[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[ThunderBasilisk]

Blake talking things out!? Impossible! All jokes aside this was awesome. And the Cinder chapter was delightfully sappy

 

[FinalFormer]

Cross-posted From the SpaceBattles Thread

Glimpses Into Another Timeline: Aslanmas Gift - Winter

- - - - - - - - - - -

Arc-Schnee Manor, Atlas. 6 Years After The Defeat of Salem.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Dammit."

Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Dammit."

Clack. Clack. Clack.

"This... This is harder than I thought."

Winter Arc-Schnee sighed and slumped back in her chair in defeat. In her hands was the gift she had been making... attempting to make for her son. A simple but lovely scarf, lovingly made by his mother. A token of her love that she hoped he would carry from his childhood and into his adolescence. She had gotten tips and even a guidebook from her sister-in-law Lilac but for some reason it wouldn't come out the way she wanted.

"I'm the General of Atlas. I was the highest ranked Specialist in Atlas' military. I helped lead the world to defeat the greatest evil in the world! So, why is something simple like knitting more difficult than any of that!?" Winter shouted. She had been trying to knit a simple scarf for 4 hours!

She looked at the pile of unfinished scarfs. The knittings were either too loose or torn from her attempts to tighten the stitches. Some didn't even look like scarfs. It was infuriating.

"No matter. I'll just have to try again... For the 17th time." Winter gathered her determination and tried again. She grabbed her last balls of yarn. These ones were hideous colors. Baby barf green, mud brown, and... Burgundy. As much as she didn't like them, she'll have to make do with these colors. She used up all her good ones on her failed attempts.

"Oh my, are you still working on that scarf?" Her mother, Willow, asked. She was holding her granddaughter, Isabel, her arms. Theodore, Winter's son, was sitting in the playpen his grandfather had made for him.

"Yes, mother, I am. I refuse to let a couple of minor setbacks stop me from making a gift for my son." Winter began knitting again, this time slowing her pace. Jaune never gave up. Even when he had his heart ripped out of his chest. She had hoped that some of his determination had rubbed off on her, even if it was for something as simple as knitting a scarf.

After an hour, the scarf was turning out... not horrible so far. It still had ugly colors but there was nothing she could do about it. The sounds of Winter's knitting needles came to and end when she heard the heavy footsteps of her husband approaching.

"Winter? I got some of the ingredients for dinner! Dad said he'd bring the beef for the pot roast. I know you want Mr. Klein to make dinner, but I'd feel bad making him work on--," Jaune stopped, seeing the pile of failed attempts. She told him that she'd be an expert before he came home. It might've been the Schnee overconfidence going into overdrive. "So, are you sure you don't want Lilac helping you?"

Winter shot him a glare. "I've already swallowed my pride and asked for her advice, Darling. I refuse to ask her to my job as a mother. I want Theodore to know his mother made this for him."

Part of Jaune wondered if Winter saw Lilac as some kind of rival in motherhood. At first, it was funny, but now Winter had made it some kind of personal mission to try and one-up her.

"You, Theodore is a toddler. I doubt he'd care if it doesn't turn out perfect." Jaune said, hoping Winter would agree with him.

"Nonsense. My son's scarf will be nothing short of perfect. See, I'm almost done... I think." Winter looked at it with uncertainty. Is this how it's supposed look? Was it too long? Too short?

"This looks amazing, Winter! Theodore's gonna love it!" Jaune held it in his hands. Despite the colors, it looked really good!

Winter smiled. This'll show that hag Lilac who the best knitter is!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And so, the last holiday special!

 

[Muramasa]

Blake, you forgot the main thing behind the set of tags and fetishes - character. But for you it leaves much to be desired. So if this were a novella, there would be Glinda's route first because she's a strict MILF teacher.

 

[FinalFormer]

Cross-posted From the SpaceBattles Thread

Childhood Memories: Last Minute Errands

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Market District, Downtown Vale. Amethyst Arc-Sustrai. Age: 17.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.

"Hmmm, this looks good." Amethyst Arc-Sustrai said as she inspected her latest piece of jewelry: A beautiful amulet. She was making it as a birthday gift for her sister, Jade. All she needed to do was set the jewels and it'll be finished! She began setting the emeralds in the eyes of the dragon design, her hands extremely steady.

"And... Finished!" Amethyst said, triumphantly as she looked at yet another masterpiece to add to her repertoire! Now she all she has to do is get this to Beacon and--

Her Scroll buzzed. She checked and saw a message from her boss.

[MAKE SURE YOU SIGN OFF ON THE JEWEL SHIPMENT BEFORE YOU LEAVE]

"Already, did Boss. The shipment has been signed off and I even saved you some time and sorted everything from the shipment myself. I also double checked the locks on the safe and I made sure the security system was turned on. You've got nothing to worry about." Amethyst typed up her reply. Her boss was always such a worrywort.

[JUST MAKING SURE, OVERACHIEVER]

The nickname 'Overachiever' was given to her by the Valean Smithing Guild when she was 12. At the time, she hated it because it made her seem like she was some kind of prodigy (Which was kind of true, but that's not the point). But she started to like it as she got older. It told her customers that she gave her work 110% effort and they would be 125% satisfied with her craftsmanship.

"See you tomorrow, Boss." She sent her farewells and made her way to the Bullhead station. Now she needed to head up to Beacon and--

Her scroll buzzed again. She checked to see a message from her sister, Opal.

[MOM NEEDS YOU TO MAKE SURE THE BAKERY GETS OUR ADDRESS RIGHT FOR THE CAKE DELIVERY]

"What? Why can't Onyx just pick up the cake? He has a hoverbike!" She texted back. She got a quick response from her sister.

[ONYX GOT GROUNDED FROM USING HIS HOVERBIKE AFTER HE TOOK ALEXANDRITE, AND ESMERALDA TO THAT UNDERGROUND RACE THING WITH GRANDPA. AND JETT'S TOO BUSY HELPING DAD SET UP FOR THE PARTY]

"Ugh, fine. But, you have to take care of Bijou, Kin, and Beryl next week! I have to go to Atlas for a work project." Amethyst bargained, hoping that her sister could be a team player for once.

[OK. DEAL]

"Thanks. Don't worry. I'll only be gone for 3 days. At minimum. Did Mom and Dad get the tickets to Fujin?"

[YES. MOM STARTED CRYING UP A STORM. SHE COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU PAID FOR SUCH AN EXPENSIVE FOR THEIR ANNIVERSARY]

"Well, being one of Vale's most promising up-and-coming jewelsmiths has a lot of perks," Amethyst beamed with pride. But then, she started to rub the back of her head. "Although, now I have to figure out how to go about bejeweling a katana. I'm not exactly a weapons expert like Aunt Ruby."

[WELL, YOU'LL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO FIGURE THAT OUT]

"Yeah. Anyway, I'll head to the bakery." Amethyst then made a beeline for the bakery. This'll only take a few minutes after all.

----------------------------------------------
"What do you mean you can't deliver to Radian?" Amethyst asked disappointed. The man looked at her with a noticeable scowl. This is BS! She gets that Radian is really far away from Vale, but it's not like the guy was walking all the way there! That's what the Atlas delivery drones are for!

