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

Chapter 27: Lord Lannister

'To understand just how different the Ruby Order's view of what family meant was compared to their contemporaries, one has to take a look at not merely the ideals of the time as passed on through various works and songs, but how it worked out in reality. Every child knows about the taboo on kinslaying, but few of them ever realise that for all the materials condemning it, and all the records listing such actions as unforgivable, kinslaying was quite common throughout history for too often, someone wishing to advance their rank and increase their power found that the closest obstacle or rival was their kin. As one would expect after even briefly studying the history of noble houses, most kinslayers merely acted through intermediaries and proxies, simply hid their actions or denied them despite evidence to the contrary. Who could say if a captured nobleman truly chose death over dishonour? Or if an inconvenient heir truly died from sickness? When public opinion and a loss of reputation are the only means of enforcing a custom, those who can avoid or deceive the public eye rarely adhere to it once it is no longer advantageous for them. And it goes without saying that the definition of what exactly constituted 'kin' also varied throughout history and often depended on what an ambitious noble felt most comfortable with.
On the other hand, it would be foolish to dismiss blood and marriage ties as merely performative, either. Many heeded the Faith's rulings in such matters, even if they might disagree with them - and many didn't disagree in the first place. If most people didn't love or, at least, care for their kin, marriage alliances would never have become common. And one also has to consider that most nobles, and most smallfolk, didn't have the means to kill a family member without being exposed for it. Nevertheless, with even such a central taboo not quite as absolutely enforced as naive students might think, it shouldn't surprise anyone that, especially when it came to the most powerful nobles of the era, the Lord Paramounts, Wardens and members of the Royal dynasty, even those who loved their kin would value their family's power over the individual wishes of their family and treated their lower-ranking kin as assets of their own power base. The child of a noble family, no matter their rank, was expected to marry according to the wishes of the head of the family.
In contrast, the Ruby Order valued self-determination far above the interests of family or clan. In fact, many scholars consider them to be the first who considered people as individuals instead of members of a family or Clan, even though the claim that their home kingdom had fought a war over such matters is obviously apocryphal, invented to stress just how far they would go to support their ideals - something that, obviously would affect a great many nobles.'

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

King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

Lord Tywin Lannister didn't show any reaction as he entered King's Landing at the head of his guards, but he paid attention to the reaction of the smallfolk in the streets - and he didn't miss the sneers that appeared on their faces when they thought he wouldn't notice. He knew he was not liked by the rabble living here, but on his last visit, the scum had been too cowed to show such disrespect. No one dared to openly mock him, so his reputation had not fallen that far, but it was still unacceptable.

He would have to rectify that and impress on the smallfolk that a Lannister always paid his debts.

The city hadn't changed, he also noted when his party made its way to the Red Keep. The stench was the same, the smallfolk crowding its streets were the same, and the goldcloaks were the same as well, bowing to their betters and pushing the scum out of Tywin's way. So much for the Messengers of the Seven walking the streets!

They reached the Red Keep and, to his mild but welcome surprise, were greeted by Lannister guards.

"Welcome, Lord Tywin!" their leader said, bowing his head.

"Ser Hyle." Tywin acknowledged him with a nod. He was a bastard of a distant cousin, but a skilled and dependable one. And he was nervous. "I expected the Keep to be guarded by Northmen and Stormlanders."

"There was some… shuffling in the schedules, but we maintain our strength here, my lord. And we serve Prince Joffrey."

Good. He nodded again and led his party into the courtyard. Tyrion had written to him about the guards having stayed, but Tywin knew better than to accept it without confirming it himself. His son - his only son, now, he clenched his teeth - was a wastrel prone to spending his life in brothels and taverns, and his letters were filled with such fancy news, only a fool would trust his word. It made no sense that the Baratheon brothers and Lord Eddard had kept the Lannister guards in the keep - they should have removed them and taken over the entire keep with their forces. That they had not done so suggested other factors were at play. Either a split within their front, making them hope to ally with Tywin's house against the others - or the reports about those four maidens hadn't exaggerated their power as much as Tywin assumed.

He dismounted from his war horse in the middle of the courtyard, handing the reins to the closest guard of his while he looked around. A Northman was already walking towards him. Tywin recognised his face but did not recall his name.

"My lord!" The man bowed. "I am Ser Jory. Lord Eddard awaits you in the Throne room to offer you guest right."

Tywin nodded - he had expected nothing less. Lord Eddard had a reputation as an honourable man, so he wouldn't risk it by breaking custom in public. But he had been raised by Lord Jon Arryn, and Tywin knew better than most how cunning and pragmatic that man had been.

He followed the knight - one of the few from the North, as beholden as they were to their own gods - into the throne room, but didn't miss how the servants were not quite as quick to give way, or quite as respectful as they used to be. Tyrion must have let them think this sort of disrespect was acceptable.

