Ruby opened her eyes. There was green, white, and brown. Ruby tried to sit up but found a force stopping her. "Now now, don't get up just yet. You need your rest." Ruby forced her body to start up but then remembered that she wasn't in the white fang base anymore. "... free."
"What was that, Miss Rose?" Ruby almost jumped out of bed. "I'M FREE!" The older schnee grabbed Ruby by the top of her shoulders and forced her back into the makeshift sleeping roll. "You, young lady, need to rest. I found you covered in blood yesterday. How are you even alive?" Ruby looked at herself only to see that she was covered in medical wrap. So much of her was covered that she actually looked like a mummy.
Ruby's eyes widened for a moment. "I'm so sorry! I never asked you for your name! My dad always told me it was rude." The Schnee smiled again, that smile never truly getting to her eyes. Sadness filled those.
"How rude of me. I didn't give you my name when I asked for yours. My name is Eis Schnee, former leader of the Schnee family and the former CEO of the schnee dust corporation."
"My name is Eis Schnee…"
That's right. She was safe here. She was away from that dungeon. "I brought you food." Ruby looked behind her to see a fire burning brightly, a plate of food next to the fire. Ruby tried to get on her hands and knees to crawl toward the food.
Eis placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder and smiled. "After you eat, I need you to take a bath. I am sure you can follow the river with your nose. Just tell me when you are done eating so we may go." Ruby used her arms to prop her self up, careful not to sit on her tail. Eis grabbed the plate of food, a cooked rabbit and herbs on the side, and a fork. "Here." Ruby took the plate in her hands before laying it in her lap and then took the fork. Ruby tried to scoop the herbs into her mouth.
Ruby and Eis both looked at Ruby's hand. The fork and some of the herbs were now on the ground. Ruby's hand was shaking. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't… mean to." Eis took the fork and washed it with her water container before looking back at Ruby. "It's ok. I can feed you if if I must." Ruby deflated. "... please?"
Eis gave her one of those sad half smiles before feeding Ruby. Ruby sat there and thought. It was all she did while Adam was away anyway. But she was being a burden on someone, a schnee no less! But here she was being hand fed by Eis Schnee. She had no right. She was a selfish girl who wanted to be a huntress.
Huntress. Huntress.
"Stop." Eis' voice was cold as ice. Ruby froze still in fear. "Y-yes Miss Schnee?" Eis gave her a different type of expression. Ruby was sure it was one of worry and concern. "Stop criticising yourself. How old are you?" Ruby's mouth moved without her consent. "I think I'm still 10."
"Then stop blaming anything on yourself. I can see it in your eyes. You long for this but you are denying yourself. Please tell me why?" Ruby looked down. This was a stranger she had no idea about other then her family name.
She saved your life. You are in her debt.
"I wish I had my mother still around." Ruby quickly said. Ruby looked to the side of herself. "My mother died when I was still young and because of that, my father began to be… overprotective of me. We fought a lot about anything. My sister would always try to fix it but she never could. I was sleeping when… They came in. I don't know what happened all the way. It… It happened so fast. There was the door and then the sound of someone hitting the floor and then… and then they came in my room. I-I didn't know what to do. I was s-so scared. They said they were going to-to change me or kill me. They didn't kill me but I wish I died that d-"
"Stop." Eis said. This time, a smooth peppermint feeling to it. "Let it all out." Ruby looked into Eis' eyes before slamming her head into Eis' shoulder, sobbing into it.
"Shhh. Shhh. Remember, we still need to give you a bath. You cannot fall asleep this time Miss Rose." Ruby rose from her shoulder. "C-Can we go now? To the bath?"
Eis smiled and nodded.
Finding the river didn't take long. Unwrapping all the medical bandage proved to be a challenge however. But when Eis took the last of it off…
"Its healed...?" Eyes wide, hands hovering above where the cuts and gouges were only a day ago. "How? Miss Rose-" Ruby shook her head. "Would it be… would it be okay if you called me by my first name?" Eis looked almost surprised, pleasantly surprised. "Yes, I will address you as Ruby from now on. Now please tell me what they did to you?" Ruby flinched at the sentence. "Can you add some lightning Miss Schnee? Its dark." Eis smiled.
"If I shall call you by your first name then it must only be polite if the opposite party reciprocates." Ruby's eyebrows furrowed. "Re-sip-eh-cate?" Eis half smiled again. "It means to respond using a corresponding gesture or action. Call me by my first name." As she finished, her sword began glowing very brightly giving them light.
That's when Eis saw her. The same broken, naked girl from the white fang dungeon was sitting in front of her. Her skin was stained in a red-brown tint. It was clear in the dried blood pattern on her body where what was done. "Step into the river Ruby." Ruby turned to the river. She walked right in and as Ruby did that, the water behind her turned a dark red. Ruby was just sitting in the water.
Eis quickly stripped her self of clothes and went in after Ruby. Eis wrapped her arms around Ruby, startling her. "Ruby, you need to wash yourself. If you don't, then I will."
Eis could only just barely believe it. With every scrub on Ruby's body, it got to a lighter and lighter shade of white. Eventually, Ruby's skin was almost as white as the schnee's. Eis traced Ruby's back. Not a single scratch, scrape, or scar. Eis' hands moved to Ruby's head. Her short, black, red-tipped hair was also washed of all of the blood in it. Eis noticed the pressure of Ruby's body leaning on her own was increasing the more she worked. But the moment Eis brushed past her fannus ear, Ruby stood completely straight. "I-Its ok Miss Schnee! I-I can work on my ears myself."
