A/N: We got another chapter in this story! Woo! Took a bit longer than I would liked to finish it, what with work and all, but hey, here it is.
Enjoy!
RWBY is own by Viz Media and was created by the late Monty Oum
The Lonely Princess
Book 3
"Hmm," Weiss found herself saying as she took in the view of the Greater Emerald Forest as the carriage made its way down the narrow, rural road. She could see why Valeans took so much pride it the old growth forest, even from here, it looked positively majestic. It also happened to be the primary export of the Kingdom of Vale itself, though they often clashed with the lesser kingdoms of Arcadia and Eleusis over who had the writes to the positively massive forest.
She found that silly.
Again, the forest was massive, easily producing enough lumbar for the lot of them. But, she supposed that wasn't the actual reason for all the strife between them. That had to do with some kind of ancient feud that the Mantlese historians didn't bother to submit to parchment. A case of whodunit, surely she thought to herself with a coy smile and a shake her head. Valeans.
Then she went back to observing the scenery again as she recalled that she would have to deal with those very people soon. After all, Patch was a former colony of Vale before the annexation. There would those who find that distasteful, she was sure. The merger had only occurred a mere twenty years ago.
Valeans were notoriously stubborn and individualistic, after all, as well as argumentative and standoffish. That was why they were so hard to govern, even by their own native rulers. But, then again, they were also historically loyal and kind, caring to both their friends and family. She idly wondered what that would feel like, to be... cherished, by her family. Then she shook those thoughts from her head and took in the state of the Prefecture itself, now that she had crossed the border.
It was rather less than impressive on first viewing. Oh, the farmland that she saw was rich enough as well as the few merchants that she saw, but overall the towns she passed through seemed to have a sense of gloom to them. As did the people themselves. The towns closer to her sit of power also seemed to be in more disarray, though she wasn't sure why. Patch was overall a rather bountiful prefecture, so why did its lands and people loos so abysmal?
"Hmm," she found herself saying as she took all that in, processing.
The only other thing of note she saw as the carriage passed through the streets of her capital, Pharos, was the many men and women in knightly armor, with iconography and helmets shaped like of a golden lion. The fabled Lion guard of Patch. She felt herself shudder at the sight of those men and women. Objectively under her authority as the ranking noble in charge of the Prefecture, she wouldn't put it past them to be more firmly allied to the local Baronets and other low nobility in the area, if for no other reason than because they were Valean, not Mantlese.
She took a breath in and clenched her fists tightly while the rested in her lap as she reaffirmed her resolve in this matter. Still, she wouldn't let that stop her. The Königin herself had given her this duty, and she would not fail. Not this time.
Then her eyes brightened as her mind drifted to another reason for being here. Perhaps, I'll see Ruby while I'm here? She blinked and flushed at the intrusive thought, but she couldn't deny that she did want to see the strange girl again.
As her carriage finally made its way through Pharos over the low, worn, wooden bridge to the Isle of Patch Weiss found herself getting excited all over again. The island had long been the seat of power for whatever noble ruled over the prefect and while many had lost their lives there thanks to all the revolts and conflict in the past, lives that could have been saved had the nobles in question simply vacated the mid-sized estate instead of hunkering down, it was supposedly to a lovely spot to live with a small forest filled with transplanted game from the mainland, two rivers of crystal clear water and all the fish you could eat from both the Northern Strait of Sanus and the Greater Valean Bay.
And then she saw the state of the Valean Estate as her entourage rode in.
The grounds were in disarray with weeds sprouting everywhere and the various hedges and flowering trees looking despondent at best with withered, strangled, bare-leaf branches or so overgrown they were choking the life out of their fellows. The fountain in front of the estate gardens was broken, its marbled flooring cracked and overgrown with muck and mold. And the cobblestone road leading back out to the bridge beyond was crumbling with patches of missing stones in places. The manse itself had numerous windows that were cracked or outright broken, and the vast majority of the once pristine marble pillars and edifices were coated in dirt while being strangled by creeping vines and moss.
To be succinct, it was the exemplar of abandoned old relics.
"Hmm," She said again at that as she got out of her carriage with a neutral look on her face and followed her guards inside the manor itself with her maids following behind, whispering to themselves over the state of the dwelling. Honestly, that made sense. The last noble to own the place had died within in during the last revolt, refusing to vacate the seat of his power in the face of such rabble.
Apparently, it was all very honorable, especially for Valean, but she secretly found the idea of refusing flee to safety in an untenable situation to be the height of stupidity. Maybe it was because she was Mantlese...
/ /
"Spread out! Search the area," commanded the Captain of her personal guard, one Wulfe Anderson, as he and the rest of her guards stalked into the mansion with Weiss, Lilly, and the maids coming up behind. The Captain was a dapper-looking fellow standing well over six feet and dressed in the Royal Guard's colors of off white and pale grey, a brilliantly crafted longsword on his belt in a red and gold, gilded sheath. He preferred to go by Wulfe. "Make certain it is safe foe the lady!" He commanded of his men as they spread out and searched the building in pairs.
