Released on: December 26, 2019

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the four nations coexisted in harmony. Together, they stood against the forces of Grimm, creatures of nightmare hailing from another world.

Only the Avatar could master all four elements. Only he could banish the Grimm. But when the world needed him most… he vanished.

Remnant learned to truly fear the Grimm. And just as it seemed like things couldn't get any worse… The Fire Nation attacked.

Fifteen years have passed since chaos descended upon Remnant, but now a new Avatar awakens: my daughter, a young airbender named Ruby. And although her airbending skills are great, she still has a lot to learn before she's able to save anyone.

But I believe that Ruby can save the world.

Book Three: Fire

Chapter Eight: Flames of Many Colors

Darkness.

She was sinking. The ocean seeped into her skin, frigid, like skeletal fingers closing around her bones. She reached out for the surface, but it only grew more distant as an unseen force pulled her further down, down, down…

Suddenly, a great fire exploded amidst the water. She curled up and turned away, only to hear a quake. The water became disturbed around her, as if the whole world was shaking, and then came another explosion – and before her very eyes, fire and earth collided.

In their battle for dominance, the two elements descended towards her. She saw shapes in the maelstrom, and covered her face with her arms, but it was futile.

She was overtaken, the air stolen from her lungs as a hand closed around her throat-

Cinder gasped awake.

She sat up, supporting herself with a trembling hand on her bed. An amber eye and a pitch-black one scanned the darkness of her room, searching for hidden forms, but they found nothing. A flicker of a wrist conjured a blue flame, which she held up to scatter the shadows away from her. Nothing.

She was alone.

For a moment, she held her eyes closed, before she tied her robe to her waist and rose from her bed. She made for the basin at corner of her room, pulling open the curtains on the way there to let in the gentle morning sunlight. In her reflection she saw disheveled hair and wild eyes, and her lips straightened in a snarl.

She gripped the edges of the table that held up the basin, and willed her breath to even itself out. She pulled back a step and joined the index and middle fingers of her right hand, which she held up for a second before she pressed them to the center of her forehead. Slowly, she trailed them across her face, following down the bridge of her nose and ultimately stopping at her lips.

"Watch me not in the deceitful morning," she mouthed, and the storm inside her drained away.

She held herself that way a moment more, before she looked at her reflection again. Cinder Fall stared back, a confident smirk on her lips and a cold cunning in her eyes.

Enough idling around. She had important things to see to today. She moved her hair to obscure the left side of her face, and walked out of her room.

"Is that it?" Ruby said, propping herself on the ship's guard rails. "Sanctum Island? We're there?"

"Yep," her father said, joining her side with a warm expression on his face. "That's Sanctum Island alright. We've finally arrived, and it only took a handful of risky adventures to get here."

Ruby leaned away from the rails and clasped her hands near her waist. That was true, they'd gone through a lot to get to Sanctum Island, and she'd become worried they might not make it once or twice. The Grimm could be quite ferocious in Fire Nation waters, especially these days. Even so, she couldn't help but be excited. Finally, they'd reached their destination!

"You're sure that's the place, Mister Taiyang?" Jaune asked, shielding his eyes to gaze at the island. "Not that I don't trust you, but this wouldn't be the first time you mistook a random piece of land for Sanctum Island."

"Oh, come on. I did that once, once, and only because it was very early in the morning," Taiyang said.

"It's okay, sir," Pyrrha said, smiling at him. "We don't hold it against you."

"And on top of that, I was heavily constipated," Taiyang added with a huff.

Pyrrha's smile slowly withered.

"Anyway. That is Sanctum, there's no mistaking it," Taiyang said, gesturing at the island as they approached. "Just the size of it is enough to identify it. But look at the bustling docks, and the city next to them."

"That is a pretty huge city, yeah," Ruby said. She had yet to see a settlement this big in the Fire Nation. It still didn't compare to the sheer size of Vale, but she doubted any place on Remnant did. This was on a closer scale to Atlas, maybe.

"And that building right there?" Taiyang said, and pointed at a mountainous spire towards the back of the city. On its side stood a house, though by its size it could be described more as a mansion or palace. "That's old Leo's home estate."

Jaune's eyes widened, and he whirled around to face Taiyang. "Excuse me, you never mentioned this Lionheart guy's a freaking king!"

"Oh, no, no, he's not a king," Taiyang said. "He's more of a… governor figure, I'd say."

"A governor?" Ruby said, frowning. "He doesn't work for the Fire Lord, does he?"

"No. Yes. Sorry, it's a bit complicated to explain," Taiyang said, resting a hand on his chin thoughtfully. "Leo was never officially given an authority role by the crown. It's more of a case that, for the longest time, the people of Sanctum trusted him to take care of the city's needs. He's always done a great job of helping people. So while he might not technically be governor or whatever…"

"He's the closest thing they have to it, and everyone's happy with that," Jaune said. "That's neat, I guess. But then, what about the Fire Lord?"

"Leo's never had any trouble dealing with her. She seems to trust him well enough with the place," Taiyang said. "That doesn't mean he's any fond of her, though. And seeing as Raven's even less of a ball of sunshine these days, I have to imagine his opinion of her has only worsened."

Ruby turned her gaze back to the island, her initial excitement muddled with worry.

"Dad, are you sure we can trust this guy?" Ruby said. "I mean, I know it's not the same. But we've been burned before…"

Burned was an apt word, and Taiyang seemed to immediately understand what she meant because of it.

"I understand your concern, Ruby, and I admit you don't have much reason to trust me, with how things turned out last time," Taiyang said. "But Leo isn't a shady criminal, or even just some stranger. He's an old friend, and he's got a good heart. We can count on him not to screw us over."

"Hmm… If you say so, then we'll follow your lead," Ruby said. "And don't say I don't trust you, Dad, because I do! I'm just being cautious." She crossed her arms. "Which is really unlike me, when you think about it. Ugh."

"It's probably my good influence rubbing off on you!" Taiyang said, giving her a big smile.

Ruby eyed him dubiously. He was having an influence on her alright, but she doubted learning to be cautious was a result of it.

"We'll stay just a couple of days," Taiyang said, as if to put the last of her worries to bed. "Just long enough for us all to get some proper rest and replenish our supplies. We'll talk with Leo and find out about Yang and Weiss, then we'll be off."

"Okay, that sounds good!" Ruby said. "They can't be far now. I just hope they're not being kept in the capital, that'd be some trouble…"

"No sign of the northerner brat, then."

Cinder lowered Emerald's written report, giving the thief a cold look over the edge of the paper. Emerald shrank under her stare, her shoulders slumping and hands pressing stiffly to her thighs. Silence reigned in the garden as they locked eyes, only broken by the paddling of the beaver-ducklings in the nearby pond.

"Two weeks, and this," Cinder gave another look to the report, then crumpled it in her hands and set it on fire. "This is all you have to bring me?"

"I'm sorry, Cinder." Emerald bowed her head. "Wherever Weiss Schnee has gone, she couldn't be tracked. At least not yet."

"And that is supposed to appease me? Every day that passes, her trail goes colder," Cinder said. "I don't want apologies, much less excuses. I want results."

Emerald nodded, her lips pressed together tightly. Cinder burned the last of the report, then tossed the ashes aside and watched them get lost in the wind.

She had never expected Weiss Schnee to be found easily. Were she on her own, she would have been easy pickings. But Cinder knew she had that Belladonna faunus with her, the girl that had broken her out of her cell. She was a survivalist and would keep the both of them away from hostile eyes – or try to, at least. She had done exceedingly well so far, it seemed.

"I will remind you, you have every resource of mine at your disposal, Emerald," Cinder said firmly, returning her gaze to her lackey. "I know this is not an easy task. Regardless, I expect you to carry it out successfully. Understood?"

"Yes, Cinder," Emerald said faintly.

"Good. As incentive, you should remind yourself that this situation came about only because of your failure," Cinder said. "After all, Weiss Schnee didn't escape by slipping between the bars of her cell and turning invisible under the pale moonlight, did she, Emerald?"

"No, she didn't," Emerald said, shaking her head.

Cinder watched the thief for a moment, waiting for her to make an objection. A rightful one, too, that it wasn't entirely her fault that Weiss had escaped. Mercury was just as, if not more to blame for it. But Emerald remained quiet. Cinder kept her disappointment to herself.

