The prompt this week was "Any male character who is chosen to be one of the 'Maidens.'" Of course I went with an OC, this is me we're talking about.
Robin hopped out of the shower and began toweling himself off as quickly as he could. He wasn't late for his meeting with the headmaster yet, but he would be if he didn't hurry.
The headmaster hadn't told him exactly what the meeting was about, but it wasn't hard for Robin to guess. After all, it wasn't every day a person discovered he had two Semblances. If he'd been asked a week ago, Robin would have said it was impossible.
Robin finished drying off and dressed himself in his Atlas uniform. He was about to rush out of the bathroom with plenty of time to spare when he glanced at the mirror for a second too long. The Huntsman in training stopped dead in his tracks and groaned under his breath. He knew he had to hurry, but he'd seen it now, and he wouldn't be able to forget about it.
Stubble.
There it was staring back at him in the mirror, sitting there on his face making him look all scruffy. It wasn't even the right color, being more burgundy compared to the scarlet hair that nearly reached his shoulders. It grew inconsistently too, leaving a few spots on his face bare while other parts were notably darkened by it.
Robin usually shaved twice a day. His teammates on Team PRPL insisted that it wasn't so bad, but he couldn't stand the way he looked with any facial hair.
Robin reached for his electric razor, knowing that he was going to make himself late. Then he had a different idea. It was probably stupid. He'd only just learned he had a second Semblance, trying to do something so precise with it before he'd had any real practice wasn't likely to work. On the other hand, his Aura was full, so he wasn't going to hurt himself.
This'll be awesome if it does work.
Robin leaned towards the mirror and stared at the stubble on his face. He activated his Aura and held the image of what he wanted in his mind. He concentrated for a moment, and the hair on his face burst into flames.
Robin's eyes widened in surprise at his success. It looked like he had a beard made of fire. His Aura had been ready to protect him from burning himself, but the amazing thing was that it didn't seem like he needed it. The fire didn't even feel hot. Robin had heard that some people's Semblances were incapable of hurting them. Maybe his new Semblance was like that.
Robin frowned and made eye contact with himself in the mirror. For a second he thought he'd seen some of the fire surrounding his eyes. That would be bad. He didn't want to burn off his eyelashes.
Suddenly, Robin noticed the smell of burnt hair filling his nostrils. The fire around his face immediately went out as he began coughing.
Crap. Didn't think of that.
Robin waved his hand in front of his nose to clear the smell. When he stopped coughing, he regarded himself in the mirror, and found that his face was completely clean-shaven. He smiled and hurried out the door.
He arrived at the training hall at nine exactly, just when General Ironwood had asked him to be there. The massive room was empty of students, which surprised Robin a bit. Even on a Saturday morning there was usually at least one team practicing here. Had the headmaster reserved the entire hall for this?
The headmaster stood in the center of the room, wearing his crisp, white general's uniform, along with a man who Robin didn't recognize. He had messy silver hair and shaded wire-rim glasses. He wore a dark suit with a green shit underneath. He carried a cane with an unusual silver handle.
"Hello Sir," Robin greeted, a bit nervously, as he entered the room. He hadn't realized that this was a big enough deal to warrant clearing the entire training hall, or that there would be someone else observing. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"You're right on time," Ironwood assured. "Robin Grau, this is Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy. He wanted to see the new ability that you've developed."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Ozpin said, holding out a hand.
"Nice to meet you too," Robin replied, gently shaking the offered hand. He smiled anxiously. "You didn't come all the way from Vale just to see me, did you?"
Professor Ozpin chuckled. "No, I had other business to take care of in Atlas. General Ironwood simply mentioned that you had developed a second Semblance, and I thought I might take a look at that while I was here. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," Robin answered, though he wasn't entirely sure he meant it. Looking into the professor's eyes, he was sure the man was lying. Whatever else he was doing in Atlas we incidental, he had come for this. Robin didn't know how to feel about that.
"Then let's get started," General Ironwood said. "Could you please demonstrate your original Semblance for Professor Ozpin first?"
"Certainly," replied Robin with a smile. This at least he felt confident about.
Robin backed away from the headmasters and walked over to one of the walls of the training hall. He jumped as high as he could and turned his body in midair so that his back was to the ground. He activated his Semblance, his Aura flashing red as he did so, and fell sideways, landing feet first on the wall. He stood upright at a ninety degree angle to the headmasters.
"I can alter the effect of gravity on myself, changing its direction," Robin explained. His hair and clothing all hung towards the wall, with nothing to suggest that that wasn't the natural order of things.
Ozpin nodded. "A useful ability to be sure."
"Thank you," Robin replied politely. He hopped off the wall and pointed his feet at the floor before deactivating his Semblance. His body glowed red with his Aura, then he landed on the ground and returned to where the headmasters were standing.
"Now could you show us the new ability you've discovered?" Ironwood asked. He took out his scroll as he spoke. "I'm going to record this if you don't mind."
