The Princess and the Faunus: Chapter One
The lights of the Atlas coastline were starting to disappear in the distance as Weiss was left alone with her thoughts under the night sky. From what the Captain had said, it was better to set sail with the evening tide, as that was when the aquatic Grimm were the least likely to be active. The Captain had hoped to put as much distance as possible between the ship and the port where Grimm often congregated under the waves, waiting for anyone unfortunate enough to touch the water and provide their next meal.
Strangely, Weiss did not feel afraid when boarding the ship. The idea of sailing over the ocean filled with Grimm with only a thin layer of wood protecting her wasn't as terrifying as expected- Hundreds of men and women had done the same every day, risking their lives to maintain the fragile threads of communication and trade between the kingdoms. Those men and women had families, somewhere to go beside the ocean. Weiss had nothing of the sort, not anymore.
She had no illusions about why her father was sending her off to be married at Vale. It wasn't for a political alliance – things of that sort were worthless with how distant the kingdoms were from each other. No, it was to be rid of her. After Winter ran away to become a Huntress, Weiss was her father's heir and unlike Winter, father had always viewed Weiss as something of a disappointment. With Weiss gone, Whitley would become the new heir. Not that it concerned Weiss. The light that just disappeared on the horizon was likely the last glimpse of Atlas she'd ever have.
The sea route to Vale was near the coast. Not because it was shorter, but because if a Grimm attack occurred, the crew would have a chance, albeit a slight one, of reaching the shore. There they'd have another chance, also a slight one, of reaching a settlement alive. Weiss was somehow comforted by this. No matter her father's power over life and death in Atlas, she was now in the outside world where it didn't matter.
The evening breeze was chilly, but Weiss stayed on the deck, watching the stars in the sky. Far away from the defiant bright lights and fires of Atlas, the stars shined bright in the clear sky and allowed sailors to go about their duties without any torches. Lights on board could attract the Grimm.
"Are you well, your Highness?" asked the Captain, a stout man whose days of doing manual work on board were clearly over, but who still carried himself with surprising ease and grace.
"Yes, thank you Captain," replied Weiss, "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay on deck for a little longer." It felt odd to ask permission of anyone who was not her father, but she remembered being told that a Captain was considered to be the absolute master of his ship.
"Of course, your Highness," the Captain said, "The cabins can get a bit stuffy at night."
He coughed. "If the winds hold, we should reach Vale in a week. If they don't we could make the same time by rowing. That said…"
"I understand, Captain," said Weiss, "There's no hurry and no need to endanger the ship and the crew."
"Thank you, your Highness," said the Captain and bowed. "I should inspect the crew now. If you'll excuse me." He walked away, hand of pommel of his naval sabre. It was more of a status symbol, but a Captain was expected to fight to his last breath to ensure the safety of any passengers entrusted to their ship.
Weiss breathed in the night air. It had the smell of freedom to it. A small freedom, confined to the small wooden vessel and lasting only a week, but freedom none the less. She wanted to savor it and to enjoy it the best she could, but her long day had finally caught up with her and she felt tired.
Her cabin was probably second only to the Captain's in size and furnishing, but it still felt a bit cramped. The small lamp illuminating it was more than enough to see and the thick curtains over the porthole did not let any light leak out. Weiss sighed and started to undress herself. The cabin did feel stuffy; what fresh air got in through the porthole and the curtain was not enough. That probably wouldn't matter as she felt tired enough to fall asleep anywhere.
The next three days at sea passed by uneventfully. Weiss spent most of the time up on deck, getting as much fresh air as she could and watching the coastline. It seemed like it was less than a mile away, but Weiss tried to avoid thinking about what it'd be like to tray and swim to it pursued by the large shadows she had sometimes seen moving under the water.
Leaving the ever-present threat of the Grimm aside, the open nature looked beautiful. Autumn was already coloring the leaves of the coastal forests and their sheer expanse took Weiss' breath away. The open space and all the beautiful sights of wild woods and cliffs made Weiss think that she understood why the sailors and traders risked their lives travelling between the kingdoms. Compared to huddling behind walls of fortified cities, always fearful that they won't be enough to hold back the Grimm should they attack, facing danger in the open felt like a better option.
The accident happened just as Weiss was thinking about all that. A seagull flew a bit too close to the water at a bad moment. A huge aquatic monster leapt up to swallow it whole and its tail hit the ship, causing one of the sailor to fall into the water. Before anyone could do anything, the man screamed briefly before disappearing under the waves, leaving only an expanding patch of red behind. That was all it took for a few of the local Grimm to figure out that the fragile wooden toy was full of meat.
The whole ship shook as a creature rammed it, but no one fell into the water this time. The whole ship creaked as the pilot tried to steer it towards the coastline as quickly as he could. The rest of the crew was abandoning their posts to grab harpoons. The weapons looked tiny compared to the underwater shadows, but if they helped the crew delay the inevitable for just a moment… Every little bit of distance the ship crossed was a bit the survivors wouldn't have to cross on their own.
Weiss panicked for a moment, but then instinct and training took over. Her hand reached for the hilt of a rapier that wasn't there. Cursing silently, she started to run to her cabin, almost crashing into the Captain who was emerging from below decks wielding a large crossbow. It wouldn't help much, but it could buy precious seconds.
Her rapier hung in its scabbard on the cabin's wall, neglected since she came aboard. Weiss took it and felt a little bit reassured, even though the fine steel blade wasn't enough to kill any large or old Grimm. Her relief was short-lived as something crashed into the ship and Weiss lost her balance. She grasped at the curtain in an attempt to hold on to it, but she only succeeded in tearing it down. A giant eye was now starting inside through the porthole.
