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

Chapter 56: The Rival

'A particularly persistent myth surrounding the Ruby Order is the claim that they not only visited Braavos but were responsible for some of the city's most famous traditions, such as the high esteem in which courtesans are held there, even today. I've already presented the evidence which refutes that a covert visit happened at all, but given how stubbornly even scholars refuse to accept obvious truths, it behoves this work to refute those claims in particular. Not only was Braavos famous for its courtesans long before the first appearance of the Order - in fact, the tradition was established before the Doom of Valyria - but the Ruby Order themselves most certainly did not frequent courtesans. The only sources claiming this can be tracked to those who opposed their influence and goals at Court and can and should be easily dismissed by any honest historian. The claim that the Lady Ruby and her friends actually engaged in this Braavosi tradition is, of course, not only absurd but gravely insulting - and had led to dozens of duels during the time the Faith of the Seven started to expand in Braavos, and at least one lynching in King's Landing. Any report about a meeting between a courtesan and the Ruby Order remains utterly fictional and is most likely either, if from a contemporary source, made up to slander them, or, if drawn from a later source, likely an attempt to tie Braavosi culture of the day to the Ruby Order, who had become near-mythical figures at some point in Braavos as well as in Westeros.'

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

Fregar Manor, Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

"...and I thought about making the head of Crescent Rose detachable, with a chain linking it to the shaft, but the balance would be all wrong, and the added weight would make her a bit unwieldy; nothing I couldn't compensate for with training, but the added options might not be enough to outweigh the loss in potential, so…"

Lord Tormo Fregar wasn't a man who made many mistakes. It was not vanity to state - or, in this case, think - this; if he were prone to making mistakes, he wouldn't have achieved his current position as the most likely successor of the current Sealord, whose health had been in doubt for some time already.

However, just because he rarely made a mistake didn't mean he never made a mistake, and he was currently wondering - in the privacy of his mind - if what he had thought was another success might have been a mistake instead; namely, inviting Lady Ruby and her friends to his soirée.

When he had sent the invitation, it had seemed an obvious move: The four girls were, despite the fact that they had all but taken over Westeros, largely unknown in Braavos; even his contacts in the Iron Bank had not been able to tell Tormo much about them, and their visit to the City had been a complete surprise to everyone except the House of Black and White and the Sealord - that the four, on the very day of their arrival in the city, had gone straight to the Sealord's palace, followed by a visit to the temple the next day, clearly indicated substantial planning and preparation. It also showed that Tormo's spies and informants were not as highly placed in the Sealord's palace as he had thought - a realisation that would have been reason to worry even if the Faceless Men had not been involved as well.

Inviting them to his home should have been not only a good way to find out more about whatever matter had drawn the uncrowned rulers of Westeros to the City and how the Sealord and the Faceless Men factored into this, but it should have also raised his prestige and would have fooled those who were not as close to the highest circles of the City into thinking he was involved or, at least, associated, with this as well. Especially his potential rivals for the Sealord's succession. He had spotted Albero Prestayn eyeing him and the Maidens already.

And, of course, it should have been an excellent opportunity to at least sound out if they were receptive to a closer relationship in the future, when Tormo might have ascended to a higher office, or help him achieve that office. Even the appearance of having their support would do wonders for his already good chances to become the next Sealord.

However, he had either underestimated or overestimated the guile of the four girls - he was still not certain which answer was correct. The incessant rambling of Lady Ruby about her monstrous weapon made him lean towards assuming the former; she couldn't seriously be that passionate about her weapon.

"...and so I decided to keep her as she is right now and focus on improving my skill with her."

She finished and looked at him with an earnest and open smile that was either completely genuine - which was, given her known achievements, ridiculous - or put the best actors of the City to shame. No one who took over a foreign kingdom as she had done could be as innocent as she acted.

But he smiled and nodded. "A wise decision indeed, my lady. Those who seek to improve their weapon instead of themselves often pay for it."

"And yet, a master of their art requires the best tools to get the best results," Lady Weiss added before taking a sip from her glass. Her tone and expression clearly showed experience and ambition - another point in favour of Lady Ruby being far more shrewd than she appeared to be; why else would Lady Weiss defer to her instead of usurping her position?

"Right! And my baby is the best!" Lady Ruby nodded, then grabbed another plate - her third; Tormo had kept count - filled with flatbread and carefully prepared meat from a passing servant and started eating, albeit with good manners, at a pace that would have likely impressed a Dothraki warlord.

But while she was eating enough to feed four men double her size, she couldn't talk, and Tormo was not missing the opportunity to further his own plans. "Although while I would be the last man in the City to disparage personal skill at arms, one cannot guide a city - or a country - with it; policy requires wisdom and foresight as well as a sharp mind, and, most of all, allies who will support your plans."

Lady Ruby nodded while she swallowed the last sausage from her plate - the olive bread had already been devoured - and Tormo smiled encouragingly in return.

But she didn't acknowledge, much less accept or reject, his clear offer; instead, she deflected again. "Yeah. And lots of paperwork; Lord Eddard - the Regent - is always reading reports and listening to people, and dealing with disputes and stuff."

Of course he was! The Westerosi might not have been as sophisticated as the City, but they knew how to govern! She was, as she had been so far, stating platitudes in an attempt to force him to make a more concrete offer. And, damn the girl, he would have to if he wanted to salvage anything out of this mess.

And she was brandishing her monstrous scythe again, all but waving it in his face. "So, I guess… Oh! Where are Yang and Blake going?"

Tormo took a half-step back so he did not risk getting his face accidentally cut off, and glanced over his shoulder. Indeed, just past Jeral Zalyne, who was watching Tormo with an amused smirk, he could see the two other members of Lady Ruby's group heading to the back of the room, where the musicians Tormo had hired for today - the best money could buy in the city! - were playing.

"Lady Yang wanted to dance," Bellegere answered Lady Ruby's question before Tormo could, as she smoothly rejoined them.

"Oh!" Lady Ruby nodded. "Yes, Yang likes to dance."

"And Blake is going along with it," Lady Weiss commented with a sly smile.

"Well, she is her partner. You wouldn't let me go dance by myself, either, would you?" Lady Ruby asked, once more putting on the appearance of being honestly asking.

"Of course not," Lady Weiss replied. "Someone has to keep an eye on you."

"That's my partner! You're the best, Weiss!"

"Obviously."

Tormo glanced at Bellegere; the Black Pearl was looking amused at the exchange. Was it too obviously staged for her? Or was she seeing something that Tormo was missing? She had been exchanging innuendo with all four girls, though not with quite the sharpness she would have shown when talking to her rivals.

"I think Ghost is getting hungry; I should check on him."

And there came the boy-knight. The bastard son of the Regent of Westeros. Tormo was not quite certain what his exact role was. He clearly wasn't needed as a guard; any of the girls could defeat the likes of him easily, as they had demonstrated already.

"Really?" Lady Ruby gasped. "You think they aren't feeding him?"

"People rarely bring their hounds with them when they visit a soirée," Bellegere added. "So, the servants might not be prepared."

The implied slight, minor as it was, to Tormo's quality as a host was disguised as an excuse, so he could ignore it, which he did. His rivals would make some snide remarks, of course, but they would do so anyway, and his other guests would understand that talking to such powerful visitors took precedence. "My staff will be feeding your wolf, Ser Jon." A glance at the servant standing behind Tormo would ensure that the beast - a wolf the size of a horse! - would be fed.

"Of course, my lord. I still think I should check up on him; he doesn't like being separated from me."

Was that why he was with the four girls? Because he could handle the magical wolf from the frozen North that could sniff out assassins? Or were the rumours that the girls kept him as a lover true? They were staying in the Courtesan's Corner, after all… But the boy didn't act as a man in that position would; he had been blushing like a virgin when the Black Pearl had as much as glanced in his direction. Maybe he was a hostage, to ensure his father behaved in the girls' absence? He was, as his position implied, clearly favoured by his father…

"Better check up on him; we don't want the poor puppy starve or eat something his tummy won't agree with," Lady Weiss said - and she sounded as if she were earnestly talking about a puppy and not a monster that looked as if it could bring down a war elephant if it grew too hungry.

Tormo blinked. Perhaps he should double-check that the beast was being fed whatever food it wanted. If the wolf truly was barely grown, he couldn't be that well-trained yet, and if the boy lost control… Tormo would rather lose part of his larder than one of his prized horses. And if the beast attacked one of his guests, the blame would be his. If Bonis Reyaan were hurt - the fat fool was said to be fond of dogs, and he seemed to have eaten his fill already, Tormo had seen him pass on another serving, then his uncle would use the Iron Bank's influence to sabotage Tormo's plans in retaliation….

The boy nodded and walked away, and Tormo once more had an opportunity to redirect the talk to a subject more useful for his goals. "Your arrival made quite an impression on the City's notables, my ladies," he said.

"It did?" Lady Ruby faked surprise. "Well, we were invited by the Sealord…"

Tormo slowly nodded. "Indeed. A fact that sent tongues wagging." So, the Sealord had called them to the City. But what for? Another attempt to have the Seven Kingdoms lower the duties placed on Braavosi goods? Though that would certainly involve the Iron Bank, since that would affect the kingdom's income, from which they paid the interest on the loans from the bank, and Tormo had not heard anything about that from his contacts at the bank. And that wouldn't explain the visit to the House of Black and White afterwards. Had the Sealord used them as go-betweens to make a deal with the Faceless Men? Or was this a plot by the House of Black and White?

It was very convenient that 'Death itself' had told the Faceless Men to help those they couldn't kill, wasn't it? And before most people might hear about the failed assassinations and start to wonder if the temple deserved its fearsome reputation. Of course, this could also have been an expedient way to deal with a rival inside the temple; Tormo wouldn't be surprised if the failure had been planned to happen so someone could get rid of a rival - or a superior.

Lady Weiss snorted. "Sometimes, it feels as if anything we do, including doing nothing, will cause rumours to be created."

Bellegere chuckled at that. "The perils of fame. I often merely need to smile at someone, and the City will be full of talk about our supposed affair."

Was that envy Tormo detected? The Black Pearl was usually not quite as open with reminding others about her own fame; anyone of importance was aware of her reputation. To mention it like this made her sound concerned. On the other hand, she might merely attempt to make the girls consider her their equal, at least as far as fame was concerned, in order to gain their confidence.

Lady Ruby faked a blush. "Well, that's not something we have to worry about."

"Not any more," Lady Weiss added with a deeper frown.

That was a statement that implied a lot, of course. Had the former Queen insinuated such a thing, and Lady Ruby had destroyed her in retaliation? So she would serve as an object lesson to dissuade the rest of the court from spreading such rumours? Tormo would believe that.

And so would, as far as he could tell, Bellegere. She was nodding with both respect and wariness hidden behind her smile. "Alas, not all of us have the power to rein in rumours at our disposal. So most have to be content with starting rumours."

"Although the very nature of a rumour's creation and spread means that its creator can rarely be identified, which makes a doctrine of mutual destruction rather hard to implement," Lady Weiss commented.

Tormo had to take a sip from his glass to gain enough time to parse the meaning of her words. Was this a warning? Why would she mention destruction if not as a threat? It certainly wasn't a piece of friendly advice, not after they had made it clear that they could and would destroy an entire house if they felt it was warranted. In any case, it certainly served to deflect his subtle question about the Sealord's plans.

"Quite," Bellegere said with a nod towards the two girls.

Lady Ruby smiled and grabbed another plate - squid rings roasted in oil with garlic, this time - and started eating them, although she shared with Lady Weiss and offered them to Tormo and Bellegere as well, and he didn't know if that was meant as an insult. That was the food served to his guests, and she was offering it to him? The food he had paid for? Or was that a sign to show she didn't mean him any ill, but also a demonstration that she was above him at the same time and could take everything he owned for herself? Was this a message or a threat from the Sealord? Or merely a coincidence?

No, Tormo told himself, there were no coincidences here. For girls who could literally walk over water and sink a fleet with their own hands - who, according to them, had defied Death himself in his own temple and came out the better for it - there was no coincidence.

He took another swallow while his thoughts raced.

This was planned, no doubt. But by whom? Would they listen to the Sealord? Do his bidding? Or was this a message aimed at the Sealord? A sign that if the Sealord didn't acquiesce to their demand, the Faceless Men would kill him, and the girls would deal with Tormo as his successor, to make the Sealord do their bidding? The girls had taken over the Seven Kingdoms in less than a year, after all, and demonstrated aptly that they knew how to play the game in Braavos as well.

Where he had aimed to have Bellegere distract and divide them, they had turned the tables on him, using two of them as a distraction for his guests while cornering him with veiled threats and offers that might or might not be serious, yet had dire consequences attached to them either way. All while maintaining an almost-perfect facade of being girls barely old enough to debut in the City and as naive as their appearance implied.

Well played, indeed.

But Tormo had not reached his current position and status by giving up when faced with pressure, unexpected or not. "Although I found that the best way to battle malicious rumours was to be held in high esteem by enough people with the will and the means to influence such things. A policy that certainly has served me well enough." There was his next offer!


Ruby Rose smiled - politely. Lord Tormo's claim that he was liked by so many people that rumours didn't hurt him felt like bragging. A little at least. On the other hand, he would have managed it without being declared as the chosen of the gods, or something like it, by the High Septon. If it was true, anyway. So… "Yeah." She nodded to show she agreed. "It also helps if the Faith likes you."

Lord Tormo was looking at her a bit weirdly, she noticed. Did he think she was bragging? Best to set things straight; she wasn't a braggart. "We didn't claim to be messengers of the gods, though; they came up with that on their own."

Weiss nodded. "Exactly."

"But you didn't deny it, either, did you?" the Black Pearl said with a smile that reminded her of Headmaster Ozpin's.

"While we do not claim that we were transported here by divine intervention, neither can we disprove that such a thing happened," Weiss came to her rescue. "And we certainly won't refuse any help that might send us home."

Ruby nodded emphatically. Team RWBY would return home. They would see their families and friends again. No matter how long it took - even if they ended up the oldest students at Beacon. Unless, of course, the Headmaster wouldn't let them return because they had missed an entire year - or more - and taking them in would exclude new first years, or something. She winced at the thought. They could find another way to become Huntresses, and she didn't think the team would fall apart in that case, but… She really hoped the Headmaster wouldn't do that.

"It is always wise to keep your options open when you strive to achieve a goal," Lord Tormo said.

"Yes!" Ruby smiled again. "And with the High Septon and the Faceless Men helping us, we will succeed!" The seer had said they would help them, and that should count for something.

The Black Pearl slowly nodded as well. "I would be hard-pressed to think of anything that you couldn't achieve with your power and this kind of support."