Then he turned and stalked over to where Weiss stood beside Lilly and bowed his head slightly, almost tickling her with the small, pointed ears at the crown of his head, colored in fur the same charcoal grey as his hair, as he said, "Forgive me, die Fürstin Schnee, but could you please stand there a moment longer while we secure the premises?"
"Of course, Captain Wulfe," Weiss replied demurely, doing her best not to look at the brass collar around his neck or the same type of manacles around his wrists, or the mask he wore like his men. Yes, she grimaced to herself, even one so talented as him is a slave to my father's whims. Worse, the fact he and his men still wore those masks meant that they served her father, not her.
She couldn't trust them. Not yet.
She sighed at that as the staggeringly tall and lean man stood up and left once more ordering his men to do this or that. She then turned to Lilly and the maids standing behind her and said, "Well, I suppose while we wait for the Captain and his men to finish clearing out the other room we might as well do... something. Perhaps, clean the courtyard?"
"Excellent suggestion, My Lady," Lilly replied with a smile and a slight bow of her head before she turned and directed the maids to do so. After a quick curtsey from the various human and Faunus women they went about the business of cleaning, pruning and tearing away the various plant life that had overtaken the courtyard and the gardens closest too it. Weiss even helped, at least, with gathering up and stocking all the unwanted debris in a pile for burning later.
It was while they were doing this that a lone rider rode up the bridge to stop before them. The man jerked the reins back on his horse, a large dark variant with deep brown eyes and lusciously curling hair on its mane and tail, as he called out holding aloft a message, "I am here to see the Noble, Weiss Schnee! He has been summoned to attend the meeting between Lars Gunderson, Major of Pharos and my master, Count Olaf!"
He sat upon his horse proudly for a moment in the dawning silence before looking between the maids and Weiss, who by how had her hair tied up in a loose bonnet, one side almost jauntily covering her left eye like an eyepatch, while wearing grime smeared gloves and an apron over her dress, and demanded, "Quickly now, good women, and fetch me your Lord! This Summons is most important!"
Weiss took a moment to shake out the carpet they had found buried under a pile of leaves and placed it on the bannister of the mansion's front porch before nodding to Lilly to get Wulfe. She nodded back before saying, "Just one moment, Ser Knight. And we will fetch someone to take your missive to our Lord."
"Very well then, very well then," The man drawled in a dismissive way as he sat there on his horse and all but leered at her and the other maids as Lilly scurried inside with belated haste.
They had talked about this beforehand on the way over. No one here in Vale knew of her yet, especially those in Patch, and she wanted to keep it that way. If the Valean nobility was like that of the Mantlese then they would be more than a little dismissive of a woman leading them. So, best to play it safe for now, build up her own power base here first before she revealed herself.
Though, she was sure that nobles like this Count Olaf probably already knew about who Weiss Schnee was.
After a pregnant moment of bearing the weight of the messenger's eyes as he watched their every move, Weiss shivered at the implications of that, Wulfe returned, now dressed like a courtier in a brown jacket and openly baring his sword on his belt as he jauntily walked up to the messenger, saying only, "You've a message for me, sir?"
The man blinked at his appearance before he sat up and saluted the captain before handing him the missive while saying, "Count Olaf sends his compliments, My Lord. And seeks your presence at the meeting between himself, the Lairds of Hinterlands and the Mayor of Pharos City itself."
Wulfe nodded as he took the missive and opened it to read while the messenger continued, "My Master believes it best if you sit in on this first meeting to get a feel of the current political climate as well as a look all all who would stand with you in this, trying time." Then the messenger looked over at where Weiss and the other women were working, staring at them intently as he said, "He also says you should take a servant with you as a matter of distinction, Milord."
Wulfe nodded at that as he refolded the missive and said, "Understood. Give your master my compliments and tell him that I'll be there presently."
The messenger nodded back and saluted before wheeling his mount around with expert skill and took out at a full gallop with a "YaaHH!", thundering down the rickety bridge as quickly as he had come.
Wulfe watched him go as Weiss came up to stand next to him. He handed her the missive while saying, "The House has been cleared, My Lady. I believe it best if we follow the man's advice, for now." Weiss nodded silently in agreement before turning walking to the manse, motioning Lilly and a few of the other maids to follow her.
She needed to prepare herself for battle.
/ /
Two and a half hours later found Weiss walking tiredly out of the Roost, the central most and largest building in downtown Pharos, rubbing at her head to ease the headache she had developed while within, glad for the veil Lilly had suggested she wear instead of her mask as she walked out into the blazing sunlight, her too pale skin tingling with the heat. She stopped and sighed heavily as she stood there looking out over the city from the balcony that she found herself. It would appear that she had far more work ahead of her than she first thought.
Under the silent protection of Wulfe she had entered the building and sat in at the meeting between Count Olaf, Major Gunderson, the Ad hoc ruler of Pharos until she revealed herself, and the three Hinterland Lords of Bayleaf, Chive and Maple as well as the unexpected additions of Archduke Winchester, his son, and the Earls of of House Lark, Adel, and Bronzewing. There was also the Aide to King Ozma of Vale seating in as an Observer, supposedly on the Archduke's side, but largely filling in a neutral capacity with the likes of Gunderson while the Count and the Archduke factions verbally duked it out in the room as they fought to decide who had authority over who and what.
