Chapter 25
The End of the Yellow Brick Road
Before becoming the preeminent huntsmen academy on Remnant, Beacon had first served as a military base with new recruits being taught and trained where the repurposed dormitories and classrooms now stood. The grounds guarded the City of Vale's vulnerable eastern front where the sheer cliffs that encompassed the fertile valley all along the southern border gently sloped into the highly populated residential and commercial districts.
The most prominent feature of the academy was the Emerald Tower which could be seen from even the Isle of Patch on a clear day. Originally it had been built as a humble watchtower, but after being destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout the multiple incarnations of the Fall Kingdom, it's main purpose now was as an auxiliary CCT Tower communicating and coordinating with huntsmen all across Remnant, and was also the home of the kingdom's huntsmen grand marshal and headmaster of Beacon Academy.
It had been constructed without the assistance of Atlas or even the Schnee Dust Company, but despite resting atop Beacon's cliffs the black and green structure was still dwarfed by the ivory tower nestled in the middle of the commercial district, but only by a few feet and because the SDC had placed a particularly long antenna on the top.
Yang had already visited the Emerald Tower a few times in her life, the most recent being when she and her teammates argued their case to the headmaster for going on a mission without their leader. Never before had she ever come alone, but while she couldn't help nervously feeling as though she were being watched by unfriendly eyes, Yang continued walking as though she owned the world and was in no particular hurry to be scolded for whatever she may or may not have done. A regular, everyday sight at Beacon Academy.
When she finally came to the end of the yellow brick road the automated doors of the tower parted and she was greeted by a rush of cool air and the smell of electronics. While the building had not been built or even designed by the creators of the worldwide Cross Continental Transmit System, it was obvious its interior had been greatly inspired by the Atlesian structures. Instead of white and pale blue however, the colors of both Atlas and the SDC, the Emerald Tower's interior was black and green, the colors of Vale, with black supposedly representing strength in the never ending struggle with Grimm and green representing the kingdom's fertile land which fed most of the world.
"Welcome," said a feminine voice from behind the front desk. A moment a later a cyan hologram of a young woman appeared. "If you wish to make a long distance, non-huntsmen related communication please visit the transmit tower in Beacon Academy's library. If you wish to make a long distance communication that relates to official huntsmen business please state the nature of your visit. If you wish to speak with Grand Marshal Ozpin an appointment must first be made. Do you wish to make an appointment?"
Yang ignored the hologram which except for its color would've been easy to mistaken as being a real person, and made her way down the hall to the right. "I'm here to see an old friend who missed my birthday yesterday, and I wouldn't get in my way if I were you."
She stomped past several important-looking offices before finding the elevators, and stood in front of them looking bored and indecisive.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a cat-girl by the bow. If she hollers let her go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!" She clapped her hands loudly and called the fifth elevator, and with a deep breath stepped aboard when the doors parted.
"If you wish to see Grand Marshal Ozpin, you must first make an appointment," said the hologram's voice when the doors closed. "If you have other business here at the Emerald Tower, I can assist and-"
"And I told you that I'm not here to see him. I'm going down, not up."
"I'm sorry, but we are presently on the ground floor. Going further down is not possible."
"Bull. My uncle said I can, and if he said I could sprout wings and fly like a fiery, golden dragon or yellow canary then it must be true because he said so. Unless he's lying, but he pinky promised to always tell me when he's lying."
The computer remained silent, possibly trying process what she had said.
"That's right. Don't try arguing with me, computer. I'm a master debater. I may not have as much practice as Weiss, but I have a lot more imagination and wasn't exactly self-taught like her."
"I'm sorry, but you cannot-"
"Just watch me. This is the problem with computers. No witty comebacks or dirty talk. Rubes would probably be into that sort of thing, but I like doing it with real people."
"I'm sorry, but could you please repeat? I do not understand what you are saying."
"Neither do I half the time but that doesn't stop me from laughing anyway. Just search 'master debater' online and you'll understand. Safe search off though. Don't be a wuss."
When the computer fell silent perhaps to do as suggested Yang took a deep breath and began bouncing on the balls of her feet, alternating between playing with her hair and cracking her knuckles. After several more deep breaths her eyes flickered and she scowled at her reflection. Digging into her overstuffed ammo belt she retrieved her scroll and slid it into the ID slot by the number pad. She then punched a series of buttons into the holographic device that she'd had memorized since she was little and waited for the computer to respond.
"Huntsmen identification confirmed," it said in a more official sounding voice. "Welcome, trusted ally of Qrow Branwen."
"Uh, favorite niece of Qrow Branwen thank you very much." She continued pressing buttons both into her scroll and the elevator's number pad, these memorized from just last night and this morning.
"Student Yang Xiao Long, you have been given special privileges and access to a level six restricted facility by huntsmen ranger Qrow Branwen, deputy headmaster of Signal Academy and field intelligence commander of the Kingdom of Vale, and trusted ally of Grand Marshal Ozpin. Ranger captain Qrow Branwen has a level six security clearance at this facility. Please clearly state his mission authorization code."
She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Red gemstones fall away when fiery hearts lie withered and fond ones have flown," she said in a sad, sing-song voice. "The last rose of summer thus kindly do I scatter, so soon that I may follow..."
When the computer didn't immediately respond Yang cursed aloud wondering how she could've possibly screwed up the words she had repeated countless times to herself when she laid awake at night unable to sleep, and wondered how long it would take for security to be notified of an intruder attempting to enter a restricted location with a classified huntsmen authorization code. Just as she began contemplating breaking the door down to meet them head on however the elevator began to descend and she heard what might've been bulkheads opening and closing around her. She estimated the elevator must've dropped at least a hundred feet, and impatiently began pacing around the confined space annoyed that all of her answers had been literally under her nose this entire time.
A part of her almost couldn't believe any of this was real, and briefly wondered if this could've been a drunken dream. Amber being in a state of the art medical facility in Argus, the northernmost city of Mistral where Sanctum Academy also hailed, had been such a convincing lie that Yang had almost believed it herself when she and her sister had been told about their friend being attacked in Forever Fall and currently being in a coma due to her injuries. Ruby had been led to believe it had just been an incredibly rare but unfortunate Grimm attack in the mostly peaceful forest, though whether she actually believed that Yang was now doubtful. She on the other hand had been told the truth about Amber's attackers and her being moved to a secure location, but no amount of pleading or puppy eyes from either of them had convinced their father and uncle to let them visit Amber, with their excuse in front of Ruby being that there was nothing they could do and their friend being in the best of hands. As well as Argus simply being too far and expensive for them to visit when money was already tight if not entirely non-existent.
When the elevator finally came to a sudden halt the doors parted and Yang was greeted by stale, musty air. She retrieved her scroll and cautiously stepped out into a dark cavern. She was standing atop a small landing with a large staircase leading even further down where at the bottom a peculiar wall of blue fog was swirling. What caught Yang's attention the most however were the four large suits of armor standing on either side of her that were the size of Paladins, if not larger. The ancient-looking suits were equipped with oversized red dust cannons that Yang recognized as being similar to the ones attached to bullheads, but appeared to predate airships by several centuries.
She held her breath knowing they were fully capable of vaporizing her on the spot despite her powerful and flame resistant aura, but with hardly a second glance she began making her way down the steps flaring her aura to shed herself of goosebumps and keep away the unnatural chill of the dimly lit cavern.
"Hello, Yang. I've been expecting you."
Yang froze on the bottom step hearing a woman's voice ahead of her, but peering into the mist she didn't see anyone.
"H-hello?"
Slowly, a tall woman with an hourglass figure, dark hair, and ghostly pale blue skin emerged, and Yang resisted the urge to activate her weapons. Somehow this woman, no, creature, seemed far more dangerous than any Paladin or suit of armor, but despite her fear Yang also couldn't help being mesmerized by her appearance.
"Who- what are you?" she asked, having never seen anyone more beautiful, not even when she looked in the mirror. The woman's skin was translucent as though she were made of smoke, but also shined like sapphires. She was garbed in all manner of gold jewelry and apparel, including what Yang thought was the most brazen bikini she had ever seen, and badly wanted to know where she could get one.
