King: We're coming back in with another learning session!

Knox: Again?

King: Just sit down and learn! Today we're returning to Arcadia to learn about the families under the Royalty. As for you readers, I hope you enjoy.

Inspiration: N/A

/\

As everyone gathered, King and Knox explained things to Maria. The older woman took it fairly well, but did find something to say about it all. "Truth be told, the Arc kid never struck me as impressive enough for something like this. He always seemed overshadowed by the others. Especially by team RWBY."

Jaune deflated a bit hearing that. He was getting better about his self esteem, but that wasn't a wall you could build overnight.

Knox chuckled a bit, "Maybe, but does he look like the Jaune you met in the future? Hmm?"

Maria would raise an eyebrow, but her eyes emoting for her had to work. She turned back to Jaune, eyes narrowing. "He obviously looks younger…" She paused for a moment, her eyes widening, "and… he seems to have things together better than the one I know…"

"Small changes create great results." King walked past the group and smirked to himself with his back to the others. "Enjoy the show." He disappeared into a flash of purple fire, Knox following suit in his golden flame.

Maria slowly made her way to a seat among the adults and hopped up onto the seats. "These really are good for my old bones."

The screen opened to a strange static, almost mist-like in form. Soon, things started to open up through the mist to reveal a bright white base with lettering appearing, [King's World of Remnant].

Yang sat back, relaxing into her chair again and trying to get her mind off of those damned twins, "Wonder what this one's going to be about?"

Knox chuckled a bit, now finding a permanent seat on a balcony railing with his feet hanging over the side. "Poor Maria. She just arrives and her first impression is a glorified presentation.

That scene faded away and was soon replaced by a series of flying banners with a ribbon with the title, [Vassal Families].

Jaune's head was soon met by his hands, a slight groan escaping from him.

Maria turned to the young man and raised an eyebrow, "What's that about?"

Nora tapped her chin in thought, "It's either something embarrassing, or something about the whole royalty thing."

"Wait, what?"

The banners fell away to only leave the sigil of the Arc Family placed against a black background. King's voice soon followed, "Whether they act like it or not, the Arc Family is the Royal Family of the Principality of Arcadia."

Maria slowly turned back toward Jaune, her emotions betrayed by her mechanical eyes. It all read that she simply couldn't believe something like that, but the kid wasn't challenging it. No one was. Learning this 'background blond' was royalty was easily one of the strangest moments she's ever known.

"And, as with all Royal families, they have families underneath them that live to serve them. These are the Vassal Families. And that is today's subject. Let's do this! Five families! Go!"

A set of five colorful banners fell from the top of the screen and seemed to catch before falling into place beneath the larger banner. The first banner to the left seemed to fly off and into frame to start the presentation.

The first banner was a deep tan at its base. The dark brown symbol across the middle was composed of a stretched crescent and a straight slash assembled in a way to resemble a bow and arrow.

"Our first stop is House Kahn."

Sienna raised an eyebrow as she sat back in her chair. She remembered Cassius from a previous World of Remnant, but she hadn't expected a noble house to follow.

"House Kahn is one of the two noble houses made up mostly of Faunas."

This caught Sienna, Ilia, and Belladonnas' attention. Ilia in particular having never known prominent faunas families anywhere outside of Menagerie. That prep school back in the day only ever had humans, after all. Or perhaps, they were like she was at the time; a faunas hiding right under the humans' noses.

"As with every House, House Kahn has a specialty. House Kahn are renowned for their hunting skills, scouting expertise, and mastery of archery. Kahn Family members are trained to perfect these skills in service of Arcadia and the Royal House. Many go on to join the Fourth Legion's Expeditionary Squads or become Huntsmen for the Sixth. Of course, there are exceptions, as with every rule. But we'll talk about him in a moment."

Sienna thought back, remembering Cassius from a previous viewing. It was a bit of a shock learning a faunas was so integrated into Arcadian society that he would be trusted with protecting a royal, albeit a distant one.

"First, we're going over a few members of each house to give a feel for things. Same as always: we'll get a picture, a description, and a voice line. Now then, House Kahn!" The banner moved back before the base spread over the canvas, acting as the background for the moment.