"This is all," Cinder said. "You'll take the day to rest, and tomorrow you'll return to your task. And when next you report to me, I expect more substantiable findings."

"Yes, Cinder. I promise I won't disappoint you again," Emerald said. She gave a meek nod, then walked away from the garden, her steps short and hurried.

Cinder turned her eyes to the sky. Mercury's report, which he had given earlier today, had been similarly disappointing, though not as personally as Emerald's. He, at least, hadn't been too apologetic or pitiful. He knew he had fallen short of Cinder's expectations and he knew how she would feel about that.

Most of the time, Mercury Black was an insufferable idiot, but at least he was self-aware about it. And he had that self-preserving drive that would hopefully incentivize him to do a better job in the future. If not for that, Cinder would have disposed of him long ago.

Her servants would do their utmost to fulfill the mission she'd imposed upon them. Emerald, to earn her recognition, and Mercury, to save his own hide. Meanwhile, she had her own methods to locate the runaway princess.

"Woah. This place really is huge…" Ruby said, craning back her neck as they approached the front gates of Lionheart's estate. It almost made her feel sick, trying to fit the whole of the structure in her vision.

"It is huge, but you know what?" Jaune said, walking beside her. "It doesn't look nearly as big up close."

He shrugged, and Ruby shot him a look like he had declared his intention to jump off the mountain and flap his arms to see if he could fly.

"Kidding," Jaune said, breaking a smile. "I just wanted to see your reaction."

"Oh, ha-ha." Ruby huffed. "You got me."

They reached the gates, and for a moment they could only stand there, looking through the iron bars into what was beyond it. A vast garden, with a treated stone path cutting through it that reached the residence itself.

"So… How do we get in?" Ruby asked.

"We could call for someone in the house, but I doubt they'd hear it from such a distance," Pyrrha said.

"I know how," Jaune said, with the tone of someone who had solved an ancient math equation. "Pyrrha… metalbend the gate open!"

"I… don't think that would be very subtle, Jaune," Pyrrha said.

"Or polite!" Ruby added.

Jaune crossed his arms, annoyed that his solution had been so quickly and shut down.

"Dad, do you have any ideas?" Ruby said.

"I'm not sure," Taiyang said, frowning. "I've only entered the estate being carried in a palanquin."

"A palan-what?" Ruby and Jaune said in unison, while Pyrrha looked at Taiyang with wide eyes.

"A palanquin. It's that thing where you get in, and then the servants lift it and carry you where you need to go," Taiyang said, and Ruby got the mental image – which only made her more confused. "It's fine that you don't know. Palanquins are for royalty, not measly peasants!"

He blew air through his nose and chortled.

"Royalty, Dad?" Ruby said, not sure what to make of him.

"Yeah! Like yours truly." Taiyang stared at her for a moment, then grinned, much more genuinely this time. "I'm just messing with you… I only took a palanquin once, and it was very uncomfortable. Anyway, this is how we get in!"

Giving them no time to argue, he spun around and hopped over to the left end of the gate, where a bronze bell hung from the wall. He grabbed it, gave a warning look back, then started shaking it like a madman. Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha shielded their ears from the terrible noise that followed.

"What was that about not being subtle?!" Jaune yelled.

"I'm sorry! The noise has to carry out very far!" Taiyang yelled back.

After what felt like an eternity of hellish chiming, the front door of the house opened, and a hunched figure started wobbling towards the gate. Taiyang stopped shaking the bell and ran back to the group, gesturing at Ruby to put up her hood. She did so, and Pyrrha stepped half in front of her for good measure.

The man from the house reached the gate. He leaned close, peering at them from the other side with suspicious eyes. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Hi! You don't recognize me?" Taiyang said, and looked back to the group for a moment. "He's the housekeeper, been working here for ages." He looked at the stranger again. "I'm Taiyang! Remember me? Taiyang Xiao Long. I used to come here all the time when I was younger, before the whole world went crazy, you know? I'm here to talk with Leo."

The old housekeeper glared at him for a while longer, before his face lit up with recognition. He straightened up as much as he could in his advanced age and took a keychain from his belt.

"Little Taiyang!" he said, taking a particular key and sticking it in the lock after a few failed attempts. "Why, but it's been years. And you've grown so big!"

"And handsome too, or so the ladies say," Taiyang said, rubbing his chin. Ruby wanted to kick his leg, but Pyrrha was in the way.

"Hmm." The housekeeper turned the keys, but did not open the gate. He stopped for a moment, once again glaring at Taiyang, as if considering if he should be let in after all. "You're not the same rascal that was constantly trying to take Master Leonardo away from his studies to go terrorize the town girls, are you?"

"What? No, sir. Trust me, age has humbled me greatly, as happens to all of us," Taiyang said. "Besides, when I did that, it was all for Leo's sake. He was a shut-in. And besides, I only ever had eyes for one particular lady."

"I remember that now, yes…"

The housekeeper considered him a moment longer, then opened the gate. Taiyang nodded gratefully at him and walked in, followed by the rest of the group.

"And these are…?" the housekeeper questioned, nodding shakily at them.

"Extended family," Taiyang said succinctly, and winked at Jaune and Pyrrha. Not an elaborate lie, for once – or not a lie at all. "Can we see Leo, or is he occupied at the moment? We can wait."

"We'll see."

The housekeeper turned and walked them to the house. They stepped through the doorway, and the first thing Ruby noticed was that the inside was not nearly as fancy as she had imagined. The interior was as vast as that of the Earth Palace, without its opulence. It was downright simplistic, like any other house, except big.

Really big.

"I will go to the Master and ask if he can see you," the housekeeper said. "Excuse me."

He left, climbing the left side of a double set of stairs up to a higher floor. Ruby looked around the entrance hall, marveling at the paintings hung on the walls. She caught her father doing the same, and noticing the smile on his face, she felt a warmth take her heart. It was as if he was being transported back in time, she could see clear as day. And for her, it was like she was visiting an aspect of his life she hadn't known about before.

"Did you really come here often when you were younger, Dad?" she asked, stopping beside him.

"All the time. Myself, Qrow, and Raven," Taiyang said. "And your mother, of course, whenever she was visiting."

"Mom too?" Ruby looked at her feet, wondering if she was standing where her mother had once stood. "Cool."

A few minutes later, Ruby heard footsteps coming from above. She turned to look at the stairs, and at the top of them stood a middle-aged with a mane of graying brown hair. A beard, and as well as the distance he stood from her, made it difficult for Ruby to tell the expression on his face. But as he descended to the middle of the stairs and stopped to stare, she saw eyes sparkling with a tenuous joy – as if the man wasn't yet sure if he should be so happy about what awaited him.

"Taiyang," he said. "You. You are here, truly."

"Leonardo!" Taiyang walked to the bottom of the stairs, spreading his arms wide. "So good to see you! Get down here, you old fool!"

Lionheart stared aghast a moment more, before he descended the rest of the steps and accepted Taiyang's hug. They patted each other's backs, exchanging pleasantries like old friend reuniting – which is exactly what they were – before they parted again, Lionheart shaking his head in wonder.

"Taiyang Xiao Long, in my house, after all this time," Lionheart said. "I thought I'd never see you again. Certainly not under my roof, of all places!"

"And where else would we see each other, old friend? You barely ever leave this house – and the island? Madness," Taiyang said. "Unless that's changed since we last met?"

"No, I'm afraid you're correct," Lionheart said, chuckling lightly. "Though I'm proud to say I've been holding town halls down in the city twice per month now. How's that for growth for character?"

"You're practically a whole new person!" Taiyang said. "And I'm not saying that because of the dead weasel-rat on top of your head."

Lionheart looked at his own forehead in fright for a moment, before he realized Taiyang was referring to his hair, and he released a hearty laugh. His laughter died, however, and he cast a short look at Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha behind Taiyang.

"Forgive me for speaking of this so soon, my friend, but… You are not supposed to be here, are you?" Lionheart said, studying Taiyang with concerned eyes. "You've been branded a traitor by Fire Lord Branwen. And if my information is correct, there is a prize on your head."

