It's cold. Freezing, really. Was this place actually a popular tourist spot?
"As you can see, ice makes up the entire White Palace. Its large support pillars as well as its walls, floors, and ceiling, are made completely of frozen water. It provides the palace's beautiful crystal-like look, as well as its incredible durability and thickness, which makes the White Palace a perfect home for the princess of ice."
Ruby can't help but listen attentively as the guide ushers her group around the crystalline columns.
The main hall was beautiful - so, so beautiful - that it manages to mesmerize even her bouncy - can't keep still even for her - older sister.
"Wow," Yang comments quietly, once the other group of tourists move on to another station, "it's actually pretty cool. Besides the freezing temperature being totally below 30 degrees, but y'know, it's still cool - if you catch my drift."
Ruby merely lets the laughter lines meet her lips.
"Yeah, I get it. Cool."
When they head back for the group, Ruby's hand tracing the lines of the icy pillar lingeringly, they realize the guide has led them further down the sanctuary. Ruby can't help but continue to muse her astonishment aloud, still impressed with the crystalline appearance as she passes through the many support columns on each side of her.
Yang only grunts in response to the lack of traction on the frozen floor.
Ruby pulls her cloak even tighter around herself as they get closer, the room getting even colder as they trudge deeper into the inner sanctuary. Yang merely zips up her jacket as the guide's voice echoes once again through the hall.
"And on the frozen throne sits the ice princess, her figure completely immersed in ice. As of today, she has slept for 1000 years, her slumber bringing about energy to the city of Beacon." Ruby lets slip an 'oh, wow...' as she gazes up at the crystallized figure, the throne perched up at the top of the icy staircase. "The crown above her head is where her energy seeps through, and has been termed as 'Dust', supplying our city with electricity, power, and even fuel, for everyday life."
The crown has been linked to various silver wires that ran across the walls of ice, glowing in a variety of colours as a result of the Dust running through. Oddly enough, it's the only thing that hasn't been frozen over.
The group of tourists gather around the bottom of the staircase, unable to go up any further for potential risks of damaging the source of the city's energy.
"How did she get like this?" Ruby probes almost meekly, having struggled to raise her hand out of fear of stuttering. "Being frozen on a throne asleep for years, was it intentional?"
It wasn't like Ruby was questioning the validity of the situation, but rather it was because it was like a fairy tale. And just like any other book she has read, she wants to take in every detail.
Professor Ozpin, as he preferred to be called, glances infinitesimally at the group before taking a sip of his black coffee. Ruby waits patiently in anticipation, watching almost painfully as he lowers his cup, the action too slow for her taste.
"Legend says that the princess was perfect. Too perfect, that the other kingdoms - Ifrit of Fire, Titan of Earth, Bahamut of Air, and Leviathan of Water - were worried that the Goddess Shiva of Ice, had broken their promise of equality. Each deity, as has been told through myth - which I'm sure most of you have already learned from school - had taken oath to bear fruit of their respective elements, but in equal amounts of power so as to not break peace in the world."
Ozpin nonchalantly takes another sip of his drink, pausing so the silence that follows his words will reign over the room. Ruby can't believe he even bothers to stop to drink at all! Like really, is that how he tells stories to his children? If he has any, Ruby scowls childishly.
She relaxes instantly when he brings it down from his lips, feeling excited for more, before she sees him bring it up again as if knowingly chiding Ruby for being too absorbed with fairy tales.
To her credit, she wills herself not to whine as Yang pats her tenderly on the shoulder. Her sister definitely understood.
"Of course," Ozpin starts again, finally. "The kingdoms of other Gods - like Ixion of Lightning and Odin of Justice - did not feel the same as the majority, but because they were part of the minority, they could not do anything of what was to come." The professor continues steadily, shifting slightly closer to the staircase, cane in one hand. "The princess of ice had been lured into what seemed like a grand party at the Flame Palace, only to discover a foreboding letter when she intercepted a communication line between the descendants of fire, earth, air, and water. A rookie palace guard from the kingdom of Odin had mistaken her for the descendant of water and had given her the letter of confirmation stating the destruction of the White Palace."
Ruby doesn't even realize she's holding her breath from all the suspense until Yang brings her back with a hard slap on the back. Ozpin merely spares her a critical glance when Ruby gasps at the shock of air coming into her lungs before he continues on, not responding to the girl's shy, apologetic grin.
"When she returned, her palace was crumbling, and the last knight standing had turned against her, believing that destroying the people was what she had intended all along, the party at Flame Palace a way of avoiding the people of Shiva. She had no choice but to relieve him of what she knew was more to come, receiving a scar on her left eye as a reminder of failing her people."
Ruby crinkles her brows as she eyes the frozen figure, noting the scar as a faint line of beige on her left eye.