Eis moved from behind Ruby to in front of her. Eis got a good look at her from there. Eis watched as Ruby attempted to clean her ears, failing many times. Eis' friendly features morphed into inquizitive ones. "Ruby?" Ruby focused her eyes onto Eis. "What did they do to you?" Eis almost regretted saying it. Ruby's eyes, while on her still, dimmed in a way that a child her age shouldn't have to. "Ruby?" Ruby's body jerked as tears began to congeal in her eyes. "I-I… They… I… wasn't born a fannus. T-they turned me into a fannus. They said the medicine would kill me or turn me into this. The chance of… this was-was-I-I… I don't want to go back!" Tears once again flowed down Ruby's face. "They wanted to kill me! It hurt so much… I-I don't want to go through that ever again! Pleasedon'tleaveme!"
If Ruby could fall, she would but the water from the river was deep enough to only go to about half way up her body. Eis wouldn't have any of it. She took the crying Ruby onto her arms and carried her out of the cold water. It was dark and the only source of light was her sword. "Shhh. I'm not going to leave you." Ruby's muffled crying decrescendo into a murmur. Eis took Kälteklinge and activated its fire dust. The campfire roared back to life, heat now seeping into both herself and Ruby
Ruby peeled herself off of Eis' shoulder once again. "You need to dry off." Eis' cool voice soothed the last bit of sadness built up. Ruby nodded and began to dry off in the light of the fire, Eis doing the same. Eis looked over at Ruby only to realize she came with no clothes to change into. Eis quickly put on all of her clothes except for her winters coat. Eis turned to Ruby. "Put this on. It will keep you warm during the night." Ruby grabbed it and put it on. It flowed down her frame like a dress. "Th-thank you Miss Schnee." Eis half smiled. "I told you to call me by my first name, Ruby." Ruby stood there swaying back and forth.
Eis picked Ruby up and set her on the makeshift sleeping roll before going into her own. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.
Ruby woke the the sound of the fire sizzling out as if cold water had been thrown on it. Ruby looked up at Eis. "Are you feeling okay?" Ruby blinked a few times before nodding. "Good. I have some food set aside for you over here. We are going to leave very soon. I plan on walking toward a town just a few days walk from here. You need clothes and a home." Ruby's eyes widened to that.
"You're leaving me? B-but you promised… You promised not to leave me!" Eis' looked surprised for a second. "I'm not leaving you. Once we get to town, I'll take you to the city to get you to an orphanage. The life I lead is no life for a child." Ruby stood up.
"Like I said, we are goi-" Ruby pulled the coat off of her body. "Ruby! Put it back on." Ruby looked Eis in the eye. "I don't need clothes or people. I-I don't even want to see my dad! I-I-I just want to stay here with you… " Eis deflated. "Why with me?" Ruby's eyes fell to the ground. "Because I don't want to trust anyone elses kindness. I just want to go wherever you go!"
"There has to be some other reason, Ruby. I refuse that answer." Ruby looked back at Eis. It was the first time that her eyes weren't filled with kindness or pity. It was cold. Ruby tried to say something, anything but none of the words came out.
"I told you to stop hesitating, Ruby. Say what you want." Ruby thought hard. Eis was strong. She could protect herself and defeated the white fang members. Not only that but Eis fed Ruby. She was kind. Like a mother. I want to become a huntress! Yes! That was it!
"I want to become a huntress! I-I want you to train me!" Eis gave her sad, pitying eyes again. "A huntress isn't all about attacking and killing your enemies. Its surviving in inhospitable places, tracking grimm, long missions with little to no sleep, no gold, no honor. Just fighting." Ruby clenched her fists. That's what her father said!
"Shut up! Being a huntress isn't about fame and money! It's about helping others, being an hero they look at and know they're safe! I-I felt so safe around you t-that I just thought that you could teach me… teach me how to be like you!" Eis smiled. "That isn't all, is it?" Ruby felt confused. What else could she possibly mean?
Like a mother.
"I… I want a-a m…." Eis frowned this time. "What?" Ruby took in Eis' face. She felt even less confident now then before. "I said, I was wondering if you could- you know, never mind. Its stupid anyway."
Eis walked towards Ruby until she was right in front of her. Eis sat down on her knees. "Tell me." Ruby looked away from the snow themed women. "I… want my mom back. I thought that-" Eis weighed her options. She was exiled out of her own house, doomed to die by her own husband. She needed to find other maidens to stand a chance at Salem. If she were to take on an apprentice, it would slow her down exponentially. However, this girl was special. Cursed with a healing factor that made no sense to her, changed into a fannus, and so emotionally unstable, she was trying to crown Eis as her mother. If she wanted, Eis could say yes and have a mini, neigh immortal fannus girl at her beck and call. Eis was almost sure with enough training, Ruby would be under her finger for the rest of her life. If she said no, she promised to take Ruby to the city orphanage and then she would be on her merry way trying to find maidens.
"-you could be my mother? I'm sorry, I know it was wei-" Eis hugged Ruby. "Yes." It was just one word. Yet Ruby could almost feel more. "That means that you stay by me, do exactly as i say, and yes, you can call me mom. I'll train you how to survive out here and fight. But do not be mistaken, I won't coddle you and you will have to pull your own weight." Eis pulled away from the hug. "Am I clear?"
"Yes!" Ruby said with a smile, tears on the corner of her eyes.