"Well, I don't know about a prize, but Raven sure wants me, and not in the way she used to," Taiyang said, shaking his head gravely. "Yeah, I've been made a traitor. And maybe that's fair, I've done some things that could be considered treason against the throne. But you know things are never that simple, Leo."

"Of course. I didn't believe for a second that you'd ever purposefully harm the Fire Nation or its people," Lionheart said. "Still, in that case… This is the last place on Remnant you should be, save for Vacuo itself, I'd think. You must have an important reason to be here."

"I do."

Taiyang was silent for a moment, before he turned to gesture at Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Allow me to make some introductions," he said. "This is Jaune, a great warrior of the Southern Water Tribe."

Lionheart shook Jaune's head, who seemed elated to be called a great warrior.

"And this is Pyrrha Nikos, the most powerful earthbender of our age," Taiyang said.

Lionheart shook Pyrrha's hand.

"She's my girlfriend," Jaune pointed out, even more elated. It was unclear whether he was talking to Lionheart or just himself.

"And this," Taiyang said. "Ruby, I think you can take down your hood."

Ruby nodded, and shook her coat, letting her hood fall and revealing her reddish-black hair and silver eyes.

"H-hi," Ruby said, waving a hand hesitantly. "I'm Ruby."

"She's my daughter," Taiyang said proudly.

"And the Avatar," Ruby said.

Taiyang shrugged, as if that was entirely inconsequential. "That, too."

Ruby looked at Jaune and Pyrrha, and choosing to follow their lead, offered her hand for Lionheart to shake also. But he was pale as snow, staring at Ruby with his arm half-raised.

"Uhm… Hi?" Ruby said meekly. "Yeah, I get that reaction sometimes…"

"My apologies!" Lionheart blinked, and suddenly he was enveloping Ruby's hand with both of his. "For a minute, I thought Taiyang had brought a ghost into my home."

"Oh! That's okay," Ruby said, swallowing dry. "If it's any consolation, I don't think he'd do that on purpose."

"She speaks like her, too," Lionheart muttered, giving Taiyang a glance. "You are the spitting image of Summer."

Surprised, Ruby tried to reply, not even knowing what to say – but she found herself choked up for some reason, and she had to pull away and wipe her eyes with her wrist. She felt a hand on her back, and looked up to find Jaune smiling at her.

"You thought I was putting myself in danger before. I can't imagine what's going through your mind now," Taiyang said to Lionheart. "Except that I must have an excellent reason to bring my daughter the Avatar to the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Yes, you must have," Lionheart said lowly.

"And that reason would be my eldest daughter," Taiyang said, all trace of joviality gone from his tone. "Yang. You've met her once or twice."

"Yes. She, too, looks much like her mother," Lionheart said, appearing distracted. "Though in everything else, she takes after you."

"She was kidnapped by Cinder Fall, one of Raven's servants. Ruby's friend, Weiss Schnee, was also kidnapped. She's a princess of the Water Tribe," Taiyang said. "We think they're being kept prisoner somewhere in the Fire Nation, we just don't know where exactly. But you must have heard something. That's why we're here."

Lionheart stared past him for a moment, his brow furrowing as if he were deep in thought. After nearly a minute had passed, he nodded and faced Taiyang again.

"I may know something. But I wouldn't want to give you false information," he said. "I was in the middle of something important when you arrived. A matter of the town. If you'll allow me to finish that in my study, as well as gather my thoughts about what you ask, I will help you any way I can. I'll need an hour at most."

Taiyang looked at Ruby, and it took her a moment to realize he was waiting for her to decide for the group.

"Uh, sure, of course," she said. "We can wait a while. We kinda showed up out of nowhere."

"Don't worry about that, I appreciate the visit. Even I need some shaking up in my life every now and then," Lionheart said. "I assume you'll be staying in town for a spell? I have room to spare."

"We wouldn't want to impose," Taiyang said.

"You won't be. I am happy to lend my roof however long you need it," Lionheart said.

"If you insist…" Taiyang said, giving a theatric sigh.

"Sure beats staying at an inn. Much safer, what with the wanted posters and soldiers and all that," Jaune said, no doubt already thinking of soft beds and warm food.

"I'll have you shown to your rooms, then," Lionheart said. "Excuse me."

He smiled at each of them, then made his leave up the stairs.

As promised, the housekeeper arrived an hour later to collect them from their respective rooms. He led them through the house to a tower at its northeastern-most corner, and they went up a spiral staircase built of polished stone.

Ruby was surprised Lionheart had made his office at such an altitude, as it must be terribly bothersome to get to and from, especially at his age. But she was also pleased – she could feel the open air outside, even with the walls surrounding her. She wouldn't mind staying at a place such as this, at least not for too long.

They reached the top of the tower, and the housekeeper opened a wooden door and gestured for them to step past its threshold. They walked inside the office, which resembled a library, only smaller, with stocked-full bookshelves on every wall except for the one opposite the door. That one was not made of stone, but glass instead, and it gave a spectacular view of the city below and the ocean beyond it.

Lionheart was sitting behind a desk, its surface too almost completely overtaken by books. He got up when he saw them come in, and gestured at the chairs that had been put across for them to sit.

"Ah. But still, I can hardly believe my eyes," he said, looking at them in wonder as they sat. "Apologies for making you wait. I have to admit I was caught very off-guard by your appearing at my doorstep. But I've collected myself now, and I am done with my business." He sat back down. "And now I can help you with yours."

He noticed that his mountains of books were obstructing his and theirs views and started to drag them aside to clear the space between them. Pyrrha leaned over to help him, smiling politely. The housekeeper closed the door and left down the stairs.

"Before we get to that, though…" Lionheart cleared his throat, shooting Taiyang an apologetic look. "You have to sate my curiosity. You've earned Fire Lord Branwen's ire, enough that she's ordered your capture or… well, your capture on sight. How did you get all the way to Sanctum Island unscathed?"

"Well, first we had help from some friends," Taiyang said. "And then we made a deal with some people who weren't our friends. That didn't end well. But we got a ship out of it!"

"We also nearly died," Jaune said.

Taiyang shrugged. "Yes, but isn't that just routine at this point?"

"There were a lot of Grimm on the way, but we managed to avoid fighting most of them, because we're very emotionally stable people," Ruby said, puffing her chest proudly.

Lionheart nodded, a curious expression on his face like he wanted to ask more, but knew that inquiring further about their story wouldn't so much as sate him as cause him even more confusion.

"It seems you lot have had your fill of adventuring for a while," he remarked.

"Well, I guess you could say that," Ruby said. "But we still have a lot left to do. We gotta rescue Weiss and Yang, wherever they are, and then we gotta get the heck out of the Fire Nation. And then we gotta stop the Fire Lord. And Adam and the White Fang. And…"

"We have a lot of stuff to do," Jaune said, sinking in his chair. "We don't really get breaks, Mister Lionheart."

Lionheart rubbed his chin, a pensive look on his face. "No, I don't suppose you do," he said, and looked at Taiyang. "You want to find your daughter, then. And the princess Schnee."

"That's what we're here for, yeah," Taiyang said. "I can only imagine what they've been through since we lost them. We must rescue them. But first, we have to find them."

"Hmm. I suppose I have good and bad news for you, then," Lionheart said solemnly, and everyone sat a little more attentively in their chairs. Ruby could feel her heart rising to her throat. Was this happening, finally? Did she finally get to hear what had happened to Weiss and Yang after all this time?

She could only hope it was nothing terrible…

"The two princesses were being kept in the capital," Lionheart said. "Princess Yang, inside the palace, mostly free, though under the supervision of the guards, and her own mother, I assume."

The group released a sigh of relief, especially Taiyang, who leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"As for Princess Schnee," Lionheart said. "She was being held in the Royal Prison."

"Is… is that bad?" Ruby asked, looking at her father.

"It's a tower close to the palace," Taiyang said. "It's not a hospitable place, obviously. But it could be worse. I'd say Weiss must be doing well, considering the circumstances."

Ruby nodded, unsure whether to take his words at face value. They had agreed to be honest with each other, and she knew he would never mislead her out of malice. But he might be saying that just to make her feel better.

"You said they were being kept in the capital?" Pyrrha noted, and Ruby whirled her head around to look at Lionheart again.

"Right, what does that mean?" she said.