"Quite," Lord Tormo agreed. "Although you can never have too much help, wouldn't you agree, my lady?"

Ruby blinked. "Ah… that's not exactly true. Sometimes, too much help starts working against you." Like when a group wasn't trained well enough to fight together, and they got in each other's way. Which had happened when Ruby and Weiss had fought together for the first time. Not her best moment, to be honest. She smiled a bit wryly at the memory.

For a moment, Lord Tormo was looking weirdly at her again. "Then it would behove you to pick those who can help you the most."

Ruby agreed, of course - that was just common sense. "And you learn how to work together." Lord Tormo kept smiling, but Ruby wasn't sure if he actually agreed. Working together was how a team was most effective, but he might not be thinking about that. He was acting like some of the nobles back at the court in King's Landing, trying to talk about something without actually saying what he meant. Which usually meant that he wanted to talk about some underhanded stuff. Well, as long as he didn't say it out loud, you didn't have to talk about it.

"Indeed. Cooperation is key," Weiss spoke up. "Those who seek glory for themselves might achieve some success depending on their talent and luck, but a showoff will always come second - or worse - in the long run when competing with those who will focus on the common goal instead of their own ambitions."

Ruby beamed at her. Weiss had come such a long way since they had met the first day at Beacon. Well, so had Ruby. She wasn't the naive, shy girl any more that had stepped foot on Beacon that day! Even if she sometimes couldn't help wishing she were that girl - and back at Beacon.

"But some people's ambitions are limited to rising above others," the Black Pearl said. "They do not extend to improving everyone's life."

"Those people are the worst!" Ruby said. "A good leader cares for their team, or their people, I guess, more than they care about themselves!" Weiss was frowning at her, but Ruby raised her chin a little as she met her partner's eyes. She knew she was right about this!

"A very commendable sentiment, my lady," Lord Tormo said. "Though exactly because it is so commendable, almost every leader will profess to follow that creed - whether that is true or not."

"Yeah, there are always a few bad apples," Ruby said. Or more than a few, especially in Westeros. "That's why they shouldn't get to lead; they will just cause trouble for everyone."

"Unfortunately, most commonly, you cannot know whether or not your leader follows this principle before they become your leader," the Black Pearl said with a glance at Lord Tormo.

"Well, if you have a bad leader, you either make them shape up or replace them," Ruby said. That was also obvious, wasn't it?

"Provided that the moral and leadership failures are bad enough to justify such an action," Weiss added. "Nobody is perfect, after all. And trying to remove someone from his post is often disruptive and dangerous even if you succeed."

Oh. She must be thinking about her father. Ruby nodded and gave her partner an encouraging smile. "Exactly!"

"Indeed." Lord Tormo chuckled a little. And the Black Pearl's smile hadn't changed at all.

Good. They were being good guests, then. Ruby glanced at the dance floor. Maybe they could go dancing now as well without being rude to their host. After the next snack, though - she just spotted a waiter with a plate full of what looked like roast beef!


Weiss Schnee didn't know what was more annoying - the blatant attempts by Lord Tormo to curry favour with Team RWBY with the barely-veiled intention of securing their support for, in the worst case, a coup in Braavos, at best a lock-in for the Sealord's succession or the courtesan's ongoing tries to flirt with Ruby. The first felt like a particularly annoying deja vu; Westeros's nobility had, after months of fruitless attempts, finally understood that Team RWBY was not going to sell their support to the highest bidder. To see the same attitude here in Braavos was not a pleasant experience. At least, Lord Tormo hadn't offered his hand in marriage, though she suspected that Ruby's casual demonstration of her physical strength had likely scared him off that particular train of thought.

Of course, the courtesan's attitude more than compensated for that slight relief; the woman was still shamelessly flirting - at times simultaneously with Ruby and Weiss! - even though Weiss had indicated her annoyance with such antics more than once, and she was quite certain that she hadn't been too subtle for the courtesan. And yet, the woman didn't heed her. It was most vexing. Compared to the courtesan, Lord Oberyn and his paramour were examples of extreme decorum and restraint.

"You have to try those, Weiss! They're great!"

Weiss smiled at her friend as she took a piece of what looked like roast beef arranged on cabbage leaves glazed with honey. Flavoured with hot spices, as she discovered. A tad too hot for her palate, but apparently just right for Ruby's - she was wolfing them down.

"Do you like them? They are a favourite in the City," the courtesan commented, sneaking one for herself from Ruby's plate. "For those who can afford the spices, at least."

"Yes, the peppers are shipped from Yi Ti. Quite a bit more expensive than Slaver's Bay, but the quality is far superior." Lord Tormo didn't miss the opportunity to brag about his wealth, of course.

"And, of course, you don't finance the business of slavers," Weiss added, showing her teeth as she smiled. To think there were entire economies built on slavery… Of course, SDC used exploitative contracts and prison labour, and the things Blake had seen in distant outposts were even worse.

"Of course, that is a major concern as well," Lord Tormo hastened to agree. "In fact, it's quite a blight on the City that trade with Slaver's Bay has not been banned by the Sealord - Braavos has been founded by escaped slaves, and I often wonder what they would think of their descendants trading freely with such people."

"I expect they would be ashamed," Ruby replied, and Weiss caught her licking her lips in that endearing manner of hers she thought no one noticed. "Ashamed and angry, probably. I would in their place - not that I have descendants, of course!"

The courtesan laughed at that. "With that figure, I doubt anyone would think you had a child, my lady. Much less one old enough to engage in that distasteful practice," she added with a glance at Lord Tormo.

Was that a hint that their host engaged in such trading? Weiss would not be surprised if it were so; the longer she talked with Lord Tormo, the more he reminded her of Father, who was willing to stoop as low as he could to make a profit. Although Father at least would shy away from launching a coup against Atlas's government, albeit probably only because he thought it wouldn't be profitable; if he had wanted to enter politics instead of paying off politicians, he could have easily done so.

"My figure?" Ruby looked down at herself.

"There's nothing wrong with your figure," Weiss told her before the courtesan could do so. "It was a compliment." At least, it better have been. If the woman was trying to berate Ruby's appearance…

"Indeed," the courtesan agreed. "Many women would give a lot to have your figure."

"Ah… Thank you." And there was Ruby's most common reaction when complimented for anything not related to combat or weapons: An embarrassed smile and a deep blush.

And there was the courtesan's satisfied smile. As if making Ruby blush was an exceptional achievement she could be proud of. Weiss could make her blush as well, if she were to compliment her appearance. Not that she would do that because Ruby was her best friend and team leader. And friends didn't embarrass each other. Not deliberately, at least. And Weiss was very much certain that everything the courtesan did was deliberate, even if the results might not have been what she expected.

"So…" Ruby turned to look at Weiss. "Want to go dancing, Weiss?"

It was a small faux pas to ask the question like that; ideally, Ruby would have communicated her desire to go dancing more subtly to Weiss before making her excuses to their host. Weiss didn't mind, though. Lord Tormo deserved a little snub - and possibly more - for his blatant deal-making attempts. "I'd love to," she said. "And we might have to keep an eye on your sister, anyway."

"She's not that bad!" Ruby protested.

Weiss grinned and bowed to Lord Tormo. "With your permission."

"Of course, enjoy the music!" Lord Tormo couldn't exactly say anything else.

"Mistress Otherys." Weiss followed up with a slightly more shallow nod to the courtesan while Ruby bowed her head to their host.

The courtesan was still smiling, with an even more satisfied twist to her full lips, Weiss noted, as she waved them off as if she had been the one to send them off to dance.

Weiss let out a small sigh of equal relief and satisfaction as soon as she and Ruby had turned their backs on the others. "That was a good idea, Ruby," she said in a low voice.

"I started to have flashbacks to those nobles plotting," Ruby replied, a little bit more loudly, but still sotto voce. "The same kind of all that hinting and talking around the bush instead of saying what they want. Which was usually a bad thing."

"I know exactly what you mean," Weiss said. And it was a good thing Ruby had not only noticed the plotting but had remained perfectly - for her - polite in her reaction, refusing to acknowledge the offers unless they were plainly stated, which such plotters wouldn't do, as if that would somehow protect them, should anyone take offence. "And let's hope Yang and Blake haven't made too much of a scene."

"They're not that bad!" Ruby protested again.

"Blake isn't. But Yang?" Weiss snorted, to show she was joking. Which she was. Mostly, at least - Yang was a bit too impulsive and extroverted to be trusted to keep her decorum, so to speak, in such a situation, as her flirting with the Courtesan had proved. Really, Weiss had wanted to… She blinked as she spotted Yang and Blake on the dance floor.

They weren't making a spectacle. They were dancing together, not showing off. But… Weiss couldn't help feeling that something was off. She couldn't put a finger on it, figuratively, but she knew something was up.

"See? They're fine! As I told you! Now, let's dance!" Ruby grabbed her arm and would have dragged her onto the dance floor if Weiss hadn't smoothly come along.

"Ah…" Ruby started to look at the other couples who were dancing. She must have realised that she didn't know the dances here.

"Just follow my lead," Weiss said, smiling gently. She couldn't say she knew the dances either, but she had been trained in enough styles, for the galas back in Atlas, to recognise the general idea and copy the key moves.

As expected, Ruby had no trouble adjusting to her - after all the training to fight together they had gone through, usually at Ruby's urging, synchronising their body movements for a slow dance was child's play. Even though Weiss couldn't help feeling a bit distracted by the realisation that Ruby had definitely grown some more than she had - it was hard to miss when they were dancing like that.


Blake Belladonna slowly turned on the dancing floor, one hand on her partner's shoulder, another on her waist. She had no trouble moving in step with the music; she wasn't familiar with it, but a few amongst the wide range of music styles from her home were close enough to adapt easily to the rhythm since the Braavosi, though more sophisticated than the rather simple music common to Westeros, were still not really avant-garde. In fact, the current piece would have fit neatly into a period drama she had once watched to see if it did the book it was based on justice. It didn't, but it hadn't been as bad as other adaptations she had seen.

No, the fact that she had to pay a lot more attention to how she moved, and couldn't merely go with the flow of the song, was because her partner felt a bit off. Literally - she could feel how tense Yang's muscles were. If Yang hadn't denied having spotted a threat, Blake would have assumed that they were in danger.

But she knew that Yang wouldn't hide anything like that from her, or the rest of the team, and Blake wasn't being arrogant, merely honest, when she considered the probability that Yang, in a foreign environment where she lacked any home-field advantage, would spot a hidden threat before Blake did so as rather low.

But then, why wouldn't Yang tell her what was making her act so stiff? They were partners and had each other's backs. They trusted each other with their lives - had done so since Initiation - and the near-year spent in this world, surrounded by a foreign, almost alien and often hostile society, with only each other and the rest of Team RWBY to truly trust and rely on, had only made them grow even closer. It was absurd that she would suddenly hide things - important things, at least - from her.

And even if Blake were to disregard all that, it still wouldn't make any sense that Yang would hide something that was obviously a concern for her. Blake's partner wasn't the type to hide her feelings, whether positive or negative, to begin with; if anything, she was closer to oversharing her feelings, being an extrovert and a hothead. Blake smiled at the unintended pun, which Yang would likely consider funny; she had a sense of humour that included taking as much as she was dishing out - something, Blake thought, and not for the first time, that, if you squinted a bit, was a remarkably good fit for Yang's Semblance.

And yet, Yang was hiding something. Blake was certain. The fact that Yang had avoided eye contact for most of the dance further confirmed it. Yang didn't act like that. Not normally.

And Blake was quickly growing tired of her partner's strange new attitude. It was ruining what would have been otherwise a quite enjoyable dance. But how to make Yang tell her what was wrong? They were in public, so she couldn't push her partner into a corner and badger her until she spilt her secret - and Yang would; Blake knew how to push the right buttons. Not without causing even worse rumours to spread, which might cause actual harm if the wrong people believed them. Seer had pledged to help Team RWBY, but what would he do, or his comrades, if they thought Team RWBY had split?

No, if she wanted to get to the ground of this right now - and she did; if she had to wait for hours until she could find out what was wrong with her partner, she would go crazy - then she had to be a lot more subtle.

And she had a good idea about the best way to do this.

She kept dancing on, waiting for her chance. It wouldn't be too long. Though she would have to time it right - Ruby and Weiss had joined them on the dance floor, she noted, and while they were not particularly close, Yang wouldn't fail to notice them, which would give her another distraction.

So she was ready when the song ended, and Yang commented: "Oh, look at Ruby and Weiss, following our example!"

Instead of looking over her shoulder, Blake made an agreeing noise and leaned in, moving her hand from Yang's shoulder to her back and gently but firmly pulling her partner closer - though she met her halfway, even startled, Yang was not easy to move and reflexively dug her heels in. Fortunately, not literally.

Blake could feel Yang stiffen when they were suddenly standing much closer, their cheeks almost touching when she rested her chin on Yang's shoulder.

"Uh, Blake? Are you alright?"

"Shhh…" she whispered, almost directly into Yang's ear, squeezing her slightly with her arms.

The next song started up, as slow as the one before. Not slow enough for dancing like this, but close enough for Blake's plan.

"Ah…" Yang trailed off when Blake started to lead.

She noted with some satisfaction that her partner's distraction was now due to her, and not due to whatever had been occupying her mind before. Good. Now to let her grow used to this, just long enough so she'd let down her guard - Blake could already feel how Yang's muscles started to relax and how her movements grew more graceful.

They were drawing more attention now - Blake's ears twitched under her bow, and while most comments were in he local language, which she didn't speak, she had no trouble making out the meanings from the tone alone; they were making a spectacle. Weiss would no doubt be annoyed, but that was a price Blake was willing to pay as long as she could get to the bottom of Yang's problem.

Besides, they could just explain that this was a traditional dance from their homeland, and unlike in Westeros, the music here fit it, so they were overcome with nostalgia. Blake doubted that it would start a new fad, but it should be enough of an excuse - and still less of a scene than if Yang started a fight or whatever she was looking for.

They turned slowly around each other as they moved, and Yang tried again: "So… what brought this on? Not that I'd mind, you know. It's been a while since I've danced like this."

She chuckled, and Blake felt a brief bout of annoyance for some reason. Whatever, if Yang was making dumb jokes, she would be ready.

So Blake tightened her embrace just enough to ensure Yang felt it, brushed her lips over Yang's ear and whispered: "I was fed up with you fidgeting and trying to brush me off. I am not an idiot, you know. Tell me."

She felt Yang almost freeze in her embrace as seemingly every muscle she was touching tensed at once, and had to quickly readjust her footing so they wouldn't stumble.

What had she said to trigger such a reaction?


Yang Xiao Long held her breath. What had Blake said? Tell her?

