Rhea Branwen sat on the bed in the guest-room of the Xiao-Long/Rose/Branwen house, gazing down at a small, black and blue instant-print camera. She slowly reached into her pocket, drawing several pictures, and she slowly went through them, one by one. There were landscapes, animals, and all sorts of Grimm. Then, there were pictures of others - Adam, Raven, Tribesmen (including that ever-irksome Vernal) - and Rhea was in some of them.
Rhea cringed as she saw the pictures from the Tribe, quickly closing her eyes and hiding them from her sight. Then, she paused at one picture, and she sighed and slowly lifted it up, frowning. It was one of only two in existence, and one of the things that Rhea held dearest in the world. The old photo depicted Rhea and Adam standing in a forest. Rhea had her arm wrapped around his shoulders in a side-hug, the opposite hand holding the camera out before them as she grinned cheerfully at it. Adam was rolling his red eyes, his arms crossed and a light smile on his face.
A younger Rhea stood in a forest-clearing, her eyes narrowed as she slashed with her Hardsteel blade, practicing the various moves she used in battle against invisible foes.
"Again?" A voice asked, and Rhea looked back, surprised, to see a younger Adam standing there, crossing his arms and giving a light smirk. "You always said I looked like an idiot, fighting people who weren't there. And yet, this is the forth time I've caught you doing that."
"Tch." Rhea smirked, standing up straight and placing a hand on her hip as she rested her blade on her shoulder. "What can I say, Adam? You've progressed greatly, these last four years. I figured that there has to be something I'm doing wrong, seeing as how you're nearly as good as I am, now."
"Was that a compliment?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. Rhea rolled her eyes, sheathing her blade before turning to him and crossing her arms.
"What? Am I not allowed to be nice to you?" She asked, and Adam blinked. Then, he gave a small smile.
"Well, then... I suppose that that means that I get to be nice to you." Adam walked over, drawing something from his coat and holding it out. "Happy birthday, Rhea."
"Huh?" Rhea blinked, genuinely surprised as she gazed at the small brown package, then she looked up at him. She hadn't even remembered her own birthday, but he managed to? Slowly, Rhea took the package and opened it, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "You-"
"It was my fault, when your old one got broken." Adam announced, still smiling as Rhea retrieved a black and blue instant-print camera. "So, I figured it would be fitting if I was the one to replace it."
"Adam, I..." Rhea looked down at the camera, stunned, then she looked up at him. Part of her wanted to cry, to thank him from the bottom of her heart for giving her the first real present she had ever recieved - Rhea having only ever bought what Rhea needed and never anything extra, Rhea having to work for months to buy her first camera and facing Raven's judgement over the "useless thing" -, for being so kind... But, instead, she smiled. "I think I know the perfect first picture."
"What?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow, only to blink as Rhea turned the camera on and got it ready, moved over, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding the camera out in front of them. "Rhea-"
"Come on, Adam." Rhea looked up at him, smiling. "Let's see one of those priceless facial-expressions." Adam blinked, then crossed his arms and gave a light grin as he looked up at the camera. Rhea beamed, then she looked up at the camera.
The shudders snapped and the light flashed twice.
Rhea gazed down at the picture forlornly, then turned to the bedside table and opened the drawer, placing all of the pictures and the camera inside before closing it.
What was she supposed to do, now? She had been outcast by the Tribe. She had her family, but she still felt uneasy and paranoid because of Raven and her worry that the Tribe would descend upon that house. And her sisters, father, and uncle all had their own lives, so Rhea would have to find one for herself. What was she to do?
...
"It's time to light the fires of revolution... And burn mankind to the ground."
...
That was a possibility, Rhea realized as her eyes narrowed. She could go after Adam, and ensure that he never hurt anyone else ever again. Now that she didn't have Raven to predict the future, she would always be left wondering about their next meeting and who he'd hurt. She couldn't take that risk-
...
"I'm going to look out for you, from now on."
...
"... Liar." Rhea announced softly, her eyes narrowing as her anger spiked once more. That traitor, that liar, that twisted monster. He was going to attack her sister, he slaughtered innocent people and burned Beacon. He couldn't be granted mercy...
But, for now, Rhea was in no condition to fight. She had to recover and heal, so it would be best if she stayed put. She didn't like it - it was risky -, but staying with her family was her best shot. And, as long as she was there, Rhea decided that she might as well enjoy it.
