Chapter 52: Thoughts of Home
'Amongst the deeds that the Ruby Order is credited with that are documented enough to assume they happened, even though we lack details, is saving the flagship of the Royal Fleet of Westeros from being destroyed by a fire that broke out on board during a trip from King's Landing to Dragonstone. This might, to a layperson, not sound very impressive. After all, the Ruby Order is also said to have been instrumental in preventing wildfire caches from consuming the capital. However, anyone familiar with the sailing technology of the era, and the firefighting technology of the time, or, more precisely, the lack thereof, will know how difficult such a feat has been. The galleys of the era were very vulnerable to fire, as Princess Daenerys demonstrated during her campaigns in Slaver's Bay. More importantly, the fact that the Ruby Order managed to save the ship is another sign that they likely came from a place with a long maritime tradition and were using fire-fighting techniques unknown to Westeros. Unfortunately, the knowledge of those techniques was lost to history.'
A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken
*****
Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC
Standing on the deck of the Valyrian, Salladhor Saan studied the island ahead through his Myrish eye as the Galleas approached Dragonstone's harbour. Everything looked as expected, not that he had to worry in particular about a trap or ambush, having been in good standing with Lord Stannis (well, mostly with Ser Davos, the right hand of the master of Ships, but it counted), but as a sailor who was a bit flexible when it came to business, it paid to be cautious when approaching a port with war galleys moored inside.
But all looked peaceful… except for the big galley in the middle of the King's ships. He knew her well - Black Betha, Davos's ship and the flagship of the Royal Fleet. She was listing a bit, and the work being done on her hull's side… He shook his head as he stowed the eye. "It looks like Davos ran into some trouble."
And that was cause to worry; while Salladhor would defend the superiority of Lyseni shipbuilders against any claims to the contrary (unless he was in Braavos, of course), the Black Betha was a well-built ship, and Davos was almost as good a captain as Salladhor, so whatever - or whoever - had damaged his ship so extensively might very well be a threat to the Valyrian as well.
"Captain?"
"Nothing. Get the oars out and steer us to our usual pier." His favourite spot was free - the pier that allowed a ship to sail out at almost any time thanks to the deep waters there.
Just in case he suddenly had an urgent need to leave the island.
As the Valyrian entered the harbour, he took another look at the Black Betha. Was that blackened wood there? Had there been a fire on the ship? He shuddered at the thought. Landlubbers might assume that sailors feared storms and reefs, but every sailor worth his salt feared fire more than anything. Nothing burnt as easily as a seasoned ship; any flame would spread instantly through all tar and dry wood making up her hull. If Davos had managed to fight a fire and save the ship, he would have a great story to tell. One worth the finest wine Salladhor would have to offer to get it.
He couldn't see Davos on the ship's sterncastle, nor on the main deck. Was the man belowdecks? Or attending to his master in the castle? Although last Salladhor had heard, when he had visited King's Landing a few months ago, Lord Stannis had been at court.
He took his eyes off the Black Betha and let them roam over the rest of the harbour, looking for familiar ships. A sailor needed to keep up with all the news and rumours if he wanted to be successful, and nothing spread either as easily and quickly as other sailors in port.
Although, while he recognised a handful of the ships, none of them belonged to friends of his. Still, he could trust his crew to keep their eyes and ears open, and… He stared, then drew a sharp breath.
At the pier, waving her sword around, stood the Valyrian Maiden, surrounded by the magical glyphs she could conjure. What was she doing here? And, almost more importantly, if she was here, what about the rest of her friends?
He pulled out his Myrish eye again and took a closer look at her, trusting his crew to safely moor the galley at the pier. The Maiden didn't look angry, merely focused - he could see clearly how she pressed her lips together while she worked her magic, her snow-white hair, proof of her Valyrian blood, as anyone from Lys could tell you, blowing in the soft breeze that might herald the first of the fall storms.
But what was she doing here? If it were someone else, he would wonder if she were entertaining a crowd, but she was the Valyrian maiden. She only sang occasionally, or so he had been told; he had never heard her sing himself. And why was she looking at the water?
Oh. There was a glyph right on top of the waves. He had almost missed it from this angle.
She flicked her sword, and two more glyphs appeared, forming stairs in the air while others disappeared.
And then she started descending, until it seemed she stood on water, held aloft by her magic, walking on a chain of those glyphs that crossed the water to the moored galley ahead of her.
Salladhor would have to adjust his plans for a quick flight from the port. While he was sure to outsail any other ship, provided he had a slight headstart, he couldn't outrun someone who could create a road across the sea - and a magical reef right on the waterline, to stop him dead in the water.
Of course, he had no plans that would actually result in such a flight, but then, any sailor worth his salt knew that plans could easily go awry when you were carousing in port. Or… maybe he should take refuge in audacity, as his old tutor had been fond of quoting, and use the opportunity to approach the Valyrian Maiden? Everyone liked news, after all, and Salladhor had the latest tales from his home port to share…
*****
When Salladhor's Valyrian had been tied up safely at the pier and the harbourmaster's assistant had finally been done with his inspection - Lord Stannis's appointed clerks were, unfortunately, not quite as receptive to certain incentives to speed the process along as those in other ports, and for some reason, seemed to distrust Salladhor's intentions - the Valyrian Maiden was back on dry land and seemed about to leave - she was waving at the people on deck of the Black Betha.
Salladhor had to hurry to catch her, but not as much as would have been unseemly for a man of his stature. Just enough so he had to lengthen his stride instead of his usual measured pace and swagger.
