Author's Notes

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Chapter Eleven

Ruby held onto Jaune's sides tightly as they rode through the cold, dark street. It had been a week since she was arrested by the Heiress herself; imprisoned for the alleged involvement in the murders of Landlord Thrush and a local miner named Jonathan Corbon. It was in that hell hole where she was repeatedly interrogated by one of very Sentinels who assisted the Heiress in arresting her: Brutus. Stating that the Warden gave him the authority to do whatever was necessary to find out the truth, Brutus had Gregory and Geoffrey barred from the Dungeon to prevent interference with his orders.

For what seemed like an eternity, she was beaten daily. When the Sentinel grew annoyed with her repeated cries of having nothing to do with the murders, he simply went to the level below her and resumed his session with Yang. Her sister's blood-curdling screams would always follow. When they stopped, the man came back with the same hideous grin across his cheeks. Now, where were we?" he would always say while he cracked his knuckles. Day and night she prayed that the torture would stop. Never in her life had she wanted to put an arrow so badly in someone before, but she was completely and utterly defenseless against his perverted rage.

On the seventh day of her imprisonment, perhaps, someone had heard her prayers. By now, everyone in Vermilion knew about the murders and that she and Yang were the prime suspects. The Guards of Vermilion continued to work vigilantly by asking the public to come forth if they had any form of knowledge or clues that would help with the case. Multiple statements from villagers placed Ruby well in the middle of Vermilion right around the time Jonathan Corbon was murdered. A Vermilion Sentry who was standing guard at a few houses down claimed that he saw her return to Celica Ironworks right around nightfall, and that he didn't see her leave any time after that night. With mounting evidence that proved that she wasn't anywhere near the sight of the murders, Brutus was forced to release her. She was free, but unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about Yang. In fact, there were reports that placed her in the same proximity of the areas where one of the two murders occurred.

Jaune pulled on the reins to his horse as he stopped in front of the dimly lit Valkyrie's Bakery. He pushed up the visor to his helmet and turned around to look at her. "Ruby?" he said in a hushed tone. "We're here."

She blinked at him, and then looked down to her bandaged fingers. "Okay."

Jaune nodded and then attempted to jump off his horse but instead fell flat on his face. There he remained for a few beats before rolling onto his back and shooting Ruby with a goofy smile, but stopped immediately when she didn't reciprocate.

"Right." Jaune cleared his throat and put his hands around Ruby's waist. Pain shot through her sore ribcage at his touch; forcing out a muffled whimper. "I'm sorry!" He quickly set her down as gently as possible and held onto her shoulders as she balanced herself. "Ruby?" he said quietly. "I...I am so sorry." Ruby pursed her lips as more tears formed in her eyes. "I wish this never happened."

"Jaune."

"Y-Yes?"

Ruby wiped her eyes. "Go home."

"But-"

Ruby pulled her hand away from Jaune. "Just. Go. Home," she muttered through gritted teeth as she slowly made her way to the house. "You and your friends," she said with a flare of anger at the end, "have done enough."

There were a few seconds of silence before there was the sound of Jaune's armor click together as he mounted his horse. "Hiyah."

Ruby looked back to see Jaune ride off into the darkness with slumped shoulders. As the sound of the horse's trot faded into the night, it was soon replaced by the lonely sound of the wind blowing through the dark street where it found its way to her, stinging her eyes and cheeks. She looked back at the entrance of the bakery. It was only a week ago when she stood in the exact same spot, to do an errand for Yang. As she lifted her hand to knock at the door, memories of Nora's smiles flooded her mind. Not tonight. Pain shot through her knuckles as she knocked on the door. When there was no response, she knocked again, hitting the door with the palms of her hand. Suddenly, the door opened without the slightest sound of footsteps approaching the door. A pair of magenta colored eyed met hers. It was Ren.

The butcher seemed just as surprised as she did. "Ruby!"

"Ren," she breathed out weakly as she stepped towards him. As her bare foot touched the wood floor inside the bakery, a numb feeling shot through her body. What little sustenance that was left in her stomach came hurling came messily out of her mouth and onto Ren's white night shirt. She fell to her knees as the frigid cold spread through her body like fire. The room began to spin as her vision blurred with every blink. Every gasp for air seemed to tear her lungs apart. Every second her body felt like it was crumbling. Spinning, spinning, spinning. Black.

"Ruby!"

Ren put his ear against Ruby's mouth. Her breathing was labored and weak.

"Damn it! Everybody, come here quickly!" Ren called out to the next room over. Immediately, Nora, Cardin and Blake stepped into the room.