Another thing Tywin would have to remedy - once he had taken the measure of the court and restored his House's influence and power.

"Lord Tywin!" Lord Eddard greeted him with the proper forms and ceremony, serving him bread and salt. "Be welcome in King's Landing:"

With his guest right formally granted, Tywin felt slightly relieved. His rivals couldn't act openly against him now, which limited their options. More in some cases, less in others, he added as he caught Lord Oberyn glaring at him from the side.

Tywin met the man's eyes with his own. He had done what had been necessary for his family to prosper. Oberyn would have done the same in his place. That was how the game was played.

He looked around, noting who was present and who wasn't. And who was late, such as his useless son, who had just joined them. They were in public, so Tywin didn't scold him for his lack of respect, but he narrowed his eyes at him, and even Tyrion understood.

Good.


The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

Tywin scoffed as he looked around in Tyrion's chamber. It wasn't quite reeking of indulgence as he had expected, but he didn't miss the cups on the table and the bottles stashed in the basket at the wall.

"Wine, Father?" Tyrion asked, an undertone of mocking showing that he was aware of Tywin's thoughts.

He scoffed again. "It's barely after noon."

"The best time to drink," Tyrion retorted with a shrug. To add even more disrespect, he filled his cup and took a sip.

"I no longer wonder what possessed you to write such letters," Tywin said.

"Oh, I am not drunk. Just… pleasantly mellowed." Tyrion took a deep swallow. "Given recent unpleasant events, it's a very minor indulgence."

"'Unpleasant events'?" Tywin spat. "Jaime, your brother, dead - slain by a foreigner - and Cersei shamed and banished to the Silent Sisters, our House's reputation stained by this slander… this is a catastrophe! And you sit here, drinking!"

"If you don't drink, you die. And wine's much safer than water," Tyrion replied, emptying his cup and promptly refilling it. "Not overly safe, of course - anyone who managed to poison the King could also poison my wine supply - but I like to think I am making them at least spend some effort." He snorted. "And it might look like a catastrophe, but things could be much, much worse for us, Father."

"I am aware how precarious our position is. More than you, it seems." Did his son think he was blind? His heir dead, his daughter shamed, his grandchildren slandered and an alliance of three, four or five families perched to pounce on them… But the dogs forgot that even outnumbered, the Lion still had claws.

"Do you?" Tyrion raised his cup in a mocking salute before downing more wine. "If not for Lady Ruby and her friends, I have no doubt that Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella would have been killed by now. But as things are, we still hold on to the throne. Provided my dear sister doesn't decide to get more of our family killed." He bared his teeth in a grimace that would have been slightly threatening if he were not so pathetic.

"What do you blame Cersei for?" Tywin asked. Of course, he would blame Cersei for everything that befell him - when he couldn't blame Tywin.

"She is the reason for the current mess we're finding ourselves in." Tyrion scoffed, downed another swallow and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Jaime did his part, of course, but the trial by combat? That was Cersei's idea. The idiot wasn't content with ruining their lives; she had to send Jaime into a hopeless fight that could only end with his death. And the fool did it for her." He emptied his cup and went to refill it.

"Don't tell me that you believe this slander! Cersei and Jaime would never do this!" Incest? His children? His heir? Inconceivable!"

Tyrion snorted. "They did. They were seen doing it in Winterfell. And it wasn't a single occurrence."

Tywin stared at him. "You would believe the word of a foreigner over your own kin?" Had his son truly fallen that far? Or… had those girls lured him into betraying his own family?

"You don't know them. Of course, you wouldn't understand them." Tyrion laughed, once, shaking his head. "They're not like us. Not in the slightest. They're… The smallfolk think they're messengers from the Seven, you know?"

"Ridiculous!" Tywin spat.

"Of course it's ridiculous!" Tyrion grinned. "Messengers from the Seven would not act like them. They wouldn't be like them. They're too strange for that." He shook his head again. "They don't think like us. Or like anyone else. Let me take a guess: You think they want to take over the realm, right, Father? No, they don't!"

Tywin glared at him. "And why do you think that?"

"Because they could have the realm twice over if they wanted it!" Tyrion laughed. "I've seen them fight, Father, when they stop holding back as much as they do. They are as powerful as the Targaryens' dragons! Armies cannot stand against them! Castles cannot hold them off! If they went to war, people would bend the knee to them like they did during Aegon's Conquest. But they don't want to conquer the realm." He snorted. "They loathe killing."

Then they were weak no matter their power. "Women do not need to take a throne by force," Tywin pointed out. Surely, his son had not forgotten that, as often as he slept with whores and soiled the reputation of his family.

