XxX-XxX-XxX

Official Supporters:

Obsessive Readers, Laurel

Compulsive Reader, The Impossible Muffin

Commissioner, Gib, Death Daddy, Le Spork, Polemoduke

If you want to be on the Supporter list, PM me for details or join our private server for details. Hope you enjoy reading my stories, please leave me a comment to let me know if you did, or where I can improve. Link here, where able to be seen : /2UZncAm

Second link here, remove ( and ) and it SHOULD work : D(i) (slash)kfhkfUb

Beta(s) :

XxX-XxX-XxX

Requested by :

Death Daddy

XxX-XxX-XxX

The next morning, Jaune woke up to a bit of a headache and a gentle knocking at his door and rolled over, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning as he sat up. The room was dark, but dimly lit and warming by the morning sun peeking through shutters drawn over the glass of the window. Since it was unused, the room had been left relatively barren, so the servants had brought in a sort of rolling hanging rod he'd never seen before, which he'd been told to drape his clothes over when he changed into the loose sleeping trousers they'd loaned him.

Grabbing his clothes as another knock echoed off the door, he asked, "Who is it?"

"The King." A rough, familiar voice answered, earning a chuckle from him.

"Ah, then come in, highness." Jaune chuckled, pulling on his trousers quickly as the armored man stepped in. He glowered at Jaune as he reached for his shirt and Jaune added, "You look about as grand as I feel, brother."

"Mhm." The man grunted, handing Jaune a heavy water skin and grunting. "Drink and you'll feel better."

"Yeah?"

"Worked for me." Cardin shrugged, "Swear before the Gods, it feels like I spent all day on march…"

"Yeah…" He had the same feeling, too.

They'd done a few 'slog marches' in training, and those came with little water or food and little rest. To condition them, he'd been told, and after a few proper marches he could say that it'd done a decent service preparing him for it. And, aside from the aching legs and back, this felt a lot like that. Which should have been impossible…

He shook the thought off and turned to the water, taking a few long drinks of it and sighing contentedly. It was cool and refreshing, and true to Cardin's word, did a hell of a job on his throat.

"Right." He grunted, turning to task rather than muse further on what he elected to finally chalk up as a strange day and leave it aside. Turning to Cardin, he smirked and asked, "Since you're my Second, I'm sure you have today all planned out. Hm?"

"I'm your Second." He sighed wearily, "Not your bleeding day planner."

"Buuuuuuut….?"

"But…" Cardin sighed and shook his head, pacing over to open the window while he finished getting dressed. Peering outside, he said, "There was a killing last night."

"What?" Jaune straightened, hand itching for his hammer's hilt as he laid his hand on the hilt of his borrowed father's sword instead and pursed his lips. Ignoring the still odd feeling of it, he sighed and asked, "What happened?"

"One of the Academy guards." Cardin frowned, "Found dead in one of the servant's areas. Storage room. And a disused one. Stabbed in the back and seemingly fleeced for anything of value."

That reeked of something foul…

"A robbery, then."

"Seems it." He nodded, flicking Jaune a look and sighing. "Guard captain has already settled on a perpetrator."

"They proved someone already?"

"He's the most likely." Cardin said, notably ducking the question and shrugging semi-apologetically when Jaune pursed his lips unhappily. "It's a skeevy Chastened named Leo. Young, constantly stealing and getting caught. He worked the warehouses last night, and he's also the only one that didn't have an alibi."

"Why didn't he?"

"All I know, no one wants to work with him." Cardin shrugged, "You could press the Captain, but… It's not our place.:

"So…?"

"So, Beacon would see it as you pushing into their business. Their affairs. Which would mean the House of Arc is…" He explained quietly, though tiredly. Jaune got the message, that he wasn't in the mood for explaining all of what was simple common sense for him to Jaune, and Jaune held up a hand in a gesture of peace.

"I get it." He sighed, unhappy but resigned. "What are we doing with it, then?"

