Spending the good part of a week to reconnect with his friends and Guildmembers, going to classes and over all enjoying his time away from Quests and Dungeons, Y/n realized something. He had not really spent much time with his friends ever since he got his rank. So he made sure to spent as much time with them as possible.
Even the promised date with Yang happened. Although from what he could gather it was rather special, different in a way. Instead of going to Vale and to enjoy their time at a tavern or in a park, the two went into the Emerald Forrest and sparred. Y/n had no idea how romance actually is supposed to work, but he thought sparring together helps form a deeper connection. Yang didnt mind at all. She loved it even. Back at Signal everyone always tried to sway her, either with presents or flowers. She found it too boring, too classical. Instead she rather have a good fight, one where she can go all out and just enjoy herself, Y/n was happy to deliver.
Of course Y/n did not really to try hard to keep up with Yang while he also let nearly all his summons, except the Einherjer of course, get some freedom by letting them hunt around in the woods around them.
Catching Yangs punch Y/n pulled her closer and chuckled.
Y/n: "If we lived in the time of my ancestors you would make a great Shield-Maiden. Strength as if blessed by Thor himself and a beauty akin to Freya herself. Brighter as the Sun and fiercer as any she-wolf." Yang blushed at that and looked away.
Yang: "Are you sure your class isnt Bard and you are just hiding it from us?" She mumbled.
Y/n: "Yep!" He smiled. Y/n glanced towards something to the side and looked confused. "Do you need anything Blake?" Yang let go of his hand and turned to look towards where he was looking, seeing the Faunus Assassin walk towards them.
Blake: "I've grew tired of Ruby explaining the difference between a dagger and a knive to me."
Yang: "So you decided to ruin my date?" There was a certain edge to her words as she glared at the black haired girl.
Blake: "It was not my intention, I merely looked for a quiet place to read."
Y/n: "I doubt a tree in the middle of a Grimm infested forrest is said place." Y/n pointed out. Blake sighed angrily.
Blake: "Fine! I was hoping to spent some time with you Y/n, even if I have to share it with Yang." She then pointed at Y/n. "You owe me for saving your life back at initiation and I came to collect the debt." Showing the book she brought with her she threw it at Y/n, who quickly caught it and looked inside for its title. "Read that to me."
Yang: "You ruin my date with Y/n for some bedtime story?"
Y/n: "Yang." Y/n began making her turn towards him looking mad. "I owe her my life, just as much as I owe you this date. Would you be ok with me reading you a this story?" A few seconds passed as Yang thought about it.
Yang: "Only if you do it without a shirt on."
Y/n: "That can be arranged." Yang looked quiet proud at her idea and went to sit down next to Blake, both girls clearly enjoying the view of a topless Y/n. Every nook and cranny was observed, every scar and tatoo memorized. Y/n opened the book and began to read. "As he first fell upon the earth below, he knew not where he was. Unfamiliar was the place surrounding him. Trees as old as his fathers father if not older stood where moments before were the walls of his room. The ceiling he had stared at before sleep overtook him was replaced by a bright blue sky. Night had become day. His bed gone, only the soft green grass below lending him comfort. Fear filled his mind and weighted heavily on his stomach. His gaze wondered around the clearing, hoping it would give him answers. Instead only more questions arouse. A strange door stood behind him in the middle of the clearing. Walking closer he found no handle, nor any way of opening the door. No matter how hard he pushed on either side of it, the door, made from a mysterious black stone, decorated by words written in an unknown language, would not budge, would not move."
The two girls leaned back and relaxed as Y/n continued reading, no telling the story. The boy used different voices for the narrator, the main character, the boy who ended in the strange situation and the other people of the story. The three spend till sundown on that clearing, enjoying the book together. They silently cheered on the main character while he worked hard for his survival in a world so different to their own, without classes. Even the for them simple act of making a fire seemed to be an almost impossible job for him. They celebrated with the boy as he finally got a flame going. They cried tears of joy as he met the first other human being in the different world after being alone for weeks.
Soon the sun would vanish under the horizon and so they decided to head back to Beacon.
Yang: "Ok that was not so bad, even if I would have enjoyed it if it was just the two of us."
Y/n: "Nothing against getting together at another day, I quiet enjoyed fighting you." The blonde smirked and cracked her fists.
Yang: "Oh you got yourself another date." She said. Blake simply followed them in silence. As the neared Valhalla all of Y/ns summons retreated back into his shadow.
Y/n: "Did you guys enjoy your hunt?" Y/n asked them, getting a multitude of yes's from his summons. "I think I should have done some hunting for dinner today." Y/n remarked.
Blake: "Ren and Nora went out getting some meat for us before I left."
Yang: "Heck yeah! Oh I hope they got some deer."
Blake: "I forgot to ask, but did you by chance unlock a new summon at some point this week?"
Y/n: "Yes, when I came back from the Dungeon I unlocked Ratatoskr, why?"