"No. I said I won't deliver to Radian. That hooligan brother of yours nearly trashed my establishment last time!" The baker said. Onyx picked up a cake last month for Bijou's birthday. What exactly did he do to get this guy mad.

"Look, I get that my brother is... reckless. But that shouldn't mean you have to blacklist my hometown. You're the only place close enough that sells Blackout cake! Please, I'll pay you double what you charged!" Amethyst pleaded with the man, slamming a cartoonishly large stack of Lien on the counter. He looked at her and felt the determination in her eyes and wavered.

"Fine. But you tell your brother he's banned from my store," The man reluctantly took the cash, giving her a warning to pass on. "Honestly, kid. With that look im your eyes, you could pass as a Huntress."

"Me? A Huntress? No way." Amethyst laughed. She paided and signed off on the delivery and left. Hoping to finally get to the Bullhead station.

"Well, with that out of the way, I can finally--," Amethyst's scroll buzzed once again. "Oh for the love of-- What now!?"

She checked and saw a message from Jade.

[HEY, WHERE ARE YOU? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO COME HERE LIKE AN HOUR AGO?]

Amethyst sighed. Dang it. She was so caught up with the other errands, she lost track of time.

"Sorry, I'm on my way. Is Moses coming with you?" Amethyst asked. That boy... strange. But he was also really cool. He was just kinda quirky like Aunt Nora or Aunt Ruby.

[YEAH, HE IS. HOPE YOU DON'T MIND WAITING FOR A BIT, THOUGH]

"Oh? Why's that?" Amethyst asked. Were they caught up with homework or something?

[MOSES WANTS ME TO HELP WITH SOME EXPERIMENTS THAT HE'S DOING ON HIS SEMBLANCE. THIS MIGHT TAKE AWHILE.]

"Oh that's OK! I was gonna visit Uncle Merc anyway. Wanna make sure Mr. Lazy Bones makes it to your party after all! How is he anyway?" Amethyst said. It was always a hassle to get Uncle Merc to visit the house on normal occasions except for birthdays and holidays. He'd been punctual when it came to her and her siblings birthdays. But this year felt off. He was always late and smelled like lavender.

[HE'S BEEN BUSY MAKING OUT WITH MS. CHLORIS. I EVEN HEARD FROM REN THAT HE'S PLANNING ON PROPOSING TODAY]

"Oh, no way! I guess I'll just hang out with you and Moses then. I don't want to ruin his big moment." Amethyst smiled, happy for her Uncle.

[ARE YOU SURE? THE TBING WE'RE DOING IS KIND OF DANGEROUS]

Amethyst looked at the message and simply shrugged her shoulders.

"It's fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Had fun looking up jewel names for Amethyst's siblings.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Ozpin's Office



- - -



"... And so, the war has gone on since that point to the present day."



Ozpin's throat had been drying a lot more often these days. While he had kept up his skills as an orator (what politician didn't?), he had acquired enough clout and influence that it usually only took a few words to convince most people of his viewpoint and why they should agree.



With the exception of General James Ironwood (who was stubborn to a fault) and Councilman Rufus Winchester (who was stubborn as a mule). He was glad these men actually tended to agree with him on most items, otherwise he feared his throat would never recover.



As it was, explaining his sordid past and the nature of the threat they were up against, along with speaking with his potential future wife and son, was quite taxing.



So for once, his mug was full of water instead of hot chocolate, and he sipped it gingerly as his audience absorbed the conclusion to his story.



James was scowling deeply. Isabel looked deeply concerned. Ghira and Kali wore poker faces, but they were also troubled. Glynda was worrying her lower lip, while Qrow was drinking whiskey and Taiyang was frowning in deep thought. Arjun remained calm, but the tension in his body gave away his agitation.



James was the first to break the sudden silence.



"So, when you told me a conventional assault on Salem wouldn't work, it was because you had neglected to mention she was invulnerable."



Ozpin slowly nodded. The anger from the general was nearly palpable.



"And you didn't tell me this why?" James demanded.



Ozpin sighed as he set down his mug on his desk.



"Because in my experience, revealing that fact demoralizes my followers and makes them less willing to fight for what they see as a zero-sum game," he stated. He nodded to Isabel. "However, by chance or divine providence or the sheer insanity of the universe? We now have eleven possible ways of ending this conflict. Not just for a century, or a thousand years, but forever."



James worked his jaw and grumbled. Arjun hummed thoughtfully.



"I suppose there is that," he allowed. He frowned.



"Years ago, after we liberated Pandu, you did offer to let me in on a larger project of yours."



"I did, yes," Ozpin agreed. He glanced at Isabel, who nodded back.



"He made the same offer," Isabel said quietly. "But I declined."



"As did I," Arjun agreed. Ozpin smiled ruefully.



"You had done quite a lot for our cause already, as it turns out," the immortal stated. "The Kauravas were Salem cultists. Getting them out of power was a boon to all of humanity and Faunuskind."



"Yet you didn't press the issue?" Jame demanded. "A loyal king, one of the world's best doctors?"



"Well we're here now, James," Isabel sniffed, "And involved, whether we like it or not."



"Indeed," Glynda murmured.



Ghira raised an eyebrow at Ozpin.



"I can guess why you didn't reach out to us," he stated. Ozpin nodded as Ironwood scowled deeply.



"I had hoped that by allowing your daughter sanctuary, we could build bridges towards that end," Ozpin explained, "Though it would take a great deal of time."



James' scowl intensified. Glynda cleared her throat.



"What remains is to decide how to act upon this information," she said, stern but gentle. Ozpin nodded.



"Agreed. I believe we need to proceed slowly and carefully."



"If Salem already knows about time travel, and there is no reason to think otherwise," Ironwood stated firmly, "Then acting overtly is our only option. Subterfuge is pointless."



Arjun shook his head and rolled his eyes.



"Have you never heard the phrase 'all warfare is deception', General? You're being far too heavy handed! We cannot assume what she knows! And even if she knows about time travel," here he leaned forward, "there is a benefit to not acting rashly and pretending that we do not know that she knows."



"I am aware of many platitudes about war, Your Majesty," Ironwood replied tightly, "But in the real world, it is difficult to keep anything secret for long. We have been given a respite from a potentially devastating attack, for now, but Salem will contrive a new plan quickly. We cannot give her that time."



"At the same time, we can't fight with enemies in our midst," Ghira pointed out, and Kali nodded, "We must get our house in order before any offensive movements should be planned. Lionheart needs to be removed. Taken back here for questioning-We need to know everything he knows."



Ozpin slowly nodded.



"Agreed. We must assume he has been apprised of the situation-Salem or another of his spies would have told him. Until we can be reasonably assured we are no longer compromised, we must proceed carefully, James."



James' scowl grew deeper. Ozpin held up a hand.



"At the same time? You are right. We must also act decisively. Qrow? How confident are you about bringing in Leonardo alive?"



Qrow sucked in a breath through his teeth and shook his head.



"If he's been lying all this time? There's a lot of unknowns. I wouldn't feel comfortable going in without some backup."



Glynda set her jaw. She stepped forward.



"I can go with him-"



"No, your absence would be too obvious, Glynda," Ozpin stated, "And besides, you need to be here for your daughter and to defend Vale."



