A Secret Undone

Hey! So here's the next chapter! Just two pieces of news for you guys. The next chapter might be a little bit delayed due to a few primary engagements, but it shouldn't be delayed by any more than a few days! Sorry to Raging Archon; I received your vote once I had already decided to write the chapter in it's current form, I promise the next time I do a voting thing it'll be up for at least a few days! ww1990ww; Wrath isn't Wrathion, though at the time of making up his name I hadn't actually factored that in, neat idea though!

Also to Raging Archon; good job being the first to name Wrath's race! You get an internet cookie. And to answer your time setting question, Broken Wing is taking place essentially in the present. It will eventually move into the Legion expansion, which will end up being a major point of the story.

Special thanks to Phoenix Wraith for giving me the idea for Cardin to get it handed to him by both Wrath and Blake!

Enjoy!

Before beginning this chapter I ask that you remember those who had their lives robbed from them in the tragedies in Paris, Japan, Germany, Mexico and everywhere else on Friday. It sickens me to think about what those people went through in their final moments, and I hope that they have now found peace, wherever they may be.

"Blake Belladonna and Cardin Winchester, please take your places on either side of the arena." Goodwitch announced, her voice traveling to each and every corner of the room with little trouble. Everyone else had been nearly silent as the two students made their way to the arena. "This will be a standard torment style duel, first combatant to drop their opponents aura into the red is declared the winner."

"You're gonna regret fighting me." Cardin threatened Blake as he heaved his mace above his shoulder, his eyes locked with her own.

"We'll see about that." Blake taunted right back, her hand already on Gambol Shroud's hilt. However Cardin noticed one thing that even Blake seemed to miss. Her stance was relaxed, her eyes barely watching his movements. She was overconfident, and did not even perceive her opponent to be a challenge. Cardin smirked; this was going to be easy.

"Break his legs!" Nora yelled suddenly, smashing the veil of silence like a child wielding a hammer against a glass window.

"And his arms!" Yang added, her own voice doing nothing to quell the echo that Nora's yelling had created. She began to shadow box in the stands, nearly smacking her younger sister a couple of times.

"Just don't lose! I'm begging you; Just. Don't. Lose!" Weiss cried, her hands clasped in front of her in a ball. The last thing she wanted was to suffer through a date with someone like Cardin. "Please! Dating him would be worse than dating Jaune!"

"Hey!"

"Are both combatants ready?" Goodwitch asked, receiving small nods from both sides, though neither broke their gaze from their opponent. "Then let the match..."

A few seconds of tense silence passed, amplified by the soft sound of Glynda's stopwatch ticking quietly. The grips of the two combatants weapons tightened, Blake's finger on Gambol Shroud's trigger, Cardin's wrist tilted in a swinging angle, ready to smack Blake out of the way should she make for a hasty attack.

"...Begin!"

Blake was on Cardin in a second, using Gambol Shroud's sheath to knock the larger students incoming mace out of her path, following up with a fierce kick to the abdomen, before the boy was able to put up any sort of defense, effectively knocking the wind out of Cardin, along with draining a chunk of his aura from the get-go.

Blake's group of friends, along with a few Faunus who came in hopes of watching Cardin learn a lesson, began to cheer from the stands.

"Woo! Make him eat his own mace!" Nora whooped, throwing her arms in the air along with a grin that worried those who had made the unfortunate mistake of sitting near her, minus Ren, who at this point was used to her strange behavior.

Blake was easily winning the duel to anyone who was watching. So far the only person who had taken damage was Cardin. Blake was completely untouched. Even Weiss had begun to cheer, now confident that she would not have to do end time alone with Cardin

As they continued to clash on the arena floor, Blake finally began to take notice of something peculiar. While Cardin had so far been unable to land a hit on her, she was only landing a few hits as well. Cardin was biding his time, fighting defensively. But for what?

Blake was not the only one to notice however. In the stands a certain Arc boy and his hoplite partner had taken interest in how the battle was unfolding. With each strike that Blake landed, the looks of worry on their faces grew, unlike their companions who were whooping and hollering.

"Hey are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Jaune finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper so as to not alert his other friends.