"Please, Yang, you're making me blush." The woman shyly touched her cheek as if to hide the nonexistent redness in her face, but the way she hung her hips and smiled not-so-innocently told the experienced beach bunny that she couldn't have been happier with the attention.
After gawking for several more moments Yang shook her head as though breaking a spell, and blushing she raised her eyes trying not to stare. "Y-you're a mind reader," she said, somehow unsurprised.
The woman winked playfully and gave her a suggestive smile. "My dear, I am that and so much more. I am Jinn, a bridge between life and death, as well as the guardian of the Fall Kingdom's vault and keeper of its knowledge and secrets."
"Okay...next question. Why-"
"I am dressed as a Vacuoan queen because many centuries ago I was the ruler of the once great Summer Kingdom. No, I am not a sexy SMRF like the one you dressed as to Halloween party last year. My skin is blue because that's the natural color of my aura. Freed from your own body you would look as radiant as sunshine, though in my opinion you already do."
Jinn stared at her curiously and grinned as Yang shifted her weight uncomfortably. She giggled and covered her mouth politely. "You have a most interesting mind, Yang Xiao Long."
"Er, thanks, I think..."
"You're rightfully proud of your incredible strength and beauty, and admired by all for both, but you're also much shyer than you otherwise pretend to be. And despite your beauty and your appreciation of it in others, what you value most in a person is what's in their heart, and I'm terribly sorry for how yours has been hurt..."
Jinn's smile became something more tender, almost motherly, and Yang couldn't help glancing away suddenly out of breath. "I'm not just reading your mind, Yang. The moment you stepped off the elevator our auras began to intertwine. My soul and spirit currently reside in paradise, but what remains of my aura here on Remnant serves to protect what I could not while I was yet alive. If your heart had evil intentions I would not have hesitated to fulfill my duty as guardian and smite you, however-" her smile and blue skin brightened- "time does not move here exactly the way it does in the outside world, and during our time together I've had the great pleasure of getting to know you through your friend Amber. And despite the darkness in your heart rarely have I had the pleasure of knowing someone so loving and kind as yourself. You've come here seeking neither knowledge nor secrets, but rather companionship. I will open the gate and take you to Amber's vault."
"T-thank you," Yang said tearfully.
Jinn smiled again and disappeared into the mist, and a moment later an outstretched hand beckoned Yang to approach. She hesitated, but when a bright light suddenly began shining through the ethereal mist Yang without entirely being aware of what she was doing began running toward it. Her heavy boots echoed through the cavern, and stepping through the fog she emerged in an empty room no longer made of stone a short distance from a young woman suspended in a glass tank filled with a peculiar green liquid and surrounded by yellow glyphs.
Yang's heart skipped a beat and she forgot how to breathe as she cautiously approached, her aura having faded and the tank being the only source of light in the otherwise unremarkable vault.
The suspended young woman was wearing a tattered green cloak with bloodstained huntress gear underneath, but despite being submerged in liquid she didn't appear to be the least bit wet. She had tanned skin and dark brown hair nearly down to her shoulders, as well as what looked like a black spiderweb tattooed on the left side of her face.
"Amber..." Yang choked, placing a hand on the glass while tears rolled down her cheeks. "Oh God, I-I'm sorry. I-I should've been there..."
She hung her head allowing her blonde locks to obscure her face, and pressed her forehead against the glass. With her knees threatening to buckle she struggled to remain upright, and tears began flowing faster than she could wipe away. To calm herself she begrudgingly allowed her huntress instincts and training to override everything else, most of which she had learned alongside the girl in the tank.
Yang recognized the yellow glyphs as having something to do with time dilation, and seeing how Amber was hardly moving and didn't even appear to be breathing thought perhaps she was in some sort of suspended animation. The black spiderweb markings on her face however while reminiscent of a glyph was unlike anything Yang had ever seen before, and after noting how it looked more like it had been carved into her skin rather than tattooed or drawn she quickly committed the disturbing pattern to memory. She then began meticulously going over every single rip, tear, and scorch mark on Amber's clothes and body, trying to decipher whatever she could of her attackers while wondering with dread just who exactly could've pierced the most powerful aura shield she had fought against.
She let out a soft whimper when she found a hole in Amber's left bloodstained pant leg where either a blade or perhaps an arrow had gone straight through her calf, and horrified she found another just above her right breast which also appeared to have singed her cloak.
"You missed my birthday yesterday," she sobbed. "You promised you'd take me out to eat and clubbing later that night, and my teammates if I wasn't able to convince you to come to Beacon with me."
She gave a soft chuckle and took several deep breaths. "I didn't wind up on a co-ed team like I'd been hoping, but I guess that's probably for the best, eh? I still haven't met any guys that can take the brunt of my aura, or any girls for that matter." Yang smiled and glanced away momentarily. "I remember this one time we were at the beach and you complained that every other girl could've been completely naked and nobody would've noticed because they'd all be staring at me. You had just gotten a new swimsuit and didn't talk to me for the rest of the day."
Yang laughed aloud remembering the incident as if it were yesterday, and found herself finally able to breathe normally as she settled into a familiar rhythm. "Rubes says hi by the way. You're not gonna believe it but she got accepted into Beacon two years early and she's even my leader. Okay, maybe you would believe it, but this is same Ruby who a year ago was dressing herself and Zwei up as superheroes and paroling Signal for Grimm and bandits, and now she's the youngest team leader in Beacon's history. And get this! Her partner's a Schnee! One of those filthy rich, stuck up snobs we'd make fun of for not being able to put toothpaste on their toothbrushes by themselves is little Rube's soulmate! Her name's Weiss, and all that is true about her by the way, but I think you'd like her anyway. For one thing she's richer than either of us could've ever imagined, but she's also really sweet, when she wants to be."
She paused and began shifting her weight uncomfortably. "I uh, I also have a partner..." Yang swallowed and bit her lip indecisively. "I-I know you never really wanted to be a huntress and probably wouldn't have come to Beacon with me without a lot of smooth talking, but part of me always hoped it'd be you I got to share my soul with, and that we'd get to travel the world together. Her name's Blake, and she kinda reminds me of you actually. She's quiet and kinda shy, and thinks reading is actually fun, but once you get to know her you learn she's just as crazy as the rest of us. She wears a big bow in her hair to hide a pair of cat ears, and yeah she pretends to hate all my cat puns but I know better. Personally I think the only people she's fooling are as oblivious as Rubes or self-centered as Weiss, but she's worried people might treat her differently if they found out she's a faunus. She wants people to judge her for who she is, not what she is, o-or some of the things she's done..."
Yang cleared her throat began rubbing the back of her neck. "Personally I think she should stop wearing them, and I've considered throwing all her bows away when she's not looking, kinda like what I occasionally have do to Rubes' wardrobe. Blake's the only person who's judging herself for what she is and what she's done, not that I completely blame her, but-" Yang looked at Amber's scarred face and sighed. "Right, sorry. Fire breathing motormouth, I know. Anyway, she's lived a hard life, a-and I guess you could say she fell into the wrong crowd. She used to be a member of the White Fang, and she was in Forever Fall the day you were attacked. From what I've been able to piece together she helped steal an SDC train and might've been a distraction while another group ambushed you. She doesn't know though, and I lied and told her she'd already left the White Fang by that time. I've been doing that a lot lately..."
She shook her head as though responding to her reply. "No, I wasn't exactly happy when I found out she'd been with the White Fang, or when I figured out she'd been in Forever Fall the same day as you, but from what Uncle Qrow tells me the people that attacked you were probably human, not faunus. B-but the White Fang have also started working with humans too..." She shook her head again as if trying to get the thoughts out of her head. "To be honest I still don't know how I should feel about her exactly, but by the time I found out she'd been with the White Fang I knew that more than anything Blake just wanted to make things right, and that she's a good person. She was put in a really crappy position and made some bad decisions, but I guess we all have, haven't we?"
