Chapter 12: A Rose blooms under the Sun.

Maedhros watched his new hand raptly as the prosthetic perfectly mimicked the movements of his original limb. The fingers contracted and separated, the fist closed and opened, the wrist rotated.

"A piece of cutting-edge technology; one of the wonders of the last era." Ozpin explained as he went through some boxes in his vault.

"How did you know I would need it?" The prince asked, still focused on the silver hand.

"I didn't, all I knew was that a one-armed man had saved Amber, I thought it would be a nice thank you gift, imagine my surprise when the Son of Feanor descended from the airship."

"You have an answer for everything, Wizard." The elf turned to look at him. Ozpin didn't respond, and instead continued searching through the vault until he finally pulled out an object wrapped in dark cloths. It was something big, enough that the Director had to carry it with both arms against his chest. He let the sack rest on an empty wooden table before stopping and addressing the elf.

"This is a gift for you. Relics of your age, and the ages of others, that once served great heroes in defeating the Evils of Middle-earth." He opened the wrapping of cloth from side to side, and Maedhros's silver eyes stained with surprise.

"I know this sword…" He whispered.

He recognized the beautiful scabbard and jeweled hilt; the sword had been displayed long ago, at banquets and celebrations held by his uncles and cousins. Turgon liked to show off his new blade at those councils, and bitterly, it did not serve him well in the wars that followed the long Peace, although the sword was nevertheless able to make a name for itself.

Without bothering to ask, Maedhros carefully took the sword and with his left hand slightly pulled out the blade. As it emerged from its sheath, the white blade shone with a pale light that reflected that of the candelabra, but was no less beautiful for that reason. Familiar Runes rested inscribed on the metal surface that the Elf read in a whisper.

"Foe Hammer" He remembered the name that had killed thousands of Orcs and Trolls in the wars of yesteryear.

"The Sword of your Cousin, the King of Gondolin and all the Noldor." Maedhros snorted at such titles stolen by an opportunist.

"In my memory Fingon's son was still alive when Turgon crowned himself, he is not a King just a usurper."

"We are not here to discuss the legitimacy of your Cousin, but rather so that you receive some gifts, you can accept or reject them, I will not judge you. The Academy forges are still good in their own right."

"You said I could stay, but tell me, Wizard. What is your condition? I have already given you mine, I deserve to know what role you want me to play." The blade was hidden back in its sheath as the redhead let it rest on the table once more. Then his gaze turned to the other weapon on the table, an elven dagger of simpler design.

"This… I don't recognize it."

"Sting, and of course you wouldn't, is younger than its sister and only gained reputation millennia after the fall of Gondolin, though it may well be the most important of the weapons forged there." Maedhros unsheathed the knife in one swift motion, its blade not unlike its predecessor's, but lacking any inscriptions or memorable details. The elf swings it and spins it in his left hand, familiar with its shape and weight in fluid movements that cut the air with a swishing sound.

"It's a shame, this is an excellent weapon." He wondered internally what things he could kill with that stinger.

"Don't feel sorry for it, it has nothing to envy of any other sword." Ozpin said with an amused tone. The story and what it represented in time had already been forgotten in the minds of many, but he still remembered.

"So, you want me to carry these weapons against your enemies?".

"No, I want you to wear them to protect my students." Then the Wizard walked to the exit of the bedroom and with a casual gesture he indicated to the elf to follow him. Maedhros adjusts both swords to his hips and accepts the invitation.

Outside the Beacon tower, The Prince and the Wizard toured the gardens under the light of the stars in the night sky. The broken moon rose above them, bathing the Academy in its white glow.

"In a few weeks a new school year will begin, many young people will come here in search of guidance in the hope of becoming Huntsmen, the shield that protects the Kingdom of Men." They both stopped in front of a fountain in the middle of the square. Ozpin pulled a single coin from his pocket and flicked it with his thumb into the waters.

"They are children, young and naive with eyes full of idealism and hope. But I fear for them, what happened with Amber will only be the beginning, I can feel it." The veteran then turned his gaze to the silver-eyed warrior. Maedhros could already see where he was going with such a speech.

"Young people are arrogant, they distrust their elders and perhaps they have their reasons, but their wisdom leaves much to be desired. They need someone to guide them, someone to inspire them and to serve as a beacon of confidence where we cannot."

