Chapter 9: Research and Developments

'One thing many sources, both biased against and in favour of the Ruby Order, agree on is that the Four Maidens were extraordinarily kind. Now, in the era during which the Ruby Order appeared, noble women, especially maidens, were supposed to be kind - the obvious counterpart to the knightly ideal of defending the weak and punishing the guilty. The Four Maidens are said to have wept bitter tears about the death in prison of a thief who had attempted to rob them and which they had caught themselves, and to have met insults and even attacks with offers of friendship - conforming to the female ideal, which, as any student of history should know, was rarely if ever more than an ideal. But why would both those willing to disparage the Ruby Order as well as those who praised them focus on this? Evidently, as even casual research into the customs of the society of the era shows, that was an attempt to portray them as conforming to the customs and expectations of the noble culture of the time. The former did it to negate and diminish the Order's obvious martial prowess and experience, to portray them as at least spiritually weak and unable to make the hard decisions expected from a knight. The latter did it to show that for all their obvious skill at arms, superior even to the mettle of the best knights in the realms, the Four Maidens were still women at heart, not driven by ambition and pride as so many of the male nobles were at the time, and, therefore, not a threat to said nobles and their ambitions.

Of course, both were wrong. For all their documented unwillingness to hurt those weaker than them, the Order never shied away from standing up for those in need, even if that put them against not only the customs but also the law of the time.'

A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken

Winterfell, The North, Westeros, 298 AC

Maester Luwin had always been a curious man. He wouldn't have become a Maester, much less one at such a prestigious post as the Maester in Winterfell, without a desire to know as much as possible about all sorts of topics. And yet, he couldn't remember anything he had been as curious about as the most unusual guests of Lord Eddard in decades. Team Ruby was an enigma - every single answer he managed to gain for his many, many questions about them and their home seemed to open even more questions.

They spoke the common tongue but couldn't read it - their home used a wholly different script. And they were used to books being so common, they cost less than a good meal - and even peasants could buy them. They read books to entertain themselves. Lady Blake owned a book, with finer paper than any Luwin had seen, and perfectly printed letters, and it was a fictional story of dubious quality. No wonder she saw nothing wrong with carrying it around with her wherever she went despite the risk of damaging or losing it!

Even worse, Lady Blake used to read books during mealtimes! While eating! Just the thought of exposing a tome to the dangers of stains and all sorts of liquids would have sent some of Luwin's fellow Maesters into fits of rage. Luwin himself, far from being a hothead, still couldn't help feeling angry at the lack of respect for books such an action implied.

How rich would a house have to be to let their children grow up so spoilt? It wasn't just books; that attitude extended to clothes as well - their admittedly scandalous clothes were made from the finest fabric Luwin had ever seen, yet, as Lady Weiss had confirmed, they were considered 'ordinary working clothes'. For hunting and fighting! And Lady Blake was surprised that he didn't give her leave to peruse Lord Eddard's library by herself!

Sometimes, Luwin wondered if the girls were so tight-lipped about their home because they realised just how much poorer Westeros was in comparison. But then they would, often without realising it, let slip more information about their past and origin that revealed a staggering ignorance of things even the least smallfolk would know - and that wasn't limited to customs, which would have been understandable given the obvious differences between Westeros and their home, but also to the most basic skills.

None of them knew how to launder - or make - their own clothes. He would have attributed that to having servants wait on them hand and foot all their lives, but a blind man would have realised that they were not used to servants attending them. How was that possible?

Some of his colleagues would claim magic, yet the four girls adamantly denied that their home used or even knew magic, and, based on observing some of their more obvious attempts to hide information about their origin, he was inclined to believe them - in as much as they might not be aware of magic, or not realise that they were using magic.

For he could think of no other explanation for their superhuman strength and toughness, and their wondrous weapons and other items, than magic. No magic he had ever heard of, not even when he, like so many others upon entering the Order, had devoured every treatise he could find on the subject, but magic all the same. There was no other plausible explanation, especially not for their appearance in Westeros than magic, be it by design or accident. That their requests for information related to this always led to reports about past and almost forgotten magic, unfortunately none of them useful despite his best efforts, certainly supported this deduction.

All in all, Luwin had penned so many letters about them, he might just go all the way and bind them into a book for the Citadel - though he was aware that his fellow Maesters would be sceptical at best, outright scoffing at worst, at his claims, so he would best wait with sending that to Oldtown until Team Ruby had met his peers and demonstrated their powers.

What couldn't wait, however, was informing Lord Eddard about the latest request of Team Ruby that Lady Blake had relayed to him - and about his deductions based on it. Luwin tried not to get involved in the Game of Thrones, but Lord Eddard commanded his loyalty, and this was something the Lord of Winterfell had to hear about at once.

"Maester. You asked to meet me."