"Yes... This is a strange fighting tactic for Cardin. He's not even trying to use his strength to his advantage..." Pyrrha pressed her closed fist against her lips, her eyes narrowed to slits. "It's almost like... He's letting Blake attack him..."

"Hey wait... Look!... It's Sky and Russel..." Jaune said, noticing Cardin's teammates casually strolling towards the back exit, a small box in the hand of Sky. "What're they doing over there?..."

"Knowing Team CRDL? Nothing good."

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Jaune whispered to Pyrrha as Blake landed another series of hits on her opponent, who still had yet to land even a single hit on Blake.

"So do I..." Pyrrha said, unconsciously scooting closer to Jaune as she did so, eliciting a blush from the blonde knight.

As the fight continued to drag on, with Blake with the clear advantage, Cardin began to grow worried. His defensive strategy, while effective so far, had began to weaken as more and more of his aura faded away, the blows from Gambol Shroud doing more and more harm with each swing.

He could not keep this up much longer. His plan had to come together soon.

"Man Cardin, you couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag!" Yang yelled from the stands, waving both her hands in the air with her middle fingers raised as she did some sort of strange little dance, the grin never leaving her face.

Upon seeing this Cardin's anger finally reached it's boiling point. With a mighty war cry, Cardin began swinging his mace recklessly in his opponents direction, intent on batting Blake across the room with his mace.

However, his rage quickly unbalanced him leaving him open for an opportunity for counter attack, an opportunity that Blake gladly took mere seconds after Cardin's rage induced rampage had begun.

Waiting for just the right moment, just when Cardin was swinging down at her head, Blake activated her semblance, teleporting to just beside Cardin's blow where she viciously slashed Gambol Shroud at his face, giving him a large gash from forehead to cheek that immediately began gushing crimson tears.

Cardin stumbled back in a near drunken manner, clutching his face as blood leaked down his cheek. She had cut him, slashed his face right open in front of a crowd of students and teachers. However unbeknownst to the others in the stadium, Cardin almost had to hide his mouth to cover the smile appearing on his face. All according to plan.

Goodwitch voice then echoed throughout the stadium, ringing in the fingers ears like a mocking imp chirping in his ear. "Cardin's aura has now dropped into the red! I declare Blake Belladonna the win-..."

He would not let it end like this. He would get revenge for what Blake's little friend had done to him on Halloween night. It was time for vengeance.

"NOW!" Cardin bellowed, his own voice nearly overtaking Glynda's own, and within moments a loud click was heard, followed by a strange yellow light shooting out from each side of the arena floor, flying together to form a dome that covered the arena completely like a turtles shell.

"What the-..." Blake cut herself off when she noticed movement to her right. Bending her knees in anticipation, Blake attempted to call on her shadowy semblance to dodge the incoming attack...

...only to end up flying across the arena floor like a rag doll, coming to an abrupt stop when she impacted the yellow tinted dome, her body laying in a crumpled heap at the edge of the arena.

"Blake!" Ruby cried as she and the other members of teams RWBY and JNPR sprang out of their seats and all jumped towards the arena. Ruby was there first, slamming her hands on the dome. A force field, and a strong one at that. "Come on Blake! Get up!"

Blake's vision was hazy. She had been hit, she knew that much. Did her semblance fail to activate for some reason? Was she just too slow to dodge the attack? Her arm itched. She was about to reach over to quell the sensation when she finally looked down at her arm, only to see blood, and that her arm had been slashed open by the sharp claws that made up the body of Cardin's mace.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Cardin roaring brought her back to the situation at hand. He was running over with a vengeance. With a curse, the boy grabbed Blake's hair, the intent to yank Blake's head back at an unnatural angle to cause her pain, only to grab her bow instead.

He pulled. She felt her bow unravel.

Time stood still. The only sound that Blake could hear was that of her own pounding heart, threatening to beat out of her chest. Cardin was standing there, her undone bow in his hand, and an astonished look on his face. She felt the air dance around her exposed ears.

Then it all came rushing back at once.

"You... You're a-..." Cardin shocked voice trailed away, soon replaced by a twisted smile that hung on his face, a predator ready for the kill. He swung his mace around, taunting Blake. "Oh this is gonna be fun..."

