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He was the hero.
It had turned out to be a rather warm autumn day when Yang along with her wife Blake and their small children went out to the memorial. The day had become something of a somber affair since the years following Salem’s defeat. The day that it all ended and with it the loss of one of their own family.
The family of four walked up the hill. Gravestones lined along the path. Each one to a fallen solider or brave soul that helped end the Grimm Witch’s terror. There were names for those that were known. Others only titled, Brave Soul for those who were never known, or no one could identify.
Their oldest danced around their feet as they made it further up to the top of the hill. Blake would adjust the small infant in her arms. A boy and a girl, it had been a few years after the end of the war they were married at last, and quickly their first one was born. A girl with the fierceness of both her mothers and the softest set of feline ears. Their second was born a few years later, a boy, sleepy and watchful. He reminded both his parents of Raven in many ways. Though a much softer version.
The family couldn’t be happier together. Ruby was always around, and so was Weiss. They all joked about how long it would take for those two to have little ones of their own. Weiss would scoff at the idea of carrying a child, though Ruby would always follow up quickly with a coy flirtatious comment. Just to get her wife flustered.
Ren and Nora had three already, and Ren kept joking that it was all they were going to have. Everyone knew it wasn’t. Nora wanted a big family. Though with all of them calling one another aunts and an uncle the children were always surrounded with love. Love and siblings and cousins and grandparents that enjoyed the peace they had all worked so hard to earn. Oscer retained the memoires from Ozpin and used what he knew to rebuild wherever he could help.
Emeral and Mercury were both around, helping here and there. Most of the time it was to visit and spoil the children and be off again. Everyone wondered when they too would settle down at last. It wasn’t anytime soon.
The small family made it to the pinnacle of the hill. There it was. The monument to their hero, and their lost loved one. A grand statue of a knight in shining plate armor. Shield raised over his head in a protective pose, his broken sword held low by his waist. He had always been a protector, even at his last he took it on to protect everyone.
They stopped and Yang approached to place the small bouquet of flowers she had been carrying at the foot of his statue. She wanted to say something, so many things to the man. Even as time wore on his loss was still so painful, to her, to all of them.
“Mom? Who’s that?” Her daughter asked as she tugged at Yang’s sweater.
The woman had so many things she wanted to tell her children about him, about how he was strong, courageous, selfless, and deserved a happy ending more than any of them. “That’s your uncle, Jaune Arc. He was the one that beat the evil witch in the stories we read you.” It was all true. The man was family, a brother to her and to Ruby and to the rest of them.
“Woah… What was he like?” she asked in that way children ask about relatives they’ve never met.
Yang smiled and looked to her wife “He was so strong, and so kind. He would have loved to meet you, I’m sure.” She didn’t say much more as a few tears started to burn at the corners of her eyes. She could still remember the last time they had all seen him. Even after years, that image of him, Jaune with the crown of choice atop his head and the sword of destruction in his hand. He went in with Ruby behind him.
Ruby was the only one to return, missing an eye and the only one to tell them what he had done. What he gave to bring peace to their world.
Blake saw her wife struggling and spoke up to her oldest “Your uncle Jaune was a wonderful man. He didn’t even start out as a hero you know. We went to school with him. The difference was, he never stopped believing in all of us. He helped us stay strong when things were bad. I think you would have liked him too.” She hummed her words to her daughter as the small infant in her arms made little noises that infants make when they’re happy.
“Yeah, and that’s why we come here every year. To thank him for helping us and giving us the world and the chance to have you two.” Yang knelt and hugged her daughter warmly.
The small child smiled and hugged her mother back “He’s awesome!” and as Yang let go the small one darted to stand in front of the statue and gave her best formal bow to it “Thank you for helping my mommies, uncle Jaune!”
Yang and Blake couldn’t help it, the smile they shared. They were so proud and would do everything to share his memory with anyone and everyone who would listen. Jaune’s legacy deserved that at the very least.
“Ashe slow down, you know he’s not going anywhere.”
Blake and Yang both heard the voice coming up behind them from the same path they had walked. Yang was the first to turn to see a young girl dart up the crest of the hill. She had to blink a few times as the girl caught sight of the family. The child had bright blue eyes, familiar bright blue eyes.
