The Rose Amidst the Snow

Chapter Nine

Thin Ice

Ruby woke in the early morning to an empty bed and a missing Prince. She peeked through the largest hole in the wall to gauge the hour and saw the tail end of the evening slowly melt away as dawn broke. Blinking blearily, Ruby stretched her arms and popped her back, relishing the relaxing effect the practice produced. Once her back was kink free, Ruby swung her legs off the side and went to search for Weiss. The Prince was bound to be somewhere close by.

Stepping out of the barn and into the warm orange glow of the early morning sun, Ruby was greeted by a sight more beautiful than a sunrise. Weiss stood in the middle of the clearing taking in the sights. Her hair was done up in a simple ponytail, and assuming the glittering sparkle holding it together was ice, then Weiss had just cut her life shorter for the sake of appearance. Ruby was about to give His Highness a royal lecture about it when the wind blew. Weiss' hair swayed like silk in the breeze, revealing her blood-soaked bandages and the thin layer of ice that covered it.

Ruby breathed in deep through her nose until her lungs were full and held it for five seconds before exhaling it through of her lips in a steady stream. She repeated the simple breathing exercise until she was calm enough to approach Weiss and speak to her without sounding condescending, because losing her cool against someone who could literally freeze her on the spot was not the way Ruby envisioned the start of her day. And as genial as Weiss was around her, Ruby still knew better than to berate a stubborn noble when they were hurt; years of telling Yang to stop being so reckless had taught her that valuable lesson. Shaking her head and cursing the high-born's pride, Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose and did the only thing she could: try to act normal.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Ruby asked, her voice still gravelly from sleep.

"I came to watch the sunrise," Weiss answered without looking back. "It's breathtaking."

"You say that like you never seen one before," Ruby teased, daring to step closer. She kept a close eye on Weiss to make sure she wasn't giving off any subtle cues of discomfort, Weiss seemed perfectly okay though.

Weiss shook her head, her bangs obscuring darkened blue eyes. "It is rare for Atlesian royalty to see the sun, and since I am the Crown Prince..."

"Is this really the first time you've actually…?" Ruby didn't want to finish her sentence in case she offended her new friend.

"I've seen the sun, but never the sunrise. I'm not one for morning," Weiss bashfully answered with a small smile, her cheeks flushing an adorable rosy colour. "Beautiful," she softly added when she gazed down at Ruby. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"W-Well you should probably turn back before you miss it all," Ruby said, cursing herself for the embarrassing stutter.

Weiss innocently blinked and smiled. "I suppose I should, but between the sun and the company in my presence, I think I enjoy my company more."

"Oh, um," Ruby could feel the heat spreading throughout her face as she unconsciously groomed her hair, flattening the stubborn cowlicks as best she could, "I like your company too."

"So have you considered my request?" Weiss asked, turning her eyes back to the warm, orange hues painting the sky.

"Which one?" Ruby mumbled dreamily as she stared at Weiss' solid form. For someone so thin, Ruby found that Weiss was far from delicate. Her skin may have been soft and supple, but her muscles were lean and well-defined without an ounce of fat clinging to her bones. Ruby didn't have much herself, but that was because food was hard to come by in the jungle.

"The one where you find my Captain and bring her to me," Weiss clarified, oblivious to Ruby's longing gaze. "I can't wear my damaged armour to greet the Duke, and I don't think I can handle travelling to the coast with my injuries the way they are now."

"I'm sorry, but that's going to need stitches," Ruby said, her eyes taking in Weiss' toned back.

"I know," Weiss sighed. "I'm not looking forward to it, but Coco's wrath is honestly more terrifying than infection and death."

"Is she that scary?"

Weiss nodded, touching the scar over her left eye. "That woman can make a beowolf cry for its mama."

"I don't think Grimm have parents," Ruby snickered.

"The ones in Atlas do," Weiss muttered darkly. "Ruby, do you want to know the likely reason why your friend saw my people executing others of her kind?"