After the death of the last Lord of Patch during the last revolt, known simply as the Rebellion, an event orchestrated by foreign operatives from Mantle, the Prefecture had been seceded to Mantle as part of a bloodless conquest, known as the Ironwood Conquests. In that time, no one had been running the government of the Prefect and the citizens there were hurting from the lack of trade, of resources, of coin. And, in that time, what little funds that were left in the government's reserves were quickly used up to pay the rather large Tithe in the intervening years since then.
She appreciated the Count for allowing her and Wulfe to seat in on that meeting. He had clearly known just who she was, as had the Archduke, and allowed the pair of them to attend the meeting even though Wulfe had announced that his Lord had yet to arrive. she didn't know if that meant the count was on her side, but she hoped so. It would make the transition of Power that much easier for the populace to swallow, she hoped.
"So, sigh, not only do I need to incite a Tax of the Citizenry to start paying off this long overdue Tithe to the Crown, to Father. I also have to somehow create some kind of infrastructure to even begin generating the coin necessary to Tax to in the first place." She rubbed at her brow again, gaze despondent, as she turned from the admittedly lovely sight and began to walk and talk to herself, thinking over the whole matter again. "but, to first built the infrastructure I have to incite the citizens to come to work in the first place. And that costs money! Damn it!"
She swore as she kicked at a particularly loose pebble on the path she was on before standing there, fuming. Then, she blinked and looked around as she abruptly realized that she had no idea where she was.
"Oh," She whispered to herself before she decided to start walking. "Oh, shoot. Lilly's going to kill me."
She began to walk down the path once more, hoping to come across a servant of some kind that she might ask for directions. As she did so she couldn't help but think that maybe this had all be a trick on her. After all, the sheer enormity of the task before her was more than she could process right now, especially as she had only just arrived. Perhaps, after a bit of food and rest, she might comprehend it better.
She sighed then, thinking over just how busy she was going to be in the coming days, if no weeks. Unbidden came the memory of Ruby's smile, but this time the emotion it filled her with was sadness instead of delight. It looks like I won't be seeing you again, after all she mused sadly. Ruby...
"Where are you?" A masculine voice sang out, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked up, startled, to find one of those knights from earlier standing there before her with their back turned to her as he looked around for someone. though, he was a bit different she supposed. His armor was a polished silver sheen that would've reflected the light around him save for the rich blue cape he wore over it. Also, he was big, very big. Weiss was used to people being taller than her like her Father, the König, and Captain Wulfe, - Heck, her brother was taller than her! - but this man, this man, dwarfed them all.
Perhaps, it was because of the armor?
She wasn't sure as what to do in this situation, having never been allowed to leave her own home back in Mantle. Was she in a private area of the Roost? Would she get in trouble? Would he yell at her, scold her like her Father did?
...She just didn't know.
Still, it was probably better if he didn't find her she surmised as she looked around for a moment before attempting to sneak around the armored fellow only to pause as he said, "Ruby! Where, are you?"
Ruby? She thought as she paused mid-step into the hedges next to the knight. Surely he's not talking about Ruby Ruby ...Right?
There was a pause, as if waiting for an answer, then he sighed before shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes as he muttered under his breath loud enough for her to hear, "Of all the times to go running of on your own, Rubes, it has to be now?" Then, with another sigh, he turned and paused, eyes widening on seeing Weiss standing there frozen before him. She flinched at that and made to say something in apology, only for the knight to doffed his helmet, revealing a mane of golden, curling locks, a short, trimmed beard of darker blond hair and deep blue eyes like the ocean, as he bowed deeply to her, helmet in hand, and said, "Ah, my apologies, Mademoiselle. I did not se you there. How Rude of me."
Nearly two decades of formal etiquette and other social training had Weiss unconsciously returning the bow with a deep curtsey of her own as she returned graciously, "Not at all, Sir Knight. No need to trouble yourself over me. I merely lost my way. Good day to you, My Lord."
"Lost your way, you say?" The knight then asked, frowning at her in confusion. He then stood up and staked over to her while attaching helmet to his belt before stopping in front of her and offering his had as he said with warm smile, "Well then, allow me to escort you, Milady?"
She hesitated, hand outstretched to take his, and looked up at him, swallowing. "U-uh, um, I-I, I don't know- I-I mean, forgive me, My Lord," she stammered nervously as she tried to back away.
"Please," was all he said in answer, as he knelt down before her, still smiling gently at her as he offered his hand, "You can trust me, My Lady. I mean you no harm. And, an Arc, never goes back on his word."
The curiosity she felt on that last statement, mixed with the look he gave her, a look no one else had ever given her save perhaps Lilly herself, had her grasping his hand as she asked, "That's a rather curious thing to say, sir? Just who are you, anyway?" then she flushed and stuttered out as she looked down, "Aa-a-ah, f-forgive me! Th-that was improper of me to say!"