"Yes Sir," agreed Robin, though he was feeling a bit more nervous now. He shook his head to clear it and held out a hand.
Just as he'd done in the bathroom earlier, Robin focused on his hand and imagined what he wanted. Immediately, a small flame sprang to life, hovering an inch above his palm.
He smiled and turned to the two headmasters to find them both regarding him intently. General Ironwood had his scroll's camera trained on Robin, though it appeared to be focused on his face more so than the fire in his hand.
"You're not carrying any Dust?" asked Professor Ozpin.
"Um, just the battery of my scroll," answered Robin. "No Burn Dust."
Ozpin nodded. "Do you think that you could make the fire any bigger?"
Robin blinked in surprise. "Um, maybe?"
"Just try," asked Ozpin gently. "Don't worry about it too much, just make it as big as you can."
Robin nodded and looked back at the fire in his hand. He imagined it growing, then immediately flinched backwards as it doubled in size with a roar. He was now holding a fireball larger than his head, though he realized with some surprise that the heat coming off of it didn't feel at all uncomfortable. On some level he knew that the temperature should have been sweltering, but to him it just felt pleasantly warm.
"Did you see it?" asked General Ironwood softly.
"I saw it," confirmed Professor Ozpin.
Robin turned to face the headmasters, the flames in his hand going out as he did so. Both men were looking at Ironwood's scroll. "Saw what?"
General Ironwood held out the scroll. He had stopped recording and paused on a single image from the video. It showed Robin demonstrating his new Semblance. But the camera wasn't focused on the fire in his hand. It was focused on the crimson flames emanating from his eyes.
Robin raised a hand to his face, but if the fire was still there he couldn't feel it. He looked back at the two headmasters and found solemn expressions on their faces.
"What does it mean?" he asked.
"Let's go to my office to discuss this further," General Ironwood replied.
Robin sat in General Ironwood's office, the two headmasters seated in front of him, trying to absorb everything he'd just heard.
"And you think my new Semblance is…?" he asked, still staring at the floor.
"Actually the power of a Maiden," Ozpin confirmed. "Fire in your eyes the same color as your Aura is a sign."
"Additionally," began General Ironwood slowly. "We've learned that the Summer Maiden died the same day that your new abilities manifested."
"But how did I end up with the power?" asked Robin, looking up at his headmaster.
"Ordinarily, the power will pass on to the last person in the previous Maiden's thoughts," Ozpin answered. "However, if that person fails to meet the criteria of a Maiden, it will seek out a random host who does."
"What kind of criteria?" asked Robin.
"Age appears to be a factor," answered Ironwood. "Though we haven't been able to establish an exact cutoff. But also…" The general trailed off. Robin looked between the two headmasters.
"There's never been a male Maiden before," Ozpin finished after a few seconds.
Robin's body went rigid. "Oh," he managed to squeak out, his brain feeling like it wasn't working properly.
There's no way…
"As far as we knew, the Four Maidens were always women," explained Ironwood. "All of the history records, stories, everything always spoke of four young women wielding the power."
"To my knowledge, this is unprecedented," Ozpin agreed.
"Well," mumbled Robin. Both headmasters focused on him, and he flinched under their gaze.
Why did you have to say something? Now they're going to want to hear it…
"Go ahead," said Ozpin gently.
"Um, I was thinking…" Robin managed, feeling like there was a lump in his throat. "Maybe I am a woman?" The last word was barely a whisper.
General Ironwood raised his eyebrows in surprise, but Ozpin simply smiled.
"Are you saying that you're questioning your gender identity?" asked the Beacon headmaster.
"Well…"
Nervous didn't even begin to cover how Robin was feeling at that moment. But Ozpin's face was completely open, showing no sign of judgement. Even Ironwood had recovered from his surprise, and simply held a neutral expression.
You just found out you're one of the Four Maidens. There literally could not be a better time.
"I'm not really questioning. I'm pretty positive that I'm a girl."
Ozpin smiled and nodded. "I'm not aware of there ever being a transgender Maiden before, but it would make sense."
Robin normally flinched at the word transgender, knowing that that's what he was but being afraid to admit it. But now, having finally admitted it out loud, to two of the most powerful men on Remnant no less, he didn't feel any fear.
"The powers bond to the person's Aura," Ironwood continued. "Biological sex wouldn't actually matter." He nodded slowly, looking pensive.
"So, you're saying I have a woman's Aura?" asked Robin. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"Yes, that appears to be the case," Ozpin replied. He turned to look at the general. "There is still a great deal to discuss regarding the responsibilities of a Maiden, but I believe we should table that for later. Robin has just come to a very significant revelation about himself." The professor turned back to the new Summer Maiden. "Apologies, I suppose I should say herself."
Robin flinched at that. "I-I don't know if…" he stammered.
Ozpin held up a hand. "That's all right. Beacon has had several students transition while enrolled. They each went at their own pace. You don't have to rush anything."
Robin nodded slowly and turned to General Ironwood. "What about Atlas?"
