RWBY : Ashes
A/N: Well that was WAY longer than I anticipated. Now I still do have all the subsequent chapters written, yet I felt the story itself required a bridge between the prologue and Chapter 2 (which takes place several days before the events of Vol 3 Ep 12). Also I think I am planning on changing the summary as it was made for the prologue (at the time was meant to only be a one shot). So huzzah for chapter 1 being completed and enjoy.
Summary: Hildegard Soleil is a huntress of great renown, known throughout Remnant as the "Shieldmaiden of Vale." After she causes the death of one of her closest friends she breaks down and seeks out death's embrace. Yet fate intervenes and places a young child in her care. With the help of this child Hildegard's world begins to drastically change.
Chapter One: The Shield Maiden of Vale
Kingdom of Remnant, Isle of Patch, Hildegard's House...
Three years before the events of Volume 3 Chapter 12...
The morning sun gleamed through the open curtains of a child's room, it's warm beams tickling the cheek of a young teen that slept in the bed. A woman that could only be called stunning kneeled down on the bed and placed her hand on the teenager's head then kissed it gently. The teen's eyes fluttered open then gazed at the figure in front of her.
"Good morning, little one" the woman said smiling at her daughter. "If you don't hurry up Ailyth you'll miss school."
Immediately after hearing that statement Ailyth shot up from her bed and headed towards her desk where a neatly folded uniform awaited her. She tore through the plastic wrapping and held in her hand a uniform for Signal Academy. It had taken several months of pleading and straneous studying before Hildegard allowed Ailyth's enrollment into the academy. As the young teenager got dress, Hildegard smiled then headed down the steps to the kitchen. There the huntress came across her old friend who was still wearing her knightly armor and sipping coffee.
"Well that's something I probably won't ever see again," Jeanne chuckled taking another sip from her coffee.
"I know I've never seen a child so excited to go to school." Hildegard remarked setting down Ailyth's breakfast.
Hildegard paused as she set the meal down and turned to an essay taped to the fridge title "What I want to be when I grow up,"Ailyth had wrote for her final year of elementary school. The first line stated she wished for more than anything to become a Huntress just like Hildegard; a thought that greatly worried her.
"Hild… I know what happened with Summer hurts… it hurts us all," Jeanne paused. "But you need to move on, you have Ailyth to take care of now."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Well for starters why don't you support little Ailyth?" Jeanne paused taking another sip of her coffee. "I mean who better to teach her than you? I can get you a position at Signal if that helps,"
The huntress paused as she pondered the thought before the memory of the Xiao Long family ran through her head. Not to mention several other hunters and huntress that knew Hildegard and the demise their fellow loved ones faced.
"No Jeanne… Tensions are already high with the families here in Patch, especially with the huntsmen and huntresses."
Hildegard sighed thinking about the battle a few years before. "Ailyth is still at odds with Yang, for something I did; heavens knows what will happen once I become a teacher."
The huntress sitting at the table took another sip of her coffee before standing up. "Hild… you need to move past this… otherwise you'll end up isolating Ailyth like you did yourself."
Hildegard's friend placed the mug on the table before bowing to her hostess and stepping out of the house. The huntress once again sighed and turned towards the window to watch her friend walk down the road. The huntress remembered the battle she had several years ago fighting Salem. A battle fueled by her sick sense of justice which costed her Summer's life. It was a battle that Hild wished with all her being to take back. The only solace that she found though was it brought little Ailyth to her. Before any thing else entered Hild's mind the young teenager came down the stairs and smiled at her mother.
"Mom how do I look?" Ailyth asked
Hildegard looked at the young teenager and smiled back at her. "You look gorgeous little one now grab some breakfast before you end up being late"
Ailyth nodded as she got to the table and started eating as Hild leaned against the kitchen counter drinking her coffee. After about 15 minutes Ailyth finished her meal and said her goodbyes as she head through the door.
