Fire danced along the smoldering ruins of what was once a grand mansion. Amidst the flames were two young girls. One was on her knees, stricken with fear and despair as she watched the other prance around on the ashes of what used to be her own parents. She was merrily twirling while a laughing a bone-chilling laughter. The one stricken with fear gathered her courage and spoke.

"Why?!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to find some semblance of sense to the other girl's actions. The standing girl stopped her dance and shot the one on her knees a disdainful look. There were no emotions in her empty brown eyes. The look made tears silently fall from the other girl's brilliant amber eyes. A wicked smile shot across the lips of the standing girl.

"Why?" She repeated "Because I could"

Cinder's eyes flickered open. The view of flames had been replaced by dew-covered grass and, and the crackling of burning wood had been replaced with the morning chirps of the birds. She sat up and grasped her head. Been a long time since I've thought about that memory, Cinder thought to herself as she looked up and let the sunlight filtering through the canopies revitalize her. The morning air around Vale was very cool and refreshing during the spring months.

When Cinder had shaken off the sleep, she stood up and started to pack her traveling bag back up. Her bedroll was rolled together and strapped to the top of her bag and her small campfire from the previous night was removed and cleaned up. When she had packed all her things, she headed on her way, snacking on some jerky. She didn't have anything to make breakfast from, so the jerky would have to do.

I need to make some money in the next town over, she thought before clasping her hands on both her cheeks, hard. No, now is not the time to worry about food. Now is the time to focus, She reminded herself. She was on a mission, a seven year-long quest that was about to end today. She had tracked down the bitch who had destroyed her life, and she was about to get her revenge.

She walked for about an hour before reaching a clearing where the road was very clear defined. She knew that that bitch would pass by here today. When, she wasn't certain, but that didn't matter. She had waited a seven years; she could wait few more hours. Cinder sat down behind a nearby bush and watched the road intently. Nothing happened for about an hour, but that was when something stirred on the other side of the road. Odd, Cinders informant had said that she would be moving from south to north. She was about to prepare herself when she saw two people walk out into the clearing. She didn't recognized the.

One was male, tall and had a very lean build. He had a head of silver-ish gray hair that was tied back at the back while he had and uneven fringe. The most noteworthy feature about him was the lower part of both his legs. They were bionic, meaning that he had probably lost the lower parts his legs at some point and had them replaced. What looked like weapons were fitted onto his legs, but she couldn't tell for sure.

The other was woman with a light-brown skin that contrasted very beautifully with her mint-green hair. She had a pair of long straight cut bang on either side of her face while the rest of her hair and fringe was tied back into a long, slender ponytail. She had a pair of holster in the in a belt around her waist, but Cinder couldn't make out anything specific in them. She calmed herself down again and waited for them to pass. But when they reached the middle of the road, they sat down on the dirt and looked like they were waiting. Cinder found herself confused by this. Perhaps they had the same idea as her, but decided to face the opponent head on. She wasn't surprised that other people had it out for her target. That bitch had become somewhat of a big shot in the last seven years, all thanks to her powers. Her position meant that a lot of resistance members were after her head. Cinder still wanted to have her revenge, but perhaps those two could be beneficial to her. She had expected a tough fight on her own, but maybe she could join forces with those two in the heat of battle. She would keep her position though. She didn't want to jeopardize her element of surprise.

Another hour passed and Cinder sat with her trusty bow, an arrow knocked and ready to be pulled back at a moment's notice. Cinder didn't consider herself the best shot, but she was decent enough to hunt in these parts.

That was when it happened. The sound of an approaching horse carriage caught her attention. She turned her head in the direction of the sound just in time to see the carriage break into the clearing. For something that was supposed to be discreet, it was incredibly lavish-looking. A white horse-carriage pulled by two pure white horses. Cinder couldn't help but sigh. She had heard that her target liked to keep her fairy tale princess image at all times. Nothing could be further from the truth, Cinder thought as she readied herself.

The horse carriage came to a stop in front of the two unknown people in the middle of the road. They quickly stood up and started dusting themselves off.

"Dornaise, what are we stopping for?!" A shrill voice pierced through the quite forest as the door to the carriage slammed open. Out came the target that Cinder had been pursuing for a large part of her life. Amber, the current fall maiden. Cinder couldn't help but grin a little. Amber hadn't changed a day since she was a child. She is still a spoiled brat, Cinder thought.