The rest of teams RWBY and JNPR attacked the forcefield relentlessly, steel and dust striking the barrier, yet it never gave way. It was far too strong to break through by traditional means. Weiss had even resorted to her glyphs, yet even their power did little to the dust powered shell.

That did not mean that the teams would give in. They would attack until either the field or their weapons gave.

However in the middle of the chaos, Ruby stopped her attacks for but a moment. Was it getting colder or was it just her?

She shrugged it off and continued to slam Crescent Rose against the shield.

"Come on!" Cardin taunted as he swung at Blake once more, just barely missing his mark as she rolled out of the attack. Without her semblance and an injured arm, avoiding the deadly blows was becoming a much more demanding task for the Faunus. "I thought cats were supposed to have claws!"

Weiss stopped attacking to notice something horrible. The various human students were no longer booing and jeering at Cardin but were now cheering him on, a few throwing small insults at Blake. She may have even joined in their cheers once upon a time, her opinion of the Faunus colored in a bad light for as long as she could remember.

But now the only emotion flowing through her was worry for her friend.

"Cardin Winchester! Cease your assault at once! That is an order!" Goodwitch yelled as she threw her own attacks against the dust shield, however despite the force of her blow, the blast only managed to crack the shield, though the crack was a decent one.

Ruby began shivering. The room was definitely growing colder.

"Come on pussy-cat, we're not done!" Cardin taunted, attempting to kick Blake, only for the injured Faunus to dodge out of the way of his blow and slash at his arm with her blade, cutting it open, his blood creating a crimson sheathe for her sword. "Argh! Bitch!"

Blake felt tears stinging her eyes, but fought them back. She would not be weak, she would defeat him, foul play or not. She took a fighting position, ready to do what had to be done. She would never be a killer like Adam, but she would be damned if she did not defend herself. She wouldn't run anymore. She would not need her semblance to defeat Cardin.

That was when she noticed her necklace glowing. A soft purple light emanated from the crystal like a small beacon. It was as if the crystal was reacting to the situation at hand, her emotions.

Her thoughts began to wander as Cardin was recovering from his wound. The noise around her slowly dissipated. The sound of Cardin cursing, of the various blows being made against the shield, even the sound of her own breathing. For but a moment she was surrounded by silence.

Her thoughts inevitably wandered to Sun. How he would be next to her standing against this threat. His last words to her. How much pain she had been through in the last year.

Her thoughts began to twist and turn as her mind continued to drift. Slowly Sun's smiling face began to fade away in her minds eye. His face slowly dissipated into the void, replaced by another. One covered by a hood.

Sun.

Sun..

Sun...

...Wrath...

A rushing of wind was heard. Before Blake could refocus on the situation, her necklace was suddenly ripped from her neck by some unknown force, the crystal landing on the floor between Cardin and Blake.

Silence.

Slowly purple clouds began to form around the crystal, building up the structure of what appeared to be a crude doorway, with the crystal floating at the tip of the arch. It was a doorway, seemingly disappearing into nothing, a void.

Suddenly, before Cardin could even think to dodge, a large purple hand, made of some sort of dark energy, shot from the mass of clouds, capturing him in their grip and launching him against his own shield with a sickening crunch. holding him there limp as a rag doll. Blake was relatively sure that it wasn't the shield that made that sound.

A moment later a man stepped out of the portal. The hand of dark energy had originated from this man's palm. But that was not what caught the attention of so many in the arena. It was his armor that came into view once the man's cloak fell to the ground. Armor that the crafter had obviously had put quite a bit of time into.

The plate was either a black or deep purple in different places, with glowing spaces on the armor which radiated a blue energy. Skull designs dominated the armor. It was designed to insure the terror of an opponent, and it was currently working wonders on Cardin.

The man turned to face Blake. His face was a bit more attractive from those she was used to seeing, that was for sure. Nothing seemed completely out of place however, aside from his ears, which appeared much larger than the average humans.

But then she saw them. His eyes. His glowing blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when she finally realized just who she was looking at. Wrath. "Blake are you-..."