The knight simply chuckled at her remark as she stood there flustered before grinning as he said, "Not to worry, My Lady. As to who I am, I apologize. A Knight of the Order of Devotion should know better."
Weiss cocked her head, curious at that as she repeated, "Devotion?"
"Indeed! Ser Jaune Arc, Knight Exemplar of the Order of Devotion!" He said magnanimously while grinning brightly. Then his grin turned to a slightly more chagrined one as he said while looking down and scratching at his cheek with one finger, "Although, Knight Errant would be appropriate at this time, I suppose."
Weiss blinked at that before tilting her head to the side in confusion, having never heard the term before. Jaune noticed that as his smile brightened once more and he explained, "A Knight Exemplar is a knight who is recognized by his fellows as having upheld and fully exemplifies the Ideals of the Order he belongs to. A Knight Errant, uh, well... I suppose you come say they are the next step in between a Squire and a fully fledged Knight of the Order, having yet to prove themselves, as it were."
Weiss looked up at the man before her, taking all of him in from his warm, sunny smile to his soft, blue eyes to the white with gold trimmings tabard he wore over his breast plate that displayed two crescent moons to the elaborate hilt of the arming sword had at his side, and couldn't help but ask, "And you have yet to prove yourself, Sir Jaune?"
"Hah! Nope," He replied with a grin, popping the "P", before then chuckling to himself as some personal joke. At her look of surprised confusion he then explained, "A Knight of Devotion dedicates themselves utterly to someone they believe important, and only that person. It could be someone they love and cherish like a lover or a sibling, or simply someone they believe to be important in some capacity or another." His smile turned sad as he said, "Though, I believe in and exposit our Order's Creed to all and sundry, I am afraid that I have yet to find someone to who I would devote myself to in such a way." He stared down at Weiss with an altogether different, but nonetheless gentle smile as he remarked, "Perhaps one day I might find her."
Weiss found herself flushing once more. This time for an entirely different reason. Jaune grinned at that, laughing softly before inclining his head at her as he asked, "And, what is the young Mademoiselle's name, if I may be so bold as to ask?"
"Oh, I-I-it's, I, um..." Weiss started to say before pausing, and looking away, afraid to ruin, whatever this was, between her and the knight before her. Jaune noted that and simply said, "Ah, yes, I did forget to mention one thing about the Order I belong to." He paused, then waited for her to look back up at him before saying, "The Order of Devotion is not aligned with the Kingdom of Vale. With any kingdom or nation, in fact. We are a, um, independent band, that works for whoever we desire to follow."
Weiss blinked at that, realizing what he meant, before swallowing as she brushed at the skirts of her dress, contemplating whether or not this was the correct choice. Her Father would say otherwise, she was sure, thinking she should perhaps partner with the Archduke, using him to further her goals, but that wasn't who Weiss was. She didn't want to use people. Didn't want to be used. She, thoughts of Ruby drifted through her mind then, she just wanted friends.
"My apologies, Sir Jaune." Weiss said then as she took a step back and curtseyed deeply to him, head bowed low. "I am die Fürstin Weiss Schnee. It is a pleasure to meet you." Then she stay that way for a moment more, worried about what she would see on Jaune's face, and praying for... something.
"Ah, a Mantlese then." Jaune by way of answer. She looked up to see his smile as he bow once more, just as deeply as her, in fact, and said, "The pleasure, My Lady, is all mine. I thank you." Then he stood back up and narrowed his eyes in thought before he asked with his eyebrows raised, "Now, I believe you said you had taken a wrong turn somewhere? May I be of assistance then?
Weiss couldn't help but laugh at that as she finally took the hand he offered and said with a beaming smile of her own, "Why, yes. That would be most helpful, Jaune. Thank you."
"Certainly," He returned as he clutched her hand gently in his much larger one, making her blush, and pulled her in close to his side, before walking back they way he had come while saying, "now, while this isn't the most direct route to the entrance, it does have just the loveliest view of the Gardens. Do you mind if we go this way?'
Weiss couldn't help but shake her head at that, blushing and smile profusely. Jaune chuckled happily as he led her own, pointing out the occasional flower or hedge arrangement that he found particularly attractive. And, Weiss, Weiss was beyond elated by it all, although, she didn't quite know why her chest felt so warm.
/ /
"Where is the die Fürstin?!" Wulfe barked loudly, worried, as he and his men searched for the princess in the halls of The Roost alongside that of the Lion Guard stationed there. With him were Lilly and several of the servants in the palatial building.
It had been several minutes now since the princess had gone outside after the meeting and still she had et to be found. The Faunus Captain was starting to believe that she had been kidnapped and would soon be held for ransom.
"Damn it all!" He snarled to himself. They should never have come to the meeting. He should never have taken his eyes off her. It was the perfect opportunity for their enemies to grab her. "Damn it!" He swore again as they rounded the corner and saw the delegation from Vale standing there, grinning at them.
/ /
"Ah, those are petunias, My Lady," Jaune answered when Weiss pointed at the next arrangement of flowers on their walk. He frowned, concerned as he asked, "Do you not have them in Mantle?"