Glynda scowled a bit, but the conflict was clear. She slowly nodded.



"I'm rusty," Isabel said, "As is my team, but-"



"We could go," Arjun stated savagely, "Isabel, Nick and Saia would ensure I kept him alive."



Ozpin again shook his head.



"We've already had a massive firefight with your four involved," he sighed, "Subtle you are not, Arjun, Isabel."



"We were subtle plenty of times!" Isabel argued with a scowl. Qrow and Taiyang snickered with all the maturity you would expect of them.



"Sure you were," Qrow snorted, "You snuck into a castle and left it a giant pile of rubble after. What a complete mystery."



"Oooh!" Isabel growled, turning and glaring at Qrow. Ozpin hid a smile behind his mug.



"He has a point, Isabel," he stated.



"Then I'll go," Taiyang stated firmly. At everyone's looks, he shook his head.



"I'm still the Captain Huntsman of Patch. I've been getting back into shape. Qrow and I work together like we're telepathically linked. I'm the best choice."



"Your daughters," Isabel tried, but Taiyang smiled.



"My daughters have grown up strong in spite of me, not because of me. They'll be fine." He shrugged. "Besides, I am doing it for them."



James scowled. Qrow looked at Taiyang.



"You sure?" He asked.



Taiyang nodded firmly.



"I'm sure," he said.



Ozpin sipped his mug and nodded.



"Very well. You'll leave tomorrow night, when things have calmed down."



"We can volunteer some forces to go with them," Kali volunteered, but Ozpin shook his head. He held up a hand when James also opened his mouth to object.



"No. Speed and secrecy above all else is the best choice here. We don't know how far Lionheart's resources go."



"I could at least give them my airship," Arjun protested, "I could go along as a guide-"



"No, Arjun," Ozpin stated firmly. Arjun ground his teeth... Then nodded.



"Fine," he muttered.



"Nothing personal," Taiyang said quietly to Arjun, "Lionheart hurt me too... But not in the same way."



Arjun sucked in a deep breath through his nostrils and let it out. Isabel squeezed his arm comfortingly.



"You'd better give them a proper goodbye," Isabel stated with a threat in her voice. Taiyang nodded and smiled.



"I will... As well as some... Other business."



Nobody needed to be a psychic to know what other business Taiyang had. She was imprisoned at the bottom of this very tower, seething. Ozpin sought to break the melancholy as best he could.



"Besides," Ozpin said, "while you and your team are still quite formidable? This requires a more delicate touch. Also... You have a far more important job to do."



"And that is?" Arjun demanded. Ozpin nodded to Ghira, Kali and James.



"Announcing that Pandu, Vale, Atlas, and Menagerie will initiate formal diplomatic relations at the Vytal Tournament, of course."



"What?!" Ironwood demanded in disbelief. "You have any idea of how impossible that is?!"



Arjun sucked in a breath and looked over at Ghira.



"While we have a trading relationship," he said carefully, "Formal recognition would be a difficult pill to swallow for our parliament. Saia has been trying for years but we've barely moved the needle."



"We've been trying for almost twenty years," Kali sighed with a shake of her head, "Best we've gotten is a lukewarm sort of relationship with Mistral and recognition from Vacuo-Which is practically worthless given their government is about as strong as a sprig of catnip. To say nothing of the pro-White Fang elements in our government."



Ozpin leaned forward.



"I am prepared," he said, "To use every favor, every link, every means at my disposal to get Vale to recognize Menagerie and normalize relations. I can get the votes if I put my all into it. I was content to work on it slowly, but now we have no time. James? You have Willow Schnee in your corner. I'm sure between all of us, we can bully her husband and anyone else into it."



James grimaced.



"It's still a tall order."



"No doubt," Ozpin said, "But I will do everything possible to ensure you can make it pass. Arjun? You do work with the SDC anyway, you can also apply leverage."



"I will," Arjun agreed. Ozpin looked over at James.



"And you too have been trying to get Isabel Arc's medical expertise, James. Here is the perfect opportunity to obtain it."



He looked at Isabel, who flushed. Kali and James looked at her intently. She grit her teeth, clenched her fists... And then sighed.



"All right," she allowed, "If we can make this look like something other than a gigantic bribe-"



"They'll say it is anyway, that's just politics, dear," Kali said with a small smile. Isabel nodded.



"Then... Yes. I'll put my hat in the ring."



James hummed. He shook his head.



"It is still going to be difficult... But... It seems a little less impossible right now," he reluctantly admitted. "I will do my best, Ozpin, but you all need to deliver too."



"Agreed," Arjun said, frowning but less tense than before.



"It will also help sell Menagerie's Council on the deal," Kali said happily, hugging Isabel, "Oh, this is going to be wonderful!"



"Fantastic," Isabel deadpanned.



"The White Fang is still the biggest problem," Ghira pointed out, as Kali nodded. Ozpin shook his head.



"I am aware. But I have a plan to help with that... As well as prevent the rumors of time travel from spreading any further. No need to cause a panic if we can help it."



"And that would be?" Isabel asked. Ozpin smiled.



"Your husband is the key, actually."



Isabel grew an incredulous look. Arjun raised his eyebrows.



"How so?" Arjun asked.



"I believe you and Nick tried to make a formal marriage contract between Jaune and your daughter?" Ozpin asked lightly. Isabel glared hot death at Arjun.



"You what?!"



"We didn't go through with it!" Arjun said quickly, holding his hands up.



"But suppose," Ozpin said with a small smile, "You had? Indeed, suppose Nick Arc, who was infamous for going about, making friends, and agreeing to things when his partner and wife were not there to prevent it... Had signed marriage contracts with a great many families for his son?"



Many jaws dropped. Isabel was the first to get her mouth back into shouting order.



"Are you kidding me?! Who would believe that sort of nonsense?!"



"Which is more likely," Qrow asked with a smirk, "Time travel, or Nick Arc being dumb enough to sign marriage contracts for his son with multiple families and forgetting about it until now?"



Isabel opened and closed her mouth several times, her face flushed in rage. Arjun hummed.



"Honestly? I would be more surprised it hadn't happened sooner."



"Totally," Taiyang nodded.



"Indeed," Glynda deadpanned.



"I've known the man for a few hours and I wholeheartedly agree," Ghira nodded.



"Same!" Kali added.



"It would not surprise me in the least," Ironwood observed dryly.



Isabel threw her hands up in the air.



"I-You-URGH!"

 

[Stormfury]

Goddamnit Nick, you never go full Genma!

 

[Bev]

I gotta feeling Nick will gonna go along with this happily for a good reason instead of Genma reasons.

"Grandchildrens!!"

Wait... Now that sounds like a Nodoka reason.

 

[Reader548]

I bet a hundred that Nick actually did make marriage contracts with some people.

Not like legally enforceable ones but drunken 'we should hook our kids up so we can be brothers for realsies'

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

"Are you kidding me?! Who would believe that sort of nonsense?!"



"Which is more likely," Qrow asked with a smirk, "Time travel, or Nick Arc being dumb enough to sign marriage contracts for his son with multiple families and forgetting about it until now?"

Click to shrink...

You do realize you're going to have to do a short, specifically about this now, right?

