Do You Believe in Destiny?

Chapter One: All the King's Horses

The ship had to stop on an oncoming island to repair the substantial damage done to its body from a grimm attack.

Artoria's breath showed in the freezing temperatures. Crew members handed blankets and food to the dozens of travelers, many of whom were construction workers traversing for the reconstruction of vale.

"Thanks again for helping us out." A crew member offered her a blanket.

Artoria put a hand up to reject the blanket. Such a simple action commanded the person's attention. "No need to thank me. I only wish I could have done something before damage was done."

The crew member tucked the blanket under his arm. "It's not great, but it could have been a lot worse without you there. They're have been more sightings lately, but help is running thin."

"And yet you all came anyway to help with the efforts." Artoria smiled. "It speaks well of your character." She turned to the woods. "However, I've overheard the repairs will take a week at minimum and that's if you can easily find what's needed to repair it. I feel dread at the idea, but unless you're insistent I feel I must continue onward on my own."

"It will be a shame, but don't wanna hold you back. Take care though. Who know what's in that forest, but, uh, I guess you could deal with it even if something is crawling in there."

"I thank you for your understanding."

Solitas had threatened to close their borders and reduce, if not stop, exporting dust causing many to frantically buy dust. There was fear the mines would blockade making dust scarce. If that that occurred, then both citizens and huntsmen would have difficulty protecting themselves from the grimm who were more active from heighten negativity. A consequence from the Fall of Beacon which was a tragedy that spiraled more negativity beyond the incident itself.

Artoria looked at the passengers being cared for before glancing at the boat. She looked behind her to the forest. She didn't fear the distance or the grimm. The ship was merely the transportation which should have gotten her to Vale the quickest.

She didn't want to wait. She wanted answers.

She took out her scroll in hopes she was close enough to Vale's network. Her eyes lit up when it picked up a signal. She clicked her contacts and pressed the person saved in favourites. It was disconnected much to her dismay. She left a quick message hoping to be in contact soon before putting away her school. She would continue to travel by foot, ignoring the twisting ache caused by her stomach.

The trek was occasionally interrupted by the local grimm—particularly by ursas and beowolves.

Eventually, she saw a group ahead of her. Artoria had a sense of familiarity, but remained uncertain as to why. She had come across plenty of people, however, so brushed it aside. "Pardon me, may I ask you something." If there gear was anything to go by then they were huntsman, or perhaps they had been in training. They were young. Artoria realized that she likely saw them on the broadcast. She should have watched it in full, but she had been preoccupied with other matters that she only had an opportunity to watch a few clips.

Ruby's eyes widen, and she hurriedly looked around as if there was an oncoming attack. Once realizing there was only a petite blonde girl and no one else she exhaled as if she was letting go the weight of the world. Her shoulders released the tension they held.

Jaune looked at Ruby's frantic form before looking to the two on his other side. Nora shrugged while raising her hands to her chest palms up and Ren looked at Artoria. He hadn't heard her. "Uh…sure…"

Artoria intended to ask which direction she needed to travel to reach Vale, but reconsidered. If they were students they may be able to help on another matter. If so, they may be able to answer her directly rather than waste time fruitlessly. "Perchance, are you students from Beacon?"

The gloominess was expected. Much had happened suddenly. During a festival nonetheless. The looked amongst themselves. It was clear to her that they were each others' current support.

"My apologies. My intent was not for you to dwell on that incident. I am in search of someone who attended Beacon as well. She may have returned home but there is a substantial possibility that she remained in Vale." It would have been like her to stay and help however she could, and I have yet to reach her with communications down.

"I can't make any promises that we'll know. But if possible, we'd like to help," said Ren as he continued to look at the girl as short as Nora.

Artoria took out her scroll. Thankfully, the battery hadn't died yet. She tapped the screen a few times before a picture. "She's a first year. Her name is—" The confronted group gasped. Tears in some of their eyes and no one wish to make eye contact. "—Pyrrha Nikos."

The unsettling twist in her stomach returned. Pyrrha was strong. She knew how to fight well and her intentions were always noble. Images of the last time she saw the girl came forthright to her mind. The faintest memory of three of these students beside her. But did that mean...?!

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Ruby said still not being able to meet her eyes.

"Pyrrha… Pyrrha died," said Jaune in a scratchy voice. The girl in pink placed a hand up on his shoulder.

"I see," she said in a voice cold and tense. Artoria had finally been able to put the pieces together. Pyrrha's lack of response. The familiarity of those before her. She didn't want to burden them further. "I thank you for the information. I ask your forgiveness for inquiring. I see your distraught." She walked past them before stopping and turning back to them. "Please remain safe on your journey. Pyrrha would have wished you well."