“Mommy mommy look! See! I said there were other people!” The girl dashed up to stand in front of Blake and Yang. She had to be at least seven or eight. “Hi!” She was excited in the way a happy and exuberant little girl way “Did you know my daddy?”
Yang and Blake both shared a look before answering the little one’s sudden question “We did little one, he was our brother.” Blake took her softest tone as she spoke. “Where is your mother dear?” Blake asked as the answer came up over the crest to stand before them.
“There!” The girl darted over to her mother taking her by her sole hand and tugging her along “Mommy look! Look! Daddy’s sisters are here too!” The woman let herself be pulled along with a warming smile.
Yang was the first to double take, before her hackles raised. “Yang… easy.” Blake reassured her wife as the child pulled the woman along with such familiar energy.
“Cinder…” Yang started as the woman came to stand before the small family. It was indeed Cinder Fall, with a small child. She still had those old scars, missing eye, and now missing that terrible dark arm. She was smiling too. “Honey why don’t you play with your cousin Ashe here. We want to chat with her mom for a bit.”
The small girl ran up to her new blue-eyed relative and as polite as could be introduced herself, and Ashe did the same remarkably before the two children darted off to play or tell each other stories.
As soon as the children were far enough away Yang turned to the former fall maiden crossing her arms over her chest “Is what she said true? Is Jaune really?” She couldn’t even finish the thought as it had her already so wound tightly.
Blake stepped in putting a hand on her wife’s arm “What we mean, you and him? Were involved?” Even her words came out reedy high and surprised.
Cinder, dressed simply compared to the last time any of them had seen her, nodded slowly. Her tone was soft, so much softer than the women would have ever heard “We were. Ashe is his daughter.” Cinder smiling was something soft and warm as she looked past the two women to her child playing with her new friend.
Blake chuckled a bit adjusting the little one in her arms “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me about him. He always had too big of a heart.” She seemed to think about something as she looked to the girls playing “How, how old is she?”
Cinder stepped forward now that the tension was starting to fade “She’s going to be eight soon.” She laughed at the set of parents’ stark surprise “Yes I know what you are going to say.”
“You were, carrying her during the last battle?!” Yang sounded more chastising like an older sister than she ever did as an adversary “You could have lost her!”
Cinder nodded with a defeated sigh “I didn’t know I was with her till near that last day I was with him.” She sighed “That man still went off and saved the world knowing what it would cost him. He was the best father…and husband” Her breath caught, and she brought a hand to her lips like she was holding tears at bay.
Yang and Blake both moved to stand beside her. This was a woman so removed from the one that was part of the war. In the end she had helped them finish it all, at risk to herself and now knowing, risk of her unborn child. Blake was soft where Yang was sunny. “You loved him.” Blake affirmed as she watched the former fall maiden nod.
“I still love him.” Cinder confessed as she showed the two of them a simple silver ring on her finger “He asked me you know, and I still barely believe he ever felt like that for me.” She seemed to realize that the other two women had come to stand so close to her “The fool made me a widow even before our first anniversary.” She tried to laugh only to have Blake come up and wrap her free arm around Cinder’s shoulders. Tears leaked down her face.
Yang relented finally giving the teary-eyed Cinder a warm hug of her own “Where have you been this whole time? Why didn’t you try to come to us?”
Cinder could only shake her head “I couldn’t, after everything… I, after losing him. All I could think about was her. She is the gift he gave me, even after saving my life. Saving the world.” She let the two women comfort her “I’ve, we’ve been living in Ansel, near his family. They’ve been helping, a lot.” She laughed warmly even as the tears still came. “I’m a librarian there.”
Yang and Blake shared a look for a moment before calling to their own little one and Ashe. “Girls come on over.” The young xiao-long pulled Ashe along with youthful energy before standing before the three adults.
“Mom?” The little faunas asked before letting Ashe’s hand go.
“Mommy?” Ashe went to her mother and hugged her around the waist before looking up with the sweet smile such small children always seem to have.
“It’s okay dear, I… I still miss your father.” Cider patted the child gently atop her head smoothing her raven black hair.
“Cinder… would you and Ashe like to join us for dinner?” Blake was beaming with an idea that her wife was only a little hesitant about.
“W-What?” It was probably the first time the two members of team RWBY had ever heard the strong Cinder Fall stutter. It was almost endearing. “Even after everything I-?”