Still, he was certain that none would mistake him for a common sailor as he approached the Maiden. She certainly didn't - she turned to face him, coming to a stop herself and raising her eyebrows as their eyes met. A promising sign!
"Greetings!" he called out, then bowed with a flourish in the best Braavosi manner; while Lys reigned supreme in all matters of culture and pleasure, bowing in his native manner without either insulting the Maiden's status or lowering his own too far to suit him would have been a bit tricky. "Captain Salladhor Saan, at your service!"
"Weiss Schnee," she replied, bowing her head. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."
He noted the lack of even a hint of any Valyrian accent in her speech. Had she been tutored in the common tongue with such diligence to master it completely, or had she never learnt Valyrian despite her ancestry? Up close, it was obvious - for someone from Lys, at least - that she was not pure-blooded Valyrian; the eyes were one sign, but more so her face. Still a beauty that would stand out even in Salladhor's home, of course; even the scar added as much to her appeal as it marred her skin; as any man of culture knew, perfection was not defined by the absence of any imperfection.
But he was not here for romance - not that he would spurn the opportunity should it present itself, of course. He was here for business, and to sate his curiosity. "I could not help admiring your impressive display in the harbour as I came in - you might have noticed my ship, the Valyrian; fastest and most beautiful ship in the Narrow Sea and beyond." He flashed his best smile, rakish with just the right amount of self-awareness to make his boast charming rather than arrogant. Powerful people, no matter where they hailed from, appreciated that touch of humility in one's wit.
She raised her eyebrows in response, silently beckoning him to go on.
As cool and collected as he had heard in King's Landing, then. Well, he always relished a challenge. "I also couldn't help noticing that my friend's ship, the Black Betha, had suffered damage during her latest voyage. Any danger that could damage such a fine ship - if not as fine as my own, of course," he added with another smile - "to the extent that it required your help seems like a possible concern for every honest captain in these waters."
She let slip a slight snort at his latest claim, as he had intended. He knew how to play the game; as with the beauty of a woman, a man's reputation needed something more than mere lack of fault. "You're worried about your ship, the Valyrian? - suffering the same fate?"
"Exactly."
Her smile had a slight edge to it. "Unless the Faceless Men are after you or your passengers, you should be safe from that particular danger."
His eyes widened at that revelation. "The Faceless Men?" They had fought the followers of Him of Many Faces? That explained the damage - or not. Arson was not how they usually killed their victims. Blade or poison, and often done to look like a natural or accidental death. "And they resorted to setting the ship on fire?"
"They tried." Her smile was thin, though.
Of course, a ship lost at sea would look natural to any sailor. And Salladhor never assumed that someone's reputation was true, or all there was to that person - he himself was the best example why such assumptions would be foolish, after all! He was far more than some daring former pirate. And he long suspected that the reason the Faceless Men prided themselves, publicly, about making their assassinations look like accidents or natural deaths was that people could never be certain whether any actual natural or accidental death wasn't due to them - he knew very well how an exaggerated reputation could be useful.
"But you do not need to worry about this particular assassin any more; we have captured the culprit," she went on. This time, her smile was broader, and, while still restrained, more open.
He bowed his head and flashed another smile. "A most impressive feat, my lady. On behalf of every captain whose ship traverses the local sea, I thank you."
She nodded in return. "We only did our duty."
She sounded honestly humble. Most people he knew would have bragged about such a feat. And would have likely died in short order when the House of Black and White sent the next assassin to rectify matters. Reputation was, as he also knew by heart, of utmost importance for every man with even a shred of ambition, but doubly so for institutions.
Of course, the Four Maidens' humbleness would not prevent the Faceless Men from coming after them again; not now, when it was openly known that they were their targets.
"Still," he commented, making a point of glancing around, "should you not be worried about the next attempt?"
"Should I be worried that you might be an assassin in disguise, having taken the real Captain Saan's life and face to get close to me?" She didn't snort or sneer, but her slightly amused tone made it clear that the answer to her question was a resounding 'No!'.
"Ah, I am not sure if I should feel relieved or insulted at hearing that you are not worried about an assassin replacing me." He felt both, if only a little each - his pride was stung, but not fatally, more like a prick - but that was neither here nor there.
"That entirely depends on whether you think an assassin could easily and quickly dispatch you without alerting anyone from your crew, and impersonate you indefinitely afterwards," she told him.
"My pride demands that I deny this," he said, chuckling. "Well said, my lady." He bowed again, one hand on his heart, the other flourishing behind his back.
"Did I answer your question to your satisfaction, Captain Saan? Or do you have further questions?"
"Many, but none of them pertinent right now. He smiled again. "My thanks, my lady, to spare some time for one like me." He could talk humbly as well. "I shall now see if I can drag my old friend to the best tavern in port to exchange news and stories."
And see if he could find out more about the reasons for the Maidens' presence on Dragonstone. Last he heard, they were supporting the Lannisters, not the Baratheons. If that had changed, what else might have changed in his absence?
*****
Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC
Ruby Rose sighed as she looked out at the sea from the top of the keep's battlement. From this angle, without looking at the volcanic ground below, the sea looked like it did at home, on Patch. Well, if you stood on the cliff where Mom's grave was and didn't look down. And if the sun were rising in the wrong spot. And as long as you ignored the scent of the keep, of course. Actually, it didn't really look like home. But that didn't make her miss home any less.
