Nearly There
Pyrrha takes the lead with Yang walking right behind the Princess' horse. Ruby and the others huddle close behind the two horses trying to stay in the dim light of the torch Yang carries
"Do you think that having all of us so close together is a good idea?" Weiss mentions as she turns her head to see that everyone is close to Yang. Nora looks over her shoulder looking into the forest as the rest of the group continues to move forward.
"We should probably hang back Ren…in case some of those bandits decide to return." Ruby comments as she slows her steps to be just outside the torch's dim glow. Ren follows her lead and now they both linger in the dark to gain the upper hand on anyone who may attempt another ambush.
Pyrrha keeps her horse at the forefront of the group. "Hey Pyrrha, I am surprised those bandits went after you two, with your reputation. If we weren't friends I know I wouldn't want to mess with you." Yang smirks as she swipes some dirt off her cheek with her free hand. Pyrrha glances quickly down at the brawler and smirks at her.
"Well it is dark out; there is no way they could know who we are. They didn't recognize the Princess and her portrait is everywhere in Staub." Pyrrha remarks, something catches her eye just past some trees. Yanking the reins she quickly halts the steed, Weiss stops as soon as she realizes what Pyrrha had done.
"What's wrong did you see something?" Nora runs up in front of Pyrrha, her hammer at the ready.
"Yes and no we are making camp there." Pyrrha points past the tree line towards a clearing with a waterfall.
Yang walks up and looks in the area that Pyrrha pointed to, "That looks like the best place to rest after all that fighting." The brawler throws her arms in circles loosening her shoulder muscles.
"Would we be sleeping on the ground?" Weiss inquires as Nora and Ren walk up to the Princess' horse.
"Well mmmm….yes?" Nora responds, "Ren you packed most of the horses with Jaune, what is missing if we only have Pyrrha and the Princess' horse?" the woman turns to her companion.
Ren smacks his lips, "Well yours, mine, Ruby's and the Princess' bed rolls were on my and Ruby's horse….so like our steeds those are gone…we put the rations on all the horses and each one had one waterskin..." Ren rubs his chin trying to remember what was on which horse.
"We still have mine and Pyrrha's bedroll." Yang adds slapping her roll strapped to Pyrrha's horse. "If we are going to be camping here for the night, the two of us will stand guard."
"Pyrrha and I will take the first watch." Ruby chimes in. Weiss looks down at the small leader with worrying eyes.
"Are you sure? Also if there are only two bed rolls and six of us how…" Weiss wonders while Pyrrha tilts her head to assure the Princess that getting to the area is the priority at the moment.
Weiss and Pyrrha turn their horses and begin slowly trotting to the area with Yang and Nora close behind them. Ruby and Ren go to make sure that there are no bandits lingering near where the group will be making camp.
"So Princess, I take it this will be your first night sleeping beneath the stars?" Yang chuckles as she looks up at the stars.
"Well of course. Fath-the King made it a point to keep me behind closed doors after Winter…well I am sure you all know." Weiss' eyes lower remembering the ceremony for her sister after her father declared Winter dead.
Everyone goes silent, only the sound of hooves trotting along with the gentle breeze rustling the leaves to be heard. Pyrrha, Yang and Nora silently go towards the water. While Ren stays behind and unloads a few rations from the horses before joining Ruby.
Ruby and Ren split up and disappear into the surrounding woods, "The coast is clear over here!" Ruby calls dashing back to the waterfall. "Area is clear of bandits." Ren deadpans right behind the group causing Weiss to jolt forward on her horse. Nora raises her hand to help the nervous Princess off her stead.
"Let's make camp; the Princess seems a bit jittery." Yang softly adds turning towards the waterfall. If I ever lost Ruby…I don't think I could…A red cloak flutters at the edge of the water a scythe beside the dark figure, the sight causes Yang to release a sigh of relief.
"The weather is fair enough that we can sleep without a tent." Ruby smiles at her friends as she walks to a grass meadow. The young leader takes the bed rolls off the horses as Pyrrha ties off the horses.
"Ruby stack those bed rolls on top of each other. That is the closest we can get to a bed for your Princess." Yang runs her hand through her hair, "the rest of us are more than used to sleeping on grass much stiffer than this." Nora, Ren and Ruby happily nod.
"Thank you…" Weiss takes her riding blanket off her horse and places it under the rolls to add a little more cushion to the make-shift bed. The Princess looks over to see Ren and Nora about to lay directly on the grass as Pyrrha hands her riding blanket to Yang, looking down as she removes the blanket. "Here please use this; it would do more for you both." Weiss hands the blanket to Ren, who mouths thank you.
Yang kicks her boots off and takes Pyrrha riding blanket and spreads it out. "Thanks for taking the first shift you two."
"Yes thank you!" Nora shouts as Ren finishes getting their makeshift bed ready. "When you two are ready to get some rest just wake us up and we will take the next shift."
