A heavy panting filled the nighttime streets as overly tall heels clicked against stone pathway. Weiss Schnee, heir to one of the most powerful royal houses in the world, was running for her life. She had just done the unthinkable; she had murdered her father.
Weiss Schnee had, to everyone else, lived a life of perfection. It was far from it tho, her father was cruel and abusive ever sense her mother had passed away. Weiss started to dabble in magic, an art forbidden in most places, and was quickly beaten by her father when she found out. She only found peace in combat, wich she practiced whenever she had a chance. However, her father found this too. It turns out, beating a girl holding a rapier well she was on her last straw was not a good idea.
Now, Weiss was trying to escape threw the night, her blood soaked gown serving as a red flag to anyone who saw her. She couldent stay here, she would be arrested, probably executed. She only had one option; Abandon her old life, and run. Run for the hills!
Weiss's bags on her back weighed her down, but she refused to abandon them. They didn't have food or water, perhaps something more important. To her, the most important thing was her spell books. She was thrown into this life due to her passion, she wouldent abandon it now.
Weiss tripped on a broken stone plate in the road, falling onto her knees. She winced in pain as her knee stung, panting, trying to recover her breath. "Screw this..." Well some would ditch the books, she was nothing if not passionate. She grabbed her high heels and threw them off to the side, not caring were they landed. Sadly she didn't get to rest long, she heard voices, and quickly got up and dashed off into the night, fighting threw the pain of her burning knee, the many bruises on her body, and the sense of guilt roaring inside her like a bonfire.
She wasn't sure why she started crying, but once the tears started they wouldent stop flowing. She'd find a way tho. She survived sixteen years of varying levels of abuse. With her rapier on her belt and her spellbooks on her back, she could get threw anything.
Or at least that's what she tells herself at least. Anything to hold back another mental breakdown.
"Well howdy ma'am!" A tall, bearded black man bellowed with a cheerful wave. "Haven't seen you around, watcha 'ere for?". Weiss stood in the doorway to a well kept, but old wooden building that screamed rustic. The left wall had various, massive sea creatures posted up as trophies, and the right wall had various tools and shelves of supplies for sale.
Weiss herself stood out like a sore thumb from all the browns, greys, and blues. Her outfit was still bright white, but far less so then before. Cleaning blood out of her outfit in a river wasn't nearly as effective as whatever her maids did to it. Weiss had a bit more respect for the maids now, getting blood out of her dress was a pain.
Her hair wasn't combed nearly as well as before, having ends stuck up, and generally being uneaven. Well it wasn't major enough for most people to care, Weiss had to live a life of perfection. Such tiny imperfections stabbed at her like a knife, her instincts telling her they needed fixing or her life would be on the line. Weiss had no shoes on, and there was the occasional hole in her outfit, she looked like a mess. To her at least. To this man, who has seem more travelers then he has shoes, didn't see anything difference.
He didn't see the panicked, run away princess who was scared for her life. Even when she was several towns away from her former home.
"I need a ship, I need to get out of here." She spoke, pausing to clear her throat, stiffening her body to a more orderly pose, as if standing at attention. "As soon as possible." The man tilted his head, rubbing his dark grey beard with one massive, gloved hand. "Anywhere specific? Alota ships are outa commission, too scared to set sail with the new influx of pirates and all".
Weiss stuck her lip up at the mention of pirates. "I don't care the price, or whos running it." She walked forward, briefly missing her comforting click of her heels. She slammed her palms down on his desk, leaning forward, trying to seem serious. "I don't even care were I'm going, I just want to leave this place asap." The man laughed a bit, not phased in the slightest. "I can certainly do that m'lady. You don't mind a Faunus ship right?"
Weiss, again, stuck her lip up in defiance at the mention of Faunus. Still, despite growing up in a royal house, grown up to believe that Faunus were lesser beings, she was desperate. "I don't mind, just name the price" She said, reaching down into her bust, and pulling out a coin bag with two fingers. She dropped it onto the desk with a loud thud, it being far, far heavier then she would have lead to believe.
