A chance encounter leads to an unforgettable journey
The Princess and the Rose
is an Alternate Universe RWBY fanfiction that takes place in a medieval setting by J. Van A. Weiss is the second Princess of Atlas and Ruby is a commoner who works as a simple farmhand on her Uncle Qrow's farm. Fate causes their paths to cross when Ruby saves the lost princess from Grimm and bring her back to her Uncle's farm. This chance encounter leads to an unforgettable adventure for the two girls and the companions they would gather.
In addition to having a fanfiction profile, J. Van A also has a Twitter account and a Tumblr account and encourages fans to follow.
Status: Dead
The Princess and the Rose provides examples of:
- Adaptational Villainy: Blake is introduced killing people to leave no witnesses.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: After Weiss and Ruby are kidnapped by Torchwick, Weiss attempts to bargain for Ruby's safety with her own life in exchange for a massive amount of money. However, Torchwick actually does turn the offer down. Ruby was his real target.
- Arch-Enemy: There are several for the group:
- Adam and the White Fang has become this for both Weiss and Blake.
- Roman Torchwick has become this to the group as a whole, especially Weiss, Yang, and Nora, after kidnapping Weiss and Ruby as well as him attempting to murder Weiss and nearly beating Ruby to death. They all want him to pay for their crimes, with Nora eagerly suggesting they break his legs.
- While they have not encountered Cinder yet Qrow informing Ruby and Weiss that she wishes to eat Ruby's eyes has put her on their list.
- Asleep for Days: Both Ruby and Weiss are out of it for days after they are saved from Torchwick. Ruby due to her beating and Weiss from overusing her magic to save Ruby's life.
- Badass in Distress: Both Ruby and Weiss are this when they are kidnapped by Torchwick.
- Battle Couple: Ruby and Weiss as of Chapter 45.
- Berserk Button: Harming Yang's hair remains one for her like in canon.
- Big Damn Kiss: Ruby gives one to Weiss after hearing her confession.
- The Big Guy: Yang's role in the group.
- Big Sister Instinct: Yang is this to Ruby full stop. This is most notably shown after Ruby and Weiss are kidnapped. After Nora comes up with a plan, Yang immediately rushes off before Blake decides on a plan much to her chagrin.
- Blood from the Mouth: Ruby coughs up some blood after the beating she receives from Torchwick.
- Blood Knight: Yang is introduced as this and she has consistently remained this way throughout the story.
- Break the Haughty: Weiss originally thought her life was worth more than commoners. However, between her near death experience and then needing to needing to live with a commoner and work on a farm taught Weiss some humility.
- Brick Joke: Ruby comments in Chapter 45 that the Spirit of Protection was on the other side of camp, so they could have their conversation in private outside. In Chapter 46, the spirit not only witnessed them kissing and thought they were trying to 'eat each other,' but it told Glynda all about it.
- Brutal Honesty: Weiss makes it clear early on that if she had to choose between Ruby or Yang as her traveling companion, she'd choose Ruby partly due to Yang's Blood Knight tendencies.
- The Caretaker: Weiss acts as this to Ruby after they are saved from Torchwick. Ruby even teases about how funny it is that a princess is actually her caretaker.
- Character Development: Weiss shows signs of this early on. At the beginning of the story, Weiss thinks her life is worth more than a commoner's. While she is grateful to Ruby for saving her life, she is still somewhat rude to the girl. After staying with Ruby for a prolonged period of time, she learns some humility. By Chapter 12, she tells Ruby she thinks of her as a friend. In Chapter 35, she risks her life by bargaining with it in exchange for Ruby's release. During Chapter 45, she realizes that her feelings for her friend have become deeper than friendship, and she confesses them only for Ruby to return them, and they become a couple
- Cool Uncle: Qrow maintains this role for Ruby and Yang. While he is considered 'Uncle' Qrow by Ruby, it was confirmed that he is Ruby's actual father in Chapter 52. In Chapter 53 he says that Taiyang and Summer were the parents she needed, and that he was fine being the 'Cool Uncle.'
- Death by Adaptation: Weiss' mother was killed Adam while she is still alive in canon. Blake's parents were also killed, but this is partly due to her parents not being introduced in canon at the time of the writing of this story.
- Declaration of Protection: Weiss promises Qrow that she will protect Ruby after he asks her to look out for Ruby. Ruby makes the same pledge to protect her friends as well.
- Deus ex Machina: This has occurred a few times
- In Chapter 24 Ruby suddenly fights better and takes down two demons, one Fear demon and one shapeshifter demon disguised as Jaune. The author admitted that he did this to save time.
- In Chapter 36 Weiss has a magic surge allowing her to fight off Roman Torchwick and protect Ruby.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Averted at the last minute. While Ruby stops breathing after the beating she received from Torchwick in Weiss's arms, Weiss is ultimately able to save her life thanks to Qrow and Yang.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Ruby managed to headbutt Torchwick in the face for attempting to kill Weiss. He repays her by nearly beating her to death.
