At last, the three girls had returned from the grueling hike. In Atlas, it was much harder to move around due to the snow, but when they reached Vale, it was easier.

Once they reached their homeland, they changed into black cloaks.

It was nice to be home. The lilies and flowers were in full bloom, a far cry from the winter wonderland that was Atlas. The sweet aroma and bright sunshine gave the land life.

The heat wasn't too hot or cold. The rays were perfect and beamed down on them at just the right amount.

"There it is!" Ruby excitedly pointed.

"It's about time!" Yang cheered.

"Finally," Weiss said.

In the distance, there was the humble abode. Just seeing it made the girls pick up the pace. It'd been a long few days, so they were hoping for a rest. It was an even more difficult trek back because of the four heavy bags full of dust.

Naturally, Yang hauled two bags since she's the strongest of the bunch. The others just had one that was strapped to their backs.

In no time, the three made it to the front of the cabin and heaved heavy sighs.

After kicking down the door, Yang excitedly burst inside.

"We're home~" she sang.

"Yang!" Weiss chided. "Must you always have a dramatic entrance?"

"Just be glad I didn't jump in the window," the blonde easily replied.

"Our poor door has been through so much abuse," Ruby said as she trailed after them.

They flooded in and carefully set the four bags on the floor, making sure nothing would disturb them. After that, the girls caught their breath.

"You guys good?" Yang asked.

"Yes," Weiss replied. "I just need to rest."

"For five years," Ruby added. "I'm pooped."

Yang grinned at her companions. "Let's get some food before sleep. We barely had anything to eat."

Ruby nodded. "Good idea."

"Dad!" Yang called. "We're starvin'! Make us some grub, will ya?"

No reply.

"Daaaad!" Yang yelled. "Ya there?"

No reply.

Ruby just shrugged. "He's probably in town."

"So's this mean we gotta make our own food?" Yang asked.

"Apparently so," Weiss replied.

"The horror!" Ruby jokingly yelped. "Anyone know how to gut a bass?"

"Ew…" Weiss muttered.

"No one has time for that can't we just grab some potatoes?" Yang asked.

Weiss raised her hand and made her way over to the cabinets. "Sit tight."

There was always extra potatoes lying around the home, so finding them in the kitchen area should be no problem.

"You're the best!" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby was left to pout. "I'm guessing no one has any cookies?"

As Weiss opened a drawer, she yelled back. "Your guess is correct."

"You might wanna let it go, Rubes," Yang said.

"Never!" Ruby replied. "Cookies give me life. Correction! Cookies are life."

Yang pat her sister on the back. "Wish you didn't get such an attachment."

"Here," Weiss held out a raw potato to her friend. "Consider this a substitute."

Despite her annoyance, Ruby snatched the food. "The worst substitute ever."

Without another complaint, Ruby took a bite out of the potato. Yang received another about the same size. Together, the girls munched on their food in peace.

Since potatoes were what all three grew up on, no one was upset that was the only food available.

The food was bland but full of nutrients.

As the girls chewed, Zwei scampered into the common area. The three girls set their food on the nearby desk to greet the arrival. Immediately, they knelt down to pet the adorable corgi.

"How's the good wittle boy?" Weiss cooed.

Something was off.

Zwei wasn't panting in excitement. He wasn't even wagging his tail. His tongue wasn't lolled to the side, either. In fact, his eyes seemed downcast.

The girls were taken aback, but what was more worrying- he whimpered.

Yang stood and looked down at him with concern. "What's up with you?"

After a sharp yip, Zwei darted to the corner of the room and sat on the one loose floorboard.

From the sight, the girls' stomachs dropped.

Slowly, they approached with unease.

"Zwei?" Ruby asked with a hint of panic in her tone.

It was then that Zwei growled as he leered down at the floorboard. The little dog pawed at the floor desperately.

He was definitely trying to tell them something.

"Alright, hold on," Yang said.

