Writer's Note: Posting this as I board my flight for Texas. Time for the annual RTX pilgrimage!
Vengeance
For a long moment in the crowded dining hall, there was complete and utter silence. The assembled guests formed a garden of statues, torn between staring at the rage-filled face of their host, his daughter currently holding one of the guards before her with a blade pressed against his neck, or the Amazonian blonde standing in the doorway. Servants frozen in mid-pour looked out from beside cauldrons of wine, oil, or water, their tasks forgotten with the dragon's sudden entrance. Weiss couldn't blame them. The fingers gripping her sword were numb, her heart pounded in her chest with equal parts shock and relief, and the only reason her captive hadn't already escaped was that he too was staring open-mouthed at the ferocious looking woman slowly making her way down the stairs. Yang's left arm lay folded across her chest, resting atop the hilt of her blade, while the other hung at her side, knuckles cracking as her fist clenched. Blonde tresses trailed behind her as she moved, crimson eyes seeming to glow in the dim light.
The sound of Yang's bare feet landing on the tiled floor was almost painful in the quiet room. The slow, steady drip of an upturned cup and crackling of the torches were the only other noises; any conversation had died with Weiss' escape attempt. The startled guests stood stunned, words stuck in their throats, food halfway to mouths. Then Yang took one step too many, bringing one of the guards to his senses, steel singing as he drew his sword. Abandoning the group around the princess, he moved forward to detain the unwanted intruder, the girl who had so rudely crashed the already chaotic party.
He never stood a chance.
Yang dodged his arm, sliding aside as easily as if he had been standing still. Her right hand whipped out to grab the man by the front of his tunic, yanking up and hauling him off balance. Weight settled in her hips, she turned, lobbing him across the room with all the grace and ease of a child throwing a doll. He landed hard, sword clattering against the ground as he skidded to halt against one of the low tables, his eyes wide as he gasped for breath.
Grimacing, Yang wiped her hand on her tunic and turned back to the assembled guests.
"Please tell me I didn't get the wrong house. Everyone in town said it was the big one on the hill."
Silence was her only answer, until the rest of the guards recovered from watching their fellow's rather unceremonious treatment. A chorus of blades rang about the room as any weapons that weren't already drawn came free from their holders. Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss watched as Lord Schnee made some gesture, sending one of the messengers bolting out the side doors, back down the hall she had come from.
Probably to get more men, she chuckled to herself, heady from adrenaline and relief, and the simple joy of seeing the dragon again. Not that it'll help them any.
When no one spoke, Yang sighed, coming to a stop barely five feet from the quickly-forming line of guards. Rolling her eyes, she cocked her head back, gaze locking on the young man currently trapped with the princess' sword against his throat.
"Hey Weiss," she said, nonchalant and, to all appearances, barely interested. "How you doing?"
Weiss couldn't decide if she wanted to hug the blonde or kill her. After everything she'd done just to get this far, after how much she'd worried about this stupid, arrogant, flippant lizard... Not only was she fine, but she strolled in, acting like it was just another day at the agora. Of all the nerve ...
Weiss was about to tell Yang exactly how she was doing and exactly what she thought the blonde could do with that sword, when she caught Yang's eyes. Mouth already open, she froze, struck dumb by the combination of concern and utter rage she saw on the dragon's face. In that instant, she was perfectly confident that if she said 'no,' Yang would quite happily grab the nearest guard and rip his head clean off.
Only when she was sure her voice was steady did she look back at the blonde. "Peachy," Weiss drawled. "This is what I do for fun. You?"
The corner of Yang's mouth flickered with the barest trace of a smile. "Can't complain. Had a nice tailwind on my way into town."
Looking back at the rest of the guests, Yang cracked one last knuckle and started moving towards the line of guards. Ignoring the weapons pointed towards her, Yang stared around the space, standing on tiptoe to peer over the crowd.
"Come on, people. Jaune Arc. Supposed to be seven feet tall, with a blade thicker than a man's arm ... dragon's blood dripping from his teeth." Glancing back, Yang shrugged at the look of utter disbelief Weiss knew had to be on her face. "What? That's what everyone at the gate was saying."