Ruby and Pyrrha nod in response. "Do you think we should light a fire?" Ruby notices that Weiss is shivering beneath the thin roll as the breeze ebbs over the meadow and a light fog creeps through the trees.
"With the bandits and the Grimm it may be better to not give away our position…" Pyrrha mentions as she tugs her riding cloak around her shoulders.
"MMmmm." Yang yawns as she lies with her fingers intertwined under her head. "Night Rubes if you even think there could be someone in the woods wakes us up." The blonde mentions as her eyes close.
"Yes please wake us if you need anything." Ren mentions as Nora begins to snore and he pulls the corner of the blanket over her exposed legs and part of her torso. Nora grunts happily as she tugs the blanket out from under her and completely around herself. "Ooaf!" Ren groans feeling the blanket tore out from under him.
Ruby gets up and unclips her mother's brooch on the front of her cloak. In one swift motion the cloak flutters over the shivering Princess. Ruby quickly turns and goes to patrol the surrounding area but stops. Weiss' eyes grow large but the sudden warmth is a welcomed friend in the cold night and she nuzzles her face into the worn cloth.
Roses…how can this smell of roses…. "Ruby…I…" Weiss starts but Ruby holds her finger up to her lips motioning to the rest of the group who have all fallen into a deep sleep.
"That cloak will keep you warm through the night; with all the patrolling I will be doing I won't need that tonight. It would be better served with you, Princess." Ruby turns around and goes off towards the waterfall.
"Thank you…" Weiss calls after the shadow of the young woman.
"She is a good Captain…" Pyrrha mentions causing Weiss to yank the cloak away from her face. "I know the obvious choice for Captain was me so what made you pick the Reaper?" Pyrrha wonders momentarily glancing up at the stars in the clear sky in contrast to the foggy area that now engulfs the meadow and surrounding forest. Weiss rolls onto her back and stares up at the starry night sky.
"When I first saw the Reaper, I knew something was different about him. Wearing a cloak to battle, using such a massive weapon and still able to maneuver in such a graceful way, it was as if he were dancing." Weiss holds her hand up grabbing at the unreachable lights in the sky. "Even when he was fighting that brute towards the end of the second round, he could have easily dropped him to the ground using his scythe to cripple his legs, cutting him open, but he didn't. Everything about the Reaper seemed to radiate humbleness, honor and respect." Pyrrha nods, remembering the brief moments she caught of the Reaper's fights.
"Ruby is a great fighter though I worry that her kindness will be part of her downfall." Pyrrha sighs watching the young leader perched on a branch not too far away watching the group. "You know you also handled the Reaper's reveal much better than I would have expected." The red head giggles as Weiss blushes and hides under the cloak of her favorite warrior peeking from under the cloth.
"I had already decided that the Reaper would be the Captain almost during the first round. If Father had his way I would be locked away forever and just marry the first Prince that would come by and become just a puppet but... thanks to Ruby …and all of you really I am free to become the Leader Staub needs …" The restless Princess twists and fidgets with the corners of the cloak as her voice drifts off the mix of the cool breeze and the warmth from the cloak lull the woman to sleep.
"Yeah she makes you believe that you can do anything..." Pyrrha yawns as she stretches. Ruby returns from her post noticing that everyone is resting. "Hey Ruby mind if I do the next patrol the exercise will help to keep me focused and more importantly awake."
"Sure. See you in a little while." Ruby waves to Pyrrha as she takes her spear from her holster and heads to the waterfall to splash some water on her face. "Be careful." Ruby calls causing the redhead to salute in response. Once Pyrrha is out of sight Ruby takes careful watch of the group especially one Princess in particular.
~,.The Next Morning.,~
Ren refolds the saddle blanket and places it on the Princess horse as it takes a drink from the waterfall where the rest of the group gets ready to finish their ride to the small village.
Yang and Pyrrha discuss the evening patrol while packing the rest of the belongings away. Ren attempts to contain his already energetic partner. Ruby giggles at the pair and notices that the Princess has been surprisingly silent since waking up. "ummm…Princess is everything alright…?"The leader slowly approaches Weiss whose back is turned to her, Ruby's cloak still very close to the Princess.
Weiss turns slower than Ruby has ever seen before, her eyes filled with horror. The usually pristine woman has bags beneath her eyes, lips pale as if all the blood has left her face. Ruby takes the Princess' hands and pulls her up into her arms without hesitation. "What's the matter?!" Ruby hurriedly checks the area and sees no creature or blood, kicking the bedding about as she searches for anything with mal intent.
Weiss in complete shock of how Ruby reacted is unable to form proper words. "I...we…the…e…"Weiss whispers as Ruby holds her close, even against the cold plates of her maroon armor Weiss feels a sense of warmth.
Ruby continues to search but is unable to find anything that could cause the Princess to look so distraught. Loosening her grip around the small frame of the Princess, Ruby gently places her back on the soft grass below. Weiss' bare feet crinkle the small blades below and Ruby notices that the Princess has a few articles of clothing scattered before her. "Is something the matter?"
