A/N: As you'll see in this chapter, the usual weapons aren't present in this AU, only Weiss' rapier because she has special circumstances. The others only have swords, no scythes or gauntlets or the like.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Chapter 4. The Streets And Stables
Once breakfast was finished, the four girls headed out into the kingdom.
It was routine that Ruby and Yang would walk the streets, or on occasion take their horses out and ride around to survey the town. It was in this way they could gather information about the going-ons of the town, discover where a new baby had been born or at what section of the town an illness seemed to be spreading.
Of course, carrier pigeons brought urgent news directly to the King's window, but the princesses preferred to go out in person to communicate with their people.
This morning, they simply walked, bound for one place in particular.
Ruby liked to hold onto Weiss' arm, as though she were being escorted somewhere, which technically she was, but Weiss hardly liked to play along. She took her job very seriously, and the only time Ruby ever really saw her laugh was after sundown when she could finally shed her armor – and even that was rare.
While the relationship between the future queen and her knight was very formal, the one between the half-princess and her aide was less so.
Blake trod in Yang's shadow, always keeping a foot or so of distance between them. She always had, in all the ten years since she had been living at the castle, and unlike Weiss, she wore no armor; she liked to keep her stature light and swift in accordance to her semblance.
Initially, Yang had assumed the Faunus girl was intimidated by her, or perhaps was scared of her, so she stayed behind.
But an attempt on the blonde's life once about eight years ago had demonstrated clearly why Blake behaved the way she did. From a bit of a distance, Blake focused less on Yang herself, and more on the people around her, her superior hearing and eyesight always on full alert. She was constantly suspicious and never fully trusted anyone, not even Ruby or Weiss.
Only Yang.
So when a man had suddenly jumped from the crowd and pulled a dagger on the half-princess, before anyone else could even blink or begin to comprehend what was afoot, Blake had already turned the blade back on the perpetrator's own throat and immobilized him with unsuspected strength.
The incident had reached every whisper of every nook and cranny of the kingdom, and after that it was a well-known fact that Blake Belladonna was no ordinary servant. Her skills were akin to that of an assassin, but she used them only when absolutely necessary as a bodyguard.
And it had been eight years since an attempt on Yang Xiao Long's life had been – unsuccessfully – made.
But the man who had tried to kill Yang had been lucky, as Blake's sharp, terrifying stealth had only made him soil his breaches before the authorities arrived to take him to prison.
The men who had once attacked Ruby Rose however, had not been so lucky.
As the future queen, Ruby was a popular target for attacks every once in a while. She was highly-trained, her mentors in self-defense having been the very best in all of Vale, but even on all nine attempts on her life thus far, she had not once gotten the chance to display her skills.
Weiss never gave her the chance.
The white-haired knight was ruthless when it came to defending her princess.
Every attack had happened outside the security of the castle walls, often on daily rounds just like today's. And not a single one of said attackers had been hauled away by authorities without his own blood on him.
Weiss was permitted by law to kill anyone who dared attack Ruby, and she abided by her contract with dire intensity. If Ruby came away from it all with so much as a scratch on her hand or a speck of dust on her dress, Weiss had failed.
If she ever allowed harm to come to Ruby, Weiss had vowed to gladly accept a termination of position, exile, or even execution, depending on what punishment the King saw fit for her.
Weiss never wanted to see the girl hurt in any way, and so she fought to defend both Ruby's life and her own.
But more so than anything else, she fought to defend their relationship, their unique closeness that was allowed only between a princess and her most loyal knight.
No one else had ever held Weiss' position before, and she refused to ever let anyone else stand beside Ruby so long as Weiss herself drew breath. And even after she had perished – if she were to do so before Ruby – Weiss would still do her damnedest to protect her even as a celestial being.
Hit-men, organized groups, or even just bloodthirsty stragglers - none of them had been successful in so much as misplacing a hair on Ruby's head. Weiss could draw her rapier faster than lighting could strike, and while Dust was a very rare and dangerous mineral, she was one of the only persons in all of Vale who possessed a license to use it legally.
She had stabbed feet, kicked ribs, twisted arms until they snapped, blasted ice and fire and whatever else she deemed necessary to keep Ruby out of harm's way.
