A Song of Ice and Fire Cut Short by Dust (RWBY in Westeros)

[Oddboy]

It's kind of funny how hard all these people are projecting their own biases on the girls; they keep getting their motivations, personalities and intent wrong to varying degrees.

It goes from thinking like they're just like any other ambitious Westerosi noble, just with extra powers, to being Basically Satan like Varys did.

Thanks for the chapter. Keep up the good work.

 

[Wallaperi]

Thats another reason why this fic stays interesting, because the religious and cultural context stuff keeps it fresh. Also the reflections of people's beliefs about team rwby

 

[ThrowawayAccount]

Ned tries so hard, even for a place that shouldn't be his responsibility. Actually, with him as Regent and the Four Maidens forcing everyone to play nice, the Realm is pretty stable right now. It's funny how there's multiple scenes of the nobles complaining about the state of affairs...because they're having trouble fucking each other over and starting new wars. Great priorities, dudes.

 

[ATP]

The Faceless Men are the most feared assassins for a reason, after all.



Yeah.

Click to shrink...

So,there is a way which could send them home.Good,they are no need in Westeros any more.
P.S Could you send Maester Kennet to RWBY world,so he could explain Grimms that they do not exist?

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 52: Thoughts of Home

'Amongst the deeds that the Ruby Order is credited with that are documented enough to assume they happened, even though we lack details, is saving the flagship of the Royal Fleet of Westeros from being destroyed by a fire that broke out on board during a trip from King's Landing to Dragonstone. This might, to a layperson, not sound very impressive. After all, the Ruby Order is also said to have been instrumental in preventing wildfire caches from consuming the capital. However, anyone familiar with the sailing technology of the era, and the firefighting technology of the time, or, more precisely, the lack thereof, will know how difficult such a feat has been. The galleys of the era were very vulnerable to fire, as Princess Daenerys demonstrated during her campaigns in Slaver's Bay. More importantly, the fact that the Ruby Order managed to save the ship is another sign that they likely came from a place with a long maritime tradition and were using fire-fighting techniques unknown to Westeros. Unfortunately, the knowledge of those techniques was lost to history.'

• A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken

*****​

Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC

Standing on the deck of the Valyrian, Salladhor Saan studied the island ahead through his Myrish eye as the Galleas approached Dragonstone's harbour. Everything looked as expected, not that he had to worry in particular about a trap or ambush, having been in good standing with Lord Stannis (well, mostly with Ser Davos, the right hand of the master of Ships, but it counted), but as a sailor who was a bit flexible when it came to business, it paid to be cautious when approaching a port with war galleys moored inside.

But all looked peaceful… except for the big galley in the middle of the King's ships. He knew her well - Black Betha, Davos's ship and the flagship of the Royal Fleet. She was listing a bit, and the work being done on her hull's side… He shook his head as he stowed the eye. "It looks like Davos ran into some trouble."

And that was cause to worry; while Salladhor would defend the superiority of Lyseni shipbuilders against any claims to the contrary (unless he was in Braavos, of course), the Black Betha was a well-built ship, and Davos was almost as good a captain as Salladhor, so whatever - or whoever - had damaged his ship so extensively might very well be a threat to the Valyrian as well.

"Captain?"

"Nothing. Get the oars out and steer us to our usual pier." His favourite spot was free - the pier that allowed a ship to sail out at almost any time thanks to the deep waters there.

Just in case he suddenly had an urgent need to leave the island.

As the Valyrian entered the harbour, he took another look at the Black Betha. Was that blackened wood there? Had there been a fire on the ship? He shuddered at the thought. Landlubbers might assume that sailors feared storms and reefs, but every sailor worth his salt feared fire more than anything. Nothing burnt as easily as a seasoned ship; any flame would spread instantly through all tar and dry wood making up her hull. If Davos had managed to fight a fire and save the ship, he would have a great story to tell. One worth the finest wine Salladhor would have to offer to get it.

He couldn't see Davos on the ship's sterncastle, nor on the main deck. Was the man belowdecks? Or attending to his master in the castle? Although last Salladhor had heard, when he had visited King's Landing a few months ago, Lord Stannis had been at court.

He took his eyes off the Black Betha and let them roam over the rest of the harbour, looking for familiar ships. A sailor needed to keep up with all the news and rumours if he wanted to be successful, and nothing spread either as easily and quickly as other sailors in port.

Although, while he recognised a handful of the ships, none of them belonged to friends of his. Still, he could trust his crew to keep their eyes and ears open, and… He stared, then drew a sharp breath.

At the pier, waving her sword around, stood the Valyrian Maiden, surrounded by the magical glyphs she could conjure. What was she doing here? And, almost more importantly, if she was here, what about the rest of her friends?

He pulled out his Myrish eye again and took a closer look at her, trusting his crew to safely moor the galley at the pier. The Maiden didn't look angry, merely focused - he could see clearly how she pressed her lips together while she worked her magic, her snow-white hair, proof of her Valyrian blood, as anyone from Lys could tell you, blowing in the soft breeze that might herald the first of the fall storms.

But what was she doing here? If it were someone else, he would wonder if she were entertaining a crowd, but she was the Valyrian maiden. She only sang occasionally, or so he had been told; he had never heard her sing himself. And why was she looking at the water?

Oh. There was a glyph right on top of the waves. He had almost missed it from this angle.

She flicked her sword, and two more glyphs appeared, forming stairs in the air while others disappeared.

And then she started descending, until it seemed she stood on water, held aloft by her magic, walking on a chain of those glyphs that crossed the water to the moored galley ahead of her.

Salladhor would have to adjust his plans for a quick flight from the port. While he was sure to outsail any other ship, provided he had a slight headstart, he couldn't outrun someone who could create a road across the sea - and a magical reef right on the waterline, to stop him dead in the water.

Of course, he had no plans that would actually result in such a flight, but then, any sailor worth his salt knew that plans could easily go awry when you were carousing in port. Or… maybe he should take refuge in audacity, as his old tutor had been fond of quoting, and use the opportunity to approach the Valyrian Maiden? Everyone liked news, after all, and Salladhor had the latest tales from his home port to share…

*****​

When Salladhor's Valyrian had been tied up safely at the pier and the harbourmaster's assistant had finally been done with his inspection - Lord Stannis's appointed clerks were, unfortunately, not quite as receptive to certain incentives to speed the process along as those in other ports, and for some reason, seemed to distrust Salladhor's intentions - the Valyrian Maiden was back on dry land and seemed about to leave - she was waving at the people on deck of the Black Betha.

Salladhor had to hurry to catch her, but not as much as would have been unseemly for a man of his stature. Just enough so he had to lengthen his stride instead of his usual measured pace and swagger.

Still, he was certain that none would mistake him for a common sailor as he approached the Maiden. She certainly didn't - she turned to face him, coming to a stop herself and raising her eyebrows as their eyes met. A promising sign!

"Greetings!" he called out, then bowed with a flourish in the best Braavosi manner; while Lys reigned supreme in all matters of culture and pleasure, bowing in his native manner without either insulting the Maiden's status or lowering his own too far to suit him would have been a bit tricky. "Captain Salladhor Saan, at your service!"

"Weiss Schnee," she replied, bowing her head. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He noted the lack of even a hint of any Valyrian accent in her speech. Had she been tutored in the common tongue with such diligence to master it completely, or had she never learnt Valyrian despite her ancestry? Up close, it was obvious - for someone from Lys, at least - that she was not pure-blooded Valyrian; the eyes were one sign, but more so her face. Still a beauty that would stand out even in Salladhor's home, of course; even the scar added as much to her appeal as it marred her skin; as any man of culture knew, perfection was not defined by the absence of any imperfection.

But he was not here for romance - not that he would spurn the opportunity should it present itself, of course. He was here for business, and to sate his curiosity. "I could not help admiring your impressive display in the harbour as I came in - you might have noticed my ship, the Valyrian; fastest and most beautiful ship in the Narrow Sea and beyond." He flashed his best smile, rakish with just the right amount of self-awareness to make his boast charming rather than arrogant. Powerful people, no matter where they hailed from, appreciated that touch of humility in one's wit.

She raised her eyebrows in response, silently beckoning him to go on.

As cool and collected as he had heard in King's Landing, then. Well, he always relished a challenge. "I also couldn't help noticing that my friend's ship, the Black Betha, had suffered damage during her latest voyage. Any danger that could damage such a fine ship - if not as fine as my own, of course," he added with another smile - "to the extent that it required your help seems like a possible concern for every honest captain in these waters."

She let slip a slight snort at his latest claim, as he had intended. He knew how to play the game; as with the beauty of a woman, a man's reputation needed something more than mere lack of fault. "You're worried about your ship, the Valyrian? - suffering the same fate?"

"Exactly."

Her smile had a slight edge to it. "Unless the Faceless Men are after you or your passengers, you should be safe from that particular danger."

His eyes widened at that revelation. "The Faceless Men?" They had fought the followers of Him of Many Faces? That explained the damage - or not. Arson was not how they usually killed their victims. Blade or poison, and often done to look like a natural or accidental death. "And they resorted to setting the ship on fire?"

"They tried." Her smile was thin, though.

Of course, a ship lost at sea would look natural to any sailor. And Salladhor never assumed that someone's reputation was true, or all there was to that person - he himself was the best example why such assumptions would be foolish, after all! He was far more than some daring former pirate. And he long suspected that the reason the Faceless Men prided themselves, publicly, about making their assassinations look like accidents or natural deaths was that people could never be certain whether any actual natural or accidental death wasn't due to them - he knew very well how an exaggerated reputation could be useful.

"But you do not need to worry about this particular assassin any more; we have captured the culprit," she went on. This time, her smile was broader, and, while still restrained, more open.

He bowed his head and flashed another smile. "A most impressive feat, my lady. On behalf of every captain whose ship traverses the local sea, I thank you."

She nodded in return. "We only did our duty."

She sounded honestly humble. Most people he knew would have bragged about such a feat. And would have likely died in short order when the House of Black and White sent the next assassin to rectify matters. Reputation was, as he also knew by heart, of utmost importance for every man with even a shred of ambition, but doubly so for institutions.

Of course, the Four Maidens' humbleness would not prevent the Faceless Men from coming after them again; not now, when it was openly known that they were their targets.

"Still," he commented, making a point of glancing around, "should you not be worried about the next attempt?"

"Should I be worried that you might be an assassin in disguise, having taken the real Captain Saan's life and face to get close to me?" She didn't snort or sneer, but her slightly amused tone made it clear that the answer to her question was a resounding 'No!'.

"Ah, I am not sure if I should feel relieved or insulted at hearing that you are not worried about an assassin replacing me." He felt both, if only a little each - his pride was stung, but not fatally, more like a prick - but that was neither here nor there.

"That entirely depends on whether you think an assassin could easily and quickly dispatch you without alerting anyone from your crew, and impersonate you indefinitely afterwards," she told him.

"My pride demands that I deny this," he said, chuckling. "Well said, my lady." He bowed again, one hand on his heart, the other flourishing behind his back.

"Did I answer your question to your satisfaction, Captain Saan? Or do you have further questions?"

"Many, but none of them pertinent right now. He smiled again. "My thanks, my lady, to spare some time for one like me." He could talk humbly as well. "I shall now see if I can drag my old friend to the best tavern in port to exchange news and stories."

