A Loaf of Bread and a Bottle of Medicine
A/N: I don't normally do this, that is, post more than one story a day, but for some reason tonight, my muse couldn't shut up. Lol.
This one shot is an AU set in medieval times with knights and kings. With that said, and considering the basis of this story, expect character OOCness. Also, because this story was written on a whim, I expect there to be a few grammar and spelling errors.
WARNING! The following one shot contains character deaths. While that is the case, I am by no means a hater of those said characters. It just turned out that's what was best in the context of the story.
WARNING! There are also some partially gory scenes ahead. Read at your own discretion.
Not that that's over, enjoy!
For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:
Guest – Thanks for the review. ^^ It's always wonderful to hear such feedback from readers. The moment I wrote Jaune and Ren's death in the story, I knew it would be a sore point for people, as they are characters we've come to love and laugh at. And that was part of what I wanted, for my readers to feel that kick in the gut when they were killed. Hehe. I think that worked out well. With regards to the guilds, I can see what you mean. To be honest, I really didn't want them to be a focus of the story, and hence the lack of details on them. I'll keep that in mind for future stories however. Thanks for letting me know!
Guest – Thanks for reading this one shot! :) I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. You're not the first person wanting some more from this world, but as cool as that would be, I'm really not sure where I could go with it if I were to write another one shot. Who knows though, things may change in the future and I'll think of something. But as of right now, I don't have any plans for extending this world. Thanks for the comment! ^^
POST CHAPTER 1 STORY REPLIES
Guest – Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you liked it. :)
Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.
Summary: How much is one loaf of bread and a bottle of medicine worth? A few silvers? A Kingdom? Your life? Princess Weiss Schnee quickly discovers that answer in her greatest moment of need.
*** ~ A Loaf of Bread and a Bottle of Medicine ~ ***
The capital city of Vale was a beautiful city.
The people who lived in it were friendly. The streets were more or less clean. And more often than not, the sun warmed them while they were out on their walks.
Like today.
Seven year old Weiss Schnee- correction, seven year old Princess Weiss Schnee looked around in delight as she and her father walked down one of Vale's main streets. As was their custom, she and King Schnee were out currently doing their rounds of the city. Unlike custom however, today they were walking on foot, rather than passing through via carriage. Usually Queen Schnee joined them on their walks, but today the queen was feeling a bit ill and chose to remain inside the White Castle to rest.
Their normal contingent of guards (which usually ventured into the double digits) was reduced to two, Sir Cardin Winchester and Sir Sky Lark. Sir Cardin Winchester was a very burly man with short carrot coloured hair and deep blue eyes that almost shined violet. He had been serving the king since before Weiss was born and never once failed in his duty, even in the heat of battle.
Sir Sky Lark was a smaller man in build compared to his comrade, but no less skilled as a knight. He had dark hair which shined a dark blue under certain light, matched the depth of his brilliant blue eyes. Being the lighter of the two on his feet, and faster, should they be attacked today, any thug who got past Sir Winchester's guard would quickly find themselves facing down Sir Lark. Both knights were covered in the mithril plate mail, enchanted armor that was that was both durable and magically upgraded for maximum protection and power. King Schnee was confident in the abilities of his knights, and therefore left the matters of royal protection to the two of them.
"Oh Papa! Look at that!"
King Schnee smiled as his daughter pointed at the local smithy. Blacksmith Dove Bronzewing was well renowned in the kingdom of Vytal, the man supplying the White Castle with arms on a constant basis for years now. He was a younger man, five years the king's junior, but even so, he was a very hard worker and well respected because of it. Despite always passing by this way, and stopping in to say hi to the blacksmith every time they were on their walks, Weiss always excitedly pointed out the smithy to her father as if it was the first time doing so.
"Did you want to pay Messere Bronzewing a visit?"
King Schnee was starting to think his daughter was developing a fetish for weapons.
"Uhn!" Weiss exclaimed, with the biggest smile a child could manage.
If only the eldest Schnee knew the half of it.
"Alright."
"Milord! Milady! Welcome! Welcome!"
Dove Bronzewing's smile was warm and welcoming, the blacksmith quickly brushing a lock of errant light brown hair out of his face only to smudge his forehead with a line of soot. Weiss giggled when she saw that, getting an amused glance from her father.
"Messere Bronzewing," King Schnee said. "You look well. Business booming as usual?"
Dove set his hammer down upon his anvil, quickly dousing the red hot sword in progress into a bucket of water on the ground. Steam hissed as metal was quickly cooled, the blacksmith soon after taking off his worn gloves and walking to the front to greet his guests.
"There's no shortage of work around here your Majesty," Dove said with a chuckle. "Not with the Grimm constantly on the prowl outside the city walls."
The smithy was a cozy little place, a two level building which housed the workshop and store area on the bottom floor, and Dove's sleeping quarters on the top floor. A counter was setup near the entrance, the physical barrier which separated the workshop from the store front. It also prevented nosey customers from getting too close to the fire pit behind the anvil, along with all the weapons and armor in various states of assembly. For inexperienced hands, those were death traps. For Dove however, they were art in the purest sense.
The walls of the store front were lined with finished weapons and pieces of armor, most of which were waiting to be picked up by the customers who ordered them in the first place. From greatswords to throwing daggers, and from full body suits of armor to half shields, it was truly a sight. Especially for one Princess Weiss Schnee.
