[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian, Vale

Five Years After Salem's Defeat

- - -

The cathedral in Radian was quiet in the way only ancient stone and centuries of reverence could manage. Sunlight filtered through tall stained-glass windows in soft shafts of gold and crimson, illuminating rows of simple wooden pews. No towering ice sculptures. No imported flowers from every kingdom. No orchestra. Just the gentle hum of distant birds outside and the faint scent of old incense and fresh pine wreaths.

Weiss Schnee stood before the tall mirror in the small dressing room off the nave, adjusting the simple white gown one last time. It was elegant, yes, but plain by Schnee standards. No extravagant train. No diamond tiara. No endless press (they were kept outside the city walls). Just clean lines, delicate lace at the sleeves, and a single blue ribbon at her waist the color of her eyes. She had wanted simple. She had insisted on simple. And for once, the world had listened.

A soft knock preceded the door opening.

Klein stepped inside, dressed in his finest formal suit, eyes already misty behind his glasses. He closed the door gently behind him and simply looked at her for a long moment.

Weiss turned, hands clasped in front of her.

"…Well?" she asked, a touch of nervousness in her voice. "Do I look all right?"

Klein's smile was warm and proud in a way that made her chest tighten.

"You look beautiful, Mistress Weiss. But more importantly…" He stepped closer, voice soft. "I am very, very proud of you."

Weiss's eyes shimmered. Before she could stop herself, she crossed the small room and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Klein let out a surprised but delighted chuckle and hugged her back just as fiercely, careful not to wrinkle her dress.

"Thank you," Weiss whispered against his shoulder. "For everything. For raising me when… when no one else would. For being there when I needed you most. And for… for walking me down the aisle today."

Klein pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes bright with unshed tears.

"I am honored, Miss Weiss. More than you will ever know."

Weiss smiled through her own tears, the kind that came from joy instead of pain for the first time in a very long while.

"I'm marrying the man I love," she said quietly, almost in awe. "In a little cathedral in a little town. With my family. With my friends. No politics. No nonsense. No expectations. Just… us."

Klein squeezed her hands gently.

"That," he said, "is exactly what you deserve."

From beyond the door came the soft swell of the organ beginning to play. Weiss took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and gave Klein one last grateful smile.

"Ready?" he asked.

Weiss nodded.

"Ready."

Klein offered her his arm. She took it.

Together, they stepped out into the golden light of the cathedral, where Jaune Arc waited at the altar with the biggest, brightest smile she had ever seen. Where all their friends waited.

And for the first time in her life, Weiss Schnee felt truly, completely at home.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Vacuo City, Vacuo

- - -

The ancient stone was cold beneath her back. Blake's eyes fluttered open to a canopy of stars and the shattered moon hanging high above. Four towering pillars surrounded the ritual platform, their surfaces carved with grotesque, twisting figures of long-forgotten gods-or perhaps demons. The wind carried the distant sounds of battle: explosions, Grimm roars, and the crack of gunfire from the city far below.

Her hands flew to her throat. A heavy Aura-suppressing collar was locked around her neck. She clawed at it desperately, fingers finding no release.

She'd been rushing out to join the defense against the attack-It was large enough it might have been Salem's final, or just an opening gambit. But then, she'd felt a hit to her head... Darkness...

A quiet, painfully familiar voice drifted from the shadows.

"The Ancient Xolotl Empire would sacrifice victims to the Grimm in this temple, long ago. To gain power from their blood. As though it would save them… buy them a little more time against the inevitable."

Blake froze. Slowly, she turned her head.

Adam stepped into the firelight. He was taller than she remembered, his white coat replaced by dark tactical gear. A cybernetic mask covered the ruined half of his face, glowing red optics fixed on her. Both of his hands were now sleek black prosthetics, clenching and unclenching with unnatural precision. He looked… calm. Too calm.

This made him far more terrifying than the raging bull she had known.

"But in the end, Death comes for us all," he finished quietly.

"Adam-How-?!!"

"Yes, Blake…" His voice was almost wistful. "I survived Atlas. I always survive."

The bitterness at the end of that sentence was almost palpable.

Blake forced her breathing to stay steady. She sat up slowly on the stone altar, carefully, as though he might strike her at any moment. She locked eyes with him.

"…Adam. Salem's going to destroy the world. She's going to kill us all. Or worse. You know this."

Adam inclined his head minutely.

"…I do."

"Then why?! Why do you still serve her?!"

Adam tilted his head, the red optics flaring faintly.

"You think I was left with any choice? You think I am here by chance?" A bitter chuckle escaped him. "My orders were simple: split you up. Taking you would lure your friends here… Divide and conquer."

Blake's ears flattened. "You don't have to do this! The last time we fought-!"

"The last time," Adam cut in, voice tightening, "you killed Watts. But my freedom was brief. Even so… this must happen, Blake. Our fates are entwined."

"No! Adam, please… I know the conflict inside you. Jaune could have killed you the last two times. He didn't. I could have insisted… but I didn't."

"Weakness."

"Compassion." Blake's voice cracked. "You know what Salem is going to do. What good does it do Faunus if we're her slaves? Or… or monsters?!"

Adam's shoulders sagged slightly. When he spoke again, his voice was hollow.

"I am already her slave and monster… as I have always been my entire life. This is the only way, Blake."

"Adam… Please. You have a choice!"

"No," Adam said, still soft and maddeninly calm, reaching up to touch his mask, "no... I never have."

The sound of distant fighting echoed up from the trail below. Mechanical footsteps. Atlas Knight-III drones-repainted in crude White Fang colors-emerged from the shadows of the pillars. They marched in formation to the cliff's edge overlooking Vacuo and raised their rifles in perfect unison.

A familiar figure appeared on the path below, white armor gleaming under the starlight, hood thrown back.

Jaune Arc.

The drones opened fire.

Jaune didn't even draw his shield. He simply stepped into the hail of bullets, Aura flaring like a golden sun. Rounds sparked harmlessly off his chest as he surged forward. One drone was punched so hard its head crumpled. Another was bisected by a single Aura slash. A third Jaune grabbed by the arm and slammed into the other robots until there was nothing but a pile of scrap.

In under a minute, the entire platoon lay in twisted, smoking ruins.

Jaune stood at the edge of the plateau, Crocea Mors in hand, staring across the distance at Adam.

Blake's heart leapt.

"JAUNE!"

Adam's voice was low, almost amused. "Only you?"

Jaune's reply carried clearly across the arid stone.

"I Amped everyone else to fight the battle. I went after you."

Adam sneered, red optics narrowing. "Clever, clever human… No one else?"

"I don't need anyone else."

Adam studied him for a long, silent moment. Jaune stared back, stance calm, sword held ready. Blake quietly went back to working the collar's lock, fingers trembling.

Adam's head tilted. "No… You don't. But what do you have? A last, desperate defense against the inevitable! Stolen time with the woman you stole from me!"

He kicked the campfire in sudden contempt, sending sparks flying. His voice dropped to a hiss.

"No… No… You're not in denial. Your hope… is genuine. But why?"

Jaune remained silent. Blake kept still, every muscle tense. She had forgotten how terrifyingly perceptive Adam could be with body language. Who knew how long he'd been watching them! If they didn't stop him now-!

Adam hissed sharply.

"What are you hiding from the Old Witch? What are you plotting?!"

Jaune's eyesbrow narrowed, and he slowly raised his sword into a defensive posture. Adam drew Wilt with a metallic shing, spinning the red blade once in his cybernetic grip before settling into an aggressive stance.

Jaune shifted his feet, opening his guard slightly. Adam mirrored the movement almost unconsciously, back foot sliding just a fraction farther.

Jaune brought both hands around the hilt of his sword, and moved it closer to him, eyes never leaving Adam's. Adam sneered, scooting his dominant foot forward an inch, fingers flexing.

Blake's fingers finally found the release on the collar. It clicked open. Her Aura surged back to life like a flood.

"Adam, no—!"

"RAHH!"

Adam exploded forward in a blur, unleashing a devastating Moonslice. Jaune met it head-on with a golden Aura slash. The collision detonated in a blinding flash of light and force that shook the entire plateau.

Adam charged straight through the afterimage, sword aimed for Jaune's heart.

Jaune deflected the first strike. Then the second. On the third, he stepped inside Adam's guard and thrust.

The tip of Crocea Mors punched cleanly through Adam's back.

For one frozen heartbeat, neither man moved.

Then Jaune withdrew the blade in a single smooth motion, flicked it clean of blood, and sheathed it.

Adam stood perfectly still. His arms slowly fell, his sword clattering to the rocky ground from his numb fingers. He took one shaky step forward… and collapsed into Jaune's waiting arms. Jaune knelt, laying Adam down face up.

Blake was already sprinting across the stone, dropping to her knees beside them. She rested a trembling hand on Jaune's shoulder. He met her eyes and gave a small, reassuring nod.

They both looked down at Adam. His breathing was shallow, face rapidly paling beneath the cybernetic mask.

"…Can… Will you… defeat her?" Adam rasped.

Jaune's voice was quiet but steady.

"…Yes."

Adam slowly nodded. A faint, bitter smile tugged at his lips.