"There was an incident of some sort some time ago. What exactly happened, I'm afraid I can't inform you, as I haven't heard anything concrete myself," Lionheart said. "But Weiss escaped from her prison, and from the capital, and she hasn't been found since."

"Yes!" Ruby jumped from her chair and turned to Jaune, and they high-fived in triumph.

"What about Yang?" Taiyang asked.

The mood in the office grew solemn again, and Ruby sat back down, clutching her coat anxiously.

"Princess Yang must have had some involvement in the escape," Lionheart said. "She was sent to the Dragon's Throat."

Ruby had never heard of such a place, but as she looked at her father to ask him about it, she had to flinch at the expression he wore. It was hard to discern everything, from the rage to the sorrow to the betrayal written on his face.

"Raven sent her there," he said lowly, not as much a question as it was a statement.

"She did," Lionheart said. "I am terribly sorry, Taiyang."

"The Dragon's Throat is the worst prison in the Fire Nation, reserved for only the most terrible of criminals," Taiyang said, his voice slowly rising in anger. "Yang doesn't deserve that. She is my girl. My daughter. What is Raven thinking?"

He balled his fists on his lap, and his violet eyes became hazy, as if a great fire had ignited behind them. Silently, Ruby reached out and took his hand in her own, and met his gaze without shaking. She had to be strong for him, and for Yang.

"Is it gonna be hard to get Yang out of that place?" she asked.

The anger in his eyes faded in an instant, and his lips curved with the hint of a grateful smile. "Very."

"Harder than if she was still in the capital?"

Taiyang raised an eyebrow. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"Nobody has ever broken out of the Dragon's Throat," Lionheart said, appearing exceedingly concerned about what he was hearing, to the point of being uncomfortable. "The waters around it are infested with ancient Grimm. And the prison itself is guarded by a dragon, tamed and controlled by the wardens."

Jaune blinked. "Did you say a dragon? I'm assuming isn't not like those benevolent, I'll-grant-you-wisdom-to-help-in-your-quest, type dragons from the fairytales?"

"More like the type that will destroy a city and eat all its inhabitants," Lionheart said, stretching his collar away from his neck.

"Well… We still gotta try," Ruby said. "She's my sister. I know she'd do the same for me."

"That's right. We didn't come all this way just to give up because it'll be difficult," Pyrrha said. "People thought it was impossible to bend metal. And that the Avatar was gone forever." She raised her chin. "Yet here we are."

Jaune nodded in agreement. Lionheart leaned on his desk and buried his face in his hands, before he drew back and released a deep breath, knowing that it would be a fool's task to argue with them.

"We could use Weiss' help with this, though," Jaune said. "Except, how would we find her?"

"She may have escaped, but being in hiding, she can't have gotten that far from Vacuo," Taiyang said. "But I don't think searching every island between here and there would be smart of us."

"We've got to find some way to find her," Ruby said firmly. "Weiss is out there, and she needs our help just as much as Yang does. We can't let her down now."

"Here is an idea," Lionheart said, raising his hands. "You have very ambitious goals. And I can see you intend to carry them out through whatever means necessary. But that will require much planning and deliberation. I suggest you stay in my home until you are finished with that. And in the meanwhile, I can utilize my own resources and hopefully locate your lost friend for you."

"Leo. We are asking too much of you already," Taiyang said. "Please, don't put yourself in danger on our account."

"I may be a recluse, Taiyang, but damned if I'll cower in fright when I should be helping my friends," Lionheart said. "This is my final decision. Either you accept my help in full, or you can walk back to your ship right this instant."

Ruby leaned back, surprised at Lionheart's sudden shift in attitude. It was like he had turned into a whole new person, and he even appeared bigger for it. And looking around, her friends seemed surprised too – her father especially.

"We'll have to accept, then," Taiyang said, running a hand through his hair. "Yeesh. I underestimated you, Leo."

"Perhaps you did," Lionheart said, linking his hands on his desk. He was poised, but Ruby could tell he too was a bit startled. "You will stay. Good. I imagine you'll want to rest up a bit more now. You've had a long travel, after all."

"The longest!" Jaune said, and yawned. "I wanna sleep forever."

"You are free to my house. Treat it like it was your own," Lionheart said, gesturing at the door.

Jaune got up and left the room, Pyrrha quickly catching up to him and taking his hand. Ruby and her father did the same, but as they were about to leave, they heard Lionheart speak behind them.

"Taiyang," he said, his tone more like his reserved self from earlier. "About your daughter Yang…"

Taiyang turned around. "Yes, Leo?"

Lionheart stared at him for a moment, before he turned his eyes away and shook his head. "Never mind. It's not important. We can talk about it later."

Taiyang looked at Ruby and shrugged, and the they walked through the doorway, leaving Lionheart alone in his office.

A single shadow appeared amidst the sun, ugly and dark, like a thumb had been pressed against its surface and snuffed out some of its burning radiance. The shadow turned and descended, its shape growing larger by the second, until it passed the clouds and the heights of the Fire Palace. Cinder stretched her arm past the windowsill, and the Grimm landed atop her wrist, crooning raspily, its red eyes darting about insidiously.

Cinder stepped back into the tower, running a hand over the bird's shadow-like feathers. A cacophony arose all around her, as the messenger hawks felt the presence of the Grimm among them and started screeching and flying against the bars of their cages in a futile attempt to escape.

The Grimm stopped fidgeting on her wrist and cranked its neck to look up at Cinder, and for the first time she noticed a tuft of red feathers sticking out of its gray beak.

"Now what is this? Did you feast on another fire-hawk during your flight?" She looked at the empty cages around her and wondered if one of those would remain permanently so. "Oh well. I suppose it would be unreasonable to expect you to act against your own nature."

Smirking, she walked the bird to a table on the corner of the chamber and deposited it atop it. Laid across the table was a map of the many archipelagos that formed the Fire Nation, and the nearby eastern coast of the Earth Kingdom.

"Now that you have returned, tell me where…" Cinder stopped talking for a moment, growing annoyed by the constant screaking in her ears. She slammed a hand on the table and, looking over her shoulder, yelled, "Silence!"

At once, all the hawks became dead-still in their cages. She watched them for a moment, making sure they wouldn't resume their uproar the second she looked away, before she turned to her Grimm again.

"You have returned, and I expect you to have done better with your task than my less rational helpers," Cinder said. "Now, point to me where hides Weiss Schnee."

The Grimm peered down at the map, and after a few seconds, hopped over to a chain of islands due north of the capital, and pecked at that spot on the map. Cinder smiled, making fists of her hands as she imagined them closing around the princess' dainty throat.

Her triumph was cut short, however, as the bird raised its head and flitted over in the opposite direction, landing on a lone island far south of the capital. It pecked it too, and not a second later, flew east – then west – and back north – pecking all over the map in a frenzy, before it finally stopped and looked up at her.

"You… You are useless!"

In a flash, Cinder grabbed the Grimm, closing a hand around it and squeezing hard. The bird squirmed in her grasp, releasing a screech so macabre it sent the messenger hawks into another pandemonium. Cinder only raised the Grimm to her face, and squeezing even harder, set a fiery stare upon it.

"How could you not find her? You had one job, you feathered imbecile!" she hissed. "If you won't be of any help, then you might as well perish!"

She ignited a fire in her hand, enveloping the bird in a blue flame. It screeched even louder, and in the last moments before it turned to smoke, burrowed its beak on the flesh of her hand, leaving a hole in it that released a slight trickle of blood.

"Oh, please. What pettiness," Cinder muttered, swatting the smoke away. "You'll reform in an hour. Hopefully with some intelligence this time."

She looked back at the hawks, silencing them once more with her eyes only, then leaned on the table, glaring at the map. The princess had assistance, but how hard could it be to locate her? Cinder's hatred of her alone just have been enough to guide the Grimm to wherever she was hiding. And yet.

Evidence was mounting that, if she wanted this to be done with any modicum of competence, then as always, she would have to do it herself. Which she ought to have known from the very start, but she'd been foolish. She would correct that mistake, and surely withing a week, she would have Weiss Schnee under her-

Hearing a noise behind her, Cinder whirled around, raising a lightning-ready hand towards it. But she was alone in the tower, alone except for the nervous hawks and the dissipating smoke of the Grimm.