"Ah yes, the Grimm," King Schnee said. "Quiet bothersome creatures they are."
"I can only imagine," Dove said, glancing down at the young princess who had been silent ever since entering the smithy. A smile stretched across his face. From the way the little girl was looking at the variety of weapons up on display, such awe in her eyes, one would have thought she was a born blacksmith and not a princess.
King Schnee sighed as he too took in his enraptured daughter's look. Weiss was definitely her father's daughter, King Schnee also having quite the soft spot for weaponry. It was a well known fact that an entire wing of the White Castle had been devoted to housing and displaying his rare collection.
A tug on his cloak drew the king out of his thoughts.
"Papa," little Weiss said. "What's that?" The white haired girl pointed at a red velvet bundle sitting on a table just left of the anvil behind the blacksmith.
"Oh this?" Dove asked. He went back into his workshop to retrieve the item. Setting it down on the counter in front of King Schnee and Princess Weiss, the blacksmith uncovered the prize hidden below.
"This here is my best work yet," Dove said.
Sir Winchester whistled. "A Multi Action Dust Rapier," the knight commented as red velvet was pulled aside to reveal a glistening silver blade with a revolving chamber-like mechanism in place of the regular basket hilt.
"That's the first one I've ever seen up close. She's quite the beauty."
Dove Bronzewing smiled. "I call her Myrtenaster," he said proudly holding it up for King Schnee to take. To everyone's surprise, it would be Weiss who reached up first.
"Pretty," Weiss said, her eyes never leaving the weapon.
Dove's gaze darted to King Schnee immediately, fear and surprise clearing showing through. Such a weapon was not a toy, nor was it a plaything for a small child. This was a deadly weapon, and any mishap could result in the Princess' death. But when the king gave him a nod, all the blacksmith could do was trust his leader's judgement and reluctantly allowed the princess to lift the blade from his hands.
"Careful little lady," Dove said nervously. "It's very sharp."
Princess Weiss held the magnificent blade with the utmost care, something which surprised the blacksmith considering the girl was only seven years old. Then again, maybe he shouldn't have been surprising considering who her father was. Dove wouldn't have put it passed the king for the man to have already started teaching his daughter the basics of combat.
"That must be worth a fortune," Sir Sky Lark commented, both he and Sir Winchester ready to step in at a moment's notice to prevent the young princess from hurting herself should it come to that. It wouldn't though.
"It is, or rather it was," Dove said. He rubbed the back of his neck sighing tiredly. "I learned earlier this morning that the customer who ordered it had passed away."
King Schnee looked at the blacksmith sympathetically.
"So right now, it's up for sale," Dove continued. "But considering how much it cost to make it in the first place, I don't think it will ever sell. Most normal folk can't afford it."
Silence reigned over the group as all eyes fell on the weapon in Weiss' hands again.
"Can I have it?" said a small voice.
Dove Bronzewing blinked in surprise.
"Please Papa?"
All eyes bore into the king now, the eldest Schnee swallowing uncomfortably under Weiss' stare. The princess was currently giving him those big, round, almost teary blue eyes, her lips trembling. King Schnee called this specific gaze the Schnee Dissolver, for everything dissolved under the look he was getting from his youngest and only daughter.
"U-Umm..."
"Please?"
More lip trembling.
"I promise to be careful with it."
Gods! This was all the queen's fault for teaching their daughter that technique! King Schnee wilted visibly.
"Alright precious. You can have it."
The smile King Schnee received was bright enough to make the sun jealous.
"Oh thank you Papa!"
Both Sir Winchester and Sir Lark lurched forward, the knights working in tandem to grab Myrtenaster out of the air when Princess Weiss dropped it in favour of tackle hugging her father. Thankfully, no one was hurt in that turn of events, both knights breathing in relief when the weapon was returned to the blacksmith for proper care and storage.
"You're welcome my dear," King Schnee said, kissing the top of Weiss' hair as he hugged her. Oh the queen was going to have a fit about this when she found out. But that's what she got for teaching their seven year old such underhanded tactics.
"I shall prepare this for you right away," Dove said, already turning back to his workshop to get the vials of Dust that went along with the weapon.
"Good lad," King Schnee said with a nod. "How much do I owe you?"
Dove turned around in surprise. "Your Majesty?"
"Surely you don't think I'd leave here without paying for it?" King Schnee raised an eyebrow at the blacksmith.
"But Milord-"
"Oh, no matter," King Schnee said, dismissing Dove's protest with the wave of his hand. "Sir Winchester, give this man two hundred gold for his trouble."
"Yes, your Majesty," Knight Cardin Winchester said, immediately pulling out a pouch filled to brim with coins.
"T-Two hundred!?" Dove exclaimed. While he knew the king to be a kind and generous man, two hundred gold for the weapon was overkill. "Milord-"
King Schnee chuckled. "You're too modest Messere Bronzewing." A smile. "Try not to spend it all in one place now, alright?"
Defeated, Blacksmith Dove Bronzewing sighed, scratching the back of his head with a weary smile. "I won't your Majesty."
"Good lad," King Schnee said.
Seconds later, shouts from outside sounded.
"You dirty street rat!"
By the time King Schnee, Princess Weiss and their two escorts left the smithy, a large number of onlookers had gathered in the marketplace.
"You think you can steal from me and get away with it!?"