"Then… it wasn't… in vain… Blake…?"

Blake's vision blurred with hot tears she didn't understand. "Jaune-heal him! We can still save him-get those things out of you-!"

"No…" Adam coughed wetly. "No. This is… how it should be. Just… please. My mask?"

Blake hesitated only a second before gently removing the cybernetic mask. Adam's single remaining blue eye stared up at the stars and shattered moon. A faint smile grew on his face, like he was recalling a long forgotten memory.

"…I see… I see… it all…"

His eye slowly drifted to Blake, filled with something she had never seen from him before.

Regret.

"Blake… I…"

He tried to speak again, but the words died. His hand twitched toward Wilt, still lying on the stone. Then he went still. His chest rose once, fell… and did not rise again.

Jaune stared down at him in silence. He reached out and gently closed Adam's eye with two fingers.

Blake's breath hitched. The storm inside her chest was too big, too loud. A million memories of pain, fear, rage, love... It all raged inside her, and she panted almost frantically. Jaune looked at her, opened his arms without a word, and she fell into them, burying her face against his chest as the first sob tore free.

He held her tightly, one hand stroking her hair, saying nothing.

The distant sounds of battle from Vacuo drifted up on the wind.

Blake sucked in a shaky breath and pulled back. She wiped her eyes, stood, and picked up Wilt. She sheathed the red blade and fastened it to her own belt. Then she carefully arranged Adam's hands over his chest. She looked at her boyfriend, pleading.

Jaune nodded once. He swung Crocea Mors and carved a deep grave into the stone with a single Aura slash. Blake lifted Adam's body and laid him inside with surprising gentleness. Jaune rolled a large boulder over the grave.

She studied Adam's face as it slowly vanished from view. For the first time since she'd met him... He looked almost serene.

Then the stone covered him entirely. She stepped back, staring at the grave.

She lingered for one long moment, then turned away.

"…We have to go."

Jaune nodded grimly.

Together, they ran back toward the trail, toward the distant lights and chaos of Vacuo, leaving the ancient temple and its final sacrifice behind them.

- - -

In case you couldn't tell, this was inspired by this scene from Star Wars: Rebels:


View: https://youtu.be/_ScD_OUvHR4

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The sun was sinking behind the distant spires of the Albus Mountains, painting the ruined training yard in long streaks of amber and rose. Craters and shattered marble pillars cast jagged shadows across the grass. Theodore stood in the center of it all, breathing hard, sweat glistening on his forehead. His coat was half-unbuttoned, and he looked thoroughly wrung out.

Isabel and Winter had finally called a halt. The three of them sat on a low stone bench that had miraculously survived the afternoon's chaos, sharing a canteen of water and a few protein bars Isabel had pulled from her coat.

Theodore sighed deeply and rubbed both hands over his face.

"Sheesh… You're just as tough as in my timeline, Mom."

Winter's lips twitched into a small, proud smile.

"Thank you, Theodore… Or Theo?"

Isabel tilted her head, eyes twinkling.

"Why not Teddy?"

Theodore groaned like a dying man.

"Ugh, no to both."

Winter's expression turned instantly frosty.

"Certainly not!"

Isabel chuckled, waving a hand.

"Yes, I suppose it does sound a bit off. So, Theodore… were you always this impertinent, headstrong, and reckless?"

Theodore blinked, then gave a crooked little smirk.

"How was I any of those things? …Today? In the last hour?"

At the synchronized flat stares he received from both women, he shrugged and sighed, the smirk fading.

"Sorry. It's just… the fate of the world. Eleven worlds. That we're talking about here. What am I supposed to do, sit around?"

Isabel's voice softened.

"I suppose not. Still, you could at least ask for help from us. You have your own team, right?"

"Yeah… but I'm also the leader."

Winter studied him for a long moment, something quietly vulnerable flickering behind her usual composure.

"Am I a permissive mother? A bad mother?"

Theodore's head snapped up.

"What? No! But come on. When you have power, you must use it for good. You did teach me that."

Winter's shoulders eased.

"Good."

Isabel gave him a fond but pointed look.

"Still, you could learn some tact."

Theodore grinned, clearly unable to resist.

"Grandma, Dad told me about the time you destroyed an entire castle."

Isabel coughed into her fist, ears turning faintly pink.

"Well, there were mitigating circumstances… Still… I suppose, under your circumstances, I certainly understand your desire to do good… and cause giant explosions."

Theodore's grin widened.

"That's half the fun!"

Winter gave him a stern look.

"Theodore…"

He raised both hands in surrender, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Balto Pass. The Jörmungandr Grimm?"

Winter's expression tightened.

"That's hardly fair to keep using future knowledge against us that we can't verify-"

"Also your team captured a serial killer at Atlas Academy."

Winter flushed a deep, mortified red.

"We were forced into it!"

Isabel laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine.

"I suppose… that adventurousness is what attracted my son to you."

Winter's flush deepened, but she managed a small, sincere nod.

"Thank you… Um… Isabel." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Forgive me. It's still… overwhelming."

Isabel reached over and gently patted her knee.

"I think we're all feeling that way. Still… like Ozpin said: we know that we save the world in eleven timelines. And you have a happy ending. So it's not all bad."

Theodore went quiet at that, looking down at his hands. In his timeline, Isabel had died. He didn't say it out loud, but the weight of it sat heavy in the silence.

Isabel noticed. She smiled softly at him, voice gentle.

"No… not all bad. But… it would have been nice to have known you then, Theodore."

Theodore's smile grew warmer.

"Well, I'm glad we can meet like this, Grandma."

He stood up without another word and resumed his katas, golden Aura flickering around his fists as he moved through the forms with renewed focus. Isabel scooted a little closer to Winter on the bench, voice dropping into something more conspiratorial.

"So… how did the date go?"

Winter's cheeks immediately turned scarlet.

"I… I believe it went very well."

Isabel beamed.

"I'm glad. My Jaune's only other girlfriend had to basically force him to be her boyfriend."

Winter's head snapped toward her, one eyebrow rising sharply.

"Previous girlfriend?" There was a distinct note of tension in her voice.

Isabel waved both hands quickly.

"No no no, it's fine! It was puppy love. They broke up before Jaune ran away to Beacon. They were friends longer than anything else. Besides… you have enough competition as it is, don't you think?"

Winter let out a long, weary sigh.

"Unfortunately. I don't know… I hope it's a genuine feeling. I'm afraid I never had much experience in… love before."

Isabel's expression softened with understanding.

"That's all right, Winter. We're all doing the best we can in this situation. And I'd say you're on the right track, hm? Given you two kissed?" She winked.

Winter's blush returned full force.

"Yes… That was very nice."

Isabel grinned, looking far too pleased with herself.

"I imagine it was. Also, good on you for being direct. I practically had to strip naked and tie Nick up to get my feelings across to him!"

From a few feet away, Theodore called out without breaking form:

"Grandpa says he knew he loved you when he saved you from Count Caliban. Like, how your eyes sparkled when he, Uncle Arjun and Aunt Saia saved you from him."

Isabel flushed bright red.

"Aww… But yes. That helped a lot… Though I will admit, I was very stubborn about it. I didn't think I could love such an idiot… but I did. And I was never happier."

Winter looked down at her hands, voice quiet.

"That's wonderful… But here, well…" She sighed. "I'm competing with so many other women… My own sister…!"

Isabel's voice was firm but kind.

"Again… it's just as crazy for everyone else. So take it a step at a time… but don't be afraid to make a move. You don't want him to get distracted."

Winter nodded slowly.

"I suppose not…"

Theodore, still flowing through his katas, added helpfully,

"Yeah, distraction can cost you everything in an insta-"

"BANZAI!"

Theodore barely had time to yelp before Nick came charging out of the treeline like a golden comet, railgun sword blazing. He swung and unleashed a massive golden Aura Blade straight at his grandson.

"GYAH!"

Theodore teleported at the last second, reappearing on top of a half-shattered marble pillar, breathing hard.

Nick didn't even pause. He fired another blast.

"OH COME ON!"

"TOLD YOU!" Nick shouted cheerfully, already charging up another shot. He glanced over at the bench with a bright grin. "Hey Winter, hey Izzy! Is my boy treating you right, Winter?"

Winter, still flushed from the earlier conversation, managed a small, genuine smile.

"Just fine, Mister Arc."

Nick pointed his sword at her.

"Hey, told you to call me Nick! You okay, Izzy?"

Isabel chuckled, waving.

"Yes, thank you, dear."

"Great!" Nick turned back to the pillar, cackling as he fired another Aura-charged railgun blast. Theodore barely dodged, teleporting again mid-air.

"GRANDPA! SERIOUSLY! YOU ALREADY AMBUSHED ME! THE SURPRISE IS SPOILED!"

"IS NOT!"

"IS TOO!"

Isabel laughed softly, the sound warm and fond as she watched her husband gleefully torment their grandson. Winter sat beside her, watching the chaos with a quiet, thoughtful expression.

For a moment, she let herself imagine it.

A future where this kind of ridiculous, loving madness was simply… normal. Where her son teased his grandfather, where she sat beside Isabel like this, where Jaune came home every night and kissed her in the doorway.