"I'm Jaune." The quiet voice cut through the otherwise soundless hall, as Jaune stepped through the line of guards, his new sword – with a hilt covered in gold, encrusted with jewels and shimmering in the torchlight – held loosely at his side. "Why are you looking for me?"
"... you're Jaune Arc?"
"Yup."
Yang looked completely nonplussed as she stared down at the young guardsman. "The dragonslayer everyone keeps talking about?"
"Yeah, that's me," he said, the embarrassment plain on his face as he rubbed sheepishly at the back of his neck, lips twitching in a smile.
"Really?" Yang's voice pitched up in disbelief. "You're the ... I expected someone with muscle. Maybe a little devious, but at least somewhat impressive. Not ... this." Sighing, she sagged back against one of the pillars, her right hand coming up to rub at her temples.
Jaune's mouth worked silently, caught off guard by the outright dismissal. Shaking his head, he coughed to clear his throat, brow furrowing in confusion. "If case you hadn't noticed, we're in the middle of something right now, so unless you're here for a reason-"
"I can't believe it," Yang muttered, head in hand as she stared ejected up at the ceiling. "A perfectly good collection wrecked by the human equivalent of a limp noodle. I will never live this down."
"What do you want?" Jaune's face was turning red – from annoyance or anger, Weiss couldn't tell. "You came looking for me. I'm here. So-"
"Fine. Fine," Yang cut him off, stepping forward until the two of them were toe-to-toe. Even bare-footed, she stood a good head taller than the young guardsman, looming over him as her expression shifted, the resignation slipping from her face.
"You violated the sanctity of my home. You kidnapped a guest from beneath my roof, stole my possessions, generally demonstrated a complete lack of honor or respect, and broke pretty much every code of hospitality I can think of." Her eyes narrowed to slits as she glowered down at him, and Weiss could have sworn a puff of smoke issued from her nostrils. "It was extremely rude."
The young man was caught with his mouth open. "I-I've never done anything like that!"
"Right, I forgot the final touch." Yang leaned in, until her face was barely an inch from the shorter soldier. Blood-red stare lock with his, she grinned, a toothy smile with no trace of humor left in it. "You tried to bury me alive."
Jaune went white. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, feet shuffling back in one involuntary step after another, going until he bumped against the guard standing behind him.
"Dragon," he whispered, his voice tight and just barely loud enough to be heard across the room. A tremor ran through the crowd, rippling as the people near enough to hear repeated it themselves.
"Good," Yang purred, still grinning that particularly malicious smile. "You remember me."
With a cry, Jaune raised his stolen sword, gripping it in both hands as he charged forward, his whole weight behind the point as he drove the blade right at the blonde's heart. Yang whipped aside, and the boy jerked to a halt, stopped by the dragon's bone-breaking grip, latched tight around the hilt. He struggled, pulled, and tugged, trying to get free from the vise-like hand holding him in place, but no matter what he did, the sword didn't even budge.
"I think you have something that belongs to me." Bringing her foot up and in, Yang pivoted and lashed out in a kick to the side, her foot landing right in the center of Jaune's scrawny chest. The boy went flying, sailing past the line of guards and careening into a clump of revelers too slow to get out of the way. All at once, the statues came to life, panicked screams filling the room as they clawed and pushed their way to whichever door was nearest, trampling over each other in a mad dash for escape.
Flipping her grip on the jeweled sword, Yang raised it up to the light, glancing over her treasure before lowering it back to her side. "And this would be it. Seriously, what is it with you humans and always grabbing the decorative swords?"
One of the guards, from fear or panic, broke ranks. Shouting some unintelligible cry, he rushed towards the dragon, followed by several more men breaking from the pack to bull-rush the monster who'd strolled into their house.
They made it barely a foot before Yang reared back her head, and breathed.
Fire streamed from her mouth, plumes of heat that sent the guardsmen scattering. One group tried to come at her from the side, only for Yang to turn her head, putting a thick arc of flame between them. The guards flinched back, charred spear-hafts and warped blades falling to the ground after the flame passed over them. An unlucky few screamed and stumbled away, nursing hands seared by scalding metal or burns from getting just a little too close. Anyone foolish enough to approach was sent running, their weapons useless against that torrent of flame.