"Tell you…?" She whispered.

Tell her what? That Yang had crush on her? Did she know and wanted to force Yang to admit it? But why? And how would Blake know when Yang had only realised it this evening, right before they started dancing? Her partner was smart, but that smart? On the other hand, Blake was currently hugging her and dancing so closely, Yang could feel her cheek pressing against hers when she turned her head slightly to the side, and each time she took a breath… Why would she do that?

"Tell me why you're acting like that!" Blake whispered barely above the sound of the musicians. Her breath tickled her ear, and Yang tensed up all over again.

Her partner must be on to her. That was why she was acting like… like she was acting.

Yang swallowed. They were still dancing - Blake was leading them, of course. Yang couldn't have led anyone right now; her body was moving like on autopilot. And the crowd had noticed. "People are staring," she whispered. She needed to stall so she could figure out this mess. Figure out her partner. Figure out herself.

"I am aware," Blake replied. She wasn't tense at all - Yang could feel it as she moved smoothly through another slow turn.

"Weiss is staring," Yang added. Their friend was staring. So was Ruby, actually - Yang's sister was craning her neck to keep looking at them while Weiss turned her away so she could glare at them.

"Let her."

That… didn't sound like Blake. Yang's partner didn't like to draw such attention. She preferred to fade into the background when she could. To observe. Or to read a book in peace. Yang had done her best to draw her out some more at Beacon, but she hadn't exactly expected this reaction. "Is everything alright?" Yang asked.

"No, it's not." Blake sounded more like she was hissing than whispering. "You're still trying to brush me off."

Yeah, definitely hissing. If she weren't wearing her bow, her ears would be lying flat against her head, and if they weren't in public, she would be glaring at Yang. At least, Yang hoped that Blake wasn't scowling - she couldn't exactly see her face, not with Blake's chin resting on her shoulder and their cheeks pressed together. Oh, and that arm that was wrapped around her back, holding her in place. Which was now tensing. Yeah, stalling wouldn't work. "Well, you know…"

"No, I don't know. That's why I am asking."

Oh. That was… What did that mean? Yang wondered while Blake led them a bit to the side, avoiding Weiss, who was trying to steer Ruby closer to them. Fortunately - or unfortunately, Yang wasn't sure right now - Ruby was still trying to look at them and not cooperating or coordinating that well.

And Blake and Yang were kind of drawing a crowd, even on the dance floor, as people kept staring and whispering in that local language Yang didn't understand. Of course, she had an idea what they were saying - they were probably shocking the locals. If they were doing this in King's Landing, people would probably gasp out loud. Or faint, in some cases.

Blake's pinching of her side made Yang focus on the problem at hand. No more stalling. And she still hadn't figured out what she should be saying or doing or feeling or whatever.

Shit.

But she knew what she was feeling. And if Blake wanted to know that so damn hard… Well, if you were pushed, you pushed back. That had worked out for Yang often enough.

She took a deep breath, tried to ignore how Blake tightened her grip a bit more, and then quickly blurted out: "I realised I got a crush on you."

She immediately felt Blake tense up. Shit. So, she hadn't known. Damn.

"You got a crush on me?" Blake didn't sound demanding or pissed off any more. She sounded… shocked, or something like it.

And Yang didn't know how to react to that. So she stayed the course, as Dad would say. "Yeah," she whispered, forcing herself to smile so the spectators wouldn't suspect anything - Weiss was still trying to close in, she had managed to make Ruby get along, but there were a few couples in the way. "I was jealous when you were flirting with the Black Pearl." And didn't that sound pathetic? How could she measure up to that beauty?

"Me? You were flirting with her!" Blake whispered back.

"Ah… I only wanted to get her off Ruby," Yang said.

"Still flirting."

"And what's your excuse?" Yang said before she could stop herself. Why was she arguing? This was such a mess!

Blake didn't answer. Yang wanted to gain some distance so she could see her face, but when she started to pull back a little, Blake tightened her grip again.

"You're kinda sending mixed signals here, partner," Yang whispered with all the fake confidence she could muster.

"Why me?" Blake asked in such a low whisper, Yang barely heard it.

This time, Yang could stop herself and didn't say 'why not?' or something similarly stupid. "You're smart, brave, beautiful, the best partner I could want. Why wouldn't I fall for you?" OK, the last line was stupid, but not majorly stupid.

At least she hoped so.

Blake didn't answer, and Yang felt her stomach clench. Was that a bad sign? Was her partner wondering how to let her down without hurting her feelings? Had she just ruined their partnership? Their friendship? When people broke up, they often stopped being friends, didn't they? Could you call it breaking up if you weren't together - together-together, as Nora would say - in the first place? But when a friend at Signal had told Yang he loved her, and she had let him down, they had stopped being friends. Damn! Yang should never have told Blake. Should have played it off as something else - a hunch about assassins or whatever. She was so stupid!

"Are you sure?"

What? Why was Blake asking that? And in such a… weird voice? "Yes, I am sure!" Yang managed not to snap, but she did raise her voice a little. "You're a catch, you know," she added in a whisper.

Then she felt Blake chuckle a little at that. "I'm not."

"You're my catch, anyway!" slipped out before Yang could think of a better line. Damn, she was making a fool of herself or whatever.

But she felt Blake relax, not just the arm around her back but her whole body - finally - and lean into her again. That was a good sign, wasn't it? But she still hadn't told Yang what she thought, felt, about this, about her. Of course, Yang had surprised her with this whole… thing. That was obvious. Now at least. It hadn't been when Blake had acted as if she was going to bite or lick Yang's ear any moment, or her neck, or… Yang put a stop to that line of thought before her imagination ran wild. Wilder. "So, now you know," she said.

"Yes." Blake sounded still a bit… off.

Yang was tempted to comment on that, like Blake had. But that definitely would be stupid. Probably. "I guess you need to ponder this, huh?" she said instead.

"Yes," Blake replied.

That wasn't the passionate answer (followed by an even more passionate kiss) Yang had hoped for. But neither was it some shocked refusal. And Blake was her cool, calm and sharp partner. She would have to think about this to figure it out.

And she hadn't let go of Yang yet, even though she was now aware of what Yang felt for her. That was a good sign, right? Yang would stick with that until proven wrong. And she probably should take over the leading part, now that Blake looked like she was moving on autopilot - they almost ran into another couple.

And there came Weiss and Ruby, past a couple that… was now dancing like Blake and Yang were?

Oh. Yang grinned. "We might be setting a trend," she whispered.

"Huh?" Blake replied.

"People are copying us." Yes, there was another couple following their example.

"Oh."

"Probably didn't want to be shown up by foreigners," Yang said. "They are proud of their courtesans, right?"

"I don't think that's exactly how it works," Blake said. "The fact that they aren't imitating or trying to outdo what we've heard happens at parties in Lys seems to refute this."

What they had heard about… Oh. Yang felt her face flush a little. Yeah, that was something else.

And she couldn't help wondering if Blake mentioning this was a good sign as well. She didn't ask or joke about that, of course. The last thing Blake needed was Yang pushing her.

"What are you doing?" Weiss whispered when she finally reached their side,

"Hi, guys!" Ruby smiled at them as both couples turned around each other. "Don't mind her, she's cranky."

"I'm not!"

Yang chuckled at that, and she felt more than she heard Blake laugh softly as well. Yeah, she'd take that as a good sign. Couldn't lose hope, after all, or the Grimm would get you. "We're trendsetters," she said.

Weiss muttered what Yang was sure was a curse - she would have to ask Blake later. For now, dancing a bit more sounded good. And it would keep the Black Pearl from butting in, or should. Where was the courtesan, anyway? Yang looked around as they turned. Ah, there. But the way she and Tormo were looking at Team RWBY wasn't good. A bit of close dancing couldn't be that much of a scandal, could it?

Blake stiffened again, and the way her headband moved a bit against Yang's head…

"What's wrong?" Yang whispered.

"Jon's in trouble."

Shit.

Chapter 57: The Knight

'Much has been said about the skill at arms that the Ruby Order's members displayed, and more so about their weapons. That they were exceptionally skilled at combat has been corroborated by so many trustworthy sources, only a fool would doubt it - the sheer amount of influence they wielded in Westeros, and the esteem in which they, foreigners, and women at that, were held by the local population, would have been impossible to achieve without such martial might. Even though some of their feats were, undoubtedly, exaggerated in the retellings over the centuries, they were consistently acclaimed as the deadliest warriors in the realm by their contemporaries, including Ser Barristan Selmy, himself acknowledged as the greatest knight of his generation. The idea that so many people, many of them experts or, at least, experienced in battle, would celebrate the Ruby Order as peerless warriors if they were not standing heads above everyone else, must be discarded as willfully ignorant. However, that does not prove that the schools of combat founded in their time were or are faithfully based on their combat style, much less taught by them. A lot of the weapon styles taught in the Ruby Order have roots that go much further back than the era of Four Maidens. Further, there is no solid, trustworthy evidence that they were responsible for any of the water dancing styles that various notables in Braavos claim were, if not invented, then inspired by them. Their weapons - with the possible exception of Lady Weiss Schnee's Myrtenaster - do not lend themselves to such styles, which precludes teaching, much less creating the aforementioned techniques.'

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

Fregar Manor, Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

Jon Snow - Ser Jon Snow - kept a hand on Ghost's head. He knew that his companion wanted to rip the man facing him apart; he could almost feel the direwolf's rage for daring to insult and threaten Jon. But he couldn't let Ghost loose; if he mauled or even killed anyone, the consequences would be dire, for Jon and, more importantly, for Team Ruby. He owed them too much, and… He blinked. 'Dire'? Had he truly made such a bad wordplay?

"You're carrying a sword!" The man - Jalem Ketro, according to his boasts a bravo of 'peerless skill' - sneered at him. "Either draw it to defend yourself, or drop it like the coward you are!"

Jon didn't quite understand what had riled up the other man so much. Sure, he had been aware that bravos could and would challenge anyone who wore a sword, but as he had been told, custom limited those challenges to certain areas. Jon had not expected, shouldn't have expected, to be challenged in the stables of their host's manor.

"Why bother? If he is too craven to fight, just cut him down!" One of the man's friends said, sneering as well.

Coward? Craven? Jon clenched his teeth and his free hand, almost aching to draw his sword and prove those men wrong. And Ghost growled, loud enough to spook all the horses in the stables - one of them even started kicking at its box in its panic. He saw a stablehand whom the bravos hadn't scared away yet rushing past the half a dozen bravos surrounding him and Ghost to reach the horse and managed to calm Ghost down again. "I will not break guest right!" he spat. No matter how much he longed to show those fools that if they threatened his pack, they would pay with their lives and… Pack? He shook his head. What was he thinking? Team Ruby were his superiors.

"Guest right? Where do you think you are, bastard?" Ketro scoffed. "You're in Braavos, not in whatever hovel you were raised in."

Bastard! Jon ground his teeth. He was a bastard, true. But he was a knight! A member of the Ruby Order! Which was why he couldn't just draw his sword and fight. Knights of the Order didn't brawl like this. He took a deep breath to steady himself, like Lady Yang had taught him. "We are in the stables of Lord Tormo Fregar," he said. "Not in the streets of the city. I will not shame myself and my Order by starting a fight."

"Craven, as I said!" another heckler jeered. "Let's cut them both down! My love will cherish the pelt of the beast!"

Jon stiffened for a moment. Attack Ghost? He growled, rage bubbling inside him. Any knight had the right to defend themselves. And the duty to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. "I will not…"

"Jon!"

He froze again. Lady Ruby! He whirled, just quick enough to see the cloud of petals surrounding her fade. "My lady!"

"What's going on here? We heard you were in trouble!" She looked around, her war scythe ready.

The bravos looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. Ketro scoffed. "You called for a woman to help you? How low can you sink! No man would do this!"

"Hey!" Ruby glared at them as she swung her scythe around and rammed the spike at the end of the shaft into the floor with an audible crack. "Oops!" she added in a lower voice. "Anyway! What's going on here?"

"Jon!"

"Jon!"

And here came the others! Lady Yang, Lady Blake and Lady Weiss, and behind them, he could hear many more footsteps.

The bravos must have noticed that as well - he could see them exchange glances behind his back. Whatever they had intended, it was now moot. He also caught a whiff of fear, but it didn't last.

"What's going on?" Lady Weiss echoed Lady Ruby's question. "We heard you were in trouble!"

"These men have been insulting me and challenging me to a fight," Jon replied. "I do not know why they felt so."

"Because you're strutting around with a beast and a sword that both are too big for your britches!" Ketro scoffed. "And everyone knows that if you wear a sword, you're ready to fight any challenger!"

"I thought that didn't apply on private grounds," Lady Blake said in a calm, almost bored-sounding voice as they joined Jon and Ghost. She smelled worked up, though Jon couldn't say why he knew that.

"It is the law in the city!" Ketro boasted. "And I challenged this arrogant boy, who carries a sword he is too cowardly to wield!"

"You came to the stables to challenge a boy?" Lady Yang snorted.

He was a knight! Jon pressed his lips together lest he embarrass himself and his superiors.

"We came to the stables because we had heard there was a beast threatening the animals," the first heckler said. "And we found both the beast and its craven handler."

"I am no craven!" Jon spat.

"You can say what you want, your actions tell another story." Ketro sneered again, and Jon balled his free hand into a fist. He wanted nothing more than to make this braggart eat his words, as Lady Yang would say. But he was a knight of the Ruby Order. Not a hedge knight. His actions reflected on many more than merely himself.

And, a voice in the back of his head that sounded somewhat like Ser Barristan added, the bravo was clearly spoiling for a fight, and it would be foolish to give an obvious enemy what he wanted.

He pushed the voice away. He was a knight, and he had not only trained with the Kingsguard's best, but with Team Ruby as well - and longer than most! "The Ruby Order does not fight lightly." He had sworn to be humble for the Crone. To fight for his pricked pride would go against that.

"An order of craven, then!"

That was…

"You think that because Ser Jon doesn't leap to fight you, he is a coward?" Lady Weiss's sneer matched, no, surpassed, the bravos' easily.

"Any man with an ounce of courage in their blood would have long since answered the challenge! Is that the kind of man you keep company with?"

Jon growled at the insult - and felt livid at the lurid gazes aimed at them by the bravos.

"Really? You're going there?" Lady Yang narrowed her eyes.

But before anyone else could say anything, the people whose steps Jon had been hearing finally arrived, led by Lord Tormo himself. "What is the meaning of this? Who dares to insult me in my own home?"

Jon expected the bravos to cave, but they dug their heels in, and Ketro faced the lord with a haughty expression. "A man who carries a sword is expected to wield it, isn't he, my lord?"