"GAH! GRANDPA! I'M GOING TO ERASE YOUR BEARD!"

"HAHAHA! IT'S TOO AWESOME TO ERASE!"

The thought brought a small, warm smile to her face.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Ruby's silver eyes glowed faintly as she sat cross-legged on the grass, sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her temples. She was trying-really trying-to extend her perception behind herself, to see the world the way Arjun described. The gentle flow of Aura, the luminous shapes of souls, the faint echoes of life in the grass and hedges around them.

It wasn't working.

Her shoulders were rigid, her breathing shallow. Every time she thought she had it, the image would flicker and collapse. She could still see, but to see more... It just wouldn't come!

Arjun's calm voice finally cut through her frustration.

"Ruby. Take a break."

"I'm fine," she insisted, voice tight. "Just… a little more-"

"Ruby."

Ruby's eyes snapped open. Arjun was giving her the Look-the same one her dad used when she tried to skip meals to work on Crescent Rose.

She grumbled under her breath, stood up, and stomped over to the stone bench where Saia sat. She dropped onto it with a dramatic pout, arms crossed.

Saia giggled softly.

Ruby turned, cheeks already pink.

"Hm? What is it? What's funny?"

Saia's smile was warm, almost nostalgic.

"Heh… It's like being back in the past. You look so much like Summer when she was struggling."

Ruby flushed deeper.

"I get that a lot… I just haven't been told a lot about her. And I don't know why. I mean, not being told about Salem? Fine! But my mom? Yang was the only one who told me a lot about her! I didn't even know about you all or Jaune's parents until this happened!"

Saia's expression softened. She reached out and gently squeezed Ruby's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Ruby…" She sighed. "It isn't much comfort, I know. We did want to visit. Honestly, we did. But things got so busy. We tried to send letters, but we never got any responses. Ozpin told us not to get too involved, too."

Ruby's head snapped toward her.

"What? Why?!"

"To protect you, I assume," Saia said gently. "To let you grow up without Salem's attention."

Ruby crossed her arms tighter.

"Hmph…"

"I know," Saia admitted. "It seems stupid."

"It is!" Ruby burst out. "I'm only learning this stuff now!"

Saia rubbed her back in slow circles.

"I think they were all waiting to tell you… until you were better able to defend yourself. When you could handle the weight of your burdens."

Ruby's pout deepened.

"Hmph… Sure… Tell me I'm supposed to save the world. Is anyone able to handle that at any age?!"

Saia chuckled and pulled her into a warm side-hug.

"I suppose that's a good question. All we can do in the end is what we can do."

Ruby leaned into the hug for a moment, then pulled back with a frustrated little noise.

"Yeah… But what can I do? I mean… I'm learning this stuff but…"

From the center of the courtyard, May suddenly gasped.

"Oh! OH! The birds… There are nine birds behind me!"

Arjun's deep laugh rolled across the grass.

"Ha! Very good, May!"

Julian groaned.

"Aw man… I can't see out the back of my head yet!"

August smirked, arms folded.

"I can."

Julian's head whipped around.

"Cheater!"

"How?"

"Somehow!"

May immediately stepped between them, hands raised.

"Guys, c-come on-"

Arjun just laughed harder as the two boys started bickering in low voices. Ruby watched them, her pout returning full force. Saia gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze.

"Ruby…"

Ruby's voice came out small.

"I-I mean… I was promoted two years early… They keep telling me I'm a prodigy and all this junk… Just like Mom…"

Saia's voice was soft but firm.

"She was. It also still took her time and hard work to get where she was. And it will be the same for you. You're doing just fine, Ruby. The weight of the world isn't all on your shoulders, and it would be unfair of us to say it was. Has anyone told you that you're our only hope? That you did everything all by yourself? That you have to?"

She took up her staff threateningly.

"Because if they have, I'll teach them a very severe lesson-"

Ruby shook her head rapidly."

"No! No… But my mom-"

"Your mother was a wonderful person," Saia said, "but she was human, sweetie. Flawed. Just like you. So try not to let it get to you. May is also struggling in her own way."

Ruby's pout turned sulky. She glanced over at May—curvy, glowing with quiet confidence as Arjun gently corrected her stance.

"She got to kiss Jaune…" Ruby muttered. "She's doing better than me… She's more…" She flushed unhappily, eyes flicking over May's figure before she looked away. She hated feeling like this but... The reality of everything just seemed to crash on top of her. Like everything was more... Real now.

Saia gave a soft, knowing sigh.

"Oh Ruby… This whole situation is crazy, but don't overthink it."

Ruby's voice cracked just a little.

"It-It just feels like I'm falling behind and if I don't keep up, if I don't-!"

"Ruby!" Saia turned her gently by the shoulders until they were facing each other. "Even if things unfold like they do in the other timelines, you have years to get where you need to be. And Jaune? Jaune is going to care for you regardless. We know he can." She gestured to Julian, who was grimacing hard as he tried to look back through his head.

"Urgggh! Come on Eyes!" He groaned.

Ruby's shoulders slumped.

"Yeah, but… your daughter…"

Saia's smile was warm and steady.

"I love her. I'm thankful we found her again… But I care about you too, Ruby. So does May. So does Arjun. So does Julian, Jaune... All of us. So take it easy, hm?"

Ruby pouted harder, but it was a softer pout now.

"…I'll try."

Saia's eyes twinkled with sudden mischief.

"No… Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Ruby blinked.

"What does that mean?"

Saia chuckled, the sound rich and fond.

"Something Arjun's master used to say."

From the training circle, Arjun's voice called out again, warm and encouraging as he guided May through another exercise. Julian and August were still quietly arguing, but even they looked like they were having fun.

Ruby watched them for a moment, then let out a long breath and leaned against Saia's side.

"…Okay," she murmured. "I'll… do."

Saia hugged her tighter.

"That's my girl."

 

[digcat]

Saia hugged her tighter.

"That's my girl."

Click to shrink...

It's really nice to see Ruby and the others get some good advice from adults. That is really rare in stories with teens as the heroes.

 

[Dragon Bob]

Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Click to shrink...

I doubt I've said it in this thread, but one of my biggest pet peeves with a lot of Star Wars media comes from this line. Taking what was in the original a quip from Yoda about how to use the Force and turning it into a big pillar of his philosophy, then picking apart how it doesn't make sense in every situation.
In the actual scene this is really clear, Luke is trying to lift his X Wing and is complaining that it isn't possible. Yoda scolds him about being hung up on what he thought was possible then tells him to forget his limits. Luke then says, in a voice that clearly shows he doesn't believe Yoda, that he'll try to forget those limits, but he clearly has already decided he will fail. That's when Yoda says the line, he's not telling Luke that the concept of trying is wrong, he's telling Luke to stop lying to Yoda and himself about if he's actually trying in the first place. To actually commit to moving his ship with his mind instead of deciding it's impossible before he even tries.
Edit: I forgot to put this when I first posted, but I have no issue with the quote being using in this story, it actually does fit well when used to teach about how to use magic that typically requires you to believe before you can use it. I've just seen way too many stories focus on the quote as an excuse to insult the Jedi order

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Weiss's Timeline: The Hospital Vigil

Eight years after Salem's Defeat

- - -

Mistral General Hospital smelled like antiseptic and rain-soaked stone. Weiss Schnee-Arc burst through the double doors of the private wing like a white-and-blue hurricane, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor. Her Scroll had only given her the barest details-Jaune injured, critical, Mistral-and every second since had felt like an eternity. She shoved past two startled nurses and slammed open the door to Room 314.

The sight inside nearly stopped her heart.

Jaune lay face-down on the hospital bed, broad back exposed and wrapped in heavy bandages that glowed faintly with healing Dust. Machines beeped steadily beside him: Heart monitor, Aura stabilizer, oxygen feed. His blond hair was matted with dried blood and soot. Isabel Arc sat slumped in the chair next to him, head resting on the mattress, one hand still loosely curled around his wrist. The doctor's face was drawn with exhaustion, dark circles under her eyes.

Weiss's voice cracked like a whip. "What happened?!"

Isabel jerked awake, blinking blearily. Before she could answer, the door opened again. Ruby Rose stepped in, silver eyes bloodshot, cape torn and stained, hair pulled into a messy ponytail. She looked like she had run through hell.

Ruby's voice was hoarse. "A dignitary at the conference got mind-controlled. Bomb implanted in their stomach. Jaune sensed something was wrong and-"

Isabel finished for her, voice rough. "He grabbed the bomber and threw them both out the window. Took the blast himself. Even with his Aura… that was pretty bad."

Weiss's hands clenched into fists. "The assassins?"

Ruby looked down, shoulders sagging. "Local Rangers found them. They fought rather than surrender. All died."

A dark, vicious part of Weiss (the part that had grown up in the Schnee Manor and learned exactly how sharp a blade could be) wanted to scream. She had ideas. Creative ones. Ice that would freeze them from the inside out, glyphs to induce enough pain to make them beg before they broke. They had tried to kill her husband. They deserved-!

She shook her head hard, scattering the thoughts like snow. They wouldn't help Jaune.