Amber's eyes narrowed as she saw the two people facing her. "Dornaise, please step away for a moment. I'm afraid that some rebel scum want to test their mettle" She said as a wicked smile crept onto her lips. Cinder, watching from afar, had flashback to that memory again. It was the same smile-just as cold and emotionless as that time. The driver of the carriage had hurried away and as out of sight within seconds.

"Congratulations. This was supposed to be a secret, but you found me. You've got me cornered, and I'm all alone. Oh what is a girl to do" Amber said in a mocking tone of voice. She was clearly underestimating her opponent gravely.

"Wasn't that hard" The man said, "Just as a heads up, a stark white carriage doesn't exactly work as camouflage in a green forest" the woman added.

"I don't recall asking for stealth tactics from a poor street urchin" Amber said, vitriol dripping off her tongue. The woman's brow furrow. Amber's words had apparently upset her.

"Yes, I know who you two are. Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. You rebellion scum prided yourself on your secrecy, but you have no idea how much we know" Amber said. Her eye started glowing with a burning orange and in a display of power, she called upon the wind to lift the carriage, horses and all. She moved it as far away as she could, and then turned back to her opponents.

"How honorable, waiting for me to be ready before attacking. However…" Amber said as eyes started to glow again and all of the fallen leaves in the vicinity started to float off the ground. "…that was your first mistake!" She yelled as all of the leaves caught fire and were hurled towards them. With the reflexes of trained combatants, Mercury and Emerald sprang into action. Mercury was the quickest to charge forward, propelled by a gunshot from the heel of his foot. Cinder, watching them fighting, now recognized the weapons on his legs as shotguns built into his bionic legs. The force of the buckshot shot him right into the face of Amber as he buried his left foot, spun around and aimed his shin for her face. For some reason, Amber was too slow to react, and his kick connected perfectly

"What the hell?!" Amber managed to scream before receiving a knee to the stomach. Mercury, utilizing that fact that his enemy was off-balance, delivered a smooth flurry of kicks that alternated between feet and different targets on her body. When Amber got a second to breathe, she immediately sent out a pulse of flame, forcing Mercury to retreat. Amber herself then shot forward, intending to catch him on the back foot, but was forced to stop when a pair of chains shot past both of her sides. Before she could figure out what was happening, Emerald started pelting her with shot after shot from her two revolvers. Amber was forced to retreat backwards.

When enough distance was between them, Amber decided to retaliate, until the two blades of Emerald's kusarigama were pulled back and dug into her shoulders. She lurched forward as the two blades dug deep and practically scraped Ambers aura right off. Cinder was impressed with Emerald's ability to completely deplete her target of aura with two well-placed cuts like those. Just as Amber was about recover, Mercury delivered a flying kick to her stomach that sent her flying back. The two rebels had no intention of letting Amber recover for even a second.

They were about to follow her when a powerful wave surged from Amber, sending both of the rebels flying back. "Enough!" She shouted as she started levitating. Cinder saw this as her cue and started moving. Amber's eyes now looked like they were fully on fire as she floated on top of a swirling stream of pure fire.

"I've had it with you rebels! Why don't you obey like the rest of the cattle?! I am a Maiden, a being of immense power! To you worthless humans, I am a god! You should be groveling in the dirt! Now, kneel before m…" Ambers rant was cut short as an arrow imbedded itself into her spine. She was knocked unconscious and dropped down, landing on the ground with a hollow thud.

"Restrain her!" Cinder yelled as she ran up to the two rebels. They both looked a tad confused, but did as the stranger told them to. They probably shouldn't piss off the person who had just saved their bacon. Mercury and Emerald grabbed an arm each. "Alright, now hold her up" Cinder said. They raised her up so she was sitting on her knees and facing Cinder. When she reached them, she reached back and pulled the arrow from Ambers back. With a swift slap to the face, Amber was awakened with a start. She looked around frantically, but when her eyes me Cinder's, she completely stopped moving.

"Cindy?" Amber asked, looking rather confused. She then noticed the two rebels holding her arms tightly. "Let me go!" She said as she tried to wrestle herself free from their grip. "Let go of me right now, or I burn you all to a crisp!" Amber threatened, and tried to activate her powers. All her anger dissipated when she realized that she couldn't access her aura.