Ruby nodded her head, fighting the apprehension gnawing away at her. Blake used to tell her the horrors of Atlas as bedtime stories, back then it was the only way to get her talking. Ruby assumed the fires of her fury had died down, calmed by the slow passage of time, but she was wrong. Blake was still so violently angry at what she'd witnessed in the snowy kingdom Weiss hailed from.

Ruby felt a pang of guilt when she recalled the betrayal in Blake's eyes when she sided with Weiss against Yang.

The Prince took a deep breath and exhaled, her hands balling into tight fists that trembled with rage. "My kingdom is a fortress. Nothing comes in or goes out without our knowing. So tell me, how does a pack of beowolves appear in the city center?"

"Secret passageway?" Ruby suggested with a shrug.

"The Faunus," Weiss muttered. "If I hadn't seen the change before with my own eyes, I'd think it'd be a lie. But I have, and I wish I could forget it."

"Change? You mean like a transformation?"

"Nothing quite as magical as that," Weiss chuckled grimly. "It's like watching someone getting tortured, only there's no one touching them. You can hear their bones snapping beneath their skin, the screams… from a person in so much pain to a bestial howl. And the blood…"

"Oh…"

"The King before King Mikhail ordered the death of all Faunus citizens to circumvent the Grimm threat. It worked for a time, but then people with no animal traits began turning."

The way Weiss said it sounded like she'd been close to someone who turned. Ruby pursed her lips together trying hard to picture the horrors Weiss' kingdom had seen, but all she could imagine were the stories Blake told her.

"No one was safe," Weiss continued. "The King began killing at random which sparked a panic amongst the people. Neighbours who had lived along side each other for decades began suspecting each other, families were torn apart, and children… that was when King Mikhail overthrew his father."

"Why would the previous King do something so horrible?"

Weiss ran a hand through her bangs, her brows furrowed in deep thought. "Fear," she answered quietly, "and hate."

"Oh…" Ruby looked to the ground then back up to Weiss' injury. "Does it hurt?"

"No, Ruby, it feels fantastic."

Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. "Well sorry, Your Highness!"

"Haha, you're a strange one, Ruby Rose."

The sound of Weiss' gentle chuckle sent the butterflies living in Ruby's stomach a flutter and her heartbeat racing. A steady blush grew on her face, a side effect of the blood roaring in her ears. Weiss was so handsome and so beautiful it almost hurt to look directly at her. She was like the sun in Ruby's eyes, blinding. Ruby's hand twitched at her side, the urge to reach out and touch Weiss at the forefront of her mind.

"So, um," Ruby cleared her throat as she tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her shirt, anything to give her hands something to do, "where do I find your Captain again?"

"On the shore we first met," Weiss answered concisely.

"I don't know where that is," Ruby blushed. "Blake's the one who found your ship, I just followed her."

"No worries."

Weiss held out her right hand and called upon her magic. Ruby jumped to stop her, but Weiss smile told her it was okay. A pale blue glyph formed in the Prince's hand, spinning lazily as the magic's soft glow pulsed in time to Weiss' steady heartbeat. The humid air began swirling above her palm, funneling down to the center of the glyph where it drew in the frozen water particles. Piece by piece, a tiny creature formed, it's body stitching together in a blinding light.

The temperature was rapidly dropping as Weiss continued to weave her magic, their breaths frosting over as the creeping chill bit into their bones. Weiss gave Ruby a small apologetic look before returning her focus to the task at hand. Ruby wrapped her arms around herself to stave off a shiver, her cheeks were still a rosy colour but it wasn't from the cold.

The Prince's gaze intensified, her efforts redoubled. Her magic flared and when it ceased, a tiny white bird hopped around in Weiss' palm. With a contented smile, Weiss offered it to Ruby and said, "Coco carries traces of my magic within her, this bird will guide you to her then lead you back to me should you need it to."

Ruby took the tiny creature from Weiss and cupped it in the palm of her hand, cooing adoringly as it stretched its wings and flapped them. The bird hopped around, pecking at Ruby's skin curiously, it's head twisting and turning to inspect the world.

"It's so cute!" she exclaimed, her voice startling both Weiss and the bird. "S-Sorry."

"No need for apologies."

