Hello there, I'm The Royal Protector and you're reading… an experimental fic of mine. To understand this story you'll have to have read The Silver Eyed Prodigy beforehand, basically this is an AU "what if" of Caryll choosing Summer as his teacher, so nothing bad ever happens, Summer never leaves, Lily goes to Beacon with Caryll, sunshine and roses all around etc. etc.

I originally intended this to be an Omake for Chapter 14 of TSEP, but it turned out to be too big to be a simple Omake, so I decided to make it a mini-series that will be updated with each chapter of TSEP.

It's comedy, crack, shipping, monster hunter university shenanigans and so on, enjoy!

I also have an important announcement regarding TSEP to make that will be at the end of the chapter, so be sure to read the end as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, if I did, I wouldn't be writing this.

Shipping Academy

"You know, I never thought I would attend Beacon willingly" I remarked as I stepped outside the airship that transported all new first years to Beacon Academy.

"But you're not here willingly. Your family basically had to drag you to the landing pad" Lily pointed out from beside me.

"Details Lily, details" I gave my friend the stink eye as we gave way for the other Hunter trainees to pass us by. All of them were 17, just like Lily and I, and were wearing awed expressions as they took in the visage of Beacon. Not much has changed about me, I've finally made myself a Dust-infused-gunbai-chained-kama that was strapped across my back in its storage mode, but my overall wardrobe hasn't changed much. I looked at my friend and took in the changes that occurred over the years. To put it simply, Lily... grew up to be quite the looker. I don't know if it's the effect of the Spring Maiden's magic or just pure genetics, but puberty has done wonders for her. Her braided lilac hair now reached past her shoulder blades and seemed to be glowing with energy. Vibrant cerise colored eyes adorned her freckled, heart shaped face and all traces of baby fat were gone from her form after years of intensive training. Her wardrobe has changed as well, gone were the childish clothes she wore years prior, now her Huntress attire consisted of a long sleeved, violet shirt, a dark blue poncho with tribal markings on it, a similarly colored skirt that reached down to the middle of her thighs and finally black leggings and travelling boots finished her visage.

"Hey Caryll, what are you looking at?" She snapped her fingers before my face, making me realize that I was staring.

"You look nice, you should dress like this more often" I shrugged with an easy smile, I wasn't going to lie to my best friend. She sighed and averted her eyes in response.

"Yeah, I know, I know. Your mom and sisters pester me with that all the time. I get it, it's practical for combat and all" She tapped the sheathed rotary-Dust-blade strapped to her waist for emphasis "But I would rather wear something more…"

"Comfy?" I supplied helpfully.

"Exactly! It's so cold in Vale! I already miss my beanie…" She hung her head in a dramatic fashion. I shook my head exasperatedly, if it were left up to Lily she would have happily attended the opening ceremony in a sneakers-sweatpants-hoodie-headphones-beanie combo and not have given two shits about it.

"Come on you crybaby, let's find the auditorium and then some place to sleep at…" I placed a hand on her shoulder and guided us through the crowd of students, that is until I accidentally bumped into another girl our age, she stumbled over her luggage and fell to the ground with a startled yelp.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Are you okay?" I asked concernedly and extended a hand to the girl sitting on the pavement. She massaged her temple in pain and grasped my offered hand.

"I'm fine, I wasn't paying attention eit-…" She trailed off as she finally looked up at me, all traces of discomfort disappeared from her face as she stared at my face.

"…Are you sure you're fine?" I asked worriedly as I skimmed her head over for any injuries.

"Oh I'm okay, you're the one who's damn fine…" She muttered under her breath, I raised a confused eyebrow "Shit, I didn't mean to say that out loud-, I-I mean y-yeah I'm totally okay! See?" She quickly corrected herself and jumped to her feet and gave me a nervous smile.

"…Well then, sorry again for knocking you over. I guess I'll see you after the ceremony?" I gave her an equally awkward smile and slowly walked away.

"Oh you can knock me over anytime you want-… Uhh- I m-mean yeah see you later!" She fumbled with her words again and waved at me enthusiastically. I disappeared into the crowd with Lily beside me as we entered the auditorium.

"That girl fell harder for you than the rocket lockers do on impact" Lily stated matter of factly as we found ourselves a spot to wait at.

"Yep, she did"

"Cute and quirky from what I've seen and you ghosted her as soon as you could"

"Yep, I did"

"…You're not gay, are you?" Lily looked at me with a strangely serious expression.

