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

[ATP]

Thanks for chapter !
Marwyn is here,and with his help they would get list of places with magic in Essoss.Problem is - nobody there supposed to have magic capable of sending people to other worlds.
With possible exception of Yeen,but people in those ruins simply vanish after living there longer then few weeks - which mean,that ruins could simply somehow eat them.

Or send to place which eat them.Or ,at best,to random place,not RWBY world.
Problem is - nor RWBY,not anybody in Essoss had that kind of knowledge.

Melee - good fight for 20.000 dragons - excellent idea.

 

[eager slacker]

Marwyn wouldn't really be disappointed to hear that the team doesn't know of magic because what's natural and normal to them is basically magic to Westeros. Trains being run by ore or fuel might as well be magic to Westeros and until the technological innovations get made whatever is given might as well be magic. Hell if anyone sees them fighting "for real" the only logical explanation is that they are magic or blessed which is just magic but with god being your backer.

 

[Ultimasaurus Imperatrix]

Someone over an alternate history brought up the fact that we haven't gotten to see the girls react to the dragon skulls, and the red keep.

 

[Starfox5]

Chapter 13: The Hand's Tourney

'I've mentioned before how much esteem knights held in this era - the chivalric ideals were, if seldom upheld when it might have been inconvenient for the various nobles, almost always paid lip service to. And tournaments both benefited from this reverence of knightly valour as well as reinforced the myth of the knight as a noble defender of all that was just and holy. That aside, tournaments also were the highlights of most people's lives. Even the small, regular events were likely to be the most important festivals in a year - or even a season. The grander affairs, such as the Tourney at Harrenhal, also known as Lord Whent's Great Tournament, were talked about amongst both smallfolk and nobility for years afterwards - and not merely amongst those who had to pay for them. In fact, that tournament would have left its mark at least in contemporary history even without the crucial events that took place there and resulted in Robert's Rebellion. So, it should not be a surprise that the Hand's Tourney was bound to draw the attention of the entire realm even before the news of the Ruby Order's arrival spread. Of course, it should go without saying that many expected the Order to participate - an expectation founded, like so many theses today, on a misunderstanding of the situation due to a lack of information, although, in light of the views and society at the time, a quite understandable misunderstanding.'

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

*****​

Outside King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

Brienne Tarth kept her head high and her eyes looking ahead as she walked through the tent city that had sprung up around the site of the Hand's Tourney outside King's Landing. She wanted to let her eyes roam, take in the sight of so many people from all over the Seven Kingdoms, look at all the banners flapping in the soft breeze, but if she did that, she'd also see the people staring at her.

Stare and whisper behind her back - or, if they were particularly cruel or bold, call out to her with a sneer or jeer. She had heard it all before. None of those who mocked her were as witty as they thought they were. And none of them would face her, should she demand satisfaction.

Not that she would. A knight was to be just and brave, to defend the young and innocent. And all women. They were not supposed to fight for petty reasons or out of spite.

Her fingers tightened around the grip of her sword. She was no knight, and would never be, being a woman, but you did not have to be knighted to follow the oaths of chivalry. She would…

"Hey, look at that beauty!"

She tensed, clenching her teeth and kept staring ahead. Brienne the Beauty, they called her when they wanted to be particularly cruel and were too cowardly to show their scorn openly. As if anyone would think they were honest when calling her a beauty - she knew she was ugly, with her broken nose, coarse face and crooked teeth, and her body was strong but not graceful - or womanly. But…

"Come on, girl! I've got money."

Brienne gasped and whirled around. Call her a whore? That was too far! She wouldn't stand for that slander, and…

She froze when she realised that the drunk man - a knight from the Riverlands, though she could not quite remember which house - had not been calling out to her but to a girl with a wild mane of blonde hair who had just turned and was now approaching him.

"Did you just call me a whore?"

The girl's tone left no doubt that she had taken offence at the insinuation.

"I called you what you are!" The knight laughed, put down the wineskin he had been drinking from, and reached out to grab her.

Brienne quickened her steps and opened her mouth to call out the lout before he forced himself on the girl. "Hold, Ser! You…"

She trailed off, gaping, when she saw the girl slap the knight's grasping hands away and grab him by his neck and belt, then lift him over her head as if he weighed nothing.

A moment later, the man flew through the air, hitting the packed dirt several paces away with enough force to bounce once before coming to a stop with a pained groan.

"Watch your tongue, asshole!" the girl spat, dusting off her hands. "Next time, you'll lose your balls!"

"You! I'll…" The knight tried to stand but bent over with a groan instead - and then vomited on the ground.

The girl snorted, then turned to glare at the knight's companions. "Anyone else volunteering to help me improve my YangTime?"

Her what? Brienne blinked, feeling as confused as the men looked. Though the threat was clear enough, and they cowered under the girl's gaze.

"Thought so." She scoffed again and turned away.

And Brienne realised who she was. "Lady Yang Xiao Long!"

The girl - the noblewoman, looked at her. "That's me!"

Brienne smiled and bowed her head. "Brienne Tarth." She should have recognised the woman at once - she looked exactly like Lord Renly had described her.

"Ah, Lord Renly's friend, right?"

Lord Renly had mentioned her to Team Ruby, as their group was called? Was that why he had sent Brienne a letter telling her to attend the tourney? "I would not presume to call myself his friend; he is my liege," she replied.

"Right." Lady Yang nodded.