"They could have had a betrothal with Joffrey, but they didn't want it, Father. They have refused every offer from every family." Tyrion leaned forward, part of his wine sloshing out of his cup. "They don't think like we do. They see Cersei and Jaime convicted for adultery and incest because one of them witnessed them do it, yet they will defend Joffrey's right to the throne because there's no proof he's a bastard."

"Of course they would do it - he is dependent on them." That his embarrassment of a son couldn't see it only confirmed his unfitness.

"No." Tyrion had the gall to laugh. "They don't care, Father. They don't care for the throne. Or for riches. Or for power. Why would they, when they have all the power they need, and a far richer world awaiting them?"

"And you believe their claims?" Were they truly as beautiful as others said? If there was one thing his disgrace of a son was experienced in, it was women and wine. He shouldn't be impressed by a beautiful temptress. And yet, such things were not uncommon - many men had ruined themselves for women, the most prominent being Prince Rhaegar.

"Why would they lie, Father? But I know you won't believe a word I say. Not until you see them with your own eyes. So…" Tyrion stood, not swaying despite the copious amount of wine he had drunk. "...let's go and ask them for a demonstration. Because you need to see the truth, or our family is doomed."

Tywin hesitated for a moment. No worthless child would order him around. But to refuse to see those women with his own eyes would make him look like he were afraid.

So he walked with Tyrion.

A little later, they descended the stairs to the familiar training ground of the Kingsguard. Tywin had known that the King had granted the four women the use of it, but to see it like this… That the Kingsguard had not rebelled over this insult proved how seriously they took their oaths. But they…

He blinked. Those women… no, those girls! Had they no shame? They were pretty indeed, and would appeal to most men, but their attire! To wear clothes even a whore would baulk at! What noble would want to be seen with a woman who dressed like that? And had they no sense? To train without armour - and, he realised when he saw the blade cut through a training post as if it were a thin weed, not with training weapons but actual blades!

"Blades can't hurt them, Father," Tyrion spoke in a low voice next to him. "I saw Ser Barristan's blade strike one of them in the face without leaving a scratch or cut a single hair on her head."

"Ridiculous!" Tywin hissed as he quickened his pace. He didn't doubt that a woman could be as strong or stronger than a man - Lady Brienne Tarth proved that. But those women, those girls, lacked the size and brawn that would require! They could…

…jump higher than a horse. High enough to leap over a tall knight.

And they could move faster than his eyes could track.

And hit someone hard enough to launch them across the yard.

And break wood and stone with their face, yet stand a moment later, none the worse.

And conjured glowing symbols that stopped such blows in their tracks - and formed steps to climb into the air.

"See, Father?"

Tywin shook his head. He couldn't see a way a mummer could fake this. Or that Ser Barristan would go along with such a farce.

And yet, his eyes were not betraying him.

This was impossible.

This changed everything.

He glared at Tyrion. His useless son was enjoying this.


The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

So, that was Lord Tywin Lannister. Ruby Rose squinted a little at the tall man standing next to Lord Tyrion. He didn't look like his son at all. At least not from a distance. Although… there was a certain resemblance. Kinda. Though it really was hard to tell from this distance.

Which meant she should get closer.

She focused and moved.

"Hello!" she said, smiling as she reappeared in front of them.

Lord Tywin's eyes widened, and he drew a sharp breath, but he didn't jump or gasp, which was kinda disappointing.

"Father, may I introduce Lady Ruby Rose, leader of Team Ruby," Tyrion said. "My lady, Lord Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West."

She bowed her head, holding Crescent Rose out to the side - without punching a hole into the ground this time. "My lord!"

"My lady." He narrowed his eyes at her, frowning.

She suppressed the urge to fidget. She hadn't done anything wrong. Well, she had tried to startle him, and she had killed his son, of course. But the things she had heard about him, the things he had done…

"And those are my friends - my team," she said, gesturing behind her. As expected, Weiss, Blake and Yang were walking towards them - well, Weiss was doing that quick walk that wasn't quite a run, but close to it (a 'dignified hustle', or something) she did when she wanted to run but didn't want to look like she was running for some reason or the other - and the others were keeping up.

"Lady Weiss Schnee, Lady Blake Belladonna and Lady Yang Xiao Long," Ruby finished the introductions with a smile. Being polite was important.

"My lord." Weiss curtsied, followed by Blake, and even Yang bowed rather than nodding.

"My ladies." He sounded curt and cold. Probably because he was both.

Ruby almost said 'so we finally meet', but that would have sounded like a challenge in a TV show. Or in a game. 'May we offer our condolences for the death of your son'? That would sound like gloating. "We have a lot to discuss," she said. That was true. Everyone was concerned about Lord Tywin's response to, well, everything. Kinda.

"That we do, my lady." Another curt nod.