Lord Tormo frowned, and Jon felt nervous, but also excited, at his expression. That was not the face of a man about to dismiss a claim.

"And you would challenge a man in my stables?"

"I would challenge him in your privy if he had given me the same insult!"

"Ew!" Lady Ruby made a gagging noise, and her friends looked perturbed as well.

But Jon steeled himself and straightened, his hand leaving Ghost, who stiffened as well and was mirroring Jon as he faced Lady Ruby. "If you'll give me permission, my lady, I will gladly face this ruffian."

Lady Yang was frowning at him, as was Lady Weiss, Lady Blake was as inscrutable as ever - though she smelt angry like the others. Jon was only looking at Lady Ruby, though.

"Ah… If you want to fight him, then…" Ruby tilted her head slightly and eyed Ketros with narrowed eyes before nodding. "...then kick his ass!"

Jon had grown used to the sometimes surprising profanity Lady Ruby could use, though it had taken him some time, and so he merely nodded and drew his sword while he turned to face Ketro.

"But not here!" Lord Tormo quickly said. "Such a duel should be held in a location worthy of it."

A what? Jon kept his eyes on his opponent, as he had been taught by Lady Yang, to avoid a 'sucker punch', and didn't stare at the noble.

"Outside, then? Or do you wish to see me deal with the craven boy in your ballroom?" Ketro asked with a wide grin, his blade raised a bit higher than a proper guard stance.

"Outside will do," Lord Tormo said.

"The grass will soak up the blood." Ketro laughed, and Jon couldn't tell if he truly was as confident as he acted, or merely faking it.

Well, Jon would find out soon if the bravo was as skilled with his blade as he claimed. He tried his best to keep a calm expression on his face as they walked out of the stables and onto the small lawn outside, but when he saw the crowd gathering, he flinched.

It was one thing to fight for your life against a braggart insulting his honour, but to do it in front of an audience? There were fewer spectators than at a tournament back home, but the mood was the same. How many of those people - nobles and rich merchants, all of them - cared about who would win this fight, and how many only sought entertainment?

It didn't matter. He was a knight of the Ruby Order. Whether he was alone or under the eyes of a thousand people - and there were not that many, surely, present - he would stay true to his oaths.

The people quickly formed a ring - they must be used to such a spectacle, then. They smelt of wine and exotic spices, and sweat as well.

"Keep your guard up and don't fall for feints and dirty tricks!" Lady Yang whispered next to him when he stepped into the empty ring. "He's got a lighter sword, so he'll be faster than most you are used to fighting. Not nearly as fast as us, of course."

Jon nodded and walked into the centre of the free space as Ghost stayed at Lady Yang's side.

Ketro smirked as he took up a position about five paces away, facing Jon. He twirled his sword in a flourish, bowing as people made appreciative comments and cheers.

Jon remained focused on the bravo, sword held in a two-handed guard position. He wished he had his shield, but he had trained both with one and without. He would not let the Maidens down.

Ketro flashed a toothy grin at him, but he smelled a little unsure. Jon almost snorted at his silly thought - as if he could smell fear, like the knights in the Age of Heroes, according to some epics.

"Have you ever fought a water dancer, boy?" Ketro asked, jabbing his blade at the air between them. He was fast, as Lady Yang had warned Jon. But even if he was holding back a little, to fool Jon into underestimating him, he wasn't nearly as fast as Lady Weiss or Lady Blake were, even when they were going easy on Jon during training,

"No," Jon replied, not moving from his stance.

"Then this will be your first and last lesson!" Ketro grinned again, then looked at their host. "Lord Tormo?"

"Are you ready?" Lord Tormo asked.

Jon thought that would be obvious, but it was likely a formality. "Yes," he said, without glancing at the man.

"Always!" Ketro replied, flourishing his blade again.

"Then begin!"

Ketro swung his sword around in a wide arc, almost lazily - and then suddenly lunged, his body, arm and blade forming a line aimed at Jon. He was not much faster than he had pretended earlier, Jon noted.

But he wasn't nearly as fast as a Maiden. And not as skilled as Ser Barristan. Jon parried his lunge with a twist of his wrist, catching the blade on his own and half-guiding, half-forcing it to the side.

He had just moved his sword back to a guard position when Ketro's next attack came, and he deflected that one as well. And the next, though with more effort - Ketro was probing his defences, as Weiss called it, trying to overwhelm him.

Jon had more trouble parrying the next attacks and had to step to the side to dodge a quick follow-up to a stab at his legs that turned out to be a feint. His own riposte was deflected, and Ketro quickly tried to keep him off balance for another attack.

But Jon had weathered worse in training. Much worse. He had his sword up in a guard before Ketro could slide around it, and when the bravo started circling him, Jon carefully turned around himself as he had been taught, not letting his opponent come at him from an oblique angle.

"What's the matter, boy? Too much of a coward to fight back? Or did you only know to hide behind your sword?"

Jon ignored the taunting. The man was not as good as he claimed, but Jon had no trouble - not after facing Lady Blake and her clones in the sparring ring - to see how Ketro was trying to bait him into losing his temper and attack him without thought.

When Jon didn't show any reaction, Ketro glared at him, and, for a moment, his smile turned into a scowl. Then he pressed his attack, adding more complicated techniques in an attempt to get past Jon's defences.

He came close, but Jon had felt Ser Barristan's training sword, and the Maidens' various weapons, too often to fall for this. It took all his skill, and some luck, but he managed to fend the man's attacks off without suffering more than a cut sleeve.

And when Ketro started to slow down just a little, Jon began to attack himself, launching a few two-handed slashes to break the other man's rhythm, then pressed him. Ketro was fast with his sword, but Jon had trained with Lady Weiss, and he could see Ketro faltering just a tiny bit as he was forced to fend off the heavier blade. He was good, but he was no Kingsguard, and certainly far from the likes of Ser Barristan. Nor did he have a Maiden's endurance and strength.

Jon stuck to controlled attacks, probing the man's defences, and the mounting pressure did create openings. But he kept from committing - Ketro could be trying to lure him in. However, after two such openings, he was sure the man wasn't faking, and when the bravo's blade left another gap in his defences, his footing unbalanced, Jon lunged.

His blade once more forced the bravo's sword to the side, and this time, Jon pressed the attack and sliced into the man's side. Ketro cried out, stumbling to the side, one hand going to his wound as the tip of his sword dropped. Jon was already halfway into the follow-up strike, guiding his sword into a cross cut that slid over the bravo's lowered guard and opened his neck.

A gasp went through the crowd, and Jon clenched his teeth when he saw the man's eyes widen, blood gushing out of his neck, before Ketro collapsed to his knees. He tried to say something, but could only gargle as blood poured out of his open mouth, then fell forward, his sword ending up stuck point-first in the grass.

He had killed his second man, Jon realised with a start. And in a duel, not a desperate fight against an assassin.

And Team Ruby were staring at him.


Ruby Rose stifled a gasp as she watched the bravo die on the grass. Jon had killed him! But the man had been trying to kill him, she berated herself at once - he had said so multiple times. Still… Jon had killed a man. For the second time, even if the first had been a sort of suicide when the Faceless Man had pushed himself on Jon's Blade. But she didn't think Jon saw it like that. And Ruby knew how killing felt. "Are you alright, Jon?" she asked.

"His blade didn't touch me, my lady," Jon replied with a nod as he cleaned his sword. From blood, Ruby realised as she clenched her teeth. She hadn't meant physical wounds.

"Yeah," Yang spoke up. "You were clearly better." She grinned, though Ruby could see that it was forced. "But then, we already knew that from training."

Training, yes. Ruby nodded. Jon had fought as they had trained him. Fought defensively at first, to judge how good his enemy was, then exploited the third - or fourth, by her count - opening with a combo of Blake's and Ser Barristan's moves. Just as he had trained, he had taken out his enemy as soon as he found a way to do so.

"It was an impressive display, yes." Weiss wasn't as cool and calm as she acted, either, Ruby could tell, of course, when her partner nodded just a bit too sharply.

"Thank you, my ladies." Jon bowed. He was shaken a bit - maybe more than a bit - himself. But he was trying to hide it, of course, as he patted Ghost's sides.

Behind him, the man's friends were checking on the body. But they already knew he was dead - they hadn't rushed to his side.

"Honour has been satisfied," Lord Tormo announced. "Well fought, Ser Jon," he added with a nod to Jon.

"Yeah!" Yang grinned again and elbowed Jon in the side - a bit too hard; Ruby saw him jerk and wince and Yang grimace briefly afterwards; she hadn't meant to, then.

Only Blake hadn't said anything yet, Ruby noticed - but she was tense and watching the crowd intently. Though that wasn't really unusual, not even at Beacon…

"You calmly took the man's measure, fending him off, and then killed him with a single attack; despite your age, you must have fought many duels," Lord Tormo said, nodding approvingly. A bit like Professor Port if you did well in one of his combat tests. Except that Professor Port sounded more genuine, less… calculated. And his smile looked nicer, too.

"Thank you, my lord. Although I would praise my training - my teachers," Jon replied. He hadn't sheathed his sword yet, even though it was pretty clear that there wouldn't be another fight. And if there were, Team RWBY would end it before Jon could kill someone else.

"Ser Barristan would be proud of how you applied his lessons," Weiss said.

"And we are proud of how you applied ours!" Yang added, patting Jon on the shoulder - more gently, this time.

"Thank you, my lady." Jon smiled, and it looked honest this time.

"You were trained by Ser Barristan the Bold?" The Black Pearl - and just when had she joined them? Last Ruby had seen her, she had been watching from the side - beamed at Jon. "He is the most famous knight alive. Were you his squire?"

"Ah, no, my lady…" Jon blushed. A lot. "But he was kind enough to show me a few moves when we trained in the Red Keep."

"More than a few moves, Jon!" Yang snorted. It still sounded forced to Ruby; she knew her sister. "And he knighted you!"

That sent whispers through the crowd still watching them.

"And we trained you as well, of course," Weiss said. "That was Blake's technique you used at the end."

"Yes, my lady."

"You must be extraordinarily talented to rate such teachers," the Black Pearl said, putting a hand on Jon's arm.

"He is," Ruby said, nodding. Jon was one of the best swordsmen of his age. Though everyone should have realised that from the way he fought. He had caught the bravo's attacks almost before they happened and parried them easily. And that against an experienced bravo - the crowd hadn't expected the man to lose, and lose so badly.

She blinked, running the fight through her memories. How had Jon noticed some of those moves she had seen? From his position facing the bravo, he couldn't have seen the early tells, the angles were all wrong, yet he had been ready to counter them…

She cocked her head and moved a bit to the side, mentally aligning Jon and the bravo - and trying not to look at the body while servants covered him. Yeah, no way Jon would have seen that second feint from the front.

Just how had he managed that?

"Ruby?"

"Huh?" Ruby turned and saw that Weiss was looking at her with a frown. "Just going through the fight again," she said.

Weiss nodded, then glanced at the others.

Ruby followed her gaze. Oh. She had gone a bit further than she had thought, retracing the steps taken in the fight. The Black Pearl was still holding onto Jon's arm, though she didn't have a strong grip, so Jon could break free easily, if he wanted. Which he didn't seem to want, even though he looked uncomfortable, all flustered and blushing.

Well, Ruby would be uncomfortable as well, in his place. Both because of the duel's end, and because the Black Pearl was smiling a bit too much and standing a bit too close, at least in her opinion. "Maybe we should do something," she muttered.

Weiss huffed in response.


Weiss Schnee frowned slightly. It was obvious that the courtesan's attention was making Jon uncomfortable - he was blushing worse than Ruby would, if she were in his place, and from what they could overhear, he could barely keep up a coherent conversation. Granted, Jon was the taciturn - or brooding, as Yang would insist - type of boy, and he hadn't been very comfortable at such occasions to begin with, but this was worse than she had expected; Jon, even as a bastard, should have been more prepared to deal with this kind of attention after spending as much time at the court in King's Landing as Team RWBY had. He had been raised as Lord Eddard's acknowledged son, after all, and in Winterfell, and had not been shunted out of sight as, as Weiss had learned, so many other bastards in Westeros. And she was almost certain that at least a few nobles at court would have thought of trying to 'honey trap' him, to use the term from that Spruce Willis movie the others had made her watch on a 'team day', in order to gain more information about Lord Eddard's policies. And Team RWBY, of course.

Then again, he must be shaken after having killed a man in a duel; that was different from doing it in the middle of a battle. Technically, it was his first kill, so to speak, even though he had seemed to act just as he had trained to do, as much or more instinctively than by deliberate choice… Though she didn't really want to dwell on that right now, that could wait. She should focus on the problem at hand.

The courtesan was, as her title and reputation, as well as Weiss's personal observation, proved, a master of her craft. Yes, the boy was no match for her wiles. And yet… "I am not certain that that would be a wise move," she told Ruby in a whisper, masked by a sip from her glass.

"What? Why not? He doesn't like her hanging on his arm!" Ruby's whisper was a bit louder, and the courtesan might have overheard her, although she didn't show any reaction Weiss could detect, and Yang and Blake were currently talking with her and Jon as well as their host.

And Weiss had to answer Ruby. She didn't want to mention the possibility that Jon might not appreciate being 'cockblocked', as some crudely put it. Sure, the boy was uncomfortable, but that might be because the courtesan was not conforming to his expectations and pursuing him far more aggressively than would be acceptable in Westeros - at least, outside Dorne. Boys, like men, often fancied themselves as the hunter instead of the hunted and were unsettled if the roles were switched, even in Remnant, where such notions should have long been discarded as sexist and foolish. And, something true in both Westeros and Remnant, and certainly also in Braavos, most teenage boys wanted - or thought they wanted - to have such encounters as a courtesan would provide, no matter the circumstances.

She took another sip from her wine to cover the time she needed to answer the question.

She could point out that interfering - once more - with the courtesan's attempts at seducing someone might be seen as an insult, though while Team RWBY certainly didn't want to make more enemies after settling with the House of Black and White, that was no excuse to leave a friend at the mercy of a predator. Ghost certainly couldn't protect him against that kind of threat - the loyal wolf didn't even growl at the courtesan.

"His victory has made him the subject of a lot of attention," she pointed out instead. "And I think the Black Pearl's obvious interest is the only thing that keeps others at bay." She nodded at several young women eyeing the spectacle with barely hidden frowns. "If Jon became entangled with a noble's daughter, things might grow even more complicated."

"We can deal with them as well!" Ruby replied.

They could, no doubt. "But do you think Jon would want us to make such a decision for him?" Weiss asked.

"Uh…" Ruby blinked, obviously caught off guard. "But…"

"Would you like it if someone else decided that they should determine whether or not someone was fit for you to have a relationship with?" Weiss added before Ruby could formulate a reply.