"Is he going to make it?!" she demanded.

Isabel nodded slowly. "He will. He's not in great shape, and he'll be here for a few weeks, but he'll live."

Weiss exhaled, some of the iron band around her chest loosening. "Good. Now go sleep. Both of you."

Ruby blinked, then lied-badly: "I-I just got done sleeping-"

Weiss's glare could have flash-frozen a Nevermore mid-dive.

"Ruby. Go. Sleep."

Ruby wilted. "…Fine."

She shuffled out, muttering something about bossy Schnees.

Weiss turned the same glare on her mother-in-law. Isabel opened her mouth to protest.

"You too, Mother."

"I still need to check his vitals, and maybe examine his-"

Weiss crossed the room and took Isabel's hands in her own, squeezing gently. The older woman's skin was cold.

"It's okay, Mother. He'll be safe. I promise."

Isabel stared at her for a long moment, then slowly nodded.

"All right…" She rose, kissed the top of Jaune's head, and left without another word.

Silence fell.

Weiss moved to the bedside. She reached out, fingers trembling only slightly as she brushed through Jaune's messy blond hair. The strands were stiff with dried blood. She sighed, the sound shaky.

"You were supposed to be retired," she whispered. "You were supposed to stay safe. You should have let Ruby handle it, you idiot…"

A sniffle escaped her. She swallowed hard.

"You were just supposed to speak and be a diplomat… Dolt…"

She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the back of his head, right above the worst of the bandaging.

"You had better wake up soon, dolt… Or I'm going to make you wish he'd really… Really…"

The dam broke. Weiss folded over the bed, forehead resting against his uninjured shoulder, and cried: Quiet, wracking sobs that shook her frame. Her fingers stroked his back in slow, soothing circles, careful of the bandages.

A low groan rumbled beneath her.

"Nnngh… Weiss?"

Weiss shot upright so fast her vision blurred. "Jaune! You-You're awake?!"

Jaune's blue eyes cracked open, hazy with pain and Aura exhaustion. He managed a weak, crooked smile.

"Y-Yeah… I put myself… into a healing trance… I guess I sensed your Aura and woke up…"

Weiss's relief lasted exactly half a second before fury returned. "Well get back into it, IDIOT! You're barely alive! Heal yourself, moron!"

Jaune chuckled: Weak, but real. "All right, all right… I will… Hey…?"

Weiss's voice softened despite herself. "Yes?"

"I love you."

The words hit her like a warm glyph to the chest. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, tears still glistening on her lashes.

"…I love you too, Jaune… Now back into the trance, idiot!"

Jaune's eyes drifted shut again, the faintest smile still on his lips. The machines beeped a little steadier. Weiss stayed right where she was, one hand still stroking his hair, the other resting lightly over his heart.

She wasn't leaving this room until he was out of it.

And when he woke up properly, she was going to yell at him again.

Then kiss him senseless.

Probably both. In that order.

 

[zMADLAXz]

The much cooler Mr. and Mrs. Arc Schnee(Just a joke btw)

 

[digcat]

That was great and love that she called Isabelle mother she probably was more of one then Willow from day one.

 

[digcat]

The much cooler Mr. and Mrs. Arc Schnee(Just a joke btw)

Click to shrink...

She is ice/snow themed

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Hastinapur, Pandu

Ten months after Vytal

- - -

The air underground was cool and still, carrying the faint scent of old stone and incense that had lingered for centuries. Torchlight flickered across pillars carved with flowing arabesques and the stern sigils of ancient Pandavan warriors-maces raised, shields locked, eyes watchful even in marble. May Sarkara walked between her father and Ruby Rose, shoulders tight, fingers twisting the hem of her borrowed Pandu tunic. She had been nervous since the airship touched down yesterday. Every new hallway, every respectful bow from servants, every quiet "Princess Maia" felt like another weight settling on her chest.

All it did was make her think that she didn't belong. That she was an imposter. Princess Maia was some other person, someone who hadn't lived her life.

Who wasn't still scared, even after on a journey to save the world.

Ruby, by contrast, was quiet. Her silver eyes flicked across every carving, every shadow, drinking it all in the way she usually reserved for new weapon schematics. She hadn't said much since they descended the hidden stair beneath the newer palace wing.

Arjun's voice echoed softly as they moved deeper. "This is the old temple. The Kauravas burned it when they seized the throne. They built their new palace directly over the ruins, thinking the past erased. They never found the catacombs beneath." A small, rueful smile touched his lips in the torchlight. "That oversight is how your mother and I escaped, almost thirty years ago."

May stumbled on an uneven flagstone. The darkness seemed to press closer for a moment—too many unknowns, too much legacy she hadn't asked for. A steady hand caught hers.

Ruby squeezed gently. "I've got you."

May exhaled, cheeks warming. "Thank you."

Arjun glanced back, his expression softening in the dim glow, but he said nothing. He simply led them onward.

They reached the central hall. Arjun touched a sequence of worn glyphs. Ancient Dust lamps bloomed to life one by one, bathing the domed ceiling in soft golden light. The space was vast, almost cathedral-like, every surface covered in intricate carvings.

"Activate your Aura Vision," Arjun said quietly.

May and Ruby did. The world shifted into the familiar overlay of color and soul-light.

The carvings came alive.

Scenes of ancient battles against Grimm-great serpents and hulking behemoths clashing with spear and shield. Lines of warriors. And among them, figures whose eyes burned with unmistakable silver radiance. Silver Eyed Warriors, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Pandavan clans, their power cutting through shadow and fang alike.

May's breath caught. "They… they fought with your ancestors?"

Arjun nodded, voice reverent. "Long ago, the Pandavan clans warred among themselves and against the Grimm. Then a band of Silver Eyed Warriors came down from the northern hills. They joined the clan that would become the Sakarans. Together they brought peace and order to the land."

May's stomach twisted a little. Ruby grimaced.

"Peace and order," she repeated, voice small. "That sounds like… conquest."

Arjun didn't flinch. "It involved conquest, yes. Not every problem in this world can be solved by talking it out, Maia. Human nature—Faunus nature—doesn't always allow it. There are people who serve Salem who will never listen. Who cannot be reasoned with."

Ruby made a face, silver eyes dimming slightly. "Still… pride in conquest? That feels wrong."

Arjun met her gaze steadily. "It is not pride in bloodshed. It is pride in survival. In protecting what matters. In building something better. You know this, Ruby Rose. You've seen it."

Ruby frowned deeply, staring at a carving of a Silver Eyed warrior standing over fallen comrades, eyes blazing as she held back a tide of Grimm. "I know what the job is," she said quietly. "I know what I have to do. I've… I've had to see a lot of horrible things already. I just don't know if I'm strong enough to keep doing it."

The words hung in the ancient air. The uncertainty on her face... It looked so familiar to her. The weight on her shoulders seemed almost palpable.

In the mirror.

She let out a breath through her nostrils.

This... This I can do.

May bit her lower lip, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ruby in a tight hug. Ruby stiffened for half a second before melting into it, hugging back just as fiercely.

"You don't have to be strong alone," May whispered. "I'll help you. Everyone will. Jaune, the others… me. You're not carrying this by yourself."

Arjun watched them, the torchlight catching the quiet pride and sorrow in his eyes. He gave a single, solemn nod.

Ruby let out a long, shaky breath against May's shoulder. When she pulled back, her silver eyes were brighter-still worried, but no longer quite so alone.

"…Thank you," she murmured. "Both of you."

Arjun placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. "The Silver Eyed blood runs in many lines. Some brighter than others. But strength is not just in the eyes—it is in the hearts that choose to keep fighting for tomorrow." He looked between them. "You two have already chosen. The rest… we face together."

For a long moment the three of them stood beneath the carved dome, a Silver Eyed warrior, a princess, and the king who had once hidden in these very catacombs. The weight of legacy pressed down, but so did the warmth of new bonds.

May didn't let go of Ruby's hand as they turned to examine the carvings, to learn of their joint legacy.

She wasn't sure she would for a while.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Neptune Vasilias moved through the quiet corridors of Beacon with purpose, hands shoved in his pockets and jaw set. Sun was off with Ilia (lucky bastard) and Sage and Scarlet were off training, so he was the odd man out. So he had a bone to pick with Arslan. Now? Now he was going to pick it, and pick it hard.

He made it to the ABRN door, and knocked hard. He knew she would recognize him-She always did.

"Come in, Neptune!" Arslan's voice called from inside, calm and steady as always.

He pushed the door open.

Arslan Altan sat at the main table with Reese, Bolin, and Nadir, all of them surrounded by open textbooks, scrolls, and half-empty coffee mugs. They looked up as he entered.

Neptune blinked.

"…What are you doing?"

Reese didn't even look up from her notes.

"Studying, duh."

Neptune's eyes widened.

"We're on vacation!"

Nadir gave him a flat look over the top of his scroll.

"This explains your grades."

"I do just fine!" Neptune shot back automatically. He shook his head and turned to Arslan. "Anyway, Arslan, um… you got a minute?"

Arslan nodded once, closed her textbook, and stood. She followed him out into the common room without a word. They sat on the long couch by the
window, the late afternoon sunlight slanting across the floor.

