RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, of which I am not a part of.
5,000+ word chapter today. Enjoy!
April 14th: Light and Dark
Drifting white stuck against blackened trunks. The air was foggy and thick with dusting snowflakes as the wind ripped through the tree-line.
Curled up and guarded from the brisk air within the roots of one of the mighty oaks sat the autumn goddess, hugging her knees to her chest.
Blake always hated this season. It was simply too cold. Her silky ears burned in the frigid breeze as she sighed, breathe rising into the leafless canopy. The lack of cover made her feel exposed as she grumbled at her misfortune.
I hate this. I hate this so, so much.
If only I could have made it further south this year…
She hung her head and sighed again. A dark goddess! How could it have come to this?! To suffer this misfortune for all eternity… What did I do to deserve this?!
…no, I know perfectly well what I did…
Suddenly, feline ears pricked up at the sudden sound of shuffling snow. An audible huff made Blake turn her head, looking around the base of her claimed tree to see another being coming in her direction.
Drawing back into her small shelter, Blake hid amongst the shadows of the wood, only amber eyes visible in the darkness. She held the air in her lungs as two feet kicked past, only for her to jolt as the figure hit a root and plunged down into the snow.
The other girl managed to push herself up, muttering something inaudible as she shook flakes from her already-white hair. She let out an exasperated sigh, only to open her azure eyes and let out a shriek, stumbling back. Crows scattered overhead at the sound.
Pointing a finger directly at Blake's face, the woman's words were disorganized, her voice shaking with fear. "W-w-what are you- I- w-who?!"
"No! No, please. Don't shout. Here, let me-" The black-haired goddess instinctively extended out an arm towards the fallen girl, trying to make herself as non-threatening as someone who had just stalked out of the shadows possibly could.
As the hand was offered, the unknown figure put her accusing digit down, her terrified expression slowly morphing into a confused look before raising her eyebrows in amazement.
The being in front of her was inhumanly gorgeous. Her hair was woven into small, onyx waves that danced down towards her back. Her amber gaze sparkled even as she pulled herself along the ground, her posture apologetic and careful. The small appendages on her head, quite frankly, only seemed to confirm her suspicions.
It seemed that the rumors were true. A forest spirit had become the fall goddess.
"You're… the autumn protector, aren't you?"
Blake immediately pulled back towards the roots, eyes wide and as terrified as those of her accuser's just a moment ago.
Run. Worry about the snow later. RUN.
She tried to make a break for it, only for her arm to be caught in a grip that she failed to struggle out of.
"Wait! Please, I'm… I've been looking for you. I was asked to seek you out."
Those words made the deity freeze, strength leaving her body. She turned back to the other girl timidly. "There… was a summoning?"
Now that she got a look at the woman, she realized that this was no ordinary messenger. She wasn't dealing with a simple servant of the gods; the person holding onto her was immortal, just like her. Studying the icy features closely, Blake could already guess what she was dealing with before the words even left their mouth.
"My name is Weiss. I'm the new winter protector. I was asked by the summer goddess to come out to these woods and find you. Apparently," her voice suddenly shifted towards a more annoyed tone, "your refusal to show up for your very first role as the seasonal protector caused this years' crops to fail. Yang wants to find out what exactly you've been doing when you were supposed to helping the people who worship us!"
The incriminating tone set the brunette's hair bristling. She shot a glare over her shoulder that was thoroughly returned. The deity standing before her couldn't be much older than herself, but none of that mattered. She was caught.
To think, if I'd made it a little further, I might have been free from…
If she really was the winter goddess, Weiss undoubtedly held the seasonal power at the moment, which meant that running or fighting simply weren't options, whether or not the forest was her domain.
But she wasn't going back. She couldn't. Thus, Blake opted for a more diplomatic approach.
"Perhaps I could discuss the incident with you? You could go back early and tell Miss Yang what happened. I promise to follow when spring arrives; I'll die outside my lands in the snow."
All she got back was a dumbfounded expression. "You're joking. You don't actually think I'm stupid enough to believe that you'll just come back without me?"
Blake's feline ears flattened against her head as she squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed that 'new' didn't necessarily mean 'foolish'.
Well, it was worth a shot.
"I guess it can't be helped. I'll stay here with you until winter ends."
