Heart of Glass Arc 1 Epilogue
"Hello Vale, this is Lisa Lavender speaking from the old Tunnels from mountain Glenn. A few days ago, a group of students, that's right… students, was dispatched to the abandoned Mountain Glenn on a mission where they had to fight for their lives not only against the Grimm, but a group of White Fang terrorists that were planning on bombing the tunnels! This mission, authorized by Headmaster Ozpin, that should have been brought up to the council for our security, was instead kept secret! This new have shaken our faith in Beacon's and thus Vale's main Huntsmen force. What else could they be doing?
Fortunately, the security forces from Atlas Academy that came for the Vytal Festival were essential to stopping this chaos, along with a huntress named Cinder. Thanks to them, we are safe and sound. However, the White Fang is still out there, and if they got this close to us now… where will they strike next? Will Headmaster Ozpin be able to protect us without the aid of Atlas? We will get answers, one–"
Cinder thought that was enough for her and put her scroll away. The news, if unreliable in their accuracy, could be somewhat useful for knowing when and where to get a job. Being attentive to them was essential. At least in Mistral most of them where reliable. In Vale, as she recently learned, they cared only for the attention and the drama.
Still, cutting off the transmission like that left her alone, on the hallway of Beacon's medical Center. After returning from the outskirts, RWBY and herself were all hospitalized. Luckily, Cinder's own wounds weren't deep enough, save for the one in her shoulder. And even then, it was already starting to heal. The girls were not so lucky, and so she waited, unable to visit them for now.
"Hey troublemaker," Cinder looked up, meeting her uncle Qrow's red eyes with her own. He was holding two steaming cups. "How are you holding up?"
"The shoulder doesn't hurt anymore," She said, rolling it around. There was some soreness, but after a few days of rest it was all good.
"That's good. I guess you've had worse," Qrow took a seat at her side and offered her one of the cups, which she accepted.
"I've had some close calls, but I never got really injured. Got to keep this face attractive." Cinder said, drinking from the coffee and noticing an added taste that made her lean her head away from it. "Did you add… whiskey?" She asked. Qrow left out a chuckle.
"Figured you'd need it," was his answer as he took his own and began drinking it, a little more fervently than she had.
"You're the worst uncle," Cinder muttered with friendly annoyance.
"You mean the coolest, right?" Qrow asked with a cocky grin.
"I know what I said," Cinder replied.
"I do what I can, kid. Sorry," he seemed sincere in his apology, which was quite strange.
"It's okay. Took care of those two better than me at least," She said, looking into her drink before taking another gulp. It was nearly boiling, but not unbearable.
"Don't beat yourself up. You did a killer job. Fighting the White Fang, Raven, protecting your sisters–"
"I didn't protect them. I let them get into a dangerous situation, then got my ass kicked. I don't like taking blame, but when it comes to Ruby and Yang, I have to be fair." She said, looking away.
"Listen kid, I know it's hard. When you are new to this… teaching thing, you think you're going to guide every single student to glory, make them a better person. Maybe you succeed, maybe you don't. You don't control their lives. You can do your best, but that doesn't guarantee everything is going to be fine. You are not that powerful. Nobody is." Cinder squinted her eyes.
"I should be." Was her answer. She was not strong enough, and would probably never be.
"At least you fought my sister and survived. That's something at least." Qrow said, taking a deeper gulp. There it was, the elephant in the room.
"So she was your sister," Cinder said, looking at him. Qrow looked sullen as ever, maybe even more so now.
"Yeah. The very same." They remained in silence for a moment, as if in mourning of someone that had died recently. However, one other person entered Cinder's mind.
"So what do we do?" She asked.
"About what?"
"Yang. What do we tell her?" She looked Qrow straight in the eye, hoping for an answer, but he only looked away and sighed.
"We don't."
"Are you serious?" She asked, tensed.
"For now, yes. Sometimes, secrets are necessary, to protect others from harm. Like the news you were watching. If the info had not leaked, then everything would be fine. But now, everyone is scared, and that means more Grimm, and a total shitstorm for us." Qrow said, placing a hand on her shoulder. It was cold despite having holding a hot coffee. Cinder winced, not at his touch but at his words. Secrets, she was beginning to hate them. They were about to tear a wedge between herself and her sisters. And while, logically, that was for the best, her heart couldn't bear the thought.
"I…" She said, before letting out a poof of air. "Alright. But, what if she comes back? What will happen to Yang then? How will she react." At this, Qrow frowned.
"I don't know kid. I honestly don't know." Cinder opened her mouth to reply, but in that moment the door beside their bench opened, and out exited team RWBY covered in various bandages; along with a middle aged doctor.