Ruby gently stroked the bird's back with her thumb. "Anything I should say to your Captain?"

Weiss gave her a thoughtful look. "Just tell her the truth and lead her back to me."

"She won't attack me on sight will she?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"Only if you insinuate that we had relations," Weiss chuckled. "She's a little possessive of me."

"Gotcha! Off we go then—bye, Weiss!"

Ruby released the bird and chased it through the trees before Weiss could offer Myrtenaster's help. She didn't want Weiss shortening her life anymore than she needed to, and it was clear to Ruby that Weiss was hesitant to summon her steed. If she had Myrtenaster the bird would be redundant, so exactly how much of Weiss' life did the horse take in exchange for his services? Ruby breathed in deep and forced her guilty thoughts to the side. She needed to focus on the bird and her surroundings. The jungle was never safe, she needed to keep her wits about her.

Ruby's whole body was screaming in protest by the fifteen minute mark. She was used to running long distances in much worse conditions but the bird had her running at a full sprint with no breaks. The icy bangle had helped to stave off the heat but running on an empty stomach, and for such a long period of time, rendered its helpfulness moot. Sweat was rolling off of her like bullets, getting into her eyes, mouth, and every little crevice imaginable.

"C-Can't… keep…" Ruby fell to her knees in exhaustion, her lungs on fire. The bird immediately stopped and flew back to her, circling around Ruby's head in lazy swooping arches. "Just… just give me a second to catch… to catch my breath."

After her breathing returned to normal, Ruby got up and dusted herself off. Her legs were still sore and her body was aching all over, but Weiss needed her to get to Captain Adel as soon as possible. She signalled the bird to go and set off after it, her pace a steady jog this time around. As she ran, the salty smell of the sea began to steadily meld and overtake the earthy jungle scent Ruby loved. The sound of waves crashing and lapping at the sandy shores grew louder, spurring Ruby to run faster and harder than she'd been. Bright light broke through the thicket and soon enough she pushed through the trees and stumbled upon the beach.

A quick look around showed Ruby the bustling makeshift camp the Atlesians set up overnight. A tear threatened to fall from her eyes when she saw that her beautiful beach had been ruined by dozens of barely standing cloth tents thrown together. She looked for any leftover signs of battle but found none. The giant crater Weiss' nevermore created had been filled and in its place was a large unlit bonfire blocked in by large stones. By the treeline where she stood, Ruby could see a five sailors hacking down the damaged trees and dragging them away to the shore where even more sailors repurposed them to fit their needs. She curiously watched one man gather all the leaves from one tree and dragged them to a large pile while another grabbed all the coconuts and carried them to a separate pile.

"Hey, I know you!" a burly sailor called out. Ruby looked to him and pointed at herself, he nodded his head as he planted his axe deep in the stalk of a fallen palm and waved. "You saved my hide yesterday, thanks!"

Ruby had difficulty understanding him through his thick accent, but the message was clear enough. She kept an eye on the bird, worried she'd lose sight of it, but the creature seemed content to sit on her shoulder so she jogged up to the friendly sailor and greeted him.

"It was no problem," she said with a grin. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Is Frosty with ya?"

"Frosty?" Ruby blinked.

The sailor wiped the sweat of his brow. "Yeah! The big boss, y'know? Tall, pale, and grumbly?"

"Oh! You meant Weiss, yeah sh—he! He sent me out here with"—she held her hand out for the little bird to perch on—"this thing to find Captain Adel."

"That's a cutie," he chuckled. "But the Cap'n, huh?"

"Mhm," Ruby offered her shoulder to the bird, "any chance you can point me in the right direction?"

"I haven't seen her but feel free to ask around," the sailor said but Ruby hesitated when a particularly gruff man yelled and violently slammed his axe down. "Aw, don't be scared, lil'lady! I know we all look rough 'n tough, but most of us are harmless. Take that big guy for example."

Ruby looked to where her new friend pointed and saw a giant of man lift a massive sack of goods like it was nothing. Her jaw dropped in astonishment.

"That's Günther and he's a fisherman by trade—and oh! Before I forget, my name's Niklas."