"No, I wouldn't," Ruby replied quickly. "But…" She frowned, a fried shrimp - one of the few who had escaped Blake - pausing halfway to her mouth. "Wouldn't we just be doing what we have been doing before, when she was, ah, flirting with us?"

Oh. Weiss took another sip from her glass - which was now empty - and considered how to explain that that had been completely different. "That's different," she said while signalling a waiter for a refill.

"How so?" Ruby, unfortunately, was being stubborn about this.

And how was it different? Weiss asked herself as she took another glass from the waiter. It was, she knew that, but how to explain? "You didn't want her to flirt with you like she did, right?"

"No, I didn't," Ruby confirmed. "But do you think Jon wants her to flirt with him? He doesn't look like it."

"I don't know," Weiss replied. "I don't know Jon as well as I know you."

"Oh." Ruby nodded in acceptance. But then she continued: "So, we need to find out what he wants."

Yang would have added 'or who he wants'. Weiss frowned at the frivolous and pointless thought. "Without embarrassing him," she said.

"Of course!" Ruby nodded. "So, we need to be subtle."

Weiss hid her wince - Ruby was a prodigy as a Huntress, a gifted team leader and the most loyal, earnest partner one could wish for, but she wasn't really subtle. At least, not in social situations. An endearing trait, to be sure - you would never have to wonder if she had hidden designs or was hiding something from you - but it did mean she was not the best choice to take the lead here. So, it would fall to Weiss to… Oh. She noted with relief that Blake was staring at them with raised eyebrows. Of course, their friend would have easily followed their conversation despite the distance, the background noise and the distractions near them. "I think Blake has that covered," she said.

"Oh." Ruby blinked. "Right." She blushed a little. "I should have thought of that. You go, Blake!" she added, obviously relieved, as Weiss noted with some amusement.

"Shall we rejoin our friends now?" Weiss asked. "Or do you want to go over the fight once more? We could move outside," she suggested. The body would have been moved, though she wasn't certain if the servants would have washed the blood away with a few buckets of water yet.

"Oh, right!" Ruby nodded. "I was just wondering how Jon noticed that opening he used. From his position relative to his enemy, he shouldn't have been able to spot it. At least, I don't see how he could have done it."

Weiss frowned. Now that Ruby mentioned it, it was indeed odd. The angles would have precluded it, and she had not seen any other obvious tells that Jon could have picked up. "Maybe he had a moment of inspiration?" Sometimes, you instinctively knew what the enemy would be doing, your subconsciousness putting clues together without you realising it, or how, as Winter had it explained once. Though that usually required a lot of experience - specific experience to be precise; fighting Grimm wouldn't help you notice the tells of a human opponent - and while Jon had been training hard, he still lacked that kind of experience. Although he had shown some flashes of similar insight in some bouts, hadn't he?

It wasn't a very satisfactory answer, though, and Ruby's expression, briefly interrupted by a piece of honey-glazed apple, showed she didn't like it any better than Weiss did. "We'll have to ask him about it," she said. "But, imagine, if it's a technique and he can teach it to others!" She smiled widely.

"First, he would have to know how he did it," Weiss cautioned. A significant part of fighting was instinctive, as she knew. Of course, without skill, training and experience, the best instincts - or talent - would not carry you through multiple battles, but those could be taught and acquired with diligence and hard work. Instincts - or talent - on the other hand, were not quite as accessible. You could compensate for a lack of talent, but only to a degree.

"Yeah, I know." Ruby sighed, pouting in that cute manner of hers that made you want to hug and squeeze her. But she quickly grew serious. "We need to talk with him, anyway. He killed someone."

"Yes." Weiss nodded. Slaying your enemies was seen as a chivalric virtue in Westeros, something to be celebrated, amongst men, at least, but that didn't make it any less of a shocking, sometimes traumatic experience. It only meant that you were expected to carry this burden without complaining. On the other hand, Westerosi society didn't shun you for it; Weiss was aware that while Huntsmen and Huntresses were often idealised in the media, the fact that they not only fought Grimm, but also human threats, was a controversial subject. "Provided he wants to talk," she added. People could be stubborn about such things, often refusing help they needed.

"That's not something he gets a vote on!" Ruby declared, nodding firmly.

"But we should rejoin our friends before we get waylaid by the other guests," Weiss said - a few of the people near them were already looking as if they were about to descend on them at the next opportunity.

Ruby glanced around and grimaced. "Uh, right! Let's go!"


Usually, Blake Belladonna would have been amused - a little bit, at least - by Jon's reaction to the Black Pearl lavishing attention on him. The boy was blushing terribly, and when he managed to say something, it was more often than not stammered. Of course, she knew that she shouldn't be amused by the sight of a friend going to pieces because he was in a situation most men would envy him for; Jon wasn't experienced enough in such matters to stand up to the courtesan's wiles, and the Black Pearl was shamelessly taking advantage of that. Still, Blake knew how most boys thought about sex, and how they bragged when they were amongst themselves; her ears were as much a blessing as a curse in that regard, and Jon was not so different from others, except for his firm intention not to father any bastards. And she had no intention to let the Black Pearl take advantage of Jon past teasing the boy, unless Jon actually returned the interest, if said interest was even genuine in the first place; Blake was not as clueless as Jon, but she couldn't tell what the courtesan was really feeling.

But that wasn't the reason she wasn't amused right now. Nor was it that Jon had just killed a man, though that would have to be addressed as well, if later, and in private. No, the real reason she wasn't the least amused at the display in front of her was because she was in a similar situation - like Jon, she didn't know how to handle the attention of a beauty who professed to be interested in her, namely, her own partner, Yang.

Yang had not been acting weird because she had caught wind of a threat, but because she had, seemingly very recently, become attracted to Blake. And Blake had no clue how to handle that. Why would Yang fall for her, anyway? Blake was just a former White Fang member, someone who had been too stupid to realise what path she was going down, too stupid to realise what Adam was doing to the White Fang, and to her, and had run instead of trying to fix things. Yang, on the other hand, was brave - she would never run from a threat - and always stood up for others, always had Blake's back, and was just so beautiful and passionate, yet also so caring, and far more observant than one would think if one judged her by her appearance. And yet, she had a crush on Blake. And Blake didn't know what to do about that.

But she could deal with her problems later, once she figured out what to do. For now, she had to focus on helping her friends. Namely, Jon. And while she didn't know what she should do about Yang's unexplainable crush, she knew what to do about a courtesan pushing herself on Jon.

"Your family and friends will be proud once they hear about this, Jon," she said, using the Black Pearl's brief distraction by a servant offering them wine. "Defeating an experienced water dancer is no small feat."

"Ah, you think so, my lady?"

She had Jon's attention. Now to hold it and give him time to recover from the assault by the courtesan's wiles. "I do. He had the advantage of having a sword better suited for the fight - both of you were unarmoured - and more experience as well." The man had killed before, and, in Blake's opinion, had intended to kill Jon. His eagerness, his spoiling for a fight… she had seen that before.

"He wasn't as skilled, though," the Black Pearl cut in, handing Jon a glass of wine.

A predictable ploy to draw his attention back to her, and an attempt to loosen him up. But Blake had expected that. "What do you think, Yang?"

"Ah." Yang nodded. "Well, you could say that the result speaks for itself. The guy underestimated you, but only at the start. And when he realised he couldn't get through your defence, he tried to make you lose your concentration so you'd give him an opening instead of forcing you to give him an opening by adjusting his attacks. He tried a cheap trick, and when that failed, he had nothing left." She smiled at Jon. "So, yes, you were more skilled as well."

"Which is very impressive - Ketro was a veteran water dancer," the Black Pearl said - and went for Jon's arm again. "He has killed half a dozen men in duels."

"And he tried to kill you - the youngest member of Lady Ruby's retinue - at my soirée," Lord Tormo added with a scowl. "That is not done."

Evidently, it was done, Blake almost replied. But she understood the implications: their host assumed that this had been an attack on him. Blake wasn't quite certain he was correct; Jon also was an obvious target for anyone wishing to harm Team RWBY.

"Well, let's hope that he serves as a lesson so no one tries to follow his example," Yang said.

"They said if I wore a sword, I had to duel anyone who challenged me," Jon said.

"That's not exactly true," the courtesan spoke up. "Bravos are expected to fight each other, and in venues known for such duels. They are not supposed to challenge strangers everywhere in the City - especially not at soirées - to duels without cause."

"Which you didn't give them," Yang added.

"Yes." Lord Tormo nodded. "There are rules for water dancing. Bravos take care of those who break them. Although if you are skilled enough to make challenging you too dangerous, you might be able to abuse those rules - it has happened in the past." He smiled a little lopsidedly. "And duels aren't generally fought to the death unless there's a grievance worthy of such stakes. But," he added with a smile at Jon, "that's custom, not law."

Blake suppressed a scoff. Even laws could be abused, as any Faunus knew. 'Custom' would not deter anyone with power or influence.

"Though the House of Black and White tends to take a dim view of those who abuse the custom of water dancing to effectively assassinate others," the Black Pearl said. "Even the best sword in Braavos is not immune to poison - or wasn't until you arrived, my ladies." She bowed her head in Blake and Yang's direction, 'incidentally' offering Jon a clear view down her cleavage, as Blake noted.

"Well, I am rubbish with a sword. Blake, on the other hand, could cut a path through all the bravos in the city," Yang declared, and Blake felt her hand on her shoulder.

She tensed at the contact, and then felt Yang tense and withdraw her hand before Blake could relax. Damn! She hadn't meant to imply… whatever this meant. She didn't know how to deal with Yang's crush, but she knew she didn't want to make her partner feel bad or self-conscious, much less think that Blake didn't want… whatever.

"All of us trained extensively with the best swordsmen of Westeros, regardless of what weapon we use." She smiled at Yang and felt relief fill her when her partner returned her smile. One mistake avoided. Or fixed. Whatever.

But the Black Pearl was still hanging on Jon's arm, and Blake was aware that there was nothing coincidental about how that caused her chest to touch his upper arm whenever she leaned a bit to the side. And Ruby and Weiss were trusting Blake to help the boy out, so she had to step up her own game.

Well, since it was obvious that with the courtesan all but rubbing herself over Jon, the boy was not as easily distracted as Blake had expected, she would have to take a more oblique approach. Even if that meant getting closer to the beast at Jon's side than she was comfortable with. "How is Ghost doing?" she asked Jon. "It must have been hard for him to watch you fight someone to the death without getting involved." Blake had half-expected the wolf to tear into the bravo, or the bravo's friends, but he had stayed remarkably calm.

"Oh, he is fine," Jon replied at once - and then blinked, looking at the beast at his side. "You are, right?" He patted Ghost's flank, and the wolf chuffed in return.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked, forcing herself to smile - without showing her teeth, of course - at the wolf. "He isn't used to this, isn't he?"

"You would never think that from seeing him. He's as well-behaved as the finest hunting dog," the Black Pearl cut in with an adoring sigh that couldn't be honest - Blake could see how the other guests were eyeing the beast with some trepidation, and Lord Tormo kept some distance himself.

"Oh, yes." And Jon, instead of taking the opportunity to excuse himself and take care of his wolf, smiled back at the woman. "He is far smarter than any dog, though."

And far more dangerous, Blake thought. But as clueless as his owner.

Then again, she added to herself as she sent a subtle glance at her partner, so was Blake herself when it came to love. What was she supposed to do? The responsible thing would be to tell Yang that she wasn't interested. Her partner would be able to move on and find a better… love interest.

Blake felt her stomach drop at that thought. No, she didn't want that. That was… She clenched her teeth. That was… That would be dishonest. Yes, Yang deserved the truth. Blake owed her that. The truth about herself. About her past. About everything.

But not here. Later, when they would have some privacy.

Yes, later.

She nodded, but instead of relief, she felt dread.


Yang Xiao Long felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. And some confusion. Not about Jon, of course. Not really, at least. She was relieved that he had won his duel, and a bit disappointed that he had killed the idiot. Sure, the man had been blatantly trying to get him into a duel so he could kill him, but Jon could have spared him; this wasn't like the Faceless Man he had fought in the Red Keep. That man had killed himself on Jon's blade. On the other hand, while she knew that he was a great swordsman, Jon hadn't been so much better that he could have easily disarmed the bravo. So she couldn't really be mad or disappointed that Jon had killed someone - as a Knight of the Ruby Order, he would probably kill more people. And he had been trained to kill; both by the Kingsguard and Team RWBY, not to disarm or subdue armed enemies. You couldn't blame Jon for doing what he had been trained and drilled to do until he could do it without thinking about it.

No, most of the confusing mix of emotions that filled her right now was the fault of Blake. Her partner was sending a lot of mixed signals ever since she had pushed Yang into confessing her crush on Blake. Yang had been prepared for rejection and hoped for acceptance. Preferably with a passionate kiss on the dancing floor - so sue her, she liked those sappy romance movies as well as any other girl she knew! That Blake had done neither, stalling instead, shouldn't have been a surprise in hindsight; Yang's partner wasn't the type to rush into things blindly; she preferred to think things through and plan ahead. Yang's confession obviously had surprised her.

But her actions since then were confusing. Blake was a private girl, but Yang had thought she knew how to read her, and yet… She couldn't tell if her partner was interested in her or not. One moment, she shied away from Yang's touch, then she all but hugged her, getting close, and suddenly, she was all distant and focusing on Jon. Or the Black Pearl. Sure, they had to help Jon escape the woman's clutches - he wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to handle her advances - but that didn't mean you had to play the woman's game. Not when she was so much better at it.

"How did you tame him, anyway?" the woman asked - looking at Jon, not at the wolf.

Shows where her real interest lies, Yang thought.

"Oh, I raised him from when he was a newborn whelp," Jon explained. "Like my trueborn siblings. Everyone of us has a direwolf as a companion."

"Yeah," Yang added with a grin. "When they gather, it's quite a show. Couldn't ask for better bodyguards for the kids."

"Children? Truly?" The Black Pearl seemed surprised.

"Yes," Jon said, patting Ghost's head. "They're very obedient. Nymeria and Lady obey Arya and Sansa's every order. Just as Ghost follows mine."

"And is it true that they can spot a Faceless Man?" Lord Tormo asked.

"Ghost did so," Jon replied. "And then we fought and defeated him together."

"You killed a Faceless Man?" The Black Pearl's eyes widened. That was real surprise, Yang noted. And the smile that followed… "I must confess I still underestimated you even after I saw your skill with the blade." She actually fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Ah, thank you, my lady, but all the praise belongs to my teachers." Jon blushed a lot again.