Arslan turned to him, golden eyes patient.

"Yes, Neptune?"

Neptune rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Well… I'm just wondering how you're holding up. Things are… crazy, huh?"

Arslan considered this for a moment.

"They are. I will admit, things are a bit stressful."

Neptune stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

"A BIT?! The spacetime continuum has turned inside out and it's a BIT stressful?!"

Arslan's lips curved into a small, serene smile.

"Yes. What's your point?"

Neptune grumbled under his breath.

"You always have to act so cool."

Arslan's smile widened just a fraction.

"We can only do what is within our power to do. The rest is up to the Divine."

Neptune huffed, but there was no real heat in it.

"Yeah yeah…"

Arslan tilted her head slightly, voice softening.

"What is troubling you, Neptune?"

He let out a long breath and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Just… learning that I die in the future. It's weird. You know?"

Arslan nodded slowly.

"You only die in one timeline, Neptune. Very heroically, I might add." Her expression grew more serious. "Poor Pyrrha dies in many."

Neptune ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, yeah, but… it's just… Ugh. I don't know how to handle it, you know? It's bizarre. It's… freaky."

Arslan was quiet for a few seconds, then spoke with quiet sincerity.

"I know. It is disturbing. That it happens in the timeline where I get together with Jaune… is very sad. I don't want to lose you."

Neptune's face went bright red in an instant.

"Geez… You gotta say stuff like that?"

Arslan met his eyes without flinching.

"Yes."

Neptune looked away, ears burning.

"Well… thanks."

"I'm going to make sure it doesn't happen here, Neptune," Arslan said firmly. "I promise. We won't let you die."

Neptune flushed even harder, half-laughing, half-exasperated.

"G-Geez… Again with that?"

Arslan smiled, calm and unshakable.

"Yes."

Neptune threw his hands up.

"All right… All right… First things first: Don't die. Second… Don't let Arc die. Or you. Or… Let's just prevent people from dying in general, huh?"

Arslan nodded.

"Yes… And after that?"

Neptune's grin turned mischievous.

"Welllll… Could you ask the kids who I marry in each timeline? I wanna know which one I should focus on, how hot they are, especially Arc's sisters-
ACK!"

Arslan moved like lightning. In one smooth motion she hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him into a tight headlock, her other hand pressing down on the top of his head.

"URK!" Neptune choked, flailing. "J-JUST-JUST KIDDING!"

Arslan's voice was perfectly calm, even as she tightened her grip.

"No you weren't."

"WELL IT'S NOT FAIR-! YOU HAVE A FUTURE HUSBAND-ARGH! MY SPINE!"

From inside the dorm room, Reese's voice drifted out dryly.

"…Should we stop her?"

Bolin didn't even look up from his textbook.

"Nah. Let her work it out."

"Heh," Reese smirked. "You know... He's actually kind of cute when he's in pain."

Nadir raised an eyebrow.

"For all you know, you marry him in one of those futures."

Reese's face went as green as her hair.

"Don't joke like that!"

"Who's joking?" Nadir grinned.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian, Gallia, Vale

Eleven years after Salem's defeat
- - -

The school in Radian's central square was exactly what you'd expect from a town that had survived the end of the world: a charming white-brick building with ivy climbing the walls and a bell tower that had rung for centuries. It looked like something out of a storybook. Today, though, it felt heavier.

Emerald Sustrai-Arc walked beside Jaune, her fingers laced tightly with his. The afternoon sun was warm, but her stomach was in knots. When the message had arrived from Nana Arturia, she'd known it was serious. Amethyst didn't get in trouble. Not like this.

They stepped inside the quiet hallway and followed the sound of soft voices to the small office beside the classroom. Amethyst sat on a wooden chair far too big for her, legs swinging, blonde hair falling into her eyes. She looked up when they entered—and immediately looked like she was about to cry.

Emerald's heart cracked. "What happened?"

Nana Arturia stood beside the desk, hands folded, her expression deeply unhappy but still gentle. She had been teaching in Radian for longer than most people in town had been alive. "Amethyst? Tell them."

Amethyst sniffled, voice barely above a whisper. "I… I wanted a bracelet that Marina was wearing. She had two… She left it on her desk and I… I took it…"

Jaune's voice was quiet, but it carried weight. "You stole from her?"

Amethyst's lower lip trembled. "She had two! I really wanted it!"

Emerald shook her head, the motion slow and heavy. "Amethyst… That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how much someone else has. You do not steal it. You do not take from them."

"But it was so pretty—!"

"That doesn't matter!"

Amethyst's voice cracked, small and sharp and full of hurt. "YOU STOLE!"

The words hit Emerald like a physical blow. She went completely still, the color draining from her face. For a moment the only sound in the little office was the ticking of the old clock on the wall. Emerald's mind flashed: Beacon, the Dust, the lies, the people she had hurt, the lives she had helped destroy before she ever knew what redemption could feel like.

Jaune felt the tremor run through her hand. He stepped forward with her, never letting go, and slowly knelt so he was eye-level with his daughter. Emerald knelt beside him, still holding his hand like a lifeline.

Jaune's voice was calm, steady. The same voice that had once talked her down from nightmares and guilt that felt too big to carry.

"Yes. Your mother was a thief. But that was to save the world. We stole from bad people. Really bad people. Are you saving the world, Amethyst?"

Amethyst wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve.

"…No…"

Emerald found her voice again, soft but firm. "Then it's not right. And even doing that… I hurt a lot of people before I met your father. Do you want to hurt people who didn't do anything to you? Who just want to live their lives? Like you?"

Amethyst looked down at her lap, small shoulders shaking. "…No…"

Emerald reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her daughter's face. "Then you won't do it again, will you?"

Amethyst shook her head. "No…"

Jaune gave a small, warm nod. "Good."

They both wrapped their arms around her at the same time. Amethyst buried her face in Emerald's shoulder and cried—quiet, hiccuping sobs that shook her tiny frame. Emerald held her tight, one hand stroking her back, the other still gripping Jaune's like she needed the anchor.

When the tears finally slowed, Emerald pulled back just enough to meet her daughter's eyes. "You're still grounded. No dessert for the rest of the week. Understood? And if you try anything, anything bad, you're getting a spanking."

Amethyst nodded miserably. "Yes Mommy…"

Nana Arturia watched the three of them with quiet approval, the unhappiness in her eyes softening into something warmer. "She'll return the bracelet tomorrow and apologize to Marina. I think that's punishment enough from the school's side."

"Yes Nana," Jaune said with a soft smile.

Emerald stood, helping Amethyst to her feet. Jaune kept one hand on his wife's back the whole time, steady and present.

As they walked out of the little office and into the afternoon sunlight, Emerald looked down at her daughter—still sniffling, but walking between them with her small hand in Jaune's. The guilt was still there, a quiet ache in her chest, but it was no longer crushing. Because this time, she wasn't running from it.

This time, she was choosing better.

And so was her daughter.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Beacon Academy, Vale



A few weeks before the Vytal Festival



- - -



Jaune was halfway down the corridor when the door to General Ironwood's office opened behind him. He turned just in time to see Winter Schnee step out, her posture as rigid as ever, though there was something different in the set of her shoulders—lighter, perhaps.



She spotted him immediately.



"Mister Arc."



Jaune straightened on instinct. "Specialist Schnee. Everything alright?"



Winter closed the distance with her usual crisp stride.



"Your advice worked. I spoke with my sister It was… difficult. But it was the right conversation to have. I wanted to thank you."



Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly very aware of how awkward he must look. "You don't have to do that. I mean, I'm glad it helped, but you really don't have to thank me."



"I insist," Winter said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Her ice-blue eyes were locked on him with the same intensity she usually reserved for battlefield briefings.



Jaune tried again, voice climbing half an octave. "No, seriously, you don't have to—"



"I insist."



Jaune swallowed and managed a nervous laugh.



"Well, uh, sure. What did you have in mind?"



- - -



The next thing Jaune knew, he was sitting across from her at the Checkmate Cafe, a small chess café in the upper district, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and a board already set between them. The place was quiet, all dark wood and soft lighting, the wait staff dressed as pawns.



Winter took a precise sip of her tea. "I would like to play chess with you, Arc."



Jaune blinked. "I'm… not very good. At chess, I mean. I'm okay at strategy games, but I've never really—"



"I insist."



There it was again. That tone. Jaune looked at the board, then at her, and gave a helpless little shrug.



"Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you."



Twenty-seven minutes later, Winter Schnee was staring at the board like it had personally betrayed her.



Jaune had won. Completely. Decisively. Her king was trapped in a corner with no escape, her queen pinned, and half her pieces still sitting uselessly on their starting squares.



Jaune winced. He hadn't even been trying to show off—he'd just… played. Calmly. Thoughtfully. Like he'd seen the entire game three moves ahead.



Jaune smiled nervously, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh. Good game?"



Winter's eyes lifted from the board and locked onto him with laser focus. The silence stretched. Jaune shifted in his seat.



Then she spoke, voice low and unwavering.



"One more round."



Jaune's smile faltered. "Uh, maybe we should—"



"One more round."