The first person to appear was a man sitting on a small, elevated platform. He was old, well into his twilight years. His hair was shaven away, though he kept a controlled beard and mustache. His clothing looked like something one would find in the steppes rather than the coastal region of Arcadia.

"The current Family Head, Temujin Kahn self-describes as old as dirt and mean as a rottweiler. That said, he doesn't get the chance to prove the latter too often given the former."

Maria let out a bit of a somber laugh. "Part and parcel with getting older. You can't move as well as you used to. Granted, most of us tend to get sharp tongued." She laughed to herself, knowing that everyone around her didn't know how snarky she could get, save for one.

"Temujin was once an archery genius, able to hit a bullseye at 100 yards, on horseback, at full gallop. This guy was nuts with a bow and arrow is what I'm saying."

Qrow let out an impressed whistle. "That's pretty good, I have to admit."

"Nowadays, however, he sits around and commands his family and how they train. No one has been able to replicate his talent, though."

The picture changed slightly to show Temujin standing before someone beyond the camera, "Did you believe because I'm so old that I've become feeble?! I should have you tied to horses and torn asunder for this insult! But I'm too kind for this. Instead, I'll just send you off to clean the House stables. Get too it, whelp!"

Mercury couldn't help but chuckle, "Damn! He sounds brutal."

Raven had to admit the same. "I admit, I rather like the idea. I might have to try to meet this man and see just how strong he truly is."

The pictures swapped to a man in a long cloak made to resemble the forests of the continent. The attire beneath was clearly military in nature. He also possessed a set of panther ears atop his dark-haired head. Everything about the man said, 'hunter.'

"Bosik Kahn is a man of many odd talents. Temujin's greatest student, Bosik has shown a tremendous talent for archery, however not to the same level as his teacher. Bosik has, instead, mastered archery from treetops. Now a member of the Expeditionary Squad of Legion Four, Company 1, Bosik specializes in information gathering and survivalist training."

The scene changed to show Bosik among thick branches with his bow at the ready, "You can't hide from me." The sound of a loose arrow was soon followed by a distant thud. "Too easy."

Raven was liking this family so far. She appreciated the idea of survivalism and the skills they clearly possess. Now she hoped she could recruit some of them and train her Tribe.

There was a pause before King continued, "Okay, I talked about a big exception. Let's talk about him."

Things swapped again to show Cassius Kahn in full armor, standing tall and proud as he was appointed to the First Legion, Company One. Unlike the other two, who came across like lean fighters designed to move around effectively, Cassius was a beast. The large white tiger faunas towered over the rest of his family, though still being shorter than Montagne.

"Cassius Kahn, Most Loyal Retainer of Clan Arc. His words. For anyone that doesn't remember, this guy is a walking tank in the service of the Arc family. As loyal as they come, Cassius Kahn is tasked with defending members of the Arc Family as a member of the Royal Guard. He's a powerful force that will do whatever he can to protect his home and the Royal Family he's come to revere."

Cue the shift to show Cassius knocking an Ursa's teeth in with a heavy punch, "Is that all you've got?! I am Cassius! Born of House Kahn! I am the extension of the will of House Arc! Fall in the name of Arcadia!"

Jaune just groaned, still never liking the idea of being royal. Cassius, however, could never stop screaming about the Royal Arc Family. It was embarrassing to a fault.

"Swap the houses!"

The banner shrunk back into a normal banner and fell back in line with the rest. After a moment, a new banner rose up to take its place. This banner had a blue base with a solid white horse head as the symbol in the center.

"Next up is House Uldrin. The members of House Uldrin all specialize in more knightly pursuits. From jousting to saber combat, children of Uldrin are jacks of all trades. However, that also means they're masters of none."

Ironwood tapped his heel against the ground, "Better to be adept in many skills than only mastering a single skill."

Winter nodded, fully agreeing with the general.

The banner assumed the background as the first of the family members appeared. The first to appear was a man in his late 40s with bright blonde hair. He also possessed light lilac eyes that seemed more experienced than many. He dressed in white armor with black accenting along the edges of the metal.

Qrow had to chuckle a bit, "Looks like a grown, male Yang. Though a bit more on the armored side."