Thanks for the chapter!

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

I absolutely believe Nick has done this but for some reason or other the paperwork got lost in transit

 

[RandomDragon]

I absolutely believe Nick has done this but for some reason or other the paperwork got lost in transit

Click to shrink...

nah, but those wives of the husbands? they have been keeping Careful track of the birth records.

they know there is a juane arc, and they know he is going to huntsman school.

they just have to figure out a way to get their daughters over there to claim those contracts as soon as possible! before Blond Nightmare awakens her wrath to what shenanigans her husband has been up too!

 

[Col'O'Knowl]

Anytime something is happening because of something that most people would not believe?

Throw Nick at it.

And suddenly the story makes 1000% more sense than what's ACTUALLY happening.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Blake: "But wait, you've never met my parents before! How would this work?"

Nick: "Simple! In the great war, your Great-Grandfather Folken Belladonna saved Arturia Pendragon, Queen of Albion, and Jane's Great-Grandmother! And so she swore one day our families would become one through marriage and the feud between Albion and Menagerie would be ended!"

Kali: "Absolutely none of that happened and it's completely ridiculous." starry eyed "I LOVE IT!"

Blake: "... Me too!"

RWBY, Pyrrha, Ren and Jaune: deadpan "That's no surprise..."

Nora: "WOO!"

 

[Col'O'Knowl]

Blake: "But wait, you've never met my parents before! How would this work?"

Nick: "Simple! In the great war, your Great-Grandfather Folken Belladonna saved Arturia Pendragon, Queen of Albion, and Jane's Great-Grandmother! And so she swore one day our families would become one through marriage and the feud between Albion and Menagerie would be ended!"

Kali: "Absolutely none of that happened and it's completely ridiculous." starry eyed "I LOVE IT!"

Blake: "... Me too!"

RWBY, Pyrrha, Ren and Jaune: deadpan "That's no surprise..."

Nora: "WOO!"

Click to shrink...

(jokingly) I request of- no beg of thee. I wish for more of Nick's excuses/reasons to cover up time travel.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Willow: "Of course I wanted both of my daughters to fall in love with Nick Arc's son! Any son of his would be just as manly!" sighs happily "His father could handle two women! I just know his son could handle more! In fact, I could readily prove it right now-!"

Isabel grabs Willow's ear and twists it.

Willow: "OWOWOWOWWWWW! KLEINNNN!"

Klein: "I believe you deserve that, ma'am."

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

Willow: "Of course I wanted both of my daughters to fall in love with Nick Arc's son! Any son of his would be just as manly!" sighs happily "His father could handle two women! I just know his son could handle more! In fact, I could readily prove it right now-!"

Isabel grabs Willow's ear and twists it

Click to shrink...

Isabel - "Like hell you will, I'll share Nick with you the day the Rusted Knight appears!"

 

[NightDranzer]

Isabel - "Like hell you will, I'll share Nick with you the day the Rusted Knight appears!"

Click to shrink...

*in a sotto voice* Little did she know.....

 

[RandomDragon]

*in a sotto voice* Little did she know.....

Click to shrink...

Oh boy...The Rusted Knight shows up looking around wondering why the fuck the Timeline broke so badly and is trying to fix it.

So Rusted Knight as a Secret Super unbeatable Boss when? (cant beat in a fight, just with conversations)

Edited: of course, this will happen once a certain business man either gets jailed/divorced or otherwise.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Isabel: "All right ladies! It's time for more embarassing baby pictures of Jaune!"

Jaune: "MOM! Why did you even bring those?!"

Isabel: "I always bring them with me! For all my children!" Holds up the album "Here's Jaune's baptism and the celebration we had with the town for his birth!"

Ruby: "Oh wow! That's... Wait. What's this photo?!"

Ruby holds up a photo of baby Jaune being held between Nick and Isabel... In front of a Deathstalker tied up in ribbons and wearing makeup.

Nick: "Oh! That's a tradition I started! Every time we had a kid, I'd grab a Grimm, tie it up, and dress it up in makeup to humiliate it! Then we all killed it for good luck!"

Isabel: sigh "It did seem unfair to make him do all the Arc Family traditions without contributing one of his own... That's what he came up with."

Yang: "Why did you make up the Deathstalker... Like a whore?"

Nick: "Because that's what Grimm deserve!"

Emerald: "Wait..." Looks suspiciously at Jaune, then at Amethyst "Did Jaune do that for you, too?"

Amethyst: "Yup!"

Julian: "Totally! Mama helps!"

Xander: "Every time!"

Petra: "Of course!"

Xia: "Mom helped out!"

Ash and Ashley: "Our mom did too!"

Nicholas: "It was to honor Grandpa!"

Theodore: "To honor Grandma and Grandpa James."

Dorothy: sigh "Yeah..."

Leander and Leandra: "It's become very popular on Menagerie."

August: "No kidding! In Pandu too!"

Nick: "HAHAHA! THAT'S MY BOY! KEEP THE TRADITION ALIVE!"

Jaune: groans

 

[Col'O'Knowl]

What other traditions —read: shenanigans— have the Arc-___ family made in the future I wonder.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The timing for this one is a little fuzzy but it will fit into the story proper, I assure you.



- - -



Schnee Mansion, Atlas, Solitas



- - -



Jacques Schnee was not a man who wasted time on worrying. Worrying was a luxury even he could not afford. There was too much to do, too much at stake, to waste your energy on worry. He was the type of man who seized the day, who took every opportunity he could to improve his standing.



After all, it was a harsh, bitter world. He'd learned this early on: The only way to change your circumstances was by your own will.



Worrying robbed you of your will. Made you fear things that might not even happen.



Worrying over his family was irrelevant. As long as they functioned as he needed them to? They could attend to their own affairs.



It was how he had experienced life. He'd started with nothing, and now he was one of the most powerful men in the world. What did he care about their feelings? What mattered was that he knew what was best, and they just had to accept it.



Worrying. Bah.



All that said, Jacques Schnee did find himself a bit concerned when he returned home to a deserted house. He had hoped to catch some sleep and then see to Whitley before he resumed the economic conference: The possibility of a billion lien deal to expand his operations in Mistral was too important to miss for any reason.



He frowned as he saw that Whitley wasn't there to greet him as he entered the foyer. He tapped his Scroll and linked to the surveillance system Willow thought he didn't know about.



"Locate Whitley."



The computer processed things for a moment before returning:



"Master Whitley is not present."



Jacques' brow furrowed.



"Locate Klein."



"Mister Klein is not present."



"Locate Willow."



"Mistress Willow is not present."



Jacques worked his jaw. Whitley being gone? Well, a young man did deserve the chance to go out and attend to his own affairs, he supposed. As long as he was being productive and wasn't damaging the family name? Jacques could forgive a fair amount from his heir. Especially since he was far more compliant than his sisters.



Klein being gone? He could be off seeing to Weiss. The butler was an annoyance but too valuable to dismiss.



Willow being gone? Feh. Maybe the old drunk had gone off on a vacation. His agents would keep track of her.



All three of them being gone at the same time... With no alerts?



This was extremely unusual.



He tapped his Scroll again.



"Fafnir. Come."