The words were final. Winter was already resetting the pieces with military precision, her expression somewhere between determination and something he thought was... No. Come on. Such a beautiful woman?



No way!



Jaune watched her, half-terrified, half-amused, and realized with a sinking feeling that he was not getting out of this café anytime soon.



He reached for his coffee, took a long sip, and tried not to smile too widely.



Winter Schnee did not lose gracefully.



But he had a feeling she was going to keep trying until she did.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Royal Palace of Hastinpur, Pandu

Twenty-one years after Salem's defeat

- - -

The night air over Hastinpur was warm and thick with the scent of jasmine and distant rain. August Sarkara-Arc moved like a shadow across the palace grounds, every step calculated, every breath controlled. He vaulted the outer wall in one fluid motion, landed in a crouch among the royal gardens, and immediately synced his pace with the rotating guard patrols. A small jammer clipped to his belt pulsed once, sending a ripple through the drone network overhead. The machines drifted past without so much as a beep.

He reached the east wing, scaled the thick ivy that had clung to the white marble for generations, and paused only long enough to time the laser grid sweeping across the balcony. One forward flip, a twist mid-air, and he was through—boots silent on the polished floor.

He crept down the hallway toward his chambers, heart still racing from the adrenaline of the night's work. The bandit caravan had been hit hard. No one would be preying on the border villages for a long time. He allowed himself a small, satisfied smile as he reached for his door.

It opened before his fingers touched the handle.

May and Jaune stood inside, arms crossed, wearing matching expressions of deep disappointment. May still wore her queen's robes from the evening court, the golden embroidery catching the low lamplight. Jaune had changed into a simple tunic, but the look on his face was pure "I raised you better than this."

August froze. "What—How—?!"

May's voice was soft, but it carried the weight of experience.

"Sweetie… There are still things you haven't learned yet."

Jaune's mouth twitched, the faintest hint of pride breaking through the sternness. "Still, very impressive work."

August's face lit up for half a second. "Thanks Dad!"

Jaune's expression hardened again. "You're still grounded."

"What?! Come on!"

May stepped forward, her voice rising with the kind of controlled fire only a mother who had once stared down terrorists could muster. "August… Your vigilante actions are heroic. But also foolish and dangerous! Attacking a bandit caravan all alone?! What were you thinking?! Grounded is the least we should do!"

August threw his hands up. "You two snuck out to save the world!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Yes. To save the world. Not to play vigilante. You're going to Beacon next year—What's the rush?"

August's voice dropped, suddenly smaller. "I just… There are people who need help. I can help them. Isn't that enough?"

May and Jaune exchanged a long, weary look. Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose. May let out a quiet sigh.

August pressed on, a little desperate now. "Plus, you did teach me to do the right thing even if it's not the smart thing!"

Jaune gave him a flat look. "That's if the stakes are high enough."

May crossed the room and pulled her son into a tight hug before he could argue further. Her voice softened against his shoulder.

"I know you want to do good, son. I am glad. But you don't have to do it alone. We didn't save the world by going solo. We worked with a team."

August stood stiff for a moment, then slowly relaxed into the embrace. The fight drained out of him all at once. He let his forehead rest against his mother's shoulder.

"…All right Mom, Dad…"

May held him a little longer, then pulled back just enough to press a kiss to his forehead. Jaune stepped in and ruffled his son's hair, the disappointment finally giving way to quiet pride.

August looked between them, the weight of the night settling in. "Can I at least keep the jammer?"

Jaune snorted. "Grounded means grounded, kid. Hand it over."

August groaned, but there was a reluctant smile tugging at his mouth as he unclipped the device and dropped it into his father's waiting palm.

May looped her arm through Jaune's, leaning into him as they watched their son trudge toward his bed like a condemned man. Outside the tall windows, the lights of Hastinpur glittered like scattered stars.

Jaune shook his head fondly. "He's definitely your kid."

May smiled, soft and tired and full of love. "He's definitely ours."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian, Gallia, Vale

Nine years after Salem's defeat

- - -

The old medical textbooks still smelled like dust and disinfectant even after all these years.

Jaune sat at the kitchen table in their small farmhouse, the late afternoon light slanting through the windows and turning the pages gold. Ruby's latest project — some kind of upgraded prosthetic joint for field medics — was spread across the far end of the table in careful pieces. Their youngest, little Nicholas and Isabel, were napping upstairs. Julian and Pyrrha were out back with Yang's daughter Summer, the sound of wooden swords clacking drifting in through the open door.

Jaune turned another page. Anatomy. Pharmacology. The old familiar diagrams of the circulatory system that had once made his stomach twist with guilt.

He hadn't wanted this path. Not really. Not when he was seventeen and running away from his mother's expectations with a fake transcript and an old sword and shield. Isabel had wanted a doctor. He had wanted to be a hero. The two things had felt like opposites back then.

Now?

Now he knew better.

Ruby's boots thumped softly on the porch steps. She came in smelling like gun oil and summer grass, Crescent Rose slung across her back out of old habit. She paused when she saw the books, head tilting, silver eyes curious.

"Hey," she said, voice warm. "You've been quiet all afternoon."

Jaune looked up. There was no judgment in her face. Just that open, patient love that had carried him through the worst nights after the war. The nights when the screams still echoed and he woke reaching for a sword that wasn't there.

"I've been thinking," he said quietly.

Ruby set Crescent Rose against the wall and came to stand beside him. She rested a hand on his shoulder, thumb brushing the old scar that ran beneath his shirt.

"About going back," she guessed.

He nodded. "Mom always wanted me to be a doctor. I fought her on it so hard. Told her I wasn't cut out for it. That I needed to swing a sword instead." His mouth twisted. "Turns out swinging a sword just showed me exactly why she was right… and why I was still wrong."

Ruby didn't interrupt. She never did when he needed to say the hard parts out loud.

"I've seen what war costs," Jaune continued, voice low. "I've held people while they died. I've watched friends lose pieces of themselves they'll never get back. I've been the one swinging the blade that ended lives. And after everything… after Salem, after the Ever After, after watching the world almost end…" He swallowed. "I don't want to take life anymore. I want to give it back. Preserve it. Fix what can be fixed."

He looked up at her then, blue eyes steady.

"I want to go back to medical school. But not because Mom wants it. Not to prove anything to her or to myself. I want to do it because I've lived through the alternative. Because I've got the chance to choose peace now, and I want to spend the rest of my life protecting it."

Ruby was quiet for a long moment. Then she smiled - that bright, genuine smile that still made his chest ache in the best way.

"I approve," she said simply.

Jaune blinked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." She leaned down and kissed his temple, then rested her forehead against his. "Jaune… you've always been a hero. You just didn't know what kind yet. We saved the world with our friends. You carried all of us when we couldn't stand. And now you want to spend the peace you helped build actually healing people? That's not running from who you were. That's growing into who you're meant to be."

She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, silver bright with pride.

"On your terms. Not your mom's. Not Ozpin's. Not the world's. Yours. That's the part that matters. And I'm so proud of you for figuring that out."

Jaune let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He reached up and covered her hand with his.

"You really think I can do it? After everything?"

"I know you can," Ruby said. "You're the guy who learned to fight with one hand after losing the other protecting me. You're the guy who came back from the Ever After with a new purpose. You're the guy who's already the best dad our kids could ask for. Medical school's gonna be easy compared to all that."

She grinned, a little teasing now. "Besides, if you get stuck on the homework, I'll just build you a study robot. Or three."

Jaune laughed, the sound loosening something tight in his chest. He tugged her into his lap and she went willingly, arms looping around his neck.

"Thank you," he murmured against her hair.

"For what?"

"For always seeing the version of me I'm still trying to become."

Ruby nuzzled closer. "That's what wives are for, dummy."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Beacon, Vale

- - -

The party in the unused Beacon dorm was a full-throated rebellion against curfew, homework, and anything resembling adult supervision. Stolen festival lights twinkled overhead like captured stars, casting rainbow shadows over scavenged furniture and a dance floor packed tight with bodies moving to bass that rattled the windows. Upperclassmen had smuggled in the real stuff—bottles of hard cider, cheap beer, and a punch bowl glowing faintly blue that someone swore was "totally safe, probably."

Cinder Fall stood near the edge of the chaos, a half-empty glass of something far too sweet in her hand. The Fall Maiden power simmered beneath her skin, but tonight she let the alcohol dull the edges just enough. She needed air. Needed space. The crowd, the noise, the false camaraderie—it grated.
She slipped out onto the balcony, the cool night air a welcome slap against her flushed cheeks. Stars glittered above Vale, distant and indifferent. She leaned on the railing, swirling the last of her drink.

Footsteps behind her. She tensed, but didn't turn.

"Needed some fresh air too?" Jaune Arc's voice was gentle, a little uncertain. He stepped up beside her, his own bottle of cider in hand. The tall blond looked surprisingly at ease despite the party raging inside: his team's leader, partner to the invincible Pyrrha Nikos, friend to Ruby Rose.

A total dolt.

Cinder let out a low, bitter laugh. "Something like that." The words slipped out easier than they should have, loosened by the drink. "Grew up without parties like this. No family to drag me to one. Just… a foster family. And people who reminded you every day that you were nothing."

