Greetings. I don't really know how to begin this. I started writing Thin Ice back when I was in college. I looked back at it not too long ago, and realized there were quite a few shitty parts in it. I just recently decided I wanted to rework it. I have taken to heart some reviews and suggestions given to me during the first draft of the story. I hope that anyone who read the first draft will see changes and not just the most obvious ones. At the moment, I plan to keep the majority of the characters the same, but I will be changing the plot quite a bit. For anyone that is new to the story, this is a story that focuses around Weiss Schnee. There will be original characters, so if that's not your jam this story probably isn't for you. The story breaks away from the main plot of the series starting in volume 4 episode 2. I hope that everyone enjoys this story! This is a completely fan made story. All rights go to Monty Oum and the crew at Rooster Teeth.

Timeline: 6 months since the Fall of Beacon

"What a lovely song, Miss Schnee. Your singing gets better every time I hear you."

"You're developing into a truly wonderful young lady, Miss Schnee."

"Your father is very proud of the woman you are becoming."

"You know that everyone only likes you because you're a Schnee, right?"

"Who do you want to be, Weiss?"

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing or telling me?"

The smug grin stretched across her father's face answered her question long before he even opened his mouth to speak. His words only confirmed what she already knew was running through his mind. That's how it was, the Schnee family first. That's how it always was.

Excusing herself from her father's cold and somber office, she came face to face with Klein. He held a tray with a mug of coffee out to her. No matter how dreary the Schnee Estate grew, Weiss could always count on Klein to brighten her day.

"No thank you, Klein. I was actually looking for General Ironwood. Has he left already?" she asked, fearful that she had already missed her opportunity to speak with the headmaster of Atlas Academy.

Klein nodded his head in response, "He was on his way towards the front entrance the last I saw of him. You may still be able to catch him on his way out."

"Thank you, Klein."

Even running on the carpet, Weiss could hear the echo of her wedges against the massive, white walls that made up the Schnee house. Her father had had the servants remove and replace the artwork in the hallways, but the building was the same that her grandfather helped design. It was a foundation built with love turned to a grand show of wealth and power. Peering out the window as she went, she could see the airship that the headmaster undoubtedly arrived in. She still had time to stop him before he left.

When she was a child, she had wanted for nothing more than to attend Atlas Academy. Her mother told her stories of heroic Schnee family members that attended the combat school as far back as when it was still known as Alsius. She had dreamt of following in her family's footsteps -becoming someone to remember in the long line of Schnees. The ones that had paved the way for her grandfather to create the Schnee Dust Company. That had all changed when Winter left for school.

Life as the heiress taught her more than her fair share of unwanted knowledge. Growing up, she knew of her father's rage. She had seen him berate members of their staff after a particularly stressful day at work. She had watched him raise a hand to her mother when she tried to speak out against him. But nothing had prepared her for the truth that was handed to her as she was given the title of heiress.

There were no longer rose-tinted imagines of the company's achievements fed to her through newspaper articles and nightly television. Her father's assistant handed her direct information regarding the business. She read of pain and bloodshed brought on by the hands of the White Fang. She heard of rumors spread in attempt to bring down the Schnee Dust Company.

She, however, knew better than to believe everything that spewed out of her father's assistant's mouth. It was all filtered down from the man himself. He decided precisely what information she was told and when she was told it. She was a pawn in her father's game.

That was why she made the decision to leave Atlas. If she stayed, it would never change. Her father would stand over her, making each and every decision for her. And everyone would play along -afraid to anger the richest man in all of Atlas.

And yet, it was exactly this reason that she now chose to go back on her decision. Atlas Academy remained far from a comfort for Weiss. She had had the taste of freedom, and there was no turning back. She really wanted nothing to do with the militaristic school, but she had nowhere else to turn.

If her father had his way, he would never let her leave the Schnee Estate again. He would lock her away inside the endless hallways until he needed her to play her part.

Atlas Academy was the only answer.

"General Ironwood!"

In the last six months since Weiss had seen the general, the silver in his hair started to spread farther down the sides of his head. He even let a shadow of stubble form on his jawline. And yet, when he turned to face her, his eyes were clear, seemingly prepared for whatever was to come.

"Miss Schnee," he said, bowing once more as he had in her father's office. "Is something the matter?"

"No," she answered, realizing now how her rush to find him looked unusual. "I just wanted to talk to you about Atlas Academy."

She was about to continue on when a sound behind her caught her attention. She turned to see who might be following her but saw no one. Still, she had a sneaking suspicion that the two were not alone in the front foyer.

"Would you like to walk me to my airship?" General Ironwood must have sensed the added presence as well. He held open the door so that Weiss could slip by.

When the door was securely shut behind them, Weiss continued on from where she left off. "When the school year begins, I would like to attend Atlas Academy."

"The school would be honored to have you attend," he said, but hesitated. "Have you spoken with your father about this matter?"

Weiss had expected him to ask as much. This was not the first time General Ironwood had visited the Schnee Estate since the fall of Beacon. As the general of the Atlesian army, he was tied to their family whether he wished to be or not. It was rare for her father and the general to come to a complete agreement on any subject, but it was easier for everyone if they could at least remain on good terms. Helping Weiss behind her father's back would not keep the general in his good graces.

Which was why she planned on lying to General Ironwood. She could tell him that she had spoken with her father, and he agreed to let her go so long as she handled all the paperwork. She could talk Klein into intercepting any letters from the school before they could make it to her father's desk. She would slip by her father without him even noticing, and then she would be free from his grasp once more.

But the sinking feeling in her stomach brought her back to reality. How would she stop General Ironwood from mentioning her enrollment during one of their private, behind door meetings? Would Winter call home after hearing about her enrollment? How would she even sneak out of the house to reach Atlas Academy with no one on her side? It was a beautiful dream but that alone.

If she wanted to leave the Schnee Estate, she would have to have help, and to get that help she would have to be honest.

"I haven't. He would never let me go again. But I can't stay here. I know the dangers of becoming a huntress, but how am I supposed to let my friends fight this war while I'm just sitting here waiting?"

General Ironwood did not answer right away. He walked with her almost all the way to his airship before nodding in agreement. "You can't. You shouldn't. I will have the paperwork you need to attend the academy sent to you directly. I won't tell your father about this conversation. I want to be clear, though. My support of you attending Atlas Academy does not mean I support the idea of you leaving Atlas. If you are trying to use the academy for any reason other than training to become a huntress, I cannot -will not- support you. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Weiss answered. It was the answer she was hoping for but didn't expect to hear. Despite her father's immense wealth, General Ironwood was still the most powerful man in Atlas. To have him on her side was more than she could have ever expected. After a pause, she added, "Sir."

The slightest smile appeared on General Ironwood's face as he nodded his head a second time. "If that is all, I will take my leave. The paperwork will be to you by the end of the night. I will have my assistant send for your transcripts."

General Ironwood stepped inside the airship. As he turned to face her, a memory sparked inside her mind. She was younger back then. It wasn't long after her grandfather had died, and her father had taken over the company. General Ironwood, only a colonel at the time, had accompanied the then general to the house. Her mother had invited them out to the garden for tea. Weiss had followed Winter out to the garden, to sneak a glimpse at the high-ranking strangers. They thought they were being sly, but General Ironwood caught sight of them as they hid behind the bushes. When no one was looking, he held a finger to his lips, promising to keep their little secret. Their father never did find out where they had run off to when they were supposed to be working on their arithmetic.

The memory made her feel safe.

The door to the airship was beginning to close. She didn't know if she would see him again until she was at the school. Now was the only chance she would have, so she called out after him, "General Ironwood, thank you."