It only took about five minutes for a familiar winged shadow to cross over the windows overhead. The front doors opened, and a tall, white haired figure strode in.



He was far taller than Jacques, and built like a tank. His advanced Atlasian Specialist-tier battle armor outlined his muscular form perfectly, from his strong arms to his broad chest. A shock of black hair, cut short but messy, waved from the top of his head over a stern pair of red eyes. Sharp ears like an elf's pointed out of his hair, like horns. A breathing mask covered up the rest of his face from his chin up to his nose, but faint scars still decorated his temples where the mask didn't fully cover. A large sword hung from his belt, encased in a metallic sheath. Large leathery wings rose up high on his back, before folding down around his shoulders like a cloak.



The dragon-like man dropped to a knee and bowed his head before Jacques.



"Master Jacques. What is it you wish of me?" He asked in a voice as rough as coal.



Jacques avoided rolling his eyes only through long practice, but a slight smirk was on his face.



"Rise, Fafnir. And how many times must I tell you not to do that?" He asked.



Fafnir rose, and stared intently at Jacques.



"I must show my fealty to my lord and master," Fafnir stated, "It is our way, as I keep reminding you."



"We both know you do it to annoy me," Jacques sighed. Fafnir's eyes betrayed nothing.



"Servants have their own ways of doing things," Fafnir replied. Jacques held in a sigh.



"Very well. Willow, Whitley, and Klein are all gone. I've checked my messages-Nothing."



Fafnir nodded. He strode over to the computer terminal near the grand staircase of the foyer. He held up an arm and a needle-like probe emerged from between his knuckles. He inserted it into the terminal's dataport, and his eyes flickered back and forth.



"They left last night after receiving a call from Beacon. User ID is Glynda Goodwitch," he reported.



Jacques' eyebrows rose.



"Show me the call," he ordered.



Fafnir nodded, and a moment later Jacques got a message on his Scroll. He opened it up and watched the recording.



His eyes widened with every passing minute of the recording. His jaw dropped in disbelief.



"Nick Arc's son?!" He snarled. "That-That buffoon?! THAT SCOUNDREL?! BOTH OF MY DAUGHTERS?!"



He remembered that blond idiot all too well. How he'd blundered into his attempts to court Willow during that assassination fiasco. He'd cost Jacques precious time getting Willow under his spell, and even now she would occasionally rant about how he could never measure up to some country bumpkin with an oversized sword.



I see... The idiot was playing the long game, Jacques growled to himself.



He looked urgently at Fafnir.



"Any news of this out of Vale?!"



"There are reports of a firefight at the Beacon landing pad," Fafnir reported, "Official statement is that it was a training excercise that got out of hand. However, there are some social media reports of various other fights, involving this Jaune Arc, Weiss, and what appears to be his mother, his father, and the king and queen of Pandu."



Jacques seethed. He immediately dialed Willow... Nothing. He dialed Whitley. Again, nothing. He even tried Winter and Weiss, but they didn't respond either.



"Damnit! This... This is a disaster!" He groaned. "That stupid woman!"



"Shall I prepare your ship for launch, Lord?" Fafnir asked, "To head to Vale immediately?"



Jacques opened his mouth... Then thought of the billion lien deal at the conference. He scowled deeply.



"No," he decided, "I will see this through. I've put too much work into this to give up now."



He glared at his top agent.



"You, however, will go and find out what the hell is going on!"



Fafnir again knelt and bowed his head.



"Of course, Master. And what of this Jaune Arc?"



Jacques frowned.



"I will need more information. However... I will NOT have an Arc sully the Schnee name. Pay him off. I will make sure the girls deal with their indiscretion quietly."



"And if he will not comply?" Fafnir asked.



"Then eliminate him," Jacques stated firmly, "Make sure it looks like an accident, but remove him."



Fafnir bowed again.



"As you wish, Master."



- - -



Jacques Schnee is inspired by Jack Frost, who is himself based upon Pakkasukko, a Scandinavian/Russian culture hero with a similar modus operandi. As a result, I have based Jacque's enforcer on Fafnir, a dragon from Norse mythology. He is quite literally Jacques' Dragon. We'll see more of him in the future but I wanted to establish things now.

 

[GrimmKenway8646]

Jacques Schnee is inspired by Jack Frost, who is himself based upon Pakkasukko, a Scandinavian/Russian culture hero with a similar modus operandi. As a result, I have based Jacque's enforcer on Fafnir, a dragon from Norse mythology. He is quite literally Jacques' Dragon. We'll see more of him in the future but I wanted to establish things now.

Click to shrink...

Him having what appears to be a Faunus servant is hilarious.

 

[Reader548]

Him having what appears to be a Faunus servant is hilarious.

Click to shrink...

The only thing Jacques cares about is money

I honestly think that if replacing all his Faunus workers with human ones was more profitable he'd do it in a heartbeat

Although I do agree it must not be a very well known thing

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The only thing Jacques cares about is money

I honestly think that if replacing all his Faunus workers with human ones was more profitable he'd do it in a heartbeat

Although I do agree it must not be a very well known thing

Click to shrink...

Fafnir is a cyborg but his nature as a Faunus is not widely known. He is Jacques' fixer, his enforcer. The Darth Vader to his Palpatine.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Fafnir showing ups gonna be fun. Especially once he inevitably finds out just what's going on. Can't wait to see what his fate is in the kids timelines

 

[Col'O'Knowl]

Wouldn't it be funny if the time-displayed kids see Fafnir and yell out

"Uncle Fafnir!" Or something close?

How would he even start to react/respond?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Training Field 12 wasn't the most state of the art training field on Beacon's grounds. That didn't mean it wasn't well maintained, but it did mean that the equipment there was of the old and rugged variety that had proven it could take whatever punishments fully realized huntsmen and huntresses could dish out. Sure you could do more different things at the more modern fields, hard-light dust and holographic arrays could put some real variety in your training, but the most recently developed modern designs were all designs that hadn't been put through all their paces yet so if you wanted to go all out you were better off going to an older field.

Not that Jaune expected his father and godmother to go all out today, or at the very least they wouldn't go all out for him. A test of his skill wouldn't be enough to make his father sweat even if he gave it his all. He just hoped he had learned enough during his short time at Beacon to not disappoint.

"It's almost exactly as I remember it," Nick smiled as he looked over the facilities he had spent his school years perfecting the art of combat in. "I mean some things have gotten a new paint job, but it's like everything stayed where we left it." Nick's eyes then lit up as he noticed something on a particular stretch of wall running beside the field, and he pointed excitedly, "Look Saia! Look! That dent in the wall Izzy made with Mombi's face is still there!"

"Ah yes, that was the day Mombi tried to kiss you, wasn't it?" Saia recalled with a nostalgic glint in her eye.

Willow Schnee stumbled a step.

"I'm not sure," Nick admitted with a shrug, "All I remember about that day was how amazing Izzy's form was when she made that throw."

"It was a very good throw," Saia agreed before turning her attention to all the people who had followed them to the field. "That set of stands over there offers the best view of the field. Everyone who isn't fighting should find themselves a seat."

The civilians began to shuffle towards the stands with some excited chatter while those that qualified as huntsmen and huntresses remained on the field gathered around Nick and Saia. However most of Jaune's potential wives had stopped paying close attention to the pair after Nick had pointed out the dent in the wall, each of them giving it an appraising look.