"Hi, Niklas, my name's Ruby. Ruby Rose!"

Niklas flashed her a tooth grin. "Pretty name for a pretty dame."

"Aw shucks," Ruby blushed, kicking at the sand bashfully.

"Anyway, best be getting back to work before the Cap'n catches me. Just because Frosty's not around to micromanage us doesn't mean we can slack off."

"Take care, Niklas, thanks for the help."

After saying goodbye to her new friend, Ruby set out to find the Captain. The little bird flew off her shoulder and cut through the campsite, leaving Ruby to chase after it. Luckily her hunt didn't last long because Captain Adel had turned the corner and found her.

"Whoa there, Red! Welcome back," Coco said, catching Ruby by the scruff before she ran past her.

"Captain Adel, oh thank god I found you," Ruby cried out. "I need your help, it's Weiss!"

The friendly expression on Coco's face dropped the instant Weiss' name slipped from Ruby's lips. "I'm listening."

Ruby explained the situation as best she could without rambling, but the Captain's sour expression frightened her a great deal. She stuttered terribly and bit her tongue hard enough to make Coco wince. And halfway through her story, Coco commanded Ruby to stop speaking and follow her to her tent instead. She led Ruby to the largest one and ushered her in without so much as a word.

Coco's living space was a cozy little patch of comfort with its dim lighting and earthy coloured rugs spread out on the floor. There was plenty of walking space, easily enough room to fit four burly sailors, an uptight Prince, and one extravagant Captain without having to touch. To the right were several overstuffed wooden chests and crates of various sizes with even more stacked precariously on top. And to the left was a bed large enough for two made up of the plushest furs Ruby had ever seen. In the far back of the tent was a large wooden desk full of nautical maps and tools.

"Okay, start from the beginning and remember to breathe when you speak," Coco said as she languidly took her seat behind the table. The Captain took her hat off and gently tossed it to the side.

"Um…" Ruby shifted nervously under Coco's steady gaze, her fingers wringing the life out of her threadbare sleeves.

Coco rolled her eyes and pushed the chair to balance on its hind legs, her feet thrown up on the table. She stared Ruby down hard, her left hand propped against her temple as her right tapped an impatient beat on wood. Ruby got an eyeful of the many holsters hidden beneath Coco's jacket, the ornate blunderbusses they held a beautiful gold and black with a touch of elegant swirling silver. It didn't take long for Coco to notice where Ruby's eyes were.

Humming in amusement, Coco tilted her chin up and toyed with one of the holsters. "Weiss had them commissioned for me," she told Ruby as she made a show of herself carefully picking and pulling one out. Coco ran her fingers over the barrel lovingly, her dark brown eyes roving over the weapon like she would a lover before aiming it at Ruby, her finger squeezing the trigger. "Bang!"

To her credit, Ruby didn't flinch when Coco faked the recoil, earning her a solid look of approval from the beautiful Captain. Coco slid her unloaded gun back into its holster making sure to keep it and the seven others on full display.

"Now seriously, talk. You said Weiss was hurt."

"She got hurt protecting me," Ruby said, her hands balling into fists. "Her armour got damaged too. She sent me to find you and ask you to bring—"

"'She'?"

Ruby immediately shut her mouth, eyes wide.

"So you know," Coco put her feet back on the ground and steadily rose up to her full height, hands flat on the table. "How badly is she hurt?"

"Bad." Ruby stood straighter, her face hardening to match Coco's. "She needs stitches and medicine."

"Okay," Coco acquiesced, her stance relaxing.

"Okay?"

Coco nodded. "Wait for me outside, I need to grab a few things."

Ruby left Coco's tent and patiently waited. More sailors from yesterday's skirmish waved at her, some even going as far as calling her "Little Red" as they passed. One particularly shy sailor handed her an open coconut and thanked her for having his back, he held his hand out for her to shake before running back to his tasks. Ruby never got his name but if Weiss kept her word and took her with her when they set sail, she can get to know him then. A hopeful smile graced Ruby's lips, she was going to be free soon.