They separated, off towards their own destinations.

"It never stops being painful does it?" said Jaune. It's been months, but it was so easy to get sucked back into the moment.

"You really need to stop blaming yourself, ya know." Nora looked to her leader. It never got better. Death that is. You only learn to live with it, but self-blame? She had already seen Ren fall to the sentiment before. She didn't want her other teammate to go through it too. That didn't stop the hurt though. Pyrrha was her friend. They were all her friend.

"I know." Nora gave him a harder stare. He put his hands up in defense. "I mean it. It was Cinder. It's just… sometimes the mind doesn't match the heart."

"That's why we have each other. No one has to go through this alone. And we can stop more people from feeling this way," said Ruby with a small smile. She hoped at least. They needed to get to Haven. "Sooo…" She rocked side to side. "Who was that back there?"

"Uh… I dunno." Jaune scratched the back of his neck. "She's familiar for some reason, but I've never met her. Do you think she'll be okay? She looks young. She can't be older than us."

"And she wasn't carrying a weapon," noted Ren. Something was off. Pyrrha was from Anima. but Patch was further west than Vale. If she knew Pyrrha, presumably from her hometown, then she should have made it to Vale first. And local communication was up, so being uncertain whether she had made it home made no sense. Pyrrha had never left the continent before Beacon if the girl had been around the whole time.

"Maybe we should have went with her to the closest village," pondered Nora with a finger on her cheek as she looked up towards the grey sky.

"NO!" The remaining members of Team JNPR stopped to blink at Ruby who had the modesty to cover her mouth in shame. "I didn't mean it like that!" Her voice explaining at the same speed as her semblance. "I mean that would have taken us back the other way. And she already scared me when we first met. I totally thought she was my dad. I don't doubt that he would try to chase me down. I mean I didn't really know how to say goodbye and he's such a worry wart. Sometimes it's just too much. I can make my own decisions too!"

"Wait. You ran away?!" Nora scratch her head. "But we met at your place."

"Well I did leave a note." Ruby smiled and shrugged not seeing the problem with the statement.

"Riiight." Jaune didn't know what else to say. It wasn't like Ruby to just leave—who was he kidding. It was exactly like her. She and her team were always up to stuff. Honest to the 'ask for forgiveness rather than permission' logic.

"Sooo… When's lunch?"

"Nora!"

The encounter with the girl and Pyrrha momentarily pushed to the back of their thoughts.

She failed. Again.

She failed her kingdom.

She failed her people.

She failed at obtaining the grail, destroyed by her own hands. Failed to resist the command seals.

She failed starting life anew. The path she thought she should have taken. The life she could have had if she had never pulled Caliburn from the stone.

She failed him.

She failed Pyrrha. Once before and now again, unable to ever make things right.

Regardless of her actions, of her path, she always failed.

And yet, it was always everyone else who paid for her crimes, for her incompetency. She deserved to be punished.

Artoria was a girl who could not live for herself. To do so was a failure on her part. To do so led her back to the dark abyss that wanted to swallow her whole. She was a girl who needed to atone for her sins. A person who lived for others. Her salvation could only come in the form of a punishment she would never receive. At this point, her only redemption would be her own eradication.

Because how many others would come to die from her poor examples?

She was no leader.

People shouldn't put their trust in her.

She stopped and sat on the cold, frozen ground and leant back against the tree. When was the last time she had a proper conversation with Pyrrha in person? She couldn't recall. "What happened…?"

She could recall Pyrrha as a child protecting victims of bullying. Bringing home a rabbit with a broken leg. Early morning practices. Evening practices. Eating together. Her unwillingness to let go as Artoria left that life behind. Congratulating her half-heartedly when she called about getting into Beacon.

Artoria had feared Pyrrha would fall like herself. Like him. She saw it more every year. Was it through blood? Was it through example?

Either way, Artoria had cursed that child.

A tear escaped and ran half way down her cheek.

"Ruby!" A male's voice could be heard in the distance. Repeatedly calling out the same thing. Presumably a person.

Artoria wiped away the tear and stood back up.

"Hey!" A pair of feet stopped in front of her. "Have you seen a girl? This tall." He raised his hand to show her approximate height. "Black hair, red tips. Red cape. Silver eyes. Carries a giant scythe."

"I have." The man's eyes were filled with joy and relief. She would have to be the bearer of bad news. "I fear it was over an hour ago and she was travelling. She will be long gone from where I saw her."