She smirked and let out a snort, laughing perhaps at some kind of inside joke between them. "I think you'd like her though. She's got a sweet Bellabooty, a-and I couldn't have asked for a better huntress partner. Nobody will ever truly replace you though..."
Yang's head spun as uneven sounding footsteps slowly made their descent down the stone stairs, along with something metal every couple steps. She squinted to see through the fog and could just make out a tall man favoring a cane coming down the steps where at the bottom he paused and appeared to be speaking with someone. A moment later he bowed his head and the mist parted, and a middle-aged man with silvery hair, wiry spectacles, and a dark suit with a green turtleneck emerged.
Beacon Academy's headmaster walked with no more urgency than when he had been coming down the stairs, and facing the glass tank Yang wiped her face and flared her aura to dry her crimson eyes. She took a few deep breaths and mentally organized her thoughts as a way to try and calm her kindled semblance. Now was not the time to do something stupid, or as Amber and anyone who had ever known her would affectionately say, 'Do something Yang would do'.
As Professor Ozpin approached his pace slowed and relied more on his cane, and as Yang noted in the reflective glass appeared almost concerned and perhaps even apprehensive.
'Good,' she thought to herself. 'He should be worried...'
He finally came to a halt a few feet away, just out of punching distance Yang noted, and after watching Amber float lifelessly for a few moments his somber gaze fell to his student.
"Good afternoon, miss Xiao Long," he said politely, speaking as casually as he might when discussing the weather. "I must say you gave me quite the fright when I heard someone had entered the vault without my knowing, and with your uncle's security clearance and authorization code no less. I feared that he might've been compromised in the field, but when I saw footage of you in the elevator I must say that I was both greatly relieved and troubled. Just how did you get down here exactly?"
Yang retrieved the yellow envelope and black feather from her jacket. "Little birdie sent me an invitation. No offense, but I was expecting a better surprise party than this."
Professor Ozpin glanced at the stamped envelope and seemed to recognize the handwriting and feather. "I'm afraid Qrow's penmanship never was very elegant even when he was attending Signal, but he always did take excellent care of his feathers. More than once I've suggested that he should consider making the change permanent, though I suspect his appetite for insects and birdseed hasn't improved over the years. Tell me, just where is your uncle?"
She couldn't tell by the headmaster's tone whether he was concerned, upset, disappointed, or simply just curious, but suspecting a combination of them all she shrugged unhelpfully. "Dunno. I was gonna ask you the same thing. He sent it via huntsmen express along with a couple nightgowns he picked up in Mistral. There was this one bird that crapped on Weiss' favorite jacket the other day. Could've been him."
Ozpin continued studying her but after briefly glancing at Amber his gaze softened. "Why have you come here, Yang?" he asked sadly, sounding resigned as though he might've known the answer.
Her eyes darkened. "I didn't come to kill her if that's what your wondering. Yesterday was my birthday, a-and we'd already made plans together..." She turned her head, and when her tears evaporated she raised it again.
The headmaster nodded. "I'm sorry. I truly am. I understand you and miss Aurelia became very close from your time training at Signal together."
Yang bit her lip, and turning to the glass tank she balled her hand into a fist. "We weren't just training partners. Amber and I grew up together. We did everything from playing on the playground when we were kids to sneaking into bars when we were older, a-and we were always there for each other whenever somebody we loved died. We might not have trained to be huntress partners, and our powers might not have fully matured until our last year training together, but as far as I'm concerned Amber was my partner. She's the only person I've ever been able to share my entire soul with, and I'm the only one she's ever shared hers with..."
Ozpin closed his eyes and lowered his head. "I'm sorry..."
Yang turned, her pupils momentarily disappearing in crimson. "Feel sorry for whoever did this to her," she snapped, "because if my uncle doesn't find them first I'm gonna kill them."
The headmaster furrowed his brow and appeared to study her for a moment. "And you're content with having blood on your hands?"
She stood up straighter and appeared to size up the man twice her size. "I'm training to be a huntress, aren't I? What I want doesn't really matter, but no. Killing whoever attacked Amber and my baby sister doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've looking forward to it actually."
He shook his head and stared down at her sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that, Yang. I truly am. For your sake, and for the sake of the sweet little girl I first met all those years ago, I hope you never have the misfortune of taking a life in cold blood."
Yang put an unsteady hand on Amber's tank and glared up at the headmaster unimpressed by his pity. "This is the exact reason Amber was my training partner. I know better than anyone how powerful the Maidens are, and I even know what it takes to beat one. You, and my dad and uncle wanted a contingency in case somebody ever stole Amber's powers, and you're looking at her. My mom and stepmom were her mom's guardians, and now I'm Amber's, not Ruby. The worst thing fire can do to me is burn my skin off and tick me the hell off, and even if her attacker was somehow able to kill me I'd probably just keep fighting until we were both piles of ash. It's a win-win for everybody, isn't it?"
Ozpin was silent as her words appeared to sting and weigh heavily on him. "We've put too much on your shoulders," he said quietly, regret clear in his voice. "Even from an early age we knew you'd be the perfect candidate for fighting Maidens should their powers ever fall into the wrong hands. Fire may be able to harm you but your own flame burns hotter than anything a Maiden can produce, even autumn's. You heal quicker than even some of the most gifted huntsmen, and I dare say I haven't had student as powerful or as well-trained than when your parents' team was under my direct tutelage. Then there's your unique semblance, the Branwen curse as your uncle calls it. At its peak you're capable of leveling city blocks and killing Alphas as though they're just common Grimm, as well as standing toe to toe with the Maiden of Destruction."
She continued staring up at the headmaster unimpressed as though he were merely stating the obvious. Ozpin seemed to sense this and sighed. "In your uncle's letter, did he by chance mention how long your friend has left to live?"
Yang's defiance faltered momentarily and she swallowed. "Not long..."
"A couple months at most," he stated matter-of-factly. "If Amber died at this moment her powers would find their other half and become whole again, and then all of Remnant would be in peril."
"That's not gonna happen," she growled, taking a step in front of Amber's tank and toward the headmaster in a threatening manner.
Ozpin regarded her coolly for a moment before speaking again. "If the woman who stole Amber's powers can be found and subdued, or killed, then you are correct. The powers of the Fall Maiden would return to Amber and she'd likely awaken on her own, and without the need of my time dilation glyphs slowing her death she'd finally begin to heal. In theory. However, just as you are a contingency plan should anything tragic befall the Fall Maiden, I must make my own should her attacker not be found in time or prove to be too powerful even for you."
"Too powerful? I've taken everything a Fall Maiden can throw at somebody and lived. Not only that but I've thrown in all back into their face and had them buy me a drink afterward. I'm not scared of somebody with half the power and nowhere near the experience."
"This isn't just some rogue huntress, Yang. This woman has faithful followers who've been patiently waiting for this day since Vale's royal palace was burned to the ground. Some of whom are rogue huntsmen themselves who have even given your uncle a run for his money. She's also enlisted the assistance of Sienna Khan and the White Fang, who serve not just out of fear or a mutual goal, but out of loyalty. The woman we're looking for is none other than the rightful heir of Vale and the descendant of the original Fall Maiden."
Yang's eyes widened in surprise, but quickly she began staring at the headmaster incredulously. "Wait, you're telling me that the woman who stole Amber's powers is the villain from 'The Fallen Queen'? You've got to be kidding me."
Ozpin shook his head. "Before DSNY made their cartoon adaptation, the story was nothing more than the last queen of Vale's promise of vengeance on her subjects shortly before she was executed by a mob roused by Atlesians. Despite the fact she'd already sworn to lay down her crown once the war was officially over, she foretold of a queen who would rise up and reestablish the old kingdom, and punish the traitors and oath breakers alike. Whether or not she had any kind of clairvoyance has yet to be seen, but you and I both know the story of 'The Transient Princess' traveling from Vacuo to Vale barefoot eventually came to pass. Why shouldn't this be any different?"
Yang stood speechless, her disbelief slowly morphing into horror.