Weiss swooped in and picked up the little dog to move him out of the way. He wiggled a lot at first, but relaxed. Although he was still whimpering.

"It's okay," the ex-princess murmured and kissed his head.

Carefully, Yang lifted the wooden floorboard. It creaked unsettlingly as she propped it up.

It was bright enough outside so they could see under the home. The windows proved to be an advantage and shone at an angle under the home.

What they saw was frightening.

Nothing.

"I-is it gone?" Ruby asked.

Instantly, Weiss hopped down and landed under the home with ease. She whipped her head in all directions, but nothing was there. It was painfully barren.

"Oh no…" Weiss muttered.

"What is it?" Yang asked as she stared down at her.

Regretfully, Weiss lifted up her head at the worried sisters.

"The dust is gone."

"Are you sure?!" Ruby yelped.

"There's nothing," the ex-princess said in an almost robotic voice. Like she couldn't believe it herself.

"Okay, no one panic," Yang stated calmly. "Maybe dad knows where it is."

Ruby gave her a look. "Maybe. Maybe he hid it somewhere else?"

Weiss raised a hand to reach out and grab her girlfriend's. "That is a possibility. We need to find out where he is before we jump to conclusions."

A deep bark.

Ruby hastily stood while Yang helped lift her girlfriend up.

Thinking he was trying to say something, Ruby followed the little corgi and led her to her room.

"Okay. Weird," Ruby thought out loud. "Why'd you bring me in here?"

The dog ignored her question and plopped down under the worn down desk, emitting another low growl. His broad head was directed at the top of the desk, so Ruby rushed over.

The last time she checked, there was nothing on her personal desk. Except now, as she stared, she realized there was a note. And her quill wasn't put away.

Her quill was always dipped in the ink holder.

Did her dad borrow it again?

Her stomach twisted in a knot. No, her dad was tidy. It couldn't have been him.

So then who left it there?

Needing answers, she focused her silver eyes.

She gripped the note and tuned out Zwei's menacing growls so she could read it.

In dreadful black ink was the message.

If you want the man back, come to the kingdom tomorrow. We'll be waiting.

Ruby read the note over and over again. Each time sent a worse pang in her body. She kept telling herself that this wasn't real, but as she rubbed the crinkled note, she knew it was.

Dad...

"Oh no. This isn't good."

"Where did you find this?"

The question lingered in the massive, pale white room.

There was a hint of franticness and alarm in her tone, something her underlings didn't miss. It put them on edge. Normally, their superior was composed. To see her like this was unsettling.

The item she was holding must've been of vital importance.

The queen clutched the hard crystal with her usual poker face, not allowing her underlings to notice she was internally panicking.

"Your majesty," Mercury started. "Me and Emerald had a feeling we'd find something suspicious hidden in a home. Something to do with the bombings, a clue to the Schnee's capture, anything. We've been searching random homes and investigated of our own volition. Please forgive us."

It seemed like all the captains had done their own thing in the past. Technically, they weren't disobeying orders, so Cinder couldn't fault them for that.

Not that she wanted to.

The item in her hand proved many things.

This was good.

This was very good.

A haunting, thrilled smile graced the queen's lips. She tore her gaze away from the crystal to the male captain.

"It is alright. Mercury, Emerald, you will not have punishment. Quite the opposite, perhaps."

That wasn't the reply he was expecting, so Mercury nodded. "Unlike Adam's unruly methods, we were more discreet."

Another daunting grin.

From the information, the faux panther faunus paced back and forth. She didn't know what to do with this information at first. A swirl of thoughts consumed her mind.

There were so many things to be done.

She couldn't wait.

She hasn't felt this exhilarated in a long time.

Cinder liked to plot, so she was more interested in the whole picture. Because of this, she allowed her subordinates to speak as she gripped the glowing blue crystal.

"My queen," Emerald addressed. "We found the strange crystal in a home in the outskirts of Carnation. Turns out, there was a lot hidden under a loose floorboard."