Wrath trailed off when he noticed that Blake's bow was missing. He was ready to ask her when he trailed his eyes down to her arm, finally noticing the large tear on her skin. It was dripping with fresh blood. Blake's blood, courtesy of the man that he currently held aloft. He had caused this. He had been the one who was responsible for the state his friend was in.

"Band'or bash'a no falor talah..."* Wrath hissed turning back to Cardin, his voice nearly overcome with anger. With a snap of the wrist, Wrath sent Cardin to another end of the force field, while in his other hand he focused a ball of icy blue magic, launching it towards Cardin's chest. It found the mark, making the ginger haired man scream in agony.

It felt as if his heart was slowing down, being frozen from inside of his body.

Wrath was silently as he trudged up to his opponent, using the strange magical hand he conjured to slam Cardin against the shield once more. Unbeknownst to him, he was repeatedly slamming Cardin against the already sizable crack that Glynda had made on the shield earlier. With every impact the crack grew larger.

Suddenly the blows ended, the repeating sound of armor slamming against barrier quickly replaced by silence. The members of teams RWBY and CRDL long since ended, the group now watching the events unfolding in the dome. It was quiet for but a moment.

The sound of a blade being drawn broke the silence, it's menacing hiss all the more prevalent thanks to the lack of noise. Blake snapped her head to up see Wrath holding a blade. The same blade from her dream; the same blade that had ended that woman's life. And he was walking towards Cardin with it.

"STOP!" Wrath froze, his eyes losing their rage when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Turning on his heel, he found not another opponent, but Blake covered in his cloak that he had earlier discarded, her ears hidden by the dark fabric. "Don't do it... You know what you're about to do is wrong..."

His eyes seemed to flash with realization for a moment, quickly replaced by what Blake could only guess was a look of sadness. With a sigh, the blue eyed man walked over to Cardin, kneeling down to tear Blake's bow from the shattered grip of the boy.

Blake found the bow in her hand once more a moment later.

Without saying so much as a word Wrath turned away from Blake, picking up the discarded crystal and grasping it in his palm. Within a few seconds a gate made out of the strange shadow clouds had appeared on the arena floor once more.

Wrath was through it before Blake could reach for him, the doorway dissipating upon his departure, leaving only the crystal necklace laying innocently on the ground, as if it was just any old piece of jewelry. A piece of jewelry that Blke was all too quick to snatch from the floor once more.

Blake's attention was finally redirected to her present situation when Ruby let out a war cry that a fully fledged huntresses would have been proud of, swinging Crescent Rose down on the shield, it's blade slicing it's way through the dust field, causing the entire structure to shatter in a million different shards.

The rest of Team RWBY was on Blake in a second, their bodies being used as some form of shield to protect their friend from the many glares being sent their way. They could take the glares. The ire from the more racist factions in the school population was something that they were all to happy to deal with. Their only mission now was to get Blake out of there.

"Your show now sis." Yang said, her gauntlets aimed at the crowd, ready to block any student fired projectiles to come their way.

Ruby nodded, activating her essence after wrapping the rest of her team in a bear hug, all 4 girls retreating from the room, all while the other students and teachers ran over to the shattered form that was Cardin.

She was calm. It was going to be alright. Surely only a few people saw before Wrath stepped in right? Nothing to worry about.

"Blake. I dont think the alarm clock did anything to you..."

Ok, maybe she was a little anxious.

"C'mon kitty-cat, just sit down. Pacing is just going to make you more freaked out." Yang said as she sat on Blake's bed, patting the spot next to her after moving Gambol Shroud, which Blake had thrown when they had first entered the room.

"I think I have a right to be freaked out!" Blake, still wrapped in the cloak, cried as her pace only increased to match her growing panic. Who was she kidding? Everyone in the stadium had seen her!

"Ok. Maybe you do..." Yang muttered, but put a somewhat forced smile on her face. It would do no good for Yang or the others to show concern or worry while Blake was in such a state. "But still, pacing isn't going to change anything. Just sit, let your mind calm down for a sec."

"Easy for you to say!" Nevertheless Blake complied with her friends request, burying her head in her hands the moment that she made contact with the bed, muffling her voice. "I can't believe this..."