She sighed. "Dad… Uncle Qrow… Zwei…" It had been a year by now, more or less. They would think she was dead. Gone missing in the wilderness, near confirmed Grimm sightings. They had taken care of the Grimm, but the people looking for them wouldn't know that. They would just know that they had disappeared without a trace. Well, they left their camp, but that would have been destroyed by passing Grimm by now. Or by animals looking for food. Dad would be devastated. And Uncle Qrow wouldn't be any better. Probably worse. If only she hadn't touched that stupid magic thing in the ruins!
"I promise, we will get back!" she whispered. "We will find a way! I will get us home!" She had to - as team leader, that was her duty.
"Lady Ruby!"
She jerked, head turning, hand going for Crescent Rose, but stopped when she recognised Lady Shireen's voice. And there was the girl, at the top of the stairs from the yard below, waving. Behind her, Ruby could see Lady Selyse, looking slightly out of breath - Lady Shireen must have been walking too fast for the older woman.
Ruby made herself smile. Lady Shireen was a nice girl. Friendly, enthusiastic, but not pushy. She didn't deserve to be frowned at or brushed off just because Ruby was feeling a bit down.
"What are you doing here? Where are your friends?" Lady Shiren asked as soon as she reached Ruby.
Ruby nodded at her, then at Lady Selyse. "Good morning, my ladies. I was looking at the sea. And thinking," she said before the woman could scold Lady Shireen for her questions.
"Oh?" Lady Shireen cocked her head to the side. "Looking for ships?"
"No, just looking at the sea. It reminded me of home," Ruby explained.
"Ah, yes. You're from an island, like Dragonstone!"
"Not quite like Dragonstone. We have more woods and no volcano," Ruby told her. "And it's a bit warmer. But I think it's about the same size."
"Ah." Lady Shireen moved to Ruby's side, then stood on her tiptoes to peer over the battlement.
"It's not really the same sea, but it reminds me of home," Ruby repeated herself. And of Mom's grave, she added to herself.
"And where are your friends?" Lady Shireen asked.
"Weiss's in the harbour, checking on Black Betha. Yang and Blake are exploring the island," Ruby replied. And looking for trouble and threats. Just as Weiss was looking at the ships in the harbour. And Ruby was here, in case someone tried anything in the keep. Like breaking out the Faceless Man.
"Ah." Lady Shireen nodded. "Do you like the island?"
"Yes. It's cool." Ruby blinked. "'Cool' means 'impressive'."
"Oh. Why?"
Ruby shrugged. "Dunno. It just means that. It's like… someone started saying it, and people copied them." Actually, it was an old word - Dad used it - so cool probably wasn't cool any more. She didn't know - she hadn't really been cool. "Anyway, that's language for you."
Lady Shireen and Lady Selyse seemed a bit confused, but both nodded. They were probably just being polite.
"Do… Do you miss your home?" Lady Shireen asked, fidgeting a bit.
"Shireen!" Lady Selyse hissed.
Ruby smiled. "Oh, yes. I miss home. And my family."
Lady Shireen nodded. "I miss Father as well. He's away so often - at Court and at sea."
"He has his duties," Lady Selyse said with a slight frown that made Lady Shireen cringe a little.
"Yeah, but you still miss him," Ruby said. "It would be bad if you didn't miss him, right?" Like Weiss's dad - she was pretty sure, and both Yang and Blake agreed, that Weiss wasn't missing her dad.
Lady Shireen nodded twice, and her mother looked a bit confused. "Do you think you could slay a dragon, my lady?"
"Yes." Ruby nodded. "I mean, it depends on how big they are. But the size you've shown me, yes." Her baby could punch through that skin, and cut through such necks. Dodging the fire would be a pain, but with Weiss's glyphs, it would be easy. "We've fought Grimm bigger than that."
"There were bigger dragons in the past," Lady Selyse said. "Balerion the Black Dread was so big, his shadow could swallow an entire town."
Well, the towns here were kinda small, but that was still a large dragon. On the other hand, judging by the size of the largest dragon skulls she had seen, the Nevermore they had killed during Initiation was about the same size. "Yeah, still could kill it. I think," she said - she hadn't actually fought a dragon, so she couldn't really be sure. Just reasonably sure.
Lady Shireen still beamed at her, though Lady Selyse looked a bit doubtful. Not doubtful like Dad when she told him she had no idea where the cookies he had made had gone, but like Professor Goodwitch when Ruby told her her team was ready for a mission. Then again, Professor Goodwitch always looked like that.
"You said you were students at your Combat Academy," Lady Selyse said.
Ah. Ruby nodded. "Yes. We had to fight a giant bird the size of a dragon to get into the school. And we beat it."
Lady Shireen looked suitably impressed, though Lady Selyse looked now worried. "Every student had to do that?"
"Some were lucky and only had to fight smaller Grimm," Ruby said.
"But every Huntress is expected to be able to defeat such a foe?"
"Yes. At least, when they finish at Beacon." Well, perhaps not everyone, but every good one, Ruby thought.
"Your world sounds terrifying, my lady."
"Well…" She shrugged. "It's not terrifying. It's home. Most people don't see a Grimm in their entire lives, unless on TV."
"What's a Teevee?"
Ah… How to explain that? Ah! "It's like a, how do you call that, a mummer's show?" That was the closest to TV they had here, right?
"A mummer's show?" Lady Selyse raised her eyebrows.
Apparently, that wasn't a good enough description. "With pictures," Ruby added.
Lady Selyse's expression didn't change.