An audible thump sounded before a pained cry.
"This will teach you!"
King Schnee looked at his knights, both of them nodding before he strode forward towards the crowd with Weiss holding onto his hand tightly. Onlookers immediately parted ways allowing him easy passage when they saw him, more cries assaulting his ears as he pushed through the wall of people. Once the final person had stepped aside allowing the king full sight over the spectacle, King Schnee froze in shock.
On the ground in front of him was a small child, one who looked to be around Weiss' age. She had long, unruly blonde hair, some of which was fisted by a man who was at least triple her size. The small child was pinned to the ground on her stomach, the enraged commoner yanking her head back by her hair, a boot on the girl's back. The girl cried out in pain, struggling as she reached forward for the things she'd dropped on the cobblestone road.
"Stop that this instant!"
The King's voice was like a sonic boom, everyone in the vicinity including Weiss jumping at the sound of it. Onlookers quickly scattered to go back to whatever they were doing originally, from time to time glancing back at the poor sap who had incurred the king's wrath. The man in question, an individual with a mostly shaven head except for a blonde spike of hair cut mohawk style, immediately released the child's hair and jumped backwards a few feet in fright. Beady blue eyes darted between the king and his knights.
"Y-Y-Your Majesty!"
King Schnee glared at the man. "What is the meaning of this!?" His voice was clipped, tight, and down right angry. While the people of Vale were far from perfect citizens, beating up a young child was still inexcusable and a punishable offence.
Weiss' mouth was covered by her hands, her blue eyes wide. She didn't know what was going on, nor why that mean man was picking on the other girl. What she did know was that she was sad. She was sad for the blonde crumpled on the ground.
The girl was filthy, grime covering her face and bare arms as if she hadn't bathed in days. Her clothes were in tatters, just barely covering her up enough to protect her modesty. Her shoes had holes in them, no doubt offering little protection when the rain came. But the most gripping feature about the girl was her eyes. They were a deep violet colour, a colour Weiss had never seen before. Those violet eyes were defiant, and angry, and full of pain. Tears pooled in the corner of the girls eyes, but she refused to weep.
"Y-Your majesty," the man stuttered, pale and shaking. "P-P-Please let me explain. It's not what it looks like."
King Schnee gritted his teeth. "It better not be," he said, his voice low and almost growling. "What's your name, Messere?"
"R-R-Russel T-T-Thrush, Milord," Russel said. He was shaking worse than a leaf in a strong wind. Gods! He knew he shouldn't have run after the street rat. Incurring the wrath of the king was not worth a handful of silvers!
"Messere Russel Thrush," King Schnee repeated. "For what purpose did you feel the need to beat this child?" The king looked down pitifully at the young blonde, the king only needing a glance to know she was a street child, a child with no home or parents to turn to.
"W-Well you see, y-y-your M-Majesty," Russel began. "T-T-This street rat stole from my shop, a-and I was simply g-getting them back."
King Schnee looked down at the scattered items in front of the child, his eyes noting a loaf of bread and... a bottle of medicine? His heart immediately went out to her.
"Young one," King Schnee said addressing the blonde. "Is someone you know ill?"
By now the small girl had gotten up from the ground and was sitting back on her heels. Pale bare arms sported bruises and red scratches, those most likely having happened when she tumbled to the ground. A line of red trickled from her busted lip and down her chin. Weiss continued to stare at the girl who refused to raise her gaze from the cobblestones below her. Even street rats knew who the king was after all, and knew not to disrespect him.
For a few seconds, the blonde didn't speak. But then she nodded her head slightly and forced out words. "My sister," was all she said.
King Schnee's eyes softened. "I see," he said quietly. He made a fist.
King Schnee worked so hard to prevent this type of thing from happening. Homeless children with no one to turn to. Yet no matter how much he did, there would always be a few who still slipped through the cracks. All because of the monsters outside of the city walls known as the Grimm.
"How much?"
King Schnee's head snapped towards his daughter.
"P-Pardon?" Russel stuttered, looking at Princess Weiss. Was she talking to him?
"How much is it?" Weiss asked again, pointing to the fallen loaf of bread and the bottle of medicine.
"T-Two silvers?"
King Schnee tensed when Weiss left his side and walked up to the brute Russel Thrush. In a move which surprised everyone watching, the young heiress reached into her own pocket and pulled out two silvers. She handed them to the stunned man.
"Here," Princess Weiss said, scowling at the mean man. "Now they're mine." Weiss walked away and picked up the loaf of bread and bottle of medicine. "Now go away."
Russel Thrush was left gawking. Did what just happen really just happen? He stared down at the silvers in his hand.
"You heard the Princess," Sir Lark said gruffly, making the man jump. His hands slowly reached for the sheathed sword on his belt. "Git!"
Messere Russel Thrush needed no further prodding and promptly ran in the opposite direction down the road as if the Grimm themselves were chasing after him.
"Here," Weiss said, holding out the loaf of bread and bottle of medicine to the blonde girl still on her knees.
Violet eyes looked up at Weiss in surprise.
Weiss just smiled. She held the items closer to the girl.
King Schnee and his two knights watched in silent reverie as the blonde girl reluctantly accepted the items from his daughter. Pride bubbled up in his chest. Any other spoiled princess (because let's face it, King Schnee spoiled Weiss rotten) he knew wouldn't have done such a thing. Even if they were to, they would have never used their own spending money to do that. But Weiss did. It brought tears to his eyes.