"Vale's royal family were wrongfully slaughtered like animals," Ozpin continued, "but the youngest princess was able to escape by being dressed as a servant girl. For two centuries she and her descendants have been in hiding just as Vacuo's Transient Princess has, but the would-be queen of Vale has finally decided it's time to retake what's rightfully hers."
"I don't care who or what she thinks she is. When I find her, I'm gonna kill her."
Ozpin raised his hand. "Patience, Yang."
"Patience? There's a half-Maiden running around and a terrorist group that nearly destroyed the city!"
"Despite what the tragic death toll or my detractors may have you believe the City of Vale was in little danger of actually being overrun by Grimm, in part because of valiant teams such as yourself defending the city and its citizens." He looked at her with pride but Yang merely blinked impassively, causing him to sigh and shake his head. "I severely underestimated the capabilities of the White Fang, as well as the enigmatic Roman Torchwick, but they're nothing more than diversions from the would-be queen's true goal."
"Hell of a diversion," she said bitterly. "And screw patience and letting things play out. My uncle tells me that you're supposed to be some kind of chess wizard, but it sounds to me like she's making all the moves and you're just sitting on your hands up in your tower stalling for time. Something not all of us have the luxury of."
Ozpin grimaced, and Yang smirked glad to have finally gotten underneath the headmaster's skin, but after a moment something appeared to strike him as humorous. "It's almost as though I'm speaking to your mother and uncle," he said amusingly. "The would-be queen of Vale is getting desperate and overplayed her hand with this latest attack, which if not for your team I suspect would've taken place during the Vytal Festival and been much more catastrophic."
Yang didn't react to the complimentary tone or word of thanks, merely continued staring a hole through the headmaster.
"Whether she knows it or not, the woman who stole Amber's powers is dying at nearly the same rate she is, and is gradually going insane because of the empty chasm within her yearning to be filled. I've seen it before, and because of her failed attack she and her followers have had no other choice but to go back into hiding. She's already made mistakes, and as her time draws nearer she'll only make more. There's also the possibility that she could willingly give up the Fall Maiden powers if the burden proves to be too much for her, or perhaps out of the goodness of her heart."
"Goodness of her heart?" Yang asked mockingly.
Ozpin smiled. "Never underestimate the good within us all, Yang. She may be driven by revenge and have no regard for life, but having transferred a portion of Amber's soul into her body I believe it's possible your friend could have a positive influence on her. I've seen women steal the Maiden powers who make the would-be queen of Vale look like a saint only to eventually become one themselves. The Maidens' powers are meant to be a force of good and a blessing to the people of Remnant, and they have a habit of changing people for the better."
"So your plan is to wait her out and just let Amber die?" Yang choked in disbelief.
The headmaster shook his head again. "Not quite. Amber may be a third generation Fall Maiden, but this woman is an expert glyph practitioner capable of holding her own even against my head combat instructor, if not completely overwhelming her if she so desired. The Fall Maiden powers resonate within her like no other, and even at half strength I believe she's already more powerful than Amber, who is both gentle and kind, and never truly wanted to be the Fall Maiden or even a huntress in the first place. Everything that the Maiden of Destruction should be. I've given the would-be queen of Vale the rope that she'll eventually hang herself with, and in doing so she hasn't felt the need to show herself and cause untold devastation. However, if we're unable to locate her soon then I'll have no other choice but find another host for Amber's remaining powers. The new host will suffer exactly what this other woman currently is but only for a short duration, and I'll be able to put them in suspended animation if necessary while we wait for the would-be queen to die naturally."
Yang tightened her fist. "You can't do that!"
Ozpin's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Yang, but I must do everything within my power to protect the Kingdom of Vale and the people of Remnant."
She turned and wiped her face, and when she faced the headmaster again she was more sad than angry. "Who'd you pick? Is it a student? Coco? Velvet? P-Pyrrha?" At the name of her close friend and rival her voice cracked.
"You know I can't tell you that, and if it make you feel better I haven't asked anyone to accept the burden yet."
"But you will," she said miserably, "and they'll say yes just like I did because they won't fully know what they're getting themselves into, and because they wanna be good little huntresses and protect the world when it doesn't give a crap about us."
"Yang, please. This hasn't been an easy decision to make for any of us."
"Listen, I'm all for dying for a good cause. I couldn't wait to sign up to be a huntress, and pretty much everyone I've ever loved has signed up for the same thing, but we all deserves to know what we're dying for. We all deserve to know why we're sacrificing ourselves, and we deserve to know why the people we love do the same..." She gave him an accusatory glare and swallowed. "If the time comes that Amber runs out of time, I'll do it. I'll inherit her powers and let her consciousness slip into mine just like old times, a-and let it fade away. She'd want it that way..."
Yang sniffed and wiped her eyes, and after taking several deep breaths she continued speaking. "There was always the chance that if she were killed her powers would go to me anyway..."
The headmaster put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Yang, but the powers of destruction would only bring out the worst in you. Free and without the previous host guiding them the Fall Maiden's powers naturally choose young women who wouldn't use the powers for personal gain or to settle scores, which is why Amber's attacker used an archaic transference glyph to try and steal them. You already have too much destructive power and blood-lust within you, as well as an unquenchable rage at times, and you were already chosen to be host of another Maiden's powers..."
As his words lingered in the air Yang shifted her weight uncomfortably and blinked away tears, and the rage Ozpin had just spoken of began to kindle from deep within.
"Tell me, just how much exactly do you know about the origins of 'The Four Maidens'?"
Yang shrugged the headmaster's hand off her shoulder. "I know an idiot wizard split his soul apart and blessed four girls with his powers, and they all became queens after Mantle finished conquering the other three kingdoms."
Ozpin nodded and a smile tugged on his lip. "Well, I'm not the wizard of the story if that's what you're trying to imply. However, just as the original Maidens have their descendants, Ozma had his own as well."
Yang blinked either unsurprised or uncaring, or perhaps simply not believing him.
"When the wizard as you and so many others call him split his soul apart, his spirit and soul moved on but his aura did not. You've had your fair share of experiences like this, have you not?"
She remained silent and glanced away again.
"To Winter, Ozma blessed her with his immense knowledge and creativity, and she became the Maiden of Creation. To Spring his undying love and kindness, and she became the Maiden of Rejuvenation. To Autumn his insurmountable passion and strength, and she became the Maiden of Protection, though in later centuries she would become known as the Maiden of Destruction. And finally to little Summer he gave his fear of death, as well as his longing for it. She became the Maiden of Life and Death, and when the current hosts of these incredible powers die they're either guided by their previous host or they find someone with a similar heart and mind to those lovely young ladies."
"To curse them too," she muttered.
Ozpin's eyes looked at her sympathetically. "To make the world a better place, but unfortunately you're not wrong. Ozma never predicted the powers would be used like this, nor would he have wanted it. Countless innocent women and young girls have been murdered over the last millennia, and almost every time it has been for naught. Even some of the Maidens' descendants and distant relatives have been hunted to near extinction. However, countless wars have also been averted by each kingdom having their own Maiden at their disposal, and the world wouldn't be what it is today without them, particularly without Winter's innovative mind. We see her handiwork all around us in fact."
"You're right. the world would be a different place. I'd still have a mom and so would Amber, and we wouldn't have gotten dragged into this."
The headmaster remained silent for a moment, the only noise in the vault being the gentle hum of Amber's tank. "Yang, do you know why your mother was chosen to be the host of the Spring Maiden? Or why she volunteered for such an undertaking?"
Yang stiffened but didn't answer.
"Her predecessor was dying, and a proper heir had just been born earlier that year. Although you're not a descendant of the original Spring Maiden, there is some Maiden blood flowing through your veins because of your father's kinship with the Lionheart family. Raven was to inherit the powers until you were of age, then if you accepted we'd transfer them over to you."
She glared at him accusingly. "You've had this planned since you recruited my parents at Signal, haven't you?"
"Planned, no. I merely saw how your mother and father's auras complimented each other and how they looked at each other in the middle of class, and later I gave them the necessary push to make them partners. Along with your uncle and stepmother they were the greatest huntsmen of their generation, and like you were a contingency should tragedy befall any of the four Maidens."