"Son of a bitch, where'd I put it?!" Coco screamed from inside. Judging by the clamorous noises raging inside, Coco was apparently busy tearing her tent apart. "I swear it was just here!"

Ruby held her arms to her side, eyes wide as the surly Captain threw something heavy across the room nearly hitting Ruby from the inside. The ruckus blew the tent flaps open just long enough for Ruby to see absolute chaos Coco had wrought. The precariously piled up chests and crates were littered across the floor along with some clothes and other bric-a-brac Ruby couldn't make out.

"Need a hand?" Ruby shouted over the noise.

"No, I'm good!" Coco yelled back.

"O-Okay."

A loud crash sounded from deep within, shaking the tent down to its foundation. Ruby jumped back a couple feet and watched the massive structure sway in place. Flashbacks of the many times she'd seen her old barn do the same came flooding back when the supports holding Coco's tent together groaned under the stress.

"Are you sure you don't need a hand?!" Ruby bit her bottom lip anxiously.

Coco responded with a triumphant shout as she stormed out of the tent, dragging a wooden chest behind her. Ruby looked between the chest and the proud Captain, her mind blank save for a single burning question: how were they going to get it back to Weiss? She was going to voice out her concerns, but Coco was two steps ahead of her.

"Stop, I know that look," Coco said, putting a hand up. "Just wait."

Ruby didn't get a chance to respond because soon enough Myrtenaster and a particularly nasty looking beowolf stepped out of the foliage. Coco wasted no time commanding the monster to carry the chest and sending it off again. She called Myrtenaster to her and began rifling through Myrtenaster's saddle bags to take stock. Ruby pre-emptively prattled off all the items she used hoping to save Coco some time and effort. Coco quickly thanked her and went back into her tent. When she came back out it was with an armful of supplies and her hat back on her head.

"Always better to be overprepared," she said as she loaded the bags.

After double-checking her work, Coco flagged one of her crewmen down and gave him a set of instructions to carry out in her absence. They spoke in fluid Atlesian, their beautiful sounding words a complete mystery to Ruby.

"Verstehen sie?"

He nodded his head and saluted her with his left fist over his heart.

Coco dismissed him with a nod and turned back to Ruby, her left eyebrow cocked in question. "Do you know how to ride?" she asked.

A slinking smile spread on Ruby's face. Weiss begged her not to poke the beast, but she just couldn't resist. "Weiss taught me how to ride him personally."

"Okay, get on then," Coco commanded without missing a beat.

Ruby pouted but did as told. She did not want another one of Coco's guns in her face.

They left the camp and rode to the subtle sounds of a sleepy forest and the rhythmic clink of Myrtenaster's armour. Coco was a tall woman with long legs and arms to match, she wasn't nearly as bulky as Weiss was with her armour on, but that still didn't leave much room. When she rode with Weiss, Ruby had been far too excited to notice it but the close quarters were definitely difficult. The only person she'd ever had this close to her body was Blake and they usually had a whole forest to share, not a couple centimetres and a few layers of clothing.

"Don't be so stiff," Coco instructed. "You need to relax and follow the motions or you'll end up hurting yourself."

"O-Okay."

And that was all Coco said for the rest of their ride.

When they reached the barn, the sun was high and both women were drenched in sweat. Ruby was fairing a little better than Coco, but she was in less layers and had the added benefit of Weiss' ice.

"Is this it?" Coco asked, her voice highly irritated.

"Yup!" Ruby chirped. "Home sweet home!"

"It's a barn."

"Yup!"

Coco let out an aggravated sigh. "The Crown Prince of Atlas is resting in a barn. Snow Queen have mercy on me, I'm going to get beheaded if the council ever hears about this."

"We're in the middle of nowhere, Captain," Ruby snapped irritably. No one insulted her ugly, old barn but her. "Be glad there's something here at all."

"Cute." Coco let out a mirthful chuckle and patted Ruby's head. "I can't wait till my kid gets to your age."