"T-Thank you..." the blonde girl murmured, hesitantly taking the loaf of bread and bottle of medicine from the princess.
Weiss' smile widened. "I hope your sister feels better soon."
The other girl just nodded, lingering just a few seconds longer before rising to her feet and running away. Once the blonde was out of sight, Weiss walked back to her father's side. She reached up and held onto his hand.
"I'm so proud of you, Weiss," King Schnee said. "You did a very good thing for that girl."
Weiss looked up at her father and smiled. "Uhn!"
~ 10 years later ~
The attack was unprovoked and unexpected.
Just as the first rays of dawn peered over the horizon, a massive army of Grimm breached the city walls and attacked the capital city of Vale. Princess Weiss, now aged seventeen, had just put on her dress for today, about to head off to her morning lessons when the alarms sounded.
A loud banging sounded on her door.
Weiss opened the door in a flash, already having been on her way out when the first alarms blared. Her heart pounded noisily in her chest.
"Princess, we've come to escort you to safety."
Two squires stood in front of Weiss, full equipped in their training armor. Their armor was nothing more than thickened leather hide, but it was better than nothing. On their belts were their training swords. Strapped to their left arms were their shields.
"Lead the way."
Normally, such an important task would have been left to her father's knights. Over the years growing up, there were more than a few times she was escorted to safety under the famed Knights of Vale. Never in her life had Squires taken up the mantle which only meant one thing. Things were far worse that she had originally thought.
"What's going on?" Weiss asked, almost jogging to keep up with her escort.
Maids and servants ran through the hallways in a frenzy, at times almost running into Princess Weiss and her body guards. It was total chaos.
"We're not quite sure," said one of the squires. He was a short blonde haired boy with blue eyes. Jaune Arc if Weiss remembered correctly.
"We were just told to get you to safety as fast as we could by Commander Ozpin," said her other escort. The second squire had short black hair and unusually pink coloured eyes. Lie Ren was the name that came to Weiss' mind the more she thought about him.
Weiss gritted her teeth. If Commander Ozpin had ordered them to escort her...
Before anyone knew what happened, the very wall in front of the trio exploded in a hail of stone and mortar. Weiss was thrown off of her feet as she was tackled to the ground by Jaune Arc, the boy covering her protectively with his body. Lie Ren tumbled to the ground with them as a blur of black barrelled through the opening in the wall and stopped in the hallway to look at them.
"A D-Death Stalker!?" Jaune stuttered in disbelief.
Weiss found herself speechless as the Grimm's gaze washed over her.
By the gods! Was this for real!?
"Get up!"
A rough hand grabbed at her arm, yanking Princess Weiss to her feet. The white haired girl quickly realized it was Ren, the squire still painfully gripping her arm as he tugged her down the hallway in the opposite direction they had been going.
"You're hurting me!" Weiss said, stumbling forward a bit as Ren led her around the corner and down another hallway. The hand around her arm immediately let go, Lie Ren muttering a quick apology.
"Sorry," he said, pausing a moment to allow the princess to catch up to him.
Just as she did, Weiss immediately realized something was wrong. Jaune was missing.
"Jaune?!" Weiss stopped and turned to look down the hallway. Ren was at her side in an instant, pushing her forward again.
"Don't stop," the young man said, urgency coming through his tight voice.
"But Jaune-" Weiss protested, the Schnee heiress shaking.
"He'll be fine," Ren said hurriedly, starting to drag the princess by the arm again.
"But-"
"Someone had to stay behind to be the decoy."
Weiss froze at that statement, blue eyes looking at Ren in horror. "W-What are you talking about?"
Before the squire could respond, a blood curdling screamed echoed through the hallway. Then something thumped to the ground right at the hallway junction. It was Jaune Arc. Half of him. Lifeless blue eyes stared at Weiss from the blood stained carpeted floor. Weiss went pale.
Oh gods. This was really happening.
The Death Stalker slowly skittered up to the half corpse that was Squire Jaune Arc.
"Move!" Ren shouted, grabbing Weiss by the arm again and literally dragging her down the corridor away from the Grimm now devouring the remainder of its prey. It wouldn't be until they were nearly to the throne room that Weiss snapped out of her shock.
"Ren," Weiss said, her voice hollow. She swallowed thickly. "Let me go."
The squire looked back at his charge but didn't let go. He continued to pull the shell shocked Princess behind him.
"Ren," Weiss repeated. "Let me-"
"I heard you the first time, Princess," the squire said.
"Then-"
"I cannot."
Weiss blinked, the Schnee heiress soon bubbling with anger. "Why not?"
Ren looked back again but said nothing as he turned to face forward. They turned another corner, the wails of Grimm and dying knights alike behind them.
"Lie Ren," Weiss growled. "If you don't let me go right this instant, gods help me-"
"I just watched my best friend die!" Ren shouted rounding on the irate princess.
Taken aback, Weiss froze in her steps, even so far as stumbling backwards one when the squire suddenly turned on her. Tears pooled in the boy's eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
"We were given orders to get you to safety," Ren said, her voice choked. "No matter what happened. No matter who the enemy."
Weiss swallowed thickly.
"And Jaune is dead because of that. Because of you."
That was not an accusation. It was simply a fact.