And see if he could find out more about the reasons for the Maidens' presence on Dragonstone. Last he heard, they were supporting the Lannisters, not the Baratheons. If that had changed, what else might have changed in his absence?

*****​

Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC

Ruby Rose sighed as she looked out at the sea from the top of the keep's battlement. From this angle, without looking at the volcanic ground below, the sea looked like it did at home, on Patch. Well, if you stood on the cliff where Mom's grave was and didn't look down. And if the sun were rising in the wrong spot. And as long as you ignored the scent of the keep, of course. Actually, it didn't really look like home. But that didn't make her miss home any less.

She sighed. "Dad… Uncle Qrow… Zwei…" It had been a year by now, more or less. They would think she was dead. Gone missing in the wilderness, near confirmed Grimm sightings. They had taken care of the Grimm, but the people looking for them wouldn't know that. They would just know that they had disappeared without a trace. Well, they left their camp, but that would have been destroyed by passing Grimm by now. Or by animals looking for food. Dad would be devastated. And Uncle Qrow wouldn't be any better. Probably worse. If only she hadn't touched that stupid magic thing in the ruins!

"I promise, we will get back!" she whispered. "We will find a way! I will get us home!" She had to - as team leader, that was her duty.

"Lady Ruby!"

She jerked, head turning, hand going for Crescent Rose, but stopped when she recognised Lady Shireen's voice. And there was the girl, at the top of the stairs from the yard below, waving. Behind her, Ruby could see Lady Selyse, looking slightly out of breath - Lady Shireen must have been walking too fast for the older woman.

Ruby made herself smile. Lady Shireen was a nice girl. Friendly, enthusiastic, but not pushy. She didn't deserve to be frowned at or brushed off just because Ruby was feeling a bit down.

"What are you doing here? Where are your friends?" Lady Shiren asked as soon as she reached Ruby.

Ruby nodded at her, then at Lady Selyse. "Good morning, my ladies. I was looking at the sea. And thinking," she said before the woman could scold Lady Shireen for her questions.

"Oh?" Lady Shireen cocked her head to the side. "Looking for ships?"

"No, just looking at the sea. It reminded me of home," Ruby explained.

"Ah, yes. You're from an island, like Dragonstone!"

"Not quite like Dragonstone. We have more woods and no volcano," Ruby told her. "And it's a bit warmer. But I think it's about the same size."

"Ah." Lady Shireen moved to Ruby's side, then stood on her tiptoes to peer over the battlement.

"It's not really the same sea, but it reminds me of home," Ruby repeated herself. And of Mom's grave, she added to herself.

"And where are your friends?" Lady Shireen asked.

"Weiss's in the harbour, checking on Black Betha. Yang and Blake are exploring the island," Ruby replied. And looking for trouble and threats. Just as Weiss was looking at the ships in the harbour. And Ruby was here, in case someone tried anything in the keep. Like breaking out the Faceless Man.

"Ah." Lady Shireen nodded. "Do you like the island?"

"Yes. It's cool." Ruby blinked. "'Cool' means 'impressive'."

"Oh. Why?"

Ruby shrugged. "Dunno. It just means that. It's like… someone started saying it, and people copied them." Actually, it was an old word - Dad used it - so cool probably wasn't cool any more. She didn't know - she hadn't really been cool. "Anyway, that's language for you."

Lady Shireen and Lady Selyse seemed a bit confused, but both nodded. They were probably just being polite.

"Do… Do you miss your home?" Lady Shireen asked, fidgeting a bit.

"Shireen!" Lady Selyse hissed.

Ruby smiled. "Oh, yes. I miss home. And my family."

Lady Shireen nodded. "I miss Father as well. He's away so often - at Court and at sea."

"He has his duties," Lady Selyse said with a slight frown that made Lady Shireen cringe a little.

"Yeah, but you still miss him," Ruby said. "It would be bad if you didn't miss him, right?" Like Weiss's dad - she was pretty sure, and both Yang and Blake agreed, that Weiss wasn't missing her dad.

Lady Shireen nodded twice, and her mother looked a bit confused. "Do you think you could slay a dragon, my lady?"

"Yes." Ruby nodded. "I mean, it depends on how big they are. But the size you've shown me, yes." Her baby could punch through that skin, and cut through such necks. Dodging the fire would be a pain, but with Weiss's glyphs, it would be easy. "We've fought Grimm bigger than that."

"There were bigger dragons in the past," Lady Selyse said. "Balerion the Black Dread was so big, his shadow could swallow an entire town."

Well, the towns here were kinda small, but that was still a large dragon. On the other hand, judging by the size of the largest dragon skulls she had seen, the Nevermore they had killed during Initiation was about the same size. "Yeah, still could kill it. I think," she said - she hadn't actually fought a dragon, so she couldn't really be sure. Just reasonably sure.

Lady Shireen still beamed at her, though Lady Selyse looked a bit doubtful. Not doubtful like Dad when she told him she had no idea where the cookies he had made had gone, but like Professor Goodwitch when Ruby told her her team was ready for a mission. Then again, Professor Goodwitch always looked like that.

"You said you were students at your Combat Academy," Lady Selyse said.

Ah. Ruby nodded. "Yes. We had to fight a giant bird the size of a dragon to get into the school. And we beat it."

Lady Shireen looked suitably impressed, though Lady Selyse looked now worried. "Every student had to do that?"

"Some were lucky and only had to fight smaller Grimm," Ruby said.

"But every Huntress is expected to be able to defeat such a foe?"

"Yes. At least, when they finish at Beacon." Well, perhaps not everyone, but every good one, Ruby thought.

"Your world sounds terrifying, my lady."

"Well…" She shrugged. "It's not terrifying. It's home. Most people don't see a Grimm in their entire lives, unless on TV."

"What's a Teevee?"

Ah… How to explain that? Ah! "It's like a, how do you call that, a mummer's show?" That was the closest to TV they had here, right?

"A mummer's show?" Lady Selyse raised her eyebrows.

Apparently, that wasn't a good enough description. "With pictures," Ruby added.

Lady Selyse's expression didn't change.

"Anyway, the point is, Huntresses keep the Grimm in check, so our home is pretty safe for most people." Ruby nodded firmly.

Lady Shireen smiled again.

*****​

Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC

"So!" Ruby took a deep breath before looking at Blake, who nodded. No spies nearby, then. "So, the assassin we caught doesn't want to talk to us." He wanted to die, and the court here would see him dead, but Ruby didn't want to think about that too much. It wasn't her fault, or her friends', that the guy wanted to die. "That means we need to go to Braavos to talk to them."

"We would have to go there anyway," Weiss said. "Lady Selyse would not let him go to serve as a messenger. And we cannot make a deal through couriers - a single exchange could take a month."

Yes, Ruby was aware. But she also knew that if the assassin had wanted to be reasonable and help them stop this, they could have gotten him off. Probably. If Lady Selyse hadn't wanted to let the man go, they would have had to break him out of prison and smuggle him off the island, and that would not have been easy even for Blake. Probably.

"Anyway, we need to go to Braavos and deal with the assassin's temple there."

"The House of Black and White," Weiss said.

"Yes, that one." Ruby nodded again.

"Can we leave King's Landing for so long?" Yang asked.

Weiss sighed. "I would like to say that everyone at Court should know better than to try anything in our absence, but…"

"Several nobles might try to use our absence for their plots," Blake said. "But what matters is whether the Great Houses will attempt anything drastic."

'Great Houses'... Ruby wanted to roll her eyes. "Lord Eddard won't," she said. He was too honourable for that. Even if he had some bad ideas about justice and the law.

"Yes. But the Tyrells? The Baratheons? The Lannisters?" Weiss asked. "The Martells?"

Yang snorted. "Oberyn probably only wishes he had popcorn to watch the rest."

"Just because we haven't seen him do anything doesn't mean he actually hasn't done anything," Blake objected. "We can't keep our eyes on everyone, and he hasn't been a priority because he's been under observation by everyone else, but they aren't perfect either."

Because a man with the nickname 'The Red Viper' for his knowledge about poison (and his supposed use of poison) would be the primary suspect, Ruby knew. But Blake knew what she was talking about - she was Team RWBY's ninja.

"Yeah, we can't trust them to be good," Yang said, nodding.

"But we can't let the Faceless Men keep trying to kill us, either. Their last two attempts were nasty," Ruby pointed out.

"We could have suffocated in their last attempt," Weiss said. "We need to breathe, and if there's no air…"

Ruby nodded, pressing her lips together. Her friends - and herself - could have died. "And the ship could have burned down if we had been too late. A lot of people could have died in both attacks. So, we need to go to Braavos, or it'll get worse."

"You don't want us to split up," Weiss said.

"Splitting up wouldn't help us," Ruby said. "It takes all of us to watch over the Court. The RWBY Order isn't yet ready to really help us out there."

"We would have to protect them as much as the Court," Blake agreed.

"We need you to deal with spies," Yang said, nodding at her partner. "And you for the nobles, Weiss."

"Ruby has dealt with Lady Selyse and Lady Shireen just fine," Weiss objected.

"That's not the same as negotiating with nobles or assassins," Ruby told her. "We can't really support each other or act as a team if we split up." And she'd worry far too much about her friends if she weren't with them.

Yang nodded. "So, we're off to Braavos and hope King's Landing is still standing when we get back?"

"I think we can send a few letters to people we know to encourage common sense," Weiss said.

"To the High Septon and the Lords?" Yang asked with a grin.

"And perhaps a few others." Weiss nodded. "The aim will be to discourage people from trying to present us with a fait accompli and to ensure they fear being exposed."

"Our friends can help with that," Ruby said. They could keep their eyes open, talk to people and check on things.

She hoped it would be enough.

*****​

"If we want to travel to Braavos, we need to find a ship," Weiss Schnee said. "That could pose a problem. Ser Davos's ship is still being repaired. Structural damage has been worse than they assumed at first." Of course, sailing for days with a hole in the hull - which Weiss had caused, but only to extinguish the fire - and damaged internal structures hadn't helped.

"Isn't Braavos the merchant capital of the Narrow Sea?" Yang asked. "And Dragonstone is the usual stop for any ship headed there from King's Landing, right? Shouldn't be a problem to find a ship."

Weiss had long learned not to judge Yang by her attitude and appearance, so this insight didn't surprise her. Still, her friend was overlooking a potential problem. "Yes. But not every captain will be willing to ferry us on their ship. Not after Ser Davos's ship almost burned down because a Faceless Man tried to kill us."

"We caught the man, though," Ruby pointed out. "And I doubt anyone missed the news."

Weiss was aware of that - Dragonstone was not nearly as big as King's Landing, but that only meant rumours travelled even faster. She'd been asked about their capture of the assassin by Ser Davos's first mate when she had tried out her idea of using glyphs as makeshift piers and floating platforms to facilitate repairs, and she had no doubt that even the last drunkard in the worst tavern of the port had heard about the chase and capture. Not least, of course, since the chase had led them through the harbour and into one of the worst taverns, of course.

"But they might not think that this was the only Faceless Man," Blake voiced Weiss's concern.

"We're the messengers of the Seven," Yang said - Weiss could hear the guarded amusement in her friend's tone. She shared the mixed feelings about this literal worship they were faced with here. "I think at least one captain will volunteer to help us out."