Ruby did her best to swat off Coco's hand, but the feeling of someone else's touch was hard not to enjoy. Blake was never the tactile sort, and Yang's hugs will never be the same again. That all encompassing warmth that used to lull her to sleep was gone forever and it was all Ruby's fault. Sadness washed over Ruby as the events of that fateful day replayed in her head like a scene from a recurring nightmare. The sound of Yang's agonized screams as Blake cauterized the wound were still fresh in her head, a permanent reminder of the pain her existence caused.

Coco caught the sudden shift in Ruby's mood and stopped her teasing. She pulled the distraught teenager to her chest and held her close. Coco's strong arms were coiled tightly around Ruby's small shoulders like a warm blanket.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know I tease a lot, but I don't mean you any harm," she cooed into Ruby's hair. There was a motherly tone in her voice that Ruby never heard outside of her dreams. "Whatever's got you worked up will pass."

"I-I'm sorry…"

Coco lightly bonked the girl on the head with her cheek. "Never apologize for something that isn't your fault."

"I'm sorry," Ruby repeated petulantly as she leaned deeper into Coco's embrace.

"C'mon, Red, let's go find Weiss," Coco said, dropping the conversation with a sigh.

Ruby threw a grateful smile Coco's way before jumping off Myrtenaster's back. Coco dismounted him a little more gracefully.

"So where my royal pain in the ass?" Coco asked, adjusting her hat to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. Ruby absentmindedly pointed to the barn as she stroked Myrtenaster's snout. "Thank you."

The pissed off Captain wasted no time and kicked the doors open with a shout that scared the living daylights out of Weiss. The Prince had been sitting by the table with a cup of water just minding her own business when the barn nearly came down on her.

"Coco!" she screamed vehemently in warning.

The dust settled around them as Coco confidently waltzed in looking calm and disaffected. Ruby, with her arms laded with supplies chased after Coco, her shorter legs struggling to keep pace with the Captain's long strides.

"My Liege, Little Red tells me your hurt," Coco said in the common tongue for Ruby's sake while her eyes casually roving over Weiss' slender body. The bandages wrapped around Weiss' chest made her lip curl upward in a nasty snarl. "And it seems she wasn't lying. What happened, Weiss?"

"I protected her," Weiss answered coolly, but the way she shied away and covered her chest told a completely different story. "That's all that matters."

Coco took her hat off and covered her face with a hand. Her eyes were screwed shut as she let out a long, aggravated sigh that sounded more like an angry growl. She shook her head and muttered a long string of curses before dragging her hand down low enough to peek through her fingers. Weiss seemed uncharacteristically frightened by the look.

"Weiss," Coco grumbled, her accent coming through.

"Coco," Weiss muttered back, her eyes narrowed warily.

Ruby looked between the two older women and hastily put herself between them. She kept her back to Weiss and bravely faced down the woman she was steadily growing to respect. Coco dropped her arms to her sides, looking extremely peeved by the interruption.

"Um…" Ruby withered under Coco's glare, "maybe we should take a step back and breathe?"

"Ruby, it's fine," Weiss said rather flippantly. "Coco's just worried."

"You're damn right I'm worried!" Coco screamed, her anger flaring like Yang's.

"See?" Weiss said, stepping around Ruby, a lazy smile spreading on her face to comfort the frightened girl. "Let's just get this over with."

"Good." Coco crossed her arms and looked around the sparsely decorated barn for something to work on. She noticed the bed and pointed her chin towards it. "Can we use that?"

"Sure," Ruby answered.

"Perfect." Coco frogmarched her Prince to the bed and said, "Face down; ass up. You know how I like it."

"Coco!" Weiss spun around and screeched, her face bright red.

"And take off those bandages while you're at it," Coco added nonchalantly.

Ruby fought back a giggle as she carefully dropped all the supplies on the table.

"B-But—"

"Oh suck it up, Princess!" Coco grumbled, rolling her eyes before quietly adding, "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Still!" Weiss shouted, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. She made herself seem as small as possible, her eyes desperately pleading for Coco to relent.