"Yes, my lord." Luwin nodded. Lord Eddard was, as always, not bothering with gossip or idle talk. "As you may suspect, it concerns your guests. Their most recent request for information, to be precise."

Seated at his desk in his solar, Lord Eddard tensed but otherwise didn't show any reaction, yet his lady wife put down the scroll she had been perusing and focused on him.

"It was quite a peculiar request," Luwin went on. "They wished to read a 'primer', as they called it, of our laws and customs governing family matters. They meant a summary or overview," he explained, "apparently something common in their homelands, mayhap to save time when one did not need or want to read an entire book. They were disappointed to hear that such 'primers' are unknown in Westeros, and even more so when I had to tell them that our laws were not codified in one book, either, but spread out amongst many edicts or passed on orally and through court records." Again, common knowledge in Westeros. "I did refer them to some of those tomes."

"They wanted to learn more about our customs and laws regarding family matters…" Lord Eddard turned to look at Lady Catelyn.

"Marriages. They are looking into how we handle marriages." Lady Catelyn nodded.

"That was my deduction as well, my lady," Luwin said. "And why I thought you should know this at once, given recent events."

"They haven't been interested in such matters before, have they?" Lady Catelyn knew the answer already.

"No, my lady," Luwin told her. "This is the first time they have shown such interest."

"I wonder what brought that on…" Lord Eddard shook his head. "Was it the engagement between Sansa and Prince Joffrey?"

"They didn't seem to care about that when they were informed," Lady Catelyn said. She looked at Luwin. "But then, you told them that there was no information in our library about those ruins they were looking for?"

"Yes, my lady." Luwin nodded. He had informed Lord Eddard about that before. "I searched diligently yet found no hint that would be helpful. Albeit I mentioned that other places might contain the information they sought."

Lady Catelyn frowned at that, but Lord Eddard nodded in apparent approval. He had made his opinion about lying to his guests clear.

"Whatever the reason, they are clearly interested in marriages now," Lady Catelyn said. "Right when you'll be soon be leaving for King's Landing, my lord husband, with the King and our guests, while Robb and I will stay behind."

"Yes." Lord Eddard turned to look at Luwin. "Thank you, Maester, for bringing this to us."

Luwin knew when he was being dismissed so his lord and lady could talk in private. He bowed and left the solar. He didn't envy them - this was a puzzling problem for them to handle.

Winterfell, The North, Westeros, 298 AC

Ruby Rose jumped back when Yang swung at her and used her Semblance to dodge to the side, then swept Crescent Rose around to catch Weiss from behind with a cut to her legs. Her partner had anticipated her attack, though, and managed to deflect the blow while tumbling over it, then rushed inside Ruby's guard, Myrtenaster flashing faster than ever before, as Ruby's scythe kept moving, exposing her.

Instead of trying to wrench her baby back (which she totally could, though it was hard!), Ruby let the momentum drag her along - Blake was now attacking Yang, wielding both Gambol Shroud's blade and sheath in a whirling frenzy of attacks so Ruby didn't have to worry about an attack from either - and swung the butt end of it toward Weiss just as her partner committed to the attack.

Weiss slid under the blow, aided by her blade guiding Crescent Rose's shaft above her head, and Ruby whirled, coming to a stop with her weapon in a guard position, facing Weiss, who was gracefully rising with her blade at the ready.

"So, it seems…"

Whatever Weiss had been about to say was cut off when Yang dropped down on her, fist extended for a blow to her head. Weiss shrieked in surprise and threw herself to the side, then was sent tumbling head over heels when Yang's blow tore a new crater into the ground.

"I was about to say something!" Weiss complained as she launched a series of attacks that had Yang use Ember Celica to block and deflect them.

Ruby was already moving, letting Crescent Rose twirl around her as she dashed forward, and she felt her baby's blade deflect Gambol Shroud. She looked over her shoulder and caught Blake retreating with her blade. Grinning, Ruby activated her Semblance again and rushed forward, spinning Crescent Rose in a wheel of death that…

… carved holes into the air and nothing else since Blake jumped up, against the wall, then launched herself horizontally over Ruby's baby and slammed her heels into Yang's back.

Yang was sent reeling, which Weiss quickly exploited with a lunge that rammed Myrtenaster's point into Yang's side and kept her off-balance, followed by two more lighting quick lunges.

Blake swung Gambol Shroud around, catching Weiss in the side, then followed up with a kick that launched Ruby's partner into the wall, and just when she was moving to slash at the dazed Weiss, all of them finally lined up just how Ruby wanted them to.

Using her Semblance, she dashed forward, barrelling into and through Yang and Blake before smashing Crescent Rose into Weiss.

With all three of her friends on the ground, groaning, Ruby raised Crescent Rose high into the sky. "I win!"