Brienne couldn't help looking at her clothes. Lord Renly had not embellished her garb either - exotic was an understatement. The woman wore what looked like her smallclothes under a half-skirt, and her leggings didn't reach above her thighs. Though her gauntlets were of the finest quality - much better than Brienne's slightly dented steel armour.

She tore her gaze away. "Did… Did Lord Renly mention me to you?" she asked without thinking - the woman had already said so.

"Oh, yes. You're one of the few women who can fight in Westeros," Lady Yang replied. "Arya - Lady Arya Stark - pestered him all evening about you when she heard that."

"Oh." Brienne blushed. "I did train with the sword, yes," she said. A knight was supposed to be humble.

"Nice!" Lady Yang grinned. "Are you gonna fight in the tourney?"

"I am considering it," Brienne replied. "Are you going to take part?"

"In a special competition." Lady Yang chuckled. "Wouldn't be quite fair otherwise, because…"

"You whore! Die!"

Brienne drew her sword and whirled, but before she could step into the charging Riverlander's path, Lady Yang had already moved.

The knight was flying upwards and back in the blink of an eye - propelled into the air by a kick from Lady Yang. A kick that, as Brienne realised, had hit the man between his legs with enough force to send him flipping head over heels through the air twice before coming down.

"Now, that's a good YangTime!"

So, that was what it meant. Brienne made a note to remember it.

"So, where are you headed?" Lady Yang asked as if she hadn't demonstrated strength beyond anyone except, perhaps, the Mountain.

"Ah, I was about to look for Lord Renly. I was told he was at the training yard set up here," Brienne replied.

"Ah? Come on, it's this way! Let's see if we can catch a few good knights training."

Before she realised it, Brienne was walking through the camp at the side of Lady Yang, who was chatting with her as if they were friends.

*****​

"...and have you met the King, by the way? He's great! He created a whole event for us since it'd be unfair if we fought in the grand melee, and none of us can ride well enough to joust. Oh! Are you hungry? Let me fetch some flatbread! Be right back!"

Brienne blinked when Lady Yang grinned and headed over to a food stall. "You mentioned before that it would be unfair if you took part in the melee," she said when she joined the noblewoman.

"Yeah. We - Team Ruby - would decide the winner amongst ourselves if we took part." Lady Yang nodded, then smiled at the vendor. "Two flatbreads with beef, please! Ah… this one and that one!" She pointed at two seemingly at random on the grill. As soon as the vendor handed them over, she passed one to Brienne. "Just what you need after a light workout!"

"Thank you, my lady," Brienne replied, eyeing the bread a moment before taking a bite. It tasted like any other she had had before.

They walked on, Lady Yang quickly devouring the bread. The vendor hadn't asked for payment, Brienne realised. Of course, a woman so close to the King might have taken it as an insult, but… She glanced around. The smallfolk were staring at them - at Lady Yang. Some with what looked like awe, others with fear.

"You are well-known," she said between two bites.

Lady Yang nodded, then swallowed. "Yep! We made an impression when we helped out with construction." She grinned widely, but Brienne didn't get whatever joke she had made. It didn't seem to be aimed at her, though.

"You helped with construction?" she asked.

"Yep. It was a decent workout."

"So, is it true that no blade can hurt you?" She had heard the rumours, but they had seemed far too wild to be trusted,

"Want to take a swing and find out?"

Brienne narrowed her eyes. "Do you wish to spar?"

"Yes, but that wasn't the question." Lady Yang chuckled. "But you're right. If it's my head against a sword, my head will win!"

Before Brienne could think of a polite way to challenge that boast, the noblewoman turned and pointed ahead. "And here we are! You were right, Lord Renly's here. Ser Loras is training."

Oh. Brienne straightened and looked around. Being taller than all but a handful of men, she easily spotted Lord Renly in the training area, watching Ser Loras spar with a burly Stormlander knight she dimly remembered having met a few years before.

Lady Yang was headed straight for him, and Brienne took a deep breath as they approached, trying to word a proper greeting that wouldn't result in her making a fool out of her in front of her liege.

"Lord Renly! I brought Lady Brienne!" Yang called out.

And he turned, a smile lighting up his handsome face. "Lady Yang!" Then he saw Brienne, and her heart felt as if it skipped a beat when he smiled at her. "Lady Brienne! You came!"

"You called for me, my lord," Brienne replied, bowing her head to hide her slight blush. Lord Renly was just… He was so handsome, so gallant - and he treated her like she was… He treated her with respect and kindness.

"Indeed."

"Oh, you're Lady Brienne Tarth?"

Brienne looked up - then down. A young girl was beaming at her. And next to her… How had she missed the wolf? She tensed, clenching her teeth when the wolf approached her, sniffing at her calves.

"Nymeria! Heel!"

The wolf chuffed once, cocked its head to the side, then returned to the girl's flank.

"Lady Brienne, this is Lady Arya Stark. Arya, yes, this is Lady Brienne," Lord Renly said. "She's been looking forward to meeting you, Lady Brienne,"

"Yes! I'm going to become a lady knight as well!"

"Girls can't become knights, Arya!" a boy - her slightly younger brother, Brienne realised; he had very similar looks, and they both wore garments with the Stark's direwolf sigil. And he was in the company of another wolf.

Arya huffed. "If the strongest warriors can't be knights just because they're girls that will make a mockery of knighthood!"

"There's more to being a knight than being strong!" Bran shot back.