She shook her head before clarifying, "Too cold. The yearly frost kills most things."
"Hmm," Jaune said to that, thinking, before looking up and smiling again as he said, "And, here we are, My Lady. Just like I promised." He turned to her then, seeing the slight frown on her face from knowing that their time was up. After a moment's hesitation he then said, "My partner and I were going to go into town tomorrow. See her sister and the like while we did so shopping." He scratched at his chin, doing his best to ignore the sudden look of interest she had at that, mentally whispering to himself My Lady Schnee, you shall have to work on that, if you wish to survive here, before coughing and asked, "If you'd like, we'd be happy to take you along. Show you the city. If you like?"
"Yes!" Weiss exclaimed before blushing at her own excitement. She coughed into her hand and looked away, trying to recover her own dignity at that outburst before saying in a far more calm and demure manner, "Yes, that sounds lovely, Sir Jaune. I'll look forwards to it."
Jaune's grin might as well have been the Sun itself as she said that. "Excellent, My Lady. Simply excellent!" He boomed forth exuberantly. "We shall pick you at around Ten then. Make certain you bring an appetite. Valean Brunches are a thing to be feared, haha!" He laughed. Then he sighed perhaps a bit sadly as he turned and pointed towards the exit, saying, "The exit here will lead you down to the main entrance just so long as you take the first left after you see the split and stay on the inner hallway."
Weiss blinked at the directions, and Jaune's sudden mood swing, but all she could get out in answer was a brief, "Ah!" before Jaune suddenly pushed her behind him as he stood before a hedgerow and folded his arms before him, hiding her from view.
Before she could wonder at that a snide voice shouted, "Arc! What are you doin' here?!"
Jaune stiffened before turning his head to look at whoever the person was and replied politely, "Sir Lark. I did not know that the Archduke was bringing you along. Does that mean his son is here as well?"
"Aye," The other voice said as they got closer to him. "We were trying to catch the Schnee whore before she got here, but it seems that she wasn't quite ready to so her ugly face in public just yet. Pity that. We'll just have to try and make use of the dumb cow when next we meet. From everything I've heard abut her, she'll be an readily available scapegoat for use in the Archduke's plans going forwards. Patch will be ours again."
Weiss flinched the man's tone more than his words. They were vulgar, sure, but not unusual, though she had never been called a, a whore before. So ungentlemanly, that one. Still the dismissive tone... And, what was this about being part of Vale again? Surely, the citizens of the Prefecture weren't that restless, right?
"Indeed," was all Jaune said in response to that before he then asked, "And, how is Cardin?"
The other man sniffed before saying, "Upset. As usual. He still wants you to join the Order of the Hawk, Jaune."
"I have made my opinions on the matter clear," Jaune returned stoically. "but, do tell him I appreciate it. He is a good friend."
"Hmm, more's the pity," the other man then said in response to that. "If you weren't such a good friend, he might not be so demanding of you all the time."
Jaune said nothing to that.
"Well, no matter. I'll be going now." The other man said. "Oh, yeah. There seems to be some kind of commotion going on inside with the Mantlese Delegation. Apparently, they're missing someone or something. Hilarious."
"Understood. Thank you, Sky." Jaune returned after a beat of silence.
"Farewell, Arc," the man said before he walked past him, showing Weiss the profile of a much shorter, thinner man with blue hair and eyes in drab plate mail with the symbol of a bird on it.
"Yu know, I think I'll just escort you the rest of the way myself, My Lady," Jaune said after the man had disappeared further down in the Gardens while glancing down at her her from over his shoulder. "If, that's alright with you."
Weiss clutched at his cape tightly before she looked up at him and nodded. He smiled back at her before offering his hand for her to take. "Come then. Let's get you home."
It took but a moment for Jaune to show her the way to the Foyer and then the Main Entrance. Along the way, they came across her escort and Lilly. After a brief bit scolding from her maid and a look of further scolding from Wulfe once they got back she thanked Jaune for his company and promise to see him again on the morrow. He nodded at that and stayed with them until they got to her carriage. Then, with a wave of goodbye, he turned and left.
/ /
Hours later...
At the House of Winchester...
"So, Cardin, did we come to a deal with the Count yet?" Sky asked on greeting the larger man as he walked into his personal quarters at their estate in the city of Pharos. Cardin said nothing in return as he shifted through a variety papers and documents, scowling all the while. Sky sat down across from the man ignoring the continual silence as he nodded to Dove when the pudgy-faced man gave him a glass of wine.
Finally, Cardin stopped and placed the document in his hand down with a sigh as he sat back in his chair, making it groan under his weight. Then he directed his stern patrician features at Sky as he said, "I heard there was a commotion at the Roost. Someone went missing."
"Heh, yeah," Sky returned with a snort and a grin. "Apparently, the servant with the Faunus Captain from Mantle got lost or something. Hilarious, right?" He shook his head, his mane of blue hair flying behind him, as he raised his hands in the air. "Just how did those foreigners ever beat us?"