His shoulders slumped. Her placed a hand over his face as he sighed out Ruby once more. "Thanks for the help." He stared down the road and sighed before looking back the way he came.

"If it offers any comfort, she was with three others. It should allow for some protection. I do fear that someone was following them though."

"That would be Qrow. I'll have to trust him." He sounded almost bitter in the way he pronounced the words. "I've got another to worry about at home."

She allowed a wistful smile to takeover. "Your children?"

"Yeah. They got a lot of traits from their mothers. Why couldn't they get more from me? Besides my amazing humour." He looked at the girl. She couldn't be older than his youngest. Maybe more mature as she had a way of being charismatic just by how she holds herself. "But what about you? It's not safe for a kid to be wandering out by themselves. Especially without a weapon. The grimm have been pretty bad."

His shoulders raised as he felt her glare pierce him. "I'm hardly a child."

She didn't mind that she was stuck with a short height and small frame for life. She would not be called a child for it, though. She was far from such status.

"I'm sorry. A teen." He stressed the word teen mockingly, having gone through the same phase with both of his children.

"I'm old enough to have children." It was a point to hopefully quiet the man from irritating her with her age. She felt satisfied when the man gapped. Not that he thought it was a big deal but now that he should stop referencing her as young. Then reality came crashing down on her. "Had children."

The man's tone changed alongside hers.

"Sorry for your loss. Still, you shouldn't be out on your own. It's dangerous."

"I am capable of caring for myself." Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the surrounding forest. "Beowolves…" More of them.

"Huh?"

He used his arm to protect his face as a giant burst of wind blew in front of him. When he dropped his arm, the woman was gone. He turned hearing growls. He was too stunned to moved. She struck without hesitation. Without wasting a single movement. Her hands grasped something he could not see, but there must clearly be something as her hands didn't connect to the beowolves as they were sliced before vanishing from existence. It was a demonstration of pure professionalism. She possessed the skills of a top huntsman even with such a short display.

Then in the time it took for him to blink, she was before him. He fell to the ground startled as she stabbed another beowolf behind him.

"Are you unharmed?"

He cursed himself at that moment. What kind of charisma was that, in which merely her fighting would blind him of his own surroundings. He was definitely blaming her and not his own inattentiveness. Nope. Not his fault at all.

How had he mistaken her for a child again? Because at this moment she looked nothing less than a hardened warrior.

"Uh. Yeah."

She extended her hand to aide him up.

"Pardon my rudeness. I have yet to introduce myself. I am Artoria Pendragon."

"That's…a strange name." She had gotten used to that remark, but she wasn't going to change her name to fit with Remnant's customs of colours.

"Perhaps, yet it is my name."

"I didn't mean it as a bad thing. I'm Taiyang Xiao Long."

A loud noise presented itself and Artoria's cheeks lightly flushed.

"You wouldn't happen to know of a restaurant around here would you."

Taiyang howled and Artoria scowled by his response.

Ferocious and charismatic as a lion to as small and needy as a kitten.

Winter was growing frustrated. She was in Mistral on General Ironwood's orders. With an undetermined timeframe, but would certainly take a few weeks at minimum, she had been attempting to find an inn. She purposely avoided the repugnant business of the city. The council often argued that it was impossible to protect the entire continent due to size. It would have been a better argument if they could at least reinforce their own laws in their own city.

"It would help if you didn't have an AK-200 following you."

She stopped and stared at the man with a stern gaze. He was a tall man who looked to be in his thirties. His hair a mixture of white strands in his red hair, a clear sign of aging.

"The past isn't so easily forgotten."

Her hand went to the hilt of her sword. "Atlas wasn't at fault."

"Perhaps…" his voice monotone. Winter couldn't tell if he believed her statement or not. "But the fear of the events still hasn't been subdued. Apologies that the people remain…skeptical… of not only Atlas military property and personnel. Isn't that why you're here? To protect Atlas' image."

The silence echoed making it seem as much more time passed than reality permitted.

She released her grip on her weapon, recalling her mission. She agreed that bringing out an Atlesian Knight was not the best plan of action, but some of her associates were adamant to utilize them as a demonstration that they are under Atlas jurisdiction with no attempts of damage. Ridiculous as they have yet to appeal to the council.

"Indeed, however, it is more accurate to specify that we are here for clarification." Atlas could protect itself. There were secondary reasons too, but that wasn't information that she could be privy to others with. "The video footage alludes Atlas are perpetrators during the Fall and that remains incorrect."