"Yes. But would it be fair to exploit their faith for our convenience?" Ruby asked. Now that the problem had been pointed out, she had quickly taken its measure, as Weiss had expected of her friend. "It's not the same when we asked them to help us with finding out who enslaved the mutilated children; that was to help the kids."

"The Faceless Men attacking us do endanger others as well," Yang said. "Stopping them isn't selfish."

"Yeah, but it's still not the same," Ruby insisted. "And I feel like a fake, posing as some… priestess."

"They don't see us as priestesses, or septas, but as messengers of the gods," Weiss corrected her. "Blessed by the Seven. Sent here to do the gods' work."

"That works out the same," Ruby replied - not entirely wrong; Weiss knew how some of the priests and septons they had met acted like they were speaking for the gods.

"Yeah, but even so - we know that there's no other Faceless Man currently after us since Seer told us," Yang said. "So, we're not forcing anyone to risk their lives since there is no risk." She grinned.

Not until they reached Braavos, at least, Weiss knew.

Ruby pouted. "I still don't like it."

"Aw, you just don't like all the fawning and bowing." Yang reached out to ruffle Ruby's hair, but Ruby grabbed her hand before it could touch her head.

"For someone who reacts quite violently when her hair is damaged in any way, you are pretty casual with touching someone else's hair," Weiss pointed out.

"Hey, touching isn't doing any harm," Yang replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with using our rep to get a passage to Braavos."

"We know - or can safely assume - that no Faceless Man is currently about to attack us," Blake spoke up, "but we don't know if we can settle things with them in Braavos."

"We will settle things one way or another," Yang said, smacking her fist into the palm of her hand.

"And we don't know if anyone carrying us to Braavos won't be seen as an ally of ours and, therefore, a valid target - for their mission or for vengeance if we destroy their temple," Blake went on. "Or simply to gather more information about us."

That was a valid point, Weiss had to admit. "Yes, we cannot claim that there is no risk. We…"

"We need to go to Braavos," Yang blurted out.

"...could recompense them for the added risk," Weiss went on despite the interruption.

"If they let us," Ruby said. "People can be weird about taking money from us."

"Still mad you couldn't pay the baker for the cakes you got?" Yang chuckled.

Ruby glared at her.

"If that's a problem, I may have met a captain who would understand the risks and most definitely doesn't worship us," Weiss said. Captain Saan certainly had not seemed to be a very religious person. Nor a very trustworthy one. "Although we would have to ask Ser Davos about his character; the captain claimed him as a friend or friendly acquaintance."

Yang grinned. "Are you sure you aren't just looking for an excuse to hire that particular captain, Weiss?"

"Yang!" Ruby glared at her again.

Weiss sighed. "He looked older than my father," she told her friend. "And he's definitely not my type. He seemed to be quite the braggart."

Ruby blinked. "And you want us to sail on his ship?"

Weiss nodded. "If he tries anything, we can handle it. And we wouldn't have any reason to feel guilty if he ends up in trouble for this since he most certainly is aware of the danger we represent."

All her friends were staring at her for a moment before Yang chuckled again. "That's cold, Weiss. But I can't say I disagree."

Ruby didn't seem to share the sentiment, but she didn't disagree either, and Blake slowly nodded, so Weiss took that as an agreement to go forward with her proposal.

*****​

Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC

"Ah, Lady Weiss! And Lady Ruby! Welcome!"

Weiss was certain that Captain Saan was perfectly aware that Ruby was the leader of their group and, therefore, should have been addressed first. Was this disrespect shown to her leader, partner and friend a heavy-handed attempt to flatter herself, sow discord amongst them, or both? In any case, it was another, if small, reason not to worry about any danger this might cause for the captain.

"Hello, Captain Saan." Ruby, meanwhile, smiled widely at him.

Weiss followed with a smile of her own, although more polite and less genuine, and a bow of her head as they took their seats. As befitting the best and most expensive inn here, the captain's room was spacious enough for a couch and two armchairs next to the desk and bed - a bed that looked as if it had seen more than merely one sleeping person last night. Another sign of disrespect, or some warped attempt at flirting? Weiss couldn't tell since she wasn't very familiar with Lys's customs, and what scant things she had heard had sounded quite exaggerated and, typical for sailors, focused and fixated on the prostitution and related slavery that Lys apparently was famous for. It didn't make her view the captain with more approval or warmth. At least, Ser Davos had told them that the man was generally honourable enough to stick to a deal.

They exchanged a few pleasantries neither meant, shared a drink that was not worth the expensive price paid for it - Weiss had looked into the rates for such beverages - and briefly tried to wait each other out.

"So!" Ruby, of course, likely hadn't even noticed the game Saan was trying to play, and if she had, had no intention to wait him out anyway. "We need a passage to Braavos, and we heard you were headed there."

"I see the local rumours travel as fast as ever," Saan said with a chuckle. "Yes, I may have mentioned that I intended to sail to Braavos."

"Well, are you?" Ruby asked with an earnest expression devoid of any subterfuge.

Weiss had to suppress a smile at the slight twitch on Saan's face. He probably was looking for hidden meanings where none were; Ruby was not playing any of the games the nobles and other powerful people here seemed so fond of, with the possible exception of Lord Eddard and Lord Stannis.

After a moment, Saan nodded with a chuckle. "Indeed, I am, actually. And you wish to travel on my ship? Your entire group?"

"Yes." Ruby nodded emphatically. "All five of us, and Ghost, the direwolf. So, six. Or maybe seven, he's pretty large. Not as large as a beowulf, but larger than a normal wolf."

Saan nodded, his smile not changing, but he seemed a bit tense. "I have yet to see the beast, but by all accounts I've heard, even keeping in mind that most were by drunk sailors, it's as large as a horse."

"A small horse. More like a pony," Ruby corrected him with a beaming smile. "He's still growing."

Yeah, definitely tension there, Weiss noted as she kept smiling.

"Brave of you to travel where the very men who tried to kill you reside," Saan commented.

"Well, that's why we're travelling there; to put a stop to that whole stuff," Ruby said.

"Amicably or by force," Weiss added before taking a sip from her glass.

"Ah." Saan nodded again, though his eyes narrowed a bit. He was taking them more seriously, now.

Or that was the impression he wanted them to have, Weiss reminded herself. She didn't know him well enough to tell - and she had no intention to get to know him well enough to tell. "Is that a problem for you?" she asked. "We're aware that you might receive some of the blame for our future actions if you take us there, so if that seems too dangerous for you, we understand and will look for another ship. We'd ask Ser Davos, but his ship is not ready for such a trip."

As Weiss had hoped, his ego couldn't let him decline the deal. He snorted, a bit too loudly, and waved his hand. "Ah, I have been in far more dangerous positions! Do not worry about me - although as a good captain, I have to ask for a fitting fare so I can compensate my crew for the risk this might cause."

Weiss didn't think the man would share more than a pittance with his crew, albeit that might be her bias influencing her. Still, it was the opening shot for the negotiations, so she nodded and leaned forward. "Well, what would you consider a fitting fare?" They had asked Ser Davos about that as well, which Saan would know, so they should be able to skip past the opening claims and get down to the actual haggling.

He matched her toothy smile with one of his own, and Weiss hoped Ruby wouldn't frown or pout too much during the negotiations.

*****​

The Narrow Sea, East of The Vale, 299 AC

Blake Belladonna stared at the horizon as she leaned against the railing on the Valyrian. Travelling on the galley was a mixed blessing. The clean air on the sea was nice after the stench of King's Landing and the sulfuric smell of Dragonstone, and the breeze filling the ship's main sail was gentle and warm enough not to be a pain, but she was very well aware of how many of the crew were watching her, and her ears had no trouble picking up what they were muttering and whispering. They were fortunate that Blake wasn't Yang; her partner would be furious if she overheard those comments - especially if they were aimed at Ruby.

It seemed all the stereotypes about horny sailors were true, although the fact that both Captain Saan and most of his crew hailed from Lys likely played a role as well - the city-state was infamous for the 'bedslaves' sold there.

She clenched her teeth at the thought of what was happening there. She was no stranger to such abuse; Faunus were, as a vulnerable minority on Remnant, often the victims of sexual crimes and trafficking, but even in the worst parts of the human kingdoms, such 'business' was illegal and done in secrecy. Sometimes very weak secrecy, relying on bribed police looking the other way - or delivering some victims to the traffickers - but everyone at least pretended to be shocked by such crimes. The White Fang had used that when exposing such crimes.

But slavery was legal in almost all of Essos; only Braavos prohibited it and had forced the same rules on Pentos. Which was a great boon; Blake didn't know what she would do if they had to go to one of the other city-states. But she knew what she would do if she saw a slave abused in front of her. And she had not the slightest doubt that Yang, Ruby and Weiss would do the same. And that things would escalate.

At least they wouldn't have to contend with that in Braavos. According to what they had heard, Braavos was actually a kingdom that was run more like the kingdoms on Remnant, with the ruler voted in. Of course, there was no universal franchise and the Sealord's election was a rather intransparent affair as far as she could tell, but she also knew how corrupt elections could be at home, and how much money influenced such events.

Most importantly, though, Braavos had been founded by slaves fleeing Valyria to distant shores. Again, not quite the same as Menagerie, but the similarities were striking still. On the other hand, Braavos's climate was probably closer to Mistral than Menagerie - northern Mistral at that. And Braavos was a city-state with the best fleet in this world, and the centre of the world's banking, no longer a community of ostracised people trying to build a better life for themselves.

She tilted her head when she heard familiar steps coming up the stairs from belowdecks, where their cabin was. Yang, Jon and Ghost. And she smiled when she heard the sailors gasp and mutter prayers at the direwolf's passing. Served them right.

"Hey!"

She turned, smiling at Yang and nodding a Jon. And trying not to show fear in front of Ghost. The beast could smell fear. "Hey."

Yang snorted, then stepped next to her, leaning against the railing, both elbows on top of it, back towards the sea. "We've checked the hold. Nothing suspicious."

"Nothing suspicious?" Blake raised her eyebrows.

"Well, nothing assassin-suspicious. There's bound to be smuggled goods there."

She nodded. Of course, there were; Blake wasn't a sailor herself, or a smuggler, but she had worked with such people during her time in the White Fang. Captain Saan was a smuggler. Possibly a pirate as well - at least, a former pirate; she wasn't sure if he'd risk committing more acts of piracy when a slip of a sailor's tongue loosened by alcohol might see him executed by Lord Stannis for it. She wasn't sure if he'd let that stop him, either; the man seemed determined to live up to his reputation as a rogue.

Jon didn't say anything, but he was frowning; obviously not liking the fact that they were travelling with a criminal. Blake wondered what he would think of her if he knew what she had done in the past.

Yang hadn't missed that and shook her head at him. "Hey, a bit of smuggling is OK. Every sailor does it back home. As long as you don't smuggle drugs, weapons and stuff, it's not going to harm anyone."

Except for the state's purse, but Blake had not much, if any, sympathy for the finances of the four kingdoms. "Except them, if they're caught," she said.

"Right, but that's their risk," Yang chuckled again. Then she grew a bit more serious. "So, since there's no trouble with an assassin, will there be any trouble with the crew or captain?"