Applause from the spectators watching them almost drowned out Weiss's pouty complaint about Ruby just being lucky (she wasn't! She was good!) and Yang's groaning about having to wash her hair after ploughing a furrow into the ground with her head courtesy of Ruby's last attack.

"Most impressive, Lady Ruby," Ser Barristan commented.

She beamed at him.

"An excellent showing, indeed!" The Prince smiled. "Wouldn't you say so, Lady Sansa?"

"Of course, my prince."

Even Ruby could see that Sansa was grimacing rather than smiling, but the Prince nodded and turned back to stare at Ruby and her friends. Ruby suppressed a grimace; she had never been comfortable with being at the centre of attention. She wasn't Pyrrha. Or Yang.

"That was great!" Arya cheered wildly, as did Bran.

Right. They had been promised training by Blake. Ruby smiled at them - and tried not to wince when she caught Ser Jaime talking with his brother at the corner of the training yard. How could he act like everything was normal, nothing wrong, when he was sleeping with his - and his brother's - sister? He was a knight, a Kingsguard, he had sworn oaths (Bran had been quite vocal about what oaths knights had to swear), so… how could he just keep lying to everyone?

She wasn't sure she wanted to know. It was so wrong. And icky. Very icky. Disgusting, as Weiss had said. Ruby wanted to retch, so she went over to the corner where they had their pitchers with (boiled) water. She checked the lid on it, then sniffed at it before taking a swig.

"So, Lady Ruby, did you wait until your friends were all lined up perfectly to take them all out with one attack, or did you manipulate them into that position?"

Oh, the Prince had wandered over as well, and she hadn't even noticed! Ruby shouldn't have tried to ignore the whole area where Ser Jaime was. "I was lucky…" she said.

"Damn well, you were!" Yang joined them.

"...but I knew that if I waited long enough, the opportunity would appear," Ruby finished, rolling her eyes at her sister.

Yang chuckled and drank as well. "But you're right; we should have made sure not to line up like that. Well, another lesson to learn." She shrugged.

Ruby looked around for the others; Weiss and Blake were talking to Ser Barristan, who had his sword out, demonstrating something. How to angle it better to redirect a blow from her, Ruby realised a moment later. Oh! That was almost cheating!

She looked at Yang. "We have to step up our game."

"Yes." Yang grinned.

"Step up your game?" Sansa looked confused.

"Weiss and Blake are catching up, so we need to sharpen our edge," Yang said.

"You want to add edges to your gauntlets?" The Prince seemed intrigued.

"Not literally," Yang said. "It means we have to train harder to keep ahead of them."

Blake rolled her eyes at them, Ruby saw, so she probably had overheard Yang's boast. Yeah, Ruby added to herself when she saw Blake whisper something to Weiss, who then also rolled her eyes at them, definitely overheard Yang.

"Ah." The Prince nodded. "That makes sense. The Kingsguard trains every day to keep their skills sharp."

"So do we," Ruby told him. Even though they had to hold back a lot. They needed to sneak out again at night or so and train for real, using Semblances and everything, but finding a place they couldn't accidentally wreck (or which wouldn't be discovered by others) was hard.

"Are you going to join us on our hunt?" the Prince asked.

"Ah…" Ruby almost winced. She'd already been on one. It was more a camping trip than a hunt. People drank a lot, ate a lot, put up tents… Not really her scene. "Probably?" She didn't want to refuse outright - the King had invited them - but maybe something else would come up. Like a monster invasion.

The Prince smirked, almost exactly like his uncles - both of them - and nodded. "You are too kind for hunting, Lady Ruby. Unless it's those Grimm - or thieves."

"Naw!" Yang grinned and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder. "Hunting animals is boring. Now, monsters? Those we would cut down to size!"

"Ah." The Prince nodded. "I assume going after animals wouldn't be a challenge. Still, you might enjoy the hunt anyway." He looked at Sansa. "Many ladies like the outings."

Arya made a retching grimace, but Sansa was too busy beaming at the Prince to notice.

They made a good couple. Oh, if the Prince had no idea what his mother and uncle were doing! Ruby shuddered. The poor boy would be devastated if he knew! His world would crumble!

Wait… if they went on the hunt, they wouldn't have to see the Queen! They definitely would attend!

The Woods near Winterfell, The North, Westeros, 298 AC

"More wine, boy! Hunting is thirsty work!"

Ruby sighed as Lancel jumped to serve the king more wine. Everyone drank so much! They had barely had lunch, and people were already drunk. Even Uncle Qrow would be appalled. Oh, how she missed him. If he were here…

Lancel didn't offer her wine - he had finally gotten the message. Pure boiled water (cooled down) for her, thanks! Or juice. Or honey milk, hot. But out in the field? Water. She took a sip from her bottle and watched the rest of the 'hunting party'. It was a party, alright - half the men were drunk, and, as Yang put it, the rest were getting there, even though they would be riding through the dense forest soon. Well, those who could ride. Ruby would learn one day, but not today.