Shaking her head, Coco handed Ruby her hat and ordered the girl to begin sorting through their supplies. She asked for some water, two cloths, and the medical kit, as well as some fresh gauze and the liquor. While Ruby was busy with that, Coco grabbed a chair and carried it to the bedside were Weiss stood as still as a statue.

"You know we need to do this," Coco whispered. Weiss' bottom lip quivered in response. "If you're worried about Ruby, she's already seen you."

"Coco…"

Taking her Prince's hands carefully into her own, Coco slowly coaxed Weiss to lower her guard. She kept her eyes on Weiss', never straying down to what the Prince desperately tried to hide. "You've been walking around like this this whole time haven't you?"

"Mm…"

"Your shirt?"

"Ruined."

"It's okay, I brought you a new one and that thing you asked for."

Weiss gritted her teeth and lowered her arms even further, comforted by her best friend's presence. "My armour, Coco. My armour…"

Coco's eyes flicked to the beautiful ivory chest piece by the doorway and gave it a silent word of gratitude. She returned her gaze back to Weiss and said, "I'm sure she's happy she got to protect you."

"There's a gaping hole in it…" Weiss murmured.

"There's a gaping hole in you," Coco harshly whispered back. Now whether or not she was referring to the wound or something else entirely wasn't clear. Weiss seemed to understand though.

Ruby cleared her throat, presenting most the items she was tasked with to Coco. The rest, more specifically the water and the liquor, were laid out on the table, waiting for a return trip. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that's everything," Coco said with a smile. "Just put it all on the chair."

Nodding her head, Ruby followed her instructions and waited patiently behind Coco once she was finished.

"Ruby, I'm sorry to ask this, but could you please turn around?" Weiss asked in a defeated tone. She couldn't bear the understanding look in those silver eyes when the mere thought of Ruby seeing her bare was more mortifying than watching her King die. "I'm sorry," she quietly repeated.

Ruby offered to leave but Coco stopped her, saying she might need an extra pair of hands later on. Ruby returned to the table, her back to Weiss and Coco, and picked through the leftover supplies. She found a palm sized jar filled with a deep green paste and two vials filled with a thick yellow syrup. She assumed the first was an herbal mixture of some sort and the second plain honey. Ruby knew that honey had many healing properties, but she was curious what Coco intended to do with it. After a little more digging, Ruby found a small pull string sack filled with an assortment of dried leaves, petals, and herbs. It all made sense. Honey tea. Ruby smiled at the combination. Did Weiss have a sweet tooth? But before she could ponder on that further, hushed voices drew her attention.

"You can lie down and I'll cut the bandages off instead if you'd like."

Weiss nodded her head and laid down. Coco opened the kit and pulled out the scissors, giving them a test snip before cutting the bandages. A quiet gasp escaped Coco's mouth when she finally saw the wound.

"Snow Queen have mercy, forget the council, Chrys is going to have my head!" she hissed, setting the scissors aside.

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her," Weiss replied with a chuckle.

Coco sighed in exasperation as she handed Weiss the liquor. "Drink. You'll need it."

Weiss muttered a curse in Atlesian and took the bottle by the neck. She eyed it warily before bringing it to her lips and drinking. "That is positively putrid!" Weiss gasped once she had her fill.

Coco stoke the bottle back with a hearty laugh and took a healthy swig herself. "I've had worse," she said, wiping her mouth.

"You drank seawater on a dare, of course you've have worse!" Weiss pointed out.

Capping the liquor and setting it aside, Coco pulled out the suture kit and flipped it open. She carefully perused the selection but before touching the needle and thread, Coco washed her hands with some water.

"You seriously believe she won't find out?" Coco asked, flicking the excess water at Weiss.

The Prince grumbled indignantly but that soon faded away into warm laughter as she wiped her face dry. "We can try really, really hard."

"Oh please, trying to keep a secret from her is impossible," Coco said, threading the needle. "I mean, she found out about you."

"You're just weak."

"For those baby blue eyes, yes." Then Coco grinned. "Brace yourself, Princess, this is going to hurt."

This chapter was long overdue, I'm sorry for the wait.

I wanted to fix this up some more but the longer I fixate, the longer it'll take for me to update. Thank you for your patience.