Qrow's Moving Castle (A Fair Game AU)

Chapter 6

"Must you wear that? I can easily make you something nicer." Qrow held open the door for Clover, which lead to the royal city of Atlas. 

"I look fine. Now stay here and rest, Ruby will take care of you." Clover turned to the young girl, who saluted jokingly, a grin as wide as the entire kingdom of Mistral covered her face. 

"Wait!" Qrow said, stopping Clover from walking out to the sidewalk. He took Clover's wrinkled hand and slipped a ring, one that Clover was sure he had seen on Qrow's fingers, on Clover's index finger. 

"Think of it as a good luck charm. It will guarantee that you return safely. I'll follow you there in disguise, so don't worry." Qrow smiled down at Clover, who lost focus for a second as he looked in the captivating red eyes of the wizard. Clover forced himself to blink, breaking eye contact with the handsome man who was still holding his hand.

Clover pulled away gently and waved goodbye to his new friends. He traveled through the city slowly, taking in the sights, noting this gorgeous architecture and sights. The city had this life that Clover had never seen before. everyone moved faster than anyone from Clover's small town would think of going. When Clover noticed an entire street dedicated to fashion and clothing stores, he remembered his sister. He hoped that she was doing all right, maybe she had accepted a proposal by now.

Clover's mind was brought back to the present situation when he saw the towering gates to the royal palace. Clover walked through the gates and began the journey across the incredibly long courtyard. 

He looked around at all the people standing in the courtyard. Some talked to others, while some people seemed to be working. 

"I wonder which one of these people is Qrow," Clover muttered to himself. A pigeon flew in front of Clover, stopping to stare at the old man for a few seconds. "He wouldn't come as a pigeon, it's too plain for him." Clover said, continuing on towards the castle. 

He had walked half way across the courtyard when he heard the patter of paws right behind him. Clover looked over his shoulder and saw a tiny dog struggling to keep up with him. The dog had long black fur with a strange greenish tint to it that Clover had never seen in a dog before. 

"Qrow, is that you? Did you really disguise yourself as a dog?" Clover whispered to the tiny dog following him. The dog let out a small yip, which Clover took as confirmation. "Couldn't you have chosen something a bit more useful?"

"Coming through" a powerful voice said, demanding attention. Clover froze when he heard the voice, it was one that was burned into his memory. As a tall woman passed him, he saw the owner of the voice. A tall, black haired woman who had visited Clover's shop just a few weeks ago, and who had caused all this trouble. The Wicked Witch of the Waste, who Clover now knew as Howl's sister Raven, had walked right past him. 

Raven Branwen seemed to realize something and stopped her walk towards the palace. She turned and assessed Clover. "I remember you." She said. "You're that tacky little boy from the tackle shop. Aren't you working for my baby brother now? What brings you to the palace?" She stood, waiting for an answer, a smirk on her face. Clover realized that Qrow had the same smirk, although when Raven did it, it looked way more evil than when Qrow did it. 

"I am working for him, but he's treating me like a slave, so I came her looking for work." Clover lied. 

"Maybe you could take me to visit him after this. I haven't seen my sweet little brother in years and I miss him." Raven said, walking alongside Clover.

The dog at Clover's feet let out a small yip, one that was barely audible. 

"I don't plan to go back there, it was too much work for these old bones." Clover said, looking forward so that he didn't have to stare into Raven's menacing red eyes. Even though they were so similar to Qrow's eyes, Raven's carried this blood-lust shine, one that spoke much about how merciless and cruel she was.