"Finally we're out– Ow!" Ruby said, lifting her arms before wincing and placing her hands on her ribs. That only earned a glare from the woman beside them.
"You're not out yet!" Said the woman, voice stern and level. "I'm only letting you go back to your dorm so you can continue your studies. And because you won't let me touch you, so no physical activity for two more weeks," the doctor turned to Yang. "Same to you Miss Xiao Long!"
"Sure thing doc," Yang said, giving her a military salute. She looked better, and also had a bandage around her abdomen area.
"Thank you for sour service, Miss Emma." Said Weiss with a small bow. The heiress had a cast on her left arm.
"And you for keeping those two in check, Miss Schnee. And don't worry, there will be little scarring left. Just make sure to come for check ups."
"Sure thing," said Weiss before also saying her goodbyes.
"I hope we'll talk again, Miss Emma," said Blake with a warm smile. Unlike the rest of the team, she simply had some patches around her face and arms. "Your stories are really interesting."
"I'm always available, Miss Belladonna. Please take care." With a final wave, the doctor turned around and left, while Team RWBY approached the two huntsmen that were waiting for them.
Cinder was the first to get up and greet them. "Hey you four. How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Preeetty good! Kinda hungry, the food in the hospital was kinda shi–"
"Language," said Weiss, poking Yang on the side and making her twist a little.
"Okay, okay. I'm just glad to be out. I'm starting to miss class." As she said this, Qrow got up as well.
"Already want to go back into the fray?" He asked. "You should all take a rest. I'd say you earned it." He said, gulping down his coffee. Needless to say, Ruby was ecstatic at his words.
"You really think we did well?" Ruby asked, jumping up and down.
"Yeah. You did amazing, Rubes." He said, patting her in the head before turning to the rest of the team. "All of you. Stopping so many criminals, on top of hunting Grimm and fighting Atlesian Paladins… you truly may be the next team STRQ." He said with a smile. Pride seemed to exude from Team RWBY, and truth to be told, Cinder felt the same.
"I agree. You showed a lot of skill, determination and courage. I'm… quite proud, as teacher and sister." She wasn't sure what else to say to sound sincere. An evaluation would have felt out of place and cold, and a simple 'good job' wouldn't have felt right either.
"Thanks. You're giving better and better pep talks." Said Blake with an amused smile. Cinder groaned at not being successful in her endeavour.
"Well, don't take it too easy. We're still not out of the woods. You still have to report to Ozpin in person, as well as actually writing the report, and then we have to discuss the leaked info." At that mention, the room's good mood seemed to drop to zero. While being celebrated by the media could be enjoyable, the fact that not only had the White Fang been revealed as dangerous, but also Vale had been exposed as vulnerable had dark implications. Panic and fear would inevitably spread and attract Grimm. And with the Vytal Festival coming, things could go awry very quickly.
"B-But… Ozpin can deal with that, right? Come one guys, we get to write our first official huntress reports. I'm so excited." Cinder smiled at Ruby's attempt to lift their spirits, despite she herself sounding quite fake.
"Are you seriously excited about paperwork?" Weiss asked, hand on her hip.
"Yes! I get to tell my story!" At this, Blake chuckled, which is something Cinder had never seen her do, in class or otherwise.
"Well, I gotta go. We'll talk later kid, have some things so discuss with Ozpin. Take it easy, alright?" Qrow asked, patting Cinder on the back, then going into his classic curved posture with hands in pockets and walking away from them.
"Will you be staying here, Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked. He looked back at them with a smile.
"Sure. You may find me in the bars, or with Glynda." The three sisters rolled their eyes at his eat shitting grin. He then rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, leaving Cinder with RWBY.
A silence fell upon them. Cinder found it hard to look at her sisters, wrapped up in bandages because of her inability to protect them, her powerlessness. She felt the need to make it up to them.
"You guys going to the dorm?" Cinder asked.
"Yep," Ruby replied, chipper as ever.
"Then I'll walk you there, if you don't mind. Can't have you collapsing in the middle of the campus." Cinder said.
"Sounds good. Let's get going then, I'm about ready to hit the sack."
"We just left a hospital bed!" Weiss said.
"That one sucked. I want my good old Dragon Den, perfectly shaped for my booty." Said Yang as the group began walking. However, just then, Blake grabbed Weiss' arm and pulled her in the opposite direction.
"Actually, I need to get some stuff from the library, and let Sun and the rest of his team know we're okay. You coming Weiss?" Weiss seemed very confused about Blake's proposal, until a silent exchange between their eyes seemed to make her gain some composure.