"I've hit a nerve in your spinal column that temporarily separates you from your aura" Cinder explained as she pulled something from her pocket, a white glove with strange markings in the palm. Mercury and Emerald shared a concerned look, but didn't say anything.

Amber, however, saw the glove and sneered. "Salem! That witch!" She hissed as she tried even harder to wriggle free, but to no avail. Cinder put the glove on and started to move it close to Ambers face. Seeing no other option, Amber had to rely on an absolute last resort ditch effort. She started begging.

"Cindy, please" She pleaded, laughing nervously. "You don't want to do this. I'm your old friend. You old play mate!" Amber said, trying to appeal to Cinder through their memories together. Cinder had flashbacks. The bullying, the abuse, emotional and physical. Scouring her memory, Cinder couldn't find a single good memory with Amber in it. She was about to make one.

"Sorry Amber, but it seemed more like you treated me like a toy than as an equal." Cinder said. The markings on the glove glowed a vibrant yellow, and from the glove sprung a small portal, from which a beetle crawled. Amber, losing all sense of upholding dignity, started crying.

"How could mother like you, a stupid housemaid, more than me, her own daughter?!" Amber wailed, acting like a child again "It's not fair!" She complained. As she started crying for real, the beetle shot a web of golden threads onto Ambers face. They latched on and started to siphon her aura into the wearer of the glove. As Amber's aura was slowly taken, she couldn't help but look at Cinder with disdain once again.

"I hate you…"Amber choked out through tears before she went unconscious again

Cinder sat stoic, having let go of her emotions towards Amber long ago. With this, she would be contempt. She was about halfway done with the aura transfer when she felt a sense of dread. Out of nowhere, she felt a strong and dangerous aura moving towards them.

"Scatter!" Cinder yelled. Her and the two rebels instantly distanced themselves from Amber, just as jet-black scythe imbedded itself in the ground where Cinder had been. Just as quickly as the Scythe had come, a man appeared. He was all covered in black, from a long trench coat with a large hood, to the leather gloves. They couldn't make out any of the features of his face. He lifted Amber over his shoulders before eyeing Cinder. Although she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel his cold and calculated gaze. And then, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

Cinder let out a relieved sigh. His presence had put her severely on edge. She calmed herself down before going out to regroup with the two rebels.

"Thanks, you really saved us back there" Mercury said as he took Cinder's hand and shook it. Cinder only let her arm wiggle with his. "Yeah that was a really great shot, thank you for the help" Emerald added. Cinder had trouble responding to these people. While they acted like professionals in combat, the second that they weren't in immediate danger, they became so carefree.

"My apologies, but I didn't intend on saving you" Cinder said, speaking very frankly. "Your presence offered me a great opening, so I took it. I should thank you for keeping her attention" She said, speaking very openly. One of the things that Master Salem had taught her was that allies were to be cherished in this world, and that the best way to make allies was to be honest. She lived by the creed of Master Salem.

The two rebels looked at her before both laughing. "Well, I guess we both did our part. Good work" Emerald said. For some reason, this compromise made Cinder smile. It was rare to meet people so confident in themselves. It was a nice change of pace.

"Y'know…" Mercury started looking Cinder over, walking around her. "…you're pretty skilled, and your moral compass seems to be in order, unlike most people on this planet…" He said, giving his assessment of her. So far, he hadn't said anything too out of line. "…Why don't you join the rebellion? We could always use more people" and that's when Cinder started shying away. She had hear about the rebellion, and although she was sympathetic to their cause, she could never see herself actually joining them, not while she was still in training under Master Salem

"I don't know…" she said, a little sheepishly. "…I still haven't completed my training…" Cinder said. She was about to decline their offer when she felt a rumble in her pocket. She knew exactly who was calling her, seeing as the phone was only used for one purpose. She pulled it from her pocket and took a deep breath before answering.

"Master Salem, I…"

"Accept their offer, sweetheart" Salem immediately said on the other end, cutting right to the chase.

"I know, I'm on my way home now, I just…wait, what?" Cinder said.

"You heard me. I'm telling you to accept their offer. My end goal was always for you to join the rebellion. I think you're about ready."

There was a long silent pause before anyone said anything again.

"Cinder, sweetie, you there?" Salem said.

"…How did you know?" Cinder asked.

An angelic laugh could be heard on the other end of line. Cinder could feel her blood-sugar levels rising.