"I don't think so," Blake replied, watching a sailor adjust a line across the ship. "Though we might want to give a demonstration to remind some of the horndogs amongst the crew that we can break them in half without trying if they try something."

Yang nodded without making a joking comment, and Blake clenched her teeth, angry at herself for forgetting that Yang had accidentally killed a knight. She didn't care about the man's death - he had been trying to rape her partner! - but she very much minded that Yang was feeling bad about it, and Blake had just reminded her of it. "Sorry," she said softly.

Now, of course, Yang snorted. "It's alright," she lied. "And I think a bit of training will be good for everyone."

"Ah… how do you plan to, ah, train here?" Jon asked, glancing around. "Without breaking the ship."

"Very carefully," Yang answered.

*****​

"Are you sure you can handle so many glyphs, Weiss?"

"As I have told you several times, Ruby, yes, I am certain. I have tested this in Dragonstone's harbour."

"Well, but that was in the harbour, and…"

"The location doesn't matter. The number does, and in my case, it has been slowly increasing during our training."

"Alright, let's do this!"

Blake narrowed her eyes slightly when Weiss stepped up to the railing and waved her sword, creating a series of glyphs forming a pattern that covered part of the sea. She wasn't certain herself, but she had the impression that Weiss was projecting a bit more confidence than she was feeling. Well, if she failed to keep the glyphs going, they would fall into the water, but that wouldn't be a big deal.

"It's like a training ground!" Yang exclaimed. "Just instead of bamboo poles rising out of a pond, we got glyphs floating above the sea!"

Blake chuckled. That was one way to look at it.

"Come on, guys! Before the ship sails past!" Ruby yelled, then jumped on the closest glyph.

"Hurry up. We can't expect Captain Saan to delay his voyage for too long!" Weiss followed suit.

Yang snorted. "Hah! Bet that's just her excuse since she can't maintain so many glyphs for too long."

"Not yet," Blake said. "But yes, let's train."

Yang jumped on the glyph Ruby had vacated, and Blake followed Weiss before veering off.

Once everyone had taken a corner, Ruby raised Crescent Rose in the air. "Alright! A free-for-all brawl would be unfair since Weiss has to maintain control over the battleground…"

"I can handle it!"

"...and could dunk us into the water at any time," Ruby went on with a smirk that left Weiss blushing slightly. "So, we'll do some two-on-one rounds with Weiss supporting the one - that's me!"

"That sounds like you're taking advantage to get us dunked!" Yang retorted.

Blake nodded. On the other hand, it would be good training.

"So? Let's go!" Ruby jumped one glyph forward, then disappeared in a cloud of petals.

Blake jumped forward as well, then used a clone to change direction in mid-jump to land on another glyph to the side - and smiled when Ruby reformed right where Blake had been aiming at.

"Ack!" Ruby whirled, scythe flashing in a defensive pattern.

But Blake repeated her move, changing direction right before she would have reached Ruby, and while her clone was cut apart, Yang had gotten close enough for a jump kick that caught Ruby in the back and sent her flying.

Ruby managed to swing her scythe around to catch the next glyph before she hit the water, but then had to jump again since the edge of her blade destroyed the glyph.

And that left her open for a pincer attack. Blake glanced at Yang to check her partner was moving as expected, then dashed forward, jumping from glyph to glyph to intercept Ruby in the middle of her leap when she couldn't dodge or change course.

While Yang came up from behind, fist cocked back for a blow, Blake drew Gambol Shroud and continued the move into a round cut that…

…passed through a cloud of petals that shot across the area before reforming into Ruby three glyphs away. "Hah! I've been working on that!"

"Hah!" Yang grinned and reached out to Blake. "Little help?"

Blake jumped off a clone and used Gambol Shroud's ribbon to snag Yang up before her partner hit the water, and both landed on two glyphs facing Ruby's.

Which promptly disappeared, but Blake had expected that and managed to leap off in time.

Yang had done the same, and they exchanged another glance. Nodding, Blake shot towards Weiss, both blade and sheath ready to strike her.

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled, throwing up a glyph in Blake's way that she jumped over.

"Coming!"

Ruby appeared between Blake and Weiss, Crescent Rose ready, but Blake left a clone to keep going, jumping to the side herself - and then flew forward when Yang landed a kick on Ruby's back that would have sent her into the sea if not for a glyph catching her in the last moment.

Yang turned to charge Weiss, but Ruby blurred, and then Yang was flying through the air, caught by her blade, forcing Blake to abandon her approach and catch her partner with her ribbon.

They ended up on two adjacent glyphs, facing the other two.

"Nice warmup," Yang said, grinning.

Ruby snorted. "Let's see if you can keep up once we turn on the heat!"

"That's my line, sis!"

Blake softly snorted at the exchange - and then they clashed again. As she blocked Ruby's attack with both blade and sheath, she reminded herself to also let a few blows hit the water - the idea was to impress upon the smuggler's crew that they should not take any liberties or plan anything against them, after all.

And Blake was set to deliver.

*****​

Near Braavos, Essos, 299 AC

"Behold: The Titan that shields Braavos of the Hundred Isles!" Saan gestured towards the bow of his ship.

Yang Xiao Long wasn't easy to impress. You couldn't be cool if you were gaping at every new thing. But the sight in front of them, slowly appearing out of mist and fog, was impressive indeed - even for someone who had been to Beacon. "That's a really huge statue," she commented. She could see a ship pass underneath it, and the mast didn't even come up to the statue's knees. And that wasn't a small ship, either.

"It's not just a statue - it's a fortress!" Ruby, of course, was gushing. "It's like… like a mechashift fortress, just without the shifting!"

"We already knew that," Weiss said. She was acting cool and composed, but Yang was sure she was impressed as well. Because the locals here didn't have any Dust or modern technology; that statue had been built by hand.

"Yes, but now we have seen it! Oh, do you think they give tours?" Ruby beamed. "That would be so cool!"

"I don't think they would let anyone take a close look at the key part of their defence installations," Weiss said, acting like a spoilsport.

"Well, if they don't give tours, we could still sneak inside," Yang suggested when she saw Ruby's face fall. Blake would easily be able to explore the fortress.

"Really?"

"And if we get caught, we'll have an international incident to solve." Weiss shook her head. "Besides, we're not here to sight-see."

"But Weiss! There's no harm in asking, is there?" Ruby pouted. "It's not as if the fortress could stop us, so what would be the harm?"

"I don't think that argument will convince the Sealord to let us tour the fortress."

"Well, it should!" Ruby insisted.

"I think it would be considered a threat," Blake commented.

"Yes, my lady," Jon spoke up with a faint smile that made him look like Lord Eddard when he was with his children.

Saan, meanwhile, looked as if he couldn't tell if they were serious or not, but was too afraid to ask.

Yang snorted. "We're just joking," she said. "About the tour," she added to clarify that. "Not about the fact that the fortress wouldn't stop us."

"Ah, I think everyone on the ship is aware of that after watching you train on the sea itself." Saan chuckled, though it sounded a bit forced. He seemed to be one of the guys who could dish it out but not take it.

Yang blinked at her own thoughts. In the verbal sparring sense, not the kind of taking that some of Blake's books showed, she amended them. And, speaking - or thinking - of her partner… She glanced at Blake.

"It's like out of a fairy tale," Blake said, staring at the statue.

"Well, we know magic is real here," Yang replied.

"Yes, but this wasn't done with magic." Blake shook her head. "This was done by slaves who had escaped an evil Empire. They built this from nothing and turned it into the greatest city-state of this continent."

Saan cleared his throat but didn't say anything afterwards.

Ah. Yang nodded. "Thinking of home? I mean, in the future sense, not just homesickness." Of course, that would strike a chord with Blake.

"Yes." Her partner sighed. "I haven't been back home in years."

Right. Yang knew better than to ask about that. Blake would tell her more about her home when she was ready. "Well, if people can do that…" She pointed at the statue, which was now looming in front of them. "...without any Dust or technology, we can do the same back home with both!"

"You'd think so, yes." Blake sighed again, and Yang knew she had made a mistake. Probably because Menagerie wasn't a great kingdom yet.

"Of course, they don't have Grimm here, either." Yang shrugged. "If you have to focus on defence and can't just hide in a swampy lagoon, that kind of crimps your style."

Blake snorted at that, as Yang had hoped she would. Mistake fixed. Good mood restored. Somewhat, at least.

Then the giant statue roared, and Yang clenched her teeth, almost readying Ember Celica before she remembered that that was how the people inside the statue announced arriving ships.

That was cool as well. Coupled with what she had heard about the duelling 'bravos' and the nightlife here, this might turn out to be a fun trip. No slavery, no king… Though they had the Iron Bank, which sounded like the SDC in some ways. And the Temple of the Death God and his assassin cultists. Couldn't forget the reason they were coming here.

But if they could settle that stuff, Yang wanted to explore the city some.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

It's kind of funny how hard all these people are projecting their own biases on the girls; they keep getting their motivations, personalities and intent wrong to varying degrees.

It goes from thinking like they're just like any other ambitious Westerosi noble, just with extra powers, to being Basically Satan like Varys did.

Thanks for the chapter. Keep up the good work.

Click to shrink...

A lot of people are projecting their own faults and goals on others like that.

Thats another reason why this fic stays interesting, because the religious and cultural context stuff keeps it fresh. Also the reflections of people's beliefs about team rwby

Click to shrink...

Yeah, people trying to make sense of an OCP is part of a crossover's appeal. Her,e I'm aiming more for the cultural "alienness" than the "power" part.

Ned tries so hard, even for a place that shouldn't be his responsibility. Actually, with him as Regent and the Four Maidens forcing everyone to play nice, the Realm is pretty stable right now. It's funny how there's multiple scenes of the nobles complaining about the state of affairs...because they're having trouble fucking each other over and starting new wars. Great priorities, dudes.

Click to shrink...

The Crab bucket mentality is, sadly, very common.

So,there is a way which could send them home.Good,they are no need in Westeros any more.
P.S Could you send Maester Kennet to RWBY world,so he could explain Grimms that they do not exist?

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Kennet would actually accept the existence of Grimm, and of RWBY's powers, easily - if he had any convincing proof. It's the lack of it that makes him go "Well, there has no record of such a thing been found ever since that time, so it must have been a misunderstanding".

 

[ATP]

Thanks for chapter.I think,that assasins should be reasonable here.And,you are right that historians do not belive old texts - Sumers,for example,liked to write that their city-state defeated other city-state and killed 60.000 people/they liked that numbers./ in times where both armies had less combatants on battlefield.

 

[BetweenTheLines]

So since this is QQ there is a question that I have been rolling around in my head for a while. Obviously, most of the nobility have completely abandoned thoughts about marriage talks with the team since RWBY is just focused on getting home and none of the local men/customs really appeal to them. Nothing can really force them to compromise on that. The author has also confirmed that awakening Aura is not possible outside of Remnant even if for some nonsensical reason RWBY had children on Planetos. I realize all that, so no need to argue on the front. I just wanted to ask something from the perspective of the nobility though.

If they did assume their "magic" could be inherited, what is the ranking for which ones would be most desirable? It is infinitely apparent that none of the girls would go for it, but from the locals' perspective who would make the best "broodmares"?