Cinder stopped stalking and came to a halt. This grabbed her underlings' attention.

It didn't take Cinder long to connect the dots.

"I trust you took whoever had this in their possession to a cell?"

"Naturally," Emerald replied. "He's a man with blond hair. Please forgive us if taking the crystals was the wrong thing to do. We thought it would be of interest to you. We've never seen anything like it."

The queen gripped the blue crystal even tighter if that was possible. She stared down at it with calculating, burning eyes. The glow emanated a gorgeous blue hue, a stark contrast to her blood red dress.

She couldn't believe some peasant had such a powerful item in their possession.

Then again, if her theory was correct, it'd make perfect sense.

It was all coming together.

Unable to contain herself, Cinder laughed maniacally. The madness echoed through the entire White Castle. Each shrill chuckle struck a chord within her subordinates, who subconsciously took a few steps back.

Emerald and Mercury could only watch as Cinder laughed up a violent sea. The underlings were on the rocking boat trying to not fall off.

When the queen paused to gaze at the crystal, Mercury took that as his chance.

"Your majesty, if I may ask, what is it?"

"This," Cinder pointed at the shimmering crystal. She sounded genuinely happy. "This is proof the Schnee is in the kingdom!"

"I don't follow," Mercury admitted.

Emerald and him shared frightened gazes. They'd never seen the faux panther faunus behave like this, so they were afraid to speak. Or even be near her in this proximity.

Cinder was terrifyingly thrilled.

In a frenzy, the queen hurled the blue crystal across the room. It shattered against one of the fine marble statues that were in front of a wall. On impact, it exploded.

The mini-explosion rocked the sturdy castle. The aftermath was what peaked their interest. Splatters of ice scoured the statue, wall, and surrounding area.

This had Mercury and Emerald taking a few steps back, wondering what the hell it was.

"That man knows exactly where she is!"

"So…" Emerald chose her words carefully. "We did well?"

"More than well," Cinder praised. "Exceptional."

A pregnant pause.

Okay, this is good. At least there'd be no punishment.

Mercury lowered his head, glad to accept the praise. "The man is in cell five if you want to talk with him."

"Noted," the faux panther faunus nodded. "Where is the rest of the dust?"

"Dust?" Mercury questioned. "You mean those crystals?"

"Indeed."

Emerald cut in. "Your quarters, your majesty."

"Very well," Cinder replied. "Come along."

The tyrant twirled on her heel to head to the stairs. Her long, red dress trailed after her. After Emerald and Mercury shared confused glances, they followed.

Cinder took on a hauntingly chipper tune.

"You may have fun with the dust."

That comment was the last thing to linger in the room. After the door slammed shut, a shadow leaped out from the corner. Unbeknownst to them, there was an eavesdropper, who was hiding behind a cotton curtain.

Blake pressed a hand over her mouth. She thought she'd be sick.

Her stomach churned in a knot.

She kept trying to tell herself that this wasn't real. In a childlike display of wishing it wasn't, she pinched herself.

Slight pain.

"Not dreaming."

That was a start.

Not knowing what to do with herself, she paced in circles, wondering what she should do next.

Ok, this is bad. This is really bad. This is really, really bad!

She found herself panicking. If Yang was here, she'd know what to do. Yang always knew what to do.

What would Yang do? At least if she was next to Blake?

The spy took a deep breath and with all her might, slapped her own cheek. The impact almost echoed louder than the previous explosion.

It left a stinging sensation, but it was exactly what she needed. She snapped out of it and collected her thoughts.

I need to visit Tai, but it has to be later in case The Faker has a word with him. It'd be safer to wait. God, I hope he's okay.

It was like the universe was screaming at Blake to sprint to the jail cells, but she had to remain calm and act rationally.

Blake exhaled loudly in the vast room again.

"This is really bad."

Really really really really bad ohhhhh noooo *in the distance* I knooooooow.

Stay dandy,

~Toto