"So…" Ruby looked around. They had been training, and training hard. Yang was a bit dusty from where she had crashed through the fence and left a dent in the wall. And everyone was sweaty. And Ruby was hungry. "Shall we meet after lunch to discuss things? In your son's quarters?" Those were big enough for everyone. And if anyone spied on them, it wasn't Team RWBY's fault. Not that they would let anyone spy on them, but Ruby didn't want to expose how good Blake's hearing was unless she absolutely had to.

Lord Tywin glanced at his son for a moment, and Ruby thought his eyes narrowed, but he nodded with a polite smile. "I think that would be best, yes."

"Alright." Ruby smiled. Maybe a bit more than politely. "We'll freshen up then. And eat."


The water ready in their rooms to wash up was, well, not cold-cold, but cold-lukewarm. Still cold, but not ice cold. It would have been better if it were hot, but it took a lot to have hot water here, so far from the kitchen, and ever since she had found out about that, Ruby would feel bad if she had to make the servants go to those lengths just to have warm - or hot - water. Winterfell had a huge advantage with their hot springs - all the hot water you wanted, and you just needed pipes to tap it. Too bad they couldn't have this here.

But the lack of hot water also meant that Ruby was done quite quickly with cleaning up after training. And she barely left a puddle on the floor, either, so Weiss couldn't complain!

"Watch it, Ruby. We don't want to get mould in here." That wasn't really a complaint, not by Weiss's standards. That was just her. Probably being impatient to wash up herself.

Ruby stepped out of the basin and onto the towel on the floor and started drying up while Weiss stepped into it and grabbed the cloth and soap. "So… what do you think Lord Tywin will say?"

"I don't know. I don't know enough about him to make a guess," Weiss replied. "All my information on him is second-hand, and from quite heavily biased sources. Even knowing his likely goals, I can only guess about how he will want to achieve them. Though it will likely involve a betrothal proposal."

Ruby made a face at that. "Lord Tyrion should have told him that we don't do those."

"I am not sure if he will listen to his son - Lord Tyrion hinted at a strained relationship." Weiss paused for a moment, scrubbing her face. "And Lord Tyrion might be of the impression that we don't follow the same customs as Westeros, but he might still think we would be willing to marry a local provided it's a love match."

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't he get that even if we fell in love, that doesn't mean we would marry?" And they hadn't met anyone they would fall in love with, much less marry. At least not to her knowledge, but her friends would tell her if they were in love with anyone.

"I think Lord Tyrion would be content with something like Lord Oberyn's relationship to his paramour if it gained his family a tie to us," Weiss said. "But whether his father would settle for that, I cannot say without knowing more about the man. As I've said before."

Ruby nodded as she dressed again, then had to slap some dust out of her cape. They knew that he ordered the former royal family murdered and had his troops plunder the city, and had rebel nobles drowned in an underground castle or something, together with their families, but that only told them that he was ruthless and very, very proud. And that the law in this realm sucked. They already knew that from Lord Tyrion and from the trials they had seen. In any case, it didn't tell them what he thought about marriages. Well, there was another thing they knew from Lord Tyrion… "If he offers us a betrothal, we'll know he thinks we're not beneath him."

Weiss scrunched her nose in that cute way she did when distracted. "And we would know he doesn't listen to others."

Ruby blinked. Right. "So… would that be a good or a bad thing?"

"I can't tell that until I know more about him," Weiss replied, rolling her eyes. "As I've said before."

"Right, right!" Ruby grinned - she should have known that - and handed her a towel to dry off. "Let's go grab lunch, then! I'm starving - and they're making lemon cakes today!"

"Figures you'd know that." Weiss shook her head, but she was smiling, so that was OK.


"Greetings, my ladies."

"My lord."

Weiss Schnee forced herself to smile and bow her head following Ruby's lead, as did Blake and Yang. Lord Tywin had the same expression on his face as her father usually wore when dealing with her or her siblings.

"Please, sit down," Lord Tyrion spoke up with a smile and gestured at the seats arranged around his table. There was no special seat for him, Weiss noted. That would be a little uncomfortable - only a little; he could eat in the great hall just fine - but it sent a message. And, glancing at Lord Tywin as she took a seat next to Ruby, she thought she knew what kind of message.

"These are the results?"

"Yes, Father."

A snort. "I expect you to do better. A Schnee always excels."

"Yes, Father."

"Do not expect special privileges, Weiss."

"Yes, Father."

She suppressed the urge to shake her head and forced the thought away. She had to focus on this meeting; she couldn't afford to lose herself in memories.

"So…" Ruby smiled. "We've got lots of things to discuss."

"Yes." Lord Tywin's expression didn't change. The death of his son must weigh heavily on him. Or that was what he wanted them to think - she was almost certain Father would only be more concerned about the effect on his reputation instead of truly grieving, should Weiss or one of her siblings die. He didn't elaborate, probably trying to wait them out.