"Arya! Bran!" Another Stark boy - although older, almost a man grown - said, taking a step forward while a white wolf slunk around behind him. "Behave!"

The two children sulked, but Lord Renly laughed. "They're very passionate about knights. Although Lady Arya is correct - I doubt King Robert would refuse to knight a woman merely because she's no man. Not after getting to know Team Ruby."

"He better not!" Lady Yang said with a grin as she smashed her gauntlets together.

Brienne didn't say anything - what could she say, in this company? Lord Renly was the King's brother and her liege lord. Those were the children of the King's Hand, the lord paramount of the North. And it was obvious that Lady Yang was held in the highest esteem by the King and his family. But she couldn't help smiling at the thought that, maybe, her dream of being a knight might not be as impossible as she had been taught and told all her life.

*****​

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

"The Royal Library has been tended to by a man of the Faith since its founding!"

"Tended, not controlled. By what right do you dare to block us from using the library?"

Ruby Rose tried not to wince while Archmaester Marwyn and Septon Hernis argued. This was getting embarrassing!

"I do not block you from using the library, Maester…"

"Archmaester!"

"...but that refers to reading books, not treating the library as your own! I am responsible for taking care of the priceless tomes held here, and I will not neglect my duty and let outsiders mishandle them!"

"A likely excuse! You wish to control what information we can access!"

"I would never! I know the library like the back of my hand! It would be pointless to let you waste hours searching a book when I could find it in a heartbeat!"

"And how are we supposed to know which books we need without studying them?"

Ruby bit her lower lip. They just needed a few books, not the whole library! Did it matter who fetched the books they needed?

"As an Archmaester, wouldn't you already know which books you need? The Citadel's library is famous, after all."

Ruby cleared her throat. "What if we don't touch the books and just look at them? You can tell us what each book is about, and we can decide if we need to read it, right?"

Now both men were frowning at her.

"I wouldn't trust this man to tell me the truth about a book containing knowledge about magic!"

"I have many duties; do you expect me to wait hand and foot on you?"

"Yes! What else are you good for as a librarian?"

"This is not how we handle things at court!"

"Well, how about Lady Ruby goes and asks the King about that?" Marwyn bared his teeth at the other man.

Ruby cringed. To go complain to the King? Like… like going to tattle to the teacher? But… "The King has told us that we could use the library."

"That implies that you would use it with my help, my lady."

"Your 'help' is more hindrance! Just stay out of the way!"

"How dare you!"

Ruby shook her head. "We really don't want…"

"We need those books you're trying to hide!"

"I am not hiding any books - I am protecting them from being mishandled! Those books are centuries old!"

"How dare you insult me by claiming I would mishandle books! I've handled more and older books than you ever did!"

"Enough!" Ruby snapped, slamming Crescent Rose's butt into the ground before she realised that she had unfolded her scythe. She felt her cheeks heat up when the men turned to look at her again but straightened and raised her chin. "The King's given us permission to search his library. Archmaester Marwyn has offered us his help, and we're grateful for that. If you want to help us as well, we would also be grateful - and we would be done with it sooner and out of your hair. But letting you do all the work and picking which books we can read won't work." Really, this was getting ridiculous! They just wanted to use the library!

To her surprise, the Septon didn't protest, and Marwyn didn't gloat. Both men were staring at her.

"What?" She asked, wishing she had a mirror. Was there something on her face?

Then she realised that she had cracked the stone beneath her feet with her scythe.

"Oh. Sorry!" She smiled weakly at the two men. "I didn't mean to do that."

Fortunately, neither man called her out on her embarrassing mistake.

*****​

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

"Your Grace."

"Stannis! Finally decided to stop sulking on Dragonstone and return to court in time for the greatest tourney the realm has ever seen?" The King chuckled and, without letting his younger brother say anything in return, turned to Ruby and her friends. "Ladies! This is my second brother, Stannis! Master of Ships - he commands the Royal Fleet when he's around. Stannis, these are Lady Ruby Rose, her sister, Lady Yang Xiao Long, Lady Weiss Schnee and Lady Blake Belladonna! They're the strongest women you've ever met!"

Ruby eyed the man - Lord Stannis, who was frowning at the King (who had been a bit rude, in her opinion). He looked very serious. And annoyed. He reminded her a bit of Professor Goodwitch - she didn't seem to smile a lot either. He looked similar to the King, though he wasn't fat and he had much less hair, both on his head (he was nearly bald) and on his face.

Then he turned to look at Ruby and her friends, and she smiled at him. "Hello, my lord!"

As her friends greeted him, Lord Stannis bowed his head in return, though he still didn't smile. He seemed to be one of the most gruff men she had met so far. Even worse than that shopkeeper back in Patch who was only happy when he made a sale.

"Don't let their looks fool you, Stannis! Each of the ladies could throw you across the throne room, as Lady Yang recently demonstrated on a man who insulted her!"

"Hey! I didn't throw the knight that far!" Yang protested, though she was grinning.

Ruby frowned at being reminded of that incident. The knight had done more than insulting Yang - he had attacked her! With a weapon! How stupid could you be? She hoped he was an exception and that there wouldn't be more such men. That would really suck.

"So I've been told," Lord Stannis said with a curt nod.

"Do you need a demonstration?" The King laughed and, once again, turned and spoke without giving his brother time to answer. "Lady Ruby, if you were so kind to give us a small demonstration…?"