"They still are the greatest..." Yang added softly.
Ozpin smiled and nodded. "The Spring Maiden's powers of rejuvenation and rebirth have a calming effect on their host and were a good influence on your mother who was never quite able to control her semblance. I believe that might've been her main reason for accepting the powers. She was afraid you would have the same difficulties that she did. When she died however something unexpected happened. We had all hoped that if the unthinkable happened and she fell in battle then perhaps because the powers are regenerative in nature your mother might be spared from the Branwen's habit of continuing to fight even after death, or perhaps the powers would eventually fade away along with her aura someday. They might've even gone to you and laid dormant until you were older, but because of Summer's last ditch effort aura transfer to save your mother she ended up absorbing a fraction of the Spring Maiden powers herself while the rest found another host, who we still have yet to locate all these years later. As much as Summer might've been trying to save your mother however, I believe she might've also been trying to spare you from inheriting them yourself."
Yang looked down hiding her face.
"Your stepmother struggled to control her newfound powers at first, but she had the great fortune of being a master aura manipulator and could even make her aura similar enough to that of your father's. When it was announced that she was pregnant with a girl it was assumed that her daughter would make for an even better heir having Spring Maiden blood from both her parents and as a direct descendant, but curiously when she was born she inherited nothing from her father, and the only Maiden blood she inherited was what already flowed in her mother's veins, which meant you were still the best choice to be the heir, and you still are, Yang."
"I don't care," she growled, glaring up at him with crimson eyes.
Ozpin seemed unphased by her reaction or the rising temperature. "It's the only way to almost certainly guarantee victory against a half-Fall Maiden who happens to be the rightful heir."
"I told you I don't care! I'm your contingency plan, not her! Leave Ruby out of this!"
"I'm sorry, Yang, I truly am, but you might not have a choice in the matter. Your sister has been on borrowed time for eight years now. It's nothing short of a miracle that she's survived this long."
"I am not sacrificing my baby sister," she said through clenched teeth, tears rolling down her cheeks as crimson briefly reverted back to lilac.
"That's not what I'm suggesting," Ozpin said gently. "Summer's aura is the only thing keeping your sister together, but it comes as a double edged sword because its entwined the the Spring Maiden powers, and if she ever activates those powers even for an instant she'll begin losing control just as the woman who stole Amber's powers currently is. Sweet, kindhearted Ruby Rose would begin relentlessly hunting the other Spring Maiden and would kill an innocent girl in cold blood if it meant being whole."
"Shut up! No she wouldn't!"
"I'm afraid she would. I've seen it happen before, but I suspect having fought to control your own semblance for so long you wouldn't suffer nearly the same fate. If miss Rose dies there's no telling whether her powers would be transferred to friend or foe, or even what the other Spring Maiden's mental state is like. The safest option would be to transfer her powers over to you before that can happen."
"And what? Let Ruby die? Or is that why you decided to give her the token of the Fall Maiden's guardian? You wanna transfer her Maiden powers over to me so that she can inherit Amber's. You're gonna make me choose between my sister and best friend!?"
Ozpin was silent for a moment. "I won't lie and say that it hasn't crossed my mind. Your sister is everything that the Fall Maiden should be, but she'd most likely lose her mother's aura in the transfer, which is an incredibly delicate process, and the powers of destruction are not rejuvenating in nature. And as long as Ruby Rose is the host of the Spring Maiden she cannot claim her true birthright." A small smile tugged on his lip. "Fortunately it hasn't come to that and you two still have some time together, but I fear your sister may be beginning to unravel as we speak."
"Then do something!" She reached out with a trembling hand to grab him but it fell short. "Please..."
Ozpin touched her arm and squeezed. "I already have, Yang." She looked up to see the headmaster smiling sadly at her. "I have loved your family for longer than any of you realize, and I never wished any of this upon any of you. One reason I allowed your sister to come to my school so early was so that you two would be together in what will most likely be her final years. Also, you know that my semblance lets me see a person's potential. It's what allows me to know which of my students will compliment each other such as yourself and miss Belladonna, or in this case your sister and miss Schnee. To a certain extent the raw potential for using the ancient language for glyphs exists within all of us, but it takes a special semblance to be able to use them effectively, or in this case a special bloodline. Summer was one of the most gifted glyph practitioners and aura manipulators I've ever had the honor of teaching, and I still have hope that miss Schnee as well as Professor Goodwitch will be able to help Ruby discover and develop her own untapped potential. As well as help her control whatever Maiden powers she ends up with."
"You really like meddling in other people's lives, don't you?" she said dryly.
Ozpin smiled as though it should be obvious and had a peculiar twinkle in his eyes. "I have played my part and will continue to do so, but unless meddling is absolutely necessary I believe in letting nature take its course. Ozma is proof enough that my kind shouldn't intervene in fate."
"Huh?"
"In other words I don't believe in coincidences. I believe there's a reason miss Rose's fate crossed paths with both myself and who we're presuming stole Amber's powers. If that's the case then she has already survived two encounters with a half-Maiden, thwarted a terrorist attack, and perhaps most miraculously has thawed a Schnee's heart. It's clear to me that miss Rose has a part to play in all this, and I believe she'll decide her own fate when her time finally comes."
"Y-you've seen this?" Yang swallowed. "A-are you saying she'll die?"
"I've seen many things, Yang. Time may be a constant but it's never fixed and is constantly changing. Just as I can look into a person's aura and see their potential, when I look into the future all I can see are possibilities. Rarely is anything ever set in stone. It's been invaluable to me as Vale's grand marshal and headmaster of Beacon Academy, but just because I can see someone's potential that doesn't mean that person will fully realize it or be given the opportunity to do so, or that they'll even use their potential for good. Precious few are able to live up to their potential, and even fewer are able to exceed it. I knew from the beginning that your parents' team would be extraordinary, but the moment I stepped into her grandmother's cottage I knew Summer would save Vale from destruction someday. And I still believe she will."
"What about Ruby?" she pleaded. "Just tell me, please..."
"I'm afraid miss Rose's life is in her own very capable hands, just as her mother's was before it was cut short. We all forge our own destinies in a world governed by inescapable fate, but your sister has the rare ability to influence fate, for better or worse..."
Yang flinched knowing what he was implying, and swallowed something bitter tasting. "There was only one survivor of the Patchwork Massacre when there should've only been one casualty..." she whispered, each word of realization that she had never wanted to admit before breaking her heart in a way she never thought possible.
Ozpin didn't respond, instead he merely patted her shoulder and continued speaking. "While miss Rose sets off to make the world a better place not knowing just how much she's influencing it, you 'go with the flow' as you so eloquently put it in our interview together. Your flame will burn brilliantly, and like no other flame ever has, but if you continue down the path of vengeance you're currently headed down it'll be snuffed out before its time. Yang, you have the ability to save a kingdom that teeters on the edge of ruin, or you could destroy it yourself if you so chose. You can change the outcome of the battle that'll take place atop this very tower someday, but it's up to you how you go about it."
Yang opened her mouth in surprise and turned to Amber as if looking for an answer.
"I don't know when that day will come," Ozpin admitted, "but for the would-be queen of Vale it'll be her last. Even if she becomes whole again, I'm afraid she's too far gone. Her victory would be her own undoing..."
He looked down as though saddened by this prospect, and after a moment squeezed Yang's shoulder with a peculiar twinkle in his eyes. "There's going to be a banquet aboard General Ironwood's airship next week. You should ask miss Schnee for an invitation and bring your sister along. I'm afraid miss Belladonna would likely prefer to skip such a formal engagement with Atlesians, however I believe you three would greatly benefit from the event."
With a mischievous grin but without waiting for a response Professor Ozpin turned back the way he came no longer relying on his cane. Just as he was about to pass through the wall of blue fog a tall woman with blonde hair tied in a bun emerged wide-eyed and pointing a riding crop all around the vault.
"False alarm, Glynda," said the headmaster, laying a hand on the unconventional weapon. "Sorry, I probably should've called or given you remote access to the elevator's camera and AI system. Remind me to do that later."