"And now that duty has fallen to me." Ren took another step closer to the Princess, forcing her back a step.
"I will not let Jaune's death be in vain. Do you understand why not, Princess?" Ren flinched when the white haired girl wrapped him up in her arms and hugged him.
"I'm sorry," Weiss said quietly. "I'm so sorry."
Tears fell from Ren's eyes, wetting Weiss' shoulder. He clenched his teeth in despair as a sob escaped his throat.
"His death will not be in vain."
Weiss clutched at the mourning squire, fighting back her own tears as the reality of the terrible situation they were in slowly started to sink in.
People were dying.
And all Weiss could do was run.
"Hey you two!" shouted a voice down the hall.
Ren and Weiss broke apart for a moment, both of them surprised and relieved at the same time to see one of the king's knights.
"Princess!?" the knight said in disbelief before his expression went serious again. "This way!" he said waving them towards him. "The throne room is just-"
The knight didn't even have a chance to scream as he was swallowed whole by a long black slithering Grimm which struck from a nearby side hallway. A King Taijitu. Even with their enchanted mithril armor, the king's knights were no less immune to death.
"Move!" Ren exclaimed when the Grimm narrowed its gaze on them. "To the throne room!"
Weiss took off running before she stopped after a few steps and turned around. The squire was not following her. "R-Ren!?" she called out in terror.
Lie Ren's back was to Weiss, the squire withdrawing his sword from his belt as the King Taijitu slowly slinked its way towards him.
"Go now, Princess," Ren said. His sword shook in his grip. "And whatever happens, don't turn back."
Weiss couldn't breathe. She couldn't move.
"But-"
"Go!" Ren said, soon after rushing towards the Grimm.
Gritting her teeth, Princess Weiss took off in the opposite direction, the long way around to the throne room. Even when an agonizing scream sounded behind her, she didn't stop running.
"Where are my parents!?"
Princess Weiss was the first of the Schnee royal line to make to the throne room. The king's knights who were already there and fortifying the strongest room in the entire White Castle immediately came to her aid upon sight of her.
"Calm yourself, Princess," one of the knights said. He immediately took her shaking arm and led her to the throne to sit down.
"S-Sir Winchester?" Weiss said, taking a good few seconds to recognize the man.
Sir Winchester offered her a small smile, along with a skin of water. "Here, drink up," he said. "It will make you feel better."
Weiss took the water skin from him and drank greedily. She hadn't realized how parched she was until now.
"Your parents are on their way here," Sir Winchester explained. "Commander Ozpin himself went out to ensure their safety."
"Sir Winchester," Weiss said, still very much shaken. "They-"
"I know," the knight said grimly. He already knew what she was going to say. It wasn't hard to figure out when she appeared at the throne room alone.
A commotion at the door to the throne room caught their attention.
"Make way!" a knight shouted. "Make way for the King and Queen!"
"Papa! Mama!" Weiss exclaimed, all but flying off the throne and straight towards her parents. Her parents weren't unscathed.
King Schnee rested heavily against his wife, limping badly. From his right knee down, a vicious wound bleed freely. There was also nasty gash above his left eye, the blood turning his left eye red and temporarily blinding it. Queen Schnee was much better off than her husband, for the king would never let anything happen to his wife, but while she may have not suffered from any physical wounds, she was utterly exhausted. Unlike her husband and daughter, Queen Schnee specialized in Dust and only Dust. She did not have the strength for a full on melee brawl, often opting to remain behind the lines acting as support. And a good thing she did just that, otherwise the king would have been dead.
"Weiss!" Queen Schnee exclaimed at the sight of her only child. "Thanks the gods you're alright!"
"Mama! What happened!?"
"Honey, help me get your father to the throne first and then we'll catch up."
Obediently, Weiss did as she was told, taking her father's free arm and draping it around her shoulders similarly to her mother. In their combined effort, the led the half unconscious man to the throne and set him down. Queen Schnee quickly got to work, retrieving a vial of white Dust from the knight who held her bag. That same knight also held the king's greatsword.
"The Grimm are sieging the city," Queen Schnee quickly explainable, focusing her healing magics first on the king's leg wound.
Weiss went pale. "What about all of our people?" She couldn't stop herself from shaking.
Queen Schnee grimaced as she was forced to use more white dust to heal her husband's most gruesome injury. "I don't know darling," the queen said a bit distractedly. "The knights are doing all they can, but even they are being overwhelmed."
Weiss sank down to her knees feeling faint. Why were the Grimm doing this? What did they want!?
A groan sounded, shaking Weiss from her thoughts. "Papa?"
"Weiss," came the croaked voice of the king. "Thank the gods you're alright."
"Papa!" Weiss lurched at her father, burying her face in his stomach, clutching at him tightly.
King Schnee smiled, bringing up a hand to Weiss' head and stroking her hair gently. With his other hand, he reached out to hold his wife's cheek. He stroked her weathered skin with his thumb.
"My two girls," King Schnee said. "I'm glad you're alright."
"Why was this happening?" Weiss' shaking voice came out muffled against her father's mithril plate mail.
"I don't know, my daughter," the king said tiredly. Queen Schnee was now healing the gash above his eye. She wiped away the excess blood with her dress sleeve.
"But somehow, things will be alright."
"How?" came Weiss' quiet, weak voice.
King and Queen Schnee looked at each other.