"Don't be too modest, Jon," Blake said. "You have a great talent for the blade, as everyone who sparred with you knows."

If her partner wanted to get Jon out of the Black Pearl's claws, she wasn't really doing a good job, Yang realised. Really, Blake was great, the best partner you could wish for, but she wasn't the most famous courtesan of a city famous for its courtesans. She sighed. Time to deal with this more directly.

"And speaking of training, let's have a word in private, Jon," Yang said, grabbing Jon's free arm as she nodded at the Black Pearl. "We'll be right back."

The woman nodded in return, pleasant smile in place, and Yang still couldn't tell if she was annoyed or not at the interruption.

"My lady?"

"Come on. Won't take long," Yang told him as she dragged him towards the doors leading outside.

She saw a few people eyeing them as they stepped out, but none approached her; Ghost was doing his job, it seemed. Yang couldn't see the blood on the grass in the dim light of the stars, but she could see where the grass had been trampled by the crowd watching the fight and steered Jon there. "So!" She nodded at Jon, then turned around to watch for eavesdroppers. "Do you want to sleep with the Black Pearl?"

"Wha…what?"

"She's trying to seduce you," Yang went on. Not that there was much trying needed, in her opinion. Jon was a teenaged boy.

"Ah, that… Are you sure? My lady? Why would she be interested in me?" Jon was looking everywhere but at her.

Yang rolled her eyes. She'd call him out for fake modesty, but Jon probably was honest about this. "You just duelled and killed a pretty well-known bravo. And you're not hard on the eyes. And you're a knight of our order."

"Oh. If you word it like that…" Jon sighed.

Yang snorted. "Yeah, she's interested."

"In my position, not myself."

Yang shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. She knows we'll be leaving soon for King's Landing, and unless she plans to seduce you into staying here, she can't exactly exploit you. She might just want to seduce you before anyone else does." She hadn't missed the looks the courtesan had shot at other women in the crowd. This was probably just about the Black Pearl's ego. "She might just want to sleep with you before anyone else."

Yang didn't need Blake's Faunus eyes to see that Jon was gaping at her - his teeth caught a bit of the moonlight. She grinned. "So, the question is, do you want to sleep with her? Or should we tell her that she should go take a hike or something?"

"Ah… that's… err… What do you think, my lady?"

She snorted. "I'm not going to control your love life, Jon. That's your decision."

"But… She's a courtesan. I mean… And I am a knight of the Ruby Order."

Yang shrugged again. "So? It's up to you to make a decision. Our members don't have to be chaste or whatever." They had made that clear.

"But… the chance to father a bastard… I can't risk that!" He shook his head.

Yang was pretty sure that if anyone could avoid getting pregnant, the Black Pearl could. They had moon tea and stuff for that. But no method was perfect - Dad had drilled that into them - and if anyone wanted to marry Jon, getting pregnant with his child would ensure he'd say yes to a proposal. And she didn't know if that was on the table for the Black Pearl or not. She didn't think so, but the woman was awfully hard to judge.

So she nodded at Jon. "Then tell her that you're flattered, but that you won't risk fathering a bastard. Or something like it. And be nice about it." He didn't need to insult the Black Pearl; Yang might not be able to read her like, say, she could read Ruby, but she was sure that the woman would hold a grudge if she felt insulted.

"As you wish, my lady. And… thank you." Jon sounded relieved.

"Sure thing," Yang replied. "We can…"

Ghost suddenly growled, and Yang tensed as she spotted someone approaching them. "Great," she muttered when she saw it was a man in expensive clothes - probably a guest of Lord Tormo - with two flunkies following him. "Shoulda been looking for a more private spot."

She didn't think they wanted to fight them - who would be as foolish as to try ambushing her, anyway? - but Yang would almost prefer an attack to what was probably some idiot trying to talk politics and plots with her. Or propose to her.

Then she saw Blake appear behind the group and grinned. That could be amusing.

Chapter 58: The Schemer

'From a scholarly point of view, the influence that Lady Ruby and her friends exerted on Essos was, therefore, of a strictly indirect manner, through those members of the Order, and the faithful heeding their teachings, who later ventured to Essos. Yet, despite the clear records - the chronicles of the Order detail their campaigns quite succinctly - many places in Essos claim to have been visited by some or all of the Four Maidens. And in a disgraceful example of gross injustice, many brave deeds done by members of the Orders were, in myth and folktales, attributed to the Four Maidens instead, something the Four Maidens would have condemned strongly if they had known about it. In addition, this disgusting practice also significantly impedes any attempt by a diligent scholar to separate fact from fiction.'

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

Fregar Manor, Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

Albero Prestayn was used to smiling at his worst enemies - no man could hope to rise to any position of importance in Braavos who could not put on a polite, friendly mask in public. Not that any man of importance would actually be fooled by such a facade, of course. Lord Tormo was well aware that House Prestayn opposed his blatantly clear attempt to position himself as the current Sealord's successor. But to openly show your contempt for your opponent simply was not done - not until they were already doomed and posed no threat any more, and even then, gloating too much would reduce your standing in the eyes of your peers.

But Albero knew Lord Tormo and Braavos. Verbally fencing with a despised rival, barbs barely hidden beneath the thinnest veneer of manners, while being surrounded by the other men of importance in the City was one thing. Facing the Ruby Order was another.

Those girls were not born and raised in Braavos, but foreigners visiting the City. They were not even from Westeros, which, while not as sophisticated as the City, was a known quantity itself, its culture, if not familiar, then at least not alien. Albero might not be able to sweep through the Court at King's Landing as if he were born to a Westerosi noble house, but he knew which lines couldn't be crossed and which were more flexible. And, of course, any visitor from Westeros would be aware that this wasn't their home, and that neither their customs nor their power were regarded as superior in the City - quite the contrary.

But those girls had visited the Sealord on the day of their arrival - Albero's sources had confirmed the timing of the meeting - and then had visited the House of Black and White. Albero hadn't been able to find out what had taken place in there, but the fact that their visit had taken so long, yet none of them had received the temple's 'gift', left no doubt that they had come to an arrangement with the Faceless Men.

Either visit would have hinted at the girls possessing power and influence in the City beyond anyone else from Westeros. Both taken together? Only a fool would not exercise as much caution as possible when approaching them, even more so given the expertly portrayed mask of naive honesty that their leader wore. Whether they truly had formed an alliance with the House of Black and White, as some of Albero's peers claimed, or whether they were powerful enough to force the Faceless Men to stop attacking them, they posed a lethal danger either way.

And Albero had to face said danger because after the girls had visited the Sealord and the Faceless Men, they had chosen to visit Lord Tormo's soirée. Should they ally with the greatest rival of his own House, Albero and his family's fate would surely take a turn for the worse. Whether that meant their own ambitions would be wrecked or that the Faceless Men would strike from the shadows didn't matter; Albero was an experienced player in the game and knew that either fate would result in his ruin.

At least, he had managed to throw some doubt on Lord Tormo's appeal as an ally. It would have been better if the boy knight had been hurt or killed - that would have made Lord Tormo lose so much face, no one would have joined with him in any venture, both mercantile and political, without excessive concessions on his part - but having bravos accost and duel his honoured guests would damage his reputation and standing already. No bravo would dare to offend him if they didn't think he was too weak to retaliate for the slight. Not unless they were both too proud and too greedy for their own good, as Ketro had proven to be. So, if someone did, the conclusion was evident - Lord Tormo was too weak to retaliate.

Money well spent, in Albero's opinion. Especially since Ketro had been courteous enough to die in the duel, so Albero wouldn't have to ensure his silence.

But damaging Lord Tormo's reputation wasn't enough. If Albero wanted to advance his own fortune and not merely sabotage his rival's plans, he would have to woo those girls. And he only knew that they had the power to destroy him but not what would set them on such a course, nor what would sway them to his side. It was worse than trying to make a deal with a Dothraki warrior without a trusted interpreter; at least with those savages, money would always be enough.

It was a testament to Albero's experience, talent and self-control that his smile didn't slip as he approached Lady Yang, the boy knight and the huge wolf - a dire wolf, or so he had heard. If that beast went out of control, Albero doubted his retainers could stall it long enough for him to escape.

He pushed such disturbing thoughts away. He was here for the girl. As the half-sister of their leader, older yet lesser in status, she would be looking for ways to improve her own position, which meant she would be most receptive to offers of alliance such as his family's. But the fact that she was with the boy knight... Were they a couple? He had heard the scandalous rumours about the four girls and the boy, but anyone of importance had such rumours circulate. Of course, those rumours were not nearly as outrageous as the rumours about the girls and the Black Pearl that tonight's soirée would be starting…

The girl had noticed him already despite the distance. Albero made a mental note that she couldn't be too taken with the boy or she would have paid more attention to him; he wouldn't have to pretend to fawn over the boy to earn her good graces, then. Good. The more lies one had to juggle, the greater was the risk of slipping up, as his uncle had taught him. Although he didn't think that the danger of either the girl or the boy catching a lie was very high. The boy was a Westerosi and, as Albero had been able to confirm through personal observation, as unsuited to the game as the tales claimed, and while the girls were not Westerosi, and their rise to power in that realm showed that they were a cut above the boorish nobles of the western continent, they were not nearly as experienced as Albero and his peers and unfamiliar with Braavos's sophisticated society.

No, this would…

"Hey, Blake!"

What was the girl doing? Was she…?

"Yang. Jon."

Albero jerked. How had the other girl - the quiet girl - sneaked up on him? Had his retinue gone blind and deaf?

"And hello….?" Lady Yang smiled at him, exposing perfect, white teeth as she asked after his name in a crude fashion. Definitely uncultured.

"Lord. Lord Albero Prestayn," he answered, bowing his head lower than he liked, but while the girls weren't royalty, they had never claimed a throne, they wielded power he lacked - which was the reason he was approaching them in the first place. So it paid to be as polite as possible without appearing servile. "Lady Yang, Lady Blake, Ser Jon."

"Yeah, that's us," Lady Yang said with a chuckle. "Though I guess everyone knows that, right?"

Crude. Then again, that should only help him forge an alliance with her. But with Lady Blake here, who must have been sent to keep an eye on Lady Yang, likely under the pretext of serving as a chaperone, that would be more difficult than Albero had hoped. Unless she could be turned as well. Though Lady Ruby wouldn't have two such weaknesses in her retinue and still hold her position, not so far from their home. No, Albero would have to change tacks and use Lady Yang to reach Lady Ruby.

He smiled and started the dance. "I hope you won't let that boorish man who accosted your friend ruin your impression of Bravos, my lady. I can assure you that he is not a good example of our city. It's quite regrettable that he was allowed to challenge you, ser."

"Nobody is perfect, and every city has some idiots," Lady Yang replied. "Beacon has its share of fools as well."

Lady Blake snorted at that but otherwise kept silent.

Was she the lowest-ranked of the group? Albero wondered while he nodded. "Would that be your home?"

"Our home away from home. It's the combat academy we study at," Lady Yang replied.

"Ah." What was a 'combat academy'?

She snorted like her friend. "It's a school for learning how to hunt Grimm. Covers both practical lessons and theory. Grimm are monsters that prey on humans."

Albero didn't want a lesson about things he couldn't care less about, but as long as it made him appear interested, he would play along. "I see. Your world must be very different from our own."

"Definitely." She smiled again, though it looked a little… longing.

If this was a facade, then she was a talented actress - Albero knew quite a few, so he could tell. If this was genuine… "So, the rumours are true. You were stranded here."

"Yeah." And the smile was gone for a moment, before it returned with more shiny teeth showing. "But we will return home."

"Of course. Is that the reason for your visit to our City?" That would be a good way to approach the subject that he really cared about.

"No." She was grinning again. It was getting annoying, not that he would show that. "We were here to deal with a personal problem."

Lady Blake snorted softly once more, yet, again, didn't speak. Neither did the boy knight, but it was obvious that he was a mere retainer for the girls. A favourite one, given he was the only one with them and handled the massive wolf Albero tried his best to ignore, but not a person of actual importance. Lady Blake, though, remained a factor Albero couldn't really place. There was a tension between the two girls, the way they glanced at each other and then broke eye contact said enough, but what was behind it? An old rivalry? He had to find out, but first… "The Faceless Men." A rumour, but it sounded convincing, and he could always blame an unnamed friend to tell him the story if he was proven wrong.

"Yep. But we settled with them. We should be fine now. We better be," she added with a smile that would have done a Dothraki justice. Or so Albero assumed - he had, fortunately, never met one of the savages.

He nodded in response and changed the topic; only a fool would dig further without knowing more about how the girls had settled things with the House of Black and White - the Faceless Men had, no doubt, their eyes on them. "That business aside, how are you enjoying the City?"

Lady Yang shrugged. "It's kind of nice. Very different from our home, but so's Westeros." She smiled, showing her teeth. "Though the whole duelling stuff is putting a damper on things. Can't really enjoy a tour through the city if you have to deal with idiots looking for a fight at every corner."

He suppressed his anger at foreigners disparaging the City with the ease of long practice. It wouldn't help if he claimed that the bravos didn't roam the city; that was more a custom than a rule, and he had just exploited that to embarrass Lord Tormo. So he smiled in apparent sympathy. "It can be a bother, though, if you don't wear a sword, you are safe from them." He pointedly glanced at his own belt, where only a dagger hung in a scabbard.

Lady Yang scoffed and looked at Lady Blake, who was wearing a sword, although not in a scabbard at her hip but strapped to her back in a manner Albero had only seen a few sellswords from the east use before. "Two of my friends have swords, and back home, it's considered very rude to tell a Huntress to put her weapon away."

He chuckled with the right amount of self-deprecation. "Well, I doubt any bravo worthy of the name will challenge a lady to a duel."

"Just as they wouldn't challenge a guest of Lord Tormo to a duel at this soirée." Lady Blake spoke in a casual tone, but her eyes…

She couldn't know he had bribed Ketro. She couldn't. Albero told himself that while he tried to shift around a bit so he could keep an eye on both girls. Obviously, his retainers couldn't be trusted to do so if they had let Lady Blake sneak up on him.

"Yeah. Like with knights, it isn't the ones who take their honour seriously that we worry about. It's the ones who don't," Lady Yang said. "Not that they would be a threat, of course. Not even if all of them came at us together. But dealing with idiots who don't know when they're totally outclassed is a bother."

She sounded like the typical bravo boasting about his prowess with his blade when he had had a bit too much wine. And yet, what Albero had heard from people who had seen them throw grown men twenty yards or more, and what he had confirmed from sailors who had seen them walk through fire in King's Landing, she might not be boasting at all. But this was an opening he had been waiting for.

"Of course," he agreed with a friendly smile. "Although, I think everyone here should consider themselves fortunate that you won't hold the actions of a few fools against the City. You could easily conquer it, after all."