Golden eyes flew open as Blake gave Weiss a bewildered expression. "You can't be serious…"
The snow-haired girl looked back, her face unmoved. "If you're too afraid of a little frost, I'm not going to force you. I can't just leave you here alone, though. So, I'll stay." She stomped her foot, as though this would emphasize her point.
Under her breath, she whispered to herself. "It's not like I'd hate to spend the months with such a beautiful goddess."
Blake's ears twitched in shock as she felt heat crawl up her face, looking away in an attempt to hide her blush. While she hadn't heard the girl's mumbles before, she'd DEFINITELY heard that.
Setting up a stone façade on her face, the autumn goddess led her guest into her spot under the trunk of her tree.
Whilst three months might seem like an eternity for a human, immortals could easily pass by weeks as though they were hours. Soon, Weiss was laughing as they sat together, telling lighthearted stories of the darkened woman's past. She returned the hospitality with her own tales.
It wasn't long before Blake became quite grateful for the company.
Yet, as soon as the words passed from her guest's lips…
"So… what happened? Why are you-?"
"I DON'T-" She cut off her yell, though Weiss was already reeling back. "I- don't want to talk about it. Not now."
That was a bold-faced lie and she knew it. It wasn't something she'd ever want to talk about. Why she'd become a dark goddess. Why she was now the autumn protector. She'd carry it with her until time itself unraveled or she was destroyed by a more powerful being or some other cruel fate that could bring about the end of an immortal.
It was simply a failure that she couldn't forgive herself for.
No more issues surfaced, though, and soon Weiss couldn't stop thinking of her new friend as they spent every day together. Blake, the gorgeous autumn protector. The words simply seemed to flow together in her mind. She felt her frigid posture melt away whenever they stood together in the forest. Whenever their shoulders would brush, her cheeks lit up pink.
That winter ended up being milder than the previous ones, as Weiss performed her seasonal duties with enthusiasm that she'd never remembered possessing before.
Blake soon realized that she was falling for Weiss as well. She'd found herself tracing every movement of the winter goddess's graceful posture, listening cheerfully to the songs that the bright deity would sing into the brisk morning air, to settle the harshest of the blizzards that season had to offer. Soon, she couldn't deny it to herself any longer: She wanted to know if those small lips tasted as fresh as morning frost. And so, as the snow began to subdue, Blake brought them to her own.
It seemed they did. She purred, which made the girl in her arms giggle.
The dark goddess felt, for the first time, that she could come to love this cold and bitter season.
Before long, water began to drip from the overhead branches and leaf buds began to form on the ends of twigs. Despite the lovely time she'd had, Weiss pulled Blake through the gap between the tree's roots and turned back to her, love-struck yet still determined.
"Come now. Even if you do not wish to, we must return. I must pass on the seasonal power to the spring goddess, Ruby, and you must explain yourself to the summer goddess, Yang."
The dark goddess knew this. She had certainly wished to leave this land, to fade into ancient legend, yet she also didn't want to leave the Snow Angel she'd grown so fond of. It felt like leaving now would only make her existence bleak and meaningless without this wonderful being showering her with affection.
…even if she felt she didn't deserve such a joyful fate.
Still, without resistance, she followed Weiss back to the temple, the ancient site in their lands that the four seasonal goddesses were supposed to share equally.
Stones carved millennia ago lay tattered along the mossy brick floor. Several large morals, depicting the first four protectors and their followers, rose up towards the collapsed roof, each picture marred by the uncountable number of seasons that had gone by.
As they approached the large table in the middle of the hall, Blake spotted two figures in flowing dresses. Weiss ran ahead and intertwined her hands with those of the shorter, red-haired girl.
"And it is onto you I pass this ancient power, to protect the people of this land and to uphold the balance and order that sets it apart from the untamed wilderness that surrounds it. May you treat those who inhabit these lands with mercy and kindness as they pass through the ages, undaunted by the challenges that they may face."
A silver glow grew from her heart and surrounded her, before extending to the spring goddess and engulfing her as well, shrinking until it only shone from the other girl's chest.
As Ruby opened her eyes, she beamed at her friend. "Weiss, last season was absolutely wonderful! You did an incredible job as the new winter goddess! I'm so proud of you!" She threw her hands around the white-haired girl.