Only when Schnee's men retreated halfway down the hall did she stop, breathing heavily as she straightened. Everything around her, for a good fifteen feet, was ablaze. The rugs strewn about the floor crackled and snapped, sending embers flying about the room. One of the wine casks had caught the edge of the flame, the fire-hardened clay turned black by the sheer heat of dragonfire. A leg of the cask cracked, complained, and crumbled into ash, sending the whole jug crashing to the ground, shattering on the hard tile and spilling the dark liquid across the scorched ground. Smoke filled the air, spiraling up in dark, angry plumes that hugged the ceiling. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare, the damage left behind by the wrath of an angry dragon, and Weiss couldn't have been happier to see it.
"Normally," Yang purred, her voice a little hoarse after spewing fire about the room. "I'd be here for retribution. I don't really like people trespassing in my home." The jeweled sword looped lazily through the air, whistling as she swung it absently at her side. "But, I'm in a forgiving mood. Small suggestion? Don't let it happen again. I won't be so nice next time."
Turning on her heel, Yang put the guards behind her and strode back down the length of the hall. "So," she said, in a far softer voice, smiling over at the white-haired woman still holding her human shield in place. "Weiss, you wan-"
"Don't you dare," Jaune gurgled. His weight resting on a borrowed spear, the young man limped between them, good arm held out to shield Weiss from view. Blood poured from his broken nose, droplets flying as he tried to speak. "Don't you dare touch-"
Slamming her shoulder into the back of her hostage, Weiss shoved, sending the already off-balance man stumbling forward. The captive guardsman slammed into Jaune's back, sending him flailing. The two went crashing to the ground, landing immobile in a tangle of limbs and armor.
Stepping over the mess, Weiss made her way to the blonde woman, staring up into her thoroughly bemused face.
"You're late," Weiss growled, arms folded across her chest.
Yang grinned and shrugged, the corner of her mouth twitching as she tried to hide a smile. "Got stuck digging."
It wasn't an apology, not that Weiss had expected one. Or needed one. None of this was Yang's fault, after all. But, appearances had to be maintained, and there was no way she was going to admit that she was glad to see the other girl. Not with Yang looking far too smug already.
"So," the dragon said, tossing her hair and smiling down at the scowling princess. "You want a lift, or did you have your own plans?"
Weiss couldn't completely suppress her smile. Cheeky little ... "That would be-"
"Quite enough."
Weiss froze, a sinking feeling in her stomach, as she turned to face the gray-haired man standing at the far end of the hall. Taking a sip from his cup, Lord Schnee loomed over the line of guards, almost managing to appear completely disinterested. Only the spark in his eyes betrayed him, the angry glint as he glared over the goblet at the two women standing in his hall.
"Weiss," he said, his voice a throaty growl. "Do you really think, that after all this, I would let either of you just walk out of here?"
"I don't think you're gonna have much of a choice," Yang snarled back, taking a step forward that just happened to put herself in front of Weiss.
Ignoring the blonde, Lord Schnee stared at her daughter, mouth pressed in a stern, angry line. "This is your last chance. You may be my daughter, but there are limits to even my patience. Put down the sword and come here, like a good girl, or die with the monster."
Yang immediately tried to place herself more firmly between the soldiers and the princess, only to be stopped by a thin, pale hand wrapping around her arm. Stepping out from behind the dragon, Weiss stared solemnly at her father, at the man she'd spent her life trying to avoid or appease, the man who had sent her off to die without so much as a second thought.
"Yang?" she said, never looking away from the man at the back of the hall.
"Yeah?"
With one smooth motion, Weiss settled into her guard, sword raised high and pointed right at her father's chest. "If you get the chance, kill him."
Lord Schnee nodded wordlessly and turned, settling down in his seat at the head of the hall. Lifting the cup to his lips, he downed the last of his wine, tossed it aside, and snapped his fingers.