"Nothing."

"Then why mention it…?"

"So you don't hear something and go barging in without thinking." Cardin chuckled, smiling ruefully, "Which, credit due, you have not done yet. But…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, ass." Jaune scoffed, shaking his head as Cardin turned, peering outside idly again. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." He shrugged, "Just better than staring at the walls."

"Uh huh." Jaune didn't believe him, but short of shoving his head out there or making a thing of it, he didn't have a way to make Cardin give him a straight answer. So, he ignored it, at least until whatever it was became an issue.

If it did.

"You ready yet?" He grunted as Jaune finished with his belt and turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "We have to go over the applications the Headmaster gave us properly, and send out Chastened to collect whoever you select."

"Right." He nodded, "Let's get to it."

XxX-XxX-XxX

Outside, in spite of the dread news of the night before, they found Beacon Academy in… Peace. Students in red and black uniforms meandered to and from buildings while others sat on the lawns between, or at tables shaded under awnings coming off them, to talk and work on assignments. Other students sparred in the wide, open stretches they'd passed on their way in the day before, although they did so in a quieter, more restrained fashion. And under careful supervision from men and women in robes who meandered between their sparring circles. Practicing forms a bit more than fighting properly, or so Cardin said, though Jaune didn't have the eye to discern the difference.

They found a spot around one of the primary dorms, on the opposite side of the Academy from where they'd come in. It was a long, open air sort of eating area, built down into the ground a foot or so with stairs leading down and hearths on either side. Thick curtains had been drawn to keep the chill at bay and, inside, it was like a tavern with low counters in half-rings in front of each hearth and a smell of meat and vegetables wafting up from stews broiling in huge, black iron pots at the fires. A dozen of so Beacon students, and some staff, were there even as early as it was. But they were scattered loosely throughout the food house, and no one paid them any mind as they settled into a corner and Winchester sat the papers the Headmaster had given them in front of Jaune.

"Now," he sighed, "food first or work first?"

"Both at the same time." He grunted, picking up one of them and turning it so the Dust-light in their corner could cast its almost ethereally pale light on it more directly. "We've spent too long here already."

"Life takes time." Cardin grunted quietly, "War moreso."

"Is this war…?"

"We're Knights of the Realm." Cardin scoffed, "Every breath we take is an assault upon our enemies."

"Stealing lines from the priests?"

"Only the good ones, Arc. Only the good ones." He smirked, raising a hand and waving over a shorter, stockier Chastened who dipped his head as he reached them. "Two stews, plentiful helpings, a salt bowl, and a plate of bread. Ah, and bring some light wine."

"As the Lord wishes." He nodded, hesitating long enough for Jaune to wave him off and taking his leave.

He came back quickly with two glass bowls of stew, painted in a dull bronze and flecked by leafy inlays. A second came with a wide, raised-lipped plate with a fresh smelling loaf of bread, a smaller glass bowl of butter, and a pair of cups and a bottle of wine for them. While Cardin dug in, Jaune only nibbled, leafing through the pages the man had handed over and frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"There's only a dozen or so." He grunted, shaking his head, "That's hardly a Cohort."

"Yes, well, your views aren't exactly common." Cardin shrugged, rolling his eyes when Jaune shot him a look. Waving him off with the bread knife and reached out to carve some off, the large man went on, "Consider this your inner circle, of a sort."

"My inner circle?"

"People you put in charge of this and that." Cardin nodded, putting some of the bread on the table in front of Jaune and then dipping his in his stew. Now he was eating, the big man seemed a lot more content to do all the explaining Jaune needed. "We'll need more, of course, but we can get them anywhere, really. These are all higher nobles, for the most part. People best placed as your officers. You can always fill out the lower ranks with lesser nobles after."

"You brought these on purpose, then. Picked them out so we could start with the officers." Jaune understood, chuckling when Cardin half-shrugged and nodded.

"It's my duty." He finally said, "As Second."