Several hours passed as the huntress cleaned up her house, as she did her old armor caught her eye. The form fitting full plate armor which gave her the title of Shieldmaiden of Vale, it showed signs of wear but at the same time the armor was a testament to Hildegard's reputation. The huntress chuckled as she now saw her armor gathering dust, but attached to it though was the very sword her mother had used. She opened the case and examined the sword, the sword was stuck inside of its scabbard; but the just going off that alone she traced the unique engravings. Before she noticed that she had never used the weapon but kept it at her side at all time to remember her mother. Setting it down noticed the small engraved ring around her index finger. It was a family heirloom, one that would one day find its way into Ailyth's possession. The huntress found herself lost in thought before a knock on the door caught her attention, setting the sword back in the case she headed to the door. Much to her surprise when she opened the door there was an unexpected guest – the woman named Scarlet.
"Good morning , I'm sure you already know who I am but would it be okay if we discussed this inside."
Hildegard let Scarlet inside and set a cup of coffee by her seat and took a seat in the chair across from her.
"You want to take Ailyth back?" She asked knowing full well the answer.
"Surprisingly no… you've done well to provide little Ailyth with a life my duty would prevent me from doing so, she seems happy and content." Scarlet paused to take a sip of coffee. "Not to mention who better than to protect her than Brynhildr's daughter."
Hildegard shot up in surprise but quickly calmed herself. "What do you know of my mother?"
"We've fought together for many years… though after seeing you I can say the apple indeed hasn't fallen far."
"What do you mean!"
"Well…you're acting just like your mother when she lost your father."
Almost on instinct Hildegard grabbed her mother's sword and tried to point it at Scarlet; yet she found herself unable to unsheathe the blade. Scarlet herself took great interest as she noticed Hild try and pull the sword from its scabbard.
"Interesting..." The mysterious woman's interest drifted from the sword to the ring around Hild's finger. "You haven't been able to pull it free..."
"It's just old... hasn't been used since my mother." Hild retorted as she set the weapon down.
Scarlet's silence worried the huntress as she sat back down with a myriad of emotions swirling through her. Which the mysterious woman caught onto and corrected herself.
"Enough of that, I'm not really here to reminisce about the past, I'm here to discuss Ailyth." Scarlet said changing the subject.
"What is she you're daughter?" Hild asked standing down as Scarlet finished up her coffee.
"No... but she's someone that needs protection. At the moment the people looking for her believe she's dead." Scarlet stood up from her chair and picked up a picture of Ailyth and Hildegard. "I believe with the current situation I can leave her in your care."
Before Hildegard could ask Scarlet any further questions, the scroll in Scarlet's pocket went off. Excusing the woman for a few minutes, the worst case scenarios ran through Hildegard's head as she thought of Ailyth being taken from her. Several minutes pasted as she ran through every possible scenario before Scarlet reappeared.
"I apologize but it seems I must be on my way." The mysterious woman said bowing to Hildegard.
Before Scarlet could approach the door Hildegard panicked."What about Ailyth!"
Scarlet sighed as turned back to the panicked huntress. "As I said, I will leave her in your care; honestly you could use it."
Hildegard seemed confused at first before noticing her predicament she was in before Ailyth. It was that small child that brought her from the brink of darkness, it was her that warmed up the her icy heart. If it wasn't for Ailyth, Hildegard would have surely just continued to wander aimlessly throughout Remnant until she died.
"My mother... she..."
"When your father pasted away... you were the only thing that prevented her from slipping into depression." Scarlet nodded. "I'm hoping Ailyth can do the same for you."
With that the Scarlet stepped through the door and when Hildegard went to chase her there was nothing there but a small note.
If I was you I'd hurry to the Forests on the Outskirts of town... The little one is in danger...-Scarlet.
Without a moment's hesitation Hild ran into the house grabbing her armor and weapon before looking at her mother's sword which not returned to her side. "Mother... give me strength..."
Somewhere in the Forests on the Outskirts of Patch...
Any and all joy Ailyth had obtained from her first day of school had vanished as she was left beaten and alone in the forests. The young teen had known better, yet she wanted to believe in her classmates. Ailyth had made several "friends" that were actually out to get revenge against Hildegard whom had lead their parents to their untimely deaths. They had lead her into the forest and against her better judgment, she followed. About two hours in they proceeded to beat her until she was unconscious. Several hours later she awoke and began stumbling towards town. Her body ached and all around her the sounds of roars grew closer; she fully knew what was now hunting her within the woods - Grimm.