"And so, when she reached the top of the staircase, standing in front of her throne with her pursuers behind her, she froze the entire palace with a circle of symbols glowing beneath her feet. Those pursuers became the large pillars you see now for the White Palace."
"So she used them as a replacement for the foundation and support of the White Palace?" Ruby exclaims almost childishly, her eyes gleaming with evident glee at grasping the story so quickly.
Ozpin merely smiles at the obvious love for tales Ruby can't help but show as he hums in agreement.
"Yes, which explains the odd formation and lack of order in which the pillars are placed. They are clearly unaligned, structured unevenly around the main sanctuary, showing how far the pursuers have actually gone to reach the ice princess. As you can see, not one had managed to get close to the stairs that led to the throne."
Ruby couldn't contain her appreciation any longer.
"That's so AWESOME!"
"Sis..." Yang mutters amiably, having winced at the volume of Ruby's voice. It practically echoed along the walls of the palace.
Ruby's drive for the story counters her embarrassment for her outburst, slewing on with a mouth operating faster than it normally would.
"So was the scar basically a sort of memento for the princess to remember the pain her people went through rather than just a scar from a battle? I mean, I know you totally just said that, but did she herself know that? Was there really no other way for her to keep from killing the last knight? Why is she also frozen? Was that her happy ending? Did no other kingdom - from the minority of course, or unless some of the other kingdoms felt bad and everything - consider the consequences and tried to right what went wrong? How did everything go with the supposed peace between the kingdoms after Shiva's kingdom was destroyed?"
She practically spews, surprisingly not coming out breathless despite the lack of pauses during her spree of questions. Yang merely cringes for her when Ozpin stares rather amusedly at the shorter girl as he brings the cup to his lips once again as his response.
Ruby merely pouts from where she stands.
"She encased the entire palace in ice," Ozpin begins, tapping his finger lightly against the cup. "Made the temperature of her kingdom drop significantly, and chose to slumber in her element because she knew they would continue to come after her if she didn't."
Yang raises a gloved hand, scratching her cheek with a finger when acknowledged.
"But what about the kingdom of fire? Couldn't they just burn their way through?" Yang probes lightly, surprising herself for having stayed awake the whole time - or at least, for the most part - to ask something actually related to the topic.
The professor nods sagely in agreement.
"You're right, they certainly could. And whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, the kingdoms of fire, earth, air, and water, were right in stating that Shiva's last descendant had been blessed to be more than she should, carrying abnormal amount of energy that had both been a miracle, and the cause of demise, for her people. Her ice contained this abnormal energy, Dust, and had carried the other elements. As you know now, there are many elements to Dust, and because of this, her ice's weakness to fire had been nulled as a result."
Ruby lets slip, "Oh..." before an idea clicks.
"So her ice power had foundations that consisted of the other elements," Ruby muses aloud, Ozpin nodding approvingly in response to her swift observation.
Yang hums out of understanding.
"So she's basically an overpowered princess." Yang comments snarkily, "No wonder the whole place hasn't melted." She earns herself a slap on the shoulder as Ruby returns her attention to the professor, reprimanding her older sister for the lack of manners in front of the guide.
Ozpin shrugs noncommittally, before gazing up at the princess once more.
"It takes a lot of energy to consume that much Dust and produce a single element like ice to have every element as its basis, along with nullifications, so I wouldn't go so far as to say she can easily call upon it. Perhaps that is another reason as to why she chose to stay on her throne." He rests his mug above his cane, holding it steadily. "Because she couldn't have lived to fend off the rest of the other kingdoms in her state."
Ruby merely nods enthusiastically in agreement, almost feeling tearful at the whole story as the professor clears his throat. Just when she thought it to be over, he officially ends it with a strong finish, and Ruby is left feeling overwhelmed that it makes her eyes a little wet.
"So she sung herself to sleep." Ozpin taps the floor lightly with his cane, as if to wake those who aren't listening. "And rumour has it, that to this day, you could potentially hear her sing amidst the coldest of nights."
Before Ruby gets a chance to suggest staying over for the night - because the professor has a nagging feeling that she would want to do just that - Ozpin cuts in swiftly with a ghost of a smile.
"But that's enough chitchat for one day." The corner of his lips curve upwards at Ruby's eyes still glowing for more despite visibly deflating, her shoulders slumping. "Let's head back before the temperature drops even further at night."
"Amen," Yang mutters beneath her breath, earning another slap on the arm by Ruby as they head towards the entrance.
Ruby's gaze lingers with newfound appreciation for the large pillars spread about in the main sanctuary, their gleam giving off an almost sad tone as she makes her way outside.
"What was her name?" Ruby asks gently, as she gives the throne one last look, the figure sitting frozen upon it.
"White Snow," Ozpin replies wittily, receiving only a confused but pleasantly surprised smile from Ruby. He understands how every little detail can further delight the younger girl as he explains coolly. "That's the meaning of Weiss Schnee."
