Sage's body lies on an unlit funeral pyre. Yang, Arslan, and Neptune mourn over his body. Arslan leans down and kisses him gently on the forehead. She then whispers something in his ear.
Ruby and Oscar weep over Maria's dead body, her hand's placed on her chest. Ruby steps back and gives Maria's body her Rose pin from her chest and secures it on.
Jaune, Yang, Winter, and Lyanna stand amidst the remaining soldiers, some of whom bear torches. Ruby joins the crowd a bit further down, next to Sun, Oscar, Velvet, and Qrow. In front of the crowd sits scores of funeral pyres in a grid. soldiers stand at intervals with more torches. Ilia returns to the somber crowd, joining her friends. Mercury and Sienna obediently in mourning. Jaune then steps forward to address those assembled.
"We're here to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters. To our fathers and mothers. To our friends" Jaune began, he looked to all those who had died in the battle.
Kali, Penny, Cinder, Maria, Sage, Neon, Team BRNZ, NDGO. All those that gave their lives
"Our fellow men and women who set aside their differences to fight together and die together so that others might live. Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid. It is our duty and our honor to keep them alive in memory for those who come after us and those who come after them for as long as men draw breath. They were the shields that guarded the realms of men. And we shall never see their like again..." Jaune finished
Soldiers and White-Fang hand torches to Jaune, Yang, Winter, and Lyanna. They fan out to various pyres in the field, joining their fallen comrades for one final visit: Oscar and Ruby to Maria. Whitley, Weiss, and Neo to Penny. Roman and Lyanna to Cinder. Flynt to Neon. Jaune, Ilia, Mercury, and Sienna to Kali. and Yang, Neptune, Arslan, and Sun to Sage.
Jaune looks at Yang. As one, they ignite the pyres. Yang watches the flames spread under their fallen friends, then she turns away. The living return to the crowd and the flames rise higher. The air fills with a thick black smoke.
The victory feast is somber and quiet, even though the hall is filled to capacity. At the head table sites Jaune, Joan, Yang, Winter, Lyanna, and Ruby.
In the crowd, Whitley looks around. He turns back to the table where Roman eats hungrily, and Whitley takes a drink.
"Have you seen Neo?" Whitley asked him
Roman stopped eating and looked to the white-haired boy, "You can still smell the burning bodies, and that's where your head is at?"
"I just want to thank her for--"
"I'm sure you do"
Whitley shakes his head "Look, it's not about that!"
"Of course it's about that" Roman told him "Why shouldn't it be? The dead are dead. You're not. Simple as that" and Roman takes a deep gulp of his wine.
Joan looks at Yang with concern. wondering if Jaune had told her about his mother.
Oscar and Velvet looked to each other with few sad smiles
"I wanna thank you for saving me," Oscar told her "I would be dead if you hadn't shown up"
Velvet nodded "it's no big deal. I was glad that through that Nightmare I had you by my side" Velvet replied.
As the night continued, the mood has lightened. Merry crowds laugh and enjoy themselves. The wine and beer flow freely. A server places a plate of wine on the table in front of Flynt and Ilia.
"is this really the time to be drinking?" Flynt asked
Ilia looked to him, "We fought dead things and lived to talk about it. If this isn't the time to drink, when is?" Ilia sked
YOU ARE READING
The Bastard of RWBY
FanfictionJaune Arc was never an actual Arc, he was the bastard of Jonathan Arc and a nameless woman, his sisters loved him, his adopted mother loved him but his father saw him as a mistake, so Jaune ran from home to be a huntsman at the age of twelve, Jaune...