"You promise Atlas had nothing to do with the attack?" She didn't answer but he analyzed her small actions. Her lips twitching into a frown. Her defiant eyes never diverting from him.

She doubted he would change his opinion he no doubt already formed of her or Atlas even if she shared the truth. She was wasting her time—

He lifted his hands and shrugged his shoulders. His expression much more relaxed and even sported a smile—partially tainted from his previous condescending attitude. "Turn left two blocks down. There's an inn. Mention that he owes Shirou Nikos a favour."

"I need not—!"

His eyebrow raised as he cut her off. "Do as you wish. Just remember that the past cannot be changed, and the future is only a dream. In the end all you ever have is now."

He walked off.

Winter scowled but walked in the directions he had given her.

"Yang?" His daughter hadn't answered when he had called her name upon his return. He opened her bedroom door a crack to see her lights out. Her back faced towards him as she laid under her blankets. "Sleep tight."

She heard the door close and the creaking of her dad descending the stairs. She sighed as she stared at the darkness outside, but slightly tensed when she heard an unfamiliar voice downstairs. It certainly wasn't dad's and it wasn't Ruby's.

He wasn't able to find her then.

Yang curled her fingers.

Months had past, but everything still weighed on her. Ruby's optimism, while not as prevalent, remained strong and it was irritable. That she could suppress her emotions and continued as if nothing had happened was an irritable itch that wouldn't vanish. Tenderness in a brutal moment was not endearing. It only furthered her own emotional distress as the gap between Ruby's view point and her own psyche was much too grand. It was as if the validity of her emotions were in danger of being trampled.

Blake had run off. Again. Had they meant that little to her? How much had she done to prove to Blake that Team RWBY would be there for her? That she would be there for her? Yang questioned if there was something wrong with her. First her mom. Then Blake. Now Ruby. It was gut wrenching. Why did people always leave her? What was so wrong with the person called Yang Xiao Long?

She hadn't even heard from Weiss. The heiress out of her life in a blink of an eye like Summer. It was more understandable if her dad took her home. Communications between kingdoms were still down. Did she even fight not to leave, though? Everything that happened. All her comments of preferring to be together than at home and then just like that goes back?

Yang hadn't been strong enough against Adam—and strength was her aptitude! But when it mattered, she was never strong enough, was she?

Get better?

Get better from what? It was clear that she was worth very little. She couldn't do anything. She didn't even have an arm. Sure, technically, there existed technology that could replace it as if the incident never happened. But that wasn't the point! This wasn't something that could just be brushed aside and ignored. This was very much her reality.

And she hated that everyone acted as if this was just another thing that should be brushed aside. Hadn't her emotions been pushed aside enough, as is?

She trembled as tears gathered. Her knees sliding up toward her chest.

It hurt.

Everything hurt. The tightening of her chest. The nauseating sensation of her twisting stomach. The hot flashes as she shivered.

The hollowness.

Yang just wanted the pain to stop.

"You have my gratitude for the nourishment." Artoria drank the remaining tea in the white mug.

"Uh, right." Taiyang replied. "No need to be so formal."

"I fear I am unable to oblige. This is simply how I speak."

"Riiight." He took a sip of his own drink. "So, what brings you to Patch? We don't get many tourists."

"The destination was Vale, but we had an emergency stop due to the grimm. I was not particularly patient." Artoria felt oblige to answer some of the man's questions as an attempt to start conversation. It would be discourteous not to as he fed her and offered a place to sleep for the night.

The silence had a little tension built from two strangers not knowing what to say. There were a lot of sensitive topics now of days.

"Vale…there's not exactly much there at the moment."

"I am aware. I received my answer before arriving. Even so, perhaps my destination remains unceasing. I cannot do much as far as reconstruction efforts, but I can aide combatting grimm." She could not break her oath. Even if she was not appropriate for the role, even if this was not her kingdom, freedom was not permitted to her.

She had attempted the freedom which she had once imagined she would have had if she hadn't pulled the sword. It was neglectful. She wasn't a girl. She wasn't a person. She had forsaken that possibility. Both as a king and as a knight how could she neglect those powerless. It was disgraceful. To avoid more rivers of blood, she fought.

Her problems all stemmed from her own conceptualization of her individuality. So naturally, she need only to suppress that part of her once more.

It may sound harrowing, but it wasn't. Not really. She was content serving the masses. To protect them.

She just blamed herself for failures.

Once she had a dream. That dream fell apart, shattering her person along with it.

As she continues to put the pieces back together, all she could do is act in hope that it was the path of least regrets.