Yang sighed, placing her hand on Blake's uninjured arm. "Look, I know it doesn't look good, but I'm sure everything's gonna be fine. I mean the absolute worst case scenario is a few students dislike you... None of our friends are going to turn on you, they never w-..."

"Don't preach to me about friends not turning on one another..." Blake interrupted with venom in her voice, moving her shoulder out of Yang's grip.

A moment later Blake's crystal began to faintly glow. Knowing what was about to happen, Blake haphazardly tossed the necklace to the middle of the room, watching silently as the shadowy doorway from before began to take shape once more, from which Wrath stepped out a moment later.

Blake was standing in a moment, her gaze hardened despite the panic that still lay under her glare. "I didn't need defending Wrath..."

"You were wounded Blake; I wasn't going to let him hurt you." The man answered almost immediately, his gaze almost as hard as the one he was receiving. Ruby nearly intervened, making to put herself between the two, but was stopped by Yang's arm, along with a shake of the head from the same girl.

"I'm not a child. I can take care of myself." Blake said, her face drawing closer to Wrath's. His eyes were locked onto hers, yet they lacked the fire that Blake expected to find.

"...I recognize that." Wrath acknowledged, causing Blake's eye's to widen in surprise for just a moment before they returned to their original glare, though she opted to back away a bit. "I realize you would have defeated him without my help, but that doesn't mean-...'

"So then why did you step in? I could've taken him!" She interrupted, though the anger in her voice was quickly losing it's ferocity.

"Because what kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

Her anger was shattered. Her shoulders fell, her gaze softening. Wrath's eyes retained their drive, though Blake could now see there was no anger in them. It was concern. Concern for her.

"Fine.." Blake let herself crack a genuine smile for a moment, before it was replaced with a determined grin. "But next time, let me deal with him."

"Understood." Wrath laughed, before reaching into a small black cloth pouch that was hanging from his belt, pulling out a light blue roll of cloth that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight streaming through the window. "Sit. Let's see if we can get that bandaged up Before you bleed all over the place."

Blake slowly shook her head. "My aura will heal it eventually. Don't waste-..."

"Oh just freakin' let him!" Yang interrupted her friend, throwing her arms up.

Wrath had to hold back his laughter when Blake complied, holding her still bleeding arm out to him, which he got to work wrapping up with the blue cloth.

Blake nearly sighed in contentment when the fabric touched her wound. She had expected to feel a stinging pain, or at least a bit of discomfort, but instead was feeling the exact opposite. It was as if the bandage was healing her the moment it touched her skin.

"So question. How did you even know she was fighting?" Ruby asked when the silence in the room was beginning to grow uncomfortable.

"That crystal that I gave her? It's a Scourgestone." Wrath answered, never taking his gaze away from Blake as he worked on her arm, using small bits of his power to further numb Blake's wound.

"Oh okay!... What's that?" Ruby pressed, completely stumped.

"It's a gem that I'm able to see and hear out of, and communicate through if the one holding the stone know what they're doing." Wrath explained, a small smile on his face. He would have to teach them sometime. "Think of it like one of your scrolls, just tiny. It also lets me create 'Death Gates', the thing I've been using to travel to your world, though it only allows me to travel to the location of the Scourgestone."

Weiss was quick to interrupt in the conversation. "Wait, what do you mean by see ou-..."

"And done!" Wrath proudly explained, displaying Blake's bandaged arm with a grin on his face. He was getting better at this whole 'first aid' thing.

After Wrath finally released her arm, Blake slipped the hood off of her head and made to put on her bow, but was stopped by Wrath's hand finding purchase on her raised elbow.

"You really shouldn't cover them." He said, lowering his hand.

"Why not?" Blake tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. Wrath froze at this. Why did he want her to keep it off? He quickly came up with a passable excuse, nearly tripping over his own words.

"Everyone knows now. It's not like they'll forget you have them." He shrugged, hoping to sound convincing, before nearly silently adding. "And besides, I like them."

"You like them?" Blake asked, causing Wrath to recoil. How had she heard him? He had practically whispered those words yet she had evidently heard them clear as day. He got his answer when one of her ears twitched. Of course; amplified hearing.