"Anyway, the point is, Huntresses keep the Grimm in check, so our home is pretty safe for most people." Ruby nodded firmly.
Lady Shireen smiled again.
*****
Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC
"So!" Ruby took a deep breath before looking at Blake, who nodded. No spies nearby, then. "So, the assassin we caught doesn't want to talk to us." He wanted to die, and the court here would see him dead, but Ruby didn't want to think about that too much. It wasn't her fault, or her friends', that the guy wanted to die. "That means we need to go to Braavos to talk to them."
"We would have to go there anyway," Weiss said. "Lady Selyse would not let him go to serve as a messenger. And we cannot make a deal through couriers - a single exchange could take a month."
Yes, Ruby was aware. But she also knew that if the assassin had wanted to be reasonable and help them stop this, they could have gotten him off. Probably. If Lady Selyse hadn't wanted to let the man go, they would have had to break him out of prison and smuggle him off the island, and that would not have been easy even for Blake. Probably.
"Anyway, we need to go to Braavos and deal with the assassin's temple there."
"The House of Black and White," Weiss said.
"Yes, that one." Ruby nodded again.
"Can we leave King's Landing for so long?" Yang asked.
Weiss sighed. "I would like to say that everyone at Court should know better than to try anything in our absence, but…"
"Several nobles might try to use our absence for their plots," Blake said. "But what matters is whether the Great Houses will attempt anything drastic."
'Great Houses'... Ruby wanted to roll her eyes. "Lord Eddard won't," she said. He was too honourable for that. Even if he had some bad ideas about justice and the law.
"Yes. But the Tyrells? The Baratheons? The Lannisters?" Weiss asked. "The Martells?"
Yang snorted. "Oberyn probably only wishes he had popcorn to watch the rest."
"Just because we haven't seen him do anything doesn't mean he actually hasn't done anything," Blake objected. "We can't keep our eyes on everyone, and he hasn't been a priority because he's been under observation by everyone else, but they aren't perfect either."
Because a man with the nickname 'The Red Viper' for his knowledge about poison (and his supposed use of poison) would be the primary suspect, Ruby knew. But Blake knew what she was talking about - she was Team RWBY's ninja.
"Yeah, we can't trust them to be good," Yang said, nodding.
"But we can't let the Faceless Men keep trying to kill us, either. Their last two attempts were nasty," Ruby pointed out.
"We could have suffocated in their last attempt," Weiss said. "We need to breathe, and if there's no air…"
Ruby nodded, pressing her lips together. Her friends - and herself - could have died. "And the ship could have burned down if we had been too late. A lot of people could have died in both attacks. So, we need to go to Braavos, or it'll get worse."
"You don't want us to split up," Weiss said.
"Splitting up wouldn't help us," Ruby said. "It takes all of us to watch over the Court. The RWBY Order isn't yet ready to really help us out there."
"We would have to protect them as much as the Court," Blake agreed.
"We need you to deal with spies," Yang said, nodding at her partner. "And you for the nobles, Weiss."
"Ruby has dealt with Lady Selyse and Lady Shireen just fine," Weiss objected.
"That's not the same as negotiating with nobles or assassins," Ruby told her. "We can't really support each other or act as a team if we split up." And she'd worry far too much about her friends if she weren't with them.
Yang nodded. "So, we're off to Braavos and hope King's Landing is still standing when we get back?"
"I think we can send a few letters to people we know to encourage common sense," Weiss said.
"To the High Septon and the Lords?" Yang asked with a grin.
"And perhaps a few others." Weiss nodded. "The aim will be to discourage people from trying to present us with a fait accompli and to ensure they fear being exposed."
"Our friends can help with that," Ruby said. They could keep their eyes open, talk to people and check on things.
She hoped it would be enough.
*****
"If we want to travel to Braavos, we need to find a ship," Weiss Schnee said. "That could pose a problem. Ser Davos's ship is still being repaired. Structural damage has been worse than they assumed at first." Of course, sailing for days with a hole in the hull - which Weiss had caused, but only to extinguish the fire - and damaged internal structures hadn't helped.
"Isn't Braavos the merchant capital of the Narrow Sea?" Yang asked. "And Dragonstone is the usual stop for any ship headed there from King's Landing, right? Shouldn't be a problem to find a ship."
Weiss had long learned not to judge Yang by her attitude and appearance, so this insight didn't surprise her. Still, her friend was overlooking a potential problem. "Yes. But not every captain will be willing to ferry us on their ship. Not after Ser Davos's ship almost burned down because a Faceless Man tried to kill us."
"We caught the man, though," Ruby pointed out. "And I doubt anyone missed the news."
Weiss was aware of that - Dragonstone was not nearly as big as King's Landing, but that only meant rumours travelled even faster. She'd been asked about their capture of the assassin by Ser Davos's first mate when she had tried out her idea of using glyphs as makeshift piers and floating platforms to facilitate repairs, and she had no doubt that even the last drunkard in the worst tavern of the port had heard about the chase and capture. Not least, of course, since the chase had led them through the harbour and into one of the worst taverns, of course.
"But they might not think that this was the only Faceless Man," Blake voiced Weiss's concern.
"We're the messengers of the Seven," Yang said - Weiss could hear the guarded amusement in her friend's tone. She shared the mixed feelings about this literal worship they were faced with here. "I think at least one captain will volunteer to help us out."
"Yes. But would it be fair to exploit their faith for our convenience?" Ruby asked. Now that the problem had been pointed out, she had quickly taken its measure, as Weiss had expected of her friend. "It's not the same when we asked them to help us with finding out who enslaved the mutilated children; that was to help the kids."