He lifted up the bag with one hand, opening it with the other "Woah, this will definitely be enough. How'd you get so much money?" When he saw her look away, he simply laughed and pat her back with his spare hand. Weiss stumbled forward, not expecting such a firm smack, her stern posture fading. She looked at him with a jerk of her head, her posture being replaced by that of child like shock. "If ya don't wanna talk about it, then don't. I don't care who ye are or watcha do for a livin'. All the same to me!"
Despite his kind words and his attempts to calm her, Weiss felt herself tense. She latched onto the 'I don't care who you are' and couldn't help but take it as a negative, despite her situation. He separated a few bronze and silver coins from the bag, slipping it under his desk and handing her back the coin purse. "I'll inform him he has a passenger, he'll be ready to take ya by five PM. That sound good?" Weiss simply nodded "Yes sir" She gave a small bow, before turning around and leaving the storm, slipping her money back into her bust.
When she left the store, she let out a heavy sigh the second the door closed. She didn't realise she was holding it so long. "Being a undercover criminal and princess isn't easy..." She looked up at the sky and let herself bask in its rays. "I miss the days when life was easy..."
Right on time, Weiss had arrived at the docks. She walked across the docks with a new pair of high heels clicking loudly, contrasting the soft splashing and swishing of the waves. "Hey! You the rich girl I'm here to pick up?" She heard a voice call out to her, causing her eyes to lift from the waves and her mind to tear from the depressing thoughts, locking eyes onto the blond in front of her.
He had messy blond hair, it seemed fairly long but the bandana helped keep it tamed. Tamed was a good word actually, or rather, untamed. His outfit could only be described as rags, loosely holding onto his body altho it was falling apart at the seams. Despite that, he seemed incredibly good spirited. His long tail swished behind him, and Weiss couldn't help but lock eyes with it, despite her attempts to look him in the eyes.
"Yes, I am. Pardon my rudeness, but can we go now?" She asked, looking over her shoulder, as if expecting a bullet to be plunged in the back of her skull. "Sure, I get that. You a fan of the seas or something?" He asked, grabbing onto a rope and throwing himself into the air with it. He landed on a nearby ship, it wasn't huge, but it was clear he kept good care of it. It was small, clearly meant for speed rather then combat. On closer look, she could tell it was a modified fishing boat. "Something like that yes. Never been on the seas before, but I have always wanted to"
It wasn't exactly a white lie. She always wanted to go out onto the sea, but she never got a chance. It was always a secondary dream tho, behind freeing herself from her father. "Well, now you finally get a chance!" He said happily, leaning over the elevated edge of the ship and holding his hand out to help her up. Weiss didn't know why he didn't just have a board to get on like everyone else, but it was his ship, not hers.
She took his hand, and he briefly took note of how smooth her skin felt. She felt like the embodiment of perfect, but to Weiss, she was far from it. Every hour she was away from home she looked and felt more and more wild. "I'm Sun, Sun Wukong! Who are you?" He heaves her up with a powerful arm, and Weiss briefly yelped at how easily he literally threw her up onto the boat. "I'm..." She hesitated, was it safe to tell him her name?
Sun took the rope off the docks, quickly jumped to the other side of the ship to let up the sails. "Something wrong?" he asked, standing tall and walking over to the elevated wheel at the back end of the ship, above the only room in the ship. "No, i'm fine" Weiss replied, closing her eyes and putting one hand on the mast. She felt the winds blow threw her hair as the ship took off, quickly gaining speed. Her ponytail flailed behind her in the wind, and her dress swayed in waves. She never felt more free then right now, when she was on a ship. "I'm Weiss Schnee... Nice to meet you" She hesitated at the second part, but it was true.
Weiss felt herself briefly tense as she awaited a response, but even that was short lived. Something about the winds on her face and the sounds of crashing waves kept her in a perpetual state of calm, her fear and anger in stasis. "Well, pleasure to have you on board Weiss!" He said happily, causing the ice princess to smile softly. If only this could last forever...