"Have I ever said I didn't?"

"Well no but yours isn't exactly the popular opinion among humans." Blake explained, a silent sigh escaping her. She was going to be dealing with quite a few of those humans soon enough.

"Do I look human?"

"I dunno. Sorta."

"As do you. Yet you aren't."

"Uh... What?" Ruby interrupted, attempting to keep track of the statements being thrown around on her fingers. It was going about as well as one would expect.

"Don't worry. What you look like doesn't matter, or at least shouldn't matter, to anyone." Wrath put his hand on Blake's shoulder for a moment, giving it a reassuring squeeze before the portal, the death gate, began to form once again.

Blake nodded silently before removing the cloak she had been wearing, holding the dark cloth up to Wrath, but he merely held his hand up, denying the fabric. "Keep it. I can always get another one."

"Thanks..."

"But before I go... Would you ever want to see each other more often? Just do stuff?" Wrath noticed Blake's suddenly hesitant face after a few moments of awkward silence, and laughed. "As friends I mean."

Blake smiled, her sudden spike in nerves calmed once more. "As friends."

After a few more minutes of idle chatter between the occupants of the room Wrath clapped his hands together, interrupting Ruby's rant on weapons. "Anyway, I should get going! It's nearly time for dinner! Bye now!"

"Wait, can I just ask-..." Blake attempted, but before she could even finish her statement Wrath fell into the portal without another word, the clouds dissipating behind him. He was making a habit of it Blake noted.

"So... As friends huh?" Yang whispered to herself, quiet enough that she was almost sure even Blake would not be able to hear her. "Baby steps."

"Wha?" Blake asked. While she had heard Yang saying something, she could not quite make it out due to Weiss shuffling around a few papers on the desk as she fussed about with her hair.

"Oh nothing! You feeling better?" Yang asked, a hopeful grin appearing on her face.

"Yeah..." Blake glanced down at the bow, a smile appearing in her face. She had an idea as to what she could do with this. "I do. I... Finally feel better."

"Good." Yang says with a warm smile that turns into a grin as she throws her arms around Weiss shoulders, the young heiress squeaking at the sudden impact. "So... Who's up for 'Scary Movie Monday' in team JNPR's room?"

"Do they Know that we'll be there this time?" Blake asked, the smile never leaving her face.

"Yes mom!..." Yang laughed, shaking her head. "Man Jaune nearly jumps out of one little window and all of a sudden you all become no fun!"

"Well maybe if you hadn't grabbed his shoulders and screamed 'Kali Ma', then he wouldn't have Tried to jump out the window!" Ruby interjected with a laugh of her own, almost matching Yang's in volume.

"Yeah, yeah."

"...Is that an megaphone?"

"Yee-up." Yang puts on a shit-eating grin, rushing out of the room with Weiss close behind, hoping to stop whatever torture she was about to force the other team to endure.

Blake rolled her eyes at her teams antics, a smile on her face before she made to follow her friends into team JNPRs room. However, mid-stride she stopped, turning on her heel to face Ruby, who was texting someone on her scroll.

"Hey Ruby?"

"Sup?" Ruby said, looking up from her scroll.

Blake held up her bow slowly, bringing it to the younger girls line of sight. With trembling voice she asked, "Can you just tie this on my arm? I don't want to try while I'm still wrapped up."

Ruby smiled. So someone had finally gotten through to Blake. "Sure."

Ruby bounded over in a second, practically snatching the bow from Blake's hand before she got to work, tying it in a traditional style to the Faunus's unijured arm while Blake watched.

A moment later Ruby announced that she was finished. Blake strolled over to glance in the mirror to admire her handiwork. It did look much better on her arm.

With that, she turned to Ruby, giving the girl a small nod before they turned to leave, locking their door behind them, ready for a night full of scary movies in team JNPRs abode.

She really did feel much better.

.

.

"KALI MA!"

"AAHHH! DAMNIT YANG!"

"NO JAUNE! NOT THE WINDOW!"