Oh. Ruby straightened. If the King asked, she better do it. "Of course, Your Grace." She looked around for a suitable target - she wouldn't lift Lord Stannis; that would embarrass them both and probably hurt his honour or something. She could lift a table, but that would annoy everyone currently eating, and that wouldn't be nice. But lifting the side table wouldn't be really impressive - and risk ruining the cakes placed on it. So… Ah!

She activated her Semblance and disappeared, popping up between Weiss and Yang, then grabbed both their chairs and lifted.

"Hey!"

"Ruby!"

"Sorry!" Ruby held them both above her head and smiled at Lord Stannis. Her friends were the best choice for a demonstration - they wouldn't be annoyed or insulted!

"Let us down, you dolt!" Well, except for Weiss…

She set them down again and glanced at Lord Stannis. He didn't seem very impressed. He was staring at them, but he looked more gruff and glaring than surprised.

"I see."

The King laughed. "Bah, you're no fun, Stannis! I expected you to tell me how this is obviously a trick. Did you actually believe my letter?"

"I would never presume that Your Grace would lie to me," Stannis replied, looking offended. Well, more offended.

"Hah!" The King laughed again. "Now come on, take a seat - Boy! More wine! And some for Stannis!"

But instead of joining his brother, Lord Stannis turned around to look at the door behind him. "I have brought a visitor as well."

As if this had been a cue - it probably had been, Ruby realised - a woman appeared in the entrance and slowly walked toward Lord Stannis. A tall woman, though not as tall as Lady Brienne, with long, red - coppery - hair, and pale skin, wearing a bright red dress and a matching choker with a ruby set in it. And a red cloak!

Ruby beamed - the woman obviously had great taste! And red eyes, she realised. She was very beautiful, too.

"Your Grace, this is Melisandre, a red priestess of R'hllor. She hails from Asshai."

Melisandre bowed. "Your Grace." She had a deep and melodic voice. Exotic, Ruby decided.

"Ah!" The King smiled at her. "Welcome at my court, woman. Are you here to spread your faith, like Thoros?"

Melisandre bowed her head. "R'hllor sent me a vision, Your Grace." She turned to look at Ruby and her friends. "A red comet striking a glacier and melting it down to a wave that swept across the land."

Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine when the woman met her eyes and smiled. Those red eyes… She expected the woman to say something, but Melisandre only smiled and then bowed again and sat with Lord Stannis.

But for the entire rest of the meal, Melisandre kept glancing at Ruby and her friends. She didn't say anything, just… sneaked glances. It was a bit unnerving.

*****​

"That woman was a bit weird, wasn't she?" Ruby blurted out as soon as they were back in their room. She didn't even wait for Blake to check for spies. "She kept glancing at us but didn't say anything." Granted, she had been seated a bit too far to make conversation, but still!

Weiss, of course, waited for Blake to check the secret passage and give the all-clear before answering: "She seemed rather interested in us, though that is not entirely uncommon; it's actually surprising that Lord Stannis didn't seem to be as interested as his brothers."

"She's a priestess of that fire god," Yang said.

"R'hllor," Weiss added.

"Yeah, that one. And she has visions from her god that led her here." Yang shrugged. "A comet melting a glacier - I don't think she's talking about Ruby thawing our ice queen."

"What?" Ruby stared at her sister.

"Pardon?" Weiss jumped up. "What are you insinuating?"

Yang grinned. "I'm just saying you've mellowed out a lot since Ruby became your partner."

Oh, right. Ruby nodded. "Yes, that's right!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes at her and at Yang for a moment, then nodded as well. Good!

"You think that this prophecy refers to us fighting the Others," Blake said.

"It would fit, wouldn't it?" Yang shrugged. "We arrived, we kicked their butts."

"We didn't strike like a comet, and they didn't melt," Ruby pointed out.

"Prophecies are usually metaphorical," Blake told her. "It's not a literal comet strike. But if the glacier melting were the Others, then I wonder what the wave sweeping across the land is."

"It sounds far-fetched," Weiss said.

"But she is from Asshai - Marwyn said they have witches there who can work magic." Yang sat down on her bed. "So, she might be able to help us get home."

Ruby nodded - and the woman had style! - but Weiss looked a little doubtful. "Weiss?"

"She said she received visions from her god," Weiss said.

"Yes?" Ruby cocked her head sideways.

Weiss frowned. "I am not certain what could be more problematic: that she is using magic and following the orders of an imaginary god or that she is receiving visions from an actual god that involve us."

Oh. Right, neither sounded like a good thing for Team RWBY.

*****​

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

"Lady Weiss! We still haven't decided when we'll hold the Battle of the Maidens. Would you mind to opinion on it?"

"Your Grace?" Weiss Schnee smiled widely. It was the least she could do for King, whose library they were still perusing in the hope of finding a way home, and who would be granting a fortune by any measure to her team. And it also granted her an excuse to be late to today's sewing circle with the Queen and her handmaidens as well as whoever amongst the ladies of the court was the unfortunate recipient of a royal invitation. Maybe she should stop for a snack in the great hall more often. "You are debating whether to hold it before or after the joust, I assume."

"Yes, my lady." Lord Tyrion, whose inclusion in the discussion was probably related to him drinking with the King, nodded. "It's mostly a question of how and when we insult the flower of the realm's chivalry."