"I could make that throw with Emerald," Yang mused as she sized up the other girls, "Weiss and May too."

Emerald glared, May squeaked, and Weiss shrieked in indignation:

"Not If My Glyphs Launch You Into That Wall FIRST!"

"I might be able to pick people up with Polarity," Pyrrha theorized with a dangerous glint in her eye, "Then I'd be able to make that throw with all of you."

"Yeah, well, I could get enough momentum with a Petal Burst to launch anyone that far!" Ruby boasted as her eyes faintly glowed with determination.

"While successfully replicating Isabel's feat would be impressive," Arslan opined as she rolled her shoulders, "It will be much more impressive to perform feats wholly unique to ourselves on a similar scale."

That set the girls' boasting and bickering in a new direction, with each girl espousing some new creative application of violence in a tightening spiral of one-upmanship.

"Saia, could you please make sure they don't hurt each other before we get started?" Nick asked his old friend, "I'd like to use their distraction to have a word with my son."

Saia nodded in answer and so Nick wrapped his left arm around Jaune's shoulder and lead him a few steps away from the crowd before he spoke in a low and gentle voice:

"Jaune, I know you only got your harem yesterday," Nick began, but Jaune opened his mouth in protest.

"It's not a harem Dad it's-" Jaune whispered back only to be interrupted as his father placed his right hand over his mouth in a classic shushing gesture.

"This fight wouldn't be happening if it was a harem," Nick nodded with the confidence of a man who knows things, "Or at least it wouldn't run the risk of turning nasty. They're fighting because they don't know where they stand with you and each other, but if you made it a for real harem they'd know where they stand and wouldn't feel the need to fight for a place to stand."

"That..." Jaune frowned and creased his eyebrows as his father pulled his hand away and let him speak, "...I guess that makes some sense..."

"And like I was saying; I know you only got your harem yesterday," Nick continued satisfied that his son was listening, "And on top of that you gathered all of them in one fell swoop! Taking those two things together and it's no wonder they don't know where they stand with you, because you don't know where you stand with them. Not fully anyways."

Jaune's frown became contemplative. His father wasn't exactly wrong. He had an idea of where he wanted to stand with all of them, some kind of equality would be ideal after all, but knowing where he wanted to stand didn't mean it was clear to any of his potential wives.

"So you need to fix that, starting now," Nick grinned. "This is a chance for the girls of your Harem to show off their fighting powers! Put everyone's strengths and weakness on display, and with that information you'll all know how to relate with each other better! That's how your mother and I first got to know each other! I mean before initiation she thought I was just some idiot with a sword, but after we fought off a hoard of monstrous Grimm together on that day she saw me differently!"

"...How did she see you differently?"

"She saw an idiot with a sword she could trust," Nick's smile grew fond. "We got along much better after that."

"Umm... Dad, that sounds kinda..." Jaune slowly objected.

"Jaune, we got married, so we had to have done something right," Nick reassured his son.

"I guess I can't argue that point," Jaune allowed, "But how does a big fight help us when we don't want them to fight each other?"

"Son, who said we were going to give them a chance to fight each other?" Nick's grin grew mischievous. "Each and every match today is going to be against me, Saia, or both of us." The paladin looked over to the arguing girls and saw how his old friend was managing them. Satisfied that things were well in hand Nick locked eyes with Jaune's only male teammate and waved the green clad young man over.

"Yes Mr. Arc?" Lie Ren asked as Nick pulled Ren and Jaune into a huddle.

"We need to organize Jaune's harem so they'll give the best possible performance against me and Saia," Nick explained. "Since Jaune's still figuring out where he stands with each of them we'll need your insights, so how would would you organize things? Solo duels? Teams? Partner Pairs?"

Ren hummed in thought for a moment, glancing to the still arguing girls before humming again.

"With Professor Goodwitch in a meeting and Cinder missing we have nine brides," Ren reasoned aloud. "That gives us two full teams and a spare. I'd say we let Winter do a solo duel while the rest of the brides fight as teams."

"Tell me why," Nick requested.

"Well solo duels wouldn't be that much different from organizing a tournament where they fight each other," Ren explained. "Baring a major upset the girl who would come out on top would either be Winter or Pyrrha, maybe Arslan or Yang. They'd be followed by Ruby, Blake, Weiss and then May bringing up the rear. Emerald's a wild card."

"And why are you placing them like that?" Nick prompted.

"Winter's one of Atlas' top Specialists, so that's straightforward enough," Ren answered. "Pyrrha has an undefeated record in the world's most competitive tournament scene. Arslan has always reached the finals in the same tournament scene as Pyrrha, and she's faced Pyrrha in the championship match more often than she hasn't; now that she knows how Pyrrha's semblance works she might be able pull off a win. In our school's combat class Yang's the person who places right behind Pyrrha the most consistently. Ruby, Weiss and Blake aren't that far behind Yang, though their exact positions in the rankings fluctuates. Ruby and Weiss are usually ahead of Blake thanks to Ruby's raw speed and Weiss' verticality, but Blake can overtake them in the right situations. From what I've seen May is an excellent sniper, but she's only adequate in melee. On top of that she doesn't have any mobility options to help her relocate if her sniper's nest gets compromised, and everyone here is capable of compromising her position."

Ren glanced back to the bickering brides, a mint haired thief in particular. "If you had asked me to rank Emerald the day before yesterday I would have put her right behind Blake when Miss Belladonna was having an off day, but in light of everything we've learned it's clear that she and Cinder were deliberately selling themselves short in combat class. And that's why she's a wildcard."

Nick looked to his son, "Anything your disagree with?"

"No," Jaune shook his head, "Ren's right. Solo duels would just end up like a tournament with everyone trying to outdo each other, and that risks stratifying them along Ren's predictions. If we want my potential wives to get along we need to have them support each other instead of competing against one another. Team fights would be best, and Winter can role solo this time so the two teams we'll have don't feel like she gave the other team an advantage. She can be part of a team next time."

"Then we know what we're doing now," Nick concluded with a nod and broke the huddle, pulling a drill sergeant's whistle from a shirt pocket.

Jaune covered his ears in preparation for the noise, with Ren following his example as Nick exaggerated the motions of bringing the whistle to his lips. Saia saw these exaggerated motions out of the corner of her eyes and covered her own ears in response.

The shrill sound of the whistle cut through the noise and brought the brides' posturing and oneupmanship to a screeching halt.

"Alright listen up and line up!" Nick bellowed in his best 'man who trains the town militia' voice. The brides followed his instructions while more than one of them put a hand to their ears to deal with the ringing.

"So how are we doing this New Dad?" Nora asked as she positioned herself at Ren's side.

"We'll start with Jaune," Nick began, "I'd like to measure his progress first. Then I'll be fighting Team RWBY, and that should give Arslan, Pyrrha, Emerald and Maia the time they need to organize themselves into the team I'll be fighting after RWBY! Winter! You seemed more keen on testing yourself against Saia than me, correct?"

"Yes sir!" Winter snapped off like the good soldier she was.