"I don't know," was the king's reply.
Weiss clutched at her father's plate mail tighter. "Papa, I'm scared."
King Schnee wrapped an arm around Weiss' shoulders and rubbed her back. "I know darling," he said. "So are we."
An unnatural shriek tore through the air, making Weiss shiver.
"They're here!" shouted a knight. "Protect the King and his family!"
All the knights in the throne room converged on the sole door to the room, their weapons drawn. The door shuddered as something smashed against it, cracking the heavy thick oak door. But it held. For now.
"Your Majesty," someone said. It was Sir Winchester. "Your sword, your Majesty."
Weiss' eyes widened as King Schnee accepted his weapon back and rose shakily to his feet. For a moment, Queen Schnee reached out to steady her husband, but King Schnee put up a hand to stop her. "I'm fine," he said.
Turning to Sir Winchester, King Schnee bowed his head. "We are in your care Sir Winchester."
"I understand, your Majesty." The knight saluted, a fist over his chest. "We will defend you all with our last breaths."
King Schnee wrapped his arms around his family and held them close. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that Knight of Vale."
"Mama!" Weiss exclaimed, already in motion. Myrtenaster was blur of motion in her hand, the blade quickly slicing through a Beowolf who tried to flank Queen Schnee.
It was only a matter of time before the door to the throne room shattered and the Grimm spilled in. When that happened, the knights in the throne room were quick to react, hacking and slashing at anything that came through the now broken door. But no matter how many Grimm they took down, there was just too many of them. Soon the Knights of Vale were overwhelmed and fell, leaving the royal family to fend for themselves.
Lightning rained down from the ceiling behind Weiss, electrocuting the Ursa tailing her as she went to her mother's defence. With the flick of her wrist, a fireball shot from Queen Schnee's fingertips and flame broiled another Grimm creature charging at the both of them.
"There's too many of them!" Weiss exclaimed, shaking with exhaustion. She quickly wiped the sweat trickling into her eyes with the back of her hand.
Very early on in the fight, Princess Weiss had no choice but to push down her fear and fight. If she didn't fight, as she had been trained to for almost ten years of her life, her parents would have paid the price, far-a-less her. At first she did a lot of stumbling around, firing off wide attacks of magic. But then her body found its rhythm, the movements familiar.
She was trained by the best swordsmen and women money could buy, and all of her training was finally paying off. Weiss focused on the steps, the movements of her blade, ignoring all else. She couldn't afford to focus on anything else, the squelching sound her blade made when slicing through corrupted flesh, the horribly sound the Grimm made when she silenced them for good. If she had, she would have lost it and died over an hour ago.
Blue eyes surveyed the scene, Weiss noting her father nearby and dispatching two Beowolves with the cleave of his double handed greatsword. In spite of all the Grimm they cut down, more was still coming. For every one the killed, three more took its place. It was never ending.
King Schnee yelped, soon after crashing to the ground in front of Wiess and the queen, three deep gouges in his chest plate. Thankfully that's all the damage he suffered, the plate mail doing its job and protecting his inner organs.
"Papa!"
Weiss leapt into action, charging forward doing an aerial flip before Myrtenaster was thrust into the ground between them and the remaining Grimm. Crystals of jagged ice sprouted from the blade, quickly solidifying into a wall of ice which spanned from wall to wall and from ceiling to floor, directly separating the royal family from the army of Grimm invading the White Castle.
Stumbling backwards in exhaustion, Weiss was quickly caught by her father before she tumbled to the ground. She had used her entire cartridge of light blue Dust all at once for that move. It would only buy them minutes, if that much, but the Schnee heiress was hopeful something could be figured out in that time.
Something had to be figured out in that time.
"Weiss?" King Schnee said, his voice trembling with concern and fear. He held her gently.
"Just..." Weiss gave her father and mother a tired smile. "Just a little dizzy. It will pass soon."
Howls and roars were heard on the other side of the ice wall. So too were the scratchings of claws and the banging of reinforced bone heads as the Grimm assaulted the ice barrier over and over again. King Schnee grimaced at the blurred shadows slowly tearing through the wall from the opposite side.
They were trapped, with nowhere to go.
A small crack appeared in the ice wall near the centre.
Well no, that wasn't exactly right. There was a way out of this place. A secret passageway hidden under the throne. It led under the castle and out in the snowy forest at the foot of the mountain. They should have escaped at the very beginning, while the throne room door was still intact. But King Schnee was an idealist. He truly believed they could turn things around in the end. But he was wrong. And now his family was going to pay the price for his mistake.
King Schnee looked at his wife, the love of his entire life nodding at him, a grim expression on her face. She knew what he was asking. The eldest Schnee rubbed Weiss' shoulder as she slow got to her feet, his daughter having recovered enough strength to stand.
The crack in the ice wall was now joined by another on the left side.
"Weiss," King Schnee said.
Weiss turned to look at her father.
"Before that wall comes down, I want you to escape from this place."
Blue eyes went wide. "What?" she said in disbelief. "But how?"
"There is a secret passageway under the throne," Queen Schnee explained. "It will lead you to safety."
Weiss turned back to look at the throne behind them in shock. "But, what about you?" Weiss already knew the answer to her question, yet some part of her hoped it was not what she was thinking. Please gods, don't tell me-
"Your mother and I will cover you," King Schnee continued. "Don't fight, just focus on escaping."