"Ruby!" Nora shouted with wide eyes. "How did she get here?"

"No time to explain! Nora, Blake, you two get a hot bath ready for her immediately!" Nora remained in place, petrified. Ren gritted his teeth as he watched as the color leave her face while her smile faded."Nora!" he begged, "Now!" Blake grabbed the baker by the hand and proceeded to escort her out of the room. Ren turned his attention to Cardin."Cardin, go into Nora's room and get some fresh bandages and rubbing alcohol. It's all underneath her bed, in the tin container to the right."

Cardin raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Her room's on the second floor to the right. It's the one with the hearts drawn all over it."

"Underneath her bed?" he asked incredulously.

Ren glared at Cardin. "Just go get it!" he shouted back impatiently. "And get a spare blanket from the guest room while you're at it!"

Cardin rubbed his chin with a half-smile as he turned around to go up the staircase.

Ren went to his knees and wrapped Ruby's legs against his waist. He stood back up, careful to avoid the various obstacles that were in between him and the living room. The Valkyrie bakery followed a simple floor plan. On the first floor was the sales area, the space where baked goods were put on display and where transactions took place. Past the back door was the storage room where the bread was baked. And behind that was the living room. At the left side of the humble, cozy space, was a fireplace, and in a semi circle formation, two chairs and a couch. Ren made his way over and gently placed Ruby down.

Eyes still closed, a quiet groan escaped Ruby's lips. "I'm sorry," he said softly as he continued to readjust her carefully so that she lay properly on her back. As he leaned back to wipe the sweat from his brow, he felt his left eye twitch as he looked over Ruby's body. Her blouse and hooded cloak were barely held together; small pieces had been torn away that revealed her bare skin underneath. In addition, there were red, black, and purple cuts and bruises all over her face and body, as well as splotches of dried blood everywhere. Bandages in dire need of being changed were poorly wrapped around different parts of her fingers, arms and legs. Ren's attention was pulled back when the Huntress began to shiver. He turned to the fireplace and hastily threw in three more logs and paused for a moment to watch the flames enlarge as it spread to the dry wood. He then rushed back to cover Ruby's body with his own and exhaled into her clothes to try to warm her body even more.

"Hey, I found your box!" Cardin shouted as he descended the stairs with the small tin in hand. He tossed it to Ren who pulled away from Ruby to catch it. Cardin made his way over let out a long sigh as he pinched his brow. "What's happening to her?" His voice was quiet and hoarse.

Ren removed the top to the box. Inside were several rolls of bandages, a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, and a pair of scissors. He grabbed a fresh roll of bandages out and stretched it out to an arm's length and tore through it with his teeth. "She's going into shock."

"Shock from what?"

Ren tore through another arm's length of bandages with his teeth. "Loss of blood and severe dehydration," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"Those bastards." Cardin clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. "How the hell could they do this to her?"

"There's a reason why people are so afraid to commit crimes in this village," Ren replied as he quickly cut through another strip, holding it over Ruby's forearm to double check its length.

Cardin covered his left eye with his hand. "She's only a kid."

"I know, Cardin. I know." Ren watched his friend wipe his eyes. That was Cardin Winchester. While physically domineering and somewhat intimidating, he was actually very sensitive. Bullied as a kid for not being as intelligent than most of the other children his age, the boy took advantage of his strength to defend himself from insults. When he wasn't giving bloody noses, he was often found practicing how to read as well as chopping wood for his parents. They were poor, but that didn't stop them from trying to provide the best for their only son. After the death of his father due to one harsh winter, his mother fell terribly ill. In order to take care of her, he had to find work in order to pay for her medicine. It was Ren's decision to offer him an apprenticeship at The Dragon Butcher, where the latter could put his physical strength and endurance to use.

Together, they worked for a total of nine years and counting. It was in those nine years that he learned a lot about Cardin. Not only was he a loyal friend, he was also very honest. It was his honesty that often gave Ren an outside perspective on things. And although he didn't like to admit it, Cardin had a soft spot for Ruby. The apprentice had confessed multiple times that he viewed the Huntress as the little sister he never had. While Ren knew for a fact that it devastated Blake and Nora more, who were much more close to her than Cardin, the boy still suffered greatly. Ren could see it in his eyes. It was always the eyes.

The orange-haired boy ran his hands through his hair as he took a seat on the ground beside Ren and leaned against the side of the sofa. "Ren?"

"What is it?"

"Why do you think Vermilion has so many guards?" he asked. His voice was deflated and soft.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Just answer my question."

"Well, a number years of ago, we were attacked by bandits, you remember that."