Shit. She hadn't meant to say that much.

Jaune's blue eyes softened immediately. He set his bottle down on the railing. "I'm sorry. That sounds awful. No one deserves that kind of life."

She snorted, turning to face him fully. The movement made her head spin pleasantly. "What does that matter? Caring about orphans and sob stories is a waste of time. The world doesn't reward weakness or sentiment. It rewards strength. Power. Results."

Jaune shook his head, leaning beside her. "It's not a waste. I was raised to care about people. To show compassion. My parents—my whole family—drilled it into me. Mom's a combat medic who rebuilt our town's hospital from a crumbling castle. Dad's the militia captain, but he's the guy who'll sit with a scared kid after a Grimm attack and tell them it's gonna be okay. My sisters…" He chuckled warmly. "Saphron's raising a family in Argus and still sends care packages. Lilac runs the farm and basically mothers everyone with kindness so strong it feels like a Semblance. Even the chaotic ones—Aqua's a dramatic mess of a medic who'll flood a battlefield to save someone, Tangy's a terrifying colonel who'd still burn the world down for family, the twins blow stuff up but always check if you're okay after. Irene… she went through hell and came out fighting so no other kid would."

Cinder stared at him, mystified. The genuine warmth in his voice, the easy way he listed them—it didn't compute.

"And what does that achieve? Alliances? Favors? Some pathetic network of debts?"

Jaune smiled, small and sincere. "No. It helps people be happy. Or at least less alone. That's enough for me."

She couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe him. The words hung there, absurd and disarming. Before she could stop herself, she asked, "Tell me more about them."

So he did. They passed the bottle back and forth as he spoke of loud family dinners, arguments over theology with his uncle, Aqua's dramatic breakdowns, Orchid's deadpan hacker genius, the twins' explosive inventions, Lilac's terrifying gentleness. Of Nick and Isabel's chaotic, loving marriage.

Cinder listened, telling herself she was gathering intelligence. He was close to Pyrrha. Close to Ruby. This was tactical. She was using him.
Eventually the alcohol and the late hour won. Cinder's eyes grew heavy. She leaned against his shoulder without meaning to. The world faded.

- - -

She woke slowly, sunlight filtering through unfamiliar curtains. A bed. Her bed? No—wait.

Fully clothed. She was still in last night's outfit, rumpled but intact. Beside her, Jaune Arc was softly snoring, also fully dressed, one arm loosely draped over the covers like he'd fallen asleep mid-gesture.

Cinder's stomach dropped. Foolish. She'd let her guard down. Let the mission get blurry. She winced, mentally kicking herself.

Jaune stirred. His eyes opened, then widened in panic as realization hit. He scooted back so fast he nearly fell off the bed, hands up.

"Whoa—whoa! I swear I didn't do anything! We were talking and you fell asleep and I didn't want to just leave you out there or try to carry you through the party and—I am so sorry, this looks bad, I—"

Cinder stared at him for a long moment. Then a slow, dangerous smirk curved her lips. The embarrassment on his face was almost endearing. Useful.

"If you take me on a date," she said smoothly, voice still a little husky from sleep, "I'll forgive you."

Jaune blinked, flushing bright red. "A… date? Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that. I mean—if you want."

Cinder's smirk deepened. Inwardly, the voice was cold and clear:

Just using him. He's close to the targets. Information. Leverage. When the time comes, I'll dispose of him like everyone else.

Really… I will.

But as Jaune smiled at her, awkward and hopeful, the thought felt just a fraction less convincing than it should have.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Winter Timeline: Still Their Boy

Chateau Marigold, outskirts of Gallia

Twenty-one years after Salem's defeat

- - -

"Chateau" seemed too little title for what was effectively a castle on a mountain top, but it was what the poem in marble and steel was called. Theodore Schnee-Arc and his team appeared on one of the balconies via his Glyphs, and they surveyed their surroundings carefully.

"I don't like this," Shu Wukong, his partner, murmured as she picked the lock on the doors. She slowly opened them, Ingrid Ren and Quinn Katt taking point as they entered into the luxurious interior.

"Me neither," Theodore muttered, "But we're not leaving her here any longer than we have to."

"Shouldn't we wait for back up?" Quinn hissed, scanning through the hallways as they walked the silent, gold-inlaid marble floors.

"We don't need it," Ingrid smirked, hefting her axe with a confident look on her face. She spun it around for good measure.

They emerged into a cavernous entrance hall designed for both spectacle and intimidation.

The scale was deliberately theatrical—vaulted ceilings soared nine meters high, corridors wide enough to march a platoon through, proportions that made even the team feel small. The floor was a polished marble mosaic in geometric black, cream, and deep green patterns radiating outward from a massive central "M" monogram inlaid in pale gold. The surface was so glossy it reflected every movement like dark water.

A sweeping double-curved grand staircase dominated the space, its dark wood steps flanked by ornate balustrades that rose to a second-floor gallery. Pale gold and cream paneled walls featured intricate gilded moldings, while antique weaponry-swords, spears, spiked maces, axes, shields, and halberds—hung in perfect symmetrical rows. Large white marble statues of gods and angels stood sentinel on pedestals. Soft lantern light from wall sconces mixed with diffused mountain light pouring through high windows, casting long dramatic shadows across the floor.e

"Quinn?" Theodore prompted. Quinn closed her eyes, sniffed the air. She opened them and nodded.

"This way."

She led them down the staircase, past the elaborate mosaic of divine beings fighting Grimm made of precious stones, and to a plain side door. Shu picked that lock, listening carefully to the tumblers as she worked her pins. A click sounded, and she triumphantly opened the dark oak door.

A man in a fancy suit with sunglasses greeted them, his brow scrunched.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be-!"

Ingrid rammed her elbow into his face, breaking his nose, his Aura, and knocking him out in the same smooth motion. She caught him, and slowly, silently laid him down on the hard marble floor. Theodore stepped in.

"Lucy?"

A nine year old girl with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a nice white blouse and skirt, rushed up to him from the child sized table and chairs.

"Theo!" She gasped, hugging him tightly around the neck. He smiled and hugged her back warmly, picking her up. He stroked her back to sooth her, still wearing his usual smirk but the relief he felt was palpable as he held his little sister.

"It's okay, we're here," he whispered. "We're taking you home."

He turned Quinn.

"Let's get going-"

He paused. He summoned a Glyph... And poked it. Ingrid frowned.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Huh," Theodore muttered, "Either I just had a stroke... Or there's a powerful Hardlight Dust Field around this castle that's blocking my Semblance. Takes a hell of a lot of energy to do that... Or they have a magical item doing the same thing."

"Crap," Shu hissed, already going for her swordchucks, "Then it's a trap?"

"Oh good!" Ingrid grinned, "I was getting bored!"

They walked out into the main hallway again.

Hanover Marigold waited at the main entrance's huge double doors, an older distinguished man in a tailored black suit, surrounded by two dozen Aura-unlocked goons armed with automatic rifles.

"Welcome, Mister Arc, and friends," Hanover called, voice echoing through the hall. "Consider this a message to your parents, and the rest of their meddlesome little band. Today, you die."

His team tensed. Theodore remained composed, even as his little sister began to cry softly.

He handed the whimpering Lucy to Ingrid.

"You all: Keep her safe. I'll handle this," he murmured.

Shu's eyes widened. Ingrid scowled. Quinn looked aghast.

"We're a team-!"

"Yes, we are," Theodore stated, "And I'll handle this. You handle the more important job: Keeping her safe.

There was a pleading look in his eyes behind his sunglasses. Ingrid saluted, and dashed off. Shu and Quinn, while worried, obeyed and followed her. Theodore turned back, his long coat swishing over the marble floor. Hanover snorted.

"Handle us? You'll handle us? You know, your parents showed much more respect."

"Really Hanover? Still holding a grudge?" Theodore asked mildly. "It's hardly my fault the 1K Society was stupid enough to side with Salem during the war. What did you think was going to happen? She was going to let you rule the world?"

Hanover snarled.

"You have no idea of what we lost! But you'll understand soon enough! FIRE!"

The goons unleashed a storm of bullets. Theodore raised his hand. A brilliant red Glyph flared to life in front of him. Every round slowed to a complete stop mid-air, hanging like deadly metallic snowflakes. The goons stopped firing, eyes wide.

Theodore released the Glyph. The bullets clattered harmlessly to the marble floor.

Hanover's expression tightened. "Okay… You have some skill."

Theodore smirked, and assumed a fighting stance.

Hanover snarled. "Kill him."

The goons charged across the hall in a furious wave.

Theodore moved like living lightning.

He summoned a blue Glyph beneath his feet and launched upward, hovering for a split second before twisting into a spinning kick that caught the first three attackers mid-leap. He blurred forward using a time-dilation Glyph, the world slowing around him as he wove between bodies with impossible grace. A Glyph appeared behind an old sword on the wall, and the blade appeared in his right hand—he slashed low, sweeping the legs out from under two cultists, then reversed the blade and drove the pommel into a third man's solar plexus with a sickening crack. The goon went flying through a statue of an angel, smashing it to rubble as he collapsed to the floor in a shower of debris.