/\
Later that day, Rhea limped into the kitchen to see Yang doing dishes. Rhea blinked, then she gave a small smile as she mare her way over and placed a hand on Yang's shoulder.
"Anything I can do to help?" She offered, and Yang looked back. The blonde smiled, turning to face her sister as she held a rag and a glass out.
"Yeah, you could-" The glass fell from Yang's hand and shattered. Yang quickly looked down at it, surprised, then-
...
"There's not going to be a next time, blondie."
"He attacked me!"
"You're either lying, or you're crazy."
CRACK!
...
Yang gasped, stumbling back and bracing herself against the counter, her lilac eyes wide and filled with panic. Rhea looked up at her, her right eye twitching, but her blue eyes quickly widened in surprise.
"Yang?" She asked, and Yang looked down at her. Slowly, Rhea got down on her knees and began to pick up the pieces of the glass, and Yang remained silent. Then, Yang closed her eyes, bared gritted teeth, and slammed her left fist down on the counter.
"I keep seeing it." She managed, and Rhea stood up with the glass-shards in hand. "That night, when I hallucinated and broke Mercury Black's leg. When the whole world saw what I did, and I saw something different." Yang looked up at Rhea, frowning slightly. "... Am I crazy?"
"... No." Rhea shook her head, frowning. "But you do have PTSD." Yang blinked, surprised. "I've seen it before, in members of the Tribe... Yang, you're not the only one who hallucinated in that arena. I saw the broadcasts - Pyrrha Nikos and Coco Adel acted strange during their matches, too. Somebody could have-"
"Or, it was stress and adrenaline!" Yang snapped, and Rhea blinked. "I mean... I was in the first fight, and my team wa scrounging on me! Coco - she's got a fan-club equivalent in population to Menagerie! And Pyrrha? Pyrrha was the Mistral Champion! Everyone expected her to win! All of us could have hallucinated!"
"Do you really believe in such a large coincidence?" Rhea questioned, and Yang blinked. "Three students, all skilled female fighters from Beacon, hallucinated. Two of the three fights involved Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, who was sighted in the arena after the third fight."
"How do you-?"
"What do you think I've been doing in the last week since I woke up? Whenever you haven't been babying me, I've been gathering intel on exactly what happened at the Fall of Beacon."
"Why?"
"Well... I've gotta have something to do once I'm well." Rhea looked away, frowning. "Tying up loose ends is near the top of my list of priorities... Starting with Adam."
"Adam? Like, Adam Taurus?" Yang asked, surprised. "Isn't that the guy who wa a going to attack me? Blake's old partner and the leader of Vale's White Fang?" Rhea looked up at Yang, nodding. "Why is he the top priority?"
"Because he's my responsibility."
"What's that mean?"
"Yang, why do you think that he wouldn't fight me?" Rhea asked, and Yang blinked. "It's because he knows he can't beat me, since... I taught him pretty much everything he knows."
"... What?"
"After she took him in, Adam was my fellow apprentice under Raven. I was her senior student, so she had me teach him... I'm to blame for how powerful he is, for his very existence."
"So... You're going to what? Get him arrested?" Yang asked, and Rhea didn't reply. Slowly, Yang's eyes widened. "Rhea, you can't just k-"
"Yes." Rhea looked up at Yang. "I can... As much as I am like you, sister, do not forget that we are still very different people. You've been raised to walk the path of light and save lives... I was raised to walk the path of darkness and take them."
"But you're away from Raven, now! You don't have to do what she told you to! You can solve this without-!"
"Yang." Rhea looked up at her sister, her eyes narrowing. "Adam has become a monster... And sometimes, the only thing that can beat a monster is another monster."
"Rae-"
"If you wish to overpower a monster of an enemy, you must be willing to cast aside your humanity." Rhea stated simply, and Yang blinked. "... Believe me, Yang. I wish that there was another way. But if Adam was imprisoned, the people would revolt. If he is killed, his followers would scatter, and a lot of this would be over."
"And you want to be the one to do it?"
"... I'm afraid that there might not be any other choice." Rhea set the glass down in the counter and crossed her arms, turning away and looking damn. "Your friend, Blake, may try. But she's not strong enough to defeat him. That much is obvious... While I am injured, all I need to do is return to fighting-shape and I'll be able to go after him. I know his style, his strengths and his weaknesses. If anyone could defeat him without anyone else getting hurt, it is me."
"But do you want to-?"