"Maybe," Jaune nodded, "but I appreciate it regardless. So… Thanks, Cardin."

"Of course, Brother." He nodded, meeting Jaune's gaze for just long enough for him to understand that he'd been glad to help. Finally shrugging, he turned and said, "I suggest Adel, firstly. Or Bulb."

"Yeah?" He turned and found their pages easily enough, set on top - meaning Cardin had set them up for him to see first, too.

Both were a year or so older than him, and from Southern Vale. Deep down along the coast, in a long stretch of rolling beaches sheltered by lower peaks of Vale's mountains tapering out along the coastline. Adel came from somewhere called Amber, apparently, and Bulb came from Azure. The former mined the coast for the amber the settlement was named for working, while Azure mainly fished and farmed for…

"Seaweed…?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Lady Bulb's family farms seaweed?"

"Seaweed… Ah." Cardin blinked and nodded, waving a hand at him and smiling thinly as he went on, "Sea greens is what I know them by. They keep fairly well, and they also boil off sea water for salt to pickle it and other things. And sell it, too. Sea greens are actually fairly good if you steam 'em with fish or beef."

"You… Know a lot about seaweed."

"My family trades with Amber for… Well, amber." He snorted and shook his head, smiling as if remembering something long since passed. Quietly, he went on, "We use the sea, mostly, and the sailors often stock up on sea greens to wrap fish and chicken in as they sail up the coast and stop in here and there."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "It's… Where I met Russel, Sky and Dove, when we were knee-highs."

"Ah…" Jaune heard the sorrow in his voice and let out a long breath. "I'm… Sorry."

"Don't be." He grunted, "You didn't kill any of them."

"I know, but…" He could see the pain written across the big man's face, but he didn't know how to broach it. And Cardin avoided his gaze, so he was sure the other Knight would rather he not do so at all. So, leaving it lay, he asked instead, "Do you know anything about Bulb or Adel?"

"The Bulbs have a mind for trade and farming." Cardin shrugged, "The Adels have one for logistics. I'd support either."

"But you recommend…?"

"Adel." He grunted after a second of thought, "Older, and more… Vocal about agreeing with what you tend to. She's an outcast, among her family, for what she says. So you should get along splendidly."

"Gee, Brother," Jaune rolled his eyes, "do make me sound less pious."

"Honesty is a virtue." He chuckled, "But I mean it. You should get along well enough. And she can help us keep organized. I know more than some, sure, but… Organization isn't quite my forte. And you lack the teaching for it."

"No offence intended, I'm sure." Cardin just shrugged and Jaune sighed, "Alright. I should meet her then. Shall we go find her?"

"Why find her when we can send for her?"

"We can do that…?"

"One day, Arc." Cardin sighed, "I am going to hire a dozen tutors and lock you in a cell with them until you come out knowing everything there is to know."

Jaune just chuckled and tried not to think of the tutor he'd already had, and lost. Instead, he just said, "Hare and Kat do their best. We're just… Busy, you understand?"

"Mhm." He nodded, waving over one of the Chastened servers of the eatery and sighing. "Hence locking you up with nothin' better to do."

"Ah." Jaune blinked, "Fair."

XxX-XxX-XxX

From Chastened to Chastened, the word was passed along and then back to him, and a meeting was arranged for just after noon. She'd sent apologies, too, for making them wait a few hours, but apparently she had work that needed doing for the Academy. Groundskeeping, apparently, according to the Chastened man. He'd considered just waiting and relaxing for a while, as Cardin suggested they do, but…

"Like I said, we've spent too long here already." Jaune said as they rode out along the stone-paved path, headed out the opposite way they'd come in.

On this side the woods grew thicker once you rode out for a few minutes, nearly into a forest all on its own. They'd passed a mill fairly close to the Academy, slowly carving wood raws into planks and dry logs that were bound and moved off into the Academy. This far out the road wound side to side a bit, around logging yards built right into the woodland. Some were quiet and closed, with saplings and young trees growing close around them in between towering, mature trees with bright red slats of wood pinned to their sides. And, on a few, little pegs pressed into the trees that something slowly dripped out of.