Lady Yang chuckled, and not like a lady would, delicately, but like a man, loud and from her belly. "Oh, no! The last thing we want is to conquer any place! We want to return home, not get stuck here for even longer."

Albero laughed with her. If he didn't know how absurd her claim was, he'd believe her - she sounded sincere. But this was likely the official stance of Lady Ruby, trying to keep her retinue from taking off and conquering their own realms, should they find themselves unsatisfied with their current positions under her. Or if Lady Ruby turned out to be not as pliable as her young age would indicate. "That fills me with relief, my lady," he said. "The Sealord's health has us worried enough about his succession without foreigners becoming involved."

Lady Yang feigned confusion. "The Sealord's sick?"

"His health has been deteriorating," Albero told her. "His potential successors - our host is the leading candidate according to rumour - have been gathering support for some time now."

Lady Yang blinked. "Ah! And some will think we support Lord Tormo because he invited us to his party!"

Albero once more adjusted his estimate of her. She was more subtle than he had thought, faking surprise at the obvious situation to mock those concerns… But did that mean there was an alliance set already? No. Lord Tormo would have acted differently if that had been the case. He wouldn't have attempted to monopolise the Four Maidens' attention as he had if he already secured their support - and he would have had to achieve that before they arrived, even; he didn't have enough time to make a deal since the girls had set foot in the City. No, the subtle mockery was an invitation to offer a better deal. "None of those with a stake in the succession would assume so, my lady - it's obvious that Lord Tormo is still trying to court your support."

"Better than him trying to court us," Lady Yang replied with a scoff.

Albero knew better than to think the disdain he heard was more than a signal, true or not, of being open to rival bids for their support. He nodded anyway. "Perish the thought!"

It wasn't as if anyone who had paid the slightest attention to the four girls would think they were open to such proposals, anyway; half the nobility of Westeros had attempted to forge marriage alliances, including the royal family, and all had been rebuked.

"But perhaps we should return inside. Wouldn't want to leave Ruby and Weiss to handle Lord Tormo and the Black Pearl by themselves," Lady Yang went on.

They hadn't dismissed him! Albero was too skilled and experienced at those games to miss the opportunity to join them as they started walking back to the ballroom, though, while he made idle chat, his thoughts raced. Was that a warning that Lord Tormo was making headway with his obvious attempts to get the girls' support? Or a sign that Lady Yang was challenging her sister's position by interfering with the negotiations? And what was the Black Pearl's role? Was she more than another feather in Lord Tormo's cap? Was he counting on her to sway the girls? Or was she interfering for reasons of her own? If so, who might have paid her to do so? And why hadn't Albero thought of such a ploy?

But most importantly, was Lady Yang bringing him along to shut down the negotiations, or was she expecting Albero and Lord Tormo to face off as if this were a public auction? That would be absurd; alliances were forged in private, discreetly, not in public - and certainly not in the presence of a rival faction.

And yet, Lady Yang had clearly stressed that in her home, things were done differently… Albero couldn't help shivering slightly at that daunting, yet also exciting, prospect.


"While I do not doubt your claim that bravos rarely duel to the death, the fact remains that they can do so and, demonstrably in our case, did so. That doesn't fill me with confidence that this won't be repeated."

Ruby Rose nodded. Weiss was, as she often (but not always; Ruby's partner was great but not perfect) was, correct. Lord Tormo should just admit that. Instead of trying to deny it.

"If bravos duelled to the death as a norm, the City would have soon run out of them," Tormo still tried. "A bravo usually surrenders when his opponent achieves first blood, as it is called when you wound your opponent before suffering one yourself."

"'Usually'," Weiss repeated with a scoff. "Just as bravos 'usually' don't challenge your guests to a duel in your home."

Lord Tormo scowled at that before smiling again - though even Ruby could tell he didn't mean it. The smile, that was. Not the scowl. That looked honest. "They don't," he said, more sharply than before. Not as sharp as Professor Goodwitch's tone when she scolded you, though. "Had Ketro survived, he would have suffered the consequences for embarrassing me like this."

"And what would those consequences have entailed?" Weiss asked. "As we were given to understand, he broke no law. Would he have ended up ostracised? Or would you have paid a bravo to kill him?"

Ostracised…? Oh, right. Weiss had mentioned that before. It meant 'shunned'.

Lord Tormo gasped. "Bravos aren't paid assassins!"

Weiss sniffed in that way of hers that made you feel as if you had just said the stupidest thing you could think of. Ruby was familiar with that.

Lord Tormo obviously was as well, since he frowned again.

The Black Pearl softly chuckled. "Oh, they aren't supposed to be, but it's an open secret that some of them value money more than they value their honour or integrity. Though few would dare say so lest they risk being challenged to a duel themselves."

"That doesn't sound very honourable at all," Ruby commented. Lord Tormo looked at her as if she had said something weird. "That sounds more like bullies," she went on.

"'Bullies'?" the Black Pearl asked.

"People who use force and threats to make others suffer," Weiss explained before Ruby could. "Often forcing their victims to do things for them, or extorting money from them."

"That sounds like the Dothraki," Lord Tormo said "Surely you can't compare bravos to those barbarians!"

"It seems mostly a difference in scale and scope, not in principle," Weiss told him.

"Yeah!" Ruby nodded firmly. Abusing your power was wrong. Of course, sacking cities was worse than bullying Jaune, much worse, but that didn't mean what Winchester had done was right. And they were talking about murdering people here, she reminded herself. Maybe the others needed that reminder as well? "We're talking about people getting killed here," she told them.

The Black Pearl nodded - she seemed to agree with Ruby. Well, why wouldn't she?

Lord Tormo, on the other hand, was scowling again. "The difference in scope and scale matters quite a lot, I'd say, my ladies. Not that I would condone either behaviour, of course," he added with a smile that didn't seem honest.

"So, that would mean a bravo breaking the rules would still be protected by said rules?" Weiss shook her head. "That seems unfair and prone to abuse."

Ruby frowned a little, then nodded again. "Like the trial by combat in Westeros. If you're strong enough, you can break the law and won't get punished."

The Black Pearl's smile turned a bit… sad, Ruby thought. "I think that is common everywhere. If you are powerful enough, you are above both law and customs."

Ruby was about to say that wasn't true back home, but Weiss nodded emphatically. "Yes, indeed. You might have to be a bit less blatant about it than in Westeros, but that's not really a hindrance for those with the means."

"Surely men of honour wouldn't ignore blatantly dishonourable behaviour!" Lord Tormo protested.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at him. Hadn't he just explained himself that that was how it worked?

"In my experience, they will as long as they have a handy excuse. Such as a convenient counter-claim," Weiss told him. Oh. She must be talking about her father. Who sounded like a worse scumbag the more Ruby heard about him. Not that Weiss was talking a lot about her father, and Ruby surely wasn't going to ask her about him. Though, maybe she should…? "I doubt you are a stranger to how rumours can be generated and spread to hurt others, my lord."

"Ah, who among us hasn't been hurt by such malignant rumours?" Lord Tormo laughed.

"Ah, Ser Jon returns with your friends!" the Black Pearl said, smiling and looking over Ruby's shoulder.

As Ruby turned, she could see Yang, Blake, Jon, Ghost and a man she didn't know entering the ballroom from the garden. People were giving them space, more than before - either because Jon had killed a man, or because Ghost was looking around with his mouth open. Probably hoping to get some treats; Zwei acted the same way back home.

Well, she could help there. She grabbed a plate from one of the waiters with some more of those grilled meat pieces on it, munched one to check if they were good, then held out one to Ghost. "Here, boy!"

Ghost chuffed and sped up, opening his mouth wide, and Ruby let him take the treat from her hand. "Good boy!"

Yang chuckled, Blake had her stony 'I'm not afraid of dogs' face, Jon blinked for some reason, and Weiss was definitely jealous.

"Lord Albero." Lord Tormo didn't sound pleased, and Ruby thought it wasn't because she had just fed Ghost. He nodded at the now-named man with a pretty thin smile. Like Professor Goodwitch's smile when she didn't like what the Headmaster was saying.

"Lord Tormo." Lord Albero returned the smile and nod. "I was just telling Lady Yang and Lady Blake how unfortunate it was that your splendid soirée was ruined by an unfortunate duel."

"I wouldn't say it was ruined," Lord Tormo said. "Master Ketro challenged the wrong opponent and paid the price. Such is life as a bravo. Hardly something that will ruin a soirée, as unpleasant as it was to discover that the late bravo held custom and manners in such low esteem that he abused my hospitality."

Ruby frowned. Lord Tormo had shown more concern before, hadn't he? She fed Ghost another piece of meat while she tried to remember what exactly he had said. It was…

"Ser Jon. I've been missing you." The Black Pearl beamed at Jon, who was still looking at Ruby's plate with a weird expression. Maybe he wanted some as well? She held the plate out to him with one hand and fended off Ghost with the other when he tried to chomp down on it.

"Thank you, my lady," Jon replied. Then he turned to face the Black Pearl and quickly said: "My lady. I might be mistaken, and if I am, I beg your pardon, but you seem to be interested in my, ah, company. I need to tell you that, in light of the potential consequences, I cannot return your interest. The fault is mine." He bowed his head.

Ruby glanced at Weiss. That sounded like something she would say, but her partner was as surprised as everyone else, except for Yang and Blake…

"I was merely flirting a little, but your stance is noted." The Black Pearl's smile hadn't changed at all, Ruby noted, so she couldn't tell if Jon had been wrong or not. She'd have to ask the others later what this was about. Right after talking about the duel.

It seemed that this would be a longer talk than she had thought.


Weiss Schnee was slightly torn about how she should feel about Jon telling off the Courtesan. On one hand, it was very satisfying to see him refuse the clearly unwanted advances of the woman so firmly and decidedly, without a hint of his earlier stuttering embarrassment. On the other hand, bereft of her latest target, the courtesan might turn back to bother Ruby.

Alternatively, the publicly scorned woman - 'merely flirting'? No one who had seen her all but throw herself at the boy would believe that claim! - might take her anger out on Jon, but that could be far more easily handled, in her opinion - the potential damage the courtesan could do was already limited because they wouldn't be staying that much longer in Braavos, so any attempt to besmirch Jon's reputation wouldn't last long or affect him significantly. The only realistic danger Weiss could see was setting a bravo on Jon under a pretext, though given the attitudes they had encountered, some of those idiots might do that without any prompting in the hope of earning the courtesan's favour.

She took a closer step to Ruby - masking her intent by grabbing a few pieces of meat to feed the adorable Ghost - and smiled encouragingly at Jon. She was tempted to compliment him, but that might be a bit too blatant; she would hate to appear uncouth. Even though the courtesan's opinion didn't matter in the end, she had a reputation to maintain as a Schnee, and, different world or not, it wouldn't do to commit a fauxpas.

Lord Albero, obviously not a friend of their host, nodded at Jon. "So, you are a knight sworn to chastity, Ser Jon? Like the Kingsguard?"

"No, my lord. Knights of the Ruby Order are not sworn to chastity," Jon replied - and he was blushing a little. And, Weiss noted, the courtesan's eyes narrowed a little. "But I will not risk fathering a bastard." He met the noble's eyes with a firm expression.

Weiss half-expected the courtesan to mention that she was using protection - this world had reliable contraception methods, which had been a bit of a surprise for Weiss when she had discovered this, for purely incidental and academical reasons, of course, given the general state of things - but she didn't; she must know, of course, that such a comment would have made her look desperate.

"A noble intention many more young men should follow." Lord Tormo nodded in such obvious approval, he couldn't make it more blatant that he was trying to flatter Jon in order to get into Team RWBY's good graces if he tried. He had been more subtle about his intentions at the start of the evening, Weiss noted, but since the duel, he had become more… she wouldn't call it desperate, but he came over far too forcefully. Was that because of Ruby not picking up his more subtle hints? Or did he think she was baiting him?

"Not just the young men." Lord Albero smiled a bit too sweetly, making it obvious what he was insinuating about their host.

Lord Tormo, though, nodded and turned to Weiss. "And here's an example of what we were just talking about, my lady."

Weiss didn't like to fan the flames, and she liked being instrumentalised in whatever rivalry those two men had even less, but she couldn't snub their host over that; certainly not without knowing more about this whole affair. "The malignant rumours?"

"Exactly!" Lord Tormo beamed at her, just like Father's sycophants used to do back when she performed at his parties and then had to mingle afterwards, then turned to smirk at Lord Albero as if he had just won a great victory.

Lord Albero smiled with more teeth showing than a hungry beowolf. "Oh, I didn't mean you when I was talking about men who had to avoid fathering bastards. You are the last man in the City I would suspect of such a deed, my lord."

Long experience allowed Weiss to keep her face impassive and act as if she had missed what the man had just insinuated, even though she wanted to wince. Men tended to take insults to their manhood very badly.

Fortunately, the Black Pearl didn't react at all, and Weiss's friends either managed to keep their reactions from showing - although Yang's lips were pursed as if she were silently whistling - or had genuinely not understood the insult, such as in Ruby and Jon's case.

But then Jon gasped and stared at Lord Tormo with a mixture of shock and, worse, pity, and Lord Tormo's face froze for a moment. "You dare to insult me like this? In my own home?"

Lord Albero looked surprised for a moment, then shook his head with a fake smile. "No insult was intended at all. I was merely agreeing with you that any rumours that you fathered a bastard were utterly baseless."

The Black Pearl had taken a step back, Weiss noted. In contrast, the various guests watching them had come closer. Like sharks smelling blood in the water, she thought. Or Braavosi hoping to see another duel - they had certainly demonstrated an unsettling taste for such 'entertainment'.

"I know what you meant, my lord," Lord Tormo spat. "Just as I know who tried to get Ser Jon killed to embarrass me."

Lord Albero gasped while whispers grew louder amongst the watchers. "You accuse me of such a deed? When it was your failure to keep order in your home that allowed such a dishonourable man to enter? Should you become, by some jest of the gods, the next Sealord, will you blame everyone else but yourself for similar mistakes?"

"When I become Sealord, I will ensure that people who abuse our customs and abuse their power to harm the innocents will not escape justice," Lord Tormo retorted.

Weiss did wince that; such a blatant claim to have secured the Sealord's office already would have been a terrible faux pas in Atlas. Even when the election was a formality, a candidate was still expected to show some humility. And it seemed that things were not so different here, if she correctly interpreted the new whispers around them.

"'When'? You overestimate your chances, I think," Lord Albero said. "Or overstate them; why, if not to shore up your shrinking support, would you curry the favour of the Four Maidens in such an embarrassingly crude manner? Are you planning to have them conquer the City for you?"