Weiss hopped off the ship herself this time, landing on the wooden boards below. "Thanks again for the ride, Sun. I really appreciate it." The Faunus simply smiled, sitting on the edge of his docked and tied up ship "Its no problem! You looked like you were really enjoying yourself!" Weiss simply nodded, a nostalgic smile on her face "I wish I could live like that forever."
He smile only widened at that. "Maybe you can! There is a lot to do on the sea, its worth looking into!" Weiss tilted her head back, looking up at the now setting sun. "Perhaps I will do just that." She began to walk across the docks back into town, holstering the bags on her shoulder "You take care of yourself ma'am!" He shouts, waving to her as she leaves.
Weiss went to the local in, sitting down at a bar stool and ordering herself a rather large dish of fish and a fine wine, some of the best they had there. She wasn't crazy for fish, but it felt right. She dropped her books off her shoulder, letting them clunk loudly to the floorboards below. Weiss leaned forward, taking in the exotic swarm of aroma's that filled the inn. Despite the noise, Weiss couldent help but overhear a conversation.
The exact words were muffled, but she made out a lot of slurs and the word Pirates. Seems this town wasn't safe from the pirate problem, and they had a particular hatred for them for whatever reason. Weiss simply sighed, not interested in hearing such words. She had enough things to think about, she didn't need there angst. When the plate of food was put infront of her, she stood up "I think i'll eat in a room, thank you". She swiftly paid for the food and a single night at the Inn, and took her food to her room.
That night, Weiss couldent get any sleep. Maybe the fish wasn't sitting well with her, but she could tell that wasn't the case. She had a longing feeling, a longing for freedom, for the ocean. Sleep never claimed her despite her best attempts, so she decided to finally indulge her wild side. She got up, grabbed her weapon and her spellbooks, and left to take to the night streets again.
When her heels first stepped onto sand, she instantly felt some relaxation. The winds of the ocean whipped against her hair, tho not with the same power that she felt well out on the ocean. Weiss wanted to get closer.
She took out one of her spell books and walked up towards the water. She briefly chanted under her breath, and when her heel came in contact with the water, it instantly turned to ice. She walked across the water, out onto the sea a good several meters out before she finally stopped, lowering her book and taking in the scene. "Wow..." Weiss gawked in an in-lady like fashion. "This is far more beautiful then any art in the royal house!"
The moon shined down on the water, casting a brilliant reflection in the fairly still waves. A city of coral lay below the waters, the rays of the moon bouncing off them to fill the waters with a stunning lightshow of pinks, reds, and purples. The waves were just large enough to lap against her toes threw her heels, and the winds hit her much stronger. Weiss lost herself to the sounds of the ocean, until a chipper voice broke her out of her peace.
"WHOO! Treasure! That old man was right Blake!" Weiss sighed, and turned to see who was making such a racket. A girl in a red outfit and over sized cape lay down in her knees in the sand, two other girls next to her. She wore tough, leather leggings under a frilly skirt, and seemed to proudly don a rose emblem on her chest. One girl had messy, long blond hair that nearly reached her knees. She was practically made of muscles, and the many scars on her body indicated she likely saw regular fisticuffs.
The other girl wore minimal clothing. A light, but tight corset strapped around her chest and a cloak along her back. She had tight shorts on, and various straps on her body. What purpose for she couldn't tell at a distance. A notable feature about the girl was her ears that regularly moved this way and that, taking in all the sounds she could. Weiss couldn't help but take particular notice to the Faunus, tho her previous malice towards her kind was entirely replaced with fascination and curiosity.
"I told you" The Faunus spoke up. "My informants may be thieves and scoundrels, but they always hold up on there end of a deal." Weiss was too busy taking in the fact the blond was heaving a massive treasure chest out of the ground at first to notice the fact that all three of them proudly donned a pirate hat atop there heads. Weiss briefly felt herself tense a bit when she realised this. A gang of pirates were right there! Mere meters away, unaware of the Princess being all alone!