At the current pace she was moving at there would be no way for her to make it back to town without the Grimm catching up to her and for a brief moment Ailyth collapsed. As her eyes fluttered in and out of consciousness she saw glimpses of Beowolves creeping closer to her. Yet the sudden sounds of combat followed by an intense feeling of relief came over her. When she opened her eyes there stood Hildegard who almost seemed divine to the teen. Despite the sight of her mother the ever increasing Grimm only worried her more.
Hildegard had healed Ailyth to the best of her ability yet, they were far from safe. The huntress continued to see more and more Grimm emerge from the forest, most likely drawn in from the fear that Ailyth was emitting. Yet something was wrong the Beowolves that continued to gather didn't charge as they normally would. Instead they stood back as if waiting to pick up the scraps. Before she could react a huge stone fist grabbed Hild and held her as the Beowolves began to close in. Looking up she noticed the massive stone golem with a Grimm mask acting as its head - a Geist.
"Damnit! Let go of me!" She shouted only feeling the creature tighten its hold.
She watched in horror as the Grimm slowly crept at the panicking Ailyth and with Hildegard unable to do anything to stop them. Her own Aura levels were depleting fast as she tried preventing the massive stone golem from crushing her. With what strength she could muster she activated the overload function on her weapon - Imperatus. Forcing the weapon's power to become unstable within moments caused a massive explosion that destroyed the fist of the Golem. The beast bellowed back as Hild slammed into the ground her Aura completely depleted absorbing the blast. She quickly came to her senses as the Beowolves lunged at the frightened teen.
Without any aura to absorb the strikes the claws of the beast sliced through the thin armor of her back plate. Hildegard let out a deafening scream as she fell to her knees to conceal and protect Ailyth. After the first attack blood seeped from her back as more and more Beowolves struck at her. The teen held tears in her eyes as she watched her mother yell in pain as she smiled telling Ailyth it'd be alright.
"It's alright... little one we'll be alright..." she said wincing at the pain.
Ailyth knelt to her mother and began sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Hildegard smiled as held Ailyth, ready to die. A bright, warm light engulfed her and she suddenly felt no pain. Looking up she noticed she was no longer within the forests of Patch. Instead she was in a bright open field with an all too familiar figure standing before her, robust orange hair, gleaming emerald eyes, pale complexion and fiery red armor - Brynhildr her mother.
"Am I dead? Is Aiylth okay?" she panicked looking for the teen she was shielding.
The woman laughed as she approached her daughter. "No you're not dead. You're right now inside the family ring the Nibelung."
Hildegard paused as the statement alone sounded crazy. "You mean our family heirloom, the ring of succession?"
"Yes as ridiculous as it sounds you are in our family's ring, the very ring every matriarch of the Soleil family has worn." Brynhildr laughed before the fabricated world around them shook. "There isn't much time Hildegard... I must ask; what are you willing to sacrifice for power?"
"What are you talking about?" Hildegard asked as the world shook once again.
Brynhildr sighed as she looked at her daughter. "There isn't time, right now the ring has created a barrier to protect you and the little one. Each second we waste is a second the barrier fades."
Taking notice of her surroundings Hildegard noticed the once bright field slowly fading from existence with Brynhildr still looking at her but with several undistinguishable shadows looming over her. The figures though didn't intimidate her, she instead felt comfort coming from them.
"I will give whatever is necessary to obtain the power to protect those I hold dear." she replied as Brynhildr smiled and held out her hand.
"Now take my hand my daughter, embrace our... no your birthright!" Brynhildr said as her daughter took her hand. "The contract is complete and the Relic Gram will now heed your command!"
Before Hildegard noticed it, she was blocking the Geist's stone fist with the now drawn sword. But that wasn't all that had changed she was now adored with the armor she had seen her mother wearing but instead of a fiery red it was coated an icy blue. Her body no longer ached and her aura levels were charged back to max. With her newfound strength she pushed back the stone fist with little effort, knocking the massive stone golem down. She took a brief moment to look at the newly drawn Gram. The blade was at least five feet and the blade was primarily azure with silver accents a truly beautiful weapon. The Beowolves that had stood back when she pushed back the golem were not fleeing; a trait Grim were not known for. Yet the Geist stood up and extended its arm to grab hold of some nearby rocks to reform its shattered fist.