At his signal, a swarm of soldiers poured into the hall. Man after armored man streamed out of the side doors, in full battle-gear and armed to the teeth. Within seconds, a wall of shields had formed before his throne, the guards shuffling aside as a line of bowmen took their place. Marching feet, the clang of metal on metal, and the tightening of bowstrings filled the room as a veritable host arrayed itself against the two young women standing at the opposite end of the hall.
"Kill them both," he growled, sounding bored. "A boatful of gold to whoever kills the monster."
Jaune pulled himself out from beneath his fellow guardsman just in time to watch Lord Schnee lounge back in his seat, take a swig of his wine, and without so much as a tremor in his voice, order the death of his youngest daughter.
Speechless, the young man stared as the line of soldiers marched forward, the bowmen safely behind them stretching their strings as they aimed for the pair at the other end of the hall. To his surprise, the first thing the dragon did was put itself in front of the princess. Almost as if ...
She's protecting her?
Well, dragons were greedy, covetous monsters. Their massive hoards were proof enough of that. It probably didn't want to give up a prize like Weiss. Still, if it had to choose between an arrow to the face, and keeping its princess ...
He had to do something. He couldn't just sit here, covered in spilled wine and blood. The princess was in danger, and keeping her safe was his responsibility – even if she was making this whole saving business extremely difficult. Especially with a father like that.
Even if Weiss gave up right then, Jaune wasn't completely sure that Lord Schnee would let her live. Not after crashing his party and embarrassing him in front of his guests.
Which left about two options, both of them awful. Either watch Weiss die right here and now, or risk condemning her to a life of brainwashed servitude to a mythical monster. Not to mention probably getting himself killed as well.
At least she'd be alive, he thought, wincing as his injured leg buckled when he tried to stand.
You wouldn't be, the more skeptical part of him whispered back. Not after her father gets through with you. And is 'alive' really that much better if she's being controlled by the dragon?
What is she's telling the truth? It is protecting her.
Right. Because giant man-eating monsters always just decide to help out small, completely edible princesses.
It's not like you have much of a choice. Watch her die, or help and probably get killed yourself.
Groaning at the stabbing pain in his side, Jaune forced himself to his feet. Turning away, he staggered back towards the wall, away from the dragon and the soldiers, and sent a silent prayer to whichever god might be listening to make sure he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life.
"Okay," Yang said, her right hand clenching as she stared at the cautiously advancing soldiers. "I'll cover you while you go for the doors."
"Yes, because me running out into a crowded city surrounded by walls I can't climb and a legion of guards is a great idea," Weiss hissed, scowling as she stepped around the blonde. As much as she appreciated the gallantry, there was no way she was letting Yang put herself in any more danger for her sake. "On three, you spit fire at them and we both break for the doors."
"Can't."
"You can't use fire and run?"
"Can't run," Yang muttered, just loud enough for Weiss to hear. "They got lucky with the cave in."
"How lucky?" Keeping the soldiers in the corner of her eye, the princess glanced over at the other woman. Now that she mentioned it, Yang's arm looked less 'casually resting across sword hilt' than 'actually slung across her hilt.' Her breaths were short and shallow, and a long purple bruise peeked out over the top of her tunic.
"I've got one good arm, a few broken ribs, and my leg is killing me after kicking that blond twit."
"If you're injured, why would you do it?"
"Because it looked awesome," the dragon grinned, wincing a little at the furious scowl Weiss sent her way. "Plus, the catharsis was worth it."
"Can you still fly?"
"Short distances. It'll take me a moment to transform though."
Weiss cursed under her breath and gripped the hilt of her sword a little tighter. It could be worse. At least Yang was alive – even if there was a good chance of them not making it through the night. "Fine. I'll cover you while you transform. Then you fly us out of here."
"Because human skin is just great at blocking arrows," Yang's voice was a dry as Weiss'. "If anyone's doing the covering, it's me."
"Dammit Yang, we don't have tim-"
A mammoth crash resounded through the room as one of the large clay jugs of oil shattered against the floor. Olive oil flew everywhere, soaking into the carpets and causing the still-burning flames to leap where it fell.