The King guffawed, and Lord Eddard sighed and said: "While I would not put it so frivolously as Lord Tyrion, I do have to agree that we are faced with a problem. If we hold your contest before the joust, it will overshadow the lists. If we hold it afterwards, some of the more prickly lights might feel that it is considered the main event of the tourney."

"It is the main event!" The King cut in. "A battle the likes of which none have ever seen - and none will see for a long time after!"

Weiss couldn't help reconsidering the team's decision to participate in the battle. Certainly, the gold they would receive - no matter who won, the gold would go to the team - would grant them the financial independence they needed. That was more obvious with every day they spent at court. But she was more than a little concerned about showing off in front of so many people. Even without using more of their already low Dust supply, going all-out, as the King expected, would mean using their Semblances. With the exception of Ruby, they had kept those a secret so far. But the team - Ruby and Yang - had argued that it wouldn't be honourable to take so much gold without fighting to the best of their abilities. Weiss, with Blake's support, had only been able to successfully argue that they might need Dust to return home. Really, Ruby and Yang might be spending a bit too much time with the Stark children, in Weiss's opinion.

But the men at the table expected an answer. "I believe it would be better to hold the battle at the end of the tourney. Some might feel insulted, but others might dismiss us as an afterthought, and it should make the other events run more smoothly."

"Well said, Lady Weiss!" the Prince smiled at her. "It's what I argued."

The King laughed. "Yes, and Ned can't argue that it's dishonourable - we do reserve the place of honour for the main event; if some knights are too stupid to understand it, that's on them!"

Lord Eddard sighed again. "It does seem that there is no solution that will not result in problems."

"Welcome to ruling the realm, Ned!"

"As long as we pick the least bad solution, that's not a problem, right, Father?"

"Yes, Boy."

The trick was finding the least bad solution, of course. But Weiss didn't see any need to argue that.

"I am looking very much forward to seeing you battling without holding back, Lady Weiss," the Prince addressed her. "As impressive as your training sessions are, nothing compares to a real battle."

His smile was a bit too eager for Weiss's taste. But he was a boy who had never fought in a real battle. He didn't really understand what it entailed. "We will fight without holding back, but we will still stop before people get hurt."

He frowned briefly at that. "But how do you determine who has won then?"

"We will yield when we know we're beaten, of course," she replied. "Like in the melee, I believe."

"Few knights yield while they can still fight," he retorted with a pout.

"That is their prerogative," she said. "But we're used to fighting like that. It will be an impressive display, I promise you that." They would need quite a large safety zone. "But the risks of not stopping when the fight is decided are too great given pour power."

"Even though you can quickly recover from wounds that would kill anyone else?"

Apparently, one of the others had let slip something again, and the Prince had picked it up. Weiss nodded. "We are very hard to hurt, but we are not invulnerable. And," she added with a smile, "we're friends. We don't like to hurt each other."

"Yes!" The King laughed at that and slapped Lord Eddard on the shoulder. "Friends don't fight friends - but they do knock them around in the training yard, right, Ned?"

The Prince nodded, although Weiss felt it was a bit reluctantly. He really was naive with regard to fighting. She hoped he would never have to find out what it was like. Then again, a future King who knew nothing about the cost of battles might not be a good thing either… But that was a topic for another day; she had a sewing circle to attend.

*****​

"Lady Weiss. Late again," the Queen greeted her with her usual scowl as Weiss entered her quarters.

"I am terribly sorry, Your Grace," Weiss lied with a smile. "I was asked to help plan the tournament by your husband the King." She didn't have to add 'and he outranks you'; the Queen heard it anyway.

But next to the ladies-in-waiting of the Queen already familiar to Weiss, another noblewoman - or a girl; she was very beautiful, but not even her expert makeup and perfectly styled dress could hide that she looked about as old as Ruby - was sitting, apparently with her own lady-in-waiting next to her.

The Queen waited a moment longer than would have been polite before introducing her. "Lady Margaery, this is Lady Weiss. Lady Weiss, Lady Margaery Tyrell."

"Ah, we finally meet, Lady Weiss!" the girl said as Weiss curtsied. "Although I hoped to meet your friends as well."

"Lady Ruby, Lady Yang and Lady Blake are, unfortunately, kept away by their various duties," Weiss replied as she took a seat of her own.

The Queen scoffed rather audibly, which caused Lady Margaery to raise her eyebrows in apparent if brief confusion, though everyone else knew better than to comment on the fact that the Queen had stopped inviting Ruby and the others. Weiss still wasn't quite certain why she had not been treated the same - she certainly hadn't kept her own opinion of the Queen a secret, although she had kept a polite facade for appearance's sake.

"You're Ser Loras's sister, right?" Weiss said. "He mentioned you were travelling here for the tourney." And she had expected the knight to introduce them.

"Yes." Lady Margaery smiled earnestly. "I am looking forward to seeing him in the joust. He is the best rider I know, and I hope he will be the tourney's champion."

"I wouldn't know; I hardly know anything about riding or jousting," Weiss replied. "Although he does cut a very dashing figure when he trains." Lady Sansa liked to go off about it, too, but Weiss knew better than to mention that - there would be rumours started within the hour about Lady Sansa cheating on her fiancé.

"As his sister, I am obviously biased, but I agree." Lady Margaery giggled softly. "Whoever he ends up marrying will be very happy, I believe."

Weiss nodded, her smile growing a slightly bit more polite. "I have no doubt of that."

"Of course, so would any man you'd marry, my lady."