But it had been two years since the last attack to claim Ruby's life, and Weiss was beginning to believe that perhaps people had finally gotten the message.
Ruby Rose was not to be trifled with, and Weiss Schnee was a force to be reckoned with.
Presently, the four girls made their way to their destination this morning, uninterrupted, much like they had been every day for the last two years.
Ruby would stop every five seconds to talk to the swarm of children that came scampering up to her, offering all kinds of things in their chipper, cheery voices.
"Princess Rose! I picked these wildflowers for you!"
"My mother made some fresh bread this morning! Please take some!"
And Ruby accepted all of their gifts graciously, tucking them all away into a small basket she had kept on her arm in advance. A few of the children went to Weiss as well, admiring her professionalism.
"She's the coolest!"
"If you even try to touch the Princess, Miss Weiss'll freeze you from the inside out!"
"Or she'll stab you faster than lightning!"
It was the same routine every morning, and the children never got sick of it.
However, that did not mean Weiss let her guard down; she had heard many tales of children trained to be innocent-looking faces that could get close to a person of power, only to reveal a knife hidden under their shirts. She kept close to Ruby, surveying the children and their waiting parents like an eagle.
Yang got visitors as well, but more so than gifts, she got compliments.
"Your hair is the prettiest in all of Remnant!"
"And your jokes are so funny!"
And Yang would chuckle and crack a few lines here and there, shaking the hands of children who were brave enough to ask, or sometimes accepting hugs from them; Weiss did not allow any hugs for Ruby, so they tended to go to Yang instead.
Several Faunus children flocked to Blake, and she would take one eye off of Yang for a moment to crouch down and speak to them.
"Miss Blake, I want to grow up to work in the castle like you!"
"I don't want to join the White Fang..."
The matters Blake dealt with were very different than those of the other three. She needed to lower her voice, offer calming reassurance and gentle pats on the heads. Her stomach always twisted at the thought of these children suffering the same fate she was almost forced to accept, being dragged away in the night by the White Fang.
Often, losing a parent and having no one to protect them made a Faunus child much more likely to be taken by the group of radicals, and a Faunus parent's greatest fear was that their child would be snatched away from them in broad daylight.
When people simply went to join the White Fang of their own volition, things had not been so bad. But now the group was running low on numbers and had resorted to kidnapping, and holding covert rallies to recruit new members.
While Faunus were the most popular targets, some humans did join the mix as well.
Blake was well-aware of the efforts the kingdom was putting into finding and intercepting such gatherings, but only a few instances of undercover investigation had proven successful; the majority of attempts to thwart the White Fang's plans had resulted in capturing only a minimal number of those involved and a great percentage was able to flee.
She knew it was going to take time and funds and bodies in order to fully stop the White Fang, and all three of those were valuable resources Vale could not afford to waste frivolously.
Blake felt personally responsible for these children, but the best she could do was offer soft hugs and even softer words.
It was a few minutes before the crowds died down, and Weiss took up the lead once more.
A short walk away from the castle grounds was a vast expanse of smooth, open property that stretched out behind a large building, its size bested only by the royal castle itself.
This was where Vale's troops trained. It was a constantly busy place, lined with stables full of the best horses. While some of Vale's police force were out preventing crime and rallies to the best of their abilities in town, here was where the soldiers trained to prepare for battle against the Grimm.
But while the White Fang attacked the Grimm unprovoked, the army only went into battle if the beasts made a move first; they fought only for self-defense.
It had been a few weeks since the four girls had last visited here, so their appearance today was warmly welcomed. The guards at the entrance bowed low to them as Weiss led them inside.
A familiar man with gray hair and glasses greeted them inside. This was the very same man who had discovered so much about Summer's curse in the past, and Ruby knew him very well.
"Hello, General Ozpin!"
Weiss groaned.
"Princess, let them greet you first, please!"
"Oh, sorry!"
Ozpin only chuckled, waving a hand toward his office to bring out his partner, the one and only Glynda Goodwitch. Ozpin may have been the head of the military officially, but she was the one who kept the troops of huntsmen and huntresses in line with her sharp, commanding voice and unforgiving riding crop whip.