She looked around. Yang was telling some tall tale to a bunch of younger knights, with Blake standing next to her and doing her 'silent ninja listening' thing. Ruby had had enough of rowdy knights for the day, so she walked toward Weiss. Her partner was sitting at the edge of the inner circle of the King, all classy and composed even though she had been through the same as Ruby. But such parties didn't bother her, of course - she was used to high society. Not that the court acted like the high society back home, but it was the principle of the thing. "Hey!"

Weiss nodded at her. "Yes?"

"So…" Ruby needed to say something, or she'd look stupid. "What are you doing here?"

Weiss raised her eyebrows, then sighed in that manner of hers when she thought Ruby was being stupid. "Are the men bothering you again with their talk?"

What? "Uh… no. I just wanted… well, some fresh air," Ruby said. "They've been a bit better about all the lewd stuff." And compared to knowing that the Queen and Ser Jaime were in an incestuous relationship, as Weiss had put it, hearing some crude comments wasn't that bad. She looked around. "Are you alone?"

"Yes." Weiss nodded. "Although I fear that will change soon." Before Ruby could wonder if that meant she should leave, Weiss went on: "One of the knights, Ser Haron Buckwell, kept pestering me with tales of his exploits. He's the man over there, trying to get a wineskin from the cook, likely in the hope of getting me drunk enough to consider his crude jokes witty."

"Ugh." Ruby made a face. "Why are they all so… fixated on all this… stuff?"

Weiss snorted softly. "You mean sex?"

"Yes. And marriage," Ruby added.

"Well, the sex is easy - hormones. And marriage is how they do alliances here. There's also a cultural taboo against killing your relatives - kinslaying, they call it - and so the more people you are related to, the safer and more influential you are. In theory, at least."

Ruby had known that. "I know. I was just venting."

"Ah." Weiss nodded. "I understand the feeling," she said. "Here he comes."

Ruby looked up. Indeed. the knight - Ser Haron - was walking toward them with a large wineskin in his hands. And Weiss was tensing up. Alright, time to be a leader and help out her team member and partner!

She stood up. "Come on, Weiss! Let's scout ahead for game!" Which meant animals to hunt here - she had learnt that.

Before Weiss could say anything, Ruby pulled her with her, almost activating her Semblance to whoosh past Ser Haron the Creep. But with Weiss in tow, that would have been a bad idea. It wasn't as if Ruby could take her with her when she used her Semblance. Though that would be very nifty. Weiss couldn't weigh that much more than her baby, anyway.

She giggled when she thought about swinging Weiss around as if she were Crescent Rose.

"What's so funny?" Weiss demanded to know when they stopped near the King - they had to tell him they would go scouting or they'd be rude.

"Nothing," Ruby told her with a grin. "I just had an idea for another combo attack!"

Weiss looked suspicious, but Ruby simply kept smiling.

Winterfell, The North, Westeros, 298 AC

"Thank you for helping us satisfy our curiosity, Maester Luwin. We're grateful that you're taking time out of your busy day for us." Weiss Schnee was honestly grateful - with half the royal court staying inside Winterfell, the man must be terribly busy just handling all the added correspondence in addition to his normal duties as resident Maester.

She couldn't quite understand how those men handled everything they did - Librarian, archivist, postmaster (which included having to take care of the ravens delivering the mail - those birds were certainly as smart as Weiss's tutors had told her they were), advisor to the resident lord and the local medical authority… As heir to the SDC - maybe former heir now, with Team RWBY missing for so long - Weiss knew how much work it took to keep a large organisation running, and that was with the support of modern technology and instant communication.

"Oh, it's nothing." He smiled at her in a way that reminded her of Klein. "I am always happy to spread knowledge - it's the primary duty of our order, after all."

"Nevertheless, we appreciate your efforts." She nodded firmly.

"Yes," Blake chimed in - though the effect was a bit diminished since she hadn't looked up from the book in which she had buried her nose since Luwin had handed it over to her.

The Maester didn't seem to mind, though - he kept smiling at the sight. Well, he was obviously as much a booklover as Blake was, so he would understand that she didn't mean any slight. Or so Weiss hoped.

She glanced at Ruby and Yang and suppressed a frown. Ruby was sitting straight and looked eager to learn about all the laws covering marriages, but Weiss had seen her sit the exact same way in lessons without actually paying attention to the professor and doodling new weapon specs instead. And Yang was… fiddling with a device under the table.

"Yang!" Weiss hissed.

Unfortunately, while her friend ignored her, Luwin had noticed. "Lady Yang? Might I ask what you are doing?"

Weiss blinked. That had sounded as if the Maester was honestly interested, quite unlike the sarcastic question most teachers - or tutors and advisors given a briefing - would have asked instead.