"You flatter me," Weiss replied. That again. Was every noble she met trying to propose a betrothal to her? Lady Maegary was more subtle about it than most, but Weiss could see the signs.

"Unlike whoever ends up marrying Lady Brienne," another lady-in-waiting cut in with a slight sneer.

"Really?" Weiss frowned at the woman. "Why would you say that?" She was grateful for the interruption, but she wouldn't let that stop her from telling the woman just what she thought about her odious barb. Lady Brienne might not be a model, but she was an earnest young woman who would make whoever was not as superficial as to care only about appearances very happy. Besides, she was plain, but a bit of advice and some makeup, and maybe some styling help, could go a long way.

"Ah… have you seen her?"

"I consider her a friend, my lady." Weiss bared her teeth. "And so does Lord Renly."

Yes, maybe she should ask Lady Brienne if she wanted some advice about cosmetics.

*****​

Outside King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

This was very good fried fish! Blake Belladonna took another bite from the snack she had bought from the vendor Bran had recommended and savoured the taste. Indeed, this more than justified the detour she had taken on the way back to the city from the tourney's training area. She should have bought two, actually.

She stopped, taking another bite, and looked over her shoulder. If she turned around and headed back, she would probably finish her snack just before reaching the vendor. It would delay her return to the keep even more, but… It was really good fried fish. The best she had eaten in the city so far. "Worth it," she mumbled past the next bite and turned around.

She took a different route back, though. There had been another row of tents raised today, more people arriving to either compete in the tourney or hawk their wares - and services - to the knights and spectators, and she could take a look at the new lane formed.

She didn't recognise the sigils on the various banners planted next to the entrances, but she tried to remember them anyway, just in case - you never knew when even seemingly unimportant information could come in handy. Her time in the White Fang had taught her that.

So… She frowned. She did recognise that sigil. Three dogs - brrr!. That was the sigil of House Clegane; the Prince had shown it to them once, even though his sworn sword never wore it.

Which meant the large tent with the two guards in front who were giving her the evil eye must belong to another Clegane - and she only knew about one, the Hound's brother. Ser Gregor Clegane, The Mountain That Rides.

She had heard a lot about the man, mainly because everyone seemed to compare Team RWBY's strength to his, whether they had met the man in question or not. And she hadn't heard many good things about him, not even from Lord Tyrion, whose father was the knight's liege. Then again, she knew how someone's reputation could be deceptive, both for good or ill, and she was aware she shouldn't judge people based on rumours.

Still, the way those guards were sneering at her wasn't making her think that the knight's bad reputation was undeserved; you could tell a lot about someone by checking what kind of people they employed.

Although she would have expected the guards to have done something else than glaring at her by now - and why were they glaring at her, anyway? She had never met them or their lord before. Of course, the Hound didn't like her or her team, but she knew he positively loathed his brother. Would he still complain to him about her? She didn't think so.

So why were they glaring at her? If her partner had been here, then she would have sauntered over to the tent's entrance to ask them what their problem was - and likely start a fight in the process - but Blake wasn't Yang.

Instead, she continued walking, slowly, and focused on what she could hear from the tent's interior. The whole camp was a cacophony of noise, which made it hard to listen in to any conversation at a distance. Hard but not impossible.

But she only heard some… groaning?

She stopped and cocked her head. It sounded as if someone was in pain. And given the man's reputation… She clenched her teeth. Time to act like her partner, then.

She quickly swallowed the rest of her snack and walked over to the tent. Both men tensed when they saw her approach, another bad sign. "You seem to have a problem with me," she told them without greeting them.

They glanced at each other, then at the flap hiding the tent's interior from view, before looking back at her. "No," the one on the right said. "We don't have a problem, my lady."

The groaning had stopped. But Blake was committed now. "You were glaring at me as if you wanted to attack me," she said.

"We mistook you for someone else," the other guard said. "My lady," he added belatedly.

"Oh? There's someone else who looks like me?" Blake channelled a bit more of her partner as she flashed a smile at them. "Who is it? I think I want to meet that person."

"Ah…" Again, the two glanced at each other, though this time, they were glaring.

And Blake picked up heavy footsteps from the tent. A moment later, the flap was pushed to the side, and a huge man appeared in the entrance. He almost filled the entire space - he was bigger than Adam's Lieutenant.

Not big enough to hide the empty tent behind him, though. So, he had been the one who had been groaning. And she caught some white film on his lips - he had just drunk some… Not milk, something else. She sniffed the air but couldn't place the smell.

"Who're you?" the giant asked.

"She's Lady Blake, Ser," the guard said. "The one…" He cringed and stopped when Clegane growled at him and balled his hands into fists.

Blake had been about to blame the guards for her presence, but this changed things. "I was curious," she said. "I've met your brother and recognised the sigil."

He sneered, baring yellowish teeth. "You're the witch who claims to be stronger than I am."

She frowned in return. "I am no witch."

"Ser!" the guard tried again. "Lord Tyrion said…"

The giant backhanded the man without looking, catching him in the face and sending him to the ground in a boneless heap with teeth and blood splattering against the tent behind him.

"Are you crazy?" she gasped, taking a step back and reaching for Gambol Shroud's hilt.

He chuckled, his mouth opening into a smile. Definitely crazy.

The other guard had moved behind Clegane's back to reach his fallen partner. "Joff!" He grabbed the man's head, and Blake was bout to call out not to move the man, in case he had spinal injuries, when she caught a glimpse of the man's eyes.