How unpleasant.
As if the blizzard outside isn't bad enough, the floors are also slippery as hell, as far as she can tell. So are the walls, the doors, and even the windows, if Blake isn't careful enough. Her black cloak staves off little of the freezing air as she drops down from one of the supporting pillars near the window, landing with a little more effort because of the lack of traction with her boots.
Her partner, Adam, moves forward towards the base of the staircase, eyeing almost hungrily behind his rune-like mask, at the crown above the frozen princess' head.
Before he gets to take the first step up the set of stairs, Blake warns him of his carelessness.
"It's never that simple."
She scans the rest of the main hall with critical eyes, taking note of silver wires clearly foreign to the rest of the palace weaving in between the icy walls. They're glowing with a variety of different colours - blue, red, green - all connected to the frozen figure atop the throne.
Dust, she thinks scathingly.
The glow is the only light inside the White Palace, providing just enough for Blake to scrutinize the room and plan how to inflict the least amount of damage.
Just as she was about to release her ribbon tied gun-blade, Blake hears a voice.
"... Mirror..." Blake instinctively looks for the source, trying to pinpoint exactly where it's coming from. "Tell me something..."
From the way Adam shifts to his stance, she isn't the only one feeling a sense of foreboding as the hollow voice continues to gently echo around the room, the tone darkly haunting.
"... Tell me who's the loneliest, of all..."
Blake dares herself to wait, because perhaps it's just a lingering voice from a legend years ago, with its singing being what's left of a past best forgotten. When she hears the voice repeat the verse, Blake is reassured that there's nothing else to it.
"... Mirror..."
It's just a voice.
"... Tell me something..."
It's nothing.
Regardless, she can't help but still move quickly.
She whips out her gun-blade chain and spins it beside her, providing momentum for the weapon as well as increasing its speed in case there was any sort of odd backup plan the city has for a missing crown.
"... Tell me who's the loneliest, of all..."
Blake lets her weapon spin one last time before throwing it quick and hard towards the throne, knocking the crown off by slicing the wires that's attached and sending it toppling to the icy floor with a resounding clang.
The wires left dangling against the crown begins to bleed Dust as it spills across the ground, the energy brightly glowing with colours. Adam picks it up almost carelessly as Blake sheathes her weapon, the woman still clearly roused by the voice.
"Come on," Adam grunts lowly, "We're done here,"
Blake shifts the dark cloak closer around herself as she eyes the throne, pausing briefly as if to see if anything would happen. Within herself she can feel something dark emanate as her gaze lingers on the figure. She ignores the eerie, clawing feeling of the beast inside, and looks away, ridding herself of such animosity.
When nothing else happens, Blake bids the world of their energy source and hopes that mankind can finally be free of the crown's so called prophecy.
They're finally free.
The glow of Dust that has been left to wither on the floor of the inner sanctuary dwindles as the night grows colder.
"... Mirror, mirror..." Her voice has become quieter, weakly resonating against the frozen walls of the palace. "... What's behind you...?"
The ice that shields her begins to crack, the pieces dropping unceremoniously around her throne. The blizzard is relentless, as if it knows. Her fingers twitch beneath the fractured ice, breaking further as she moves ever so slightly.
"... Save me from the things I see..."
Her brows furrow beneath the frozen shield, the remaining pieces falling down the flight of stairs, the clunks resounding deafeningly under the silence of the White Palace.
The Dust stops glowing.
"... I can keep it from the world,"
Her lips twitch as she processes the memory of how to function, her brows furrowing further of recalling every single horror that had happened. The dryness of her throat is almost insufferable. She swallows in hopes that it'll moisten it before testing with a low, cold whisper. Her voice no longer haunts the White Palace.
Weiss Schnee opens her eyes.
"... Why won't you let me hide from me...?"
A/N:
I apologize for the large long word barf of explanation after explanation, at the start to middle, of the story. Hopefully it wasn't too painful reading through.
So clearly, this is AU (Alternate Universe), not canon. And I totally did it on purpose.
I switched some facts around, such as, "City of Beacon" rather than Beacon being a school, or the source of Dust being Weiss' crown/Weiss herself (although we haven't actually established where Dust comes from yet - or I just haven't been paying attention to the show at all).
Now, regarding the Gods. Yes, I totally stole them from Final Fantasy, but hey, they're all I know. I'd like to keep the added contents close to video games/anime-esque items as possible, since I think, they give off a more, relatable feeling, than let's say, Greek Gods for RWBY.
Updates will vary, especially due to the contents of RWBY episodes and how I'm going to twist some facts around. I guess I should also say, the characters may not exactly reflect what canon will be showing (like Weiss...). But I'll try to make it as close as possible.
Criticism and reviews are welcome.