Though sputtering at the initial contact, the snow-colored goddess eventually returned the hug with a small smile. "Well, that should be obvious." She said confidently. "I'm older than you after all; if you've handled it plenty of times before, I certainly can."
Blake felt a knot of jealousy form in her stomach that she quickly forced down. Instead, she took in the sight with awe. Ruby's skin radiated with the happiness and energy of the newly-transferred power, whilst Weiss still looked as stunning as she had all winter. The act itself was a sight to behold.
It certainly seems a lot happier than…
Darker thoughts vanished instantly as a large, blonde figure approached her. Blake felt many emotions pass through her as the girl stood in front of her, sun shining along her outline as she smirked.
The autumn goddess gulped. T-this is the summer protector?
She quickly scanned the other girl's body, starlit eyes taking every little detail of the woman in front of her. The golden strands of her hair. The lilac pools that stared back into her. The full curves of her…
As soon as Blake realized what she was doing, however, she tried (and failed) to tear her gaze away and flushed hard under the eyes of the one who would be punishing her.
"Blake," Weiss said, coming over with the newly-empowered spring protector, "this is Yang, the summer goddess and Ruby's older sister. She's the one who asks me to… find…" Her words quickly faded as she followed the former's look to the latter, her face suddenly scrunching up into a scowl.
The blonde girl let out a laugh that sent the brunette's heart fluttering. She took a step forwards and bent down a little to bring their eyes to the same level. Tilting her head, the goddess searched through her expression. "So, you're the troublemaker who didn't show up for last autumn." She smiled again. "Well, you're certainly beautiful enough to be a goddess."
Blake kept her gaze fixated on her feet and her hands clasped together below her stomach, hoping beyond reason that her face wasn't betraying her heart. She felt sweat build on her forehead as the summer protector gave her the once-over, bristling in embarrassment as the other girl examined her arm and choking back a cry as fingers traced through her hair.
Ruby let out a quiet chuckle at her sister's antics. Weiss was significantly less amused, her glower only increasing in intensity.
"Uh, Yang. You said you wanted me to bring her here so you could discuss the events from last year, right?" Her tone showed impatience similar to that which the brunette had heard when she had first met the girl in the snowy forest.
"Hmm?" The goddess in question looked up, eyes distant and confused before quickly softening. "Oh, yes, you're right. Well," She traced another finger along Blake's shoulder, sending chills down the autumn deity's spine. "I'm sure it's fine. After all, if Miss Pyrrha gave her power to this girl, I'm certain we can trust whatever she has to say. Wouldn't you say?"
The mention of the previous autumn goddess caused the blood in Blake's veins to freeze.
She knew, better than anyone else, that she didn't deserve the power she held.
Weiss noticed the brunette hitch her breath at the name and directed her gaze at her, but only a second later shook her head from whatever her thought was and nodded. "I- yes. I certainly thought so."
Blake smiled gratefully at the white-haired girl she'd fallen for, only for her gaze to be drawn to those lilac eyes once more.
The new protector was allowed to stay in the temple. Her new friends visited her every day as the season wore on, the countryside flourishing with Ruby's spirit as buds broke and the people of the land set to tiling the land to prepare their crops with enthusiasm, in spite of last year's failure.
The more she and Yang talked, the more Blake began sensing a familiar compassion, just like she had experienced with Weiss only a few months before. She simply couldn't deny it to herself that she'd fallen for the summer goddess. Every night, when the larger girl would leave, she'd find herself pacing, lost in thought, waiting for the sun to rise again and for her newly beloved to return at dawn.
Weiss seemed to understand this, and she made it clear she wasn't happy about it.
The sunlight of the season shone down upon her each day when Yang came to greet her. Such sights seemed to bring light to Blake's world once again, even as she felt herself draw back to the darken corners of the ruins.
Each day, however, Weiss tended to snap more and more at the blonde girl. The smaller girl's temper visibly began to flare up.
As the sun rose higher each noon, the summer goddess began teasing her winter counterpart, intentionally setting up her wording to trip up the smaller deity. Things only grew worse as summer approached and the blonde girl became more and more confident with her taunts.
The fighting started to concern Blake, as she still had a great amount of love for the winter girl. Eventually, Ruby tried to intervene, only to be scared off by Weiss's shouting despite her own power of the season.