"Oz," she huffed in between breaths, glaring as he chuckled at her uncharacteristically disheveled appearance. Professor Goodwitch gritted her teeth growling at him, but her features immediately softened when he gestured toward the young woman caressing the medical tank as if attempting to hold the occupant's hand.
"Give them a moment," he said before exiting through the mist.
Goodwitch nodded, and after she was done adjusting her attire and wiping sweat away with a silk handkerchief she began studying her boots with her back facing the one-sided conversation taking place on the other side of the room.
"I-I love you, and I'll come see you again real soon, okay?" A moment later Yang's boots echoed through the vault and the combat instructor turned to see her star pupil drying her eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry..." Goodwitch bent down and wrapped her arms around the girl. Their familiar auras quickly began to intertwine, and Glynda Goodwitch couldn't help being reminded of an old friend she sorely missed. Something she was sure to share, along with just how much she missed moments like this between them.
They stood in silence for several minutes with Goodwitch rubbing circles into her back just as she did when the girl had trouble sleeping when she was younger, whispering in her ear that everything would be alright. Eventually Yang pulled away from the embrace and glanced back at the young woman floating in the tank, and stared with a blank look on her face.
"Why don't I walk you outside," Goodwitch suggested. "You look like you could use the company. I know I sure could..."
Yang didn't respond, instead she leaned against the taller woman who led her through the fog and up the stairs. Before they could get too far however a voice called out from behind.
"Farewell, Yang." They turned to see Jinn emerge from the mist. "Fear not, for I am the vault's guardian and will keep Amber safe, and perhaps more importantly I will keep her company."
"T-thank you," she said tearfully.
Jinn nodded. "I thought you'd like to know that she often has dreams of you and your life on Patch together. She doesn't blame you for what happened, and she doesn't want you to blame yourself either."
Yang's arm tightened around the other woman unable to speak and barely able to stand.
"Thank you, Jinn," Goodwitch said kindly, bowing her head before continuing up the stairs.
"Yang," she called out in an unsure voice. The pair turned to see the regal woman taking unnecessary breaths and looking hesitant. "If you ever get the opportunity to tell your sister about this place, a-about me, or where she comes from, please tell her that...that I said hello. And tell her...tell her that I'm sorry about what happened to her mother..."
"I-I will. I promise."
This time it was Jinn who bowed graciously, and with her blue eyes twinkling with traces of silver she retreated back into the fog. Holding tightly onto her student Goodwitch half-carried, half-dragged Yang up the stairs and called the elevator when they were at the top. Glancing behind them one last time Yang saw two figures appear in the fog, and let out a sad laugh and waved. A moment later they waved back.
"I'll save you, Amber," she called. "Even if it's the last thing I do..."
The pair smiled sadly at her, and without looking back Yang stepped aboard the elevator and began taking deep breaths once the doors closed.
"Welcome back, Professor Goodwitch," said the computer. "Welcome back, favorite niece of Qrow Branwen."
"Now you're just sucking up," Yang muttered, wiping her eyes and withdrawing from her combat instructor's embrace. Apart from one another they stood in silence as they ascended with bulkheads opening and closing around them. When the elevator doors finally opened again Yang sprinted out the elevator down the hall and through the receptionist's lobby, and very nearly ran through the automated doors. Outside she stood leaning against a railing taking sharp breaths as the sun descended over the city. A few moments later Professor Goodwitch stood beside her shivering at the cool autumn breeze.
"Will you be alright?" she asked, covering her arms with her dueling cape.
Yang nodded weakly. "Yeah. I knew that wasn't gonna be easy, and to be honest I'm not sure if that was easier or harder than I thought it'd be."
"None of them should've ever gotten you involved in this," she admonished, glancing at the top of the tower then scanning the sky as if looking for something flying overhead.
"It was my choice, Professor," she said quietly. "And if my uncle didn't think I was ready I wouldn't be here. Like it or not I'm a part of this now..."
The taller woman frowned and bent down to gently wipe Yang's cheek. "Glynda," she corrected softly, smiling at her. "In front of your fellow students and the staff you will address me respectfully as Professor Goodwitch. When it's just the two of us however it's Glynda."
Yang nodded, and with some difficulty forced a pained smile.
"You've been a part of Ozpin's shadow war since before you were even born, Yang. You're not just now a part of this." Glynda took her hand and squeezed. "I'm not going to lie and say that this war isn't important because being on the losing side might very well mean the destruction of Vale, again. As a huntress I've sworn my loyalty to the people of Remnant, and as Beacon's head combat instructor it's my unfortunate duty to try and prepare my students for something nobody is prepared for. This shadow war is just as much mine as it is Ozpin's, however, protecting my children will always be my top priority, as well as keeping promises to old friends..."
Yang sniffled and squeezed her hand back, both beaming at one another. "I-I've been meaning to thank you for fixing Ruby's cape again. She doesn't sleep as well without it."
Glynda shook her head. "It was nothing. I've gotten a fair amount of practice with my own over the years, and I fixed your sister's cape a time or two back when it still white. Summer must've had at least a dozen spares but for whatever reason that one was special to her. I-I never thought to ask her why though..."
She hung her head, and Yang followed suit. "Me neither. My dad and uncle say they don't know either, but with them you never really know."
"Speaking of those idiots," Glynda sighed, "seeing how you just wandered into the most secure location on Remnant I take it you've heard from them. They haven't reported back to us in weeks, which isn't unusual for them but it's made certain people in our circle, namely the general, a little nervous."
"Yeah, I talked to my dad yesterday. He called to wish me a happy birthday but he couldn't talk long. He said that he's on a secret mission in a remote part of Mistral with really bad reception, but I could hear music in the background and what sounded like three women trying to get his attention."
"Figures..." Glynda rolled her eyes. "What about your uncle?"
"He sent a letter via huntsmen express." She held up the envelope with chicken scratch handwriting reminiscent of the many papers written in red crayon Goodwitch had graded that year. "Don't worry, he wrote the instructions on how to get to the vault in code, and I've already burned the letter."
"His handwriting might as well be its own indecipherable code," Glynda lamented, then after a moment of studying her frowned worriedly. "Why don't I walk you back to the dorm? Or if you'd like we can go to my office and talk some more."
Yang shook her head. "Everyone's sleeping off hangovers back in the room, and they all think I got dressed up to go party. So unless you wanna come with me or you're willing to share some of the drinks you've got stashed in your secret refrigerated filing cabinet, I just wanna go for a ride and clear my head."
The taller woman put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Seeing how I'm still Glynda your friend and former babysitter, I'll let you and your team's drinking and partying downtown slide this time."
"It'd be kinda hypocritical if you didn't," Yang chuckled. "You might've been a bookworm but I've heard stories that you were able to keep up with Team STRQ back in the day, and don't forget that I've got pictures of you and my mom from spring break."
"And if you ever show them to anybody I'll kill you," she promised with slight grin which quickly became infectious. Glynda sighed and looked around the campus with her eyes sparkling. "Everyone wanted to be like your parents' team, and only now do I realize how ridiculous it sounds to have thought of your father and uncle as being anything less than obnoxious, but they really were everything a huntsman or huntress in-training dreams of being. And I suppose back in the day they weren't too bad looking either."
She winked playfully and began looking Yang up and down frowning disapprovingly. "Here, if you're going to spend the night getting into fights at least let me make you look presentable. You are representing Beacon Academy and its combat instructors after all."
Glynda took a step back and reached down into her boot retrieving her leather riding crop which had a purple dust crystal inserted into its grip. Behind her wiry spectacles Glynda's emerald colored eyes began to glow and with a flourish of her crop a glyph appeared around Yang's mid-section. In an instant her tear streaks disappeared and her clothes and even hair began to readjust themselves.
After the glyph dissipated she nodded at her appearance. "Mind you I don't approve of the way you're dressed or how much skin you're showing-"
"hypocrite..."