"We're not conquering anything for anyone!" Ruby glared at him, and Weiss noted with no small amount of satisfaction that he shrank back with a grimace. "We're not here to play your stupid games!" She looked around with a scowl. "Or fight your stupid duels. Is that so hard to understand?"

"Stupid games?" Lord Albero looked surprised at his own outburst.

"Stupid games," Ruby repeated, once more glaring at him, then at Lord Tormo. "Support this, support that, blah blah - we're not going to… to meddle in your politics! Whoever you elect as the new Sealord is your business, not ours! We're just visiting because we had a problem with the House of Black and White, and we solved that!"

"We're Huntresses, not goons for hire," Yang added with a grin.

"Yes!" Ruby nodded emphatically. "We came here because we were invited to a party - to dance, eat good food and have fun. Not to… talk about coups and stuff or duel people! And since that's all you seem to want to do, we're now leaving!" She nodded sharply with a scoff, then blinked. "The food was good, and the music was nice, though. Good night, my lord. And everyone else."

"Our compliments to the chef and musicians," Weiss added, beaming as she slipped her arm into Ruby's. Her partner was so great when she took a stand! "But we'll take our leave now before we have to deal with another incident."

The crowd between them and the exit quickly parted, and they strode out.


Purple Harbor, Braavos, 299 AC

Sitting on the roof of the inn, Blake took a deep breath. The outside air was slightly chilly - not particularly cold, certainly not like the lands beyond the Wall, but cool. If not for the smell from the harbour and the smoke from the chimneys nearby, it would be very pleasant. Even so, it was much better than King's Landing's ever-present stench. In some ways, it reminded her of Menagerie. Still, she didn't regret their impending return to Westeros. For all the beauty of Braavos and its exotic appeal, its ruling caste wasn't any better than the court in the Red Keep. More concerned with their own power and wealth than the good of the realm - or the city, in this case - and playing games with people's lives. Such as Jon's.

She clenched her teeth. Jon had had to fight for his life just because someone wanted to embarrass a noble. If this were a book, she would probably appreciate the twisted irony - they had come to Braavos to stop the Faceless Men so no one else, especially not their friends, would get hurt in the crossfire, and had ended up endangering Jon as a result.

She leaned back and closed her eyes. She was so sick of all the politics and plots. Was that what her parents had to deal with every day? Menagerie was supposed to be different. Meant as an exile, a prison in all but name, turned into a haven for all Faunus, ruled not by bigotry and greed, but solidarity. As a child, she had believed it. As an adult - or nearly so - she knew better. Menagerie had politics like every other country. Perhaps, with the strong presence of the White Fang, as deadly as in Westeros or Braavos.

And her parents were at the heart of it. Unless something had happened to them since they had arrived in this world. If they had died before Team RWBY could return, thinking Blake was lost… She pressed her lips together. No! Her parents had ruled Menagerie for years. They were fine. They had to be fine. But if they were looking for her, reaching out to her old associates in the hope that they knew something… She drew a sharp breath. If they reached out to Adam…

That would be a catastrophe. If Adam told them about what Blake had done, without Blake being able to explain why she had done what she had done… Not that she could, anyway. She had been wrong about everything.

Damn, even now, she cringed at the thought of facing her own mistakes. She was such a fake. She felt some tears squeeze out of her closed eyes as she ground her teeth in frustration at her failures. Instead of keeping an eye out for Jon and everyone else, she had been dancing with Yang. Leading her partner on while failing her duties.

If her parents knew the truth, they would condemn her for her deeds. If her friends knew how bad she was, if Yang knew… She felt her stomach drop at the thought of their reactions. Of her reaction.

She should just… Her ears twitched at the sound of leather scraping over bricks. Someone was climbing the wall!

She flipped to her feet, drawing Gambol Shroud in the process. She had been so focused on her own failures, she had almost missed someone sneaking up on her!

Blake berated herself as she moved to the edge of the roof, her sword ready. If this was a Faceless Man trying to still fulfil their contract…

The hand gripping the edge of the roof wore a familiar glove, and Blake froze, relief filling her only to be replaced almost immediately with worry and tension.

Yang. Her partner. Who had a crush on her that was based on false pretences. Another thing she needed to set straight but was afraid to.

"There you are!" Yang's smiling face appeared as she pulled herself up. "Wondered where you snuck off to." She climbed on the roof and stretched, and Blake drew a deep breath when the moonlight caught her partner just right to make her long hair shine like gold and outline her body.

She clamped down on that. She didn't deserve Yang's lo... Yang's crush.

"So…" Yang cocked her head as she stepped up to Blake. "Whatcha doing here? Don't tell me you're standing guard," she added before Blake could claim the obvious excuse.

She was tempted to lie anyway. But… Her partner deserved better. "I was thinking."

"Yeah, kinda figured." Yang nodded. "Been a day, huh?"

"Yes." Blake nodded, more sharply than she had intended, tense as she was.

For a moment, she hoped Yang hadn't noticed. But her partner chuckled. "Ah. Am I… I mean, I don't want to push about, you know. I just wanted to say, if you want to talk - about whatever, not about, well, you know - then I'm listening."

Blake snorted against her will. Yang was great - loyal, passionate, strong, honest to the point of bluntness, smart, much smarter than most thought - but patience wasn't one of her many virtues.

Yang blushed a little and shrugged. "Busted, huh? Yeah, sorry, I really don't want to push, I just hoped…" She trailed off with a slight wince. "So… should I head down again?"

Her partner suddenly looked so vulnerable, Blake couldn't bring herself to tell her to leave. Even though it would have been the obvious way out of… whatever this would end up as. "No, stay," she said, and felt guilt fill her when Yang perked up with a beaming smile before she schooled her features and nodded.

Blake pressed her lips together for a moment, then sat down. Procrastinating, she knew, even if it was but for a few moments.

Yang sat down next to her - close, but not touching - and looked around. "So…" She trailed off again, smiling at Blake.

Which made her feel even more guilty. She had to tell Yang that she was fake and a failure. That Yang would be better off with someone else. No matter how much it hurt Blake.

She sighed. Best get it over with. Rip the band-aid away. Or lance the boil, in this case. "You know I was in the White Fang."

"Yeah. I doubt I'll ever forget that revelation in Vale." Yang chuckled. "Weiss was going spare until we sorted things out."

Once more, Blake snorted without wanting to. She could imagine that. But she was stalling again. "I told you about my parents. I was practically born into the White Fang. My parents were founding members. Back when it was a pacifist movement trying to achieve equal rights for Faunus through nonviolent protests and campaigns."

"Yeah."

"Yes. I told you that I was at the protests as a kid, doing my part. But as I grew older, things started to change. If you keep getting hit, you want to strike back at some point." She had told the others that, but in much detail.

"Yeah, I get that." Yang nodded, grinning. "Getting hit and hitting back is kinda my thing."

Blake chuckled, but not for long. She didn't look at Yang as she continued, staring out at the sea. "I told you about the mentor I had. He knew my parents. He had saved Dad's life once. He taught me how to fight. Led our branch of the White Fang." She took another deep breath. Thinking about how Adam had been, and how he had changed, what he had done, hurt. But Yang deserved the truth. "Along the way, we became a couple. And…"

"Wait! You said he knew your dad? How old was he?" Yang interrupted her.

Blake blinked, then frowned. "Just a few years older than me." That didn't matter, anyway. Soldiers grew up quickly in a war, and they had been fighting a war. She glanced at Yang, who was frowning but nodded at Blake to continue. "Anyway, as we struck at SDC labour camps, liberated their prison slaves, stole weapons from the Atlas military and hit the worst bigots discriminating against Faunus, Adam started to change."

Her ears picked up Yang mouthing "Adam…" under her breath. Well, she had named him, so whatever.

"He grew more violent. Less concerned with… with everything and everyone we fought for. I tried to… In the end, I just couldn't take it any more and left." She looked at the roof between her legs, remembering that moment in Forever Fall.

"Him and the White Fang," Yang said.

She nodded without looking at her. "Just as I left my parents, I left him. Ran away instead of confronting him." Instead of changing him. Like she always did. And now Yang knew it.

"So… is that supposed to scare me off?"

What? Blake looked up, staring at Yang's… smiling face. She opened her mouth to tell her partner that she deserved better, but Yang cut her off.

"Because if that was the point, it failed. I'm not scared off." Yang leaned over, and Blake felt her hand on her shoulder. "I'm not this… Adam. You won't have to run away from me. And I don't think you want to run, right?"

"That's not… I didn't have to run away - I could have stayed and tried harder to…" She trailed off.

"To fight him?" Yang sounded dubious.

"To fight for the others." Adam had manipulated her. She had finally seen through his lies. But the others in their branch hadn't.

"Do you think they would have listened?"

"I don't know." The White Fang at the docks in Vale hadn't listened. Even though Torchwick had insulted them as animals to their faces, they had worked and fought with him. On Adam's orders. "Probably not."

She felt Yang gently squeeze her shoulder. "Then you did what you could before you left."

Blake bit her lower lip. She was a coward at heart. Unlike Yang, who would rather get beaten down than run. And would get up again, anyway. "I still ran away. Twice."

"Third time's the charm!"

Once more, Blake couldn't help snorting. It was corny and silly, and she should feel offended at the attempt to make light of what she had just told, but… It was Yang. She was trying to cheer Blake up, not make fun of her. One of the many reasons Blake loved her.

Still… "I don't deserve you," she muttered. There, she said it.

"Well, I disagree with that!"

Couldn't she see that Blake was not worth it? That she would run away again? No matter how much Blake didn't want to run and wanted to stay, but… Blake raised her head to glare at her partner.

And found herself far closer to Yang than she had expected. Close enough to feel Yang's breath on her face when her partner exhaled. Close enough to…

Yang leaned in, and their lips met. And Blake forgot how to think for a moment.


Yang Xiao Long smiled as she broke the kiss and drew back. Blake was great - smart, graceful, far braver than she claimed, so damn beautiful and would do anything for her friends - but sometimes, she was just stupid. Usually, when it was about herself. Then she needed a nudge, or a kick in the rear, to straighten herself out. Or a kiss. And Yang was good at all three.

"Ah…" Blake blinked.

Yang grinned. Her partner was too cute when she was confused. "Told you," she said, then gently cupped Blake's face with her hands, lifting it up slightly. "I disagree." And she wouldn't rest until Blake realised that Yang was right.

Blake blinked, and in the moonlight, Yang could see the hint of tears in her eyes. "But…"

None of that! Yang leaned in again and kissed her again.

Both were breathing heavily when they broke the kiss, and Yang couldn't help smirking at Blake's expression. "Do I have to keep kissing you until you admit I'm right? Not that I'm planning to stop anytime soon, you know."

Blake managed to both blush and - weakly - glare at her in return. "This is a mistake."

She wasn't pulling out of Yang's reach, though. And her protests lacked sincerity - Yang knew her partner very well and could tell. So she just smiled back. "Never let that stop me before."

Blake sighed, but she still hadn't pulled away, Yang noted with no small amount of satisfaction. And her partner had enthusiastically returned both kisses. "Do you really think this is a mistake?" she asked.

"It's…" Blake sighed once again and closed her eyes. "I don't want to see you hurt because of me."

"And I don't want to see you hurting yourself." And Yang bet that she could keep this up longer than Blake could - she could be very stubborn if she wanted, and right now, she really did. She wanted Blake to be happy, and she'd do what she had to to make it happen. And, Hell, she wanted Blake, period.

And she wanted to kiss Blake again. But that would be too pushy. Like some of the boys she knew. And, so her gut said, at least, that Adam, with whom she would have a few words once they were back home. But that could wait. This was about Blake.

Yang turned a little, until she was sitting next to Blake, and wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders, then pulled her in, just a bit, until Blake's head rested against her face.

And then remained like that for a while. Just the two of them, under the moon, looking at the sea. Well, the harbour, but it counted - she could see part of the sea, anyway, through the entrance under the Titan.

"So…" Yang said later.

She heard and felt Blake sigh. "Yes."

"Yes!" Yang smiled so widely, she almost hurt herself.


"You're back!" Ruby jumped up from the bed she had been sitting on - next to Weiss, who was reading her notes or something - and smiled at them when Yang, followed by Blake, entered their room at the inn through the window. "What were you doing outside for so long? We need to talk!"

Yang couldn't resist that setup. With a grin, she said: "Us."

Ruby blinked. "What?"

Weiss looked as confused.

And Blake groaned. Of course, Yang's girlfriend would get her joke at once!

"You asked what we were doing," Yang went on. "We were doing us. Each other."

Ruby blinked again, then her eyes widened and her mouth opened without a sound.

Weiss gasped and blushed.

And Blake, who was looking flushed as well, elbowed Yang in the side. "We were kissing. We weren't having sex on the roof."

"Oh!" Ruby also blushed. "You… You are…"

"We're together, yes," Yang said, sneaking her arm around Blake's waist and pulling her against her.

"And yes, I told her that this was a mistake," Blake added with one of her sardonic grins.

"Oh!" Ruby, of course, beamed at them - and then vanished in a cloud of rose petals, to reappear with her arms wrapped around them in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Weiss slowly nodded. "Likewise." She glanced at the closed door leading to Jon's room. He must have already gone to bed. "Though as much as I am happy that you found each other, I think this added another topic that we need to discuss. And it's already late."

"Huh?" Ruby turned her head without releasing Yang or Blake from her grip. She had grown stronger, Yang found. "What do you mean?"

Weiss sighed apologetically. "We need to discuss how you want to handle this new development. Westeros is not quite as tolerant of such relationships as our home is."

"Oh." Ruby released them and frowned. "But…"

"The Faith of the Seven disapproves of such relationships," Weiss explained. "The exact legal consequences are somewhat murky and vary, but such relationships are usually kept secret. Or, at least, people pretend it's a secret." She looked at Yang and Blake. "Given our reputation and position, especially with regard to the locals' faith, this could be an issue."

Yang knew that. And as much as she wanted to tell everyone who 'disapproved' of her new relationship to fuck off, she understood the potential issues. Still… She looked at Blake. Her girlfriend. Who had been hiding her true nature for a year now, under her bow. And had done so back at Beacon as well. If she could do that, Yang could hide as well. But that wasn't just Yang's decision. "Yeah, we need to talk about that."

"But not right now - it's past midnight, and we're all tired. And, well… probably other things," Ruby said, blushing like a tomato. "So, let's do that, ah, tomorrow. OK?"

Yang nodded. And grinned when Blake blushed as well, and Weiss started muttering something while looking away.

Yeah, that talk could wait. The important thing was that Blake returned Yang's feelings!

Her partner was now her girlfriend!