Even after the power changed hands again, sparks were flying. Outside of the temple, the duo continued to bicker. Yang always had a sly smirk on her face whilst Weiss's tone grew more furious as each day passed. The first crackles of thunder began booming in the distance, signaling the war engulfing the heavens.
Fighting followed shortly. The blonde held back considerably; if she hadn't, the battle would have likely been over on the first day. Even though her powers were at their weakest this time of the year, the snow-haired goddess never showed the mercy of her opponent. Hail rained down on towns as the war raged on. The people prayed to the winter protector for peace, but their calls were ignored as the feud raged on.
Soon, hits started to land. It got so bad that Yang began abandoning her seasonal duties to fight back, causing harsh heatwaves that threatened to destroy the year's crops for a second time. Ruby hid from the clashes, her power already fading throughout summer. Rainless storms raged throughout the season, the people growing more and more concerned as each day went on. Blake grew terrified, not knowing how to stop the two women she'd come to care so much about.
On the last day of summer, it all came crashing down. A bolt of lightning struck Yang just above the heart. The wound was grave.
As her rage subsided, Weiss realized what she had just done.
…but Blake realized sooner.
She ran to the fallen maiden, draping her arms over the blonde and closely examining the wound. As the winter goddess timidly approached, the brunette snapped at her (though what she said, she couldn't remember), tears filling her eyes.
Shame and guilt broke out across the porcelain face, all anger present within it only moments ago now replaced with horror and pain. She ran off, leaving the temple and retreating into her own domain.
The moon began to cover the sun that day, sending the people of the nation into a panic. But just before the eclipse became total, clouds appeared in the sky and it began to pour.
And it didn't stop.
Blake held Yang in her arms, scared that her powers wouldn't be enough to heal the mutilation. She laid the blonde girl in her lap for the entire season, crying hopelessly as the land flooded. She never noticed when the seasonal powers passed to her as the crippled woman whispered silently, fading in and out of consciousness; the experience had been too painful for her to think.
Her tears fell for the woman in her lap, who had paid dearly for choosing to care about her so much.
She sobbed for Weiss, who would certainly now suffer the affliction of a dark goddess for her actions.
And she cried for herself. For allowing herself to be the cause of it all.
Before she had been a dark goddess, Blake had been a minor light spirit. Her following was small but humble; a village known as Kuo Kuana. She could not do much but her land allowed her chosen few to hunt, explore and feast in happiness.
Each time the head priest of her town's temple died, she would appoint a new one. Her last one had gone by the name of Adam, a powerful sorcerer.
She could never fully recount what had happen; it had all occurred so fast. The man's lust for power drove him to create his own following, separate from that of the land's patron spirit. The zealous of her village lashed out against him, only to be punished. Harshly.
Soon, Blake realized that she didn't have the power to stop him on her own. Thus, she had called upon the autumn protector, Pyrrha, to help her rid the town of the madman.
It became clear, however, that they had horribly underestimated him.
The battle was fierce and bloody. Many innocents were killed in the crossfire. Her village was burnt to the ground and, though Adam perished, Pyrrha fell as well.
As she crossed back into the higher planes, she bestowed upon Blake the powers of her season. And since she had acquired the power through the death of the giver, the spirit became a dark goddess, cursed with the misfortune she had brought upon others.
The red-haired goddess had claimed that she would create a wonderful legacy. But now Blake knew that she could only cause pain to those that came close to her.
Now she only wished that she'd never met Weiss in the woods. That she hadn't allowed these events to happen again.
As she retold the events out loud to herself once more, she never noticed the girl below her shift slowly.
Ruby herself was horrified when she came upon her sister, lying unconscious and wounded in her new friend's arms. When she learned of the events that had transpired, she fell quiet and stayed with the autumn protector throughout the months. She spoke of her memories spent playing with her older sister down by the sea, laughing in the warmer months of each year.
As the brunette healed the blonde girl, her spring counterpart would read her stories from the old tomes of the temple, ensuring that she had some company as weeks passed on. Soon, the rain began to subside, keeping at a drizzle but never truly ending.