"So do you feel like telling me how you managed to lose your favorite cloak?" The blonde young man asked, another glass of wine in his hand as he stared at Wrath, who's hood was down around his shoulders, the new cape caught under his back.

Wrath shrugged, seemingly uninterested at the lose of his favorite cloak. "Frostblight ate it."

"Frostblight? Your undead dragon? He ate it, huh?" The young man asked, the humor in his voice not quite lost upon his Death Knight companion.

"Exactly." Wrath said, making a jaw with his hands as if to emphasis his point. "In one big chomp. Tragic really."

The blonde young man chuckled. "Very well. You are entitled to your secrets."

"Aw, don't believe me?"

"Eh, call it a hunch."

A few minutes of silence passed between the two. However as time passed the silence began to become kore and more uncomfortable for one of the balcony's visitors. He turned to face his friend once more.

"Tell me something Wrath... Have you ever loved anybody?"

Wrath nearly froze at this, though he never let the shock show openly on his face. "Hmm... That's a good question... I think so, though I can't say for certain."

"You think so?"

"Well I've never been in love before, so I don't exactly have a point of reference." Wrath pauses to look down at his wine. His thoughts drifted to Blake. Her laughter, her smile, her eyes, and yes, her ears. Why was he thinking of her suddenly? "I can't be sure, so why let the emotions control me?"

"Interesting outlook. I wish I could live my daily life in such a manner."

"What do you mean?" Wrath asked, his voice laced with the position. He was relatively sure he knew what his friend would say, yet he let him speak. Assumptions never ended well in his experience.

"To not have to think about such-..."

Wrath interrupted him right there. He was right. "Is this about the suitors arriving next month?"

"...Yes..."

"You need to stop worrying about that. Your father isn't forcing you to choose a bride quite yet..." Wrath laughed as he glanced down to the citizens in the bustling streets below. "Knowing him, he would be happier to see you marry a farmer that you loved instead of a noble you barely knew. He wants you to be happy, that's his main goal in all of this."

"I know... I just-..." The young man took a moment to compose himself, running his fingers through his mane of blonde hair. "I just want to find someone in my own time. No gimmicks, no arrangements beforehand."

"You will. Don't worry." Wrath sipped his wine, giving a content sigh. He always enjoyed these moments. Moments of peace and tranquility. "Who knows, you might end up meeting this mysterious 'love of your life' at the ceremony."

"I highly doubt that."

"Yet you believe Death Knights possess the capability to love?"

"If you were incapable of love, how would you be capable of compassion or kindness?" The young man was quick with his retorts, and the smirk on his face was about as obvious as Wrath's glowing eyes.

"Mm... I suppose your argument is a valid one." Wrath surrendered, his cup finding it's way to his lips once more.

"So you admit that you are able to love then?"

"No I-..." He stopped. His thoughts were dominated once more by images Blake. His desire to protect her. His anger upon seeing her in danger. He was no stranger to anger, being a death knight. But seeing her in danger, it triggered something in him. Something major. "I suppose-... It wouldn't be impossible."

"Good to know." The young man finished the last of his wine and clanged the mug against the stone balcony, causing Wrath to turn to him. "Shall we return to the wonderful world of diplomacy my elven friend?"

"Yes..." Wrath smiled fondly as Blake's smiling face crossed his mind one final time one last time before throwing his hood back over his head. "Let's."

* Prepare to taste the true chill of death...

And that's the chapter! Now a question for all of you. I need to think about what the Christmas special will be for this fic, and I was just wondering if the RWBY universe had it's own name for Christmas? If it does please let me know! Oh also, Happy 11th Birthday to World of Warcraft! Other than that thank you for reading and have an excellent day!

Edit; Hoo boy I found a lot of spelling errors after I put this sucker up. They should mostly be fixed now. Oh, I also forgot to mention I'm probably going to be starting a one-shot collection series too of little events that wouldn't have flowed too well within the main story, but were still ideas I had issues with just tossing to the side. You can say they're cannon or non-cannon (as cannon as a WoW/RWBY fic can be anyways.) I'll try to stick to main points of the story but don't be surprised if a relationship flashes forwards in the one-shots from time to time. They'll still eventually end up somewhere in the storyline. Have a good day!