Winter of her Discontent
The winter air gnawed at Weiss through her thin shirt and skirt, through her aura, through her skin and bones. She would have clenched her fists to protect her fingers, but they had already been balled so tightly that her nails dug into her palm since before she even left the warmth of the house.
Outside was good. Cold was good. Anything to numb her heart so it didn't fly into a rage and force her to lose her composure yet again.
"I'm only saying all this because I care about you, Weiss," Father had said. Care about. That was all he ever said. It was just on the verge of an I love you but detached enough to pierce with more pointedness than Myrtenaster ever could. It hurt, but on some level Weiss appreciated his honesty. Lies about love would hurt more; caring was believable at least, since the Schnee pride and company name were on the line.
She would be heading to Beacon in the fall. Father had agreed to that, if begrudgingly, in a discussion that left her exhausted from holding back tears and tongue.
…
"I suppose I'll allow it, although it would be much more preferable for you to go to Atlas. That way you could attend school and be introduced to the fundamentals of company management at the same time. After that useless sister of yours joined the military, I've had to start tailoring all my plans for you instead."
"Winter isn't useless," she said, in a tone barely above a whisper when every cell in her body wanted to scream it.
He ignored her. "If only I had a son instead. They know how to respect their fathers. And with a man I could be rest assured that the Schnee Dust Company wouldn't be soft on those faunus scum." He stared into her eyes until she lowered hers, then continued. "Go to Beacon. Train hard. Become more powerful and prove to me that I'm not making a mistake in leaving you this monumental enterprise."
"Thank you, Father." She breathed a sigh of relief. It was a yes full of insults, but a yes nonetheless.
"Don't sigh at me, girl. And one more thing. Forget about being a huntress. Yes, you'll be learning technique, but if you think you're going to skip about the world fighting Grimm for a living, you're wrong. Leave that to those who are expendable. The Schnee family supplies the tools of war. It is up to others to wage it. That is something your sister failed to learn."
Weiss was unable to think of anything that she could say without her anger seizing her speech, so she gave a shallow bow and began to walk away. She hoped that Father couldn't see her legs tremble beneath the short canopy of her combat skirt.
"Weiss," he said. His authoritative voice brought her to a dead stop but she didn't turn around. "Top marks at Beacon or I'm pulling you back to Atlas."
Weiss nodded, feeling her ponytail brush over her right shoulder. And that was when he hugged her. She stiffened, feeling his arms wrap around her thin frame. "I'm only saying all this because I care about you, Weiss." Then he smiled. The expression looked like it didn't belong anywhere near his face, like the muscles were uncomfortable and strained. "Now run along, I have business to attend to."
…
Now outside as snow began to fall, Weiss found that the biting air wrapping around her body was a relief, and compared to the insincere embrace of her father minutes earlier, it felt much more warm and comforting.
Her application to Beacon would be accepted without a doubt at the very sight of the name at the top. It upset her. She was already fairly skilled with a sword, and was sure that she had the merit to get in by herself, but the thought that others would assume she merely was accepted based upon her family's wealth already sent her mind into a cascade of worries. Well, she would have to prove that she was better than all of them, that was all. When she was leading her team, no one would question her skill or right to be there.
Even that was the least of her worries, though. More than the anxiety of moving to another kingdom for school and above the pressure to succeed lay the question of her future. Would she be able to pull off a life as a huntress and still manage to reform the Schnee Dust Company from the inside, making it a more moral yet still immensely successful industry?
It would be the greater part of a year before her time at Beacon started and she even got a chance to begin solving these problems, but that wasn't reassuring either. Until then, she would have to endure Father's harshness day after day, without even Winter to support her.
Altogether, it was too much for her. She felt as if the ground had a magnetic pull, and slowly gave in, lying down in the frost-covered dead grass. A snowflake drifted in circles, landing on the tip of her nose. She felt it slowly melt, the water dripping down the bridge of her nose and meeting tears that her eyes finally let slip. The cold and warm liquids pooled together as she tried to keep her breathing regulated and failed.
"Weiss?" The voice was past the top of her head, out of her field of vision, but it was unmistakable.
"Winter?" Weiss leapt up as her heart began pumping faster, thawing her extremities.