"No, I'm a warm blooded, straight teenager Lily" I returned her look with an incredulous one of my own "I would like to think that we're close enough to willingly admit something like that to each other"

"Touché" Lily conceded with a tilt of her head "Then why didn't you give her a chance? Judging from her words she would have been all over you… and vice versa given a few hours alone" I let out a tired sigh in response.

"You know how Raven has been wanting me to take over as chieftain when she gets old and wrinkly, and how I really don't want that to happen?" Lily nodded and I leant in closer to her "Well, She heard that I'm going to Beacon and offered me a deal… If I graduate Beacon without ever having sex, she'll relent and leave me be, but if I lose, then I'll have to suck it up and become chieftain" I explained in a hushed voice to an unamused Lily.

"Okay, even if that wasn't the weirdest thing you two could have bet on, you're still an idiot. When have you won any bets you've made you moron?" She chastised me in a hushed voice, not wanting to cause a scene. I put up a finger in protest and opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out.

"…Okay I admit I'm terrible at making bets" Lily face palmed while shaking her head "But I'll win this no matter what! I've been single for the past 17 years! 4 more years should be easy as cake!" I declared confidently. Lily was about to say something in response but Ozpin decided to start with his speech.

After that terribly motivating speech we've been directed to the mess hall where we and the other students were currently setting up our sleeping bags and were getting ready to sleep. I took off my cloak and lied down onto my makeshift bed tiredly, beside me Lily was looking at her Scroll while humming a tune. She suddenly turned off her Scroll and turned to me with a questioning gaze.

"Wait, but what'll happen if you win? Who'll succeed Raven then?" Lily asked with a puzzled expression.

"Well, Yang and Qrow would certainly deny the position and since there are no other blood relatives alive the position would fall upon the next strongest person in the tribe" I hummed in thought as I recalled what I've read in the book. I could hear the cogs turning and grinding in Lily's head as she thought this over and witnessed as her eyes widened in realization.

"You wouldn't…" She narrowed her eyes at me, being the Spring Maiden had its drawbacks.

"It's for the greater good Lily, my good" I explained grandiosely and she growled threateningly at me.

"Caryll Rose, you will get laid in this school even if it's the last thing I do!" She yelled loudly and the people around us turned to look in our direction "Girls! This guy is responsible, confident, caring and funny!" Several first year girls seemed to gain a strange gleam in their eyes at that "But most importantly, he's single!" Lily got over to me and ripped my shirt off, exposing my upper body to the world. Now I wasn't exactly ripped, but years of intensive training can certainly have a positive effect on one's body and form, well at least that's what their downright… hungry expressions told me. I snapped my head to a satisfied looking Lily and glared at her.

"You traitor"

"All's fair in love and war… and this is both" She told me with a dead serious expression. We glared at each other for a few moments, until I heard footsteps beside our sleeping bags, I turned to check it out and fear flooded my body once I realized what was in front of me.

N-no…

"Hey, you're Caryll, right?" In front of me was a group of fit and attractive girls clad in their… breezy sleepwear.

No, please!

"Is what she said true?" Another girl asked while leaning forward, revealing her substantial… heart.

N-no, please don't do this to me!

"Oh yeah girls, and believe me, while he's got brawn he prides himself in his skill a lot more…" Lily waggled her eyebrows suggestively, making the girls look at me with all the more vigor.

"Hi Caryll, I'm Carmine-" "Oh you're also using a kama as your weapon, do you want to train together-?" "Say, would you like to go out to Vale with me sometime-" "So have you thought about partnering up with someone…?"All the voices drowned out each other and soon everything descended into a shouting match between girls.

Fangirls… Lily made fangirls…

"Lily, sincerely, fuck you" I glared at my friend as she struggled not to break down laughing.

"Oh I'm sure you want to, but you can't, remember?" She laughed to herself and I grumbled vengefully. Deciding that I needed to make a tactical retreat I grabbed my cloak and sunk into the floor using Kamui, I would have to find another place to sleep at tonight.

"He disappeared! Quick someone with a tracking Semblance find him! We can't lose him!" Oh for the love of God, they weren't rabid were they? I thought as I reappeared outside the building with my cloak wrapped around me as clothing.

"I've found him! He's outside, after him!" Oh for crying out loud!

Today was a good day, Ozpin mused as he sipped from his coffee, his beverage was warm, this year's students seemed promising and seeing Glynda's bemused expression as she found out about the silver cloak fluttering on the flag pole on top of Beacon tower where their flag was usually displayed was highly amusing.

"Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die" He returned to giving his practiced speech for this year's new trainees. So many promising students came to his school this year; one Winter Schnee, the heiress to the SDC, Cinder Fall, a model student and budding Dust Alchemist from Mistral, Lily Aviva, the lost Spring Maiden and finally Caryll Rose, the biggest wild card he had seen in millennia, a reincarnated Silver Eyed Warrior who was honestly overqualified for any sort of student position, but nevertheless chose to attend due to pressure from his family.

"Are there any questions?" She glanced at his assistant, Glynda, from the corner of his eyes. They should soon discuss team assignments with the rest of the faculty.

"What is the previous time record for completing Initiation?" The young Rose asked while nervously glancing around his peers, whom upon hearing the method of partner choosing were watching the teen like hungry hawks.

"Hmm, with the threat of Grimm, the size of the area and the complexity of the tasks, most students take around two to three hours to finish, but the fastest Initiation so far lasted only one hour and fifteen minutes" Ozpin answered calmly while thinking about the intel his agent gathered about the young man before him… yes, he would make a perfect centerpiece for his plans…

"Could you set a timer for me then? I'm curious how I measure up" Caryll asked with a confident smile that quickly vanished when he heard a few female students swooning in place.

"As you wish" Ozpin nodded to Glynda and the blonde witch set up a timer on her Scroll "Now, take your positions" The students got into their stances and one by one they were launched off of the cliff and into the Emerald forest. When Caryll was launched up into the air the timer started.

1…

2…

Sip.

3…

"How long do you reckon he'll take to get back?" Ozpin asked as he watched the teens shrinking into dots in the distance.

4…

"I would give him an hour, if what I've heard about him from Qrow is right" Glynda replied as she observed the large Scroll in her hands.

5…

"You should get better agents then, mine tells me he's a lot faster than that"

6…

"…Did you bribe Summer again to tell you everything-" Sluuurp "Now, Glynda, the identity of my agent shall remain a secret"

7…

"I still don't understand how he could possibly finish the test in less than sixty minutes. Even licensed Hunters would need at least that much time"

8…

"The answer is before you" Ozpin gestured with his cane towards the sky where Caryll has reached the peak of his arc. He suddenly disappeared inside a vortex of air and reappeared beside another student, one Lily Aviva, and grabbed onto her like kindergartener experiencing a sugar rush would onto a plushy bear. The two of them then teleported directly above the canopies of the trees and fell to the ground.

9…

10…

The forest shifted as trees moved to clear a single straight path from their landing site to the temple they used to hide the relics.

11…

"What are they doing?" Glynda muttered as she watched the pair's feed.

12…

"Securing their partner and relic I believe" It was a simple yet effective form of team work.

13…

14…

"How about that?" Glynda jumped in place as Caryll's voice called out to them from behind. The professors turned around to see the young man clinging to his newly minted partner like a lifeline while muttering something about "No fangirl partners". Said partner wore an amused expression and patted Caryll's back consolingly.

"Fourteen and a half seconds" Ozpin answered nonchalantly.

"Meh, could be better" Caryll shrugged and tossed Glynda a white knight chess piece before walking off with his partner.

…

…

"On second thought, he is the son and apprentice of the fastest Huntress on Remnant and he does have one of the most powerful Space-Time Semblances ever recorded, not mention he has the Spring Maiden to help him…" Glynda hummed to herself in realization.

Ozpin sipped from his coffee to hide his smirk, what a fine centerpiece he will make…

Immortality was something many sought out, but most never truly understood all of its implications. The person would watch their friends and family grow old and die etc. etc. As an eternally reincarnating soul Ozpin knew of these drawbacks very well. However over the centuries he discovered another problem that not many realize greatly effects the life of immortals.

Boredom.

One could enjoy their favorite TV show, book, and game so many times before it gets stale, repetitive. Even with a secret shadow war to manage Ozpin suffered from this gravely. He pondered over this dilemma for centuries upon centuries and came up with a solution that could alleviate his curse, permanently even.

Hobbies.

Some people like to play chess, shogi or some sport, but Ozpin found those pastimes… lacking in excitement, no, he preferred a tried and tested hobby he had perfected over 70 years of experimenting.

"And for our final team" Ozpin announced to the auditorium where they were currently assigning teams. He and the rest of the teaching staff had spent countless hours reviewing student biographies, combat footage and credentials to decide upon optimal team compositions…

Or at least that what he would say to the media if asked, because Ozpin has long ago realized that only one thing never got old, no matter how many decades he spent doing it.

Shipping.