"Oh, trying to get this tool to work." Yang smiled and pulled the contraption up to put it on the table. "It's a multi-tool for maintenance - well, it's supposed to be. The multi-part is still in need of work." She flipped it open - it looked like one of the toolkits for Huntresses who didn't want or could carry entire maintenance kits with them. Just… more primitive. And obviously not finished.

"Oh, you can swap the tools while keeping a single handle?" Luwin, though, looked very impressed.

"That's the idea, though the tolerances are a bit of a problem." Yang grinned. "I have to file down every part until it fits, and that's quite a grind."

Weiss didn't groan, of course, at the atrocious pun. She had better self-control than that.

Ruby, though, did. Loudly. "Yang!"

And Yang chuckled.

Luwin didn't seem to mind either. Then again, he must be the primary teacher for the Stark kids, so he was probably used to worse behaviour. That didn't mean her team had to behave in this way. The Maester was taking time out of his busy schedule to help them, and that deserved more respect and fewer distractions.

She cleared her throat and frowned at Ruby and Yang, then repeated it, louder, when they didn't react.

Ruby had the grace to blush when their eyes met.

Yang grinned but at least stashed the tool so they could focus on the matter at hand. Which was Westeros' family laws. With an expert briefing them, they should get the information they needed soon enough, at least.

"Now… shall we get started?" she asked, smiling sweetly. "We don't want to waste Maester Luwin's time."

"Oh, it's not a waste of time at all - I enjoy learning new things as well." Luwin laughed. "But let us start with the laws of the First Men, for they form the base of many customs and laws governing families, especially in the North."

The man really was too kind. Like Klein, who had tolerated so much from when Weiss had been a spoilt little girl.

Weiss stopped smiling as soon as they entered their room and glanced at Blake.

Her friend tilted her head, then checked the windows and doors - and the walls facing the neighbouring rooms before nodding. There were no eavesdroppers, then.

"So… Now we know more," she said.

"I can't believe they kill you for cheating!" Ruby blurted out.

"They don't kill you for cheating," Weiss corrected her. "Not legally, at least, since the rule of thumb was implemented." Which had been after a man had beaten his wife to death for adultery.

"A law is only as good as its enforcement," Blake said. "As we know from home." Weiss didn't rise to the bait - she was fully aware of how things were in her home kingdom. Her father was responsible for a lot of that. "And when a man can beat his wife legally for disobeying, how many will dare to complain to their lord?" Blake went on.

Ruby shuddered. "I didn't think the family laws here would be so… bad."

Yang nodded. "Yeah. I knew they were bad, but not how bad they are."

Weiss had to agree. If Atlas had those laws… She shuddered at the thought of what her father would have done to her mother - and her sister and Weiss. He had done enough without such powers. She had no doubt that none of the scant laws in Westeros granting women some minimal protection against abuse - or worse - by their husbands or fathers would have been enforced; her father was very skilled at finding loopholes, exemptions or corrupt officials.

"Do they really think that if we married here, we'd obey our husbands?" Ruby shook her head. "They can't think that, can they?"

"Some might be stupid enough to think so," Yang said.

"It depends on how seriously they take their oaths. You do swear to obey your husband during the wedding ceremony," Blake said. "They might expect us to heed that."

Ruby scoffed with an uncharacteristic scowl. "Another reason for never marrying anyone!" Then she blinked and added: "Not here, at least."

"Yeah." Yang agreed. "Though we knew already that marrying anyone here would be stupid."

That was true. Still… Weiss shook her head. "Leaving those revelations aside for a moment, we still don't know what the punishment for adultery would be in the case of the Queen doing it, much less what the penalty for incest would be." That wasn't a topic the Maester had covered, and there hadn't been a good opportunity to ask about it without risking that he might grow suspicious. And while the rule of thumb actually stated that a man might only strike his wife six times with a rod no thicker than his thumb, they had heard several cases, some involving high nobility and even royal families, that had gone far beyond that punishment - legally. Who knew what extra-legal punishment had been visited upon people? Being put to death for adultery seemed quite possible, especially if the King was the aggravated party since he made the laws. Just as the rule of thumb had been implemented and retroactively applied to a man, the King might create a law on the spot to punish his wife. Men did a lot of heinous things if they felt slighted by a woman. Having the woman forced to join a monastic order, the Silent Sisters, was amongst the lesser punishments they had heard about.

"Well, we know Ser Jaime would be executed," Yang said. "Or sent to the wall."

"We don't even know that," Weiss said. "The punishment for breaking your oaths as a Kingsguard is death, yes - but he is famous or infamous for killing the King's predecessor as a Kingsguard, and that surely broke his oath, but he wasn't punished for it." Westeros really needed a codified law! Or at least a solid system of precedents that couldn't be toppled on a King's whim! "So… we still don't know what would happen if we told people about the Queen's relationship with her brother."