Looking over, Weiss found Jaune, spear propped under one arm, wrestling with another of the containers, desperately trying to haul it off its stand. Bracing himself against the wall, he pushed, injured leg barely able to hold his weight. The cauldron wobbled for a second, held its ground, then fell, cracking into a hundred pieces and spilling the yellow-green oil over to floor to seep into the
"What does he think he's-"
"Yang," Weiss cut her off, darting for the nearest pillar. "Fire. Now."
The princess ducked as the first bowman loosed his arrow and whipped behind the tall column. A chipping sound warned her how close it had been, a thin chunk of marble falling down to the floor from where the arrow had knocked it loose. Hoping none of the archers had drawn a bead on her, she peeked around the opposite side, yanking her head back as a bronze-tipped arrow flew an inch past her nose. Ducking down, she skidded out from the pillar, slipping and sliding across the wine-soaked floor and trying to make herself as small a target as possible.
Arrows thudded across the room as she ran, piercing tables, pillars, the odd statue – pretty much anything Weiss managed to put between herself and them. One brief look over her shoulder showed a sweating and gasping Yang, swatting arrows out of the air and snarling before letting loose another burst of flame. Jaune had managed to knock a third jug over and was working on his fourth, the yellow-green liquid pooling in the center of the hall. Anything touched by Yang's breath had burst into flames, the oil serving as more fuel for the fires, keeping them burning long after she ran out of air.
Putting everything she had into one last run, Weiss ran for the large jugs set against the wall, ducking as an arrow glanced off the wall, leaving a notch in the plaster at exactly the height of her head. From her new hiding spot, she watched as Jaune knocked the last amphora on its side and started staggering for the door.
"Did you really think a little flame would be enough to stop my men?" Lord Schnee called from the other end of the room. He was right; the soldiers just kept coming, stomping out fires where they could, and doing their best to shield themselves from Yang's breath. The fire was slowing them down, but as soon as the dragonfire ran out, there'd be little left to stop them. And Yang's not looking too good.
Staying as far behind cover as she could, Weiss raised the nearest jug, filled with fresh spring water for her father's guests, and threw.
The jug slammed into one of the decorative pillars, shattering the thick clay and sending water spraying everywhere. The oil fires exploded the second the water touched it, rising up into one massive wall of flame. Guards and soldiers alike leapt back, the unlucky ones screaming as the blaze hit. Getting ready to dive for cover, Weiss tossed her last jug out into the room, watching as the spray sank into the oil, sending atomized droplets into the air and turning the middle of the hall into one giant, dragon-assisted fireball.
"Yang, now!"
Rearing back her head, Yang spewed a line of flame out across the floor, aiming right for the massive pool of oil in the center of the hall. The dragonfire slammed into the more mundane fires, sucking in the air as the flames climbed halfway to the ceiling, boosted far beyond Weiss' expectations by the magic lying in Yang's blood. With one last breath, the dragon let out a massive fireball that flew right to the other end of the hall, and exploded atop the Lord's chair.
The twang of bowstrings split the air, and Weiss flinched away, waiting for the feeling of barbed arrowheads piercing her side. Instead, the sound of metal on scales hit her ears, only for the princess to find herself yanked bodily up into the air, long coils of flesh and scale wrapped tightly around her. Weiss gasped as the breath was knocked from her lungs, coughing when smoke from the fire hit her mouth. Tears streaming from her eyes, she was just barely able to see the room whip past as Yang barreled out the main doors, spiraling up into the night sky, her golden scales glinting in the light of the inferno left behind them.
Once she could breathe again, Weiss wiped her eyes and slammed her hand into the dragon's scaled side, yelling through the wind. Getting the hint, Yang slowed down, pulling her tail in and settling Weiss between her shoulder blades. Gripping tight to the scaled hide, Weiss laid her head against Yang's back and closed her eyes, waiting for her heart to stop racing.
"Are you hurt?" she managed, once she was relatively certain she wasn't in danger of a heart attack.
"I'm fine." Yang shouted back, spiraling once before angling right for the edge of city.