Ozpin looked over the four girls before him and gave a nod.
"Princess Rose, Miss Long. It is an honor to be accommodating you again today along with Miss Schnee and Miss Belladonna."
Glynda dipped her head as well.
"Our troops have improved in their skills since your last visit, though it may not appear that way."
"I'm sure they're doing great!" Ruby beamed. "We'd like to observe their training for a while this morning, if that's okay!"
"Certainly," Glynda agreed. "Go right on ahead to your squad's training area."
"Thank you!"
Ruby took off scampering, evidently having forgotten she was wearing formal attire and nearly falling flat on her face had it not been for Weiss all but predicting her fall and hoisting her back up.
"Please, Princess..." she sighed. "Remember that today isn't a day for training. You're merely here to observe. And let me remind you you'll need to write a brief paper addressing the improvements or regressions about the training lessons you witness today once we get back to the castle."
"Uuugh, Weiss why did you have to remind meee?"
"Because I knew you'd try to forget it."
Ruby whimpered as Weiss led her onward through the building toward the back exit where the sounds of mock battle could already be heard.
Yang sauntered up on her sister's other side.
"Hey, look on the bright side, lil' sis! You don't have to write a review until later! So for now, just enjoy the action!"
"And," Blake added. "I believe the four of us are scheduled for our weekly lessons in just three more days. So at that time, we'll be back here and won't need to write anything for it."
"I guess..." Ruby sniffled pitiably.
The four of them made their way outside.
Miles of open field lay before them, fenced off and divided into separate areas. Every section had different training lessons going on. Warriors fought one-on-one or in groups, on foot or on horseback. Targets made to resemble Grimm monsters were set up, commanders of each squad shouting orders or calling encouragement to their fighters.
Three teams of four often comprised a squad, and so most fighters trained together to get a feeling for chemistry. The majority of soldiers were human, but there were a few handfuls of skilled Faunus as well; their heightened senses were a massive advantage for hearing the enemy miles away and spotting them on the rare occasion of a nighttime attack.
There was a structure of stairs that led to a small balcony of sorts for spectators, and that was where Ruby and the others headed to now. A few benches sat there, and Yang and Blake both took seats to observe things while Weiss stood beside her charge who bounced up and down.
No matter how many hours of how many days of how many years Ruby had seen the same routines, she never got sick of the battlefield.
She loved her kingdom and its people, loved walking around town every morning, and even the paperwork was not so bad as long as Weiss could give her a hand.
But she was a huntress at heart, just like her mother had been, and her nearly-infallible skills were demonstrated on a weekly basis when she partook in her own training lessons.
It took a fairly good amount of Weiss' strength to hold her back presently and keep her from leaping over the balcony to join in the action.
"Princess, please. Must I remind you you're not in uniform for combat right now?"
"Can ya blame her?" Yang sighed. "These dresses can get a little stifling at times. Or like... all the time."
"Rather than gripe, how about we observe the training?" Weiss huffed.
Yang chuckled.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Look." Blake's soft call alerted the three of them, and they followed the direction of the tips of her ears.
The four of them were far from being the only young huntresses in Vale. There were a few other teams they often had the pleasure of training with.
Pyrrha Nikos was one of the military's best fighters, strong, fearless, unwavering. Her armor was golden, rimmed with crimson that matched the whipping flow of her hair that snapped in the wind behind her as she rode. The precision with which she swung her sword, the power with which she handled her shield, and the overall ferocity and beauty with which she fought gave a new image to the phrase "goddess of war."
With hundreds of positive marks on her record over the past eight years since she had become a warrior, she was nearly undefeated. It wasn't necessarily easy for someone like her to fight off Grimm without killing them, but almost every monster that crossed her path was frightened off and sent running. Her strength and skill were equivalent to that of a one-woman army, and she fought valiantly alongside her teammates and companions.
Jaune Arc was average at best, and amateur at worst. His armor looked too large for his lanky body, and his shaggy yellow hair often hung down over his eyes, which more often than not resulted in a graceless fall from his horse.