Well, Weiss would oblige him. "The situation at court is quite tenuous. We suspect that there's an organised effort to question the legitimacy of Prince Joffrey."

The man's eyes narrowed as they flicked from Ruby to her. "An effort started because of the trial against Jaime and Cersei."

A quick cut to the heart of the matter, then. Weiss nodded.

"We didn't call for the trial," Ruby said.

"Your testimony was essential for the verdict." And that frown was familiar as well.

"We wouldn't lie in court," Ruby retorted.

"You claim to have witnessed them in Winterfell, yet you didn't tell anyone until the trial?" Lord Tywin scoffed softly.

"I saw them do it," Blake said, frowning right back at the man.

He met her gaze.

"And we decided not to tell anyone since it wasn't really our business, and because they would have been killed," Ruby said after a moment. "And we don't think people should be killed for that."

"You condone incest?" Lord Tywin seemed surprised.

"Ew!" Ruby grimaced. "We don't think it's OK - it's bad and icky. But it's not a… big crime."

Weiss swallowed the 'capital crime' comment she wanted to make; this wasn't the time to correct her team leader - certainly not in front of a potentially hostile lord.

Lord Tywin had regained his composure and was staring at them like Father did after Weiss had told him she wanted to go to Beacon. "Like the Targaryens."

Weiss wanted to curse. They had walked into this, and now Lord Tywin had the completely wrong impression - and, based on Lord Tyrion's expression, he too seemed to have come to the wrong conclusion. "No, we do not share anything with the Targaryens, my lord," she said. "Neither their ambitions nor their customs or inclinations."

"We kill monsters. We don't ride them," Yang said.

Weiss hoped that Yang had not intentionally used a potential double-entendre.

"So you say. And yet, my grandson's claim to the throne seems to depend on your continued support. Should you withdraw that support - or 'discover' that he is the product of incest - his birthright would be forfeited."

"There is no way anyone could prove that Prince Joffrey is illegitimate," Weiss replied.

Lord Tywin's expression had the slightest hint of a sneer. Again, Weiss had to force herself not to remember a very similar expression. "The truth does not matter when appearance offers enough cover for ambition. Too many houses are arranged against my grandson."

Weiss was quite certain that Lord Tywin was part - a significant part, at that - of the reason for this. Not everyone might loathe him as much as the Martells, but he was not popular amongst his peers. Only amongst those who depended on his support or wanted to profit from him.

Like her father.

"Of course, the truth does matter!" Ruby protested.

Lord Tywin's expression didn't hide his opinion of that - and of her - and Weiss clenched her teeth for a moment; oh, she didn't like him or his attitude. Not at all.

But they were here to talk things out and to defuse some of the potential tension - or worse - before it created more problems, so she kept smiling. She had a lot of experience with such situations, after all. Both here and in Atlas. "Lord Eddard has not dissolved the betrothal between his daughter and Prince Joffrey. He certainly would have, should he think Pricne Joffrey is illegitimate - he is deservedly known for his honour." She took Lord Tywin's nod as acknowledgement of her point.

"The North is far away, and their forces are not nearly enough to stand against what forces Prince Doran, Lord Renly and Lord Stannis can muster. And should they take Lady Sansa hostage, Lord Eddard's hands would be bound even if my grandchildren were still alive at that point."

Of course, Lord Tywin would assume everyone else would be as ruthless about killing children as he was. Then again, Weiss had to agree that even if Lord Renly or Lord Stannis would not stoop so low, some of their underlings would likely do it, and probably expect a reward - just as Lord Tywin had done it for King Robert. It was really astonishing how many of the problems they were facing were caused, directly or indirectly, by Lord Tywin.

"You don't think your guards could stop them? The Westerlands are known for their disciplined and well-trained and equipped troops," Weiss said.

"Even our means are limited - more so if we have to defend a stronghold cut off from the Westerlands and riddled with potential traitors. If I'd move too many forces into King's Landing, I would leave the Westerlands open to attacks," Lord Tywin said.

Lord Tyrion nodded. "He who tries to defend everything might lose everything."

It was a sound statement, but judging by the glare Lord Tywin sent at his son, he had just embarrassed his father. Weiss clenched her teeth again when she remembered similar occasions back home.

"But Prince Joffrey has the crownlands. Together with the North and the Westerlands, you've got three kingdoms. And Lord Stannis doesn't have too many soldiers," Ruby said. "That leaves the Stormlands and Dorne."

"Whose lords don't like each other at all," Weiss added.

"It would not be hard for them to put their differences aside to strike at my grandson and myself," Lord Tywin said. "And Lord Renly has close ties to the Reach. If he promises them more influence at court, he could sway them to his side."

To Ser Loras Tyrell, Weiss mentally added. "Like a betrothal between Lord Stannis's daughter and one of their heirs? Even though he is married to a Florent?" And was said to dislike House Tyrell for their actions during the rebellion, though Weiss hadn't been able to confirm that.