Weiss turns her head, Ruby glances over her shoulder to see that Yang, Pyrrha and Nora are all changing into fresh tunics without a care in the world, their bodies scarred from claws, swords and other imperfections. "I've never undressed in the open like this before…let alone with people I hardly know." Weiss comments as she slips on a bright blue cloth around both of her feet before putting on her boots.
"I can accompany you to the edge of the forest if you would like somewhere more private to get dressed…" Ruby offers while gathering a few undergarments she would like to change into as well. "I will be heading over there to change into more intimate clothing as well…it would be best if we went together….but not together-together just in the same area…" The brunette stammers and stutters while her face with the bottom of her ears turns bright red.
"That is a good idea, Rubes." Yang chimes in, causing the young leader's eyes to widen.
"YANG!? How long have you been there?!" Ruby shouts turning to see her sister grinning widely.
"Oh you know just long enough to hear that you offering to take our Beloved Princess to a more secluded area for you both to get- ouff…Ruby…hey stop!" Yang wrestles with Ruby who is hopping about jabbing her fingers into Yang's sides to make her stop talking. "Okay oookay would you two go and get ready the rest of us will finish up here."
Weiss gets up, folding the cloak in her arms. "Ruby here… Thank you for letting me borrow your cloak last night…it helped a lot…."
Yang gathers up the bed rolls that the Princess was using last night and catches a glimpse of the pair giggling as they split up entering the forest. They will be fine…was Ruby blushing earlier maybe I shouldn't have teased her that much but…IT IS SO MUCH FUNN. Yang looks over to see Pyrrha is ready to strap the rolls onto her horse.
"Is that it?" Pyrrha asks looking about, "where are Ruby and Weiss?" the redhead notices the two are missing from the camp.
"I saw them go that way." Nora shouts from the edge of the waterfall, her arm pointing where the two were last seen.
"Yeah Ruby and the Princess are changing before we head into town." Yang mentions as she double checks all the straps on the horses.
Pyrrha tilts her head. "I am sure they will be fine but don't you think another one of us should…"
"No they will be fine… Ruby will not let anything happen to Weiss." Yang interrupts without hesitation.
"If you want I can go make sure they are fine in a few moments." Nora volunteers as drips of water fall from the woman's face.
"We should make haste, if the village is as infested as Lord Ozpin believes we must make it there before night falls again." Pyrrha grunts as she throws her saddle atop her steed. Everyone exchanges looks and begins clearing out the campsite so that no one will be able to tell that they even rest there for a moment.
"Princess!" Ruby shouts from behind a tall shrub.
"Yes Ruby?" Weiss calls back, her voice sounds like she is within a few meters of the warrior.
"Just making sure you are close enough- that I could reach you if…so-something happened." Ruby fumbles with her clothing and falls to the floor. Instantly getting up and getting up embarrassed though there is no one to witness her clumsiness causing her to blush.
"Is everything alright over there?" Weiss asks worriedly as she finishes up and begins to walk towards the young woman.
The sound of branches giving way causes Ruby to panic and hurriedly get dressed. "I- I am fine…please just…" A branch snaps just on the other side of the shrub. "STOP DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Ruby feverishly shouts, throwing her cloak over herself curling up into a small ball as she finishes getting dressed.
Weiss stands dumbfounded, did she just yell at me…did I do something wrong? "Ruby if you are done, we should get moving." The Princess says as blankly as possible.
"Yeah…" Ruby tugs her cloak close to her as the pair meet with the rest of the group, though Nora is still by the edge of the waterfall as she was when they first entered the forest.
"Well took you two long enough." Yang giggles at first but notices that Ruby's demeanor is stiff and cold. "Uh Rubes are you…" The young woman bites her lower lip, before Yang can get close to her sister a voice cuts through the silence.
"Let's get moving. We have already burned up a lot of daylight." Weiss orders as she mounts her horse.
"I'll scout ahead." Ruby says and dashes ahead of the group.
"RUBY…" Yang calls to her sister as she dashes away a drip falls from her face, "What Happened?!" Yang shouts at the Princess who sits proud.
"Nothing." The Princess' icy words do nothing to douse the fire in Yang's eyes. Weiss tugs on her reins turning her horse towards the road and begins the trek to the village. Pyrrha and Ren follow suit.
"Yang," Nora places her hand on the brawler's shoulder, "we have to go."
"Yeah. I am not dropping this." Yang grits her teeth, slamming her calloused hands into a nearby tree, the sturdy oak taking heavy damage as the pair bring up the rear.
A/N Hello travelers, I hope everyone is well during this turbulent time. This is going to be a short Author's note. Hope everyone is still excited about the journey we are taking together. I appreciate all the comments, views, shares and support from this community. Thanks everyone and see you in the next chapter. ^,.,^/