They were staring at nothing, and his expression was frozen. Dead.

"Joff!"

"You killed him," she whispered. The rumours had been correct - Clegane was a monster!

Clegane chuckled again - and started laughing at her.

"Joff!"

They had drawn a crowd, though everyone kept their distance, Blake realised.

"He's dead," she said, loud enough to carry to the crowd. "Ser Gregor murdered him."

The giant stopped laughing and glared at her, breathing heavily - she wrinkled her nose at the stench of his breath. "He disobeyed me."

"That's no reason to murder a man!" she spat. Not even Adam would have done that.

He scoffed.

She glanced at the crowd. None of them looked like they were about to step in. Very well. "Call the gold cloaks!" she yelled. "There has been a murder!"

For a moment, no one reacted. Then she saw someone turning away and calling out for guards.

And Clegane roared and charged her.

He was fast, very fast, for someone his size, but not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough. She ducked beneath his swing and slid between legs as thick as her torso, drawing Gambol Shroud as she jumped to her feet behind him. "Surrender!" she called out.

He whirled, lashing out with a kick as he turned, and she jumped over his leg, then twisted in the air, flipping over to drive her heels into his face.

Blood flew as he stumbled back, seemingly shocked, and she landed nimbly on her feet. "Surrender!" she repeated herself, pointing her blade at him. "You are unarmed and unarmoured!"

He grabbed the sword of the fallen guard and charged her again.

Enough was enough. She met his blade with Gambol Shroud, twisting her weapon to parry his swing in that seemingly effortless way Ser Barristan had taught them, then stepped into his reach and kicked him in the stomach.

He stumbled back, then bent over, spitting white vomit and bile on the ground, and Blake clenched her teeth in disgust when the sour smell reached her nostrils. "Whore!" he snarled, looking at her with rolling eyes above his bleeding, broken nose and split lips.

What was it with those insults? Blake scoffed and lunged. It was time to end this before someone else got hurt.

He tried to hit her, but she dodged his first swing by sidestepping it, then jumped over his backswing and hit him in the face with Gambol Shroud's sheath, hard enough to stagger a beowulf.

He was no beowulf - he was already falling when she landed on his back and drove him into the ground, face first.

For a moment, the crowd was silent, staring at her as if she was the monster. Then the yelling started and didn't stop even after the gold cloaks finally arrived to take Clegane into custody.

*****​

Outside King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC

"Whoo! Go, Jon! Show them how to fight!" Yang Xiao Long cheered loudly and waved when she spotted Jon in his armour - with a new breastplate wrought by Mott's apprentice - standing at the edge of the battleground, between two knights in slightly rusted armour. He saluted her with his sword.

Then she waved at the armoured figure standing a dozen knights apart from Jon, easy to spot since she towered over almost everyone. "Smash them into the ground, Brienne!" Brienne saluted her as well.

"You're making a spectacle," Weiss commented from her left side.

"So? A tourney is meant to be a spectacle!" Yang replied. The people here certainly needed it, what with having no scrolls, no TV, not even ancient radio.

"Just an observation." Weiss didn't really sound annoyed, even though the row of noblewomen behind them were tittering. Well, except for Lady Margaery and her friends.

"Whoo! Go, Jon! Go, Brienne!" Ruby, standing on Weiss's other side, was also going all-out, as expected. Weiss didn't say anything to her, though - as Ruby's partner, she would know it wouldn't do anything. She beamed at Weiss and Yang. "This is so exciting!"

Yang nodded. Everyone was fired up. Most of the audience was cheering their hearts out. Not the nobles, though. "Certainly more exciting than the archery contest."

"The archers have shown impressive skills," Weiss said.

"Yeah, but, you know, bows and arrows just lack a gun's yang." Yang grinned when Weiss rolled her eyes, and Ruby giggled.

She glanced to her right side. Blake had been quiet so far. Probably trying not to draw any more attention - the court had made a big fuss about her knocking out that Mountain creep. Some of the nobles seemed to think that Blake arresting the guy was worse than the guy murdering one of his own guards.

Well, the King would hold a trial after the tourney, and the creep would be locked up in the dungeons until then, so Yang wasn't really worried. Their upcoming team battle would make a much bigger splash, anyway.

A trumpet sounded - the signal to begin!

In the battleground, the participants turned on their neighbours at once. Jon had to fend off two knights ganging up on him, and only quick footwork saved him from getting brained as he circled around one while giving ground to the other so they would hinder each other.

Brienne was under attack by three - no, two; she had just smashed one down with a quick combination that left the guy unmoving on the ground.

"Cowards!" Yang yelled. "Ganging up on our friends?"

"I believe that is the reason they are ganging up on Jon and Brienne," Weiss commented.

"What?" Yang didn't spare her a glance; she was focused on Jon disarming his first opponent - he had watched Ser Barristan as well - but getting hit in the back and sent stumbling. "Coward!" But Jon's new chestplate held. And might have saved him from a broken back.

"It's allowed in melee," Blake said. "But I think Weiss is right - they are going after our friends. Either to get at us or because they think they are a bigger threat than they are because of us."

"Oh." That made sense. And Jon recovered. He whirled, deflected another attack with his shield and lunged, striking at the other knight's shin. His opponent snapped his shield down, and Jon hit him in the face with his shield.

Yang cheered - she had shown him that move!

