Chapter V: Fate

November 5, 2006 11:30 AM Vale Standard Time (VST)

"No holding back, Jaune!" Ruby yelled from across the garden, her sword held firmly in her left hand as she poised to strike. "I'll be sure to win!"

"You always win!" Jaune retorted as he took his stance with his own long sword in his right hand.

"And that's why you always lose," Alchemy said with an air of authority. "If you believe yourself to be weaker than your opponent then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Overcome that belief and strike."

"Y-yes sir."

"Are you two ready?"

"Ready!" they both shouted.

"Begin!"

Ruby lunged forward, aiming her blade at Jaune's stomach. He managed to parry it and retaliate with an upward strike at her right side. With a deftness few could possess unless they were Ruby's size, she twisted her body out of the way and slammed the dulled practice edge of her blade into Jaune's back, forcing him to stumble but keep his footing. "Dead," she said with a smile.

"Point to Ruby," Alchemy said. "You're learning quick as ever, Ruby. You'll make an excellent addition to the Garde d'Arc."

"Aw, stop it. You're making me blush."

"But you're overconfidence will be your downfall. Your limberness and size has its uses, and you should utilize them as such, but rely on them too much and you'll get carried away. There were no fewer than five openings for Jaune to strike back and win had he only the experience to spot them." Ruby hung her head apologetically. Alchemy turned to Jaune and smiled. "Fret not, young lord; you'll learn to see such things in time."

"Wha-what's the score now?" Jaune asked.

"Ruby is in the lead, Five-to-Two. There are three more practice rounds to complete before the day is out."

Jaune dropped to his knees. "How did you get so good, Ruby? I started learning swordplay a before you."

Ruby shrugged. "I guess I just really want to be a knight." She flashed him a smile. "It's okay, Jaune. You can be as awful as you want. You'll have me protecting you."

"Looks like you're beating me to a pulp right now," he mocked.

"Enough," Alchemy said sternly. "Reset and begin again on my mark."

"Yes, sir!" the kids shouted back as they jumped back to their starting positions and prepared for the next bout.

"Hold," came the voice of Lord Vincent as he approached from the castle, causing the two trainees to halt. "That's enough for today Alchemy," he said with a smile. "I think that's enough punishment for the day."

"If you say so, my lord. But, if I may be so bold, may I ask why?" Alchemy said quizically.

"I just received a very curious message from the Autumn Court. It seems Lord Orpheus has decided on taking a little stroll across the continent. An extended holiday, as it were. He's left his brother Leon in charge of Mistral while he's away with his wife and daughter. He asked me if it would be okay to stop by and stay the night."

"That's pretty short notice, my lord. Are we prepared for such company?"

Vincent laughed. "It's not a formal visit. I think we'll manage. Besides, I'd been meaning to broach a personal topic with Orpheus. This is the perfect opportunity for us to reconnect as friends, and for Jaune and Ruby to finally meet the Autumn Court rulers. After all, some day Orpheus' little girl will take the seat of power, so I suspect that she and Jaune will have to become quite familiar with one another." He turned to the two children before him. "Quickly get cleaned up and prepare for company. Be on your best behavior while Orpheus and his family are visiting."

"Yes father," Jaune said with a small bow.

"Yes, my lord!" Ruby said with a traditional salute; her right fist level with her chest. Sheathing their weapons, the pair rushed towards the castle as they were told.

Vincent smiled as he watched them go. "They're certainly growing up on me."

"It was quite fortunate that you picked up Ruby when you did, my lord. I fear that Jaune may never match you as a swordsman," Alchemy said with a frown.

"I honestly hope he never has to. Still, it's been good for him to have Ruby around regardless. I think he's happy to have a relationship with someone close to his age."

"Do you not worry that he may grow...too familiar with her? As a future lord, he can't choose her for his bride."

"Hm? Oh, ha ha! No. No I don't worry about that at all. It wasn't my intention for them to grow as close as they have, but I suspect that won't be the case."

Alchemy raised an eyebrow curiously. "How can you be so certain, my lord?"

"It's a talent only a parent could have, Alchemy. I can't say for certain, but I've been paying very close attention to Ruby these last four years. I feel that her interests lie elsewhere." He smiled and laughed heartily. "And that's just fine. Jaune probably knows it too, even though she herself may not be fully aware of it. His interest in her is purely familial. She a little sister to be doted on. Or, more accurately, kept in check. She's a wild one."