"The Faceless Men attacking us do endanger others as well," Yang said. "Stopping them isn't selfish."
"Yeah, but it's still not the same," Ruby insisted. "And I feel like a fake, posing as some… priestess."
"They don't see us as priestesses, or septas, but as messengers of the gods," Weiss corrected her. "Blessed by the Seven. Sent here to do the gods' work."
"That works out the same," Ruby replied - not entirely wrong; Weiss knew how some of the priests and septons they had met acted like they were speaking for the gods.
"Yeah, but even so - we know that there's no other Faceless Man currently after us since Seer told us," Yang said. "So, we're not forcing anyone to risk their lives since there is no risk." She grinned.
Not until they reached Braavos, at least, Weiss knew.
Ruby pouted. "I still don't like it."
"Aw, you just don't like all the fawning and bowing." Yang reached out to ruffle Ruby's hair, but Ruby grabbed her hand before it could touch her head.
"For someone who reacts quite violently when her hair is damaged in any way, you are pretty casual with touching someone else's hair," Weiss pointed out.
"Hey, touching isn't doing any harm," Yang replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with using our rep to get a passage to Braavos."
"We know - or can safely assume - that no Faceless Man is currently about to attack us," Blake spoke up, "but we don't know if we can settle things with them in Braavos."
"We will settle things one way or another," Yang said, smacking her fist into the palm of her hand.
"And we don't know if anyone carrying us to Braavos won't be seen as an ally of ours and, therefore, a valid target - for their mission or for vengeance if we destroy their temple," Blake went on. "Or simply to gather more information about us."
That was a valid point, Weiss had to admit. "Yes, we cannot claim that there is no risk. We…"
"We need to go to Braavos," Yang blurted out.
"...could recompense them for the added risk," Weiss went on despite the interruption.
"If they let us," Ruby said. "People can be weird about taking money from us."
"Still mad you couldn't pay the baker for the cakes you got?" Yang chuckled.
Ruby glared at her.
"If that's a problem, I may have met a captain who would understand the risks and most definitely doesn't worship us," Weiss said. Captain Saan certainly had not seemed to be a very religious person. Nor a very trustworthy one. "Although we would have to ask Ser Davos about his character; the captain claimed him as a friend or friendly acquaintance."
Yang grinned. "Are you sure you aren't just looking for an excuse to hire that particular captain, Weiss?"
"Yang!" Ruby glared at her again.
Weiss sighed. "He looked older than my father," she told her friend. "And he's definitely not my type. He seemed to be quite the braggart."
Ruby blinked. "And you want us to sail on his ship?"
Weiss nodded. "If he tries anything, we can handle it. And we wouldn't have any reason to feel guilty if he ends up in trouble for this since he most certainly is aware of the danger we represent."
All her friends were staring at her for a moment before Yang chuckled again. "That's cold, Weiss. But I can't say I disagree."
Ruby didn't seem to share the sentiment, but she didn't disagree either, and Blake slowly nodded, so Weiss took that as an agreement to go forward with her proposal.
*****
Dragonstone, Westeros, 299 AC
"Ah, Lady Weiss! And Lady Ruby! Welcome!"
Weiss was certain that Captain Saan was perfectly aware that Ruby was the leader of their group and, therefore, should have been addressed first. Was this disrespect shown to her leader, partner and friend a heavy-handed attempt to flatter herself, sow discord amongst them, or both? In any case, it was another, if small, reason not to worry about any danger this might cause for the captain.
"Hello, Captain Saan." Ruby, meanwhile, smiled widely at him.
Weiss followed with a smile of her own, although more polite and less genuine, and a bow of her head as they took their seats. As befitting the best and most expensive inn here, the captain's room was spacious enough for a couch and two armchairs next to the desk and bed - a bed that looked as if it had seen more than merely one sleeping person last night. Another sign of disrespect, or some warped attempt at flirting? Weiss couldn't tell since she wasn't very familiar with Lys's customs, and what scant things she had heard had sounded quite exaggerated and, typical for sailors, focused and fixated on the prostitution and related slavery that Lys apparently was famous for. It didn't make her view the captain with more approval or warmth. At least, Ser Davos had told them that the man was generally honourable enough to stick to a deal.
They exchanged a few pleasantries neither meant, shared a drink that was not worth the expensive price paid for it - Weiss had looked into the rates for such beverages - and briefly tried to wait each other out.
"So!" Ruby, of course, likely hadn't even noticed the game Saan was trying to play, and if she had, had no intention to wait him out anyway. "We need a passage to Braavos, and we heard you were headed there."
"I see the local rumours travel as fast as ever," Saan said with a chuckle. "Yes, I may have mentioned that I intended to sail to Braavos."
"Well, are you?" Ruby asked with an earnest expression devoid of any subterfuge.
Weiss had to suppress a smile at the slight twitch on Saan's face. He probably was looking for hidden meanings where none were; Ruby was not playing any of the games the nobles and other powerful people here seemed so fond of, with the possible exception of Lord Eddard and Lord Stannis.
After a moment, Saan nodded with a chuckle. "Indeed, I am, actually. And you wish to travel on my ship? Your entire group?"
"Yes." Ruby nodded emphatically. "All five of us, and Ghost, the direwolf. So, six. Or maybe seven, he's pretty large. Not as large as a beowulf, but larger than a normal wolf."