"Except that we can safely assume that whatever else might happen if we accuse the Queen of adultery, we will make an enemy for life out of her, her brother and probably her family," Blake said.

"Well, depending on the King's reaction, that might be a rather short time." Yang chuckled at her own - and very inappropriate - joke.

"That's what we want to avoid, Yang!" Ruby scolded her. "Think of her children!"

Yang jerked and then nodded. "Sorry."

Weiss winced. Indeed, the royal children might lose their mother, and Ruby and Yang knew intimately what that meant. At least her own mother was still alive - even if she made every effort to change that by drinking herself into a stupor every day.

No one said anything for a while, and Weiss contemplated the information they had received today. It had been enlightening in a way - and certainly had shown that they didn't have a future here. No self-respecting woman could live in such a world.

Winterfell, The North, Westeros, 298 AC

Blake Belladonna slid down the wall, hidden in the shadows that the setting sun cast against the broken tower next to it, and touched the ground without making a sound. The tower had been empty, no sign of a romantic rendezvous to be found. As she had expected - the Queen and Ser Jaime had a busy schedule today - but it would have been sloppy not to check anyway, in case someone else had thought to use the location for discreet meetings. If a third party stumbled upon the incestuous couple…

But it seemed that whoever else had a need for clandestine meetings, be they of a romantic nature or not, had found alternatives - probably locations that offered more ways to leave them than the broken tower; none of the locals was a huntress who could descend the walls as easy as she could climb them.

She looked around, listened for footsteps and other sounds that betrayed one's presence - it would be embarrassing if she were spotted by someone without noticing them beforehand - and then started walking at a slow pace as if she were out on an evening stroll. She would have taken her book out, but it was rapidly growing too dark for humans to see much, much less read a book, and she wouldn't want to advertise how much better her eyes were.

With the Queen still seemingly determined to harass them, and with the murder of the thief still not solved, Blake wasn't about to reveal anything about her team and herself that might be crucial to survive in the next plot.

And she was sure that such a plot was coming. People who murdered their minions were not the kind of enemies who gave up after the first setback. No, they would choose their next stooge more carefully, and plan their attack better. Ruby's paint trap wouldn't catch the next thief.

But Yang's trap might; Blake's partner had constructed a simple but effective device that could trap someone's hand. If the next thief focused too much on the paint trap, they might get their hand caught instead. Sure, they could break free, but it would leave them no less marked than the paint trap. If it worked, of course. Blake reminded herself not to underestimate the local criminals (and nobles). They might not have the same technology and education Team RWBY had, but that didn't make them stupid. Quite the contrary. They might spot weaknesses and opportunities Blake and her friend could miss because they had a different background and knowledge.

But that worked the other way as well, of course. As long as the locals didn't know what Team RWBY could do, they would keep making mistakes - and Blake would do what she could to ensure they remained ignorant for as long as possible.

She was just approaching the hall where dinner would be served - another big affair today since the King had gone hunting again and brought back game - when she heard familiar voices.

"...see? You can see the entire area from here, even at night, as long as the moon is bright enough."

"I see. Though there's not much to actually see, is there?"

Those were Sansa and the Prince. On the rampart above Blake. And that meant Sandor Clegane would be with them, and probably the Septa of the castle as well - the locals seemed to think that two teenagers left alone would succumb to their hormones at once.

She heard the Prince chuckle. "At least everything seems not worth my attention when you are nearby."

"Ah, thank you! That is too kind of you!"

"I am merely honest."

Blake didn't have to see the two to know Sansa would be blushing at the corny lines from the Prince. Children in love… She snorted and shook her head. Had she been as stupid?

Well, yes, she had been even more stupid - she had fallen for Adam's manipulations. Blake clenched her teeth and hissed under her breath. At least the Prince and Sansa were almost the same age. This wasn't some older man seducing a stupid girl, just two stupid teenagers, or preteens, trying to act as if they were years older.

Which, Blake realised, probably meant the chaperones were a good thing.

But there was no reason to listen to the couple talk, since…

"...and you've been spending a lot of time with Team Ruby."

…this just got interesting. Maybe just gossip, but… knowing how the Prince thought about them would be useful.

"Why wouldn't I? I am going to be King one day, and a King needs to know about people who could, as my father said, rout entire armies. And I assure you, he is correct."

"I would never question the King."

"Of course not."

Well, the King and Prince weren't wrong. Still, did that mean the Prince was worried about them attacking his family? Or the realm? Was he afraid of Team RWBY? He didn't act like that, and Blake didn't think the boy was able to hide his fears, but…

"So, you're, ah, studying them for their skill at arms?"

"You could say so, I suppose, yes."

"Ah."