"Right. I… uh… I'm going to see Neptune. Maybe talk to Pyrrha. See you guys later," Weiss said, walking away with a wave. Blake did the same. Both girls seemed to get away from them at a very accelerated pace. Something was up.
"Huh. Well… just the three of us then. Let's go." Said Yang. A pit formed on Cinder's stomach. She had been set up, but… were Ruby and Yang in on it?
Cinder was silent on the way to the dorms. Yang and Ruby were always ahead of her, talking about pointless stuff and jabbing at each other. Cinder herself had a lot on her mind.
Raven, Yang's mother, was a traitor. Revealing that would surely destroy her. But… Cinder was tired of secrets. Qrow's words constantly rang on her mind. Did secrets really protect anyone? How did he know? What kind of secrets did he have?
That train of thought eventually looped back to Cinder herself, and her own secrets. Could she really reveal her past to Ruby and Yang? Would they love her still? That uncertainty, it made her feel cold and uncomfortable. Cinder was always sure of herself, sure of her path, of her destiny. She had doubts at times, but she always pushed forward.
This time, pushing forward scared her.
"We're here!" Yang said, knocking on Cinder's head playfully, which elicited an annoyed swatting away of her hand. "Sorry, but you were kinda out of it. Come on in. When was the last time we hung out?"
Cinder didn't remember. Stone faced, she stepped into their dorm room.
As Ruby plopped herself face down into her bed, Yang got up into her makeshift bunk bed. The room seemed more… cohesive than the last time she was here. Refined, in a way. It actually looked like a liveable room, with a desk, a carpet, various posters, all adorned by a single window that allowed the orange light of dusk to come in. It felt like home.
A wave of nostalgia washed over her. She remembered her old dorm room in Beacon, her old team; she remembered Patch and the quiet times she spent there just being a regular, weak girl.
"You okay there? You've been kinda staring at nothing." Asked Yang, breaking her out of her stupor. Cinder shook her head, clearing her head of those memories.
"I'm fine," was her reply.
"You sure? Shocks didn't mess with your brain, did they?" Yang had meant that as a joke, but Cinder still glared at her.
"You know what it's like to be shocked, Yang," she said, cold anger in her voice. Yang recoiled, and from the corner of her eye Cinder saw Ruby look at her with widened eyes from her laid down position.
"Jeez. I was just making a joke," Yang lifted her arms in defence, still keeping up her amused smile.
"And it was not funny." Yang rolled her eyes at this.
"Oh really? Why is that? Had a bad experience?" Cinder tensed at the question. Yang held her gaze, both sisters engaging in a silent staring war. The sound of Ruby moving in her bed was the only one that could be heard for a moment.
"Yang," she hissed. "Not. Now."
"You know what Ruby?" Yang said, not tearing her gaze away from Cinder. "I'm tired of waiting. It's happening now." She said, jumping down from her bed and landing with a wince. Cinder didn't move, and while she held her hardened expression, her chest felt cold and weak.
Had the two talked about this?
"What is happening now?" Cinder asked, voice low.
"I- We, want the truth," Yang said. She could hear Ruby gasp.
"What 'truth'?" Cinder asked. Yang let out a chuckle.
"Of course you'd say that. You know what I'm talking about, you said it yourself. I know 'very little'" Yang's mocking tone got on her nerves, but she held her composure.
"And?" After saying that, Yang turned around, eyes glowing crimson.
"And!? Cinder," Yang said, burying her head on her hands for a moment before looking up again, lilac eyes visibly strained. "I barely even know you. I trusted you with all my worries, for years, but you have never, ever, done the same for me. You left without saying a word, and then you come back and act like you don't even know us. Don't you think that's messed up?" Cinder looked down.
"But… I'm here right now…"
"It's not about that. Cinder… you lied to us. Everything we knew about you is wrong. You're like a stranger!" Seeing Yang's pained eyes and strained voice, it broke her heart. The memories of the excited little sister, always friendly, always beaming, rose to the front of her mind.
"What do you want then?" Cinder asked after a few moments of silence
"You said 'I don't want my sisters to suffer like I did'. What was that about? That's what I want to know." Cinder looked her dead in the eye.
She had a choice to make, tell the truth and lose them; or keep her secret and lose them as well. For some reason, that very thought made her heart stop for a moment. There was no way out of this.
Cinder looked back at Ruby, silver eyes meeting amber ones, hoping for a way out.
"I want to know too. But if it's… too bad then… I don't mind not knowing." Said Ruby.
Cinder closed her eyes, a hand rubbing the bridge of her nose. This was it. She had to tell them.
"Alright. Take a seat," she sounded more tired than she was. Yang's gaze softened in an instant. Ruby sat upright in her bed, Yang stood by one of the bunk beds, and Cinder grabbed the chair from the desk.
