Prologue
She was worried, no, downright scared on what she was about to do. Normally she would have been happy, maybe a little giddy at the thought of going to her boss for a talk. But that was before the attack on the Vytal Festival, before her boss had taken the Maiden of Autumn's powers, before the incident on the top of Beacon Tower. She didn't know what happened, but the aftermath was widely known across Remnant. A flash of blinding light, and the dragon was frozen.
She walked down the hall, her dark brown heels clicking against the stone floor. After she and her partner went running for the tower as soon as the explosion happened they found their boss still alive. From what they were told of the maiden's powers they never expected to find her as badly injured as she was. Who was strong enough to do this to her. That's when she saw her. That red cloaked girl, Ruby Rose lying on the ground nearby. How could she? How could this child do this to her mistress? How dare she do this to her mistress! She drew her chained revolver-sickles ready to make sure this kid would never wake up again. However when her partner spotted the old scythe wielding huntsman climbing up the tower she was forced to retreat with her partner while carrying her boss.
She turned the corner to see a narrow hallway with a closed door at the end. Dread began to build up in her stomach. They were lucky when they found an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the Mistral Trade Route. It was out of the way and a good place for temporary lodgings, for those on the run that is. The building itself was old, worn and in places falling apart. Cobwebs littered every corner, layers of dust rested on almost everything they didn't touch. Broken glass and debris scattered across the floor. Her heels broke a shard of glass in half as she continued on. It didn't make her feel safe at all being here. But until her boss decided to move out they were stuck there, and they were, for two weeks.
She pulled a lock of her mint green hair back behind her ears. Her boss had never been the same since she was brought back. She was much more powerful after obtaining the powers of the Fall Maiden, but that wasn't what scared her. What scared her was that her boss had become more unhinged, more obsessed. She wanted nothing more that to please her, to give her what she wanted, to be held by her and told everything would be fine. But it wasn't. She couldn't give her what she wanted. She couldn't please her.
She reached the door at last and gently knocked her knuckles against it. A pause of silence surrounded her. She could hear her own heartbeat increasing with fear. There was no answer. Deciding to no longer delay the inevitable she gingerly grasped the door handle and slowly opened the door. The room had almost fallen apart, but it wasn't because of the ageing foundations and walls, it was because of the lone woman standing by the window in the far end of the room. The room looked like it used to be a main office, a wide room with book cases against the walls paralleling each other. With a desk and chair for the man in charge at the back of the room and a large window behind it. Now however, the book cases were but splinters on the floor with a touch of ash. Large holes in the walls that looked like something exploded through them. The chair for the desk was in a blaze, the leather already burnt away leaving only the springs and slowly melting plastic. The desk was all that remained undamaged, for how long was debatable as a woman in a red dress with gold linings was leaning on it with two hands.
"C-Cinder?" The brown skinned girl stuttered as she approached slowly.
"What is it... Emerald?" Cinder slowly spoke, not even turning around to face her. Emerald paused in her advance, fear freezing her in place. It was too late for her to run now, she wouldn't let her. She had no choice but to see this through to the end, no matter how painful it could be.
"I-It's just... we've been here for so long now... and we've not heard any more from Adam and the White Fang... or anything from you... S-so..." Emerald had to stop to catch her breath. Her skin was sweating from how hot the room was. She was sure it wasn't this hot when she first walked in.
"S-so... we were wondering... w-what is out next move from here?" Emerald finally forced out. She bowed her head and folded her hands behind her back, if only to hide how much they were shaking. A deathly silence followed for a few seconds, but felt like a few minutes to Emerald, until a silk like voice flowed through the air.
"We are not moving on from here... until I say we are..." Cinder spoke with finality and a hint of aggression. Emerald didn't like this. The Cinder she knew spoke with confidence and a calm and collected demeanour, not one of aggression and a threatening and scary aura. How she longed for the old Cinder to come back.
"T-then... is there anything you would like done ma'am?" Emerald then asked, straightening back up.
"I want Ruby Rose dead," Cinder spoke immediately, her hands clenching in fists. Emerald was taken back by how quick she answered and how much hate was oozing from her words.
"I-... uh... you want us to go back into Vale and kill that kid? But we are the most wanted criminals in the Kingdom and the security has increased since the Vytal Festival. There's no way we could go back there now to kill some kid. I do..." Emerald couldn't finish as she felt something wrapped around her throat. Cinder without turning her head had used her powers to create a fiery whip that choked the air from Emerald.
"I was supposed to be strong... I was supposed to be feared... I was supposed to be powerful... I am the Fall Maiden, stronger than any hunter, stronger than Ozpin! So why..." Cinder finally turned to face Emerald in a rage, her fiery amber eyes piercing into Emeralds red eyes. "WHY WAS THAT KID ABLE TO DO THIS TO ME?!"
Emerald had tears in her eyes. Cinder received many injuries from the top of Beacon Tower, injuries she was able to quickly recover from thanks to her Aura. However she was left permanently scared, almost half of Cinder's face on her right side was scarred. The flesh was red and jagged, almost like the skin was completely gone and only showed the muscle. Cinder pulled her fiery leash and brought Emerald to her knees.
"C-Cinder...I...I...Can't..."Emerald reached out helplessly with one hand while desperately clutching onto the leash that not only constricted her throat but also burned her flesh. Cinder then pulled the whip to the side, sending Emerald flying towards the wall. She crashed into it with a thud and fell to the ground, pieces of debris and dust from the wall showered over her. Free from the leash Emerald choked with both hands to her neck, pain from the burns and the harsh dust scraping the inside of her wind pipe with every gasp of breath. Cinder glared with unhinged rage at Emerald then turned back to the desk.
"Now leave me! Do not disturb me again!" Cinder ordered as she slammed her fist down on the desk. Emerald practically crawled half way across the room before she was able to get to her feet and run out the room, still gasping for clean air in the dust filled warehouse.
Cinder was left alone again. Her hand slowly reached up to her scarred face, the tips of her fingers barely touching the rough skin. Tears built up in the corner of her eyes. Her dreams of becoming the strongest and most feared had come true the moment she acquired the Maidens' powers, when she defeated Ozpin and brought the Dragon to Beacon. Everything was going to plan... until Ruby Rose showed up.
Ruby Rose... that name made her stomach coil and her blood boil. The thought of that smiling kid to defeat her just like that made her sick. She shattered her dreams. She scarred her face. Cinder wanted nothing more than to charge back to Vale with all her powers and put an end to her. But she couldn't. After executing her plan she was to await word from her Queen to find out what her next move would be. Since the CTT was destroyed in Vale the use of scrolls were almost useless now. So she will wait here in this run down warehouse.
She will continue to wait. She will wait in this room while she daydreams of causing nothing but malicious, agonizing pain on little red Ruby Rose.