"Creaking bones," she said. "You aren't getting enough sleep."

She cast another look at the place, then walked out, furious at herself.

Ruby stepped out into the garden, studying it for a moment on the steps of Lionheart's manor. It had rows upon rows of all kinds of flowers, but they were difficult to make out in the night, with only the pale moonlight and the torches behind her dispelling some of the darkness.

Walking closer, she slipped between two rows and hunched over to trace her finger over a vibrant-red flower. It was a remarkably large garden, even for such an estate, and she wondered if Lionheart tended to it himself. He probably had help from his housekeeper and other servants, because surely, he didn't have the time for this kind of commitment.

She was glad he kept the garden, and not only because it was beautiful. No, this was the kind of place that could be very useful to her.

The idea had come to Ruby earlier in the day. She had tried locating Weiss and Yang with her Avatar powers back in the Earth Kingdom, but it had been to no avail. She had figured that had been because, while sensing someone close to her was a simple matter, over long distances – such as a whole ocean across – she needed something more. A spiritual place, like when she had first met Ozpin.

Most people probably wouldn't perceive a garden as a spiritual place, but Ruby could easily see how it was one. Lionheart's garden was brimming with nature, with the life force of the planet – what place could be more spiritual than this?

If she was wrong, then so be it. It would be a small waste of time, and she might feel a little foolish about it. But she had already come all this way to find Weiss. What was a little shame in the face of that?

"Alright," Ruby muttered to herself, lowering herself to the ground. She crossed her legs under her, rested her hands on her thighs, and tipped back her head. "Where are you, Weiss?"

She closed her eyes, shutting out all stray thoughts from her head. Slowly, she felt her consciousness expand beyond the limits of her mind. First, she felt the presence of the flowers around her, the insects that crawled on them, as well as the dirt under them and the small lifeforces burrowing around in there. Her consciousness then travelled down the mountain, washing over the town below and the hundreds of people sleeping in the safety of their homes. She even felt a few dozen of Grimm, hiding in deep coves on the island or close to the ocean floor, waiting for unwitting prey to wander close.

"Where are you?" she spoke again, her brow furrowing in concentration.

She felt a tugging in her mind, but it was difficult to tell where it came from. And there was something else pulling at her awareness – the dozens of Fire Navy ships stationed on Sanctum's docks, and the many more that were sailing away from Vacuo in a formation. She sensed soldiers upon soldiers upon soldiers. And if she strained her mind's eye, there was one presence that stuck out to her in the capital – dark, dangerous, foreboding.

The Fire Lord.

Ruby opened her eyes, and only then she realized she'd been digging her fingernails into the inside of her hands, and that the back of her neck was drenched in a cold sweat. She got up, wiping tears of frustration from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Weiss," she whispered. "I'll find you, I swear."

Ruby reached instinctively to wrap her cloak around herself, only for her fingers to pass through empty air. She'd left it with Winter months ago, and yet she still often forgot she didn't have it on. Shaking her head, she started heading back to the manor.

Ruby stopped before she reached the steps, catching something in the corner of her vision. She turned around slowly, bringing her hands up to defend herself, before she realized it was Lionheart she'd seen. He too was walking amidst his garden, stopping occasionally to examine a flower, though he seemed to not have noticed her yet.

"Uhm, hi, Mister Lionheart.

Ruby tried to not be too loud, but Lionheart still jumped a bit in fright, and he only appeared to calm down when he noticed it was her standing there, and not some stranger.

"Sorry," Ruby said. "I didn't know how else to tell you I was here. Definitely better than just poking you in the back, though?"

"Ah. Certainly, Miss Ruby, certainly," Lionheart said, adjusting his collar and shirt. "But what are you doing out here at such an hour? I thought you'd be happy to sleep inside after being cooped up in a ship for so long."

"I actually like the outside more. Walls and roofs make me feel kinda itchy," Ruby said. "Not that I was going to sleep in your garden! I'm just saying. And your garden is really nice, by the way!"

"Thank you, I take great pride in it," Lionheart said. "It one of the few hobbies I have time for, and which don't require me to venture much outside my comfort zone. I find it very… calming, for the soul. My soul, at least."

"I get that," Ruby said. "That's just what I was talking about with my sleep thing."

Lionheart nodded politely and linked his hands behind his back, and Ruby realized she hadn't answered his earlier question.

"Oh, right! I wasn't just wandering about," Ruby said. "I had an idea about how to find my friend Weiss, and I could only do it out here in your garden specifically."

"I see," Lionheart said. "Though I think I'd know it if a waterbending princess was hiding out in my private garden."

"It's not like that! I need a… special kind of place," Ruby said, afraid he'd find her weird if she gave a full explanation.

"Ah, now I understand. You were using your Avatar senses?" Lionheart said, and Ruby started in surprised.

"You know what I'm talking about?" she said.

"I've read about the Avatar some. Not much, but enough to know more than the average person," Lionheart said. "And were you successful in finding your friend?"

"No, I wasn't…" Ruby said. "I mean, I think the idea was good. I sensed a lot of people alright, all the way to the capital. I even sensed the Fire Lord. But, I don't know, I guess things just fizzled out from there."

She bowed her head in shame. She'd thought failure wouldn't feel so bad, but that was before she'd actually gone through it.

"I wouldn't worry myself too much about it," Lionheart said gently. "I imagine you haven't done this too many times before, so you cannot expect to fully succeed on the first try. And after everything you've gone through and are going through, it's understandable that you'd be distracted. You should try again tomorrow. Perhaps you'll have better luck."

"Right. I should do that," Ruby said, smiling. "Thanks, Mister Lionheart!"

"Please, call me Leo," Lionheart said.

Ruby tilted her head a bit, considering his request. She supposed there was no harm in it, but referring to him, a fully-fledged adult, by the same nickname her father used for him… It would just feel weird.

"Okay… Mister Leo," Ruby said, settling on a compromise. Maybe she came off a little sassy, but if Lionheart thought so, he didn't let it show. "So, why are you out so late? Is this the time you usually take care of the flowers?"

"No, not at all," Lionheart said. "I came out here to… to think."

He turned to grasp the bulb of a particular flower between his fingers, and Ruby leaned over to look at it too. It didn't seem too special, but its petals had a lovely blue shade to them.

"Your father had something to discuss with me," Lionheart said. "He told me about the movement Queen Goodwitch is building to end this ceaseless war and retake her throne. An alliance between all nations. A marvelous concept, truly." He frowned. "And he asked me to join."

"And are you going to?" Ruby said. "You sound a little… Uhm, you don't sound too excited about that idea."

"Oh, I am honored he thought of me," Lionheart said. "But I am unsure he was right to ask me, of all people. I have resources, yes, but aside from that… I cannot see myself being very useful to your cause."

"Why? I think you'd be very useful," Ruby said. "You've taken care of this island for decades, right? And everyone seems to be living pretty well here. I think you're the exact type of person we need on our side."

"I suppose this is not a question of what I have to offer. It's more of a… personal misgiving," Lionheart said, his voice falling low. "I think of joining this campaign, and I cannot help but picture myself a flea standing among giants. That I might be insignificant, and when it is most inopportune, a full-on hindrance."

Ruby watched Lionheart with pity. For such a large man, he seemed awfully small in that moment.

"I know what you're saying. I've felt like that before," she said, and he raised his head to look at her. "Like after my mom died, and I lived alone in the Air Temple for a long time and I thought I'd never leave, because I was so afraid. And then when I did leave, and suddenly I was this really important person, and everyone I met either looked up to me or hated me."

She looked away, now more than ever wishing she had her cloak around her shoulders.

"It's difficult, when people expect so much of you, one way or another," Ruby said. "But I think everyone feels like that. And that's just the point, isn't it? We're not alone, and when we fall, there's always another person to help us get back on our feet. My friends, my dad, they'd do anything for me. And I'd do anything for them. So you can expect the same, when you decide to join."

Lionheart stared at her, and a look of profound sorrow passed his eyes.

"I knew Ozpin when he was alive. And I've read about Avatar Amber, and many of the previous lives before her. I see much of them in you," he said. "But I look at you now, Miss Ruby, and I can see no one else but your mother."