"Apparently, it was the die Fürstin, who went missing," the son of Archduke Winchester stated instead of answering that as he stared at Lark.
There was a beat of silence into which Sky's grin vanished as he processed that, but all he could say was, "Shit."
/ /
The next day...
"Are you sure about this, Milady?" Asked Lilly once again as she nervously adjusted Weiss dress while they stood on the porch waiting. It was a love thing of grey ribbons wrapping around a pale blue skirt and a sharply fitted bodice of the same grey and pale blue. Weiss had more ribbons interwoven in her hair as well. "You hardly know the man," Lilly continued.
"Hush, Lilly." Weiss returned as she adjusted her veil in the sudden breeze that stirred, wondering if she should wear her mask instead. Jaune already knew who she was after all. "Sir Jaune's not like that."
"And she calls him by his first name, too? Oh, my," Lilly muttered to herself with a shake of her head. Weiss flushed at that comment, but said nothing in response. They were simply friends after all. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Now, Lilly," she started. "You really mustn't worry so. Jaune will-"
"Good morning, My Lady! Mademoiselle! And, how are you?" Call Jaune as he rode up to them on a white stallion, another rider in a red cloak on a black horse beside him.
"Jaune!" Weiss exclaimed joyfully, forgetting herself as she took up her skirts and ran down to him as he got off his horse to stand before her. She glomped onto him in a sudden, ferocious hug, a huge grin on her face, as she said, "You came! Just like you said you would!"
Then she abruptly stepped back away from him, embarrassed at what she had done, coughing into her hand and brushing at her skirts.
Jaune laughed jovially at her as he said, "But, of course, My Lady. An Arc never goes back on his word." He laughed again before motioning to the other rider as they dismounted, saying, "Ah! Forgive me, My Lady. This, is my partner, Ruby-"
"Ruby Rose!" The much shorter woman declared as she swept back her hood and beamed at Weiss, her silver eyes as bright as her and Jaune's smile. Then she rushed forwards and hugged Weiss tightly as she said, "Oh, it's so good to see you, Weiss!"
"Hrggh, R-Ruby?" Weiss responded as she hugged the woman back. Shocked to see her. "Yu-your Jaune's partner? Are you a member of the Order of Devolution, too?"
"Devotion," Jaune coughed and corrected even as he chuckled at the two of them.
"Hah, nah," Ruby chortled as she dismissively waved a hand at that, stepping back from her after a moment. "I'm simply an Outrider Knight. I've joined no Order, not even the ones who wanted to have me." then she shrugged as she said, "I'm a free agent."
Weiss looked between the two of them, concerned, before she asked Jaune, "That doesn't cause any problems for you, does it, Sir Jaune?"
"Not at all," Jaune returned with a shrug of his own. He smiled warmly at Ruby as he said, "Ruby's been my best friend and confidant for many a year. I wouldn't dream of abandoning her like that."
Ruby nodded back at him, smiling just as warmly, her eyes bright, "Nor I, him. Anyone who refuses to hire one of us because of the other, doesn't deserve the kind of quality we can provide." She then turned and brought her horse over for Weiss to greet while Jaune did the same for Lilly, the Faunus staring adoringly at the stallion as she rubbed at its snout. "Vale is call the Kingdom of Knights for that reason, Weiss. there's always some kind of contract for people like us. Though," she gave Jaune a look, to which he returned with a nod, "it' has been a bit hard lately. I suppose."
"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that." Weiss returned, once more concerned. "Is there anything I can do for you? Perhaps a job here, under Captain Wulfe?"
"Nah, that's okay, Weiss," Ruby returned as she climbed back up on her horse after helping Weiss up behind her while Jaune did the same for Lilly, saying, "I appreciate it, My Lady, but we won't work under another Knight Captain or Guardsman. A bit of bad history there, I'm afraid."
"O-oh, okay then." Weiss replied, mollified. Ruby patted her hands where they laid, wrapped around her midriff and said, "Don't work about us, Weiss. We'll find something soon. We always do."
Weiss nodded as they made their way into the city, hiding her face on Ruby's shoulder. The two knights shared a look at that and smiled gently to each other, but otherwise said nothing else.
/ /
An hour later had Weiss and Lilly staring in wonder at all the sights before them as they huddle together behind Jaune as he led to the way to their destination with Ruby taking up the rear, her longbow and quiver seen prominently from where she usually hid it.
Lilly had asked why she donned the war gear for a simple romp through the city and Ruby had winked at her before saying, "It's for you two lovely lovebirds, Lilly. This way I can keep any ne'er-do-wells from messing with you before they even see you. Trust me, I'm a crack sot with this bow of mine." Then she had motioned to Jaune, saying, "And there's no one who can best Jaune in a duel. Not even the Archduke's son! And, he's master duelist."
"Ruby," Jaune had then chided. "Be more respectful. Call her, My Lady or Lady Schnee, not Weiss."
"Aw, but she seems fine with me calling her by her first name! Right, Weissie?" Ruby had pouted before springing forth to hug Weiss as she attempted to shrink down away from the conversation. Weiss had then said that she didn't mind if Ruby did that, but that might've been due to the puppy-dog look she gave her beforehand.