- Everyone Has Standards: Weiss is understandably grossed out at the idea of someone eating another person's eyes.
- Eye Scream: Cinder wishes to eat Ruby's silver eyes to gain power. Time will tell if she will succeed or not.
- A Friend in Need: Ruby decides to join Weiss's journey solely because she found out that Weiss wishes to avenge her mother and protect what is left of her family.
- Good Parents: Tai is a good father to Ruby and Yang. Summer Rose has been stated several times to be a good mother before her disappearance.
- Healing Hands: Weiss has the ability to heal people. She is able to heal and save Ruby's life in Chapter 37.
- Healing Magic Is the Hardest: Weiss almost fails to save Ruby's life because of this.
- Heel–Face Turn: Blake
- Heroic Sacrifice: Several non-fatal versions of this have happened.
- Weiss offers herself to Torchwick in an attempt to barter for Ruby's freedom, but he refuses the offer and nearly kills her.
- Ruby saw that Torchwick failed to kill Weiss, but she provides a distraction to buy Weiss time to free herself. After headbutting, Torchwick, she ends up on the receiving end of a beating that would have ended her life without Weiss's intervention.
- I Didn't Mean to Turn You On: Ruby kisses Weiss's wrist and cheek after going through intense training with Glynda and receiving injuries in these areas. Ruby believes kissing the areas Weiss is injured would allow her to heal better. While Weiss claims it made her feel better, it really caused Weiss to be turned on.
- Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: Ruby always believed she was nothing more than a simple farmhand. She had no idea the silver eyes she was born with made her more valuable than a princess.
- Internal Reveal: Ruby doesn't find out that Weiss is a princess until Chapter 35.
- Intimate Healing: It happens a few times.
- Weiss's healing abilities activate and heal Ruby's injuries when they are touching foreheads.
- Ruby believes that one of the best ways to heal injuries is by kissing them.
- It May Help You on Your Quest: In Chapter 16, Ozpin gives Ruby a tome bound in a black ribbon which was then given to Yang. The tome is used and disappears, but the ribbon remained. In Chapter 47, Yang gives Blake the black ribbon in order to hide her cat ears.
- Magical Eye: Zig-zagged. Ruby isn't able to use magic, but her eyes contain strong magical power that someone else can obtain by eating them.
- Missing Mom: Both Ruby and Weiss's mothers are dead before the beginning of the story. Yang's mother is simply not around like in canon.
- More Expendable Than You: Due to being raised as a Princess, Weiss considers her life to be more valuable than pretty much anyone else, including Ruby who saved her life. Changing her mind on this is part of her character development. She attempts to bargain for Ruby's safety with her own life later in the story.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Ruby receives this from Roman Torchwick in Chapter 36.
- Open Secret: There are two examples of this.
- While Weiss does a good job preventing other people from finding out she is a princess, it becomes this in Chapter 35. After being kidnapped along with Ruby, Weiss tells Roman Torchwick she is a princess and offers him a reward in an attempt to save Ruby's life, but it backfires. Qrow lampshades that Torchwick will most likely tell other people about this if he can get money out of it. In Chapter 43, her secret was revealed after the fight with the assassins.
- Unlike in the show, Blake did not hide the fact she was a faunus, but she hid the fact she used to be part of the White Fang until Chapter 43 when it was revealed by an assassin.
- Out of Focus: Pyrrha is the last of the main characters to be introduced, and her first appearance isn't until Chapter 39.
- Parental Substitute: Before the beginning of the story and during the first story arc, Ruby spent most of her time helping her Uncle Qrow on his farm. She seems to live with him more than her father.It was revealed in Chapter 52 that Qrow really was Ruby's father, and in Chapter 53 he explains that since his magic wasn't ideal for raising a child, he was fine being the uncle.
- Relationship Upgrade: Ruby and Weiss become a couple at the end of Chapter 45 which also was used to celebrate the one year anniversary of the story.
- Relative Button: Roman Torchwick has permanently pressed this button with Yang after the beating he gave Ruby.
- Revenge: Weiss wishes to get this for her mother.
- Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Weiss due to be raised as a princess.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Weiss is ready and willing to do what she needs to do to fight the White Fang and avenge her mother.
- Running Gag: There are two examples of this...
- For the group, they have some kind of accident causing them to be one tent short.
- The author has been using his name as a cause for certain situations to progress calling J'vana a bad luck deity and a god of coincidences that the characters will often curse when something goes wrong.
- Sarashi: Worn by Yang in her fight club.
- Team Chef: Ren is the most capable of cooking in the group.
- Training from Hell: Glynda is putting Yang and Weiss through a lot of training in their magic as seen in Chapters 41 and 42.
- Unstoppable Rage: What Weiss feels after witnessing Ruby getting beaten by Torchwick.
- Use Your Head: While tied by Torchwick, Ruby sees that Weiss survived Torchwick's attack. She headbutts him so his attention would be focused on her.
- Would Hit a Girl: Torchwick attempts to kill Weiss and nearly beats Ruby to death in Chapter 36.