Normally fighting a Geist would worry Hildegard but for some reason she felt calm. A voice kept running through her head telling her to concentrate on pooling her aura into the blade. The newly reformed stone golem charged at the huntress and she responded the same way stabbing the sword into the golem's chest. With that she released all the stored energy in the blade into the golem. The influx of energy started to make small cracks in the stone. until eventually the stone beast as it exploded into chunks of debris. The following explosion enveloped the fleeing Geist destroying it and the surrounding Grimm.
In a moment of stupor Hildegard glared at that gleaming light, she held in her hand. She couldn't believe the power now at her fingertips, yet she quickly put those thoughts aside as she rushed to an unconscious Ailyth. Rushing to her side Hildegard attempted to waken the slumbering teen. With a few quick pats her eyes open and the first thing that immediately overcame the two was a warm embrace.
Several Hours Later…
When the two return to Hildegard smiled at the teen wrapped around her shoulder, but at the foot of the doorstep were two things, package and a letter. The package was addressed to Ailyth while the letter was addressed to Hildegard, but they were both sent by the same person- was too worn out from her encounter decided to fall asleep on the couch while Hildegard opened the letter, a small red vial accompanied it.
Dear Ms. Soliel,
It is a relief to know you succeeded in not only saving little Ailyth but in awaking Gram from its long slumber. Like I mentioned before please give the little one a life I was unable to give her, she likes you. Just know that guarding her comes with great risks, but nonetheless I firmly believe you're the right choice to give her a normal life. I wish you both the best of luck and should anything beyond your control occur, just break that vial...
Sincerely,
Scarlet
P.s: I left Ailyth's favorite story book…
Hildegard set the letter and vial down, then turned to the package addressed to Ailyth she removed the wrappings to reveal a book that would have probably been best at a museum. The title was barely eligible yet Hild traced her fingers across the engraved wording on the cover The Legacy of the Forgotten King. Despite the book's age it was in excellent condition, the huntress flipped through several pages reading the table of contents, with several chapters gaining her attention; Formation of the Onyx Sentinels, The Council of Seven, The King's Daughter, but most of all The King's Gift.
The story detailed a once great king whom walked amongst gods, but he took pity on mankind. Seeing humanity struggle with survival and the Grimm, the King offered them the gift of Dust. Man happily accepted the gift and prospered, yet the gods became angered with the King and instead twist and corrupted his gift. The gods seeded hatred, turmoil, strife, jealously and passion into man. Man being primitive and violent creatures used their new gift which was meant to save them against each other. As punishment the King was banished from the heavens and forever chained at the top of the world to witness mankind destroy each other with his gift.
To Hildegard the story seemed farfetched yet she had remembered Ailyth mentioning several of the stories in her younger years. But what worried her most was that none of the stories in the book were things she had never heard of. Her thought process was halted when the young teenager awoke and noticed the book in Hild's hands. The teen took the book then started reading through the chapters as Hildegard smiled and sat beside her daughter. After the events of today she knew what needed to be done.
The following week… Signal Academy…
Normal classes ended as Ailyth stood up from her chair and was headed toward combat classes, yet when she got to the door, her professor had stopped her.
"Ms. Soliel… you won't be attending normal combat class as of today."
"What are you saying have I done something wrong?" she asked startled.
"Just report to Field 4a your instructor will take care of you there."
The professor stepped out of the room as Ailyth followed down to the courtyard towards the combat fields. As she wandered there thoughts ran through her head of what she had possibly done this past week. Yet when she got to the courtyard she saw all too familiar figures. Hildegard and Jeanne sat at the professors booth drink coffee when Ailyth ran towards them. Almost immediately Ailyth hugged her mother and smiled at Jeanne who chuckled. She examined the new icy blue armor that her mother wore and asked what had happened to her old set. Hildegard chuckled as she just continued to hug her child.
"What are you doing here mom?" the teen asked.
Hildegard smiled as she held up the paper that little Ailyth had written so many years ago. "Didn't you say you wanted to be a Huntress?"
Excited Ailyth again hugged her mother, whom set her aside with her demeanor completely changed.
"Daughter or not, that does not mean we will take it easy on you, I hope you're ready for a long harsh school year."
Closing Notes: Note to self... I really hate how Fanfiction auto formats everything. I apologize if the chapter's format seems a bit odd. It may be caused by this chapter changing hands so much alternating between my tablet, comp, and phone. See you at the next chapter.
