Day 1: Faunus Princess & Human Partner

Déjà Vu

I stood on the clifftop looking out to sea, the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks making my ears twitch atop my head, no matter my efforts to keep them still. They'd always had a life of their own. At least my beloved liked them, the most expressive part of me. They did, after all, respond to things other than anger, unlike my eyes. Their usual lilac had been red when my father sent my betrothed off to fight his war. To prove him worthy of my hand in marriage.

I'd be lucky if I ever saw those striking golden eyes again, brighter than the gold of the ring he'd given me, along with a promise to come back. I twisted it around my finger again, a nervous habit I'd picked up ever since putting it on. The ridges rubbed against my fingers, shaped by a skillful goldsmith as if it had been made from shell. Maybe it really had been. Could rings be cast from other things? I'd have to see if the library had anything about it, or hunt down a goldsmith to ask. If I could slip away from the guards long enough. It'd probably be something else unbecoming of a princess to do.

My poor parents must wish they had another daughter. The one they had did so many unbecoming things. I was too loud. Too angry. Too much.

Hmm. Maybe Father had a point about the angry thing. He still cringed whenever I came near him, as if his ears were still ringing from my explosion at him after he sent my prince-to-be off to battle.

A throat cleared behind me. Probably one of the guards sent to escort me back to the palace before sunset.

"I'm not ready to come down. You can tell my father I don't care to hear about that ship that came in. It wasn't the flagship. No one I want to see was on it."

"Your Highness, I was told I would find you up here."

My eyes widened. That voice. Familiar. Definitely not the one I wanted to hear. I turned to face him.

Dark horns rising from red hair. Cold blue eyes. Thin lips attempting a sympathetic smile. My father's best knight. Or Sir Goatman as I privately called him.

"Sir." I folded my arms. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be guarding my love's back?"

He bowed. "I come bearing ill tidings, Highness. The Lord General has fallen."

I stared at him. "What?" I rubbed at my ears, all four of them. Surely I'd misheard. The waves were quite noisy against the cliff. The screaming of the gulls might've drowned Sir Goatman out.

"Your betrothed is dead, Highness. He fought valiantly for Menagerie, and will be honoured by his Majesty."

My ears pinned against my head. "No."

Sir Goatman blinked. "No? I thought you would be—"

"If he's dead, why aren't you?" I snarled, poking him in the chest.

"My lord sacrificed himself so that I would live. His last wish was that I take care of you."

"Take care of me?" I didn't like the sound of that.

"Your father has agreed to my suit."

Oh hell no. My eyes burned, a telltale that they'd turned red. "I'd sooner die."

"Pity. Then all I can do is give you my condolences." Sir Goatman laid a hand on my shoulder.

I stiffened. His hand was as cold as his heart. Had my beloved truly fallen in battle? Or had this ambitious bastard stabbed him in the back? "Hands off," I snapped. "Leave me alone."

He moved his hand. I really didn't like where it now hovered. Was he about to grope me? Surely he wouldn't dare. But then the guards were out of earshot and he was blocking me from their sight. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to insist on some privacy from the ones meant to protect me.

"I will rule Menagerie with or without you. This is your last chance to accept your place at my side."

I sobbed a broken laugh into his face, tears streaming from my eyes. If my betrothed still lived he'd be here. The Goatman's sworn duty was guarding him. My love was dead. "Never. When I tell my father what you just said, you'll be exiled at best. Leave."

"I don't think so. I am his best knight, while you are his temperamental daughter. Who do you think he would believe? It's tragic, really. How badly you took the news about the late General."

"Get out of my sight. Now." I clenched my fist, trying to remind myself that a princess must not break anyone's nose. No matter what. Even if he really deserved it.

"I'll be sure to tell his Majesty that you were overcome with grief. I tried to stop you, of course." His hand moved, resting under my collarbones. "But as I failed my lord, I failed you too."

He shoved. Hard.

Shock that he'd dare lay hands on the princess of Menagerie like that left me unable to move. My last regret was that I couldn't take the bastard with me.

He failed my beloved exactly the way he did with his oath to protect the royal family. The knowledge filled my head even as the edge of the cliff flew past: Sir Goatman had killed us both.

I wrenched my eyes away from the Goatman's smug face, focusing instead on the ring on my finger. I closed my eyes and twisted it around one last time. Maybe I'd see my love soon, on the other side. If there was an afterlife. I hoped so.

Or maybe a next life. I wanted another chance, to find my love. And if I found Sir Goatman again, so much the worse for him.

The wind rushed in my ears. The waves crashed much closer. I could feel the spray—

My aura broke when I struck the water. It didn't soften my fall at all, not with sharp rocks lurking underneath. The impact drove my breath away. Darkness took me.

Many reincarnations later…

Yang watched Adam stagger to the edge of the rock bridge, blood spreading on his back from where they'd stabbed him with the fragments of Gambol Shroud. He fell to his knees, then toppled forward, disappearing over the edge. Yang winced at the sickening crunch as he hit something on the way down, before a splash as his body hit the water far below.

She frowned as the strange feeling of déjà vu gripped her. This was somehow all too familiar. But how could it be? She'd never killed anyone before.

A clatter drew Yang's attention where it belonged: Blake had dropped her half of Gambol Shroud, collapsing to her knees, sobbing. Yang wasn't even aware of closing the distance. She was just glad that she'd let the shard of the blade fall before taking Blake in her arms.

Blake spoke, almost too distorted by tears for Yang to make out. "I'm not gonna break my promise, I swear."

Yang felt that strange echo of something that had already happened again. She shook it off, resting her forehead against Blake's. "I know you won't."

AN: Why yes, Yang's soul was in the faunus princess while Blake's was in her human betrothed. I see no reason why human and faunus souls can't reincarnate in each other. Or in different genders come to that. A soul's a soul, I don't think it has a gender or species.