Ruby stifled a gasp, finding herself breathless all of a sudden. "You – Did you know my mom well, Mister Lionheart?"

"I did. She was a dear friend, and a wonderful person," Lionheart said, shaking his head slowly. "So kind. She was as young as any of us, and yet she always seemed to have a word of advice when you needed one. And I can't recall a single time when she wasn't right."

Ruby nodded, enraptured by every word. She'd heard some things about her mother from one person or another, but even her father didn't talk about her in all that much detail. It must hurt him greatly to talk of her – and she understood why now.

"I was devastated when I heard what happ- what was done to her and your people," Lionheart said. "I've always known Raven had to have had a hand in it. But she and Summer, they were so close…"

"They were?" Ruby said. Ozpin had shown her that, but it was difficult to accept.

"Very. Understand, Raven Branwen was never a gentle person, even before she became Fire Lord. She was always furious with someone, it felt like. And the only person who seemed capable of making her somewhat mellow was your mother," Lionheart said. "Their bond was something to behold. Raven, she always had an… infatuation, with your father. But Summer and Taiyang were inseparable. And yet Raven was never spiteful of that, never did anything to get her way when she very well could have. That's how much she respected Summer."

He looked at Ruby, an uncertain expression on his face, as if he were contemplating a mystery he didn't want to discover the answer of.

"I guess that would explain why she felt so betrayed," Ruby said quietly, knowing exactly what he was thinking about. "Enough to declare war on the whole world over it."

"Oh, no, absolutely not, Miss Ruby!" Lionheart said, raising a hand. "Nothing can justify the Fire Lord's actions. Your parents, and certainly not you – none of you can be held accountable for what she's done. Raven Branwen is a monster, and nothing she says will ever change that."

"O-okay…" Ruby said, startled by the look in Lionheart's eyes. It was like he was talking about the worst kind of Grimm, and not a human being. "Guess that gives us all the more reason to stop her!"

Lionheart blinked and nodded, appearing to have calmed down somewhat.

"So, are you going to join Glynda and everybody?" Ruby said, and caught herself, "Queen Goodwitch, I mean."

"I am not sure yet. But you have given me a lot to think about," Lionheart said. "I think I will retire for the night, before the sun comes up. Good night, Miss Ruby!"

Ruby could barely answer him before he walked away. She watched him enter the house and throw her a troubled look before he closed the door.

"Well, that was weird," Ruby murmured. She looked around at the flowers, then the loose soil under her. "I mean, there are worse places to sleep…"

Cinder huffed quietly, rubbing her fingers next to her waist, a little spark of electricity arcing around them with a low buzz. The servant looked back at her nervously, his eyes darting from her hand to her face, and turned back to knock at the door again, at little more insistently this time.

"Come in," the Fire Lord's voice came from the other side of the door.

The servant opened the door and bowed, his head almost reaching knee-level. It was all out of fear, of course, and not nearly enough respect – but with the Fire Lord not moving an inch on her desk to look at him, that was of no significance, even if she would have minded it.

"Royal Advisor Cinder Fall is here to see you, Fire Lord, as you requested," he said.

"Yes, yes, thank you," Raven said off-handedly as she swiped her pen across a scroll. "Now scram. And tell the guards we are not to be interrupted."

Cinder walked in, and the servant closed the door behind her – very quickly, as she waved a finger in his direction with a smirk on her lips. She walked further into the chamber, but the Fire Lord continued to not acknowledge her.

"So that is my title nowadays. Royal Advisor," Cinder said. "Funny, as you seem to go against any and all advice I give you."

"That's because I've never asked you for advice." Raven dipped her pen in ink and scribbled on another scroll. "Sit."

Cinder looked around the chamber. "You've occupied the only chair in this room."

"Yes, how shortsighted of me," Raven said. "The floor seems a suitable replacement."

Giving her a scalding look, Cinder stomped over to Fire Lord's bed and sat on the edge of it, crossing one leg over the other. For the first time, Raven raised her head to look at her, only to roll her eyes.

"Would you care to get on with the reason I was summoned in the middle of the night?" Cinder said. "If you are starved for conversation, grab a servant. I'd rather sleep."

"I have a matter I'd like to discuss with you," Raven said. "And a task to entrust you with."

"If you presume to send me on another slaying expedition, you can forget about it. I have better things to do," Cinder said.

"Yes, such as ordering your minions around to hunt down a lost little girl," Raven said, lifting an eyebrow. "Too afraid to go find her yourself?"

"You forbid me from searching for her," Cinder said, curling her fists.

"Yes, but when has my forbidding you from doing anything ever actually stopped you?"

Raven set on her a knowing look, and Cinder got up from the bed. If all the Fire Lord intended was to waste her time, then she had no problem leaving.

"Sit down, no need to make a fuss," Raven said, and finished wrapping her last scroll. She stood up and walked over to a wardrobe across from Cinder, and leaned her back against it, crossing her arms. "Before I give you your task, I have a question I want answered, and I want it answered truthfully."

Cinder gave her a pointed look.

"What was the reasoning behind your little stunt with the Avatar? Pretending to be her friend, passing on every chance to kill her, only to finally stab her in the back and, what, break up her merry band of idiots?" Raven scoffed. "I know you take great fun in tormenting people, especially those you think have power. But that seems too shallow a motivation for so much work."

"Does it?" Cinder said. "Perhaps you're hitting the nail right on the head, my Lord."

"No. I know you too well to believe that," Raven said. "Why the reluctance to tell the truth, Cinder? Could it be that it is too personal?"

"Fine. The truth is, this Avatar is nothing more than a child," Cinder said caustically. "She has the power to bend the world to her every whim, and yet she is content behaving like a silly little girl. She thinks hugs and kisses and talking about your feelings will forever be the solution to everything. She is a fool with no concept of her own power."

Cinder shook her hand, a derisive smile on her face.

"I had to teach her a lesson. So I took out all her friends, broke her sister, and took away the girl she's enamored with," she said. "And now hopefully she knows that the only person she can depend on is herself. Trusting anyone else is just an invitation to be betrayed and disappointed."

Raven's red eyes bore into Cinder, showing a great intensity at the same time that they seemed to be staring far away. Cinder couldn't figure out what the Fire Lord was thinking, and she didn't care to know. She didn't need her approval, or anyone else's.

"A remarkable strategy," Raven said finally, and uncrossed her arms. "If, of course, your goal was to monumentally piss off the being you describe as having this world-altering power. How exactly does that serve us, Cinder?"

"Forgive me, I didn't take into account the greater good of the Fire Nation when I made my plans," Cinder said, shrugging. "I only follow by example, after all."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself."

"You have the audacity of questioning my decisions, when you can't seem to make up your own mind about the Avatar. First you want her captured, then you want her killed, then it doesn't matter, then it does," Cinder said. "If you were so concerned about her being a threat, you would have killed her when you had the chance - and you wouldn't have given her a direct invitation to kill you."

Raven examined her in silence. "She told you about that."

"Of course. Ruby will prattle her whole life story to the first person to give her a cookie and a pat on the head," Cinder said.

She stood up and raised her hands, conjuring a blue flame in each of them. They locked eyes over the sweltering heat, Raven's lips curling in a humorless smile.

"You think I'm the one with an agenda," Cinder said. "Well, I think you should be the one answering questions, Fire Lord."

She joined her hands to merge the flames into a single sphere, and watched the Fire Lord, muscles taut as she waited for her to move. But when Raven did move, it was faster than she expected, and as Cinder thrust her hands to release her attack, Raven had already bent low and struck at her wrist from below, deflecting the barrage of fire upward. It lasted a fraction of a second, and only left a singed spot on the ceiling as a result.

Before Cinder could think to strike again, a hand closed around her throat, and she was shoved against the Fire Lord's wardrobe. She brought up a knee to strike at Raven, while she lowered a hand to prepare another projectile – only for Branwen to raise her free hand level with Cinder's face, and right before her eyes, ignite a sphere of pitch-black fire.

"I'd think twice about that, girl," Raven said, relaxing her grip on Cinder's throat and nodding at her hand.

"You wouldn't dare," Cinder hissed. "I'll kill you if you do."

"You could certainly try," Raven said. "But you're so obsessed with power, you should understand the dynamic here. If you can't best me now, at the height of your power, then what hope would you have if I took it all away?"