"Yeah."

"People were killed. Rich and poor. It's why the Warden has become obsessed with building up a small military of his own. To defend us from similar future attacks."

"You'd think that he's getting ready for a war," Cardin muttered as his throat locked into place. "And the troops are getting so bored that they've resorted to picking on the weak to pass the time!"

Ren opened his mouth to speak, but instead closed it. He had never heard his friend say anything like that before. There was something eerie about it that sent chills down his spine.

The silence was cut short by the sounds of loud footsteps. It brought their attention back to the staircase where Nora and Blake stood, panting. "It's ready," they said in unison.

"Okay." Ren pointed to the supplies he had out before Ruby. "Can you two make sure she's cleaned up? I've already prepared a second change of bandages."

The two girls nodded as they approached the sofa. Cardin and Ren stepped back as Blake knelt beside Ruby and wiped her eyes. She gently shook Ruby awake. The Huntress's eyes tiredly opened as she looked at Blake and Nora. "What's going on?" she mumbled.

Blake put a hand on her forehead and smiled tenderly. "Ruby, we have to clean you up to make sure there are no infections." The bookbinder let out a whimper as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Can you stand?"

"I don't think I can. My back, it hurts. It hurts so much," Ruby whispered back.

"It's okay!" Blake replied rather loudly. She blinked away the tears in her eyes. "I can carry you. On three, okay?" Ruby nodded nervously as Blake began to count. "One, two, three!" The Huntress yelled out in pain as she scooped up into Blake's arms. Nora bolted to the stair case and directed Blake up the stairs while she lit the way with an oil lamp to guide them through the darkness.

Ren and Cardin faced one another in silence as they listened to the sound of shuffling footsteps and exchanges between Nora and Blake. Cardin flinched when Ruby's scream was heard as she was presumably lowered into the bath. Nora and Blake's shouts were soon muffled as the door was abruptly slammed shut.

Ren turned around to see Cardin slumped in a chair staring blankly into the fire. With a sigh, he took the seat next to him and held up his hands to the fire as well. "Cardin." No response. "Hey, talk to me."

Cardin blinked. He blinked again. Rubbed the stubble on his chin. Sniffed. "I, I never thought something like this would happen." He shifted in his seat and motioned to himself and Ren. "Whenever we had a problem, it was always Yang who found a way to figure it all out." He laughed nervously. "And now-" the smile from his laugh dissipated. "-now she's the one in trouble and I have no idea what to do."

"Don't talk like that. We're going to find a way to figure this out, okay?"

"I want to believe you, Ren. I really do. But after what you and Nora told me." Cardin got up and sighed. "I don't know anymore. I just don't." With an subtle shake of his head, he walked towards the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

He topped and turned around. "I'm getting a drink," he said bluntly.

Ren folded his arms. "I didn't know you drank."

"Surprise, pretty boy, you found out about one of the many things you don't know about me."

"Oh yeah? Do you sew?"

"Piss off."

Ren failed to suppress his snicker that gradually turned into loud laughter. Cardin was caught off guard, and despite desperately trying to maintain his serious composure, couldn't help but laugh as well. Ren opened an eye to look at Cardin. He was busy shaking his head, one hand on his knee, and the other over his stomach, still trying to stifle his laughter. He was smiling. Good.

Nora stirred as the sound of distant. With a yawn, she opened her tired eyes to see Ruby's nose pressed against hers. She half-smiled and inched back just a bit to give them breathing space in between. A quick glance over Ruby's side revealed that Blake was still there. Curled up in a ball, the bookbinder slept quietly beside Ruby with an arm tucked in between Ruby's left arm and side. The baker rested her head back on her pillow and sighed tacitly.

As the minutes went by, the rain picked up speed. The quiet impacts of the drops against her window contrasted with the soft, hushed voices of Ren and Cardin's from downstairs.

She carefully rolled to her right side and stretched her arms and legs and sighed when they cracked. Not only was it a busy day at the bakery, but she had also spent over an hour hunched over the bath with Blake while the both of them attempted to clean Ruby's many wounds. It was beyond painful to clean the poor girl's body while trying to avoid reopening the weak, thin scabs that had developed over half of the cuts on her body. She had to restrain a thrashing Ruby while Blake applied the painful, yet necessary pressure of soap against her skin.

After Ruby had been dried off, Ren had to wrap a fresh layer of alcohol soaked bandages around her arms, legs, fingers, and face. The last time she had heard Ruby scream like that what was when they were younger. She refused to think about it any longer, and returned to face Ruby.