"First up is Xander Uldrin, current head of the Uldrin Family. An old armored cavalry officer of the Fourth Legion, Xander now sits in control of the Family. Granted, he continues to train at any given chance. He's also a champion of Arcadia's Jousting competition, having won the Heavy Mounted Division three years running."

Scenes swapped around to show Xander atop his fully-armored horse with a lance in hand, raised to the sky in triumph, "I claim this victory for House Uldrin! Behold the honor of Arcadia's great Knights!"

Nora laughed, "That's not as awesome as Pyrrha, though! Four times!"

Pyrrha sighed, knowing Nora was using that number out of a sense of pride for her friend. Nora wasn't bragging for knowing Pyrrha, but rather seeming to brag on Pyrrha's behalf. Pyrrha might be competitive, but she wasn't one to brag. Nora, meanwhile, had no filter and came across like something of a hype-woman for the Mistrali Champion.

"But Xander isn't the only Uldrin of note."

The pictures swapped around to show a man in a torn military uniform. He modified the uniform with a white wolf skin, the head of which rested on his shoulder while the rest of the fur wrapped around and became a cape of sorts. He was holding a jar that seemed filled with jelly and various sharp items.

"Viktor Uldrin, Expeditionary Captain of the Fourth Legion. A master of the frontier and a man of many improvisations. He specializes in doing things his way, and that's often by means of crafting things together to create crude creations. His most prominent creations are often the improvised explosive devices lie the Jar Bomb: a glass jar filled with blasting powder and pieces of shrapnel. He also had a hand in helping Maxim Arc create the Entry Denial explosives."

Viktor was now shown standing at the base of a large tree with a tripwire net around him, "Want to risk it? One of these will plug you full of sharp rocks, forks, scrap metal, you name it."

The Beacon students took in a sharp breath remembering the device from a previous version and the description they heard. It was a hellish creation and they did not want to imagine the pain it would cause.

Maria was confused about the Entry Denial thing, but the Jar Bomb was easy to figure out, and she did not like the idea. "I half expected more knights or something. But no. We get shrapnel guy!"

Banners changed again to show a red banner with a golden goblet set in the center.

"House Grail. Yes, it's called House Grail and they have a flag with a grail on it. No, I don't know who came up with that. We're moving on."

Yang and Nora couldn't help but laugh.

Things moved to the next step and showed a woman in an armored, blue dress. She was standing before a small army with her sword at her side. Her platinum blond hair cascaded down her back, tied into form at the base of her back.

"Amelia Grail, current head of the Grail Family and formerly of the Sixth Legion. Once a huntress, now she stands as the matriarch of a noble family. There are few in Arcadia that can match her skill with a sword, though her straightforward personality makes everything else about her way too easy to read. She's a woman without nuance, but piss her off and you'll likely be missing a limb."

Ameila spun around as the scene changed to show her addressing the troops from the front. "It is our great mission to defend our homes and the people of Arcadia! Don't you dare falter! If I catch any of you slacking, it's 500 laps around the mansion!"

Yang chuckled with a smirk, "I like her."

Jaune thought to himself as things continued, They went over Ameila. So if I had to guess...

Scenes swapped to show a man in black armor with golden trimming, a sign of the Seventh Legion's First Company. He was held a staff with a golden orb at the end. In his other hand, he held a series of golden beads resembling a necklace, meeting with a pendant that looked like a person surrounded by aura.

"Raviel Grail."

Jaune nodded, a bit proud he could guess who was coming up.

"A Student of Percival Arc, Raviel became one of the most accomplished members of the Seventh Legion. He's been awarded many of the Chapter's medals, even being in contention for the position of a Paladin. However, he refused to take the position, likely because it would mean giving up his position in the 7-1."

Scenes swapped to show Raviel with his staff in hand as he looked out over a forest below, "It is the duty of the Seventh to ensure all life remains safe. To bring down justice through the Golden Light!"

Oobleck adjusted his glasses as they began to fall, "I admit, it is still hard to imagine Mr. Arc being royalty, and less so that their are vassal families beneath his own."

Jaune groaned again, "Please don't get into that…"

Yang just laughed, "A little late."

Banners swapped around again to show a brilliant red with a golden leaf in the center. A small notch was taken out from the side of the leaf as well.