"Not in a few years," he answered. "But yes, we've had transgender students before. Whenever you feel that you'd like to begin presenting as a woman, that decision will be respected." He said the last part with the finality of an order.
Robin nodded slowly.
"Thank you both… I want to talk more about this Maiden stuff, but I really could use some time to myself right now."
"Understandable," said Ironwood. He rose from his chair and led Robin out the door of the office.
Robin's head was swimming as he walked back to his dorm room. He couldn't stop smiling.
The Summer Maiden. I'm the Summer Maiden.
Two years later
Robin strode across the tundra of Solitas, her head held high in spite of the biting wind and falling snow. The temperature was frigid, and she wore only a light jacket, but it felt as warm to her as a summer afternoon. And indeed every snowflake that came within an inch of her quickly melted, leaving her long hair and brightly colored clothing pristine.
Robin crested a ridge and looked out to see a huge pack of Beowolves slowly advancing across the tundra. The cold was slowing their progress, but soon they would be getting dangerously close to Mantle.
Robin squinted and tried to guess the number of Grimm she was looking at, but the snow and the darkness from the cloud cover made it hard to see. She could tell the size of the group, but picking out individuals was more difficult.
The snow will be annoying to fight in anyways.
Robin raised a hand over her head and placed her thumb and middle finger together. She took a deep breath, and her eyes began to glow with crimson fire. Then she snapped.
The wind howled for a moment as every snowflake in the air was blown away. Above Robin's head, the clouds parted, leaving an area a kilometer wide open to the sun. The horde of Grimm flinched at the sudden change in lighting, but quickly recovered and took notice of Robin. The pack immediately charged at the lone Huntress in training.
Looks like a hundred of them. Not too bad.
A hundred Beowolves was more than the average Atlas senior could handle, but Robin was anything but average. General Ironwood had been confident that she could take this mission alone, and Robin was confident too.
As the first of the Grim closed the distance to her, Robin threw up a hand and a wall of fire erupted up from the ground in front of her, incinerating the nearest Beowolves. Several more were unable to stop themselves in time and ran right into the fire, burning to death in an instant.
Momentarily safe behind the barricade, Robin closed her eyes and focused. Flames roared to life on her back, and then resolved themselves into the shape of an enormous pair of wings. The fiery wings beat downwards and, despite their lack of mass, Robin shot into the air.
The Huntress in training soared above the tundra, smiling at the feeling of the wind in her hair and the way that the Grimm looked as small as ants. Of all the powers of the Summer Maiden, flight was her favorite. It made her Semblance almost completely redundant, but Robin wasn't complaining.
Robin raised a hand above her head, and a ball of fire ignited in her palm. It quickly grew until it was larger than her body, burning with the heat of a miniature sun. She lowered her hand to point at the Grimm, and the fireball burst into a dozen blazing comets that shot downwards into the horde. Each exploded as it struck the ground, sending Beowolves flying twenty feet into the hair. Those that weren't killed outright were scattered, breaking the pack apart.
Robin drew her weapon, a simple but elegant scimitar with a machine pistol built into the handle, from her belt and dove towards the remaining Grimm. She swooped low over the nearest Beowolf and hacked off its head as she passed. She then moved into a midair somersault and planted her feet in the face of another Grimm. She kicked off of it and sent herself into a spinning cut that beheaded another one of the monsters.
As Robin slowed, several Beowolves moved to surround her. She smiled and spun in a circle, her wings spreading out to light them all ablaze. The space around her clear, Robin gently landed on her feet, her wings going out as she did.
The remaining score of Grimm were all in front of her. They seemed a bit apprehensive after seeing all of their pack mates incinerated. But after a moment, one found the courage, or whatever passed for courage among the soulless monsters, to charge towards the Huntress in training, and the rest quickly followed.
Robin raised a foot and stomped downwards as hard as she could. The ground beneath her feet shattered, sending rocks the size of cars flying into the air over the charging Beowolves. Her eyes blazing, Robin focused on the flying stones and they glowed red hot before melting in an instant.
The lava splashed over the Grimm, killing them before they could even howl in pain. It didn't cover all of them, but even those a dozen feet away ignited from the sheer heat of the molten rock. By the time all of the lava had settled on the ground, the last of the Grimm was gone.
Robin sheathed her weapon and let the fire in her eyes die down. She panted with exhaustion at the intense use of her powers, but at the same time she felt incredible.
She lifted her face towards the sunlight that she'd uncovered from the clouds, smiling at how blue the sky looked. With the weather as it was, she was the only living thing for miles that could see it.
The power of the Summer Maiden was an enormous responsibility, but it was also the thing that had made Robin realize exactly who she was. And for that she would always love it.
Author's Note: I felt a little bit awkward writing this, but I think I like how it turned out in the end. I'm not transgender, and I'm not especially close with anyone who is, but I did the best that I could. Please let me know if you feel there's anything that I've misrepresented.
Thanks for reading!