A Small Town
Once upon a time lived a Huntsmen renowned throughout his Kingdom. He was powerful bold and lived without fear. However this huntsman was also the son to the local Lord, a hard man with little love for his people. Our Huntsman learned how little life was worth in the eyes of his father at a young age and this he carried with him into his career. For all his power he was reckless, caring little for the people the forces of Grimm attacked and even less if they got in his way.
One day he and his twin sister were out hunting Grimm and came upon a large pack. The Huntsman's sister was reluctant to attempt such a large park on their own. To his eternal sorrow the Huntsman refused to heed his sister's warning, in his arrogance and pride. Only he returned from the battle, bloody but victorious.
What the Huntsman did not know was that he and his sister had trespassed on the lands of a Fairy. This Fairy took to watching the Huntsman, she was curious if the loss of his twins life would change him.
The Huntsman took to drinking and rage, he blamed himself for the loss of his sister rightly so. However all those around him paid for his rage. The Fairy had seen enough, she disguised herself as an old hag and knocked upon the Huntsman's door and begged for table scraps offering a single red rose as payment.
The Huntsman was repulsed but her and shunned her. Now sure of his nature the Fairy cast off her shroud revealing herself to him in all of her beautiful glory. The Huntsman begged for forgiveness but the Fairy could see the darkness with him and cursed him and his castle. He transformed into a hideous beast and everyone in his castle was turned invisible unable to leave. The Fairy declared that if he could change himself and find someone that not all he loved but loved him in return the curse would be broken upon the household but if he ever wanted to be human again he had to be accepted by one of his own kind. She gave him the humble rose and said he had a hundred years to break the curse or he would be a beast forever.
Nine nine years later in the small village of Redwood lives a young woman by the name of Ruby. She as an odd sort of girl, with a great love for the written world that made her a bit of oddity in her village. She was a short little thing only just over five and a half feet tall, but it suited her slight body type well. She made the woman of the town envious as she walked book in hand and without need of a corset. Her red hair flowing freely to the small of her back and eyes of silver star light that made the men compose poems for her.
Gaston was a large man, big and broad and a powerful huntsman. Beside him sat the very little Le Fou not a huntsman, but he had a few small gifts of his own. Gaston spoke boldly puffing his chest out as Ruby walked by her nose in a book. "See Le Fou! That's the woman I'm going to marry! The most beautiful woman I've never seen."
"But she's so… well read and your well… not." Le Fou though this crush of Gaston's borderlined on obsession. He knew that Ruby would never marry Gaston, she was much too wild a woman for him.
Gaston scoffed. "I'll give her a few children and then she won't have time for her books!" He got up as Ruby entered a book shop. "I'm going to ask her again Le Fou!"
"Thank you for letting me borrow it." Ruby handed the book back the bookseller. "Do you have anything new?" Her eyes scanned over the cramped bookshelves, this place as her haven. From here she could travel all over Remnant, enjoy all types of stories and fairy tales.
"I'm afraid not but you're welcome to what I do have." He set the book on the counter watching Ruby as she ran her hands lovely over the book spines. Some worn with time and love, others new with their backs barely broken in.
Ruby glanced out the front window and saw Gaston coming. "Oh dear! Thank you but I'll have to come back tomorrow."
"Go out the back my dear and hurry home." The bookseller said preparing to send Gaston on his way.
Ruby raced out of the store and out into the street, she picked up her skirts and ran through the back alleys dodging and weaving till she came to her house on the outskirts of the town. "Papa!" She called out closing the door softly behind her.
Taiyang Xiao Long was a painter from Mistral, his hair was greying as he was well into his fifties. He greeted his daughter with a warm hug and looked her up and down. "Back already and without a new book?"
Ruby scrunched up her nose in distaste. "Gaston near ambushed me in the bookstore, I had to make a speedy exit." She snuggled into his hug for a moment before drawing back to see the room. Paintings of all types and sizes had been packed and made ready for travel. "I thought you weren't leaving till tomorrow."
Tai sighed and rubbed his eyes, the wrinkles around them creasing further. "The weather is good today and there is no point in waiting. No one in this town will buy my paintings, I'm off to Vale to try my luck there."
The young woman hugged her father again. "I wish you didn't have to go Papa, or would let me come with you."
Tai hugged her tightly, resting his head on herself, pressing his cheek to the crown of her head. "Someone has to mind the house."
Ruby shuddered. "With you gone there is nothing to stop Gaston from bothering me all day! I won't be able to read a thing."
Tai drew away, looking down at his daughter she was well past the marriageable age but had refused to even consider marrying. She wanted to marry for love, to find a husband she could respect. With the options in this town he could could not blame her for remaining unwed. "Would it really be so bad to accept Gaston's offer? I am getting old Ruby, you'll need someone to look after you. Gaston is a huntsman and good at his job, he'd be able to support you very well."
Ruby pulled away wrinkling her nose in disgust. "But he's boorish! Rude! And thinks of nothing but having me on my back! Oh don't give me that look father, he's not quiet in his proclamations!"
Tai sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm just not getting any younger and I worry about you." he hugged her again.
"I will not marry that pig, I'd rather leave Redwood then be his wife." The red haired woman pulled away. "Come let's get the cart packed on you on your way. Philippe will be happy to have work again!"
Together they had the cart packed in no time, Tai eased his old bones into the seat and took up the reins. "Is there anything you would like me to bring back?"
"A rose maybe?" Ruby asked, she loved roses she could sometimes remember her mother just by the scent of them as they often awoke memories.