"Go, Brienne!" Ruby yelled. "Go, Jon!"

"The ranks are thinning," Weiss commented. "The easy opponents are already down."

Jon was facing a knight in fancy armour now. Rich - and experienced. Not as experienced as a Kingsguard, though. And… No, not as talented as Jon. Jon quickly started to drive the man back with a series of sharp, quick blows that had him struggling to cope. His footwork was suffering as well, and… there was an opening! And Jon used it! His sword struck the man's helmet, and he went down.

Jon placed the tip of his training sword at the man's gorget, then retreated.

"He yielded," Blake stated the obvious.

"Good. Even if Jon is eliminated now, that knight's ransom should be enough to pay his own armour's ransom and leave a profit," Weiss added.

Yang snorted.

Brienne, meanwhile, had smashed two more knights down, but now three were ganging up on her again. And those were more skilled than the ones at the start. And they were working together as if they had done that before.

Yang narrowed her eyes. That was… "That's cheating!" she spat. "They must have planned that!"

Brienne was surrounded and no matter who she faced, she'd leave an opening. Her armour was sporting new dents, and Yang winced - those would be nasty bruises. She couldn't keep this up for long.

Brienne had realised that as well. She suddenly charged ahead and tackled the one in front of her. He was smashed into the ground, with her on top. Brienne used the opportunity to land two quick blows with her gauntlets on his head - like Yang would have done! - before rolling off him and to the side. That meant a blow aimed at her back landed on the unconscious knight's chest, and Brienne reached out and grabbed the blade with her fist before he could draw back.

A quick tug of war later, the man had lost his sword, and Brienne advanced on him. A few blows left his shield battered and out of position, followed by a body blow that sent him staggering back a few steps before he fell to his knees, raising his hands in defeat.

But the attack had left Brienne too open, and the third knight struck her in the legs from behind, and she collapsed. She managed to roll around and avoid another strike, but when she tried to get up, her leg gave out. She managed to parry two more blows, but it was obvious… Oh! Another knight stepped in to face the coward and made short work of him. Yang cheered.

But Brienne was still unable to stand, and her saviour turned to face her, pointing his sword at her. She yielded and Yang booed. "No, Brienne!"

"No, Jon!" Ruby yelled, followed by Arya and Bran, and Yang turned to watch,

Jon was in a bad situation. He had lost his shield and was barely fending off the blows of a taller knight in heavy armour who slowly but surely was pushing him back. Yang looked around, but there were too few knights left and none of them were about to intervene.

Jon was good, but his opponent was better, and Yang winced when he caught a blow to the side that sent him stumbling, then another on the shoulder that made him drop his sword and yield.

"He gave a good showing," Weiss said. "He was amongst the last ten to stand. Better than expected. Brienne as well."

"And both will be lucky to stand tomorrow, with all the bruises they collected," Blake said.

Yang nodded and watched the last four - three - knights standing as they faced each other.

"Vacuan standoff," Ruby commented. "Whoever attacks first is likely to get ganged up on."

"Only if they're not good enough to pull a surprise attack off," Yang disagreed.

And as if they had heard her, one of the knights dashed forward, striking at one of his opponents, then whirling and catching the second right when that one tried to flank him, landing a hammer blow on the man's sword arm.

But his first opponent was fast enough to attack before the knight could turn and struck with a combination of blows that smashed his shield to the side and left him open for a blow to the head. The knight didn't recover from that and went down after a few more blows to the body, and the audience - including the nobles - cheered as he fell down and yielded.

Yang cheered as well. It wasn't as exciting or fast as a sparring match at Beacon, but it had been a sight. "Let's go check on our friends," she said.

"Yes!" Ruby turned. "Are you coming as well?" she asked Bran and Arya.

"With Lord Eddard's permission," Weiss commented with a frown that had all three blush a little and made Yang snicker.

But Lord Eddard nodded, and so all of them were off to congratulate their friends. And to console them if needed - Jon probably was brooding already, thinking he had disappointed his family and friends even though he had been doing very well, especially for a boy his age.

*****​

 

[Starfox5]

So they knew that despite how strong team RWBY claimed themselves to be, they can be defeated.

Click to shrink...

Kind of.

Yes, odd that Yang has the name but not the appearance of a Yi Ti suggesting her origins lies elsewhere.

Click to shrink...

Or that they don't know enough about Yi Ti.

Oh Baelish is far more dangerous than anyone realize. In fact none of the characters in canon truly appreciate how dangerous people like him is because they work in the shadows until it was made clear to them.

Click to shrink...

Baelish is dangerous, but he is not as dangerous (or smart) as he thinks he is.

Now we're talking! Technically Yang is the strongest but Ruby is a prodigy and Weiss is the most adaptable. Blake is likely to be the weakest because her skills rely on deception, assassinations - not quite useful in a direct combat. But maybe one can make the argument she's more agile and flexible than the rest of her team.

Personally, I like Weiss to win. She rarely gets a W in canon so perhaps the extra lessons with Barristan will be enough for her to win.

Click to shrink...

Ah, there are a few variables in play here to determine the outcome. It's not always the strongest who wins.

 

[Mike9650]

This story is getting really good. I love it!

 

[ATP]

Well,good chapter,and girls finally meet bad witch of Asshai.Pity,that she do not knew how to change dimensions,too....

 

[0SoutherPot760]

This is interesting. The openings are fantastic!! Big fan of the historical perspective POV