"I can't believe she actually convinced him to sneak out of the castle the other day."

Vincent slapped Alchemy on the shoulder. "Nothing the two of us aren't familiar with. Remember when we were that young, old friend?"

"Yes," Alchemy said with a flat expression. "And I remember that you were the trouble maker back then."

"Well, back to the matter at hand. Its very astute that you'd mention Jaune's future marriage life."

"Oh?"

"I had an idea a few years ago. Tell me what you think."

Ruby stood leaning against the closed door in Jaune's room, shaking her head. "Why are you so nervous? Your dad said it wasn't a formal meeting."

Jaune himself was behind a changing curtain, fretting over what to wear for the evening. "This is the lord of the Autumn Court, Ruby! I have to make a good impression if I'm going to be the lord of the Spring Court someday! Gah! I don't know which one to wear!"

Ruby shook her head. "You're worse than a girl, Jaune."

"Says the girl who never dresses like a girl."

"Knight in training, punk. Skirts and dresses don't work out so well in a fight. Also, I never liked how airy they felt or how they squeezed your chest. I like to breath, thank you." She smiled. "Also, pants have pockets. You ever seen pockets on girls' clothes? I bet you haven't. Know why? They don't exist."

"You're not helping, Ruby!" he shouted in mock irritation. "Why are you even in here? I'm trying to change my clothes!"

"Nothing I haven't seen before, Jaune. We used to take baths together, remember?"

"We were too old for it then, and we're definitely too old for it now! Can I please have some privacy?"

"Nope."

"This is abuse, you know."

"Uh huh. We're friends, so it's okay. Besides, you said it yourself; I'm not that girly. Now, will you just pick something and get dressed?"

"I can't decide! Do I go with the white dress shirt or the blue one? Which cuff links? Which tie? Gah!"

"Oh for goodness' sake, let me see." Ruby marched over and jerked the curtain open, revealing a half naked Jaune in his underwear.

"R-Ruby, what gives!? Get out!"

Ignoring him, she began to point at the items that were displayed on the bench that he'd laid them on nearby. "Wear the white dress shirt and the yellow tie, and use the gold cuff links. It's not formal, so wearing the ones with the Arc crest could come off as tacky or snobby. Don't button up your blazer, wear it all casual like. And please, please where black socks. White socks look stupid with dress shoes." She looked at him with a mock smile. "Is that so hard?"

"Ruby, I appreciate the effort, but I'm in my underwear here. Please give me some privacy."

She poked him in the stomach with a smile. "Hey, you've lost some weight. Nice." She frowned after her finger made contact. "H-hey! You've got muscle! Where did that come from?"

"Ruby!"

"Fine, fine," she turned with a wave. "Just hurry it up." With a smirk she returned to her spot leaning against the door. "What would you do without me, Jaune?"

"Get dressed in privacy, I'd hope." After a few minutes he finally exited the changing curtain dressed as Ruby had instructed. "How can you do that, anyway? I'd never do that to you."

She shrugged. "I mean, I like you Jaune. You're my BFF. But I'm not interested in you, you know. You are my brother, after all. Well, adoptive brother."

"I get that, Ruby, but a girl shouldn't barge in while a boy is changing. It's the same as if I were to barge in on you changing."

She thought about it for a moment. "I don't think that'd bother me that much, actually."

"You're joking." He sighed. "Is it because you don't care about boys?"

She blushed. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ah ha! I knew it! You don't like boys!"

"K-keep your voice down, Jaune. What if the maids heard you? Or worse, Noel. I can hear it now. That's not very lady like, Miss Rose!" she said, imitating Noel's voice. "I'm not a lady, I'm a knight in training."

"You're not denying it," he said teasingly.

She shot a defensive glare at him, though she was still blushing. "You got a problem with that?"

He laughed. "Not at all. I figured it out ages ago, Ruby." He sat down on his bed and smiled at her. "So, who've you got your eyes on?"

"No one."

"Come on, don't be like that. You can tell me."

"Jaune, we're the youngest people in this castle. The next youngest is Crystal, and she's like twenty-four. I'd like to stick to my own age group." She pointed at him accusingly. "What about you? You're a teenage boy. How're those rampaging hormones treating you with all those lovely maids running around the castle?"