"-but I will never not be jealous of you and your mother's perfect hair or ability to get away with little to no wearing makeup, as well as how you two make anything you wear look amazing. More than once I saw her literally roll out of bed and fly across campus and still be the most gorgeous woman in class, and you're just as beautiful, Yang."
She blushed causing her aura to brighten. "Thanks for everything, Glynda. I-I've missed our late night talks."
Glynda nodded and gave her a gentle hug. "I have too, sweetheart. If you ever need someone to talk to, or just wanna reminisce about old times, come down to my office and I'll see if I can't find us something to drink." She winked, and Yang tightened the embrace warming the both of them with her aura.
*smack*, *smack*
"OW! OW!" Yang screamed, jumping away and rubbing her backside. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"
Glynda slapped her riding crop against her palm with a pleased look on her face. "For relentlessly testing my patience in class, and for reasons I just mentioned. You're lucky I don't hang you upside down in front of the classroom and let everyone laugh as you try keeping your uniform from coming off."
After rubbing the soreness away Yang stood up as straight as she could manage and gave a mischievous grin. "You stole from Summer's cookie jar didn't you?"
"Humph! Your mother said I could have one and assured me that Summer wouldn't mind. That was the day I was no longer a blissfully ignorant freshman. Professor Port was in the middle of his infamous story about the time he killed a Goliath that had snuck up on him while taking a bath, and not once did he pause or turn around while your stepmother and I utterly destroyed his classroom, and of course we had it fixed long before he finished the story."
Yang snorted and gave the woman another hug who gladly embraced her back, though flinched at how tightly she was being squeezed. "I know you want to protect your sister more than anything, Yang, but please take care of yourself too for a change. I can't bare the thought of losing either of you..."
She nodded and when the two parted Glynda continued watching with her arms folded as Yang made the trek to the other side of the campus in seemingly no actual hurry to get to where she was going. It wasn't a far walk to the student garage, just a couple blocks from the dorm and perhaps a mile or two from the Emerald Tower, but she found herself wandering aimlessly and the sun had almost set by the time she arrived at the front entrance of the garage. Passing by a window she slowed to a halt and grabbed ahold of her hand when she saw it trembling. Walking up to the reflective glass she examined her crimson eyes glaring back at her, and with a heavy sigh she reached into her overstuffed ammo belt and retrieved a silver flask.
She stared down at it frowning, knowing it would help calm her semblance as well as cloud her mind, but a part of her didn't want to resort to drinking out of a flask just yet. The day when her lilac eyes were gone forever probably wasn't far away, and already there was rarely a day that she didn't open one or two of the bottles hidden in the back of their fridge. The flask was filled with a particularly potent Atlesian drink that she had little liking for in hopes that it wouldn't be as tempting as a strawberry sunrise, but as she fought the temptation Yang saw in the reflection a black bird land on a tree branch behind her.
Turning her head she concealed the flask back into her belt, and after squawking the red-eyed bird became engulfed in black feathers and a tall man materialized on the ground hidden by the small grove of trees.
In an instant lilac eyes returned and Yang sprinted toward him flying through the air into his arms, tackling him with a force that in times past had sent Ursa Majors flying but barely caused him to budge.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest in a combination of laughter and sobbing.
"Hey there, birthday girl," he soothed in a raspy voice, squeezing her just as tightly. "It's good to see you again..."
Yang nodded, her face still buried in his chest as their auras overlapped and began making up for lost time. It was only after several minutes that she released him but still continued clutching at his dark dress shirt as though afraid he might fly away.
"She looked horrible," Yang whimpered, wiping her eyes.
"I know, sweetie, and I'm sorry you had to see her that way. You have no idea how badly I didn't want to do that to you, but you needed to see Amber for yourself, and you needed to talk to Oz. Welcome to the grownup's table. Happy hour's whenever you feel like it."
Yang pulled away slightly, her eyes momentarily flickering crimson like his. "H-he's gonna transfer her powers to a new host," she whispered. "A-Amber's gonna die. He's not even gonna give her a chance..."
Qrow pulled her closer and tightened his grip around her. "Oz doesn't have much of a choice," he said quietly, though with a slight edge to his voice. "His job is to make sure the worst case scenario doesn't happen, and ours is to make sure it never even comes to that."
She shook her head, knowing he was right despite not wanting to admit it to herself. "Ozpin- he's also adding Ruby to his plans..."
Qrow's eyes darkened as did his countenance. "I think he added Rubes a long time ago, sweetie, but it also sounds like your sister inserted herself into Oz's plans before he ever had the chance to."
"You really don't think he hasn't had this all planned out from the beginning?" she asked incredulously.
He hesitated, but a moment later shook his head uncertainly. "Oz won't hesitate to manipulate circumstances in his favor, but he's also a good man and the only reason Remnant's experiencing it's longest time of peace. I've played chess with the man long enough to know that he doesn't make a habit of sacrificing pieces even when he can take something of even more value from his opponent. Oz doesn't just wanna win, he wants to win with as many of his pieces left as possible."
When she gave him a worried look he sighed. "Listen, sweetie, your mom and dad, and Summer and I owe him everything, including our lives. After Summer lost her grandmother and your dad got kicked out of the house, Oz gave them homes at Signal, and after your mom and I burned every bridge we'd ever crossed he gave us, well, a new bridge. I may not trust the man as blindly as I used to, but I trust him enough to put you girls' lives in his hands, at least where I can see them. Just remember, for Oz duty comes first, but don't worry I'll be having a long talk with him soon and reminding him where his priorities should be."
Yang nodded, but as she stared up at the man she and her sister had idolized since they could remember she also couldn't help her heart skipping a beat. Qrow Branwen was said by many to be the right hand of Vale's grand marshal, and was even speculated to be his successor someday. While admittedly unorthodox and considered 'rough around the edges' by his peers, the deputy headmaster of Signal Academy was viewed as a huntsman's huntsman, and had over twenty years of service registered at Signal. An almost unfathomable feat.
She knew that her father and uncle had never truly wanted this kind of life for herself and Ruby, and were directly defying Summer's last wishes in doing so, but being huntresses was all they had ever dreamed of being since they were little, and their father and uncle's sense of duty had outweighed any personal wishes they might've had. Even from an early age it had been evident that they would be stand out huntresses, the kind that could make a real difference in the never ending war with Grimm. And so they had been personally trained by a pair of huntsmen widely regarded to be the greatest of their generation, and now themselves were regarded as the best of their own.
"Rubes and I come first to you, right?" Hurt flashed across Qrow's face and Yang immediately shook her head. "I'm sorry, I-"
"Don't be sorry," he said soberly, running his fingers through her hair. "Your stepmother and I were perfect complements for each other because we were complete opposites. She wanted to become a huntress because she honestly wanted to help people and didn't want anybody else to ever have to go through what she did, but I was and still kinda am a cold hearted SOB, and to me it was and still is a duty that I've put before anything else. But- I swear on my partner that if put in the same position as her I'd do the exact same thing she did, sweetie. I'd put your lives first before anyone else's, and I'd forsake every huntsmen vow in a heartbeat for you."
Qrow smirked and messed up her hair, earning him a playful jab to the arm that merely caused him to chuckle. After a moment the top of the Emerald Tower ignited the darkened sky causing him to let out a deep sigh. "Listen, I can't stay here much longer, and I can't be seen here in Vale. Right now you girls are protected by everyone thinking I'm on the other side of the world, because if anything happened to you that'd be a surefire way of bringing me here, and besides my nieces nobody wants that. Before I go though I've got a job for you. It involves attending a little party Ironwood's throwing next week."
"You too? Ozpin wanted me to do the same thing, and he wanted me to bring Ruby. Just what kind of party is this?" she asked suspiciously.
"Why am I not surprised, Oz." He shook his head grinning, but not getting the apparent joke Yang only frowned. "It's the kind you'd never sucker me into even with Atlesian booze." He pulled out his scroll and began pressing holographic buttons. "I'm sending you some software. What I need you to do is log into one of the upperclassmen specialist's personal desktop scrolls, and link your scroll to theirs. The download will start automatically. Then I need you to send all the files over to me. Be as creative as you want, just don't get caught. And don't tell me how you got a specialist to break the rules and let someone into their bedroom..."