Sansa sounded relieved. She probably had been worried that the Prince had a crush on Ruby. Well, there was nothing to fear here - Ruby wasn't interested in the Prince.

But the couple was about to descend - they had already set foot on the stairs - so Blake started walking again and entered the hall before they saw her at the foot of the wall. If they saw her waiting, they might feel self-conscious - or suspicious.

The two kids were already awkward enough; no need to make it worse. Especially if the Prince was already afraid of them.

And Blake could smell roasted fish. It would be a shame if someone else got the best pieces before she could pick them while everyone else went after the roasted stag.

Winterfell, The North, Westeros, 298 AC

Standing on a branch shortly below the tree's canopy, Yang Xiao Long looked at the small clearing ahead of them, then back at Blake and raised her eyebrows. "I thought we were to meet Bran and Arya, not Jon."

Her partner was leaning against the trunk and blushed a little - just some reddish hint on her cheeks. "I didn't tell them to bring anyone else, but they probably needed someone with them to get out of the Castle, and he's their brother."

In hindsight, Yang should have thought of that when Arya had told her that she and Bran could meet Yang outside the castle. Maybe she should have told Arya they'd wait with lessons until they were travelling south. But sue her, Yang was a bit bored, and training with the Kingsguard was a bit awkward ever since Blake had discovered what Ser Jaime was doing with his sister, the Queen. There wasn't much else to do. She couldn't read any of the books even if she were allowed, and Mikken and his apprentices were swamped with orders to make spare parts for the monstrous 'wheelhouse' the royal family would be using to travel, so she couldn't tinker at the smithy either.

And there was no way she was going to a tea party with the Queen again unless she had no choice. Even Weiss loathed it, and she had grown up in high society!

So, training the kids in secret it was.

"Are you sure there's no one else?"

"I didn't hear, see or smell anyone else," Blake replied.

"Then let's go!" Yang grinned and jumped off.

She crossed her arms to shield her hair as she crashed through the foliage of the next tree, then grabbed and swung around a branch, landing in a crouch on it. She jumped off a moment before Blake reached her.

Two more jumps brought her to the clearing - and to Jon's attention. But the boy looked at the underbrush on the ground instead of up.

Grinning, Yang descended on him.

To his credit, he did notice her before she hit the ground, but not quickly enough to react, and she heard him shriek when the impact of her boots threw up a small cloud of dust and dirt right next to him.

"Boo!"

Arya and Bran, on the other hand, yelped loudly and stumbled back before they recognised her.

"Never forget to look up," Blake said as she gracefully dropped down on Jon's other side.

"Gah!" The boy gasped and jerked, and Yang laughed.

Puting, he frowned at her, then at Blake. "Very few people can jump like that, my lady," he complained.

"But a lot can climb a tree and use a bow and arrow," Blake pointed out. "First lesson: Pay attention to your surroundings."

"And it's a free one," Yang added, smashing her fists together. "Usually, we'd teach that by throwing stuff at you to dodge."

"Uh…" Jon grimaced.

"Really?" Bran, on the other hand, looked intrigued.

"Yes." Yang nodded at him, then looked at Blake.

Her partner was frowning at Arya. "I remember asking you not to tell anyone about our agreement."

Arya blushed but quickly pouted as well, quite like her brother. "Well, you're already training Jon!"

"That's not secret," Blake pointed out. "Unlike the lessons you asked for, your parents do not mind him sparring with us."

"Ah… He won't tell on us! Right, Jon?" Arya beamed at him.

Jon, though, looked a little unsure. "I won't lie to Father or Lady Stark, but I won't volunteer the information."

"Lady Yang and Lady Blake are our guests! You wouldn't reveal their secrets, would you?" Bran grinned. "That wouldn't be honourable!"

Jon blinked - obviously, he hadn't considered that. But he rallied quickly. "Guest right doesn't cover that!"

"How do you know? This isn't endangering anyone," Bran said. "We're just getting training - and I am already training with arms!"

"And you wouldn't want to leave me helpless, would you? That would endanger me!" Arya added before her brother could reply.

"That's…"

Yang chuckled. "You're worse than Ruby was at your age." Her little sister had tried similar arguments when she wanted something. She turned to Jon. "Just tell your father that you were training with Blake and me if he asks about today. And that Arya and Bran were watching." That wasn't a lie - they would be watching Yang and Blake a lot.

Jon obviously wasn't happy, but he nodded.

Yang slapped his shoulder - gently, of course, so he only staggered a little - and grinned. "Great! Now, let Blake and me show you how to punch and slice your enemies!"

"We'll show you how to defend yourself," Blake said. "And that means we'll first show you how to run away."

"What?" Arya looked as if she had been stabbed in the back.

"I already know how to run!" Bran protested.

"Oh, but you don't know how to run away properly," Blake said. She reached into a pouch she had brought and pulled out a few fir cones, juggling them one-handed. "So you can't be hit by your pursuers."