Indeed, it was a confidential tradition of the teaching faculty of Beacon to sit down once a year and compose partners and teams that looked "cute" together. They would form teams and make a betting pool on who would get together with who, how fast and which base would couples reach before the school year ended. This year he had felt remarkably daring and decided to call in a few favors from acquaintances and friends (A couple Branwens, a Xiao Long and a Rose to be specific) to manipulate a certain person into attending Beacon this school year with the promise of including them into the bet as compensation.

"Caryll Rose" He called out the name of the centerpiece to his plan. Who would he get together with in the end? And the bet he'd made with Miss Branwen only made thing more interesting, oh the possibilities with him were simply limitless!

"Lily Aviva" The Spring Maiden, would she be the one? Ah the childhood best friends who never realized their true feelings for each other, but through much drama and hardships they would finally get together! What even would be the name of their ship?!

"Cinder Fall" One of Salem's spies if he were to guess, her credentials were transparent as a glass window, but he would turn a blind eye to it this time… if only for the potential romance! Two people from opposite sides of a secret war find love with each other! Classic Romeo and Juliet story that simply never gets old! He could even imagine his ex-wife sending the girl just for this reason, surely she must have reached the same conclusion with hobbies as he had!

"Winter Schnee" Two people from noble lineages forced to live together and adapt to each other's lifestyle. Could the love-struck young man melt the ice around the heiress' heart and reveal the warm and caring personality within? Many have bet on this pairing, tsunderes were always a favorite in the faculty. Gods, Bart and Port spent the last two hours arguing about their ship name with the former vouching for White Rose while the latter claimed that was already taken and that Ice Flower would be a better pick.

Ship wars could get ugly, especially among Hunters.

Ozpin's hand stilled as he realized that they had completely forgotten about assigning a name to the team. He coughed into his hand to buy some time as he rushed to come up with a name.

"Together they form… Team CFLW (Cornflower), led by Caryll Rose!" There, at least they aren't named after the leader, that would have been an awkward blunder to make, Tsune would never let him live it down.

The auditorium erupted into cheers, mostly from the female portion of the student body. Turning to observe the newly minted team Ozpin took in all of their reactions. Caryll looked over the cheering crowd and palmed his face while shaking his head. Lily patted him on the shoulder with a cheerful expression and Ozpin silently decided to spend the evening coming up with a name for his OTP… Spring Flower sounded promising, but he would have to make an org chart with the rest of the faculty to decide. At first glance Winter seemed to take the news well, but one could make out small twitches on her stony face that ruined her noble façade. Cinder forgot all pretenses that her partner tried to keep up and openly glared daggers at her new team leader.

"This is shaping up to be an interesting year" And to think that one person bet on the Rose bagging and keeping all of them by the end of the school year? Ha, the absolute mad lad! The multiplier for that was over 9000!

Caryll's weapon isn't TSEP canon, I actually plan to give it to someone else, I just didn't want to spoil his true weapon for now. Everything about Lily's appearance and weapon is canon though.

Holy hell, I used a RWBY Team name generator, but like 97% of combinations were total nonsense, not enough syllables to go around and all that.

I plan around 6-7 chapters for this story, 3 chapters from the perspective of the girls, 2-3 chapters about the dance and a final epilogue chapter to close it off.

Finally, the announcement I want to make is that there is a poll on my profile that relates to TSEP. So what is it about?

Whether Summer should survive Act 2 or not.

I know you guys have been asking for this since day one (literally, if I recall correctly) but I've found myself sometimes flashing out two different timelines for the story. Obviously the one where Summer lives is a bit lighter in tone and everyone's favorite cookie-baking-supermom is spreading happiness and joy in the cast.

The other option is of course a bit more controversial, but it would contain a lot more drama and hurt/comfort (or if you're just a plain sadist then angst, lots of angst). This would also heavily impact Caryll's character and his plans for Remnant too, for example:

Summer dies;

Caryll: *Standing in front of a meeting of Council members and Headmasters* I told you the truth about the world, whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. The shadow war between those two has cost me… cost everyone too much, I place the decision in your hands now… relinquish all four Maidens and the remaining Relics and allow me to end it all… or suffer the consequences.
Ironwood: You've lost your mind if you think we would negotiate with a terrorist like yourself!
Caryll: Very well then… I hereby declare war on you all.
Lionheart: W-what?!
Caryll: The Second Great War starts now. Prepare yourselves, for the next time we meet it will be on the battlefield *Kamui's away*

But honestly I have no problem writing either of them, so I'll leave the decision in your hands. I will obviously not reveal poll results until the end of Act 2 to avoid spoilers. This notice will of course be in the next chapter of TSEP.

Until next time!