Ruby's status as team leader and the presumed power of her family to have members of three other "Houses" under her would put her at a premium. On the other hand, the stability of the Schnee Semblance is something nobles might find attractive. It could tie into their ideas of true-born heirs, where manifesting that specific heirloom power is a proof of being a true Targaryen Schnee. Since Blake won the Battle of the Maidens I can see nascent powerscalers putting her stock up. I am not sure what they would say about Yang though, or where that puts her on this ladder. I suppose she is often said to be the most openly sensual one, so the men would want her for completely non-strategic reasons.

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 53: The Sealord

'Another common misconception, likely the result of attempts to add greater legitimacy to the Church of the Seven in Braavos in the wake of the later treaties between Westeros and Braavos, is the claim that the Ruby Order not only conducted a diplomatic mission to Braavos, but forged an alliance between the two polities. No such treaty was recorded in the archives of either country, and the theory that the documents might have been lost during the following century is easily disproven by the fact that the surviving treaties do not refer to any earlier agreement at all, even though it was the custom at the time to use such references in new treaties. In fact, the sources that claim that the Ruby Order visited Braavos at all are rather dubious to begin with and can in at least two cases be tracked back to a courtesan claiming to be wearing clothes in the style of the Four Maidens - a presumption anyone familiar with the matter will easily dismiss, as I have already covered the fact that the Ruby Order did not dress in any scandalous manner.'

• A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken

*****​

Sealord's Palace, Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

Ferrego Antaryon would be lying if he claimed he had not sought the office of Sealord of Braavos above all. Nor could he truthfully claim that he didn't enjoy his position. And yet, there were days he wondered if he wouldn't have been happier if he had settled for less. Such as today.

He narrowed his eyes at Quarro. "Are you certain about this, my friend? Have the Four Maidens come to Braavos?" He still doubted that they were as powerful as the tales made them out to be - shattering rocks with their heads, crushing stone between their fingers, walking through fire and on water? - but too many sensible, trusted people, and a number of less sensible ones, had confirmed that they were indeed formidable in battle, perhaps unstoppable unless you had dragons on your side. But their physical prowess was a secondary concern; they were not merely the most influential faction at the court in King's Landing but also worshipped as messengers from the gods by the church there. They represented as much, or more power, than the current prince of the realm.

Quarro nodded. "I have verified it personally. You can question the captain of the ship that carried them to the city."

"So, that's why you brought that pirate to my palace." Ferrego snorted without much humour. "Once more, you have anticipated my wishes without me needing to voice them."

Quarro inclined his head, acknowledging the compliment - and, Ferrego hoped, the implied warning that he needed to be careful when he acted in his stead. A proactive First Sword of Braavos was a good thing, but only as long as they understood their remit covered the protection of the Sealord, not his policies. "Former pirate, at worst."

Ferrego scoffed at that. Saan might claim to be an honest merchant, but the man was an opportunist. If the opportunity to gain a fortune presented itself, he would not consider morals but only the risk and the reward offered by a return to his first profession. At least the man had a certain sense of honour, albeit one fuelled by his pride, not his morals, and knew that if he were branded a pirate by Braavos, it would shorten his profits and possibly his life as well.

"Besides, I was merely speeding up your meeting. He would have met with you during your next soirée on your pleasure barge anyway," Quarro went on with a slight frown.

Ferrego ignored it. It was an old disagreement. Quarro thought it would be safer to hold such gatherings in the palace, where guards were standing at every door and could keep an attacker at bay, rather than a pleasure barge that could be rammed and boarded. Ferrego didn't think anyone wishing him ill would bother with such a blatant attack instead of bribing one of his own guards or servants to kill him. Not that he thought anyone would bother spending much coin merely to speed up his demise when rumours about his failing health were already circulating. The people of Braavos were not wont to waste money on something that they could have for free with a bit of patience.

But he still had a few years left, and he would do his best for Braavos and himself. He wouldn't be remembered as a failure. Which meant he had to carefully consider how to handle this unexpected and undesired development. "Have you heard anything about the reasons for their visit to the City?"

"They're not here for the Iron Bank."

Ferrego sighed again. So much for the hope that they had come to deal with the finances of the kingdom they all but openly ruled. "So, their business is with the House of Black and White, then." As he had feared.

"Yes. According to Saan, they said so openly and publicly," Quarro replied with a grim expression.

Ferrego closed his eyes for a moment. They had called out the House of Black and White like that? As if this were a feud between bravos? "And Forel claimed that they were humble and restrained!"

Quarro coughed. "Syrio said they were humble for the power they wielded." He grinned without humour. "But every man, and certainly, every woman, has a limit to what their temper can stomach. I should know."

Ferrego narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Do not compare them to the courtesans you meet. I doubt that they would consider it a compliment."

"They're not from Westeros; that much has been confirmed many times over."

"That doesn't mean they share our customs; few other cities do," Ferrego reminded him.

"They apparently dress even more daringly than any courtesan - at least in public." Quarro flashed a grin.

"And they are seen as Holy Maidens by their Church," Ferrego retorted. "Do you think they won't defend their reputation, whether it's a pretence or not?"

Quarro slowly shook his head. "You're right. They couldn't afford to endanger their support from the church. What a shame!" He perked up. "Although if our own women would look at their fashion as examples to emulate?"

Ferrego shook his head again. Quarro was a bravo first and foremost. "The tales about their fashion have surely grown in the telling." Sailors always embellished news.

"Ah, but a man can dream, can't he?"

Ferrego narrowed his eyes again. "Not when we have work to do. Send in Saan. I need to know as much as possible about the Maidens."

His friend bowed with a flourish. "At once, Sealord!"

Saan, as expected, was smiling widely when he entered Ferrego's office. His bow was, as usual, slightly too low. No merchant in the city would have done the same even when currying favours, and most foreigners knew better after a few years here. Saan either didn't - or wanted Ferrego to underestimate him.

"Captain Saan." He nodded at his guest.

"Sealord!" Another wide smile. "I am so happy to see you again, and so soon - I expected to attend your next seaborn gala."

"I don't see a reason why you wouldn't," Ferrego replied. "This is merely a courtesy call to clear up a few rumours I happened to hear."

"You wish to learn the truth about the Four Maidens." Saan's smile took on a satisfied twist.

"I wish to learn what you know about them," Ferrego corrected him. He doubted that Saan, even though he was, for all his boasts, a smart and cunning man, would have found out what so many others had fruitlessly chased.

"Ah!" Saan nodded. "I have seen them at their most ferocious and their most relaxed, and I have taken their measure indeed." He folded his hands, and his wide smile showed white teeth.

Ferrego's smile matched it. No one beat a Braavosi at haggling. "You will, of course, be rewarded generously for sharing the results of your diligence." And punished, should he lie to Ferrego.

"Ah, but we are friends, yes? And friends help each other, do they not?" Saan leaned forward slightly, cocking his head to the side.

"Yes, they do." So, Saan wanted a favour. That could be arranged. As long as it wasn't anything outrageous - though if the pirate dared to overreach, he would be shown his place. "That is how friendship works. Do you need help?"

"Ah, no, perish the thought! My business is doing well, my ships are fine - things couldn't be better. But who can know the future?"

Ferrego nodded with a smile. A favour owed was a small price to pay. Especially for a man who might not live to see it paid. "So, what did you find out about the Four Maidens?"

"That they are as kind as they are dangerous, and that whatever tales you have heard about them are not exaggerated." Saan kept smiling, but he looked a little… not humbled, never that with that man. But maybe… serious.

"So they can walk on water and through wildfire?" Quarro spoke up with barely hidden doubt.

"Yes." Saan nodded emphatically. "I have seen them do the former, and I do not doubt the reports of the latter. Not any more."

That was worse than Ferrego had feared. And yet, Braavos had faced worse. The city had been founded by slaves fleeing Valyria and stood proud when the Freehold's dragon armies ruled the air. This was no reason to assume the worst, at least.

"They have also dealt with three attempts so far on their lives by Faceless Men. And they wish to ensure there will be no fourth."

"Three attempts? And all of them are still alive?" Once more, Quarro voiced what Ferrego would have asked himself.

"Yes. Not a hair was out of place, as far as I could tell." Saan sighed in a manner more fitting for the stage than a meeting such as this. "But I fear that the House of Black and White has succeeded in what the most foolish nobles of Westeros failed at - it has raised their anger."

"And you brought them here despite that?" Ferrego asked. "Daring, I would say."

Saan spread his hands. "However this affair should be concluded, I don't expect that I will have to worry overly much about the Faceless Men after this."

What did he mean by that? That either the Faceless Men would kill the four, or they would reduce the House of Black and White to rubble and ashes, with the followers of the Many-Faced God ground to dust, and he wouldn't matter to either any more? Or… He had called them kind. "You think they might reach a peaceful resolution?"

"If the Faceless Men are as wise as they claim."

Now that wasn't good news either. Ferrego had kept his distance from the temple - he was not yet ready for their gift of a painless death - but everyone knew what happened in the temple. Not many, not many indeed, knew anything about the people there, though. Something Ferrego, in hindsight, should have rectified.

He slowly nodded. "And what else can you tell me about them? What about their leader?"

"Lady Ruby Rose," Saan replied. "The silver-eyed, red-haired beauty. She is kind above all and would even shed tears for an enemy she killed. But she has a spine made from Valyrian steel. She will not bow or bend. And she is stronger than any man you've met; she wields a scythe as heavy as herself as if it were a silk fan, and she can move faster than the eye can follow, leaving fading rose petals in her wake."

That sounded like a slight contradiction. Not the strength; Lady Ruby had cut a disgraced Kingsguard - the son of the richest person in Westeros, perhaps Essos as well - in half with a single blow. But kind? As the leader of such a powerful group? She must be a very good actress if she managed to fool Saan. Unless… No. Saan would know better than to try to pass an obvious lie to Ferrego.

"Then there is Lady Weiss Schnee. Of Valyrian descent; her hair is white as the freshest snow, and her beauty and bearing are the hallmark of a Valyrian pureblood. Cold as ice as well; a girl that will cut you with both tongue and blade at the slightest provocation, and skilled in courtly intrigue. She can conjure glyphs, magical symbols, at will, forming walls out of thin air - or solid ground. If she wills it, her entire group can race across the sea as if they were running on land."

Ferrego nodded. That was also disturbing, though mostly because of the danger she represented for a ship; Valyrian nobility was a known quantity, and as Sealord, he had dealt with many scheming noblewomen.

"Next, Lady Blake. The hidden dagger. Dark as her long hair, ever bound in a bow. Despite being as beautiful as all of them - I had sailors almost falling to their death when catching a glimpse of them unexpectedly - she can fade from your view like a shadow at night. She wields a sword from Yi Ti with a scabbard that doubles as a cleaver, and she can form an army of her own, conjuring shadows bearing her semblance to confuse those of her enemies who see her coming in the first place."

An assassin from the shores of Yi Ti? Trained there, at least? That would explain how the Faceless Men had been caught; Ferrego knew of none in Essos or Westeros who might best the servants of the Many-Faced God, but the tales of far Yi Ti hinted at even more terrible secrets. And he knew how to deal with assassins. He nodded, noticing how Quarro was frowning; his friend knew how to deal with such threats as well.