"Yes." Lord Tywin looked as if he wanted to roll his eyes and sneer at her for stating the obvious. "Or between Lord Renly and Lady Margaery."

Ruby bit her lower lip, Weiss noted, so she wouldn't comment on that. Weiss hoped that Lord Tywin would think that she was questioning whether Lord Renly would follow Lord Stannis on the throne in that case. Still… "As we have discovered, a marriage based purely on dynastic aims is not always a good idea." She suppressed a grin when she saw Lord Tywin scowl at that.

"Not everyone is… driven by their emotions and base desires as King Robert was."

"I am sure Cersei could have driven King Baelor the Blessed to drink and whore," Lord Tyrion said.

Lord Tywin openly glared at him. "Mind your tongue, Tyrion! You're talking about your sister!"

"Why yes, I am," Lord Tyrion replied with a fake smile.

Weiss cleared her throat. "So, you feel that the Prince lacks sufficient support to take the crown." And keep it.

"Yes."

And he blamed Team RWBY for it. Weiss nodded. "Then that is the problem that needs solving."

"Closer ties to your group would be a solution," Lord Tywin said.

"We're not going to marry anyone!" Ruby glared at him.

Weiss nodded, as did Blake.

"Yeah. We're not gonna stay around anyway," Yang said. "We're going to return to our world."

"If you find a way to return to your world, will you or someone else from your world travel back to Westeros?" Lord Tywin asked.

"We don't know," Weiss told him.

"We didn't exactly plan to travel here - we were sent here against our will. Either by accident or by a god." Ruby added.

Weiss almost missed Lord Tywin's brief sneer at Ruby's statement. But what had triggered the reaction? Did he doubt that they were sent here against their will? Or that someone sent them here?

"So, we don't know if we can get back once we're home," Ruby went on. "Best not make any plans that depend on that."

"I would be a fool not to consider the possibility of more people like you arriving here. People who might not share your morals," Lord Tywin said.

That was a good point, Weiss had to admit. Remnant certainly had enough people who would not hesitate to conquer Westeros. Such as her father. And many of his 'peers' in Atlas. And how many of the people currently braving the Grimm to establish villages outside the Four Kingdoms would prefer to travel to Westeros instead? The White Fang would love a world where the humans didn't have the technology or the Aura to defend themselves against them.

"We won't let that happen," Ruby said. "We won't tell people how to return here - if we find that out in the first place."

Lord Tywin didn't look convinced. Not at all.

Ruby noticed as well and glared at him. "We're Huntresses, Lord Tywin. We fight to protect the people, not to conquer them. From any threat!"

Again, everyone nodded. But Weiss didn't like the slight gleam in Lord Tywin's eyes at Ruby's declaration. He looked like her father when he found a way to exploit a weakness for profit. Or simply to demonstrate his power. "There are more urgent concerns to address," she said. "Such as the financial and political stability of the realm."

"House Lannister stands in full support of the lawful King of the realm. If the realm's stability is endangered, it won't be by us."

Well, it was good to have confirmation. But…

"I hope you will impress this on the current Hand, my ladies."

Yes, that message was received. "And, speaking of Lord Eddard, what do you think about him becoming regent? He was the late King's best and most trusted friend," Weiss said.

"As long as he can be trusted to defend my grandchildren's claims, I have no objection," Lord Tywin replied. "I don't think anyone would doubt his word."

Of course not - Lord Eddard's honour and Lady Sansa's betrothal would tie him to Prince Joffrey. Again, the message was clear.

"Then perhaps it would be best to settle this and then reconvene to discuss the other topics," Weiss suggested.

Lord Tywin nodded. "I agree."

And Lord Tyrion emptied his cup of wine with obvious relief.


Blake Belladonna checked that there were no spies listening in, then turned to nod at her friends. "We're clear."

Ruby sighed and sat down on her and Weiss's bed. "That could have gone better."

"It went actually better than I had feared," Weiss said. "Lord Tywin wasn't as overly hostile as I expected."

"He saw us sparring." Yang grinned and punched her palm. "Must have taught him that he better be polite."

Blake nodded.

Ruby sighed again. "But we didn't get an agreement - all we got was a sort-of promise not to mess with the kingdom as long as we protect his grandchildren."

"We're protecting them anyway," Yang said.

"But we're not going to stay forever." Blake had no intention to stay any longer than they had to in this world.

"We won't leave without making sure that they are safe," Ruby said, narrowing her eyes a little. "But it feels a bit like… like we're doing his work for him."

Weiss nodded. "That's because we are doing his work. We promised to talk to Lord Eddard about the betrothal and the alliances. But if we want to see the princes and the princess safe, then we have to do that anyway."