Weiss did not lose any time. She thrust the rapier at the eye. The glass in the porthole shattered, shards of it flying into the exposed eyeball together with the steel blade. Weiss plunged the weapon as deep as possible before yanking it out. A spray of Grimm blood rushed out, staining Weiss' white dress as the wounded monster let out a horrible scream.
The wounded Grimm thrashed about, hitting the ship with its bulk as Weiss staggered out of her cabin and back up onto the deck. She was greeted by an appalling sight. Most of the sailor were dead, their torn bodies littering the deck and the last survivors hiding up in the rigging where the Grimm couldn't reach for now. There were several harpoons and crossbow bolts stuck in the Grimm's thick skin, but they did not seem to be slowing it down much. It was still doing its best to sink the ship.
Weiss heard a scream from behind. She turned around to see that a Grimm shaped like a flying fish had leapt out of the water and attacked the ship's pilot. The man fell into the ocean with his attacker biting deep into his chest and the ship's wheel started to swerve wildly. The vessel started turning away from the collision course with the coastline and Weiss started running. Foolish or not, swimming was the only chance of reaching the shore.
Her run was interrupted by the ship crashing into an underwater reef and stopping. Weiss was launched into the air, flying towards the ocean surface, only a few dozen yards away from the shore. She had the presence of mind to use her semblance to slow down her descent and she entered the water with barely a splash.
Weiss' descent was so slow that she resurfaced almost immediately. The water barely disturbed, she had a chance to start moving before Grimm were attracted by her movement. She fumbled to stay afloat while trying to sheathe her rapier. If she got ashore, she would need it.
Screams were still ringing out behind her as the sailor still alive on the sinking ship were now attacked by ravenous Grimm. The sounds impelled Weiss to try moving faster.
Around the halfway point, the last screams from the ship fell silent. No one else turned out to be as lucky as her. Was this what her father had hoped for when he sent her away on this journey? Weiss banished her thought from her mind: she had to swim. The current fought against her, but she kept moving. It was impossible to look behind, but Weiss was sure that the Grimm were done with their feast and searching for fresh prey. Her muscles were starting to ache from the exertion and her waterlogged dress was dragging her down with its weight.
There was a soft splash behind her and images of dozens of aquatic Grimm silently swimming towards her flooded Weiss' mind. She redoubled her efforts; the shore was so close that Weiss felt like she could touch it. Suddenly, she hit the ground and acting by pure instinct, she readjusted her position and started wading towards dry ground. She heard more splashes from behind and this time, she was free to turn around and look. The Grimm were so close to the shore they could no longer hide underwater. Their jaws were snapping and they were jumping around, eager to get at the prey that was escaping them.
Weiss was out of the water by now. Her simple sandals had slipped off her feet during the swim and she was stumbling forward barefoot, the seashell shards mixed in the sand stabbing her feet. Just a few steps more and she'd be out of immediate danger.
An enormous weight suddenly hit her from behind and she felt her left arm being torn. She screamed out in pain, the sound echoing through the forest. A large fish-like Grimm was now flopping on the sandy beach, helpless outside the water. Weiss stumbled away from the creature, drawing her rapier with her uninjured arm.
Blood was dripping onto the sand from her wound as she tried to figure out how to attack the beast. It could only flop around on dry land, but its razor sharp fins and scales could still be dangerous. As with the gigantic monster outside her cabin, the eyes seemed to be the only weak point. She thrust her rapier at one of the eyes and felt it go in. Blood spurted out as she removed the blade. The Grimm opened its maw in a silent scream before it stopped moving.
The Grimm was dead, but Weiss knew that she was done for. She was wounded and the smell of blood was sure to attract more Grimm, this time ones that were not helpless on dry land. Atlas was three days of journey by ship away and other than that, she had no idea about where she was. She dragged her feet towards the treeline, each step feeling like lifting a heavy lead weight. She was taught that the tides were stronger in ancient times before the moon was broken, but there still were tides and they allowed aquatic Grimm to get closer to the shore. She couldn't be sure she was out of reach until she could hide among the trees.
Weiss collapsed almost as soon as she reached the first tree. Her arm had stopped bleeding, but there was a trail of blood leading from where she killed the Grimm and she felt light-headed. The cuts on her arm were deep and jagged, but they seemed like a surface wound only, even if one that led to loss of a lot of blood. If a Grimm did not find her, she was going to survive the rapidly approaching night.
With her last strength, Weiss managed to prop herself up against a tree trunk, her back to the beach. She was cold, but she had no idea how to build a fire or if the fire would attract Grimm. It was still late summer in Atlas and she was a fair distance away: she was not going to freeze to death at night. She hoped.
Her waterlogged dress was another matter. It was her only garment, but keeping it on would only make her colder. Even bare skin was better than that and this was no time for false modesty. She hissed in pain as the heavy, wet fabric slid over the fresh cuts. Were the Grimm capable of figuring out that a human was nearby just from seeing the dress? If she hung it over a low branch, it might dry off a bit before morning.
While she was mulling this over, she heard a rustle of leaves coming from deeper inside the forest. She tried to look around to look in its direction, but she was too weak and fell to the ground instead. There was no chance of offering resistance. Even if she was strong enough to wield her rapier, she couldn't fight off an ordinary animal, much less a Grimm.
She lay on the ground, waiting for death while the creature was approaching. It was dark, but Weiss could recognize the still darker black outside of the creature's legs as it moved closer. They were human legs.
"Help me, please," she managed to say as the other person drew closer.
Weiss looked up. Her savior was a girl her age, with long black hair, golden eyes, and cat ears.
A Faunus.