"Not really." Rhea waved it off like it was no big deal. "I mean... Who in their right mind likes getting blood on their hands? I've killed before, certainly - but only due to a lack of other options... And with Adam, there are no other options." Rhea's eyes narrowed lightly. "I have to stop him."
"Rae, you're only one person."
"Yes." Rhea looked back at Yang, glaring lightly. "I'm a fully-realized warrior, the once-proud Queen of the Branwen Tribe, and the girl who taught Adam Taurus all he knows... For one person, I'm hardly one to be looked down upon for being so." Rhea loosed outside, her eyes narrowing. "I swear... I'll have myself healed up and combat-ready by the spring. Once that time arrives, I will go after Adam, and do what I should have done two years ago."
Yang simply gazed at Rhea, frowning, then went to dispose of the broken glass. Rhea slowly closed her eyes, sighing as she heard the noise behind her, then she opened her eyes, looking downcast.
'I wonder...'
A nearly-seventeen year-old Rhea glared, standing over the body of Adam Taurus, sheathing a blood-stained blade before placing a large Grimm-mask onto her face.
'What would have happened if that had been the path I decided to tread?'
"Hey, Rhea!" A voice shouted, and Rhea looked up to see Ruby standing in the doorway, smiling nervously as she held something behind her back. "I was looking at your weapons - sorry! - when I noticed that your ice-Dust blade was missing! So, I did my best to make you a new one!" With that, Ruby brought from behind her back a brand-new blade of carved ice-Dust, which looked just like Rhea's old one. Rhea's eyes widened, and she slowly limped over, taking the blade in her hands.
"The weight, the length - they're perfect..." Rhea stared down at the blade, shocked, then she looked up at Ruby. "How-?"
"I'm a bit of a weapons' geek." Ruby admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Do you like it?"
"Ruby, I love it." Rhea insisyed, not noticing Yang looking back from the sink with a light grin as Ruby giggled awkwardly, rocking on her heels. Neither of them seemed to notice Rhea's slightly-shaking hands.
"Thanks, sis!" Ruby beamed, and Rhea blinked. Then, she managed a small smile.
"Thank you, Ruby."
Little did the three girls know, they were being observed. Taiyang and Qrow stood in the TV-room, having observed everything that had occurred in the kitchen since Rhea had arrived there.
"... She's definitely a lot like Raven." Taiyang noted quietly, frowning. "This guy she's going to go after, Adam Taurus - he's dangerous, and she's underestimating him. But the thing is, I don't think that I could stop her if I tried."
"Yeah. That's how Raven always was." Qrow took a sip from his flask, then he looked over at Taiyang. "... Can I ask her, now?"
"Qrow-"
"Tai, it's important. You and I both know that Raven probably has Spring, and Rhea's the only one who would probably spill the info to me. I've gotta ask her."
"... I'm not sure if she's ready to talk about the Tribe, yet. She still seems really shaken."
"Shaken? Girl seems pissed-off."
"No... Qrow, look." Taiyang frowned, and Qrow raised an eyebrow before looking back at the kitchen. Ruby and Yang were leaving, Ruby taking Zwei outside and Yang claiming that she was going to start her daily workout now that her chores were done. Rhea stood in the kitchen alone, still holding the ice-Dust blade, and she seemed to make sure that her sisters were gone.
Once she was certain, Rhea suddenly fell to her knees with a soft cry, acting her blade away and looking at it with wide eyes as she scrambled back and hugged her knees to her chest, her back resting on the cupboard as she gazed at the blade.
"The Hell?" Qrow asked, his eyes narrowing. Taiyang looked over at him, frowning.
"Qrow, Raven and Rhea use the same sort of weapon. A blade just like the ones that Rhea carries with her did all of that damage to her body, left her this weak and dependent on other people for the first time in years. She's scared, Qrow... And I think she was lying when she told Yang why she was so quick to know that she's showing signs of PTSD. She knew because, in the last week, she did the research she used to diagnose herself."
"But she didn't react to the glass-"
"Her eye twitched, and her hands shook after she took the blade from Ruby... I think that, due to her years of being raised to never show weakness, she's employing some of the same tactics she learned from Raven to hide her condition."
"So... Both of them?" Qrow asked, and Taiyang gave a small nod. Then, Taiyang crossed his arms.
"Part of me thinks it's all three... Ruby's nightmares aren't getting better. In fact, they're getting worse. She's hearing that girl, Pyrrha."
