake's shoulder.

"We have time. It's going to be a long journey, after all."


This chapter was very dialogue heavy, so sorry if that's not your thing. I have some good news for this story, but not so much for me. I finished school, which means I have even more time to write and proofread my chapters, but I also am having a minor surgery on my leg tomorrow so I won't be able to much else other than write and watch videos. That means a new chapter will probably be out tomorrow, depending on how I am feeling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you have a nice day!