What it was, he'd ask later.

"The gods favor not the man who works unending." Cardin warned, wagging a finger at him. "No more than a man who sloths unending."

"Oh, you're a priest now?"

"Depends." He shrugged, "How good at it am I?"

"The trees would do better."

"Arse."

"Priests don't swear."

"The fun ones do! Hah!" Cardin argued, laughing when Jaune just threw a hand up in faux surrender.

A heartbeat passed and the sound of work reached them. Metal on wood, horses baying and more as they rounded a curve in the road and approached one of the further camps. There were dozens of Chastened going to and fro, working with broad-shouldered draft horses to drag logs over to long carts where others hoisted them up with ropes set up on metal struts that let them hang over the edge to allow the Chastened standing on top to pull them over and tie them down. Students were overseeing it all, but all of the ones he could see were men aside from one with long red hair in a braid.

But Adel had brown hair, according to the Chastened from the eatery.

"Where is she…" He murmured as they pulled their horses to a stop and he waved one of the more tired looking Chastened over. Climbing down, he ordered the man, "Hold these here for us. We shouldn't be long."

It wasn't much, but it'd at least let the man steal a break…

"Water them, too." Cardin added, waving his hand at a long, low water trough with a simple grain trough below it. "We'll need them for the ride back."

"Yes, Lords."

"And where is Lady Adel?" Jaune added as the man turned, "Do you know?"

He pointed across the yard and grunted, "Around the back and into the woods. You'll hear them felling trees, clearing a path for the log-carriers."

Jaune nodded and waved for Cardin to follow him, making his way as carefully as he could through the work-grounds.

On its other side was a wide path, flanked by orange-painted wooden panels tall enough to be shields. The path beyond was marked by them on occasion, and more that were being set up as they went and slowly walked into the sounds of more work like from the main camp. Finally, they spotted a cluster of people. And, at their head, a broad-shouldered woman in a sleeveless black shirt with a thick hat on and an axe resting across her shoulders while he hands hung over it.

"Come on!" She shouted, watching some of the workers wrap up the branches of a fallen tree while more got the pull-horses to work dragging half of the tree away. "We need to get two more done to hit quota!"

She spotted them as Jaune reach her and offered a hand, "Lady Adel?"

"Coco." She corrected, grimacing and shaking her head. "I'm guessing you're Lord Arc and… I'm filthy. I shouldn't-"

"I'm a smith, not precious." Jaune cut her off, smiling, "A little dirt is nothing to me."

"Ah. Nice to see the rumor mill isn't always wrong…" She smiled and dropped an arm, letting the other pitch her axe up and catching it smoothly. Like a woman well-experienced in handling them which, judging from the thin scars that criss-crossed her arms and shoulders, he was sure she was. Shaking his hand she snorted and said, "You could have waited."

"Yeah, well…" He shrugged, unbuttoning his shirt and turning to watch the next horse come up to take the last long hunk of wood. "I'm not good at sitting around like that. So, how can I help?"

"Hah." Adel snorted, shaking her head and waving at it. "Ox! Show the Lord how to tie the knots and get that log rolling! Extra hands doesn't mean less pep in your step, people!"

XxX-XxX-XxX

Unsung Senpai :

A correction in brief-

Jaune didn't kill anyone. She was wounded and died as a result of that.

Beyond that - Lady Arc IS angry about Jaune. And suspicious, too, which I tried to convey in her cold opportunism - throwing a all, leaping on Weiss and introducing him when she showed up, and, notably, not swamping him in things to micromanage. And since he didn't ask for it, and Jaune wouldn't think to given his background, she gets to keep control, too.

She's less like Stark and more like Littlefinger, were he in a similar position - taking advantage wherever she finds it.