Qrow dragged his feet through the undergrowth, his head pounding from the hangover even as he reached for his flask. The trail leading to a white fang cell had all but frozen over, leaving him to wander like a dog looking for a scent in a perfume shop. His weapon chafed against his back as he made his way through a narrow stump guarded path when the howls of Beowolves pierced the air, silencing the cacophony of the forest instantly as all its denizens retreated to their holes. The drunk huntsman couldn't help the sigh that left his battered form as he reached for his sword. He still had ground to cover and slim – though possible – leads on the faunus operation. The crunch of dead leaves below his boots elicited the briefest upturning of his lips, as he remembered how happy Ruby would be whenever autumn came around and how infectious her laughter would be as she jumped on the dead foliage. A pang of worry still pricked him whenever he thought of her or Yang at Beacon. He knew it was irrational; the two of them were above average fighters for their age and they had come out of initiation with flying colors. Then why was he assaulted by fresh pinpricks of anxiety when he imagined Ruby in her outfit, a scythe by her side.

A howl that was much closer jolted him from his reverie and was followed by an answer by an Ursa's roar. He would normally have ignored the warcries but they were too close to the village of Selene, and the barmaid had treated him far better than he would have expected. The growls were growing clearer as he picked up speed, hacking through the branches and vines that made up the black forest leaving behind a path of dismembered branches and cleaved leaves. One of the Beowolves could be seen from the treeline and he hastened forward, emerging from the dense vegetation with a sweeping arc that took the creatures head off in one stroke. Qrow expected to look up and see some injured huntsman or desperate civilian trying to protect himself. What he didn't expect to see was a giant creature that seemed to be made of magma burning an Ursa till it resembled tar.

Bianca tried to sit on the moss covered stone but found it too jagged to be anything close to bearable. Her temper flared as she remembered Arcano's treachery but her attention was drawn to the strange black creatures that had surrounded her soon after she had been thrust into this new place. Ever the cautious one, she had immediately gone invisible to the naked eye but not before summoning a Flame Atronach to fight the beasts who for their part were actually formidable. For simple beasts. And though they taxed her summon into using the full range of her powers, her atronach was still handily burning the beasts into defeat. That was when a new player joined the fray and to say he piqued her interest would be quite the understatement. The man was wiry – for lack of a better word – with clothes that clinged to his body and the shortest cape she had ever seen trailing behind him. His hands gripped a massive greatsword, and she could see the beast head and body dissolving separately. The speed he had displayed was ludicrous and his swings were a near blur as they hacked through the remaining creatures. Well, after he had gotten over his momentary surprise at seeing her Atronach. There was no doubt that he was much more dangerous than any of the beasts she had had her summon cull.

As the tar like residue of the black creatures disappeared, the man turned towards her flaming summon. She had named all her atronachs, but the fact that they never responded to her, compounded with her doubts over whether she was conjuring the same creature or another had rid her of the tendency to anthropormphize her pets.

"What are you?" he asked in a deliciously gravelly tone that had Bianca's eyes lighting up.

Dispelling the illusion and finally appearing next to the atronach had him jumping back, sword held back and ready to wreak death.

"This here's Lily. Or at least I think she is." Standing up, Bianca strode forwards with a confident gait and pulled back her mage's hood as she held out a hand.

"And I'm Bianca. The dragonborn" she concluded with an air of confidence.

The expected flash of recognition, respect and adoration didn't manifest however and Bianca cursed herself for her foolishness. This could be one of the Black Briar's men sent for her head and she had strode up and introduced herself like some strumpet in a market.

"The dragonborn? What?"

Or she might have been transported further than she thought. Divines, if she was in the dominion she was going to torture Arcano so excruciatingly that even the Thalmor would flinch.

"Where am I, exactly?" she ventured to ask the man who had been observing – or had he been admiring – her for the few seconds she had been silent.

"Outskirts of the kingdom of Vale, near the village of Selene."

"Well that was as useful as a Skeever's tale" Bianca pouted. Her eyes wandered and she was about to fly above the trees when the man's voice had her head snapping back towards them.

"Yeah lady, can we talk about the giant flaming, creature standing just there and staring at me like it wants to kill me?" and she could hear his voice tinged with slight worry. No doubt her atronach was glaring daggers at him, like all her summons did towards literally everything. She would have felt bad about forcing them to fight for her if it wasn't for the fact that she knew what havoc they were wreaking when away from her.

"Oh don't worry, she does that to everyone" Bianca reassured him before waving her hand to send the atronach away, and the man's eyes went even wider as he stared at the now empty space in front of him.

"Now, how about you introduce yourself. Hmm?" and Bianca did her best impression of a sultry smile as the man stared at the spot, transfixed. It was only after she cleared her throat did he seem to realize he had been asked a question.

"Qrow."

A/N: Just a little something I had crawling in my head. I plan for Bianca to be almost overpoweringly strong. Also, this is going to be a full mage Dragonborn – no sneak archers – and she'll be far stronger than any one maiden. Posting this to gauge interest, and if it gets a good response I'll put out a much longer chapter next.