Jaune blushed and scratched his chin in thought. "Well...I guess I feel the same as you about that. Plus I've known them all since I was small, so I can't really stomach the thought of looking at them like that." He shook his head. "This has gone on too long. We gotta get downstairs and meet with father.

"You're dodging the question, bro."

"And you're the nicest bully on Remnant, sis. Let's go."

Two hours passed. Jaune and Ruby found themselves in the main entryway standing side by side next to Lord Vincent and Alchemy. "What's the Autumn Court like?" Ruby asked.

"Do you mean Lord Orpheus or the Court itself?" Vincent replied.

"Both, I guess."

Vincent smiled. "Orpheus is an absolute joy of a man. He's one of my oldest friends, next to Alchemy of course. When the courts were at war with the Faunus he was the first to advocate for a peaceful resolution, which I promptly backed him on. We were both tired of all the fighting and wanted to see the Hundred Year War end. The war was fought by three different lords from House Arc alone, so it seemed normal to me at first since I grew up in the midst of it. After witnessing the terrors of war for myself, I began to have second thoughts. Orpheus was brave enough to voice those very same thoughts. It took effort, but between the two of us we convinced the Faunus, the Winter Court, and the Summer Court to lay down their arms and negotiate peace. He's the one who wrote the laws to allow the Faunus to integrate into all of the courts. That's why we have such a significant Faunus population in Vale and the surrounding towns. Truly a man ahead of his time, I think. As for the country, it's actually warmer than its name implies. They have a strong athletic culture and host yearly tournaments for fighters and athletes to prove their worth. They're a very proud people. Strong, but soft spoken. You'll like them, I'm sure."

"You said that Lord Orpheus had a daughter. How old is she?" Ruby asked.

"She's Jaune's age. Fourteen. Maybe you two can be friends with her?"

"Sounds fine to me," Jaune said with a smile.

The double doors opened in front of them, and Noel led in a small group of people from the outside. "Welcome to Château d'Arc," he said with a polite smile and a curt bow to the guests.

The tallest of them was a man with short, deep red hair and fierce green eyes. His face was smooth and shaved, and his clothes were a mixture of dark browns, gold, and red. Next to him was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes in similar attire, and between them was a young, teenage girl with hair and eyes identical to the man's, though her hair was longer and tied into a ponytail. The other two were clearly knights, dressed in brown suits with gold ties and swords at their wastes. "Vincent, my friend, it's been far too long!" the man said with a smile as he approached, giving Vincent a friendly hug.

Vincent returned the gesture with a smile. "It's good to see you Orpheus. I wish that you'd have told me you were coming sooner. I'd have prepared a celebration for you."

The two men parted and Orpheus waved a dismissive hand. "Bah, you know I don't like those stiff parties. I'd rather our reunion just be the two of us catching up over a brandy. How've you been?"

"Well enough. Keeping busy with these two to tie up my time," he said, pointing at Jaune and Ruby with a smile.

"Hm? Oh my. I didn't know you had a daughter, Vincent. Why didn't you tell me? I remember you phoned me the instant your son was born."

Vincent laughed. "Well, it's a bit complicated, but she's not actually mine. She's my ward, training to be a knight of the Garde d'Arc as Jaune's future body guard. Her name is Ruby Rose."

Orpheus whistled impressed. "Well I'll be. A girl your age training to be a knight, huh?"

"Y-yes, sir," she said stiffly without meaning too.

"Do me a favor, child."

"Anything, my lord."

"Don't let those boys off easy. Show them that just because a girl doesn't mean you can't wipe the floor with 'em, kay?"

She smiled widely and stood straighter. "Absolutely, sir!"

"And you must be young Jaune," he said, turning to the young lord. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from your father." Orpheus extended his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lord Orpheus," Jaune replied nervously, accepting the handshake.

"Now that you know my family, Orpheus, why don't you introduce us to yours?" Vincent asked.

"Ah, of course. My apologies. I got caught up in the reunion," Orpheus said with a smile as he stepped back and put a hand on each of the girls' shoulders. "This is my wife, Luca."

"How do you do?" Luca greeted with a polite curtsy.

"And this little ball of ferocity is my darling daughter, Pyrrha."

She mimicked her mother's curtsy, but her smile seemed even happier somehow. "It's a pleasure to meet you."