She didn't really have long to fear, she didn't get to make a choice before a ear bleedingly loud alarm sounded threw the air. "Pirates!" She heard a man from the town scream, alerting the others. Despite the fact the pirates seemingly had no intent on doing anything to the town, an army of soldiers and villagers with pitch forks were on them near instantly like a pack of hungry wolves.
The pirates were not one to flee it seems. Despite most of an angry town stomping down to them, they were quick to draw there weapons "Hey now, were not here to cause trouble" The shortest girl in the pirate group spoke up, taking a step forward. Was she the leader? "No one has to get hurt." She spoke softly, trying to avoid a confrontation. This wasn't exactly like the pirates Weiss had heard about.
"Silence, criminal scum!" A goofy looking man in armour shouted amongst the crowd. "You will pay for your crimes!" The leader simply sighed, and lifted up her weapon. A massive scythe! How the hell did she keep that hidden on her person? Not to mention she hasent heard of Pirates with scythes, or gauntlets, or... whatever the catgirl had.
Bloodshed soon broke out, the pirates defending there newly found treasure and the townsfolk trying to take them down. Even the armoured once seemed to lack the skill and experience the band of oddballs had, and they were quickly being pushed back. Weiss didn't want any of this, she just wanted to enjoy the peace of the ocean. In an attempt to avoid being mistaken for another part of the angry mod, Weiss skid across the ice towards land, and ran off towards the town, taking to the shadows to watch from a distance.
The towns folk were steadily drawn back to there town, some of the less confident people who got confidence by being in a mob started to bail as the mob lost ground. Bodies lined and stained the once beautiful beach all the way up to the gates of the town. Once the hoard fell back in full, pure chaos broke out. The pirates started to burn houses, plunder any valuables they could get, and killed anyone who looked at them the wrong way. They didn't want a fight, but they sure as hell were going to end it.
Weiss tried to avoid them, sneaking amongst the shadows. However, the clicking of her heels sounded her location, and the bright bonfire of the houses shone light down on her like a beacon, her white hair reflecting it like a mirror. "Well well well" Weiss turned around, only to have her chin get roughly grabbed, the blond bimbo from earlier inspecting her like a trophy. "You must be quite well off eh? What are you doing here of all places?" Weiss took a step back, quickly brandishing her Rapier, she swiped it forward not to hurt her, but to get her to back off. Thankfully, it managed to do just that.
"Quiet you! I don't want any of this!" She snaps, poison dripping from her tone, her head lowered in a determined glare. "The look in your eyes says otherwise" The blond remarks, smirking, her eyes turning red. "You look like you want a fight! And i'll gladly give you one!" The blond rocketed forward, hand outstretched behind her. Weiss elegantly sidestepped the punch, before stumbling to her feet. She briefly cursed her heels, kicking them off her feet. "Enough of these heels." She stabbed her rapier down onto them, tearing the expensive material apart. "Enough of my old life."
Weiss felt some unforeseen weight lifted off her when she banished her old life to the nether realms. She had a far better grip on the stone with her bare feet, and she was able to focus better on her opponent and her own weapon without having to focus on her balance. When the blond took another punch, Weiss was ready this time. SHe lifted her rapier up, a loud clang of metal reverberated threw the streets as rapier met gauntlet. Weiss held out her other hand, and it started to glow a heavenly white.
"Oooh, magic eh?" The blond said with an almost prideful smirk. "Maybe your not as useless and pompous as you look! Why I might say your even-" Yang was cut off as she felt a sharp pain course threw her. Weiss had formed an icicle in her hand, and stabbed it into Yang's shoulder like a knife. The blond stumbled back, her arrogance gone and her power sapped, as she fell onto her behind and leaned against the towns wall, holding her wound. "Nnyh..." She groaned in pain "Nice shot, I'm proud of you" She said, electing a confused tilt of the head from Weiss.