Blake shook her head “That was a different time, Cinder. Jaune saw something special in you, and that is more than enough for me. Besides, how could we let you go knowing we have a niece that we’ve never gotten to spoil?”
Cinder laughed a little as she felt Ashe nearly gasp with excitement “Mommy can we? Please!”
She couldn’t help it, sighing while giving a decent amount of side eye to the two women “And here I thought I was the only devious one.”
Yang nodded “Oh you have no idea.”
Blake gave her wife a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow.
“We are meeting Weiss and Ruby, I hope that is okay?” Blake added as Cinder approached the grand statue.
“A little late to add that, but, I think its what he would have wanted.” Cinder spoke as she ran her hand over the base of the statue. Her fair fingers tracing the epitaph of his name. Holding her hand up a flower of black glass formed from her maiden flames. “I would like that and, maybe catch up.
Yang beamed “Oh no, so much more than just catch up, you are the wife of our brother. We going to have to have a proper welcome for you and Ashe.”
Blake could already see the ideas churning in her wife’s mind, a party, with just about everyone. Letting Ren and Nora know about Ashe, and Cinder. Having all of RWBY, Oscer, and even Mercury and Emerald come. Tai would love to see the small one, he was a doting grandfather. Raven would be there for sure, she could hardly stay away now there were little ones again. Qrow would want to be there, he was a better man for being sober, though he hated being called grand-anything ‘made him feel too old.
“I would…. I would love that.” Cinder answered with her new softness almost right away “I think its good for her to have a big family.” She looked to her daughter with a sweet fondness.
“Its your family too Cinder, if you want it to be.” Yang’s sunny nature never waned in the years after the war. If anything, she became wiser and patient with those around her.
“I… I did marry in, didn’t I?” she sighed a happy kind of defeat.
“Yup, I mean you could have told him no.” Yang teased as she held her good hand out to their former adversary turned family.
Cinder raised an eyebrow before shaking her head “I wouldn’t have even if I wanted to, he… he was something else. When he got an idea in his head, he would do it despite anything.”
Blake and Yang both laughed while the children just sort of mulled about their feet.
In the end Cinder followed them and met Ruby and Weiss for dinner. It was a sweet event. Ashe was the picture of behaved she was a sweet child. Weiss nearly cried when she saw the small girl’s eyes. They all agreed she had her father’s eyes, Cinder included.
When Weiss asked what the great ‘Cinder Fall’ had been up to, she was quickly corrected. It had been Cinder Arc for a long time.
They talked and talked, and the children had started to get sleepy. Ruby promised to visit along with Weiss who despite still bearing an old scar didn’t hold any ill will towards the fall maiden.
Yang and Blake offered for her and Ashe to stay the night if needed. At all of it Cinder nearly started to tear up again. Thanking them so profusely. Admitting she had been terrified of meeting them because of all that had happened during the war.
Each and every one of them assured her one by one that they did not hold any animosity towards her. She was the wife of Jaune Arc, even if he was gone she would be family.
Weiss was the one to say it “Family is never perfect, nor sane, but we look out for each other all the same. Jaune saw something in you, much more than any of us and we owe it to him, to Ashe, and you to make sure you are as welcome as he would be.”
Cinder relented and agreed to see them all again very soon. After all Ashe was turning eight soon and the lot of them wanted to do something special to make up for all the missed birthdays for the girl, and all the missed time with their new sister-in-law. Cinder Arc.
Jaune removed the crown and set it aside carefully “Its all I could have hoped for.” He sighed as he climbed back into bed beside his bride. She was sound asleep not knowing it had been the night little Ashe came to be. Jaune knew.
Settling in up against her he pulled her close and wrapped both arms about her. He hated what he knew he was to do. He had saved Cinder from Salem, defended her from his own friends and somehow during all of it they had fallen in love.
He proposed to her, promising her a wedding and a home when it was all over. He was going to break one of those promises but the other, he was happy to know would be fulfilled even when he was gone. Life was wild and as he held Cinder close to his chest with a hand resting over her waist, he was happy to know it would all turn out for the better.
He wanted the world to be safe, and right then, that night, Cinder, and Ashe were his entire world.
“I will always love you two, always.” He kissed Cinder’s forehead as he nestled in close.
“Love you too.” She sleepily mumbled nuzzling into the spot beside him like they had done it a thousand times before.