"Admirable. I'd help too but I got things to take care of here," he said thinking of his current not so sunny little dragon.

Artoria smiled. "You really care for her."

"Of course. She's got an explosive temper and my humor. My sunny little dragon." His glowing expression diminished. "I just wish I knew what to do for her." It wasn't like one of his students stuck on a problem. There was no direct answer to how to aide his traumatized daughter. Even with Zwei helping he was faced with a brick wall.

"The pen is mightier than the sword. Have you tried talking to her?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "She's still closed up. At most I can get her to rant. Still healthier than bottling it in, but not particularly productive." Taiyang kicked his feet up on the table and balanced on the back two legs of his chair.

"Discretion is the greater part of valour. I prefer directness, myself, but I find many need stability and comfort before revealing their vulnerabilities." She placed her hands on her lap.

"I'm plenty close to her. We used to talk all the time! Sometimes even getting too much information." She blinked watching as his facial expression changed as he appeared to be recalling a memory.

'Had your anger judged me, I might not have fallen onto the path of madness in my search for atonement.' 'Father, it is lonely never to have been loved, only devoured.' It didn't matter how many years passed, those words spoken by them would follow her forever.

"I believe you." It was nice to see a father cherish his daughter so openly. "However, from my experience there are times where we cannot comprehend even those closest to us. What may be trivial to you may be the thing that causes them to descend into madness."

Taiyang stared, returning to sit properly in his chair with all four legs touching the floor. The lady had some odd choice of wording but the meaning came through. He didn't want to treat Yang like a child. They would both agree that she wasn't. But despite all that she's been through, this was a new development for her. Him? Well for him it was just another event on the list. That wasn't to say he was passive. The events still affected him. It would be hard for them not to. It's just that he's learn to cope with them.

Yang and coping? Yeah, definitely not one of her strong suits.

"I see your point. What about you? How did you deal with it?"

Artoria jolted slightly, unprepared for the question. "The first time the issue was brought to my awareness it had been far too late."

"It's never too late."

"They were some of his last breathing words."

He felt like he was digging too deep as she didn't volunteer any other information. "Vale is a far ways yet. You should get some rest." His hand gestured her to follow.

"I must thank you for your hospitality."

"Nah. It's no problem."

Artoria smiled to him once more before closing the door to sleep in his missing daughter's bed.

Closing her eyes, she remembered a time that she was able to handle the situation a little better.

"Mom! You can't leave."

Tears had ran down Pyrrha's face. It had startled Artoria as the girl's composure often reminded her of herself in her younger years: mature and audacious. She hadn't honestly expected to receive such a response. Artoria had always done as she needed and aside from the throne had never been tied down to anything.

"You can't leave. You can't leave me!" She wrapped her small arms around her mother.

It was then that she had understood that it was not because she was leaving that the girl was upset. It was because the girl was being left behind.

She had knelt and embraced her daughter. A sudden twinge in her chest.

"I'll practice harder. I won't get into so many fights. I won't hide any more stray animals I find in my room and I won't waste my money on comics. I'll do as you say so don't leave me."

Artoria brought her hands to the girl's shoulders creating a small distance. She looked into her eyes, the colour she saw every time she looked into the mirror, only moistened. "You are diligent in both sparing and your studies, and you should never be ashamed of fighting on the behalf of others." She smiled and wiped the remaining tears from the girl's face. "I'm very proud of you Pyrrha."

"Then why are you leaving?"

"Much like you do. There are people out there who don't have anyone to fight for them. I've put off my duties and my oath long enough."

Pyrrha sniffled. She wanted her mom to save people. She admired her parents very much for their altruism and determination. She wiped her runny nose on her elbow, having been scolded by her dad one too many times. "Then take me and dad with you."

"I'm afraid it's currently too dangerous. Your father will take care of you and I'll be a call away."

"Is this because you and dad have been fighting? He doesn't mean it. You don't have to leave."

Artoria once more looked into those green eyes feeling guilty that Pyrrha had been aware of recent discretions. "That's not the reason, Pyrrha. I also promise you we both love you immensely."

Pyrrha rubbed her eyes. "Can you say you love me again?"

Artoria knew she rarely expressed her affections orally, but was only now realizing how much those words meant to her daughter.

"I love you."

"Again?" Pyrrha asked meekly.

Artoria smiled and hugged her. "I love you."

"Again?"

It had continued on for a few more minutes before she said her farewells once more.

Artoria looked out the window as the moon revealed itself before settling on the bed that Taiyang had prepared for her.

She would determine a new course of action in the morning.