"I know!" Ruby didn't quite whine but came close with a pout. "I just… I don't want to feel like we're doing what he wants us to do. As if he could order us around."

"I understand - and I feel the same." Weiss grimaced. "I don't like it either."

"Well, if he thinks he can order us around, he's got a surprise coming," Yang said. She didn't seem to be looking forward to it, though.

Blake nodded. "That would cause another problem."

"Yes." Weiss scowled. "People like him cannot stand being seen as weak - or as losing a confrontation. It would be best if such a confrontation would happen in private, but… I doubt even that will help much. We need to carefully make it clear that while our aims align for now, we do what we do because we think it's the right thing, not because we owe it to anyone."

"Yes." Ruby nodded firmly. "We did tell him that we'll protect people - from anyone."

"I don't know if he understood it - or if he heard what he expected to hear," Weiss said.

Blake agreed with her. Most nobles in Westeros had trouble understanding where Team RWBY was coming from. "Or if he believed us."

Weiss sighed. "He seems to be one of those people who cannot empathise with others." She looked out of the window. "I've known similar people back home."

Probably her father, based on what Blake knew about the Schnee family and what Weiss had let slip in private. She felt a bit guilty for letting Weiss take the lead in the talk, but her friend was the one best suited for that kind of meeting.

"And he dislikes Lord Tyrion," Yang added. "So, we can't count on him helping to keep misunderstandings down."

"Yes." Ruby lay down on her bed, arms spread. "This sucks."

"We also need to talk about the issue with taking people with us - or letting people come back here," Yang said.

Blake tensed. "We don't know how we can return, much less if others can travel here. Discussing it without such information seems a waste of time." They could worry about that once they knew more. Once they knew if they could return, a small voice in the back of her head whispered.

"That seems short-sighted," Weiss disagreed. "We have to consider what we will do if people ask to come with us to Remnant - and what we can do to keep Grimm and unscrupulous people from coming to Westeros."

"Yep." Yang nodded. "How many women do you think would want to return with us rather than stay here and get married off against their will?"

Blake winced. Too many, she thought. "And what if we arrive where we left? In the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by Grimm? How many can we protect? They don't have Aura and can't fight."

Ruby sat up again. "We finished all the Grimm there."

"It's been months since then," Blake told her. "They will have returned. How many can we protect?"

"We don't know if we would return to the exact spot from which we left," Weiss said.

"That's my point." Blake nodded at her. "We can't really make any plans without knowing more."

"That would leave us unprepared." Ruby frowned, and Blake winced. That was Ruby the leader talking. "We can't just refuse to help people who need our help. Not when we can help them."

"If we can help them," Weiss corrected her.

"We can help them at least in some ways." Ruby shook her head. "And we need to consider what we can do."

"We already need to set up Prince Joffrey and his siblings so they are safe," Blake said. "We can't do that for everyone. And we can't take everyone with us, even if we knew that it was safe. Not unless we want everyone on Remnant to know about Westeros - and that would endanger a lot of people here. If bandits or the White Fang heard about this…" Or the SDC, but she wouldn't say that.

"Or people like my father and his fellow 'businessmen'," Weiss added.

Weiss could say it, of course. That was different.

"Even if we can't help everyone, we still can help some. Like our friends here. Arya already asked about coming with us," Yang reminded them.

"Would she be happy in Remnant?" Weiss asked. "Could she fit in? Could anyone from here fit in?"

That sounded a bit… snobbish? Blake wasn't certain.

"As long as she doesn't try to become a Huntress without Aura, she should be fine," Yang said.

Weiss shook her head. "And how would she earn a living? She has no skills that would help her in Remnant."

That was correct. Most of what noblewomen were taught wasn't really applicable in the four Kingdoms. Or in Menagerie, though that was not a good destination for a human anyway.

"Guys!" Ruby shook her head again. "If we don't know if we can take anyone with us, we need to help them while we're here."

"If we want to do that for everyone, we'll be here our whole life," Weiss commented with a frown. "There's too much wrong in this world."

"It's not as if Remnant is perfect," Blake replied, smiling a bit toothily. She knew that better than most.

"We're already talking about making it better," Ruby said. "Stabilise the kingdom, avoid another war…"

"That won't help a girl getting married against her will," Yang pointed out.

Ruby deflated for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. "Then we need to find a way to help those girls."

"How?" Weiss asked.

"That's a good question," Ruby said, smiling weakly. "But there has to be something that we can do."

Blake couldn't help snorting. If changing a society were so easy, Faunus wouldn't still be discriminated against, and the White Fang wouldn't have turned bad. But she couldn't tell Ruby that. Not when her friend was looking so determined.


The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

Yang Xiao Long watched Weiss carefully as she circled around her in the training yard. She just needed an opening. Or she had to make one. She tensed, then dashed forward. One step, two, three - Weiss jerked, and Yang threw herself to the side a moment before a glyph appeared in front of her.