But despite the fact that he had fallen just about as many times as Pyrrha had marks, Jaune was known to always get back up. Though his horse did not always trot back at his whistle and he often was forced to run after it on foot or wait for someone else to round it up, he never stopped striving for improvement, and that was a valuable characteristic of his.
Even now, he trained alongside Pyrrha, sword in hand as he tried to hold onto the reins with the other.
The crimson-haired warrior galloped her dark-chocolate stallion named Milo beside Crocea, Jaune's speckled gray one. All the while she called out encouragement to him, fixed his posture and stance, recommended a different way of holding his weapon or controlling his mount.
They were almost inseparable, both on and off the battlefield, and the same could be said for their other two teammates.
Nora Valkyrie did her name justice, though one would never assume as much judging by her appearance; armor painted pink with only faint traces of white visible, her light gray stallion's tail and mane tied with ribbons of similar colors. She had even taken the liberty to paint her sword and sheath various shades of pink. She was a bit of a loose cannon, but during a battle, her skills were much appreciated and needed.
It was almost humorous how neatly her horse's personality matched that of his rider's. She had named him Magnhild, and there was a sparky bounce to his trot, more akin to a prance, and Nora had trained him since the first day she had gotten him.
While Pyrrha's and Jaune's tactics were more of planning and strategy, Nora's was of brute strength and brutality. Her partner Ren kept to her shadow on his shaggy, black mare called Storm. He was one of the few warriors that wielded two swords, and his precision and cunning were a frightening sight to behold. When he was not keeping pace with his energetic partner, he was like a viper waiting to strike, swift and deadly.
The team of four was one of Vale's best, give or take a few falls into the mud. Their squad was named JNPR, and there were dozens of other four-man teams as well, all training out in the open fields.
Ruby and her companions also had their own squad name – RWBY – for the few days a week when they had battle training on the very same training camps.
They knew all of the other teams – as Vale's princesses, it was critical that Ruby and Yang be aware of their kingdom's soldiers – but the four girls tended to train mostly with JNPR.
Presently, the two sisters waved to their friends in greeting as they hung themselves over the balcony, leaving Weiss and Blake to keep a hand on their shoulders to prevent them from tumbling over.
Pyrrha caught sight of them first and raised her arm to signal to the rest of her team to halt.
"Five minute break!" she called out. "We've got visitors!"
She walked Milo over to the stands as the four girls looked down to offer greetings.
"Good morning, Pyrrha!" Ruby beamed. "How're things coming along?"
"She's got to write a paper," Weiss put in helpfully.
"Ugh, don't remind meeeee!"
Pyrrha laughed at the exchange between them, a hearty sound like angels singing that made even Blake smile in return.
"You four are as grand as always, I see! Things are going well! It's been almost a month since there's been a Grimm attack for us to see to, so we've been working on new formations and changing up the partnerships a bit."
The rest of her team – even Jaune – remained on horseback as they went to the stands as well.
"So Nora," Yang grinned. "Refresh me. What's your fight count again?"
"After the last attack hmmm..." She put a finger to her chin and pondered for a moment. "I doooo believe it's up to seventy-eight!" She puffed out her chest proudly. Her numbers were not as high as soldiers like Pyrrha's, but she still surpassed the average fighter whose numbers ended up somewhere in the thirties or lower. But a fight count was not the same as a kill count; soldiers were dissuaded from killing the Grimm, but often kept track of how many they engaged in a skirmish.
"Not bad," Yang shrugged. "Though if I didn't have to be in the castle most days of the week, I'd've beaten you ages ago."
"Mmmmaybe~" Nora sang. "But just because you're a princess doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!"
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
There had always been a friendly competition between the two of them.
Likewise, their respective partners shared a special bond as well.
Blake leaned carefully over the balcony, ears perked forward, her black and deep-violet clothes a perfect match to Ren's dark armor and coal-colored horse.
"Ren," she greeted, dipping her head respectfully. "How have you been?"
"Same as ever," he replied kindly. "Still trying to keep up with that one." His head nodded sideways toward his partner. "Have you gotten a chance to read that book I told you about?"
"I have. I found it in the main library just where you said it would be. It was very captivating..."