Saan nodded, his smile not changing, but he seemed a bit tense. "I have yet to see the beast, but by all accounts I've heard, even keeping in mind that most were by drunk sailors, it's as large as a horse."
"A small horse. More like a pony," Ruby corrected him with a beaming smile. "He's still growing."
Yeah, definitely tension there, Weiss noted as she kept smiling.
"Brave of you to travel where the very men who tried to kill you reside," Saan commented.
"Well, that's why we're travelling there; to put a stop to that whole stuff," Ruby said.
"Amicably or by force," Weiss added before taking a sip from her glass.
"Ah." Saan nodded again, though his eyes narrowed a bit. He was taking them more seriously, now.
Or that was the impression he wanted them to have, Weiss reminded herself. She didn't know him well enough to tell - and she had no intention to get to know him well enough to tell. "Is that a problem for you?" she asked. "We're aware that you might receive some of the blame for our future actions if you take us there, so if that seems too dangerous for you, we understand and will look for another ship. We'd ask Ser Davos, but his ship is not ready for such a trip."
As Weiss had hoped, his ego couldn't let him decline the deal. He snorted, a bit too loudly, and waved his hand. "Ah, I have been in far more dangerous positions! Do not worry about me - although as a good captain, I have to ask for a fitting fare so I can compensate my crew for the risk this might cause."
Weiss didn't think the man would share more than a pittance with his crew, albeit that might be her bias influencing her. Still, it was the opening shot for the negotiations, so she nodded and leaned forward. "Well, what would you consider a fitting fare?" They had asked Ser Davos about that as well, which Saan would know, so they should be able to skip past the opening claims and get down to the actual haggling.
He matched her toothy smile with one of his own, and Weiss hoped Ruby wouldn't frown or pout too much during the negotiations.
*****
The Narrow Sea, East of The Vale, 299 AC
Blake Belladonna stared at the horizon as she leaned against the railing on the Valyrian. Travelling on the galley was a mixed blessing. The clean air on the sea was nice after the stench of King's Landing and the sulfuric smell of Dragonstone, and the breeze filling the ship's main sail was gentle and warm enough not to be a pain, but she was very well aware of how many of the crew were watching her, and her ears had no trouble picking up what they were muttering and whispering. They were fortunate that Blake wasn't Yang; her partner would be furious if she overheard those comments - especially if they were aimed at Ruby.
It seemed all the stereotypes about horny sailors were true, although the fact that both Captain Saan and most of his crew hailed from Lys likely played a role as well - the city-state was infamous for the 'bedslaves' sold there.
She clenched her teeth at the thought of what was happening there. She was no stranger to such abuse; Faunus were, as a vulnerable minority on Remnant, often the victims of sexual crimes and trafficking, but even in the worst parts of the human kingdoms, such 'business' was illegal and done in secrecy. Sometimes very weak secrecy, relying on bribed police looking the other way - or delivering some victims to the traffickers - but everyone at least pretended to be shocked by such crimes. The White Fang had used that when exposing such crimes.
But slavery was legal in almost all of Essos; only Braavos prohibited it and had forced the same rules on Pentos. Which was a great boon; Blake didn't know what she would do if they had to go to one of the other city-states. But she knew what she would do if she saw a slave abused in front of her. And she had not the slightest doubt that Yang, Ruby and Weiss would do the same. And that things would escalate.
At least they wouldn't have to contend with that in Braavos. According to what they had heard, Braavos was actually a kingdom that was run more like the kingdoms on Remnant, with the ruler voted in. Of course, there was no universal franchise and the Sealord's election was a rather intransparent affair as far as she could tell, but she also knew how corrupt elections could be at home, and how much money influenced such events.
Most importantly, though, Braavos had been founded by slaves fleeing Valyria to distant shores. Again, not quite the same as Menagerie, but the similarities were striking still. On the other hand, Braavos's climate was probably closer to Mistral than Menagerie - northern Mistral at that. And Braavos was a city-state with the best fleet in this world, and the centre of the world's banking, no longer a community of ostracised people trying to build a better life for themselves.
She tilted her head when she heard familiar steps coming up the stairs from belowdecks, where their cabin was. Yang, Jon and Ghost. And she smiled when she heard the sailors gasp and mutter prayers at the direwolf's passing. Served them right.
"Hey!"
She turned, smiling at Yang and nodding a Jon. And trying not to show fear in front of Ghost. The beast could smell fear. "Hey."
Yang snorted, then stepped next to her, leaning against the railing, both elbows on top of it, back towards the sea. "We've checked the hold. Nothing suspicious."
"Nothing suspicious?" Blake raised her eyebrows.
"Well, nothing assassin-suspicious. There's bound to be smuggled goods there."
She nodded. Of course, there were; Blake wasn't a sailor herself, or a smuggler, but she had worked with such people during her time in the White Fang. Captain Saan was a smuggler. Possibly a pirate as well - at least, a former pirate; she wasn't sure if he'd risk committing more acts of piracy when a slip of a sailor's tongue loosened by alcohol might see him executed by Lord Stannis for it. She wasn't sure if he'd let that stop him, either; the man seemed determined to live up to his reputation as a rogue.
Jon didn't say anything, but he was frowning; obviously not liking the fact that they were travelling with a criminal. Blake wondered what he would think of her if he knew what she had done in the past.
Yang hadn't missed that and shook her head at him. "Hey, a bit of smuggling is OK. Every sailor does it back home. As long as you don't smuggle drugs, weapons and stuff, it's not going to harm anyone."