"We playing espionage now? Awesome! I always wanted to be the sexy love interest in a James Pond movie."
"Something like that," he chuckled. "I am Ozpin's chief informant after all. Or was that chief info broker? I always forget. Anyway, Ironwood's up to date with Amber's situation and he may be our alley at the moment, but Atlas and the SDC shouldn't be trusted and stand the most to gain by the City of Vale falling. They've stood by and watched it happen before, and they kinda did it again with the breach, which was good work by the way."
"I know," she said proudly and without an ounce of humility.
"You can tell me all about it later. Ironwood's keeping his cards close to his chest, and I'd like to see them and also wouldn't mind getting ahold of Atlas' database of glyph users."
Yang held her breath. "You think Amber's attacker might be in there?"
"Maybe, but if not I'm sure there's something handy in there that he's not sharing. I would ask you to do it to the Schnee girl's scroll but I'd never ask you to do something like that to a teammate, even a Schnee, and she probably doesn't have the kind of information that Polaris' specialists in-training have anyway."
"Got it. Anything else?"
Qrow's eyes twinkled and a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Just take care of yourself and look after your sister, and maybe take her along with you to the dinner. I think she'd appreciate it. And listen, I'm gonna be gone for a few days, a week at most, so you might not be able to reach me."
Yang nodded. "Your little aura transfer didn't work by the way. You know better than to try something like that, especially when Ruby's aura is already screwed up enough as it is."
Qrow flinched. "I was afraid of that. Still, maybe it did her some good. Or is that just wishful thinking? I guess I should know better than to think happy thoughts, huh?. Did Ozpin say anything specific about her?"
She shook her head. "Nothing really. At least nothing we didn't already know just don't talk about. He mostly talked mumbo jumbo crap about fate and forging our own destinies."
He chuckled again. "Yeah, I never really understood it either, but I also can't see through time or look into people's auras. Think of fate as a snowstorm. You can't stop it because it's inevitable, but you can prepare for it as best you can and forge your own way through it. Maybe it's all for nothing and you'll die in the storm, or maybe you'll survive and make it through the next one as well."
She seemed to weigh his words, and nodded a moment later. "D-do you know what's going on with her? I-is Ruby gonna be alright? Is it because she used up all of Summer's aura? That stupid mission is gonna take my baby sister from me..."
Qrow brought her closer and kissed her atop the head. "To be perfectly honest, sweetie, I don't know. I think her mom's aura will go back to normal soon, probably before you even know it, but until then try not to worry about her. Someday whatever's left of Summer's dormant aura won't regenerate and it'll fade away, but if she saves herself with the Spring Maiden's powers then-"
"-then we lose our Ruby..." she finished.
Qrow nodded. "We always knew that day would come sooner or later, so just try to make the most of it and make every day count.
Yang buried her face in his chest sobbing. "I can't lose her again," she said. "I-I can't..."
"I know, sweetie. I know..."
Among the symphony of snoring and heavy breathing was Team RWBY's dorm room door slowly creaking open, and a moment later an unruly blonde mane peeked through the small gap checking to see if the coast was clear. The lights were out but there was just enough moonlight sneaking through the curtains for Yang to see where she was going, but regardless she still stumbled and nearly tripped several times, and took a wrong turn toward the bathroom. Whenever she made a particularly egregious noise she'd bring a finger up to her lips and loudly hush both herself and the inanimate object she had kicked, but otherwise the room remained silent, mostly.
After ramming her shoulder into the bathroom's doorway she spent several minutes searching for the light switch, cursing whoever had moved it, and successfully finding the switch revealed torn clothes and bruises on her face, as well as a bloody lip. Shutting the door behind her Yang carefully got undressed and began searching the cupboard for a pair of pajamas. The first few she found presumably belonged to her sister and Weiss, and probably would've cut off blood circulation sometime during the night, but after very nearly giving up on wearing clothes to bed she emerged from the bathroom having washed her face and wearing a pair of black boy shorts and a yellow tank top.
With the extra light she quickly examined the occupied beds and found Blake curled up in a ball atop the covers in a too short yukata, and was disappointed to discover Weiss alone in her bed and wearing a silky top with her arms crossed as though she were in a coffin. In the bunk above her Yang could just make out her sister's figure underneath her cape and a mess of sheets, but found Zwei curled up at her exposed feet.
Turning out the light she was able to somewhat reliably recall the safest route to her bunk, but before she could crawl up into it her hand touched something metallic atop her pillow. Moving it into the moonlight for a better look she tried making sense of the surprisingly heavy box, and dumbly her fingers opened it causing a soft tune to fill the room.
'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Oh please don't take my sunshine away...'
*sniff*
Yang stood motionless for several minutes as she stared down at the silvery mother and daughter dancing together, and teary eyed she found a folded piece of paper lying where the music box had been. Unable to activate what remained of her depleted aura she limped to the window and held it up in the moonlight.
'Happy Birthday', the folded note read in elegant handwriting. Yang opened it and found what looked to be an addition made at the top in somewhat less graceful script.
'Apologies for the belated birthday present. I had intended on surprising you with it last night when we returned from one of the best nights of my life, but obviously in my inebriated state I forgot. Just like how I forgot how to get into bed correctly...'
In her own inebriated, battered state it took Yang several attempts to make sense of the addendum, but afterward continued reading the heartfelt letter, occasionally having to pause and dry her eyes before continuing. When she finished she glanced at the sleeping heiress and then with some hesitation began winding the music box's little handle. She then hugged both the closed box and the note close to her chest, and walking over to the bottom bunk she bent down and kissed where she presumed Weiss' forehead to be, and thought she might've even seen a grin.
"Thank you," she sniffled before carefully crawling into the top bunk with her sister, causing it to creak and rock back and forth. Once she had an arm around baby sister and they were both in the proper position she took a deep breath and opened the music box.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Oh please don't take my sunshine away..."
Yang sniffled and buried her face in Ruby's ruffled hair. "Anything but that..."
(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This chapter has been a long time coming with many of its plot points having been planned for several years, and while I hope certain revelations were a surprise I also hope they didn't come out of nowhere. Much of this narrative has been based on the simple idea of Ruby being the lone survivor of a massacre only for it to later be revealed that she was originally its only victim. As Ozpin states, Ruby is being held together by her mother's dormant aura and Spring Maiden powers, but as we know something went wrong around the time she and Penny had their aura transfers. We'll learn more about what exactly happened to Ruby on that fateful day in Patchwork very soon, and it seems at the insistence of Ozpin and Qrow that she may be getting her wish of getting aboard General Ironwood's airship to see Penny.
Yang and Amber's friendship is actually a headcanon I had all the way back in Volume 3 and stems from Qrow having saved Amber's life. I really liked the idea of Amber being Qrow's former student, and I wanted to give Team RWBY a more direct connection to the Fall Maiden storyline. Yang/Amber being training partners just felt like a natural fit to me, and while it's obvious they're very close I'll leave the exact nature of their relationship up to your interpretation (at least for now). I also liked the idea that if Amber were to suddenly wake up she would probably and rightfully resent the White Fang, and Blake being Yang's new partner would put her in a very uncomfortable position. Just some fun layers I wanted to add to the story, and I hope you enjoyed them.
Jinn was another really fun addition, and while Relics are not a part of this narrative I really liked the idea of Jinn being some sort of guardian trying to protect what she could not when she was alive centuries ago. I loosely based her attire on an Egyptian queen/princess as she gave off a regal vibe to me in Volume 6, and because I simply wanted to give her clothes lol. It would seem she has some sort of connection to Ruby and/or Summer, and that she had silver eyes once upon a time, but that's up to you to interpret. I do hope you liked me adding "The Transient Princess" to the narrative as the art work was done by Monty Oum and has a cameo in the Yellow Trailer, and for me it feels like a pre-RWBY character.
Weiss' music box has also been a really fun subplot to play around with, and I hope you enjoyed the payoff there at the end.
All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)