Cinder glared at Raven, daring her to go through with her threat – but as she felt the dark tendrils of flame heat up the side of her face, a sudden panic came over her, and she let her hand fall limp. Raven released her, and Cinder immediately put some distance between them.

"The blue fire is cute, I'll give you that," Raven said dismissively as she walked back to her desk. "But I know what you really want. And envy is not a good look on you, Cinder." She grabbed a scroll and read it over quickly. "You're a pawn playing at being a queen. The sooner you come to realize that, the better off you'll be."

Before Cinder could shoot her a heated response, Raven turned and tossed the scroll to her. Cinder caught it, then stared contemptuously at Raven, having half a mind to burn the paper to ashes.

"What's this?" she asked.

"That's your mission," Raven said, sitting down. "The Avatar's in Sanctum Island."

"What?" Cinder opened the scroll, her eyes scanning it at lightning-speed.

"She showed up on dear Lionheart's doorstep this morning, with my husband and her friends in tow. So I'd say your lesson didn't take," Raven said. "I'd go deal with her myself, but I'll be leaving for the Earth Kingdom at first sunlight. Therefore, you'll fly to Sanctum in my stead, as fast as you can."

"And?" Cinder said, lowering the scroll.

Raven looked back at her. "And you'll kill her, what else?"

Ruby yawned, the sound carrying out across Lionheart's dining room as she entered it. Everyone else was already seated for breakfast, and if Jaune's stuffed face was any indication, they'd already started without her.

"Hey, Ruby!" Pyrrha greeted, waving at her. "We were going to get you, but you weren't anywhere in the house."

"Right, sorry," Ruby said, sitting down. "I went on a jog."

"A jog?" Taiyang looked at her dubiously, and leaned close to examine her back. "Ruby, why is there so much dirt on your clothes?"

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about," Ruby said swiftly. "Oh look, cookies!"

She took a whole plate and dragged it over to her, but before she could get started, Taiyang put a hand on her shoulder.

"Leo had those made just for you," he said. "Say thank you to Leo."

Ruby gave him a weird look, before she turned to Lionheart, who was sitting at the head of the table, and smiled at him. "Thank you, Mister Leo!"

Lionheart gave her a shaky nod, his eyes not really meeting hers. She noticed he was strangely pale, and that he had dark bags under his eyes. Ruby guessed he hadn't gotten much sleep after all, if any.

"Would you share the cookies with me, Ruby?" Jaune asked.

"Jaune, you already ate," Pyrrha chided quietly. "You're going to get fat at this rate."

"As long as we keep working on my swordsmanship, I'm never gonna get fat," Jaune said. "So, Ruby?"

Ruby looked at him crossly, but pushed the plate closer to him nonetheless. Her father nodded approvingly.

"So I was thinking," Taiyang said. "It's going to take a lot for us to break Yang out of the Dragon's Throat. We have a ship, but we might not even be able to get close to the prison without the Grimm or the dragon destroying it. So what Jaune said before is right. We're probably going to need Weiss' help."

"I think we would have seen to her first regardless, right?" Pyrrha said. "I don't mean to say Yang can wait, just that we know she's at least got food and shelter. While Weiss…"

"Let's not think about that," Jaune said between cookies. "Just, how do we find her?"

"Oh, I have a plan. I can use my Avatar senses," Ruby said. "I tried last night, and I think I almost got it. If I keep trying, I think I can-"

"I am so sorry."

Ruby stopped talking, and everyone turned to look at Lionheart. His tone of voice was enough to tell them something was terribly wrong, but as he hid his face in his hands, any doubt about it was dispelled.

"Leo?" Taiyang said, dragging his chair back and standing up. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"I'm so sorry," Lionheart muttered. "You need to leave."

"Hey, it's okay – we'll leave your house right away, man," Jaune said. "We can stay somewhere else. Right, guys?"

"No! You don't understand!" Lionheart roared, knocking his chair to the ground as he stood. "I – I told the Fire Lord about you! She knows you're here, because I told her! As soon as you came, I told her!"

Ruby gasped as everyone stood up but her. She stared at Lionheart, and for the first time he met her eyes, and she saw tears of shame welling up.

"Why would you do that?" she asked quietly.

"I had to – the Fire Lord is a monster!" Lionheart sputtered. "If she learned I was hiding you, who knows what she would do to me and my people? I had to tell her! At least all of you have a fighting chance! And if you're fast, you can-"

Before he could finish, Taiyang had moved across the room and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off his feet. Ruby jumped up and ran to his side, balking at the fire in her father's eyes.

"Dad, let him go," Ruby said. "We have to leave fast before they come to get us."

"She's right!" Lionheart wheezed. "The Fire Lord must have gotten my message already. She could be arriving any second now!"

"Dad!" Ruby yelled, pulling on his arm.

Taiyang looked at her, and finally released Lionheart. He fell on the floor and backed away, pressing his back against a wall.

"Go!" he yelled. "Y-your ship is ready! I had everything restocked! Go!"

Taiyang glared at him, as if to say they were not done, then turned and walked away, Jaune and Pyrrha on his trail. Ruby stayed a moment more, looking at Lionheart, but he refused to meet her eyes, before she followed her father and friends.

"How far to the docks now?!" Jaune yelled.

"Don't think about it, just run!" Taiyang faltered for a second, nearly crashing into a cluster of people as the group ran across a busy plaza. "Ruby, are you there?"

"I'm here!" Ruby shouted, putting up some speed to catch up to him. She could have easily outrun everyone, but she feared hurting the people of the town with her airbending. "Where do we go after the ship? We can't go to Yang, and we don't know where Weiss-"

As she spoke, a shadow stretched over her, and nearly all of the city plaza. She looked up and saw a beastly shape blotting out the sun – and mere seconds later, everything turned into pandemonium, people screaming and running all around her as a Nevermore landed in the center of the plaza, shattering a water fountain and raking its feet across the stone floor.

"Ruby!" Pyrrha screamed, tackling her to the ground. An arrow whizzed past where Ruby's head had been seconds before.

Ruby got up first, with Pyrrha following shortly and putting herself before her, as well as pulling a piece of the shattered fountain to act as a shield. Ruby looked around and was relieved to find her father standing close by, his fists primed with flames, and Jaune on the other side, taking cover behind the side of a building with his sword drawn.

The Nevermore lowered its beak to the ground, and from its back hopped off three figures. Emerald the thief, Mercury the assassin, and-

And Cinder Fall, her bow drawn with another arrow already nocked, its metal tip sparking with electricity. Her amber eyes bore into Ruby across the plaza, a dead-cold expression on her face.

Ruby thrust a hand behind her, gathering wind into her palm, but as she made to propel it towards Cinder, she found herself frozen in terror. Pyrrha looked over her shoulder at her and stepped even closer, covering nearly all of Ruby with her impromptu shield.

"This will be simple. You have two choices, Avatar. Surrender and die," Cinder said, the wind carrying her voice over to Ruby. "Or put up a fight, and watch me kill all your friends first."

"You are not doing anything to any of these kids!" Taiyang shouted, taking a step forward. "Get the hell away from here before I make you, brat!"

"Charming as always." Cinder's gaze shifted to him almost casually. "We'll start with you, then."

She let loose her arrow, which Taiyang easily dodged, and it pierced a bench behind him. Not losing a beat, Cinder dropped her bow and thrust a hand forward, sending a bolt of lightning his way. Taiyang caught it with his right hand, the impact driving him back. His face contorted in a grimace, and Ruby gasped, her mind going back to what had happened with Yang – but a second later, her father seemed to find his strength, and with a movement of his left arm, he released the lightning to the sky.

Taiyang fell to his knees, breathing hard. He looked up at Cinder. "That all… you've got?"

"I forgot. You can supremely annoying as well," Cinder said. "Is this what you do now, Ruby? Let your father fight all your battles for you?"

Pushing Pyrrha aside, Ruby stood up fully and faced Cinder.

"I don't know what's wrong with you! I don't wanna fight you, I don't wanna fight anyone!" she yelled. "I just want to find my sister and Weiss, so leave me alone!"

A rush of wind followed her last word. Cinder stumbled back a single step, and raised her chin, studying Ruby from afar.