One day, Ruby told the dark goddess that she would go out and try to find Weiss again. She'd leave for many days at a time, her return marked by the pricking up of ears, which fell every time as Ruby lowered her red travelling hood and only shook her head, unsuccessful in her search.
In truth, Blake couldn't tell if meeting Weiss again would make the either of the dark goddesses happy again.
Eventually, as the winter months drew near once more, Yang finally opened her eyes.
Relief washed over the autumn protector, her heart aching from the power she'd kept up and the suffering she'd felt for so long. Finally, the rain that had shrouded the land dissipated completely and the people were amazed to find their crop-fields lush with plant life as the sun crept out of the clouds.
Blake brought her head down to the lips below her, a warm kiss shared between them. As she drew back, the blonde deity got up and looked around. "Where's Weiss?" She asked, her eyes filled with worry.
The amber gaze of the girl beside her was pulled to the ground. "She… left. Ruby hasn't been able to find her for months."
At this, Yang frowned. She growled in annoyance. "Seriously?! She just up and leaves without a word? That's rather rude of her."
The brunette goddess didn't reply, not commenting on the summer protector's complete overlook of the winter girl's higher crimes. Her amber eyes still shone with long-shed tears.
"I shouldn't have come here; I should have just left." She sniffed.
At this, a hand forcefully brought her eyes up to meet lilac. "Don't say that, Blake." Her tone was warm and meaningful, a smile coming to her face even as she winced with soreness. "Even if you aren't happy that we met, I am…"
"WHY?!"
The shout caused Yang to draw back, surprised.
She was barely composed but Blake managed to keep her voice straight. "Why would you be happy that I let this happen to you? You should hate me! You should hate me for letting everything happen all over again, for letting me hurt you! For letting Weiss hurt you BECAUSE of me! Even if you don't blame me for this, you shouldn't be happy that I let other people suffer!"
"…but I am."
The words caught her off-guard.
"Blake, the fact that you stayed with me for so long, that you even helped the people whilst we were suffering… that is more than enough to make me happy that all of this happened. It shows how much you care about me." Yang brought her hand up to her cheek, her expression still pleasant. "And your words have shown me how much you care about Weiss as well."
The autumn goddess choked back a sob, rubbing newly-formed tears from the edges of her eyes.
"Come on, we should go find her." The larger girl pulled Blake to her feet. "I won't be satisfied until I see her smile again."
The words warmed the other goddess's heart. She herself had already forgiven Weiss during the autumn months, but the fact that Yang could so easily pardon Weiss was…
Actually, it only confused Blake even more.
The brunette shook her head, her ears flat against her head. "I don't understand. How can you forgive her for what she's done to you?"
Yang could only roll her eyes. "Oh, come on, do I need to repeat myself? Look, let me put it this way: Do you think she's glad that she hurt me?"
She received another shake of the head in return.
"Exactly. That's because she made a mistake. And she's allowed to make that mistake, because she did so without trying to. Besides, even if she's become a dark goddess," she gripped the sleeves of her beloved's gown, "I happen to already know one who's shown me how much it doesn't matter. And I don't want her to feel bad because of this. Now, let's go. Winter's on its way and Weiss needs to do her duty."
"But... where will we look?"
"Don't worry. I might have an idea of where she may be."
For the first time in about half a year, Blake smiled again.
They headed to the lake within Weiss's domain, its mirror-like water filled with golden and red leaves and shadows from the forest trees. As they approached the shore, Yang found herself ambushed by her little sister, the smaller girl hugging her and sobbing with relief, her stone-mask of a face having broken down at the sight of her sibling standing and well once again. It took a while for the blonde to apologize to the younger goddess for scaring her.
She helped the pair cross over to the island in the middle of the crystalline sea, where the duo found a small, white-haired girl curled up with her knees tucked to her chest. Despite the contrast between her hair and the darkness around her, she was somehow blending into the darkness.
"Hey, Ice Queen."
The girl didn't move.
"I'm glad you're alright." Barely above a whisper, Weiss's tone sounded nothing like the spiteful winter goddess that had shouted all throughout the summer. It was quiet and modest, not bothering to conceal how feeble she seemed.
"Thanks." In contrast, Yang's tone was as pleasant as it ever was, similarly to how she'd always spoken to Blake. It carried none of the tormenting edge that she had addressed Weiss with before.