"Oh sweetie, you should know by now. I know everything."

"But…"

"Everything" Salem said, definitively halting the conversation. "Now, go with the nice rebels" Sale said before the line was cut. Cinder could do nothing but stare at the phone on her hand, wishing she could throw it against a tree. She was rarely angry, but Master Salem's antics could get her glowing hot red within seconds.

She looked up at the two young rebels, smiling at her and patiently waiting for an answer. While this hadn't been her plane whatsoever, Cinder had no choice but to follow her master's orders. It was this time her stomach decided to growl rather loudly.

"Do you guys have anything to eat? I didn't get breakfast" Cinder asked with a deadpan expression. Both Emerald and Mercury couldn't help but break down laughing; making Cinder confused as to if she had said something funny.

In Vale, at the top of Beacon tower, in the dark office where the headmaster resided, the sound of a phone could be heard. The headmaster, Ozpin picked up the phone and held it up to the ear of the young girl sitting on his lap. While she received the call, he gently stroked the top of her head. Once she nodded, Ozpin hung up and put the phone down to return his hand to the young girls lap. The girl on his lap started talking in an emotionless tone of voice.

"The fall maiden, Amber Briar, has been ambushed by a group consisting of the two rebels, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, and a third as of yet unknown person. It is as of yet not clear what has been done to Briar, but she is in an indefinite state of coma. The Hospital will contact us if her status changes"

In front of Ozpin's desk sat two chairs. On the chair to the left sat a young girl, slender in appearance with perfect alabaster skin, marred only by the two parallel scars running from her left temple down to her cheek. Her hair, combed and brushed perfectly, was sat up in a perfectly straight ponytail. The clothes on her told of wealth, a young woman from a family with more money than they knew what to do with. This was also evident by the two butlers tending to her while she was meeting with the headmaster.

The chair to right was occupied by a woman with a strong and firm build. Her long golden hair cascaded down her back like a river of gold. The clothes she wore were very revealing, as she only wore a brown leather jacket and underneath a shiny golden bikini top. Her black spandex shorts were very short, but the chunky belt around her waist lent her some decency. Lastly, on her feet were worn combat boots.

On her left, sitting directly in between the chairs was another young woman. The only defining feature about her was the cat ears on the top of her head. She was left completely naked, save for a collar around her neck and a muzzle over her mouth. Her black hair was completely disheveled. Her eyes were glazed over, and it was clear that she wasn't listening unless spoken directly to.

"Good. That egotistical bitch needed to be taught a lesson" Weiss said as her butler handed her a cup of tea. She sipped it.

"Hah for once, you and I actually agree, princess. She was pretty, but obviously not as pretty as me" Yang said, puffing out her chest. This made Weiss scoff at her.

"Oh please, I can smell the stench of more men than you can count to, on you. There's nothing pretty about being a cheap whore" Weiss said, sipping her tea. The woman on between them started hissing at Weiss and she recoiled, throwing her tea across the room.

"Yang, call off your pet this instant!" Weiss demanded. Her butler were about to deal with the situation when the sound of cocking shotgun got their attention. Yang had her aim train on both of them.

"I will if you call off yours!" Yang shouted. It was not uncommon on Beacon that Weiss and Yang were at each other's throats. It had become a daily event. Their stalemate was broken when a cup was set down onto the headmaster's desk. They both looked up to see the girl sitting in Ozpin's lap, their team leader Ruby, had set her coffee cup down rather hard. They took this as a sign to call it off.

While they had no problem with beating each other senseless, none of them wanted to go against Ruby. Blood would be spilled.

"Enough bickering, both of you" She said, her previous emotionless voice replaced with an annoyed tone. She stared them both down and they shrunk into their seats.

"This is a serious offence by the rebellion. We've let them play around for far too long. Send them a message. Hurt them, so that they stop trying to be heroes." Ruby demanded. Both Weiss and Yangs stood up and bowed to Ruby. They promptly exited, Yang pulling along Blake on a leash while Weiss' butlers stumbled to keep up.

Once they had left, the office lapsed into silence, save for the ticking of the clock right above them. Ruby's stern look was replaced by a childish, almost innocent, smile as she looked over her shoulder into the red irises and the black sclera of headmaster Ozpin. His sickly pale hands ghosted over her face while she bent back and locked her arms behind his neck. She leant up and whispered into his ear.

"Did I do good daddy?"