"But-"
"Weiss, honey," Queen Schnee said. The Queen's smile made it suddenly hard to breathe for Weiss.
They were going to die.
For her.
To let her escape.
Weiss took a horrified step backwards. "No..." she said, her voice a ghost of a whisper. "No!" she exclaimed.
"Weiss-"
"Don't you dare!" Weiss screamed, tears running down her cheeks. "Don't you dare," she repeated, her voice cracking and shaking. "I will not run while you both sacrifice yourself for me."
"The kingdom is lost Weiss!" King Schnee exclaimed, shaking with anger. Couldn't she see this was for her own good?
"And I'll be damned if I let my daughter fall victim here too!"
"I WILL NOT RUN!"
Weiss shook, Myrtenaster trembling in her grasp. Her parents looked at her in surprise, their little Weiss having never yelled at them before. Ever. But their daughter wasn't so little anymore, was she?
Weiss closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to stop her shaking. When she opened them again and looked at her parents, all they saw was steely determination.
"A Schnee never runs," Weiss said, her voice tight. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "A Schnee faces their enemy head on and never falters. If we are going to die on this day, then we die together. That is the only thing that will happen!"
Stunned by their daughter's words, King and Queen Schnee looked at each and sighed in defeat.
"This is all your fault," Queen Schnee said with a hollow chuckle. She shook her head.
"My fault?" King Schnee said in confusion. "How is this my fault?"
Giving her daughter an amused look, Queen Schnee smiled at her husband, probably for one of the last times. "Who else do you think she got that stubbornness from?"
For a moment, all that was heard was the slow cracking of ice and the howls of the Grimm. Then the three Schnees broke out laughing.
"I guess so," King Schnee said, pulling his wife and daughter towards him in a tight hug. Tears rolled down his cheek as he reflected on what would be their last moments alive.
"I'm so proud of you," King Schnee said, his voice cracking. "Both of you. I couldn't have asked for a better family."
"I love you too, darling," Queen Schnee said, sniffling before she kissed her husband on the cheek.
Weiss held both of her parents tightly, taking in this one last moment. Then all of them broke apart, wiped their tears, and faced the ice wall. It was time to show the Grimm just who they were dealing with. If they thought the Schnee family was going down without a fight, they were dead wrong.
A gun shot sounded.
Weiss blinked. What?
Even though it was muffled because of the ice wall, all the Schnees heard it. Then the Grimm wailed like nothing before, flashes of red exploding on the other side of the ice wall followed by more gun shots.
Five minutes later, everything went silent.
Sweat rolled down Weiss' cheek, the Schnee heiress tense and rigid. Her parents were no better off, both of the elder Schnee twitching with anxiety and nervousness.
"Do you think they're all just gave up and left?" King Schnee whispered.
Weiss glanced at her father. If only they were that lucky.
Seconds turned into minutes, and just when the Schnees gathered up the courage to approach the ice wall, it exploded outwards.
Weiss yelped in surprise, King Schnee cursing openly. Only Queen Schnee managed to keep herself in check, a split second after the wall collapsed, calling forth a Dust shield to protect them from the flying debris.
Chunks of ice bigger than Weiss' head crashed to the ground, booming like thunder. Fine ice particles quickly filled the air, along with a hiss of white mist which enveloped the Schnee royal family chilling them to the bone. In spite of their partially obscured vision, the Schnees made out movement on the other side of the now breached ice wall, all three of them immediately readying their attacks to face whatever lay ahead. What they found, notwithstanding, was clearly not what they expected.
Bodies upon bodies of Grimm lay scattered all across the ground closest to the broken throne room door. Some of them were cleaved cleanly in half, others riddled with bullets, and yet others burned to a singe. What was most shocking of all however, were the three women standing amongst the bodies of Grimm. All of them wore cloaks on their backs bearing the same symbol.
Weiss blinked. Twice.
The women, all of whom looked to be around the same age as Weiss, were still there.
What?
"Well," one of the women said, the one with long unruly blonde hair. "That was a thing.
"We are in your debt strangers," King Schnee said, bowing to the blonde girl. "If you hadn't come when you did, we wouldn't still be standing here."
"Ah shucks," the blonde woman said. "It was nothing. We were in the area anyhow."
"Still," Queen Schnee said, quickly glancing at the bodies of dead Grimm creatures being prodded by the few surviving knights within the White Castle. A handful of them had trickled in after the women shattered Weiss' ice barrier. Some of them were now checking the dead bodies to ensure they were truly dead, while others had gone off to scout ahead before the royal family was moved to a safer location for the time being.
"We owe you our lives," Queen Schnee continued. "If I may, what are your names?"
"I'm Yang," the blonde woman said. "Yang Xiao Long. Leader of Beacon."
Beacon? Weiss continued to stare at Yang, as she had been since her ice wall fell. Something about the blonde was familiar, but Weiss hadn't been able to pinpoint why just yet. Beacon on the other hand was easy. Beacon was a relatively new guild of huntresses formed three years ago to combat the Grimm. And if memory served her correctly, they had also been one of the most successful guilds in that regard aside from Signal and Sanctum.
"To my right here is Blake Belladonna, my second-in-command," Yang continued, nodding to the girl next to her.