"And finally, Lady Yang Xiao-Long. Another Valyrian - the purple eyes and the golden hair give it away despite her name. Elder sister to Lady Ruby, though from a lesser wife as far as I could tell. She can smash rocks with her head without marring her skin or harming her hair, and she fights with golden gauntlets that will stop even Valyrian blades - or so they say; that claim I have not been able to verify. Lively and lusty, yet with a deadly temper. Beware of waking that particular dragon; she crushed the balls and pelvis of a knight who got too close, dooming him to an agonising death."

Ferrego clenched his teeth together at that particular threat. He looked at Quarro, who nodded in acknowledgement. Good. It wouldn't do to lose some of his guards because they accosted a woman with such a temper. On the other hand, it might turn out that a few particularly bothersome bravos might meet an untimely end if things went right.

"Lady Yang fights with gauntlets?" Quarro asked.

"Like a brawler, yet more refined; some claim that is how people brawl in distant Yi Ti, yet I have never seen such a fight or fighter myself, and I would not claim as fact what I have not personally seen," Saan said,

"Not in front of me, at least," Ferrego said with a thin grin.

Saan chuckled heartily at that, as expected; the man was a flatterer and sycophant at heart.

But he had been useful, and he had earned his future favour. Provided his information did not turn out to be false, of course. Ferrego would soon find out. As long as he could manage to meet with the Four Maidens before they met with the Faceless Men one way or the other.

*****​

Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

Braavos was so cool! First, a fortress shaped like a giant man guarding the port - and you had to sail beneath it to enter! - and now it turns out that the entire city was built on the water! Sure, Ruby Rose had known that already, but knowing wasn't the same as actually seeing it! Especially if you didn't have any pictures to look at.

But the city had more canals than streets. Sure, all the islands were connected by small bridges, but those were boring. The streets, of course - the alleys looked like those in King's Landing. But the canals! You could go everywhere in a little boat! Like the one that they had hired for this trip from the Outer Harbour, where the foreign ships docked, to the Purple Harbour, where the local ships docked.

She smiled as she looked around, watching a man carry a basket over one of those cute little high-arching bridges that spanned the canals. "This is so cool!"

"It is a novel experience, indeed."

Ruby snorted. That was Weiss-speak for 'it's cool, but I don't want to admit it'. "Imagine growing up in such a city!"

"Didn't you grow up on a small island?" Weiss asked.

"We did," Ruby replied, looking at the bridge ahead of them. "But our home's inland, in the woods, and all the buildings on Patch are on the island, not on the water!"

"Technically, at least half the houses here are on islands as well," Yang cut in.

Ruby frowned at her sister. "You know what I mean. Imagine living in a house where you could jump from your room directly into the water!"

"This water?" Yang raised her hand and pointed at…

Ruby grimaced. Ew. There was a dead animal floating in the canal that they were crossing. And it wasn't a fish; she could see fur. And Jon had to put a hand on Ghost's head since the wolf seemed to eye the animal as well. "Well, not that canal. One a bit closer to the sea. And cleaner."

"I wouldn't want to take a swim in the harbour, either," Yang said. "Give me Patch beaches any day!"

Blake nodded.

"But the nightlife here!" Yang went on grinning widely. "Now that's bound to be cool!"

Weiss sniffed. "People getting drunk and duelling over a fountain is your idea of cool?"

"Braavos is said to be a patron of the arts," Blake cut in. "With many plays, concerts and balls happening every day."

"Oh!" Ruby whistled. "We need to go watch a play!" It wasn't a TV show or movie, but it should be interesting. Though not as interesting as visiting the Titan. "After we checked out if they give tours to the Titan, of course!" Sure, they might not, but you didn't know that until you asked!

"As long as you don't break into it if access is restricted," Weiss muttered.

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "Leave that to our resident ninja!"

Blake, as expected, rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I am no ninja."

"You're the closest we have to a ninja." Yang grinned at her partner. "But seriously, we need to spend some time exploring the city since we're here."

"I think we should settle our business first," Weiss disagreed. "Before we have to deal with more assassins here."

"Wanna bet they already know we're here?" Yang asked with a cocky grin.

The assassins probably did, Ruby knew. And she would prefer to head straight to the temple. On the other hand, if the assassins made them wait, it would be better if they already had a room ready. After all, they were here to talk and make a deal; they couldn't just smash people around until no one was left just because the assassins didn't want to talk to them right away. Even though Yang called that 'plan B'. "But if they already know that we've arrived…"

"I think we can safely, and actually should, assume that they do," Blake cut in.

"...then they also should already know that we're here to talk," Ruby finished. They had not kept that a secret on the Valyrian, and sailors were supposed to talk and gossip a lot. She looked at the man guiding their boat with a long pole. "What do you think, Mr Marco?"

"I think I should not be involved in matters that concern the House of Black and White, my lady."

Ah, right. Ruby blushed a little. "Well, just forget what you heard then. Or, no, just tell everyone what you heard! If everyone knows what you know, the Faceless Men won't come after you."

Judging by the man's grimace, he didn't seem to believe her. Shoot! "I really mean it, tell everyone; we've got nothing to hide here."

And now he was looking at her as if she had threatened him. But he nodded. So it was probably fine. As long as he was safe.

But they were now headed straight for a small pier in front of a big building - well, in front of big stairs that led to a big building with a golden animal on a finely-crafted sign. This would be the Golden Bull, supposedly the best inn in Braavos, at least, according to Captain Saan.

"We have arrived, my ladies." Mr Marco didn't quite shoo them off the boat, but Ruby could see that he wanted to. He had the same expression as the armourer at the workshop at Signal when she had stayed too long. Just with fear instead of fondness or so.

"Thank you, good man." Weiss nodded at the man and passed a dragon to him.

And the fear was gone, replaced by a wide smile.

Ruby frowned slightly as she stepped on the pier. Had the man been honestly afraid or just trying to play for their sympathy? Whatever, he was smiling now.

The others followed her, with Yang carrying the chest containing the luggage, followed by Jon. And then Ghost jumped onto the pier, and almost sent the boat capsizing; Mr Marco almost fell into the water, too.

But almost only counted with grenades. "Sorry!" Ruby told Marco. "Ghost is still a puppy."

"He should know better, though," Jon said, frowning at the wolf. Ghost himself, though, just barked once. Obviously, he didn't think he had done anything wrong.

"Well, let's secure us a room or two," Ruby said, turning to eye the door on top of the stairs. Two guards stood there, and both were looking - or staring - at their group. Probably scared of Ghost.

But the guards didn't say anything when Ruby and her friends reached the door, and one even opened it for them without being asked to. And inside… Ruby whistled softly. The building looked impressive on the outside, all stone and pretty colours, but the entrance hall - and it was a hall - looked even better, polished stone floor you could almost use as a mirror, columns, small tables and soft seats… It looked like a hotel lobby back home.

Ruby wasn't quite sure if she was happy or sad about that, or both, while Weiss handled the… she called him 'concierge', but Ruby was pretty sure that that was only a title on Remnant.

In any case, they got a nice couple of rooms, and Weiss could haggle down the price some. She claimed she had merely managed to bring it down to slightly over where it should be, but Ruby wasn't sure how she could tell that - none of them had any experience with the prices here.

On the other hand, the people here didn't have any experience with wolves, though, at least, they dropped their demand to house Ghost in the stables after Jon had told them that Ghost would not leave his side. And why did they have stables here, anyway? Everyone used boats and not horses!

Though that could wait! Ruby let herself fall down on their new bed, staring at the ceiling. "So soft!"

"Silk sheets. As expected for this price," Weiss said.

"I'm just glad you managed to get us rooms that are connected!" Ruby said. It would have been a pain to deal with separate rooms, what with having to watch out for assassins; they would have needed to build bunk beds or something again.

"Yes. We were fortunate that this suite was currently not occupied."

Ruby frowned a little - why was her friend blushing? "Is something wrong with it?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just… This was the only suite available with several rooms." Weiss looked even more embarrassed.

"Yes?" That was good luck, not embarrassing. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's called 'the Courtesan's Corner', and, err… apparently meant for, ah, romantic encounters neither of the parties involved would wish to have at their respective homes or on a courtesan's barge."

Ruby blinked. "We're in… what did Yang call it? A love nest?"

"Effectively, yes."

That was… Ruby eyed the silk sheets with a deeper frown, then looked around. That kind of changed a few things. Probably.

"I am sorry about this, but I valued our safety and convenience more than, well…" Weiss shrugged.

Ruby nodded, but before she could tell Weiss that this was fine, the door to the left side room opened, and Yang grinned at them.

"Did you know what you just rented, Weiss? Blake says we're in a Mistralian Love Motel!"

"I said it reminded me of them," Blake's voice sounded from behind Yang.

"It's not a love motel!" Weiss snapped.

"Well, looks like one to me! Naughty of you, Weiss!"

"What are you insinuating, Yang?"

Ruby was quite glad that a knock at the door interrupted what was starting to turn into a row.

Though she kinda got back on that when she had the invitation to the Sealord's Palace pushed into her hand. "We didn't do anything to the Sealord or some of his friends, right?"

*****​

Sealord's Palace, Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

Weiss Schnee checked her dress once more as they approached the quite impressive, even compared to other buildings she was familiar with, palace of the ruler of the city, which boasted a certain elegance and sophistication that the buildings in King's Landing lacked in comparison. And since the fashion was different as well - she'd say more advanced, although that would presume that fashion in this world was developing along the same lines as back home, and that would be a foolish assumption. Nevertheless, she felt her own manner of dress fit in better with the local customs than it did in King's Landing. Both her dress and Myrtenaster resembled the local style quite a bit, although, as in Westeros, none of the locals here seemed to have developed combat skirts.

Nor were they used to women wearing blades and trousers; the looks they had drawn on the way here, especially once they had opted to walk the last leg of the trip to take in the area, clearly showed that - they were the same kind of looks Weiss remembered from King's Landing and Winterfell, before the residents had grown used to them. Apparently, Braavos's cosmopolitan reputation went only so far. They probably were also afraid of the adorable Ghost, which was why Jon had stayed in their quarters with him.

At least, the doormen at the palace gates were too polite to stare, or had been instructed quite thoroughly on what to expect, and opened the gates when they approached, and the servant receiving them inside the palace had impeccable manners. Not quite on Klein's level, of course, but Weiss couldn't detect even a hint of disapproval or sordid interest in his expression.

"Team RWBY. We're expected," she told him with a nod.

"Indeed, my ladies. Aiden Renas, at your service." He bowed, though in a slightly different style than she had expected after observing others from Braavos - was that because he was a member of the palace staff? She would have to look into this at the earliest opportunity; it wouldn't do to make a gaffe if she could avoid it - and gestured to follow him. He had a slight accent, she also noted.

Renas led them up the wide stairs leading to the first floor - its design reminded her strongly of the Schnee Manor's entrance hall - and down a spacious hallway featuring portraits of different men. Different art styles as well, she noted. "Are those the Sealord's predecessors?" she asked.

"Indeed, my ladies."

"Oh, nice!" Ruby spoke up with a smile before she frowned. "And what do you do once you run out of wallspace to hang them?"

"That would be a question for the then-reigning Sealord, my lady."