"Uh…" Arya looked at the cones, then at Bran. "You'll be my shield, Bran!"

"What?"

"You cover me!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Start running," Blake said. "And don't stop until you're behind a tree."

They were slow to react and both got a cone thrown at their head as a result. Then they started running.

Jon chuckled, shaking his head at the sight.

Yang grabbed a cone from Blake and pelted Jon as well. "You too!"

"But…"

"You never know when you will have to run away from enemies you can't beat," Yang told him while Blake hit both Bran and Arya with another pair of cones.

"To run is not honourable!"

Oh, for! Yang shook her head. "If you can't do anything by fighting except for dying pointlessly, running is the only honourable choice." And the only smart move, but it was obvious Jon didn't care too much about that.

"And the better you are at running, the longer you'll be able to fight," Blake added.

Jon still pouted when he finally started running.

About an hour later - Yang's scroll was still turned off so they could save power, but she had gotten the yang of telling time by the sun, if roughly - she called for a halt. Bran and Arya had long since stopped to rest, and Jon looked as if his pride was the only thing keeping him going. "Alright, good effort here," she told them. "Remember: Don't try to dodge the missile, dodge the archer's aim." Well, Dad taught it a bit differently, and only about high-velocity bullets, but the principle was the same.

"You can dodge arrows in flight; I saw it," Jon protested.

"Yeah, we can. But not you," Yang replied. "And so trying to teach you how to react to an arrow already loosened like we do would be pointless. But if you can spoil their aim or just be a moving target, you're good. Probably. At least you're better off."

"I want to learn how to fight," Arya complained.

"And you will," Yang told her. "Staying alive is the first rule of combat."

"Sometimes, you have to sacrifice yourself to protect your loved ones," Jon said.

"Yes." Bran nodded eagerly.

Yang groaned. What was it with the two boys focusing on that? "Sacrificing yourself is the last resort. That's the exception, not the rule." She frowned at them. "We're not going to teach you anything if you're just gonna throw your life away at the first opportunity!"

"We wouldn't!" Bran protested.

"We were merely stating that sometimes, fleeing is not an option," Jon added. "We do not plan to die."

"Could've fooled me," Yang muttered. "Anyway, you did well here. For beginners." She stretched, "So… let's go home!"

"Uh…" Arya rubbed her legs.

"We can rest a bit longer," Yang said.

"Thank you!"

Yang could do with a little rest as well. She lay down in the grass - one of the patches that hadn't been trampled during the lesson so she wouldn't get her outfit dirty and looked at the cloudy sky above them. With Blake keeping her eyes and ears open, she could even take a nap…

"Ah, Lady Yang…"

Or not. "Yes, Jon?" He probably would never call her 'Yang'.

"Ah…" He hesitated.

So, it was probably an embarrassing or delicate question. Or what boys thought were such questions. She raised her eyebrows.

He coughed. "I was wondering about how courtship was done in your home kingdom."

Oh, great. Not a topic she wanted to talk about. But she owed the boy an honest answer after browbeating him to keep quiet about this - and after having him run for an hour or so. Though not too detailed or too honest - Yang knew that the truth about Remnant's stance on sex would not go over well with people here. "Well, that depends on the individuals. It's different for everyone," she added when he didn't seem to understand her. "Most people ask each other out. Go on a few dates, see if you click."

"'Click'?"

"See if you fit well together, if you like spending time with each other, if you can handle each other's flaws…" She shrugged. "You know, check if you would be happy together."

"Ah." He nodded.

Yang doubted that he really understood.

"So… you do a sort of try-marriage before you marry for real?" Bran apparently hadn't been too tired to listen to their talk. And neither was Arya - both seemed to be paying rapt attention.

That was obviously Blake's fault for slacking in their training. Yang narrowed her eyes at her partner, but she seemed to ignore that.

"Not quite a try-marriage," Yang said. "Marriage comes much, much later. Dating means spending time together. Doing stuff together."

"What kind of stuff?" Arya asked.

Damn. "Whatever you like doing," Yang said. "You don't have to do everything together, but if you don't really share any interests, it's not much of a marriage, is it?"

Now all three looked confused.

How to explain that… Ah! Yang smiled. "You marry someone because you want to spend time together. And why would you spend time together if you don't want to do anything your partner wants to do?"

"Because they like it?" Arya asked.

Yang stared at her for a moment. Lectured by a kid?

Blake giggled and once again ignored Yang's glare.

"Anyway, that's what you do when dating. Spend time together."

"We do that here as well," Jon said.

"Yeah, but you have chaperones. We don't," Yang said. Then she blinked. Damn. She hadn't meant it like that - well, not just like that.

But the way Jon blushed, it certainly had been understood like that.

And Blake was shaking her head.

Ah, well. What was done was done.