"Damnit." Qrow cursed quietly, taking another swig from his flask. "Damn it all... Ozpin, James - they were too confident. And now, it's too late to fix what's happened or stop what's been started." Qrow looked over at Rhea as she slowly pulled herself together, taking a towel from the cupboard and wrapping the blade up to hide it from her sight before standing, her whole body quivering slightly. "... I still have to ask, Tai."
"I know... Just, please - be gentle about it."
/\
A couple hours later, after a semi-heated discussion with Ruby about how amazing weapons could be, Rhea retreated to her room, closing the door and locking it before leaning against it and sliding down the door, pulling her knees to her chest despite the pain in her torso.
...
"The weak die, and the strong survive. There are no exceptions."
...
Rhea closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. But then, she winced, almost-feeling the blade's sting as it shredded her body. The pain, it had been so intense - it still was. And the humiliation of it all, of her horrible defeat and her now-fragile form...
"Rough day, IceCube?" A voice asked, and Rhea looked up to see that her window was open and Qrow was leaning against her dresser, drinking from a flask. Rhea slowly blinked, then looked down. "... Should've left 'em while you had the chance."
"I know." Rhea announced coldly, then she sighed and closed her eyes. "I know."
"... Rhea, I've gotta ask you something, and I need an honest answer." Qrow walked over and crouched in front of Rhea, who looked up at him with a frown. "There's a girl who I really need to find. The whole world could depend on it... Do you know anyone by the name of Fernal?"
"Fernal?" Rhea asked, seeming surprised. "Yeah, I know her. She's a member of the Tribe, and a pretty strong one. I'm just glad that she was out on a scouting mission I assigned her to when-"
...
A blade plunged into Rhea's stomach, the girl screaming until her throat was raw.
...
"... When I arrived back in Mistral." Rhea finished stiffly, then she looked back at Qrow. "What's so special about her?" Qrow blinked, then he looked down.
"There's a lot I need to tell you, kiddo... But it can wait, for now." Qrow looked up at her, frowning. "You just focus on getting your strength back, you and your sisters. You're going to need it."
"Yeah." Rhea looked away, frowning. Qrow gazed at her for a long moment, then sighed.
"Kiddo... Raven's always been a real pain. But you shouldn't let her get to you, okay? You're away from her, now."
"... You of all people should know that it won't be that easy." Rhea looked up at him, frowning. "If I want to set things right, I must return to Mistral... Raven and I will face each other, again. And with a one-to-one tie this far, I honestly cannot predict a winner."
"Well... You can't ever predict anything, really. As long as there's a one-percent chance, it's possible. Just difficult... But nothing worthwhile is ever easy."
"What are you saying?"
"You've had it rough, IceCube. But you can't let little things like pain and fear stop you. You've got more pressing matters, like whatever the Hell's possessing you to go to Mistral."
"Yes, that's true." Rhea's eyes narrowed. "I have to stop him. And the fear of Raven won't prevent me from doing so. I can't afford it to... He needs to be stopped."
"If you say so, kiddo." Qrow nodded in reply. "Just keep that in mind. Keep that goal in mind, and once you complete it, find another. It's unfortunate, but just because you're hurting doesn't mean that you can stop fighting. Not with the world being in the state its in... We need as many heroes out there as possible."
"Tch. Heroes? In case you don't recall, I'm a bit of a... Bad person."
"You're not a bad person, kiddo. Believe me, I know plenty. Sure, your head's a little screwed-up right now, but you'll get it on right eventually... You've just gotta keep moving forward."
"Huh?" Rhea looked up, surprised, only to find her uncle gone. A single black feather laid on the floor, and Rhea blinked before sighting and standing, walking over to the window and closing in. "Crazy old drunk."
Well, there you have it: Rhea trying to recover, Rhea's presence affecting a bit of the timeline (the PTSD scene occurring sooner rather than later), some more personal and "getting to know you" stuff, and (my favorite) MOTIVATION!
Rhea has goals for the future - *cough* Volume 5+ *cough* - and she's determined to do whatever she can to complete them. Now that she no longer leads the Tribe, Rhea knows that she needs to take care of the people she no longer has any sort of control or leverage over, and she's decided that Adam is the most dangerous.
(To those of you who have seen V5E4, know that I have everything under control. I have an idea as to how to explain a certain ability of Rhea's in a future chapter. It's all fine~...)
I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)