"Yang!" Weiss whipped her head around, seeing the leader at the end of the alleyway. "Stay away form her!" She shouted, holding up her scythe, she dashed at Weiss with a similar speed to Yang, only Yang's was slow and brutish, Ruby's was blisteringly fast and oddly beautiful in her posture. Weiss dashed backwards, her feet skidding along the ground as she again held up her rapier, her hand holding onto the back end of the blade and her other hand on the handle, the force of the scythe's head hitting hers causing her to slide back, prompting a 'sss' sound from Weiss as she feels gravel dig into her feet.
Ruby was shocked at what happened next. She was forced to put her elevated feet to the ground and push herself back and off her as she saw the glowing white light. The entire area grew cold, and she slipped as she realised the ground had been turned to ice despite the burning fires above. Ruby slipped onto her back, gasping as the wind was knocked out of her. Ruby recognised royalty when she saw one, she thought Weiss was just a snarky, full of herself rich lady like everyone else. Yet the girl standing over her, a rapier pointed to her neck, was nothing like she envisioned it.
Weiss had a look of pure determination, the cold air flowing around her like a storm, the fires above cast a shadow over her eyes thanks to her hair, making her look almost heroic. No rich girl should ever be so talented at fighting, let alone even knowing how to use magic. As Ruby started to recover, she simply smiled. "Wow, I love your weapon!" Weiss again, seemed confused. "Why are you two so weird!?" She snapped.
Yang slowly stood up, pulling the ice out of her and holding onto the wound to prevent it from bleeding too much. "You call us weird? Your royalty, in a pirate hating town, using ice magic and beating a pirate captain with a rapier. That's far from your textbook definition of a princess" She sneered the last word, but her tone still held a sense of awestruck to it, she almost sounded seductive! "Your not one of those pirate haters are you?" Ruby asked, before looking back to the blade. "Mind if I get up? I wont hurt you!"
Weiss seemed briefly suspicious of her, before putting her weapon to her side. The ice started to melt away, and Ruby steadily got up, careful not to go too fast for risk of getting a blade threw her stomach. "I'm Ruby Rose! This is my sister, Yang Xaio Long!" She sounded chipper as all be, motioning towards her injured sister with a spare hand, not batting an eye to the fact she was limping. "How would you like to come with us?"
Weiss again had that confused, child like look, like a child being told they cant have any of a fresh tray of cookies. "What? Why would I do that? Why would you offer me that?" Ruby's weapon folded into a respectably sized box, which she fashioned on her hips, hidden by her cape. "Well..." She put her arms behind her head "I haven't seen someone fight like you before, and I want to see how strong you'd be once your nurtured. My uncle would be more then happy to train you!" The idea of professional training was temping, like a forbidden apple, but they were still pirates!
"Come on" Yang said, walking ahead, with Ruby following. "We gotta take the treasure back to your ship" Yang said, with Ruby swiftly nodding in agreement "Ya! You got some time to think, storing and cataloging treasure takes time!" Weiss sighed. She hardly got to the point she was at without dying. Now, she was witness to a horrible crime, had committed a horrible crime, and was in a country she knew nothing about. She didn't have many options but to, at least, humor them for now.
Besides, a life on the sea might be just what she needs to truly be free...
When she got to the beach she couldent help but smile slightly, looking out at sea. "Yang! Are you okay? Who is this?" The cat girl ran up to her, the many bags of loot clanging and clunking over her shoulders. She eagerly checked to see if the blond was okay well shooting Weiss a briefly dirty look, before it quickly softened. She noticed the way she looked out at sea, the longing feeling in her eyes. She once felt the same way. "I see. Come on, lets get the treasure onboard."
Blake nods to Ruby "Sure thing Blake. Hey, stranger!" Weiss turned her attention to Ruby "With Yang out of commission, mind giving us a hand?" Weiss hesitated briefly, before nodding, walking over to the treasure chest. "Uh, I didn't get your name. Mind telling us so we don't have to call you ice princess all day?" Weiss curled her lip up at the nickname "Weiss Schnee" She replied. Ruby looked incredibly joyful, which confused Weiss to no end. Ruby was happy because she told her, her name. She knew who Weiss was, but seeing her willingly tell them her names meant that her heart may not be locked behind a wall of ice after all.