What was left of Ruby's tattered outfit was removed before her bath. They were hung up on a rack to dry by the fire downstairs, which Ren and Cardin volunteered to stay up to watch. The Huntress now wore one of Nora's white nightgowns from when she was younger. It was the only thing the former could wear; Ren had refused Nora to go to Celica Ironworks to pick up some spare clothes, even after she promised to be careful.

He vehemently stated that they were to stay at the bakery until morning, where they would go as a group to take what supplies they could from the ransacked house. While she usually found herself excited and smitten with adoration when Ren's cool and strict side showed, she refused to acknowledge those feelings. Nora sighed as she caressed Ruby's face gently. The smooth, dainty skin she so fondly remembered when giving her tight hugs during visits had instead become rough and uneven from the scabs and cuts. Her skin reflected the poor conditions her body went through during her hellish one-week stay in the Vermilion dungeon.

A single tear formed in her eye. What started off as any other day a little more than a week ago had turned into a nightmare. The guilt she felt when she sent off the poor miner to his death coalesced with the increasing anxiety from Yang's questionable innocence. While her heart told her yes, Yang was innocent, she could never erase those memories from her mind. The incident with Ruby would always be with her. The sound of the rain against the window grew louder as a large crack of thunder soon followed. It was raining.

Freezing cold water splashed against Yang's face. The blacksmith let out a gasp as the water soon found its way to the other parts of her body where they stung at her open wounds. The sickening sensation forced her stomach to get rid of the small meal it was allowed earlier in the day. The shackles that were tied around her wrists and ankles prevented her from wiping away the mess she made over herself. Vision still blurry from the water in her eyes, Yang struggled to blink away the moisture. A blurry figure stood before her.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart." Yang's froze in place as the voice came closer and closer. "Well, it's technically night time, but you wouldn't know that, would you?" She heard him circle around her. "Goodness gracious, what a mess you've made. To think you'd spit out the rat stew that I worked so hard on." She felt the stench reach her nose as the voice came closer. "That really hurts, love."

Her eye began to twitch rapidly. It was the bastard Sentinel, Brutus. One of the four men who were responsible for her capture. Skin tore open across her knuckles as she clenched her fists.

"What was that, sweetheart?" The man said with a laugh as he exaggeratedly leaned in closer. "Did you say something?"

Yang's lips curled up into a crooked smile. "Go screw yourself." She spat on the side of his face.

He slapped her across the face, hard. "Tsk tsk tsk," he said in a mocking tone, "That's no way to treat a man." Brutus took out a neckerchief and wiped away the saliva before folding it back into his pocket as he knelt down beside her. He ran his studded glove through her hair while chuckling to himself. "I wish playtime was longer, so I could have more alone time with you."

Yang grumbled dejectedly as she another sharp stab of pain in her head. "Hhh…"

"Oh, I almost forgot! Because of your incredible stubbornness, the Warden has proposed an incentive for you." Brutus pulled out a roll of parchment and unfolded it neatly. He grabbed the small wooden chair by the door, pushed it up to Yang and He took a seat. "Story time! The Warden likes it when criminals like you confess rather than not confessing. It saves us the time of not going through a public trial-"

"Just read," Yang interrupted with a sneer on her face. "Or are you just stalling because you can't?" He hit her across the face again, hard. She spat the blood out but managed to form a grin. "Oops, did I hurt your feelings?

"Shut your whore mouth!" He slicked his greasy hair back and exhaled slowly. "I don't need to read; I already got the gist of it." Yang watched as he faced the palm of his right hand upwards. "If you confess and are found guilty, Celica Ironworks will be confiscated, and you and your sister will be exiled from Vermilion for a length of ten years." Yang's sneer faded. The Sentinel grinned in return as he put up his other hand. "Or, if you do not confess and are found guilty-" he dropped the parchment and made a noose motion around his own neck, followed by a choking expression. "-you will be executed by hanging." Yang stared blankly at the parchment directly beneath her. The Sentinel giggled as he turned around to leave. "Think about it, sweetheart. You have three days." The door slammed shut as the sound of keys jingling along with a cheerful whistle tune soon followed.

Yang vomited again. She blinked dazedly as she watched the drops of saliva fall from her mouth and onto the stone floor. It had to be a joke. Some sort of sick scare tactic to get her to lie about her involvement with the murders of both Thrush and Corbon. They couldn't find the real killer but decided to settle for her for the sake of saving a few hours' worth of their time. But sure enough, at the very bottom of the tan-colored piece of parchment was a red wax seal in the shape of a twelve-point snowflake.

It was the Warden's official seal of approval.