Weiss' glance shifted momentarily to look at Yang's second-in-command. Blake was a smaller girl with long black hair and a black bow to match. Like her guild leader, she too wore a cloak over her shoulders, a brown one with gold trim, Beacon's logo printed in white on the back of it.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Majesties," Blake said with a small bow of her own.
"The pleasure is all ours Lady Belladonna," King Schnee said.
"And this here is Ruby Rose," Yang said, looking over to the other girl on her left. The blonde gave the other girl a warm smile, one which was returned.
"She's also my second-in-command and co-founder of Beacon."
"Hello," Ruby said meekly, clasping her hands tightly in front of her quite shyly. Unlike Yang and Blake's cloak, Ruby's cloak was red instead of brown. Somehow that seemed to suit her better, Weiss silently noted. It was cute. But you'd never hear Weiss say that out loud.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Queen Schnee said, once the introductions were done.
"The pleasure is all ours," Yang said with a smile. "We-"
"Pardon the intrusion, your Majesties, Leader," a new voice said.
The knights standing nearby immediately rushed in front of the royal family at the sight of two newcomers.
"It's alright," Yang said, raising a placating hand. "They're with us."
After receiving a nod from their king, the Knights of Vale lowered their weapons.
"This is Nora and Pyrrha," the guild leader explained. "Also members of Beacon."
The one named Nora smiled brightly, going so far as to wave at them bubbly. Weiss couldn't but notice the extremely large hammer strapped to the girl's back over top her cloak. She had never seen anything like it. It was... magnificent. The girl named Pyrrha wielded an orange and red spear, a matching shield strapped to her left arm. Red hair was tied back in a high ponytail behind her.
"Report," Yang said, drawing Weiss from her thoughts.
Pyrrha quickly glanced to the royal family before leaning in to speak with the Beacon leader quietly. Weiss narrowed her eyes at this, but said nothing. It was probably something related to guild business, and frankly none of her business. She along with her parents had more pressing matters to attend to. They may have been safe for the moment, but Grimm was still assaulting the city.
"Is that right?" Beacon's leader grimaced, her brow furling. "I understand. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Head back out and meet up with your squad leaders. We'll be following shortly."
"Or course."
Nora and Pyrrha left without further notice.
"Well," Yang said, turning back to the royal Schnees. "It seems we've over stayed our visit and need to head off."
"So soon?" Weiss blurted out before she thought about what she was saying. That rude outburst was quickly overlooked as her parents too were surprised by the abrupt soon to be departure of the Beacon guild.
"Leaving already?" King Schnee said. "But-"
"You thought we'd demand some sort of compensation for saving your lives?" Yang interrupted.
King Schnee blinked. "Well, yes," he said a bit dumbfounded.
Yang shared a glance with her second-in-commands. "Well," she said, scratching the back of her head. "If you're sure."
"Name it and its yours," King Schnee said. "I have a vast fortune stored in the vaults below the castle should you desire money. If that's not enough, I offer you any weapon from my own private collection. When all of the fighting is over that is."
Weiss' head snapped towards her father in surprise. He was offering his weapons collection. Wow. Did these women even know how privileged they were right now?
The blonde gave them a small smile before shaking her head. "That won't be necessary. You don't owe us anything."
King and Queen Schnee looked at each other in confusion. Weiss simply blinked in disbelief.
"We don't understand."
Yang looked down shyly a moment before she smiled again, turning her focus to the Schnee heiress.
"All debts were paid ten years ago," Yang explained. "With a loaf of bread and a bottle of medicine."
Blue eyes went wide, Weiss' hands immediately rising to her mouth as she gasped.
"T-Thank you..." the blonde girl murmured, hesitantly taking the loaf of bread and bottle of medicine from the princess.
Weiss' smile widened. "I hope your sister feels better soon."
"That was you," Weiss said in almost a whisper. "You were that girl in the marketplace all those years ago."
Yang's smile widened. Looking over at Ruby, the blonde reached over and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her close.
"And that means..." Weiss' gaze shifted over to Ruby, the silver eyed girl giving her a small nod and a smile.
"Oh my goodness," Queen Schnee murmured, a hand to her mouth just like her daughter. King Schnee wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders, smiling with tears in his eyes.
"We'll see you around Princess, your Majesties," Yang said, nodding at them all before turning around to leave. Ruby and Blake followed suit.
"W-Wait!" Weiss said, taking one step forward.
The three Beacon guild members paused in their steps and looked back.
"Where are you going?" Weiss asked, shaking.
"To the city," Blake said. "Our guild mates are currently working to free it from Grimm control."
Weiss wanted to say some many things to that comment.
Don't go.
But you just got here.
Aren't you afraid of dying?
Instead, she said something else.
"Will I ever see you again?"
Violet eyes widened in surprise before Yang smiled one last time. It was brilliant.
"Of course."
A/N: I don't claim to know how things worked back in the day of knights and King Arthur, but I tried my best to replicate it with my limited knowledge. I expect there are a few errors here and there, but for the purposes of the story, let's just go with it. :P
Messere is a term from the game Dragon Age as a means of referring to people usually higher up on the social ladder. For this story, I used it in place of Mister to keep with the old language.
Uhn is a grunt or sound often used in anime to represent an affirmative/positive answer.
This one shot was actually inspired by the video found here: [youtube]/watch?v=7s22HX18wDY
A huge shout out goes to J for helping me refining this chapter into something better.