Tai smiled and bent to kiss Ruby on the forehead. "Then I shall keep an eye out for the loveliest rose to be graced by the sun." With that he flicked the reins and Philippe carried him away.
Taiyang made good time but soon the forest started to close in, the sun set and he could hear the howls of Grimm in the distance. He had not been to Vale since plague ravaged the city, driving him to flee with his year old child. As the scenery grew gloomier and scarier he came upon a fork in the road. A huge tree had fallen on the more well worn path and Tai gulped as he turned Philippe down the other. It was encroached upon with by trees and weeds and was more slow going. Snow started to fall it grew later and later, the road opened up to reveal a castle with a huge sparling courtyard.
"Well Philippe maybe they will tolerate an old man and his horse for a night." Tai could see and distant light and when he came upon it, it turned out to be a stable. After unhitching Philippe and getting him ready for the night Tai picked his way up the snow covered steps and knocked timidly on the door.
It opened to reveal a grand entrance hall and Tai could see hovering in the air a yellow ribbon with a candelabra embroidered on it. "Hello?" Tai called out stepping forward as the door opened further, the ribbon moving out of his way. He felt two hands grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled it off him. He spun on his heel and saw another ribbon this one brown with a door embroidered on it.
The figure with the yellow ribbon pressed on the small of his back. "Who are you? Are you ghosts? Or some type of fairy?" Tai asked and let himself be lead into a reading room, he could smell a rich dinner awaiting him.
"We are cursed." Yellow ribbon said, his voice as light with an accent so old Tai had a hard time understanding him.
The old man sat in the offered chair and pulled the lid off the tray. His mouth watering at the beef dinner, with mashed potatoes and corn. "For you." The yellow ribbon's man said as he added a log to the fire.
Tai set the tray onto his lap and asked between slow bites. "Who cursed you?" Curses were not uncommon in this land of magic, but Tai had never heard of one that turned people invisible.
"A great fairy, the lord of our castle earned her ire and turned everyone invisible and him into a beast. He is not within the castle right now you are safe." Yellow ribbon sat on a leather chair beside Tai the leather creaking under his weight.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Tai paused. "What is your name?"
"Lumière." Lumière said mutely playing with his yellow ribbon, they had been Mrs. Pots idea. A way for them to know who was who without having to ask for a name. He only needed one ribbon but those who worked in the kitchen would wear five. One around each limb and their necks, so those around them would have a good idea of where they were.
Tai ate his dinner in silence thinking that over. He wondered if he could help these cursed people, he could it unlikely.
"Do you have family?' Lumière asked, it was nice to talk to someone not of the castle.
"Yes, a daughter by the name of Ruby, she is but eight and ten years of age." Tai said smiling upon the thought of his little Ruby.
"She still lives with you? At the time of our curse such women would already be married and living with their husbands." Lumière asked, he wondered if maybe just maybe this Ruby could be brought to the castle.
Tai shook his head. "Our village is small and she refused to marry for anything but love. None of the men within our town are a good match for her, she is intelligent and quick witted. With a great love for the written word, these are not popular characteristics in our town."
"Tis a shame." Lumière said and stood. "Come I had a room prepared for you."
Tai set the tray aside and follow his guide deeper into the castle. Up an up they went through cold corridors sparsely lit. The room they came to was very grand but Tai was much to tried to take it in. "I will come and collect you in the morning when it is safe to leave." Lumière said closing the door behind him.
Tai was so exhausted he barely got out of his overclothes before tumbling into bed and was fast asleep.
"Come! You must wake now! The master will be back soon and he will be most cross with me." Lumière urged Tai out of bed and helped the man to redress.
As they all but ran out to the stables Tai asked. "Why would your master be upset that you're upholded of the 'Guest law'?"
"My master is an intensely private man, he does not like guests." Lumière helped Tai down the steps and to the stable. Philippe was already hitched to the cart and ready to leave, the sun wasn't even over the horizon. He helped Tai up into the cart. "Take the road out north of here, it will loop back to the main road and you will be upon Vale in three days at the latest."
"Thank you for your help and hospitality." Tai said and flicked Philippe's reins.
"Just go swiftly." Lumière said and stepped out of the way.
Tai nodded and set Philippe to a trout making his way out of the maze like courtyard however when he was halfway through he came upon a small grove a red roses. Such roses should not have been able to live in the snow and yet they were. He stopped Philippe and reached out a rose and stroked is petals with a finger. So soft it reminded him of Ruby's hair but as he went to pick it a thunderous ROAR boomed through the clearing and started Tai so much he fell onto the snow.
"Thief." A deep rasping voice growled and Tai looked up into a huge monstrous beast. He could see echos of human in its face, but it's nose was flat like a panthers and he had a mouthful of sharp teeth that glinted in the morning light. Its eyes were a pale red it had no hair instead it had a mane of glossy black feathers. Tai could see theses feathers went mid way down the monster's chest where its body became furred in a thick black pelt. The monster stood on two legs like a man but they were they legs of a panther. Lastly Tai could see huge wings the beast kept wrapped around it like a cloak and a long tail the end like the tail of a raven.
"No please I'm sorry! I promised I'd bring my daughter back a rose and I saw yours and they reminded me of her." Tai gulped as the beast grabbed him by the back of his coat with a taloned hand and dragged him back to the castle.
Lumière sighed at the sight and went to collect Philippe, after Tai's paints were safe within the stable he spoke softly to the horse. "Return to your home and bring Ruby back, with luck she will be able to free her father."
Philippe shook his head and whined for he was a very intelligent horse and raced off at a gallop to return to Ruby.
*author does sweeping bow* The much requested solo Ruby and Qrow story from me. Sorry it took so long.