A goon tried to tackle him from behind. Theodore spun, planted a foot on the man's chest, and used a Glyph to flip him upward into the ceiling. The cultist slammed into a massive chandelier, shattering crystal and sending glass raining down like deadly snow.

The fight spilled across the slick marble floor. Theodore slid on his knees, summoning twin tonfas from the wall that he used to batter two attackers in rapid succession—left, right, spin, elbow strike—before launching himself into a wall-run along one of the dark green columns. He pushed off, flipping over a group of four and landing behind them, driving a spinning back kick into the last man's spine and send him tumbling into the rest, leveling them all!

His opponents ripped more weapons from the walls, and he elegantly dodged through their swings and thrusts. He grabbed a halberd mid-slide, spun it like a staff to deflect a flurry of punches, then hurled it with pinpoint accuracy to pin one cultist to a marble statue. Another goon swung a spiked mace; Theodore slowed time around the weapon, stepped inside the arc, and delivered a devastating palm strike to the man's sternum that sent him crashing backward through a row of antique spears. Another tried to tackle him from behind and Theodore caught his wrist, judo throwing him forward to slam into the goon pinned to the statue. The impact smashed the statue apart, both thugs crying out as they slammed into the slick floor.

The grand staircase became a vertical battlefield. Theodore dashed up the curved balustrade, balancing perfectly as bullets whizzed past. He summoned a Glyph on the railing and slid down it like he was surfing, kicking two cultists in the face on the way before launching off the end in a flying knee strike that crumpled another attacker against a shattered angel statue. Broken marble limbs littered the floor, turning the once-pristine hall into a war zone of rubble and echoes.

Those last cultists got up and charged him, swinging large swords at the young man frantically. Theodore dodged between them, kicking a fallen trident up into his hands. One goon's sword slash broke the trident in two and the head of the weapon fell off-Theodore swung the halves of the pole and smacked both thugs in the face, then their groins, then hard on their forearms, making them drop their weapons. A third leaped from above, swinging a large war hammer down on Theodore's head!

He dodged, just enough that the goon went too far and his strike went right into another surprised goon's face, sending him crashing down. The goon yanked the hammer out of the fallen thug's face and swung again! Theodore leaped up, and all the goon got was the remaining thug's chest, shattering the ribs and Aura and sending him packing. Theodore landed, kicked the hammer out of the surprised goon's hands up into the air, used a Red Glyph to trip him up, and caught the hammer. The goon looked up, eyebrows rising in shock behind her sunglasses, as Theodore brought the hammer down!

When the last goon dropped, groaning among the wreckage of toppled statues, unconscious henchmen, and scattered weaponry, Theodore stood in the center of the ruined hall, breathing steady, red Glyphs fading around him like dying embers.

Hanover growled from the doors, drawing an ornate pistol.

"This isn't the end, you little—"

The massive iron-wrought front doors exploded inward. One of them slammed straight into the back of Hanover's head with a resounding clang, sending him crumpling unconscious to the floor.

Jaune Arc and Winter Schnee-Arc strode through the shattered doorway, weapons drawn, followed by a full platoon of armored Atlesian and Valean troops.

Jaune surveyed the wreckage—shattered statues, broken weapons, groaning cultists—and sighed.

"Theodore… What did we say about fighting enemies on your own?"

Theodore dusted marble chips off his shoulder and offered a cheeky grin.

"To win?"

Winter pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply. "Ugh…"

Jaune shook his head, though the corner of his mouth twitched with reluctant pride. Winter walked over and flicked Theodore's forehead with a gloved finger.

"You are incredibly lucky we tracked your Scroll signal," she said sternly. "The next time you and your friends decide to play hero, I will personally ground you forever."
Theodore rubbed his forehead, still smiling. "Yes, Mom."

She paused.

"Everyone safe?"

"Yes Mom."

Winter sighed.

"... Good work. Don't do this again."

"Understood," Theodore nodded.

Jaune clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Come on. Let's get your team and your sister home before your mother decides 'grounded' needs a more creative definition."

"Yes Dad."

- - -

To understand why Theodore has a high opinion of himself.

Hanover Marigold is an OC and part of the larger worldbuilding we're doing for RWBY, but he won't be significant in this story for a while. So don't worry about him too much.

 

[Bommel]

"Chateau" seemed too little title for what was effectively a castle on a mountain top,

Click to shrink...

Chateau is literally the French word for castle.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Chateau is literally the French word for castle.

Click to shrink...

Theodore is an uncultured swine. ;p

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Everyone else had gone off to do their own things after class, whether studying, preparation, or other. Yang went to the gym, and dragged Emerald along.

The Beacon gym rang with the sharp sounds of combat—flesh against flesh, grunts of effort, and the occasional thud of a body hitting the mat. Yang and Emerald circled each other in one of the training rings, both glistening with sweat after their earlier weight session. Emerald moved like a striking viper, green hair whipping as she launched a furious barrage of kicks and punches, trying to slip past Yang's guard.

Yang's grin was all teeth as she blocked and deflected most of the strikes with practiced ease, her golden hair swaying with each movement. "Not bad, Em! You're fast-"

Emerald feinted left and drove in hard. Yang twisted at the last second, her open palm slamming into Emerald's solar plexus with a solid thump. Emerald coughed sharply, eyes widening as the air left her lungs. Before she could recover, Yang grabbed her arm, used the momentum against her, and slammed her down onto the mat.

"-But I'm faster," Yang finished.

Emerald lay there breathing hard, staring up at the ceiling lights. Yang stood over her for a moment, chest heaving, before offering a hand with a softer smile.

Emerald hesitated, then took it. Yang pulled her up easily to her feet.

They stepped out of the ring and dropped onto a nearby bench, grabbing their water bottles. The cool liquid felt like heaven after the intense session.

"Haa… Haaa… Thanks," Emerald managed between breaths.

Yang leaned back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I think we both needed to work off some stress, huh?"

Emerald nodded, staring at the bottle in her hands. "Yeah… I really want to be there for Amethyst, you know? She's never… She's never fought anyone before. Just got her Aura unlocked…"

Yang took another long drink before answering. "I think she'll be fine. I don't think Nick is the type to go too hard on her."

Emerald let out a short, tired laugh. "He did fight us all a day after he met us."

"Yeah but he's not going to terrorize her!" Yang insisted, nudging Emerald's shoulder lightly.

Emerald sighed, shoulders slumping. "Yeah…"

A comfortable silence settled between them for a few moments, broken only by the distant clank of weights from another part of the gym. Emerald's expression grew distant.

"It's… So weird. It's all so new… I care for her so much and I just met her… I don't know how to handle any of this. It's like a dream. And learning about Cinder and… Everything about her…"

Yang's lilac eyes softened. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "…You really cared about her, huh?"

Emerald slowly nodded, a bitter edge creeping into her voice. "She was my world for the longest time… And to know she didn't even care back is…"

"Yeah." Yang looked away for a second, jaw tight. "My mom… Well… You probably know about it."

Emerald gave a small nod. "Yeah. We did a full work up on all of you. Cinder… She thought you might all be candidates for Maidens."

Yang's eyebrows shot up, a surprised grin breaking across her face. "Really?"

"Or we'd need to eliminate you…" Emerald cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um… Ahem. Sorry."

Yang waved it off with a chuckle. "It's fine. It's no crazier than anything else about this, huh?"

"Yeah."

Yang hesitated, her usual bravado fading as she stared at the floor. "But no… I…" She hummed, searching for the words. "I know what it's like to chase after someone… Who doesn't really care about you and kind of sucks… And to finally see what they're like. And… My daughter and Jaune helped me see her for what she is… I still feel like shit about everything but I… I also feel hopeful. That there's more to life than just… chasing shadows."

Emerald was quiet for a long moment, then slowly nodded. "...Yeah."

The two sat shoulder to shoulder on the bench, the weight of their complicated pasts hanging between them. Yang bumped Emerald's knee with her own.

"Hey. For what it's worth… you've already got one thing Cinder never gave you."

Emerald glanced over, curious.

"A future husband and a kid who thinks you're worth fighting the universe for," Yang said with a small, genuine smile. "And a bunch of crazy future in-laws who've got your back. Even if we're all still figuring this mess out."

"That's more than one thing," Emerald grumbled.

"So stop being so ungrateful about it!"

Emerald let out a soft huff of laughter, the tension in her shoulders easing just a fraction. "...Thanks, Yang."

"Don't mention it. Now come on. Another round? Or are you tapping out already?"

Emerald smirked, pushing herself up from the bench with renewed energy. "You wish, Dragon."

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

Jaune surveyed the wreckage—shattered statues, broken weapons, groaning cultists—and sighed.

"Theodore… What did we say about fighting enemies on your own?"

Theodore dusted marble chips off his shoulder and offered a cheeky grin.

"To win?"

Winter pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply. "Ugh…"

Click to shrink...

Theodore - "C'mon Mom, I wasn't alone, I had my best friends with me!"

Shu, Ingrid, and Quinn - "Best friends! Just best friends! That's us!"