Roy and his mother sat on the front porch of the house as Roy finished his story. The narrative had lasted all through supper, going on into the night as they cleaned and put away the dishes. The sun had vanished behind the surrounding hills a while ago, leaving behind a midnight blue sky full of twinkling stars. Roy leaned back in the wicker chair, slightly winded from telling the almost two and a half hour story, "And that's all of it."
Sharon watched her son with concern in her eyes. "That was quite a story," she said, reaching out to grasp his hand, "I'm sorry you had to go through it all alone."
Roy gripped her hand back and smiled at her, "I wasn't alone, I had my team with me."
Sharon squeezed his hand, "I meant without me."
Roy stared into her eyes, whose hue were identical to his own, "You're here now, that's all that matters."
Sharon smiled, gently caressing his hand with her thumb, "Do you think I'll ever get to meet your team?"
Roy's smile faltered, and he looked up at the starry sky, the shiny fragments of the moon casting a pale blue light on his upturned face, "I don't know. I know you'll meet Ebony someday, but Hunter is back in Atlas and Dahlia was in a coma when I left."
Sharon nodded, "I remember you mentioning that. I pray she wakes up soon."
Roy coughed roughly and released his mother's hand, "I do too, every day."
The two of them lapsed into silence, content to watch the stars. The night air was cool as a slight breeze blew past the porch. The crickets were in full voice and filled the air with their shrill song. Above them, Remnant's fractured moon gleamed brightly and cast a soft light on the surrounding woods.
"You know what scared me most during the away mission?" Roy asked.
Sharon looked over at her son, "What?"
Roy stood and leaned on the porch railing, his ears swiveling to and fro as he took in the night sounds, "It wasn't the hate… I've experienced hate before and in some horrible way, I've become used to it. It wasn't the grimm… or even the thought of my own death." He took a deep breath before continuing, "What scared me the most; was the thought of failing my team. I almost did then and I definitely have now." His voice shook and he gripped the railing so hard it creaked.
Sharon arose and gripped his shoulder, turning him to face her, "From what I heard, your team never blamed you for that and if you asked them now, I doubt they would blame you for their injuries at the hands of Adam Taurus." She pulled him into a hug, "You are a huntsman, and you thought like a huntsman. You have nothing to be ashamed of,"
Roy sighed, burying his face in his mother's shoulder, "I can't believe it still affects me this much, even after all this time."
Sharon gently stroked his ears, eliciting a quiet purr from him, "Life has a way of keeping things with us, the good and the bad. It's up to us to decide what we do with what we retain."
Roy would've liked to stay in his mother's comforting embrace, but the chirp of his scroll caused him to pull away and check the time, "Woof, it's already midnight."
Sharon looked up at the broken moon, her slit pupils contracting slightly to accommodate the moonlight. "We should get some sleep. I plan to send you to the city tomorrow for a supply run."
Roy started to protest but his mother flicked his ear gently, "Ah! No arguments from you mister. It's about time you get back out there and live life again."
Roy rolled his eye with a sigh, he knew better than to argue. "Yes Ma'am," he said, turning and retreating into the house without another word.
Fifteen minutes later, Roy opened the door to his room and stepped inside. He was now wearing his night clothes and his face was pink from where he'd scrubbed his face with a washcloth. Rather than shower, he had instead soaked his head underneath the faucet in the bathtub. Water dripped from his hair, creating damp spots on the gray t-shirt he was wearing. Grabbing a towel from his drawer, he gently dried his cat ears and hair. After he finished, he wadded up the now damp towel and tossed it into the hamper.
Reaching up behind his head, Roy gently unbuckled the strap to his eyepatch and slid the worn leather from his face. He set the patch on his nightstand and got into bed, laying his head on the soft pillow with a content sigh. Reaching out, Roy felt his hand bump lightly against Μόνος' handle, confirming that his weapon was still in easy reach. Clasping his fingers around Μόνος' leather wrapped hilt, Roy closed his eyes and gently passed into the realm of dreams…
The air was deathly still… no sound except for the waves lapping at the shore. Roy's eye snapped open and he found himself standing on the banks of Loch Warren. Everything was cast in monochrome, the water appearing a sickly gray in comparison to its usual blue gray. A bolt of panic ran through him,
Please, he begged silently, not another nightmare; I've had enough.