Blake: "He?" Y/n nodded. "He was in our room when I woke up." She said making Y/n raise an eyebrow and summon the small rodent.
Y/n: "What where you doing in the girls' room?" He asked the squirrel.
Ratatoskr: "Ratatoskr gathered secrets for master." The rodent explained.
Y/n: "So you can summon yourself whenever you want and didnt think to tell me?"
Ratatoskr: "Ratatoskr simply did what Ratatoskr does best." Y/n sighed.
Y/n: "Do not spy on my friends." He ordered as he recalled the rodent to his shadow. Turning towards his companions Y/n bowed his head a bit. "I apologize for Ratatoskr, he is new and I hadn't had a reason to lay down bounderies yet." Y/n apologized.
Yang: "No worries, I know your summons have a will and mind of their own, so it was only a matter of time till one tried to sneak a peek on us. But just so you know, if I find out they peeked on my baby sister I will personally rip them out of you to beat them up." She threatened.
Y/n: "Noted." They reached Valhalla and began to get cleaned. Y/n went in last, meaning all he got was dirtied cold water, which was enough for him. He found himself enjoying the cold over warmth. Something about it just felt right. It might just be the norse blood in his veins remembering his ancestorial home in the far north of the Kingdom of Atlas. Up there only few plants grew, only few animals lived and for humans to survive meant to go and take from others. His ancestors ventured south, first they plundered the Kingdom of Atlas, they took food, coins and slaves. Later they ventured further, they reached Mistral and Vale. And, while Mistral managed to fend them off, they found a new home in northern Vale. They founded their own settlements and with the news of their new home the remaining people of the norse followed the first settlers, bringing with them their culture. No longer was winter all they knew, no longer were the only seasons they knew the season of light and the season of dark. In one the sun would not set for a long time, Sköll having went to rest meaning the sun would not be chased off of the sky, while in the other the sun would not rise, Hati resting meaning the moon would not be chased away.
Like so many times in history, when two completely different cultures and beliefs collided war broke loose. The Norse took over the entire realm north of the Shieldwall. An area rich in iron, making it something the Kingdom of Vale wanted back.
It was a bloody war, thousands on both sides died. In the end, no matter how hard his ancestors fought against Vale, they lost. The Kingdoms once raided by them came back to get revenge. Atlas came from the north and Mistral from the east. The combined might of three Kingdoms was a force too great for even the battle hardened Norse to win against. In the end they were granted a place as vassals under the King of Vale. The Norse were allowed to keep Hull and the surrounding lands, but they served a new King, fought in his wars, payed his taxes and mined the iron for Vale.
Other dacades without the ability to plunder as they used to do, the Norse grew lazy, soft. Slowly their culture mixed with the one of Vale. Their religion died out with less and less people being taught the old ways. In the end only a few families stayed true to the norse beliefs, but even them adapted to their new surroundings. The theme of naming their children after colors and not after the parents was one of these adaptions. Y/n great great grandfather was known as Tief Schwarz, but his true name was Tief Anilinson, named after his mother Anilin who died at his birth. The people of Vale however did not know his surname and so they gave him the name Schwarz, something others began to call him by too and thus his surname changed unofficially. Upon the birth of Y/ns great grandmother Vale had won the war against the norse and so the customs of having a priest be present at the birth of a child was forced upon the norse. The priests job was the 'bless' the child in the name of the brother gods and to document the childs name. The priest present at his great grandmothers birth did not accept the surname Tiefdottir forcing Tief to use the valian surname he was given.
His family still unofficially used the norse names. Y/n himself is both Y/n Schwarz and Y/n Nachtson even if his Stats Sheet only held his valian name. The boy chuckled as he remembered the times his parents called him by his norse name, showing just how much he had messed up. There were only a few occasions that happened though, one of them was Y/n 'accidently' hitting one of the windows of the house one of his bullies lived in, with an arrow. His mother was ferious and so was the rest of the family. His mentor however gave Y/n a pat on his back for hitting the window right in the center.
Interestingly enough along with the old norse names some classes died out too. The classes of Skald, Viking, Jarl, Shield-Maid, Hofgothi and Gothi all became exceptionally rare. Y/n was unsure if similar things happened to other cultures too. But it does show that Classes seem to be part of a culture itself, meaning that if the culture dies out specific classes die out with it. He will have to ask Doctor Oobleck about it.
It still saddened Y/n knowing that what once was a rich cultural place under the rule of Vale became just another part of Vale, like everything else. No longer was Hull a special place, the home of the Norse, instead it was Hull, random town in the north of Vale.
As he mulled over this an idea formed in Y/ns mind.
He finally knew what his wishes of the King will be.
That is it for this chapter I hope you liked it.
I was trying to do some more world building in this book, seeing that I kinda put it to the side too much. Let me know what you think and what I could improve. For now I focus around Y/n and his ancestors story, but I will bleed in the story of Vale and slowly expend once the time is right.
Stay save.
Wolfy out.