There may be a chance for friendship, or something more.
Weiss heaved and huffed at how heavy the chest was. She was strong, but she was not used to carrying around something that must have weighed as much as her fathers entire treasury! When they walked around some large rocks on the far end of the beach, Weiss had to gawk. Hidden by the rocks and the beautiful coral reaching for the sky out of the water was a massive pirate ship within the serene cove. The waters shared the same look as before, but even more so. Oranges, greens, and blues and yellows were mixed in with the shades of red.
The ship stood tall with pride, it was by far the biggest ship she had ever seen, easily enough to hold ten members, not including anyone in the brig that was no doubt under the deck. It was bigger then anything her exacerbated children stories had, and Weiss was simply in aww. Everyone stopped as Weiss did, putting down the chest without her saying a word. Weiss looked starry eyed, like she had just witnessed the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
"I see why you brought her." Blake said, whispering to Ruby, so as to not break Weiss out of her, quite frankly, fascinating trance. "Do you really think a Schnee would make a good pirate? Let alone be loyal to a minor?" Ruby nodded, smiling softly, almost with a nostalgic look as she admired Weiss's, now familiar, child like wonder. "I'm sure of it. I helped make Jaune into someone worth talking about, I'm sure I can do the same with her. Besides, you didn't see her fight!" She sounded incredibly excited as she talked about fighting, causing Blake to sport a motherly smile. "I'm not doubting you captain. I'd never dream of it."
"Hey!" Weiss snapped out of it as she heard a distant voice shouting to her, she looked down at the treasure chest that was now gone, and realised the others had already boarded with the treasure well she was out. "You wanna be a pirate or not?" She asked, leaning over the edge of her ship. Weiss looked down at the board infront of her, considering it briefly. Something about wording it so bluntly forced her to reconsider what she was so willing to do moments ago "I'd love to" She eventually replied, feeling a part of her come to peace as she spoke those words.
With the clunk of wood as she took her first step, her new life began.
As the ship took off into the darkness of the moon lit ocean, Weiss stood on the edge of the ship, staring off into the waters, relishing in the winds and the sounds of the waves. Land was far out of sight by the time she was snapped back to reality by a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to see a puny looking blond boy in a oversized pirate hat. "Hey, your the new girl right?" She nodded silently. "Weiss" She held out her hand, and he gladly shook it. "I'm Jaune. Are you okay?" he asked, leaning in slightly with concern, ready to comfort her if need be.
"I'm fine" she replied softly, looking back out to the water. "I'm just... enjoying the view" Jaune leant forward over the edge, joining her in a similar pose. "I know that feeling. You remind me a lot of myself." Weiss perked up, eyes drawn back to him. "Nervous, afraid, trying your best to hide it, yet oh so excited. The ocean is beautiful, the world has so much to explore." he turned to meet her eyes, smiling softly. "Everyone in this crew are more then happy to help you in anyway we can. Your a part of our family now, don't be afraid to voice your concerns."
Weiss lowered her head at the mention of family, but he was right, and she soon nodded in conformation "Your right. Thanks Jaune. Thanks a lot" She reaffirmed, yelping as she felt something roughly press onto her head "Hey!" She snapped, reaching up to grab it only to realise Jaune had placed a pirate hat atop her head. "Don't mention it. Make sure to come below deck soon, dinner is gonna get cold soon, and we need to introduce you to everyone." Weiss slowly nodded, looking back out to sea, her smile steadily growing.
"Ya... i'll be there." She turned her back to the waves and went to follow him. Any shame she had melted away already, now donning the hat with pride.
She was Weiss Schnee, a princess, a killer, a wizard, a warrior, and a pirate.
And she couldn't be happier then she was right now.