"Then the two of you will have a duel after I've tested the teams," Nick instructed. "If we still have time after that I'd like to see how the grandkids are doing, but we'll get that sorted when we get there."

"Alright, you heard my dad!" Nora proclaimed, "Clear the field so my brother can spar with our old man!"

And with that Jaune found himself alone on the training with his father as everyone else joined the civilians in the stands, his potential wives and future children each wishing him luck in their own ways as they left.

"I'll be fighting you with Nogg," His father explained as he reached not for the railgun sword on his back but for the bastard sword attached to his hip. Nogg didn't look like anything special as it was drawn from its' sheath, just a regular well cared for two-edged sword with a slightly longer blade, crossguard, and handle than the sword half of Crocea Mors. Appearances were not deceiving as Nogg was a fairly standard weapon only made special by the person who gave it to his father, the fact that it had been Nick's first real weapon and that it had served as the man's main weapon for years before he acquired his railgun sword Blont Joyeux.

Nick held Nogg in the air in front of him as he gave it a quick inspection in the pre-noon light as he instructed; "Let's start with a few warm up exercises. Show me your guard positions."

Jaune pulled Crocea Mors from its' place on his belt, drawing out the blade and deploying the shield. He held is sword in the ideal mid-guard position with the shield in the proper place.

"Ox guard," Nick prompted. Sword and shield moved smoothly in Jaune's hands to the new position, blade held high and pointed forward like an ox's horn. "Fool's guard," Jaune held his blade out low and forward with the point angled towards the ground, making himself look deceptively open while leaving himself protected. "Roof Guard," Jaune smoothly moved his sword high again with the blade pointed back over his shoulder, ready to fall forward in a devastating slash. "Near Ward," The blade moved down again, pointed behind him ready for an upward swing. "The Plow," Jaune moved back to the ideal mid-guard position.

Nick nodded in satisfaction before swinging Nogg in a slow and clearly telegraphed swing. Jaune easily moved to the right guard to block with his own blade. Nick swung again from beneath this time, and Jaune once again blocked with his blade.

The two of them fell into a rhythm. Nick would swing in a telegraphed strike and Jaune would block with his own sword or shield again and again, with each swing slowly becoming faster and faster until Jaune felt like he was having trouble keeping up. Nick then disengaged and gave his son a satisfied nod.

"Let's test your footwork and spacing now," Nick smiled as he held his blade out again. "Touch the middle of your blade to the middle of mine, and do your best to keep it there no matter where I move it or step.

Jaune did as his father asked, keeping their swords in contact as his father slowly moved Nogg around and began to step back and fourth. The two of them moved around in circles, lines and loops that resembled a dance that once again started slow and grew faster and faster until Jaune once again felt like he was having trouble keeping up.

Nick came to a halt and gave Jaune another satisfied nod, a small smile gracing his lips.

"I'll fight you on this level," His father surmised as the two of them separated. As the appropriate distance to start a duel grew between them Nick continued, "If you can land five hits on me without getting hit yourself and we'll call it your win."

"Five hits in a row, or just five hits?" Jaune asked as he adjusted his grip on Crocea Mors.

"Just five hits."

"Ring outs or my aura hitting the red is still my loosing condition?"

"That will work," Nick agreed.

"Alright then, I think I'm ready," Jaune took a steadying breath. "You ready?"

"I am," Nick smiled before yelling to the side, "Give Us A Signal New Daughter!"

"Got It New Dad!" Nora cheered as she hefted her hammer and swung it at a mighty gong that Ren had somehow procured while Jaune and Nick had been warming up. The low brass sound reverberated over the training yard.

Father and Son sprung forward as the noise reached their ears, and sword met shield...

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Always awesome when Nick shows his brain under his himboness

 

[Dragon Bob]

Always awesome when Nick shows his brain under his himboness

Click to shrink...

You don't get successful as a mercenary without some intelligence.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Maharaja Palace, Hastinpur, Kingdom of Pandu, Southern Mistral, Animus

- - -

Lalbagh Garden was a beautiful space in Maharaja Palace. Tropical birds flew freely through the air betwen the trees, coming in every color of the rainbow. Flowers of every description filled the beds, tended by the finest gardeners in Pandu. Small ponds of fish dotted the grounds, their splashing delighting children who came to visit. Sacred shrines to Dharmist and Pathist deities offered respite and shelter.



Under one such shrine sat a dusky skinned back with raven black hair and a short cut mustache. His nose was beak like, his eyes black as coal. He wore dark reds under a golden tactical vest, inscribed with holy verse. A dark blue cloak hung from his shoulders. Specks of gray dotted his hair, marking him as older. He sat before the statue of Maia, one of the Dharma goddesses. Just as he had for many years now, he bowed his head and prayed.

Karna Kaurava had been taken into the Maharaja Palace when he was only six years old. His mother had been Kunti, same as Arjun, but his father had been Surya, of the Kaurava Clan. Kunti had divorced Surya and married Pandu when he came to the throne, after Surya had died in battle. His uncle, Duryodhana, had taken over the leadership of the clan after their exile from Hastinpur and the halls of power.



Karna had been put into foster care, in a sense, with his own biological mother and his step-father, the king, to try and mend the great feud between their houses. He had grown up with his half-brothers, Arjun being the one closest to his own age. As a result, they had grown up together, nearly inseparable. Despite being only half-brothers, they were as thick as full kin.



Neither had expected to be thrust into any position of authority. Their eldest brother Yudhishtira was destined to become king after Pandu, and so the princes had trained and enjoyed themselves. Karna wanted to be a royal guard, while Arjun had longed to become a pilot and Hunter. Their childhood memories were filled with laughter and joy.



Then... His uncle Duryodhana had come to him in the night. He told him that Pandu had murdered Surya. That the family was using him to keep his true family down. He had shown him the plight of the Kauravas: Reduced to mobsters and criminals in a kingdom they had ruled for centuries. Duryodhana told him he had been lied to, that the Kauravas were not monsters and Grimm worshippers! It was all lies.



Karna had believed them. Gods help him, he had. His own mother was distant with him, busy ruling the kingdom. His step-father was kind, but every interaction was now colored in the fact Pandu had murdered his blood father. And Arjun? Arjun never took anything seriously, content to live and play and laugh.



A seed had been planted in Karna. A seed that finally came to fruition when Duryodhana asked him to let his forces into the palace. His uncle promised they would only take hostages to get what they were owed. There were supporters from outside Pandu who wanted to return the Kauravas to their rightful place. It had seemed so easy! Karna didn't think, couldn't think, that his true family would be heartless monsters! He had let them into the palace...



And it turned into a massacre. Duryodhana had slaughtered everyone. He claimed it was self defense, that they had refused to surrender... But the bodies of his step-brothers and his mother, lying on the floor covered in blood, still haunted him.



Then came the new order. Loyalists were rounded up and executed with show trials, or tossed to the Grimm to be devoured. The people starved. Mistralian thugs were let in to help support the regime and brutalized their people. Karna had tried to speak up, tried to denounce this... And he had been silenced.



"After all," Duryodhana mocked, sitting on the throne with a smirk, "If not your family... Who would you turn to? Who else do you have left in this world that you have not betrayed? In the end, all you have... Is us."