"You want me to be a keeper." It wasn't a question, the redhead understood perfectly what the old man wanted. He thought it was a cruel irony, he was far from being a beacon of virtue, much less to a bunch of mortal children. He just sighed and walked past the director to see his own reflection in the fountain, the last time he led men into battle ended in tragedy. Probably the worst defeat the Noldor experienced. Was he really ready for this?.

He closed his eyes in slight frustration and sighed.

"The flames of dragons and demons couldn't beat me, what are a dozen children compared to that?" Ozpin was happy at this statement and extended his hand as a sign of a sealed agreement, a gesture that Maedhros accepted with his new prosthesis, something that did not go unnoticed by the Director.

"So, what will be my subjects to teach?".

"Excuse me?". Ozpin raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"If I'm going to be a teacher, what should I teach my students? Combat? Strategy? Tactics? Survival?". The elf looked dismayed as the Wizard let a soft laugh escape his lips.

"I think I should have explained myself better, prince of the Noldor. You will not be a Professor. It will be a…".

"A STUDENT!" The indignation was palpable in the redhead's tone.

"ME!, a prince of the royal house reduced to acting and playing like a naive child!" Who do you think this Wizard is to demand that!?" While the elf paced around the student room, Amber took one of the pillows and covered her entire face with it. In truth, she was too exhausted to understand half of what he said and half as good as she wanted to understand.

"This will not stay like this! No! I'll burn this damn academy down and then-" But he was interrupted by the soft, harmless impact of a pillow against his face. The idiot's expression was nothing more than nectar to the Sleeping Maiden.

"Shut up. It's pillow time." Like a scolded child, the huge redhead dragged his feet towards his bed. Once between the sheets, Amber wrapped him in a hug, Nelyo was quite huggable, warm and big, like a teddy bear... although perhaps the most appropriate comparison would be a real bear.

"Now, look on the bright side, this is an opportunity that many would kill for…" She said even without opening her eyes. She buried her nose in the reddish hair of her grizzly-sized stuffed animal.

"And tell me, sweet Amber, what are they supposed to teach me?".

"Well, maybe a lot of things? I don't know... it seems like everything surprises you, you go dumb every time a vehicle passes near you, have you thought about that?" Her roommate didn't respond right away, she assumed he was thinking or fell asleep, she really wanted it to be the latter. Still, The Maiden meant it, Beacon was a one in a million chance, something every child dreamed of but only a few could afford to try, let alone achieve.

"If you've already thought about it, then it's time to Hibernate…" Her eyes were too heavy.

"Your advice is precious, Autumn Maiden, and your friendship will not be Forgotten.".

"Whatever you say, Prince Charming…" She felt how the big man's arm wrapped around her warmly–

"Take off your prosthesis when you sleep! It's cold!".

"You know I let Glynda say this… but I'm not sure Oz." Qrow sat on the edge of the window with one leg dangling, indifferent to the enormous fall that was coming his way. Ozpin just took a sip of his chocolate as the holographic screen of his new table displayed a list.

"This is an opportunity like no other, I have been presented with a key piece that could end this long game." He looked down to inspect the chess pieces resting on the glass surface. The piece of a Dark Queen stood out above the rest.

"Yes yes, this seems too good to be true... A silver-eyed warrior comes out of nowhere and saves a maiden, I know the boy is probably honest, but..." The Huntsmen sighed exhausted, the only reason he was sober was because there was no chance of finding anything to drink in Beacon. It was cruel to distrust the redhead after everything that happened but still...

"I understand your concerns, and it would be foolish of us to just assume the best about him. But there is still hope, for better or worse, he will have a role to play." He drank the last of his cup and then addressed the old crow at the window once more. The bird stretched its wings and made small jumps, ready to take flight.

"Remember, avoid violence, I don't need to lose an informant, Tukson is a good man. Just go and leave the offer with Miss Belladonna." The black bird squawked in understanding and threw itself into the air, quickly disappearing into the distance. While he watched one of the feathers being blown by the wind, the old Wizard returned to his screen and contemplated the options in front of him, where a sheet presented the data and recommendations that were more than exemplary from a young woman with white hair and an icy gaze.