They continued their quieter conversation as their respective partners' voices carried on louder notes.
Weiss kept hold of Ruby's red hood to prevent her from falling out of the stands as she chatted eagerly with Jaune and Pyrrha.
"It's kinda weird," she was saying. "The Grimm attacks used to be so frequent! Now there's almost an entire month in between?"
"Are you complaining?" Weiss grumbled.
"I agree with you, Princess," Pyrrha nodded. "But I believe it's best not to think too much into it. The fewer attacks there are, the fewer risks there are of losing lives."
"Yeah, you're right," the young girl nodded. Her smile faded and she leaned back, stepping just an inch closer to Weiss, but her altered expression did not go unnoticed by the white-haired knight. Ruby's voice dropped so that only her aide could hear her. "I just... can't help but feel-"
Suddenly, a loud sound cut off her words, drowning out all sounds completely. It was the hollow ringing of a horn, one that only went off for one reason.
Pyrrha's emerald eyes went wide.
"Grimm."
Jaune nearly fell off his unmoving horse.
"W-What? But how? Why now?"
"There's never any jurisdiction for an attack from them," Pyrrha reminded him. "And with the wait we've had this time, it was bound to be soon."
Weiss was already pulling Ruby closer to her by the wrist.
"They're probably by the Emerald Forest again. There's never been an attack from any other side." Pyrrha turned her horse around and started shouting orders to any nearby teams. "Get into position with your squads at the gates and wait for orders from the Generals!"
Only seconds later, there was motion at the nearby stables as horses were brought forth and riders rushed to them. Ozpin and Glynda were already giving orders and organizing the troops.
Team JNPR promptly said their farewells before taking off.
Weiss turned to the remaining three girls in the stands.
"We should head back to the castle. It's highly unlikely that the Grimm will get past and invade the town, but we can't be too cautious- Princess!"
Her voice raised into a screech as she realized her charge had slipped from her side. Ruby had waved over the nearest stablehand and was speaking excitedly.
"Bring me my horse!"
"And mine!" Yang called out as well.
"Excuse me?!" Weiss shrieked. "You two are not going into battle! Look at yourselves! You're not dressed! You've got no armor-"
"Oh, c'mooon, Weiss!" Yang whined. "It's been forever since we've gotten to see some action."
"And it's my job to keep-"
"Princess Rose!" the stablehand called up. "Your horse!"
"Oh, thank you!"
Ignoring Weiss' outraged cry completely, Ruby hopped over the balcony's railing and jumped down into the waiting saddle. It was a miracle she had not stepped on her dress and fallen to her death.
She threw her arms around the red-chestnut mare and nuzzled into her mane.
"Ooooh, Crescent! How's my good girl? I've missed riding you! Let's go kick some monster butt!"
"Princess!" Weiss shouted down at her. "I insist you dismount this instant and-"
"Yeah!" Yang's whooping cheer cut her off. "There's my handsome pal! What a good boy!" She followed her brazen sister's lead and leapt down into the saddle of her golden stallion, Ember.
Weiss felt she might faint.
"I'm being all too serious!" she cried. "Despite your impressive skills on the battlefield I must disagree with your actions and insist you-"
"Weiss." A pacifying hand was placed on her shoulder, and the girl looked to her side to find Blake smiling hopelessly at her. "There's no stopping them now."
The stablehand had already brought out each of their respective white and black horses, and Ruby and Yang looked expectantly up at their partners.
Weiss met Blake's eyes wearily, then shot icy glares to the two princesses before heaving a long-suffering sigh.
"Very well," she complied before turning pointedly to Ruby. "But I want three written pages when this is all over!"
A/N: Since they don't have their usual weapons (just swords) in this AU, at least they have horses!
Chapter 5 preview: Blake jumped off her horse beside Yang, drawing her sword as the half-princess pounded her knuckles together and did the same, giving a holler:
"I've been waiting for this for a while!" She bent down to tear off the excess length of her dress up to her knees and tossed the material aside, giving her much better mobility on foot. Her hair took on a heated glow, and within seconds, flames licked at the air around her, her eyes going red.
Please review!