Staring down past Yang's side, Weiss looked down at the city, at the massive beacon of light that was her father's hall, the fire they'd left behind still burning cheerfully. Little lights were spreading all over the city as watchmen and citizens heard the alarm just now beginning to sound, sounding the bell-toll for a fire in the city. Small figures scrambled in packs through the streets, going to help, or just to watch as the palace burned. Everyone was headed to the bright light, except for one small figure hobbling against the current of people, a charred spear-haft in hand as he limped away.
I wonder if Yang has one more fireball left in her, Weiss thought, glaring down at Jaune as he moved beneath them, before deciding that it really wasn't worthy of her. She settled for imaging him trying to hobble his way out past the guards at the gate, and exactly what explanation he would have to use for his injuries, not to mention the smoke stains and the burn marks.
Assuming they don't just arrest him on the spot and have him executed.
...
... I am definitely going to regret this.
"Yang," she called, managing to sound reluctant even while shouting over the wind. Looking back, Yang met her eyes, then followed her pointing finger, down to the limping man below.
"Really?"
"Just do it," Weiss called back, already regretting her decision. "Please?"
With a very human eye roll, Yang banked and dived back down towards the city. Rolling to fit between the buildings, she barreled down the road, arms outstretched. A high-pitched shriek split the air as her talons wrapped around the blonde boy's midsection, hauling him up into the air as she climbed up and out over the wall and sailed into the moonlit night.
The screams took a good five minutes to die down, helped along by Weiss shouting over the rush of the wind for him to shut up, and several shakes of Yang's talons that were probably more violent than necessary. The rest of the trip passed in near total silence, conversation thankfully stopped by the air rushing past their ears. Halfway to the cave, Yang banked, dropping down to skim just above the trees before coming out over what looked like a rather large farm. Barely slowing down, she opened her claws, unceremoniously sending the newly-screaming Jaune thudding into a haystack.
With their burden gone, Yang slowed, flapping languidly as she pushed on, headed back to the mountain where she'd hidden Weiss after the first time she'd rescued her. Now that they weren't going at breakneck speed, Weiss could feel every wince in the dragon's side as the pumps of her wings put pressure on her ribs, and see the way her left foreleg hung awkwardly in the air. Closing her eyes in sympathy, she pressed herself more firmly against the scaled back, unable to do anything more than hope they made it back before Yang managed to hurt herself any more.
She needn't have worried. Yang's mountain retreat loomed before them within minutes, a jagged crag of shadows against the paler coast and the wine-dark sea. Rather than looping around and landing back at the cave mouth, Yang climbed, rising halfway up the side of the mountain before coming to a halt at a ragged, sloppily-made opening. Folding her wings, she flowed into the hole, winding down through the darkness before coming out high above the reservoir at the base of the mountain.
Lowering herself to the ground, Yang stumbled and fell, skidding into the dirt as one of her hind legs collapsed beneath her. Hopping off her back, Weiss scampered around to look in the dragon's face, breathing a sigh of relief when she found her conscious.
"Dammit Yang, you're hurt," Weiss swore as she looked over the golden creature. Several arrows jutted out from the thin membranes of her wings, and from the way Yang twitched every time she breathed, Weiss guessed she'd managed to re-injure her ribs.
Something halfway between a chuckle and a groan issued from the dragon's mouth. "So that's where the pain and blood was coming from."
Weiss rolled her eyes. Just what she needed. A smug, smartass dragon.
"I meant more than you told me." Climbing around to the side of Yang's wing, she worked her way over to one of the arrows. "We could have stopped."
"No way in hell," Yang growled, wincing as Weiss touched the arrow shaft.
"I'm sorry, but this has to come out." As carefully as she could, Weiss broke the feathered end off, leaving just the thin shaft embedded in the wing.
"Don't worry, Princess. The cave-in only got my left legs. I'm alright."
Hands grasped around the arrow, Weiss glared over at the sheepishly grinning lizard. "... seriously?"
"Sorry," Yang said, hissing as Weiss pushed the arrow through the membrane of her wing. "I get punny when I'm bleeding out."
"You're hardly 'bleeding out.'" Breaking the feathers off the next arrow, Weiss pulled as gently as she could, sliding the rest out through the hole. At least the tear looked relatively clean, and a quick look at the arrow showed straight, sharp edges along the head. That was good; the cleaner the cut, the faster it would heal.