Except for the state's purse, but Blake had not much, if any, sympathy for the finances of the four kingdoms. "Except them, if they're caught," she said.
"Right, but that's their risk," Yang chuckled again. Then she grew a bit more serious. "So, since there's no trouble with an assassin, will there be any trouble with the crew or captain?"
"I don't think so," Blake replied, watching a sailor adjust a line across the ship. "Though we might want to give a demonstration to remind some of the horndogs amongst the crew that we can break them in half without trying if they try something."
Yang nodded without making a joking comment, and Blake clenched her teeth, angry at herself for forgetting that Yang had accidentally killed a knight. She didn't care about the man's death - he had been trying to rape her partner! - but she very much minded that Yang was feeling bad about it, and Blake had just reminded her of it. "Sorry," she said softly.
Now, of course, Yang snorted. "It's alright," she lied. "And I think a bit of training will be good for everyone."
"Ah… how do you plan to, ah, train here?" Jon asked, glancing around. "Without breaking the ship."
"Very carefully," Yang answered.
*****
"Are you sure you can handle so many glyphs, Weiss?"
"As I have told you several times, Ruby, yes, I am certain. I have tested this in Dragonstone's harbour."
"Well, but that was in the harbour, and…"
"The location doesn't matter. The number does, and in my case, it has been slowly increasing during our training."
"Alright, let's do this!"
Blake narrowed her eyes slightly when Weiss stepped up to the railing and waved her sword, creating a series of glyphs forming a pattern that covered part of the sea. She wasn't certain herself, but she had the impression that Weiss was projecting a bit more confidence than she was feeling. Well, if she failed to keep the glyphs going, they would fall into the water, but that wouldn't be a big deal.
"It's like a training ground!" Yang exclaimed. "Just instead of bamboo poles rising out of a pond, we got glyphs floating above the sea!"
Blake chuckled. That was one way to look at it.
"Come on, guys! Before the ship sails past!" Ruby yelled, then jumped on the closest glyph.
"Hurry up. We can't expect Captain Saan to delay his voyage for too long!" Weiss followed suit.
Yang snorted. "Hah! Bet that's just her excuse since she can't maintain so many glyphs for too long."
"Not yet," Blake said. "But yes, let's train."
Yang jumped on the glyph Ruby had vacated, and Blake followed Weiss before veering off.
Once everyone had taken a corner, Ruby raised Crescent Rose in the air. "Alright! A free-for-all brawl would be unfair since Weiss has to maintain control over the battleground…"
"I can handle it!"
"...and could dunk us into the water at any time," Ruby went on with a smirk that left Weiss blushing slightly. "So, we'll do some two-on-one rounds with Weiss supporting the one - that's me!"
"That sounds like you're taking advantage to get us dunked!" Yang retorted.
Blake nodded. On the other hand, it would be good training.
"So? Let's go!" Ruby jumped one glyph forward, then disappeared in a cloud of petals.
Blake jumped forward as well, then used a clone to change direction in mid-jump to land on another glyph to the side - and smiled when Ruby reformed right where Blake had been aiming at.
"Ack!" Ruby whirled, scythe flashing in a defensive pattern.
But Blake repeated her move, changing direction right before she would have reached Ruby, and while her clone was cut apart, Yang had gotten close enough for a jump kick that caught Ruby in the back and sent her flying.
Ruby managed to swing her scythe around to catch the next glyph before she hit the water, but then had to jump again since the edge of her blade destroyed the glyph.
And that left her open for a pincer attack. Blake glanced at Yang to check her partner was moving as expected, then dashed forward, jumping from glyph to glyph to intercept Ruby in the middle of her leap when she couldn't dodge or change course.
While Yang came up from behind, fist cocked back for a blow, Blake drew Gambol Shroud and continued the move into a round cut that…
…passed through a cloud of petals that shot across the area before reforming into Ruby three glyphs away. "Hah! I've been working on that!"
"Hah!" Yang grinned and reached out to Blake. "Little help?"
Blake jumped off a clone and used Gambol Shroud's ribbon to snag Yang up before her partner hit the water, and both landed on two glyphs facing Ruby's.
Which promptly disappeared, but Blake had expected that and managed to leap off in time.
Yang had done the same, and they exchanged another glance. Nodding, Blake shot towards Weiss, both blade and sheath ready to strike her.
"Ruby!" Weiss yelled, throwing up a glyph in Blake's way that she jumped over.
"Coming!"
Ruby appeared between Blake and Weiss, Crescent Rose ready, but Blake left a clone to keep going, jumping to the side herself - and then flew forward when Yang landed a kick on Ruby's back that would have sent her into the sea if not for a glyph catching her in the last moment.
Yang turned to charge Weiss, but Ruby blurred, and then Yang was flying through the air, caught by her blade, forcing Blake to abandon her approach and catch her partner with her ribbon.
They ended up on two adjacent glyphs, facing the other two.
"Nice warmup," Yang said, grinning.
Ruby snorted. "Let's see if you can keep up once we turn on the heat!"
"That's my line, sis!"
Blake softly snorted at the exchange - and then they clashed again. As she blocked Ruby's attack with both blade and sheath, she reminded herself to also let a few blows hit the water - the idea was to impress upon the smuggler's crew that they should not take any liberties or plan anything against them, after all.
And Blake was set to deliver.
*****
Near Braavos, Essos, 299 AC
"Behold: The Titan that shields Braavos of the Hundred Isles!" Saan gestured towards the bow of his ship.