"Playing right into her hands," Jaune had sighed and shaken his head before smiling at her as he said, "Very well, My Lady. But, don't come crying to me when you get tired of the disrespect."
Ruby had laughed at that with Jaune joining in a moment later. Weiss had grinned at it all, taking in the joking, the comradery between the two. The same easy friendship they readily showed her. The unknown warmth in her chest grew ever stronger as she took in more of more of them.
She didn't what to make of it all.
"Ah, here we are," Jaune announced as he come to a stop before a nondescript building. From within which the sounds of loud banging could be heard. "Just a moment, My Lady, Ms. Lilly, just need to go in and pick up my shield. They should have it completed by now."
"O-okay, Sir Jaune," Weiss said in answer, suddenly nervous again as he and Ruby went in while she and Lilly stood outside. After a moment of waiting there nervously, feeling the eyes of passersby and the few locals standing around on them Weiss swallowed her growing fear and stepped inside the shop with Lilly right behind her, her ears pressed flat to her head.
Once inside, she immediately felt the heat and started to sweat as a lone figure banged away on a piece of red hot metal before a forge. Somehow, they heard the bell overhead as they said in a muffled voice, thanks to the heavy face shield they wore, "Just a moment! I'll be right with you." without ever turning to look at the two.
Weiss nodded at that and tried to find somewhere to sit down out of the way, but there was nothing in the cramped little room. Lilly, hands to ears, turned and whispered directly in her ears, "Just a moment, Milady! I see a door! I'll be right back!" Weiss nodded again and stood there numbly as her maid all but fled the noise, abandoning her to it.
After a moment more of shaping the metal, the smith made a grunt of approval as they held the object aloft in a set of tongs, critiquing it. Weiss noted first that it appeared to be some type of face plate before she then noticed the bulging and sweaty, naked muscles of the smith's biceps while they stared at the plate. She swallowed as her captivated gaze then followed a particularly large bead of sweat as it dripped down their arm and onto the sandy floor below.
"O-oh, my," She whispered, flushing at that.
The smith then turned to her, almost as if they had heard that and took off their mask, revealing the single most beautiful woman Weiss had ever seen. The woman's ruddy complexion was still made of silky smooth skin while her long, curvy flaxen hair was equally silky and luscious, and Weiss found herself saying, "How do you keep your complexion so smooth with all this heat?" then she flushed at what she said, staring into the woman's lavender eyes only to sigh in relief as she bust out into a belly laugh at that and said, "Well, it isn't easy. But Yang Xiao Long is a fine piece of work and she won't take anything less than perfection in herself or her work."
The newly named Yang then sashayed up to her as a hand on her cheek so she could rub her thumb up and down on it while she asked, "And what about you, Snow Angel? Just who is this work of art I'm talking to?"
Weiss flushed first in embarrassment then in shame at that, turning her face away from the woman's grip as she whispered, "Weiss Schnee, and I'm hardly a work of art. At least, according to my father."
Yang's lavender eyes widened at that they narrowed as she stepped back in close to Weiss again, briefly lifting up her veil to stare at her. Weiss tried to pull away, only stopping as she realized that if she did she'd lose the veil entirely. After a moment of silence where Yang stared at the horrid scar on her face, the taller, brawny woman then said, "I see nothing that is hideous here. Only an angel."
Weiss blinked at that and turned to stare at her in shock before swiftly pulling her veil back down over her eyes, her scar, as the door opened, revealing Jaune, Ruby, Lilly and an older man, resembling Yang in both height and features. "Ah, sorry about the wait, Weiss!" Ruby called to her before glaring lightly at Jaune and the man next to her. "But, we were busy haggling over price! Even though we had already agreed to it beforehand, Tai!"
"Don't be mad at me, Flower, just because I got one over your boyfriend." The man, Tai, said as he kissed the top of her head while giving her a back-breaking bearhug.
"Argh, Dad! He's not my boyfriend!" Ruby said in disgust. Whether at the idea or simply at the embarrassment that her father was doing to her was unknown.
"I suppose I'm just not boyfriend material then," Jaune then said in a mock sorrowful tone as he started down the lone step in the room and over to where Yang and Weiss were standing with Ruby holding a hand out towards him as she called out to him, "Jaune, wait! I didn't mean it like that! Ah, Dad! Quit it!"
Yang then sighed before stepping away from Weiss as she said heavily, "Daaad! What the heck? I've told you already! Me and Vomit boy here have already worked it out! He'll be paying a monthly fee for the repair. not one lump sum!"
Tai placed down his daughter before turning to the next one and crossing his massive arms as he stared down at her and said, "No monthly stipends. No Split payments. There are bills to pay and we can't be handing out charity."
Yang stared back at her dad as she crossed her own equally bulging arms and countered with, "My shop, my rules, Dad."
the two stood there like that for a pregnant pause as everyone looked back and forth between them before her dad finally smiled and said, "Alright then. Well, I'll be here if you need me, 'kay?"
"Got ya." Yang returned with a soft smile. "Thanks, Dad."