Karna had no answer for that. His heart was torn in two, and he bitterly lamented ever being born. All the suffering and death was on his head, all of it his fault.



Yet he had one spot of hope.



Arjun and Saia had escaped. They had fled to Vale... And returned years later to reclaim the throne. Karna had helped them every step of the way in secret, to try and make up for his horrible crimes.



When they met again at last, Arjun had been prepared to kill Karna. Karna... Had accepted this. He had fought his brother, but he held back. After all, death was a fitting punishment for a traitor like him. A monster who had gotten his true family murdered... He had deserved no less.



He could still see Arjun standing over him, arrow notched, bow ready. They had fought in this very garden as Arjun made his assault. He could still see the blood on Arjun's brow, the wounds inflicted despite his Aura. Karna had closed his eyes, and prayed that his death would be enough penance.



That he could stop feeling this pain. Stop feeling this guilt.



"Arjun... Don't."



Karna had opened his eyes. A blond young man in blue and white Valean armor, a blue scarf waving from his neck and several swords on his back, had reached out to rest a hand on Arjun's forearm. Arjun gritted his teeth.



"He killed our family," he snarled.



"And it's killing him," the young man said, "Can't you see? How much it hurts him? Besides, he helped us get this far."



Two other companions of Arjun had appeared. Isabel Arc, their leader and healer, and Saia, Arjun's maid and Caster. They too looked to Arjun, eyes begging him to show compassion.



"I should die," Karna whispered, "It's the price I should pay... My horrible mistake..."



"Revenge isn't the answer, Arjun," Isabel said softly, "It won't bring back your parents... It won't fix anything. He helped us."



"Please, Arjun," Saia begged softly, "Please."



Arjun's cold eyes looked between his friends. They went back to Karna. The archer trembled. He took a long, deep breath.



"... I can't do it," he whispered, lowering his bow and arrow. "I can't... I can't kill more kin."



Karna had shaken his head, tears falling from his eyes.



"I deserve to die," he had insisted, "I deserve to! After everything I did... How can you spare me?!"



"Because they're right," Arjun sighed, "It won't bring back our family. It won't change anything."



"I can't live with what I've done," Karna murmured.



"Then you'll have to find a way," Arjun stated angrily, "Because I won't lose anyone else!"



A long and arduous battle with Duryodhana had ensued. Poor Saia had nearly been torn in half. Isabel had to regenerate almost all her limbs. Nick had fought on with most of his bones broken. Arjun had nearly bled out, as had Karna, from their injuries. The city had been wrecked as Duryodhana had even unleashed Grimm upon them and the populace.



But Duryodhana had been defeated. He had been imprisoned. Peace and freedom had been restored.



Karna had taken up his duty to serve his kingdom and his brother. To make up for all the terrible things he had done.



And to watch over the most precious thing in the kingdom to Arjun and Saia...



"Uncle Karna!"



Karna opened his eyes. A young boy of about thirteen rushed into the shrine, panting hard. He wore the purple and gold vestments of a Prince, but had discarded his gold laced headress. He quickly scooted behind the statue of the goddess Maia.



Karna smirked a bit.



"Abhimanyu," he scolded his nephew gently, "Are you hiding from your tutors again?"



"Yes!" Abhimanyu hissed, "And if you squeal on me, I'll-I'll have the guards put you in prison!"



Karna chuckled. A few of the guards ran by, one pausing by the shrine.



"Lord Karna? Have you seen Prince Abhimanyu?"



Karna debated if it would be true justice to turn his nephew back over to the tender mercies of his teachers for a few moments. He could feel Abhimanyu's glare through the statue. He smiled and pointed to his left.



"He went that way," he said.



"Thank you Lord Karna!" The guard replied, turning and rushing off. Karna watched him go. Abhimanyu slowly snuck out from behind the statue, and sighed in relief.



"Thanks Uncle," he said.



Karna rolled his eyes.



"You're as bad as your father, you know," he huffed. Abhimanyu grinned as he sat next to his uncle.



"You think so?"



"Yes," Karna sighed, "You're the Crown Prince. You need to take things seriously."



"I know," Abhimanyu grumbled, rubbing the wooden floor of the shrine, "But it's so boring! Uncle Drona's being all mean and grumpy just because Mom and Dad are away and he has to be the Regent."



He looked at his uncle eagerly.



"Can't you teach me some shooting or-or something cool? Maybe swords?"



"Only if you finish your studies," Karna stated firmly. "A king can't afford to be stupid."



"I'm not stupid!" Abhimanyu protested. "Besides, a king needs to know how to manage stuff more than stupid biology and junk. I can learn that better in a video game!"



Karna chuckled, and ruffled his nephew's hair. Abhimanyu scowled and batted his hand away.



"Hey!"



"You must also appreciate the beauty of the world around you, Abhimanyu," Karna said with a smile, "A true king understands why he must be ready for his role. And why he must understand what he rules."



Abhimanyu grumbled.



"I know I appreciate video games..." He considered and then grinned. "So I'll make sure game studios start in Pandu so I'll always make the best decisions for the kingdom to keep making good ones!"



Karna sighed.



"Truly, the kingdom is in the best of hands," he deadpanned.



His Scroll went off. He pulled it out and opened it up. Abhimanyu leaned over curiously.



"Is it from Dad?" He asked eagerly.



"It is," Karna agreed.



"Why isn't he just calling over the vid?"



"Probably because he wants to ensure the transmission can't be intercepted, " Karna explained, "He triple encrypted it. Let's see..."



He tapped out a few ciphers. The message soon resolved itself. He chuckled.



"He was always using the same cipher numbers, I'll have to get him to change tha-"



His eyes widened in shock. Abhimanyu leaned over to look at the Scroll screen. The young prince's eyes bugged out.



"Maia's alive?!" He gasped.



"Shhh," Karna hissed, scanning around carefully. There wasn't anyone nearby, but that meant nothing. "He kept it top secret for good reason..."



"I-I knew that," Abhimanyu defended himself, leaning back with a huff. Karna read the rest of the message, and sighed.



"Well... His instructions are clear enough," he murmured. "I'll have to start immediately. Find out every path that bastard might take..."



Duryodhana had told him forces from Mistral had aided in the overthrow, but he had never let Karna learn any names. Even after his defeat, he'd ensured all his records had been destroyed.



If Leonardo Lionheart himself had been the culprit...



He would need to put all their agents on high alert. The lion bastard would be trying to find an escape route if this had gotten out. He'd have to talk to their agents at Haven to find him, make it easier to track him down...



At least this time, Karna mused, I am making the right choices.



"Still, it's great!" Abhimanyu said with a grin, "If Maia's alive?"



"Oh?" Karna asked, raising an eyebrow at his nephew. Abhimanyu nodded happily.



"It means she'll have to go to the boring ruler classes, and I won't!"



Karna smirked a bit. He flicked his nephew on the forehead, just as Arjun had done to him when they were growing up.



"OW! What was that for?" Abhimanyu whined.



"Just nostalgia," Karna chuckled.



- - -



Karna is based upon Karna from the Mahabharata, just like Arjun, Saia, Abhimanyu and the other Pandavan characters. I took some liberties with the story for the purposes of adaptation but I hope I'm making things more fleshed out.