She took a step forward, which caused the tiny deity to draw closer to herself.
Weiss made a rather undignified squeak as she was pulled to her feet. But she said nothing when the blonde wrapped her arms around her. Thus, Yang got the first words in.
"You don't need to say anything. I forgive you."
Staring into the back of the golden mane, Weiss didn't move to return the embrace, thousands of questions running through her head at once. As soon as she decided on one, her voice came out ragged and broken.
"H-how can you f-forgive me?" Her voice was laced with the same heartbreak and self-hatred that Blake had become eerily familiar with over the past year. "I… I don't deserve to-"
"Don't tell me what you deserve from me."
Weiss closed her mouth, blue eyes still wide.
"I'm the one who decides whether you deserve my forgiveness. And I say that you certainly do." She drew her head back, giving the girl in her arms a look oddly similar to the ones she'd given Blake since the day they'd met. "I can forgive you because I know who you are. And I know who I am. And…"
Yang's words trailed off as she brought their lips together. Weiss didn't know how to react initially but soon she was melting into the kiss, bringing her arms up around the neck of the blonde girl, embracing her.
When they finally broke apart, the summer goddess brought their foreheads together, whispering softly.
"…I know that I love you as much as I love Blake."
Blake's upper ears twitched. It wasn't until she brought up a hand that she realized that she was crying. Before her stood the two women she'd fallen for over the past year, able to create a pact of love in spite of all the suffering she'd brought to them. She fell to her knees, her face in her hands. After a few moments, the autumn goddess felt the other two draw around her, their touches gentle and silky.
"I-I don't think I could have forgiven someone like that. I… I wish I could be like you two. You guys can forgive and be forgiven… but I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to the way I was." She let out a sniffle. "I want things to go back to the way they were, when I was a light being."
Weiss and Yang exchanged worried looks. The white-haired girl sat on the ground and brought the brunette to her chest, while the blonde bent over and put her arms around the two dark goddesses.
"Blake," the winter goddess soothed, "you don't have to worry. You're not alone. We can help you through this." She brought up the spirit's head and smiled brightly down at her.
"E-even though you're a dark goddess too?"
"Well, that never stopped you, did it?"
Blake's gaze returned to Weiss's chest and she clung to the silk that adorned it, the smaller girls giving her a reassuring squeeze. Yang moved forward and showed her hair with light kisses, occasionally brushing her lips along the feline ears. Soon, the tears had passed and the autumn protector sat with the two beings that mattered most to her in the world.
Suddenly, the blonde goddess spoke up. "You know, I'd like to see that village you mentioned while you were healing me." Though the brunette's ears flattened, she continued stroking her black strands of hair. "Maybe we could go back and help the people who live there. With the power of two ancient spirits and a seasonal protector, I'm sure we could rebuild the town to be even greater than it was before."
Weiss brightened at this. "Blake's home? We're going there? I'd love to. I'm sure the people who live there are wonderful if they've been protected by such a gracious being."
The autumn protector pushed away the burning images of the past, no longer able to change what has already been set in stone. Instead, she looked out towards a better future, one with which she had the support of her lovers to help her through the challenges it contained.
Speaking of which…
Blake wiped away tears again, though these ones were of a more joyous origin, before taking up Weiss's hands. Both girls closed their eyes; only lilac ones remained open to watch the ordeal, shining wildly with happiness.
"And it is onto you I pass this ancient power, to protect the people of this land and to uphold the balance and order that sets this land apart from the untamed wilderness that surrounds it. May you treat those who inhabit these lands with mercy and kindness as they pass through the ages, undaunted by the challenges that they may face."
Lilac greeted azure and amber as they emerged once more.
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you guys so much."
Sorry for killing Pyrrha again :P
This is a story based on some of my ideas that had originated from the 'Team RWBY as the Four Maidens' theme expanded into a deity version. It was originally planned to be more 'Pollination'-based; I incorporated all the interactions I planned into this story, though I obviously had to alter some to fit the Bee's Schnees formula (Sorry Rubbles, I had to neglect your relationships. Seriously, I did, this chapter simply took that long to make).
I was also planning to write them all as 'Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring' before realizing that there was no possible way to write the story without that getting unnecessarily confusing as to what character I was actually referring to.