"Who else would it be?" asked Winter, standing a few feet away dressed warmly in her military regalia. Her arms were folded behind her back, but at the sight of Weiss's excitement Winter brought them to her sides and lowered her chin. "You did not expect me back so soon, did you?"
"I didn't," said Weiss, "but this is the best timing I could ever ask for. It's…really good to see you, Winter." Despite wanting to run up and tackle Winter, she approached more cautiously. Things were always formal at the Schnee household. That was how Father had taught them, and that was how things stayed, even in private like this.
Winter opened her arms and hugged Weiss, but only for a few seconds. She glanced at Weiss's face, narrowing her eyes. "Have you been crying, Weiss?"
Weiss wiped at her eyes, feeling the sting of the dry skin here. "No! I just get teary when it's this cold out, that's all!"
"What really is troubling you, Weiss? You know that you can talk to me," said Winter. She unwound a long blue scarf from her neck and began wrapping it around Weiss's. "Perhaps we should go inside to talk. You are in danger of catching a cold."
"No," objected Weiss, "Inside is where Father is. Have you already met with him?"
"Not yet. I did not want to be in a sour mood before seeing you. I assume from your demeanor that he has already upset you today."
"He just..." Weiss paused, searching for a kind way to express her feelings, "He agreed to let me go to Beacon, but he doesn't want me to be a true huntress and travel, and he says the most terrible things about you, Winter. I can't stand being around him."
"Don't worry about what he says about me, Weiss. I have heard it all. You know, he was originally supportive of my decision to join the Atlesian military. He thought that I was doing it to advance his agenda, to bring the Schnee Dust Company into a more tight relationship with Ironwood. When he realized that I simply wanted to protect Atlas and the world, and that I was not looking for profit, he decided I was no longer a worthy heir." Winter brushed a film of snow from the shoulders of her uniform.
"Winter, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, Weiss. It is much less of a burden on me now. In fact, I should apologize to you, for shifting the weight of the company to you. But you are free to make your own choice, as well. I know you desire to be a huntress more than anything else, and you should not let his expectations get in the way of that."
Weiss nodded, feeling more reassured already at her sister's words. There was a strength in Winter that she admired, far different from the intimidating power and wealth of Father. It was a good strength, forged by taking the path unpaved by fortune and social connection. Winter had built herself, and Weiss knew Father feared her, feared someone of his blood who was not dependent on him for their success.
"How long are you staying?" Weiss asked, hoping the answer would be long but knowing that Winter never came back for more than a few days.
"Just for the weekend," said Winter. As Weiss's expression grew downcast again she continued. "But we will spend a lot of time together. We can train. After all, you want to make an impression your first day at Beacon."
"Can we start now?" Weiss began wringing the cold from her fingers, blowing on them eagerly. Her cheeks were flushed, more from excitement than from the winter air.
"Are you sure you're not too cold?" asked Winter. Her voice was higher, teasing.
"A Schnee doesn't back down from a challenge. Actually, forget that. I, Weiss, don't back down from a challenge. Come at me, Winter!"
Winter laughed, a rare event. It was sharp and quick, like the cracking of ice, but endearing still. "I see you brought Myrtenaster with you. You are as prepared as always." She drew her own sword then flicked it in a blur. "Did you see that? I just cut a snowflake in half."
"You did not," scoffed Weiss, smirking. She raised Myrtenaster, anchoring her feet in a combat position. Then, easing up onto her toes, she sprung forward, clashing against Winter. Winter blocked the blow with ease, jumping back and then delivering a powerful strike of her own.
"Not bad, sister. I can see you have been practicing." As the snow began to get thicker, Winter released her own flurry, her swords flashes that Weiss's reflexes could only barely block. She was pushed back further and further until she saw what she thought to be an opening. With a cry she lunged, infusing her attack with fiery dust. Winter dodged and elbowed her in the back, sending Weiss sprawling in the inch of snow that had accumulated on the ground.
Weiss turned over, raising her hands. "Okay, okay, that's enough for now." She flopped back into the snow, waving her arms and legs about.
Winter smiled down at her. "It is good to be back here with you, Snow Angel."
Weiss smiled back. Maybe Winter wasn't the most expressive person, but all Weiss knew was that now she felt warmer than ever.