"You haven't learned anything," Cinder said. "If you want to stop me, then stop me. The time for playing around is over, Avatar!"

"Shut up!" Ruby stepped forward, throwing a punch that sent a surge of air towards Cinder. With mere instants to spare, Cinder stepped aside, and the attack hit Mercury instead, who was sent crashing against the front of a house.

The wind was so great, however, that it still sent Cinder stumbling, and when she regained her balance, her hair was thrown about wildly. She looked up, and a terror seized Ruby all of a sudden as she gazed upon the left side of Cinder's face.

"What the…?" she heard Pyrrha mutter.

Cinder bowed her head to fix her hair, and when she looked up again, her eye was once again hidden.

"Change of plans," she said. "I was sent by the Fire Lord to kill you. But I can't help but feel that would be an unsatisfactory way to end things, after all the effort I've put on shaping you up. Not to mention it would be… too clean." She considered for a moment, then took a step forward. "Here's an offer. Come with me of your own volition, and I won't kill your friends. I'll bring you to the Fire Lord, and maybe then she'll kill you herself. But who knows what might happen along the way."

She extended a hand, as if offering a peace truce, but Ruby didn't have a second to consider it, as Pyrrha once again put herself before her and raised her shield.

"Ruby is not going anywhere with you," Pyrrha said firmly. "And if you want to take her, you'll have to go through me first."

"And me!" Jaune declared, coming out of his hiding spot.

"And…" Taiyang started to follow, only to wheeze as the effort proved too much. "You get the gist, you spawn of hell."

Ruby looked at her father and her friends, a feeling of warmth coming over her. She felt guilty too, however – she was glad they were willing to protect her, but their last fight with Cinder hadn't ended well. Although, could that confrontation really be considered a fight? Maybe they had an actual chance this time, without the factor of surprise on Cinder's side.

"Can't you idiots let the girl make one decision for herself?" Cinder exclaimed. "What will it be, Avatar?"

Ruby spread her feet, assuming an earthbending pose beside Pyrrha. "Try us, loony."

Cinder looked to the sky in exasperation, before she gestured at Emerald behind her. "Emerald, the crystal."

Emerald stared aghast for a couple seconds, before she realized what Cinder meant, and she opened a pouch on her belt and fished something out. She handed it to Cinder, who held it out in her hand, and Ruby recognized it instantly from the time the Fire Nation had laid siege to the North Pole.

"Everyone, watch out!" Ruby shouted. "She's gonna make a Grimm!"

"Not so simple, Avatar," Cinder said. "Consider this… incentive."

She dropped the crystal, stepping back at the same time, and it shattered on the ground – but the shards that it split into never landed anywhere. Instead, they turned into tendrils of smoke that flew around her, making a noise like giant bats batting their wings, before they rose high in the air above the destroyed fountain and converged in a single sphere of concentrated darkness.

Confused, Ruby could only stare at what Cinder had summoned. What could possibly be its purpose? It clearly wasn't harmful by itself, or else Cinder would be backing away.

The answer came a minute later, as a sudden rumbling took the whole town. An acute pain drilled into the back of Ruby's neck, and it took all her self-control not to double over on the ground. Cinder's Nevermore took off with her and her allies mounting it, and then…

Then, the other Grimm came. The ones Ruby had sensed last night, coming out of their coves on the island. And bigger ones, behemoths emerging from the ocean and walking on land, some of them as big as the houses that made up the town. And it was unmistakable what they were going for – the dark beacon Cinder had summoned, and in the process, the inhabitants of Sanctum Island.

"Ruby!" Pyrrha said, leaning over to grab Ruby's shoulders and keep her on her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, we have to get these people to safety," Ruby grunted, holding her forehead.

"Of course," Pyrrha said. "But where-"

"Everyone!" A shout from Jaune interrupted her. He had gotten up on a bench, and was holding his sword high in the air. "Run to Lionheart's estate! You'll be safe there!"

Miraculously, his words seemed to get through to the panicked crowd, and they all started running towards the mountain behind the city. In the commotion, Ruby lost Jaune from sight, but luckily her father got to her side before things got too hectic.

"Is Ruby okay?" he asked, looking at her and Pyrrha worriedly.

"She's not," Pyrrha said, and before Ruby could protest, she bent low and lifted her in her arms. "We have to get her to the manor. Cover me, sir?"

"Yes!" Taiyang said, even as he covered his mouth to cough and held his chest. "Now run!"

Ruby grabbed Pyrrha's arm, trying to pull herself free, but her strength suddenly failed her, and she blacked out.

When Ruby came too, she was lying on the floor of Lionheart's entrance hall. The place was absolutely packed, with people from the town running about distributing supplies or taking care of injured relatives.

Ruby pushed herself up, only for her father to appear at her side and keep her on the ground with a hand on her shoulder. Pyrrha was close by, scanning the crowd anxiously.

"The town," Ruby said. "The Grimm. We have to-"

"We got most of the people here. The place is fortified, we've been able to keep the Grimm at bay for now," Taiyang said, speaking fast in an attempt to ease her mind. "We can take care of the rest later."

"But…" Ruby swallowed dry. She still felt a bit strange, but it was nothing compared to the pain from before. "What about Cinder?"

"She's been flying above the town since she started this whole mess," Taiyang said. "Ruby. We will take care of everything. For now, you have to rest."

Ruby ran a hand back through her forehead and hair, both drenched in sweat. Her dad was right, if she pushed herself too hard right away, she wouldn't be of any use to anyone. She needed to take some time to regain her strength, and then make a move.

She looked around, and her heart fell. "Where's Jaune?"

Taiyang looked her way, but words failed him this time. Pyrrha looked back at Ruby and shook her head.

"We lost him in the rush. But I'm sure he's fine," she said, but her eyes told another story. "Jaune can take care of himself. He's a warrior, that one."

"R-right," Ruby agreed. She didn't want to cause Pyrrha any distress.

Because if Pyrrha lost it, then Ruby didn't know what she would do.

Jaune brought his sword down, cleaving a Beowolf in half before it could sink its fangs into a little boy. He took a breath, leaning on his sword for a moment, and nodded to the child.

"Go that way," he said, pointing to the east side of town. "We've got a stronghold there. Don't look back, and don't stop for anything!"

The boy stared at him blankly for a moment, before he nodded and ran off. Jaune watched him to make sure no Grimm were in his way, then stood upright and looked around, peering into the alleyways and houses of Sanctum. There didn't seem to be many people left around these parts, but if he could find even one more person to rescue, then any time spent searching would be worth it.

He heard a howl behind him, followed by a shrill scream. He turned around just in time and saw a woman running down the street towards him, a pair of Boarbatusks rolling behind her, followed by a slower Beowolf.

"This way!" he shouted, running to meet the woman. She passed him, but he kept going, readying his sword to slash at the Grimm-

Someone came out of an alleyway to his right and slammed into him. They both fell to the floor, but the stranger was on her feet not a second later, burying a blade into the soft underside of one of the Boarbatusks. Jaune jumped to his feet and kicked at the other Boarbatusk as it rolled past him, knocking it on its side. A simple slash of his sword turned it to smoke.

"Jaune? What are you doing here?"

Jaune spun around, and surprise lit up his face as he recognized the stranger.

"Blake!" he exclaimed, confused at the same time that he was elated. "What are you doing here?"

In their surprise, the two forgot about the Beowolf that remained, and it reached to slash at Blake's back. Jaune shouted a warning – but a spike of ice suddenly pierced the Grimm's skull, coming from the same alleyway Blake had emerged from.

Jaune turned to look. His sword fell from his grasp and clanked on the ground.

Despite everything, he'd never felt happier.

It was Zwei.

Zwei killed the Beowolf.

Apologies for the long wait for this chapter. But at least it was pretty big to compensate! Longest chapter this book yet, I believe? (and maybe third longest overall?) Pretty important too, for a myriad of reasons, but that's more of a personal opinion...

So I know I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, so obviously next chapter I'm gonna act like it totally didn't happen, and we're gonna make a little trip back in time to check in with a particular someone. I have a feeling you guys won't be mad with me, though.

Also, you can consider this my gift to you on this holiday season. It's not much, but it's the heart that's in it that counts. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, everybody!

-Zeroan