"This year we will have a Schenne, that will be interesting." Change to the following transcript, an obviously false one.

"Arc... let's see how far he goes." The traits were similar, but he lacked his grandfather's confidence. Turning to another file, he raised an eyebrow, curious about the candidate's record.

"A Vacuo bustle, you don't see that every day." Then came the last one, young, the youngest of the year and probably in the entire history of Beacon. With pale skin like ivory, dark red hair and big bright eyes like Silver. A half smile formed on his lips as he remembered the short conversation he had with the girl.

"It will be a pleasure to have you at Beacon, Miss Rose… And I'm sure the prince would think the same".

She had hoped that after the Headmaster gave her the opportunity to attend Beacon two years earlier, she would be freed and all would be forgiven so she could then go find her Sister and tell her the news. Instead, Ruby remained locked up for two hours waiting for an adult family member to be present to take her out of the cell.

It wasn't that bad, the cell was empty, except for her own person so she wasn't surrounded by any kind of ruffians. On the other hand, the cell next to it was occupied, something that the young woman in the red hood remembered when a seed hit the back of her head.

"Ouch! Hey!"

"Sorry! You didn't respond to my Psss, so I had to improvise" The blonde said as he took another bite of his mango. He seemed to be the same age as her sister, with light blonde hair and deep blue eyes, it reminded her a little of her dad in those photos when he was young, although her dad didn't have a golden monkey tail.

"N-No problem– Wait! You're not a criminal, right?" She wasn't supposed to talk to criminals, and he was in a cell. On the other hand, so does she, so…

"Is it because of the tail?".

"THAT!? NO!?, Your tail is very pretty! I mean, I didn't mean–". At her embarrassment, the blonde laughed loudly, the girl was as red as her hood to the point where when she buried her face in the fabric, it was completely assimilated into the bright red.

"Don't worry, I just like to joke about it. Sun!, at your service" And he extended a hand to her from between the bars.

"Ruby Rose, nice to meet you." She accepted the gesture willingly. The boy had a strong grip, not as strong as her sister, but he was definitely a fighter.

"So…" A conversation began.

"Did you talk to the old man from Beacon too?".

"Ozpin? Yes! He offered me the chance to skip two years to attend the Academy!" She covered her mouth with both hands when those words left her lips, she wanted her family to be the first to know that. But her excitement got the better of her at the nearest opportunity.

"That's great! Me too." The monkey-tailed boy said as he jumped up and hung from the ceiling with his fifth appendage.

"Did you skip two years too?" Maybe she wouldn't be so alone after all.

"Yes! Well, not really. I'm just not going to prison, or the correctional facility, I'm not sure where they send the faunus in Vale." He began to swing from side to side upside down. Ruby believed this was officially the weirdest day of her life.

"Aren't you from Vale?" That piqued her curiosity a little, Patch wasn't a very diverse place so she hadn't seen many people from outside the Kingdom.

"Born and raised in Vacuo!, I wanted to go to Mistral but let's say I took the wrong boat…" A snort nearly escaped the girl's lips as she struggled to contain her laughter. On the one hand, it was quite an unfortunate event and she would definitely die of embarrassment if she went through the same situation. On the other hand, it was so absurd that…

"Miss Rose. You can go now, your family has come to pick you up." The officer said as he opened the cell. Ruby looked at her new, friend?, acquaintance? for a moment, maybe Beacon would decide, but she gave him a silent greeting and two thumbs up, as she was escorted out of the police station. She could wait to tell Yang and Dad about the news, Uncle Qrow would be back soon, it might be a good surprise, and besides...

"I hope that smile is not one of relief, Miss, you are going to have a lot to explain at home."

"Uh-oh." The girl's silver eyes lifted to meet a gaze of the same color. But where theirs still shone with the fire of youth, these were colder and temperate as iron.

"Hello Grandpa" she was in a lot of trouble.

Mae Govannen Eruhini~✨
Salutations!~✨

I think I have an addiction, I will definitely take a break after this. One week and I'm back to writing. Other than that, this officially ends the first part. As you can see, there have already been slight divergences that will escalate over time. Now you can leave your text comments with constructive or destructive criticism.

Any criticism or review is welcome.

Namárië!~✨