Her boots dug into the sandy ground, leaving two small grooves as she stopped her slide, pivoted and surged forward again. One step, two - she jumped to the left side, avoiding another glyph, rolled, then dug her armoured fingers into the ground and launched herself forward using her arms and feet.

This time, she was too close, and Weiss too slow, and Yang hit her in the midriff with her shoulder, tackling her to the ground, pinning her down, one fist drawing back for a smash. "Gotcha!"

Weiss pouted. "Only because I wasn't using Myrtenaster."

Yang chuckled as she rolled off her friend and got up, then held out a hand to Weiss. "You're standing in for the Red Priestess; I don't think she would use a sword."

Weiss huffed as Yang pulled her to her feet. "She should. Whether she can throw fire at her enemies or not - especially if she can't. And I think we should assume that she can use a dagger as well."

"Well, a dagger couldn't get through our Aura, but I see your point," Yang admitted before grinning. "Once we've got this down pat, we can switch to training against a sword-wielding red priestess."

"I'm looking forward to it," Weiss said. "And I need to train as well."

"Well, you can block fire with your glyphs," Yang said. "Let me grab a few stones to throw at you."

"The glyphs might not stop magic fire. Or might be overwhelmed."

"Then try to dodge my stones without using glyphs." Yang grabbed two and started to juggle them with one hand while picking up a few more. "Ready?"

"What?"

Yang grinned, turned and let loose with the first stone.

Weiss yelped and jumped to the side, a glyph appearing to shield her further.

"I thought you didn't want to use glyphs?" Yang asked, throwing the next stone.

"It…" Weiss dropped to the ground, letting the stone pass over her head and used another glyph to propel her forward. "...can't hurt!"

Yang dodged and tagged her with two stones, and then a third for good measure when Weiss rolled over the sand to come to a stop next to the fence.

"It doesn't hurt - unless you block your own path or an ally's path," Ruby commented from where she was sitting on the fence and munching on a piece of honey cake that had been an entire cake last time Yang had looked at it.

"I haven't done that since before I started at Beacon," Weiss said primly as she got up and dusted her skirt off. "Let's do this again."

"Sure." Yang grinned and collected more stones. Too bad they couldn't spare the dust to use their guns for this. She was pretty sure you couldn't throw fire, magical or not, faster than a bullet went.


"Are you training to fight slingers, my lady?" Jon asked when Yang took a break.

"Any sort of projectile weapon," she told him as she grabbed a jug of water and took a deep swallow.

"But… if blades cannot hurt you, certainly stones or arrows won't hurt you either."

He was right, but… "Well, it helps with dodging all sorts of attacks," Yang said. "Such as Dust-enhanced projectiles." She grinned. "We have to stay in practice for when we return." Although she was pretty sure that they had improved quite a bit with all the training they were doing - it wasn't as if they had a lot of other lessons to attend. Then again, everyone back home would have been able to train at Beacon and get lessons, so… She hoped they wouldn't have fallen too far behind. Although they probably would have to repeat the year anyway - they had already missed months of lessons.

"Oh. Of course." He nodded, though he was frowning - and pouting as well.

"You know we will return home," she told him. And they would!

"I know, my lady." He snorted, but it didn't sound like he thought of something funny. "Arya said she wants to go with you. Fa… Lord Eddard wasn't amused."

"I bet he wasn't." Yang frowned a little and looked around. No one was close enough to overhear them. Except for a crow trying to get at the crumbs left from Ruby's honey cake massacre. "You should keep calling him your dad in public. You don't want people to wonder why you're suddenly calling him 'Lord Eddard'."

"Oh. Yes, of course!" And he looked even sadder now.

Damn. Now Yang was feeling guilty. "Well, did Arya also tell Lord Eddard that we don't even know if we can take someone with us?" Especially if that Red Priestess was right and someone had brought them here - the odds of them sending someone else back with Team RWBY were low.

"She didn't. She stormed off in the middle of the talk. He was not amused."

Yang chuckled. "Sounds like her."

"She was punished, of course, but it didn't deter her." Jon shook his head. "She… She has her heart set on becoming like you, my lady."

"Me?"

"All of you. She likes how Lady Weiss fights with her sword - Arya has a similar sword, Needle, since she can't wield the larger ones."

A sword Jon had had made for her, Yang knew.
"But she likes every one of your team," Jon went on.

"Well, we are pretty cool." Yang grinned again. "But I guess that's something we'll have to talk about when we meet with Lord Eddard later today."

"I believe he plans to address this as well, my lady."

"Whoo." More issues to work out. They really needed to find a way to deal with this. Yang didn't want to let the kids down - that would feel like letting Ruby down.

But what could they do?