Yang winced and growled as the next shaft came free. "Well, guess we're off to a rocky start."
Weiss wasn't nearly as gentle with the next one.
The dragon actually whined as the arrow came free, her tail thrashing as the talons on her good arm clenched. "I'm impressed, Weiss. You're getting boulder by the minute."
"... I am perfectly capable of putting these back in, you know."
"Tou-chy," Yang growled, lowering her head back to the earth. "Your bedside manner sucks, by the way."
"Maybe it's my subtle way of telling you not to get hurt again."
"Aww. Worried about little old me?"
"Yes, you moron!" Weiss snapped, hands still grasping the last arrow. "Especially considering that I spent the last few days tied up, trying my best to escape, and doing everything I could to convince myself that you weren't dead, you insufferable, annoying, smug, obnoxious little-"
Whatever Yang was, Weiss never got a chance to say it. A heavy, scaled head bumped into her side, and Weiss looked down to find two big, purple eyes staring up at her.
"Weiss, I am really, really glad you're okay."
"... me too, oaf." With a sigh, Weiss broke the last arrow and slid it free. Tossing it with the others, she plopped herself down, too tired to care about the dirt staining her clothes. Head in her hands, she stared blankly into the rock-lined pools that decorated the bottom of the cave, peering through the shadowed chamber into the shallow, swirling water.
"Could you turn human?" she finally asked. "For a moment, at least?"
The dragon turned to look at her, one eye propped open. "... it takes a lot of energy."
"Please?"
With a groan, Yang pushed herself up on her good legs, light wrapping around her form before dissolving into a tall, muscled, and inevitably naked blonde balancing her weight on one leg and leaning against the wall.
"So what did y-"
Before Yang could finish, Weiss wrapped her arms around the blonde's sides, holding her as tightly as she dared, her face buried against the taller girl's tanned shoulder.
"Beat me to the punch," Yang chuckled, wincing as one of the arms pressed against her injured side. "Watch the ribs."
The princess' arms loosened slightly, but she stayed right there, pressed against Yang, who made it a point not to notice the shaking in the girl's shoulders. Turning slightly in her grip, Yang wrapped her one good arm around Weiss's back, her hand slowly stroking down the long white hair.
"You know," Yang drawled, once the trembling had died down. "It is possible to hug me when I'm not magicked into a human."
"I'm aware," the princess said, her voice just as dry. "That's not why I asked you to change."
"Then why-"
Without warning, a pale hand latched onto Yang's chin. Standing on tiptoe, Weiss closed her eyes and pulled the blonde's mouth down to hers, straining to stand as tall as she could and hold the kiss. For a second, Yang stiffened, and Weiss worried that she might have put more pressure on the taller girl's injuries. Then the dragon leaned forward, letting Weiss settle back on the balls of her feet, and one large hand carded its way through ivory tresses to cup the back of her head. She smelled of ash and fire, tasted like smoke, and Weiss couldn't bring herself to care.
When the princess finally broke away, her face was red, even in the dim light of the cave. "That's a lot harder to do when you're four times my size."
Yang just blinked, eyes wide and locked on the petite girl still pressed against her chest.
"... fair enough."
So, here we are at the end of Act I of The Princess and the Dragon. Hopefully everyone enjoyed it so far. I'd like to do a short act-epilogue, but that'll have to wait until after RTX.
Now, for those who've been asking, yes, I will be continuing the story. There's another story arc I'd like to do, but there's a few things I need to get done first (like another chapter of Premium Well) and I'd like to build up a bit of a buffer ahead of time.
Things that people have been asking about that maaay show up:
IF Ruby shows up, it would not be a completely ridiculous guess that she might be a dragon.
Yes, there will be more magic, and I'll make the rules for it and everything clearer.
Other RWBY characters will show, including Pyrrha – I found a design for her that I really like.
So, until next time, thank you all for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. Please leave a comment if you can. I really want to know what people thought of this chapter, and if you want to try to convince me of what other characters should show up (some have already tried, especially for Ruby), you're more than welcome to.
