A/N: Update 2 of the day.


Scribbles

-dealing with children-

And so, the years passed. The war against Salem continued onwards, the battle seemingly never-ending. It was achingly slow, the sparse progress they made, only made worse by the fact that their numbers continued to dwindle while they waited for younger generations of Huntsmen and Huntresses to produce soldiers capable enough to handle the real fight.

It's almost as if all we're doing is trying to make soldiers to fight against Salem.

She knew it wasn't true. In the Academies, she was teaching her students to be resilient and capable and empathetic- educating them on different aspects of life, and how to help the world through more means than just combat. She was making better citizens of each generation.

The thought lingered pervasively in her mind anyways, and she couldn't shake it off, no matter how much she tried.

But time carried on, and she had no choice but to keep training each new wave of potential fighters. Seeing the young ones join their ranks didn't fill her with as much joy as it once had, however. Too many of them died far too young. It wasn't fair.

Summer Rose passed away. For a long time, Glynda thought Taiyang Xiao Long would soon follow- if heartbreak was capable of murder, he would've been a victim. Thankfully, he and Qrow stuck together for the sakes of the two little girls the women of Team STRQ had left behind.

Glynda's teammates fell in battle, the notices of their deaths each driving stakes through her heart. One, taken away in the forests of Mistral. Another killed amongst the sands of Vacuo's deserts- not by monsters nor wildlife nor Grimm, but by bandits. The third died of illness, unable to use her Semblance to save the one person who needed it the most- herself.

And, amidst sleepless nights and tear-soaked pillows, Glynda hated herself for never being able to be there by their sides in the end.

The Spring Maiden died. They didn't find her successor. They did find the new Fall Maiden, though. She was a sweet young girl, far too young for the burden placed upon her. Amber was her name.

It was only when meeting Amber for the first time did Glynda finally, truly understand why James hadn't wanted her to volunteer. Amber was dedicated to the cause, despite all of the suffering being a Maiden would bring about. And yet, her eyes were so often vacant.

Amber didn't see a future for herself. She was just a Maiden now, removed from time and the rest of Remnant. And she was broken for it.

Glynda didn't want to see her students going through this. She never had a child of her own. And, while she was never a mothering person, she wanted to do what was best by them. Nothing in Remnant would give them the peace that they deserved, and she hated it.

Glynda mentioned this to James almost fifteen years after they became professors- almost fifteen years after she had initially offered herself up as a Maiden.

He didn't say anything at first, his eyes locked to his Scroll as he read an update from his labs in Atlas. She frowned, then shook her head, walking away. James hadn't been the same in recent years, either- Major General Ironwood was far too obsessed with building up the Atlesian Military with androids and technology. Why they even still had a Huntsmen Academy, she didn't know.

That night, however, James arrived at her door after late-night meetings with the Atlesian Council through the CCTS. In his hands was a bottle of wine and her favourite takeout. Silently, she allowed him inside, where they set up a comfortable dinner and ate in the dimly-lit apartment.

And as they fell asleep, James' newly-upgraded prosthetics gleaming in the moonlight streaming in through parted curtains, Glynda felt a kiss on her shoulder. He wouldn't say it, but he was happy she was still there. She was happy to have him, at least, too.