"House Cook. A family of financial power. The richest family in Arcadia, not including the principle that the Royals technically own everything within the borders; whether they want to or not."

"Come to think of it, the Arc family just seems like any other in Arcadia, but they're technically Royalty. And the 'whether they want to or not' seems to come up a lot with that. Go figure."

Eyes turned to Jaune, as if still processing that he was, technically, a prince. At the same time, however, he wasn't. He didn't act regal, he didn't have any fancy clothing, and he didn't even address the issue with anything other than embarrassment. It was as if he was Prince in name only, but his family was Royalty in practice! So it was hard to wrap their heads around.

"Anyway, Cook!"

The first of the Cook Family appeared to show a man in a simple polo shirt and slacks. He was smiling and waving toward others as he passed them. He had a pair of ears atop his head reminiscent of a racoon or possibly a dog. Maybe a combination of the two.

"Thomas Cook. You can just call him Tom. A genius of finance, Tom Cook has a hand in many businesses around Arcadia through his banks and personal loans. He's a kind man that rarely even charges interest to young borrowers in order to teach fiscal responsibility."

Velvet smiled, "He sounds really nice."

Weiss shook her head, "But it doesn't make sense. If he gives out a loan, why not collect interest? That's how banks make their money to begin with."

"He says it helps," Jaune explained, "mostly that you only get the first loan without interest. You can pay it back whenever, but it'll hang over your head until you do."

Scenes changed around to show Tom among the people of Arcadia during a party of some kind. "This is what it's all about! Good food, good friends, and good business~!"

Jaune had to chuckle, "But he is still a businessman."

"It's a small family, so we're moving on to the last family on the list."

The banners swapped around again to show a purple banner with a silver wolf at the center.

"And here's a big one. House Kaiser."

Yang's mood did a complete 180. "No…"

"We'll start with the current head."

Pictures swapped to show a dignified man in a dark suit with a golden tie. He had dark hair and piercing blue eyes. Everything about the man said 'power.' That said, it didn't say that in any physical way, rather having more intellect than physical prowess.

"Octavian Kaiser, head of the Kaiser Family and Arcadia's premier pharmaceutical company. A man of business, though on a more subdued scale. His prowess only goes as far as the medicine industry, but in that field, he's the guy to know."

Ren nodded with a sense of appreciation, "It's actually rather interesting that a noble would take up medicine production."

Jaune nodded, "He's usually focused on creating new drugs to help cure ailments."

Pyrrha smiled, "That sounds wonderful."

Octavian was now standing in his study with a book in hand as he read something from his collection, "My place is not with the sword or ax. My place is behind a desk in a lab, funding the research to cure the diseases of this world. I may have been named after Octavius, but I am nothing like that man."

Yang was crossing her fingers, really hoping she wasn't about to see what she thought she was.

Then, the swap showed a pair of twins, one red and the other blue. Both wielded halberds with banners of fire and water.

Faces that would haunt Yang for a while, "WHY?!"

Jaune jumped, not sure what was going on, "What happened?"

Weiss sighed, hanging her head slightly, "Those two…" She took a breath before answering, "During the intermission, we challenged a 'Raid Boss' that just so happened to be those two."

Neptune nodded once, "It was a stomp. And they did not fare well."

"The Twins, Romulus and Remus Kaiser. Personal Guards of the Royal Family, these two are tasked with defending the High Prince and his immediate family. Two of the strongest fighters in Arcadia, they are constantly in sync and will often finish each other's sentences."

Both of the Twins were now standing in a familiar stance with halberds crossed. They spoke in unison, "None shall pass between us without the will of the Arc Family! Sorry, but you just weren't lucky today."

Yang groaned, still annoyed that they got crushed by those two so easily.

The banners fell back into place underneath the main banner of Arc.

"And that's all we have time for today. See you all next time for King's World of Remnant." And with that, the screen turned blank.

Maria smirked, "I have to admit, that was unexpected. But it's always good to learn something new. Especially something I hang over the head of someone I know."

Jaune could tell this wouldn't end well for him.

Maria saw his expression and laughed, "Calm down, kid. I'm just kidding. Mostly."