Yang Xiao Long wasn't easy to impress. You couldn't be cool if you were gaping at every new thing. But the sight in front of them, slowly appearing out of mist and fog, was impressive indeed - even for someone who had been to Beacon. "That's a really huge statue," she commented. She could see a ship pass underneath it, and the mast didn't even come up to the statue's knees. And that wasn't a small ship, either.
"It's not just a statue - it's a fortress!" Ruby, of course, was gushing. "It's like… like a mechashift fortress, just without the shifting!"
"We already knew that," Weiss said. She was acting cool and composed, but Yang was sure she was impressed as well. Because the locals here didn't have any Dust or modern technology; that statue had been built by hand.
"Yes, but now we have seen it! Oh, do you think they give tours?" Ruby beamed. "That would be so cool!"
"I don't think they would let anyone take a close look at the key part of their defence installations," Weiss said, acting like a spoilsport.
"Well, if they don't give tours, we could still sneak inside," Yang suggested when she saw Ruby's face fall. Blake would easily be able to explore the fortress.
"Really?"
"And if we get caught, we'll have an international incident to solve." Weiss shook her head. "Besides, we're not here to sight-see."
"But Weiss! There's no harm in asking, is there?" Ruby pouted. "It's not as if the fortress could stop us, so what would be the harm?"
"I don't think that argument will convince the Sealord to let us tour the fortress."
"Well, it should!" Ruby insisted.
"I think it would be considered a threat," Blake commented.
"Yes, my lady," Jon spoke up with a faint smile that made him look like Lord Eddard when he was with his children.
Saan, meanwhile, looked as if he couldn't tell if they were serious or not, but was too afraid to ask.
Yang snorted. "We're just joking," she said. "About the tour," she added to clarify that. "Not about the fact that the fortress wouldn't stop us."
"Ah, I think everyone on the ship is aware of that after watching you train on the sea itself." Saan chuckled, though it sounded a bit forced. He seemed to be one of the guys who could dish it out but not take it.
Yang blinked at her own thoughts. In the verbal sparring sense, not the kind of taking that some of Blake's books showed, she amended them. And, speaking - or thinking - of her partner… She glanced at Blake.
"It's like out of a fairy tale," Blake said, staring at the statue.
"Well, we know magic is real here," Yang replied.
"Yes, but this wasn't done with magic." Blake shook her head. "This was done by slaves who had escaped an evil Empire. They built this from nothing and turned it into the greatest city-state of this continent."
Saan cleared his throat but didn't say anything afterwards.
Ah. Yang nodded. "Thinking of home? I mean, in the future sense, not just homesickness." Of course, that would strike a chord with Blake.
"Yes." Her partner sighed. "I haven't been back home in years."
Right. Yang knew better than to ask about that. Blake would tell her more about her home when she was ready. "Well, if people can do that…" She pointed at the statue, which was now looming in front of them. "...without any Dust or technology, we can do the same back home with both!"
"You'd think so, yes." Blake sighed again, and Yang knew she had made a mistake. Probably because Menagerie wasn't a great kingdom yet.
"Of course, they don't have Grimm here, either." Yang shrugged. "If you have to focus on defence and can't just hide in a swampy lagoon, that kind of crimps your style."
Blake snorted at that, as Yang had hoped she would. Mistake fixed. Good mood restored. Somewhat, at least.
Then the giant statue roared, and Yang clenched her teeth, almost reading Ember Celica before she remembered that that was how the people inside the statue announced arriving ships.
That was cool as well. Coupled with what she had heard about the duelling 'bravos' and the nightlife here, this might turn out to be a fun trip. No slavery, no king… Though they had the Iron Bank, which sounded like the SDC in some ways. And the Temple of the Death God and his assassin cultists. Couldn't forget the reason they were coming here.
But if they could settle that stuff, Yang wanted to explore the city some.
***** Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Reimigueru, 23btoz, eager slacker and 4 othersStarfox5Today at 3:25 PMReader modeNewAdd bookmark ThreadmarksStarfox5Experienced.Today at 3:29 PMNewAdd bookmark#366Oddboy said:It's kind of funny how hard all these people are projecting their own biases on the girls; they keep getting their motivations, personalities and intent wrong to varying degrees.
It goes from thinking like they're just like any other ambitious Westerosi noble, just with extra powers, to being Basically Satan like Varys did.
Thanks for the chapter. Keep up the good work. Click to expand...
A lot of people are projecting their own faults and goals on others like that.
Wallaperi said:Thats another reason why this fic stays interesting, because the religious and cultural context stuff keeps it fresh. Also the reflections of people's beliefs about team rwby
Yeah, people trying to make sense of an OCP is part of a crossover's appeal. Her,e I'm aiming more for the cultural "alienness" than the "power" part.
ThrowawayAccount said:Ned tries so hard, even for a place that shouldn't be his responsibility. Actually, with him as Regent and the Four Maidens forcing everyone to play nice, the Realm is pretty stable right now. It's funny how there's multiple scenes of the nobles complaining about the state of affairs...because they're having trouble fucking each other over and starting new wars. Great priorities, dudes.
The Crab bucket mentality is, sadly, very common.
ATP said:So,there is a way which could send them home.Good,they are no need in Westeros any more.
P.S Could you send Maester Kennet to RWBY world,so he could explain Grimms that they do not exist?
Kennet would actually accept the existence of Grimm, and of RWBY's powers, easily - if he had any convincing proof. It's the lack of it that makes him go "Well, there has no record of such a thing been found ever since that time, so it must have been a misunderstanding".