The sound of waves became overpowering, stifling his senses and nearly deafening him. He sank to his knees, his hands clutching his ears. Suddenly, the cacophony ceased and a different sound caused him to perk his cat ears up. A melody, slow and beautiful, drifted over the wind to him and, try as he might he couldn't locate the source of it. The melody became a voice and Roy listened to the words as the song began.
In a land far away,
In a valley there lay.
A town that was bound in the ice and the snow.
The nights are dark,
The days ever cold.
O come hear the wind whisper stories of old.
An evil had come
To the valley to stay,
And all of the townsfolk begged for the day
When the hero of old once foretold would arrive
The nights are dark,
The days ever cold.
O come hear the wind whisper stories of old.
The hero he came,
More beast than a man.
With a sword by his side, his mind set on a plan
To vanquish the beast and bring peace once again.
The nights are dark,The days ever cold.
O come hear the wind whisper stories of old.
As the song went on, the colors started to flood back into the surrounding landscape. The gray of the sky became blue again and the white lights of the town across the loch faded to orange once more.
The battle it raged
And it stretched on for hours.
And drops of blood flew like the petals of flowers.
But the hero and beast both stubbornly refused to die.
The nights are dark,
The days ever cold.
O come hear the wind whisper stories of old.
With a horrible shriek,
The beast finally fell dead
And the hero, now weak,
Laid down his fair head.
The cost of the victory; the price was his life.
With a smile on his face,
His eyes slowly grew dim,
For the hero in slaying the terrible grimm.
Had given away all he had to give.
The nights are dark,
The days ever cold.
O come hear the wind whisper stories of old.
The hero that saved us,
Has been dead for years.
But the stories we tell of him.
Soothe all our fears.
For it is in stories, that heroes truly live on.
The voice drew steadily nearer and Roy found his gaze being pulled to the surface of the loch. As the last bars of the song were being sung, he felt a light touch on his cat ears. He shivered,
Odd, he thought, That felt just like when…
He spun around, scanning the woods behind him, "Momo?!" His voice echoed through the trees.
The loch suddenly became illuminated in a brilliant golden light. Roy looked down into the water again and what he saw took his breath away. Momo was standing next to him in the reflection, regarding him with an almost coy smile. She looked so vibrant and real that he checked the bank beside him just make sure she wasn't actually standing beside him.
Seeing nothing, he turned his attention back to the reflection. "Momo… I'm so sorry..." he began, but the barmaid raised her hand, "Stop right there. I'm not haunting you, silly. I just had a song that I needed to sing to you."
Roy's eye widened as he realized that the melody on the wind had indeed been the song Momo had been humming all those summers ago. "Do you regret saving me?" he asked softly.
The barmaid smiled warmly at him, "Not one bit. I knew what I was doing then and I don't regret it now. I mean, look at the fine person you've grown into!"
Roy laughed and found himself blinking away tears. "What's the afterlife like?" he joked, scrubbing his hand across his eyes.
Momo laughed, "Not bad, I can't complain."
Her eyes drifted to somewhere past Roy and she sighed. "I need to go. You probably won't see me again until...Well, you know."
Roy nodded, hiding his sadness at having to bid the barmaid farewell again. "Just… " he began, "Save a spot for me okay?"
Momo smiled, "Will do. Oh, and Roy?"
Roy twiddled his ears at the barmaid, "Yeah?"
Momo gently faded away, her voice reaching Roy's ears one final time,"Go and have a great life."
Roy sat down on the shore and looked out over the gently rolling surf at the town of Ulmsted. Boats where embarking on the morning's fishing trips and the gentle clamor of voices could be heard coming from the market by the docks. From the church building, the bell gently rang, announcing the coming of a new day. Roy looked up into the sky at the blue sky and watched the wispy clouds move gently towards the west.
Don't worry Momo, I will, He thought, settling back to enjoy the best dream he'd had in years.
FIN
"This story is dedicated to Monty, Miles, Kerry and all of the wonderful people who work on RWBY. You guys inspire me so much! God bless you."
And with that, we've come to the end.
This story is very special to me in that it was proof that I wasn't just a one trick wonder. That after TOR: Spring I would be able to continue. As funny as it sounds, I have a massive fear of burning out and being unable to finish my narrative. I know how Team SHDE's story starts and I know how it ends. The hard part is just getting there. I hope all of you will come along with me on the journey. As always I'd like to thank Austin: my dedicated editor, Rachel: my girlfriend and confidant. Monty, Miles, Kerry and Rooster Teeth for giving us RWBY. And lastly all of the readers who are here reading my stories.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Until next we meet,
-Ar3mRising.