He nodded and shrugged before turning to walk back into the store part of the smithy, saying over his shoulder, "Yeah, yeah. go and have fun with your friends. I'll be here to take over in the meanwhile."
"Woop!" Yang then cheered as she jumped in the air before turning to give friends and their guests a wild look as she said, "Who's up for a beer?"
/ /
Weiss didn't know what to make it.
Somehow, a simple shopping trip into town with some light sightseeing had turned into lunch with the two knights, a metalsmith, and her and her maid, Lilly. A raunchy, rowdy lunch where the trio of Valeans made certain that She and Lilly felt included in everything.
Honestly, she wasn't upset about it.
As it were, now she got to hang out with Jaune and Ruby for far longer than she had originally planned while learning about the lively, vivacious Yang. Such as the fact that, like her Father, she was an immigrant from Anima, having fled during the last war of expansion the Shogunate of Mistral. She learned from Ruby that, while over here, Taiyang had met her mother, Summer, an outrider knight as well, and married her, eventually giving birth to her.
She learned that, unlike hers, the Rose-Xiao Long family was close, even with how tight money could be at times. That was why Ruby was a independent knight. If she joined an Order, a part of her funds would go to the fraternity every month. Same for why Jaune chose to partner with her.
Jaune, for his part, apparently came from a well known family of knights. In fact, all his siblings and his father were, with his father having ben promoted to a Marshal after the last turf war between Vale and Vacuo. Jaune, himself, had decided to follow in his father's footsteps as a prominent member of the Order of Devotion while his siblings, seven sisters, had opted to be knights of another far ranging Order.
Together, they got by, alongside Yang, as best they could with what they could on local jobs from being message carriers to cavern guards to the occasional bodyguard duty with Yang helping out by giving them discounts on repairs or refits.
At least, normally.
Apparently, things were hard right now for Yang and the other Smiths in town even though they were getting an increase in orders. They weren't getting their supply of metal and ores thanks to the conflict rising in Mistral once more. The same was true for Jaune and Ruby. there was a demand for experienced knights and soldiers on the Eastern Front of Vale as they prepared to repel the next advance of the Mistrali, but the orders were only for the knights of prominent, martial Orders, not unknowns like Ruby or Independents like Jaune.
Weiss thought that over as she sat there with her new friends, feeling how the warmth in her chest waxed and waned at everything they were saying. Why did it burn so, she wondered. She wondered about the whole thing the entire time they ate, occasionally blushing at something Yang would say to her. The woman was a dreadfully clever flirt, constantly blindsiding her with something she would say.
In short, she loved it. Every minute of it.
A bit after Yang said goodbye and left to return to her shop, Wulfe showed up with a team of guard, fuming at how long she had been gone. After being suitably cowed by his blistering, she got up to leave with Lilly, making the mistake of turning around to see the two knights smiling after her as she said her goodbyes, noting how they hadn't eaten all that much in their time with her and Yang.
She thought about what Yang had said with her loss of business from the Prefecture losing its Trade due to the loss of someone in charge of things. The restlessness of the citizens as a whole. The possible war between Mantle, Mistral and now Vale and all the hardship that would come with that.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and stopped, saying as she turned to face the two of them, "I propose a deal then."
Jaune and Ruby looked at her, puzzled by the sudden declaration before glancing at each other. Finally, Ruby spoke up, asking, "What... kind of deal, Weiss?"
"I propose that instead of having you work under Captain Wulfe, you act as my personal bodyguards, independent of him and anyone else, while overseeing everything in defense of myself. I'll hire you on for forty silvers a day. What do you say?"
The two paused at that. Even taking the Exchange Rates between Valean and Mantlese coin, they were looking to make more than they ever had with any other job so far in life. Lilly and Captain Wulfe frowned, not sure what to say or do in this situation respectfully. Weiss looked between the pair of knights as they sat there in silence before saying as she looked down, her face glowing bright red, flustered beyond belief, "Well, what do you say?"
Jaune and Ruby looked at each other again then to her and then back at each other again before they finally smiled and nodded. Lilly cheered silently. "Okay," Ruby said with a faint smile. "When do we start?"
A/N: Eyyy, a happy ending! Not sure if Nora and Ren will be in this, but Blake, and Pyrrha will show up eventually.
As a bit of a backstory for this one, there's not a massive ocean separating Vale and Vacuo from the other nations. Instead, there's a narrow strait cutting off the most direct route to Mantle from Mistral with the Mantle city/prefecture of Argus in the way. Meanwhile, Vacuo and Vale are geographically West and South of Mantle with Vale blocking accesss to Vacuo except by ocean travel.
Oh, yes, if there are Grimm in this, they would play a vital role, so no immortal Salem or Ozma. Is Salem the Queen of Vale? Don't know yet. Haven't decided. But many characters may make a brief appearance later on.
I wonder which ones...
Also, seeing a bit of people shipping White Rose in this. I can neither confirm nor deny whether or not that is THE ship, or merely a Ship of Weiss's in this. That is all.
With all the love, Essiter out! Bye!