Weiss nodded. The man was as diplomatic as Klein would have been in the same situation. Although this wasn't the time to delve into nostalgia. Or touch her rather mixed feelings about her ancestral home. She needed to be focused on the upcoming surprise meeting with the Sealord. Of course, in hindsight, this shouldn't have been a surprise. Weiss should have realised that while they were here for personal and private reasons, it wouldn't look like that to those who didn't know them.

They reached the ornate door at the end of the hallway, flanked by two guards wearing armour that looked like a slightly weird mix of Jaune's and Pyrrha's, and Renas knocked before entering.

Weiss was pleased that Ruby didn't try to automatically follow him; that would have been a breach of protocol.

Renas quickly returned, holding the door open for them. "Team Ruby!" he announced. "Lady Ruby Rose, Lady Weiss Schnee, Lady Blake Belladonna and Lady Yang Xiao Long."

The Sealord, Ferrego Antaryon, was old and looked not quite healthy, Weiss found. But he was alert and rose smoothly from behind his desk to greet them. Behind him stood a younger man, armed but not armoured. One of those bravos, judging from his flamboyant style. And, if what Weiss had learned was true, the Sealord's personal bodyguard.

"Welcome, my ladies. He nodded at his guard. "This is Quarro Volenti, First Sword of Braavos. Please, have a seat." He gestured at the two couches placed in front of his desk.

Weiss made a mental note about the man's name and title. The Sealord didn't introduce himself, though that would have been superfluous; they were in his palace. But he spoke the common tongue, as Westeros called it, not the native language of Braavos, if with an accent. That was a good sign.

Once everyone had taken their seats, split up by partners, and another servant had brought some excellent tea and fruits, better than anything Weiss had tasted in Westeros so far, the Sealord leaned back in his seat. "Thank you for responding so promptly to my invitation."

"Of course!" Ruby smiled at him. "Though we were surprised at the invitation."

"We aren't here in any official capacity," Weiss added. "We're here to deal with a personal issue."

The bodyguard's stern expression twisted into a slight grin, though the Sealord merely inclined his head. "You wish to persuade the House of Black and White to rescind the orders to kill you - by any means necessary."

"Well, not by any means; the end doesn't justify the means," Ruby corrected him. "But yeah, we're here to stop this before more people get hurt or die. That's not a problem, is it?"

The Sealord looked taken aback, Weiss noted. "Many good intentions turned out to lead to bad consequences," he said after a moment.

Ruby nodded emphatically. "Yeah. That's why you keep trying until your problem has been solved!"

"One way or the other," Yang unhelpfully added.

"Even at the risk of causing harm to innocents who are not involved in the affair?" the Sealord asked. "Feuds between powerful people far too often have such results."

"We do not wish to cause a disturbance in Braavos," Weiss said. "But we cannot let the House of Black and White keep sending assassins at us; the risk to bystanders and other innocents is too great to let them be. I am sure you'd react the same if someone were endangering your citizens with such actions." Two could twist words like this.

"I would be acting as Sealord in that case."

"We are not representing the Seven Kingdoms," Weiss replied. "So we cannot act for the realm."

"And should I banish you from the city to keep you from endangering my citizens, what would you do?"

That was more direct than Weiss had expected. Unfortunately, Ruby was as direct and spoke before Weiss could say anything. "Unless you also told the Faceless Men to stop trying to kill us, we'd probably ignore that."

"And if they obeyed," Yang added.

"We're here to stop those attacks; we are not wedded to the idea of doing so ourselves, much less through violence," Weiss explained.

"But if that's the only way, we will do it that way." Yang grinned and ignored Weiss's glance.

"The fault for any past and future escalation lies with the House of Black and White; they chose to attack us without any provocation," Weiss elaborated. "Surely such behaviour is beyond the pale in Braavos as well!"

"As much as I wish it were, it's not," the Sealord replied. "They have a lot of influence in the city thanks to their deeds. Few would defy them lest they end up dead. And everyone would rather err on the side of caution when they were not sure if a course of action could be taken as defying the temple."

"But they are divided amongst themselves," Weiss pointed out. "We have spoken with one of their members, and he told us that opinions about whether they should kill or support us are divided in the House of Black and White."

That seemed to surprise the Sealord, she noted. His bodyguard as well. So, whoever had talked to him about this affair had not mentioned this - or, more likely, since her team had kept this relatively private so far, had not known this. "Truly?" he asked.

"Yes. He also insinuated that we could influence the temple's policy by defeating those who dissented with his own views," Weiss replied.

"Basically, beat some sense into their stubborn members." Yang cracked her knuckles, no doubt to stress that she meant that literally.

"But why would they do that?" the Sealord asked. "They only answer to the Many-Faced God."

"Well…" Ruby smiled in that adorably awkward way of hers when she was embarrassed. "They - those who don't want to kill us - think their god wants them to help us. Get home, that is."

The Sealord blinked.

"And that is why we hope to end this pointless conflict amiably or, at least, peacefully," Weiss added.

"And keep the collateral damage to a minimum," Blake added.

"Yeah." Yang nodded. "Their temple is far enough from other buildings, right? Just if things turn into a fight and we have to level it to make our point."

"You think you can level the House of Black and White?" the bodyguard blurted out.

The Sealord didn't chastise him for speaking up, Weiss noted.

"Any one of us could do that with one hand tied behind their back," Yang replied, baring her teeth in a feral grin. Both men seemed to be a bit sceptical of her claim, even though it was completely factual. Yang must have realised that as well since she snorted. "Do you need a demonstration? We found that once we show that we can back up our words, things tend to get much easier for everyone involved."

"A demonstration? In my palace?" The Sealord frowned quite openly now.

"Do you have anything that you don't mind being broken? The harder and bigger, the better. Or have your bodyguard hit me with his best shot," Yang replied. "He's among the better fighters in your city, right?"

The Sealord glanced at his bodyguard, who was positively bristling at Yang's dismissive tone and attitude, even if her words were, technically, respectful. "If you insist, then I am certain Quarro can accommodate you."

Weiss suppressed a sigh. This was not how she would have preferred to handle things. Openly flaunting their power as Huntresses was often seen as flouting the local ruler's power.

But, she thought as Yang stood and faced the bodyguard - the First Sword of Braavos - it often is the fastest way to get a result.

"Alright!" Yang made a small waving gesture with her fingers. "Come on!"

The bodyguard drew his weapon, but seemed to hesitate.

"Don't be afraid - I'm not going to hurt you!"

The bodyguard scowled at this but glanced at the Sealord, who nodded with a grim expression.

His guard nodded back, narrowed his eyes - and lunged. He was feinting, faking a stab at her arm but aiming for her leg, Weiss noticed midway through the attack.

Yang didn't react at all, though her grin grew a bit more toothy when the tip of his sword slid off her bare thigh. "Come on, try for my heart or head!"

Visibly surprised, the man did so - launching a series of attacks, quite fast for someone without Huntsman training or Aura. And as ineffective as you'd expect.

Yang beamed at the visibly shocked Sealord. "So, have anything hard and heavy you don't need any more? Some poison you wouldn't mind if I drink?"

Well, negotiations did continue much more smoothly afterwards - the Sealord rather quickly agreed that this was a personal matter between Team RWBY and the House of Black and White, though, to his credit, he still insisted that no bystanders should suffer any harm.

But Team RWBY wouldn't have it any other way anyway.

*****​

Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

"So, since it's already evening, and the temple's probably closed, let's check out the local bars!"

Blake Belladonna snorted softly at her partner's outburst as they stepped out of the Golden Bull.

"I don't think the House of Black and White is actually closed at any time of the day," Weiss commented with a slight sniff. "Since they are offering painless suicides, the evening might be the busiest hours for them."

"Well, then it would be only polite if we don't visit them when they're busy!" Yang shot back. She spread her arms with a grin. "Besides, we should look around before we leap into action."

"Pardon? Who are you and what have you done with Yang?" Weiss joked.

"The nightlife is my element! Bars, clubs, dives!"

"I suppose you are our resident expert on carousing."

Blake snorted at the banter, though she was aware that Yang wasn't quite the party girl she appeared to be. She knew how to have a good time, but it wasn't… defining her. Not when you knew her instead of judging her by the first impression she might have given you.

Which, to be honest, had been what Blake had been doing, but only for the first night before Initiation. Afterwards, well, only a fool would not get to know their partner at Beacon, and Blake was not a fool. Not any more, at least.

"I don't think they have clubs here," Ruby spoke up as they stepped onto the small pier, where a few boats were waiting for customers. "Only taverns and, well…" She blushed a little.

"Brothels," Weiss finished for her with a scowl. "Which we are not going to visit."

"Yeah, we already did enough of that in King's Landing." Yang grinned as Ruby and Weiss groaned.

"That was different!" Ruby protested. "You were looking for bad guys and proof of crimes!"

"And you know what I meant by 'visiting'," Weiss added.

Yang chuckled.

"So!" Ruby spoke up again. "What play are we going to watch? Because we aren't going to drink in some dive," she added with a frown at Yang. "And the plays here are supposed to be much better than in Westeros."

More sophisticated, at least, following a written script. That was what Blake had heard. She hoped that this was correct; the mummer performances in Westeros had been a bit of a disappointment; not that she expected the kind of quality entertainment she had access to in Remnant, but the shows she had seen - she hadn't really watched too many after the first - had been far too crude for her to enjoy. Characters were stereotypes, the plot completely predictable - and usually sexist as well - and the mummers were, at best, horribly exaggerating in their acting.

Yang shrugged, her good mood unaffected. "Fine by me. Should be interesting at least." She turned to the waiting ferryman. "How much for a trip to the best play in the city?"

While her partner haggled with the ferryman, Blake looked around. It was dark already, even though there were more lanterns than in King's Landing, at least in this area, but that didn't bother her, of course. She didn't see any suspicious figures watching them, though that didn't mean anything with the Faceless Men. This was their home turf, and they had all the advantages here.

That was one reason Blake would have preferred to head to their temple at once: it would give them less time to prepare a trap, like the gas attack on Dragonstone. On the other hand, it wasn't as if she would let her team enter the temple without checking it out beforehand exactly for such traps and ambushes.

She wouldn't let anyone hurt her friends.

*****​

"The Blue Lantern, my ladies!" their ferryman - Mr Garen - announced with a sweeping gesture at the building in the distance as he guided their boat to a stop at the small pier in front of them. "The best playhouse in the world! Or," he added with a grin, "at least, the best in Braavos!"

Blake snorted at the addendum and was the first off the boat, looking around for trouble and potential threats and spies while Weiss paid Garen and Ruby and Yang climbed out of the boat.

She didn't spot any spies, but a dozen armed men were standing around between the pier and the entrance to the playhouse, and judging by their clothes - colourful and stylish enough for a Huntsman back home - those must be the bravos Braavos was famous for; duellists always looking for a fight to impress their peers and whatever courtesan they were currently interested in. As Captain Saan had explained, any man carrying a sword was considered fair game.

That would, sexist as this world was, exclude Blake's team as opponents. But as her friends and Blake walked towards the playhouse and were illuminated by the lanterns lining the path from the pier, the bravos quickly took note of them and converged on the team like a pack of Beowolves.

One bravo called out from the left what sounded like a challenge, but since he didn't speak the Common tongue, Blake couldn't tell.

Another, on the right all but yelled something different, but similarly unintelligible.

And he was yelling at her, Blake realised. But then stopped to stare at her once he got closer, and her ears caught him muttering something - did that mean 'girl' in Valyrian? Had he mistaken her for a man? That was both amusing and insulting. Or he might be shortsighted.

"We're Team RWBY!" Ruby spoke up as the bravos drew up in a half circle, her hand on Crescent Rose. "And we're here to watch a play, not to duel anyone."

"You carry swords." One bravo spoke in the common tongue while another mumbled something about Westeros.

"And other weapons," Ruby replied, patting the folded form of her scythe while Yang slammed her gauntlets together. "But we're here to watch a play, not to fight. So, now that we've cleared that…" She beamed at them.

But as the men muttered amongst each other, Blake could tell, even without understanding the words, just the tone and attitude, that Ruby would be disappointed.

"You shouldn't carry a blade if you aren't willing to fight! Besides, dressed as you are, it's clear what you really want, so why don't you stop pretending?" one of them said with a heavy accent and a nasty sneer.

"Fear not, my ladies! Before this brute can lay a hand on you, I will defeat him!" Another bravo stepped up, placing himself between them and the first one.

"I'm going to be sick from all the testosterone in the air," Weiss mumbled.

"Hey!" Yang called out. "He challenged us! We don't need a protector!"

"Yang! Don't encourage them!" Ruby hissed.

"What? Would you rather they kill each other because they think that would impress us?"

That was a good point, actually, Blake had to admit it. While Blake had a pretty low opinion of men who thought they could impress a woman with such an attitude - and an even lower one of those like the one who had made his intentions so clear, Ruby would feel bad if anyone got killed over her.

Weiss loudly sighed as she drew her sword. "Whatever. Let's just deal with this riffraff and then go watch the play."

Yang grinned widely, brandishing Ember Celica. "So, anyone who wants to fight us, gather 'round; anyone who doesn't, step back!"

The men hesitated, surprised and confused, as far as Blake could tell.

Then Ruby drew and unfolded Crescent Rose with a flourish that left a cobblestone beneath it shattered by the scythe's spike, and the men's expression changed from surprise to shock.

But just as Blake started hoping that this was enough to scare the bravos off and avoid a fight, the sneering one raised his sword and took a step forward, saying something in their language. A moment later, the bravos started to form a half-circle around him and the group.

At least, Blake consoled herself, after the first duel, the rest of the bravos should realise how outclassed they were.

"Alright! Let's…" Yang started to say.

"Let me handle this!" Weiss interrupted her and pushed past Blake's partner. "I need to vent some of my frustration, and this creep just volunteered to help me with that!"

"Hey!" Yang protested, but she took a step aside.

Weiss nodded, then raised Myrtenaster, mirroring the bravo's stance. "En garde!"

The man chuckled, shaking his head, clearly underestimating her. He was about to say something when Weiss lunged.

A moment later, the man's sword flew through the air - Weiss had used one of Ser Barristan's disarming techniques, although she had put enough force into it that the blade landed in the canal behind them with a soft splash.

He gasped, then froze when he realised that in the same move, she had placed the tip of her blade at his throat.

"This duel is over!" Weiss declared, withdrawing her weapon. "Let's go watch the play!"

This time, the men gave way.

*****​

"I didn't understand a single word, but it was fun."

"I can't believe we forgot that the play would have been written and performed in the local language, not the Common Tongue! That was a complete waste of time!"

"Aw, Weiss! We did get the gist of the plot! And it would have been rude to leave early! The actors would have felt sad!"

"I doubt that they would have noticed!"

Yang Xiao Long snorted at Ruby and Weiss's comments as they walked through the lobby - if you could call it that - of the playhouse. The play had been funny. Sort of. The two fencing scenes could have fit into any halfway decent movie back home, well, any halfway decent movie made thirty years ago or so, at least. Better than what she had seen so far, but not as good as a real action movie. But, yeah, they should have realised that they wouldn't understand the language before sitting down.

"I think they would have noticed - we did make a bit of a spectacle," Blake commented.

Yang's partner was, of course, right. They had drawn a lot of attention when they had entered the playhouse. And people were still staring at them. Not that Yang minded, as long as they weren't annoying about it. If you have it, flaunt it!

"Don't remind me!" Weiss said, glancing around. "I do hope they adjust more quickly to our presence than King's Landing did."

"Doesn't really matter," Yang said. "We'll be gone before they do." She stretched her arms over her head. "Anyway, let's hit a tavern now; I want a drink!"

"As long as no one gets drunk," Ruby said.

"With Aura?" Yang scoffed. "We'll be fine."

"I am more concerned about the normal drunks in such taverns," Weiss said. "If they think they can take liberties with us…"

"...then will throw them out. Into the canals," Yang finished for her.

"And hope they can swim?" Blake raised her eyebrows at her. "I…" She trailed off, staring at the exit in front of them.

Yang knew that look. "Trouble?"

"I'm not sure. There's a crowd outside."

Yang frowned.

"A crowd?" Ruby sounded concerned.

"An angry mob or just a crowd?" Weiss asked.

"They don't sound too aggressive," Blake replied.

"Then they shouldn't be a problem," Yang decided and stepped forward.

There was a crowd outside. Not as big as Yang had expected. But pretty sizable. And she saw several - more than several - people with swords. Bravos.

Still, that could be normal for the nightlife here - this was supposed to be the best playhouse, after all.

But when they walked out, they heard an angry yell, and a bunch of bravos stepped up to block their way. Led by a familiar face.

Yang grinned. "Hey! Got your sword out of the canal?"

"That was a blade made by Antras Dego! It cost a fortune!" the idiot spat.

"Better go diving then, before it rusts!" Yang beamed at him. Toothily.

"Yes!" Ruby nodded. "Even stainless steel will rust if submerged in water long enough. And your blade didn't look like it was made from stainless steel."

She was serious, but the guy took it for mocking, Yang could tell - he was clenching his teeth so hard, she could see his jaw muscles twitch.

But before he could say anything, Weiss joined them. "You again! What is your problem? Do you want a rematch?"

"You owe me a new sword!"

"I don't owe you anything!" Weiss retorted in her best - or worst - 'snobby Atlas voice', as Ruby called it. "You challenged us, and you should count yourself fortunate that you were merely temporarily disarmed rather than maimed or killed, as is apparently the practice here for fools who challenge their betters."

Whether it was about the guy's attitude or the mistake with the playhouse, Weiss was clearly still quite annoyed.

But so was the idiot. And it was clear that his friends were not going to hold him back from starting another doomed fight - quite the contrary.

Yang narrowed her eyes. She couldn't understand what they were saying to each other, but she knew those expressions - and she didn't like seeing them.

And she really didn't like seeing them aimed at her friends.

"It looks like I got some frustration to vent as well," she said. "Who wants to go first?"

"You got no sword!" one said.

"Don't need one," Yang replied, raising Ember Celica and smacking the gauntlets together. "Those are plenty enough to deal with some idiots wielding toothpicks."

"Toothpicks?" The guys looked confused rather than insulted.

Yang shook her head. "I'd ask if you're compensating for something, but your swords are pretty small and thin as well."

They still didn't seem to get it. Wait! One of them gasped. "What did you say?"

Yang grinned and motioned at him. "Let's dance!"

He drew his sword - a rapier - and stepped to the side, people giving way. "Even if you are a woman, this cannot be forgiven!"

"Yeah, yeah." Yang scoffed as she rolled her neck, also stepping away from her friends. "Are you gonna talk me to death, or are you going to fight? If you're afraid to fight me, just say so."

He snarled and attacked.

Compared to Weiss or Blake, he was as slow as a snail. Yang yawned as she moved out of the path of his lunge. And he wasn't particularly skilled, either - compared to, say, the Kingsguard, he looked like a novice. Compared to Ser Barristan… Yang didn't step out of the way of his next attack; she just bent her body to evade it, then deflected the follow-up strike with her gauntlets. And the next. And the one after that.

"Uh…" She looked to the others while ducking beneath a swing. "Has the duel started yet? I can't really tell."

The bravo cursed at her and closed in, wildly swinging and stabbing with his sword.

She evaded or deflected them all. Without moving her feet. When he stopped attacking and glared at her while panting, she shook her head. "No stamina either? You must be a disappointment in bed."

He screamed incoherently at her and closed in again.

She grabbed his blade with her left hand, then crushed it when he tried to pull it back.

He gasped again - and so did the crowd. Yang grinned, twisted the sword out of his hand and flicked his forehead with a finger of her free hand. "This fight is over."

"That's my line!" Weiss protested.

"I'm stealing it!" Yang replied over her shoulder, then grinned at the rest of the bravos. "So, who's next?"

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

Thanks for chapter.I think,that assasins should be reasonable here.And,you are right that historians do not belive old texts - Sumers,for example,liked to write that their city-state defeated other city-state and killed 60.000 people/they liked that numbers./ in times where both armies had less combatants on battlefield.

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Yeah. Some famous battles, even as relatively recent as early 14th century, are really hard to find good sources about, such as the Battle of Morgarten.

So since this is QQ there is a question that I have been rolling around in my head for a while. Obviously, most of the nobility have completely abandoned thoughts about marriage talks with the team since RWBY is just focused on getting home and none of the local men/customs really appeal to them. Nothing can really force them to compromise on that. The author has also confirmed that awakening Aura is not possible outside of Remnant even if for some nonsensical reason RWBY had children on Planetos. I realize all that, so no need to argue on the front. I just wanted to ask something from the perspective of the nobility though.

If they did assume their "magic" could be inherited, what is the ranking for which ones would be most desirable? It is infinitely apparent that none of the girls would go for it, but from the locals' perspective who would make the best "broodmares"?

Ruby's status as team leader and the presumed power of her family to have members of three other "Houses" under her would put her at a premium. On the other hand, the stability of the Schnee Semblance is something nobles might find attractive. It could tie into their ideas of true-born heirs, where manifesting that specific heirloom power is a proof of being a true Targaryen Schnee. Since Blake won the Battle of the Maidens I can see nascent powerscalers putting her stock up. I am not sure what they would say about Yang though, or where that puts her on this ladder. I suppose she is often said to be the most openly sensual one, so the men would want her for completely non-strategic reasons.

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Ruby would be the first choice, Weiss second, since she's "obviously of Valyrian descent" and the most "aristocratic". Yang probably third, for Valyrian blood and blood relationship to Ruby, Blake last since no one knows much about her.

 

[PotatOS2]

Good old bravos, dueling with toothpicks is one of their greatest traditions xD

 

[ATP]

Yeah. Some famous battles, even as relatively recent as early 14th century, are really hard to find good sources about, such as the Battle of Morgarten.



Ruby would be the first choice, Weiss second, since she's "obviously of Valyrian descent" and the most "aristocratic". Yang probably third, for Valyrian blood and blood relationship to Ruby, Blake last since no one knows much about her.

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Even beginning of 15th century.Grunwald battle 1410 - both sides claimed that enemy had 100.000 troops,which was bullshit.
Back to topic - beating local dudes certainly made them feel better,but what about Jon? he have sword,too,and could be challenged.

P.S When they made peace with what is left of assasins,they should go home.Seriously,they did everytching they could to made Westeros better...unless they plan to circle entire world beating all eldrith monster.Maybi fishing Drowned god and turning him into sushi,too.