She sat down, and began to tell her story… except she didn't know how to start. She opened her mouth a few times… but no words would come out.
"Take your time," Ruby said. She was so understanding, maybe that was why she loved her.
"It's… it's hard to talk about. That's all," Cinder said. She collected her thoughts, took a deep breath, and began.
"Summer did… lie… about how she found me," she could see the hurt in their eyes. But they wanted the truth, and would get it. "I was born in Mistral, to parents that I don't really remember well. We were very poor, and one day, they left me at an orphanage. They told me it was for my own good, but considering how shitty the place obviously was, it's more likely they just sold me." Cinder looked at the floor, letting all those memories flow. She took glances at Ruby and Yang, their gazes were soft.
"They sold you?" Yang asked.
"Maybe. I don't really know. Never cared to know," That had been the easy part. Now came the hard one. "The orphanage, it was awful. There were other children, of various ages and places. We were kept in a barn, made to do chores while our necessities were barely met. For some reason, I got the short straw and was made to clean and wash until my fingers were tearing off, all the while being called a freak and attacked constantly for reasons I still don't understand. It was a shit life… but I bared with it. Sometimes adults came for adoptions, so I waited for my day. And that day eventually came, except…" Cinder felt her breathing stop, all those horrible memories of the Glass Unicorn coming back.
"… except?" Was Yang closer? She seemed ready to lunge at her for a hug.
"...Except, it was only the start of another nightmare." Cinder felt a tear run down her cheek, which she aggressively wiped. All of that was over, she had no reason to cry. She wasn't weak anymore. "My stepmother, who insisted I only call her 'Madam', brought me to Atlas and… made me a slave."
"W-What do you mean a slave?" Ruby asked. Cinder looked her straight in the eye.
"Exactly what I said. She didn't adopt me to raise me, she adopted me for labor. She made me do everything. Clean, attend guests, cook, service. Every single thing! There where others, of course. But I was the only one that was practically enslaved. I don't know why… why she did that. I guess she was just sadistic."
"And… couldn't you run away? Did nobody even notice?!" yang asked, clearly enraged.
"No. I was her daughter. No one could, and even if they did, she could always make up a story or reason. As for why I couldn't escape, I…" Cinder felt around her neck, her chocker was still on. It rarely came off, since it hid those scars away from the world, and her own view. But there was no choice now. She gripped it tightly. "…she put a shock collar on me. If I tried anything, if I didn't do my chores on time or correctly, she would punish me."
"Are you serious?" Yang asked, eyes widened in horror. Cinder pressed her lips together, and then pulled her collar off with a single move. Her neck was bare now, the thin dark line of calloused skin contrasting with her normally pale tone. She heard Ruby and Yang gasp.
"That's…! I…!" Of course Yang was at a loss for words. Ruby on the other hand simply stared with her mouth agape.
They hung in silence for a while, Cinder felt a coldness in her neck, perhaps because she almost never took the chocker off. But if felt, strangely good, to have her skin free.
"H-How did you escape then? Did mom rescue you?" Ruby asked. Cinder looked her straight in the eye.
"No. There was someone who noticed my distress. A huntsman by the name of Rhodes." Cinder said, remembering those moments of peace, of love, when she would train with him, and he would tell her stories and give her hope. "He trained me, told me that one day once I was of age, I could be a huntress and attend an academy without my guardian's approval. I would be free. But… one day the found out. The madame found a weapon Rhodes gifted me."
"She tortured me, asked me where I got it, from who, and threatened to never let me go, maybe even kill me or sell me. I was afraid, I was in pain, so I…" when had tears begun to fall from her eye? They did not belong there. She was strong, too strong to cry over something that was over, so she wiped them. "… I killed them all. The Madame, the daughters, they are all dead. And it felt good," Cinder said, looking at her shaking hands. She imagined the blood in them. "It felt so good. I felt free, the nightmare was over." She closed her fists tightly, trying to suppress the pain.
"Then Rhodes found me. He saw with horror in his eyes what I had done, and simply turned around, and said 'I will give you ten minutes. After that, I'll call the authorities. Run Cinder, that's all you'll ever do.' I… never saw him again. I was on the run for what felt like days, my face was everywhere. Then… your mom found me in an alley. Without asking, without caring, she simply took me home. And then I met you, and Tai, and well… you know the rest." Cinder ended her tale, and her eyes stung. She had never stopped crying, but it seemed her tears had run dry.
A deafening silence took over the room lit by dusk. Cinder expected the worst. Fear, rejection, hate, anger. She saw none of that in her sisters.
Ruby sat on her bed, apparently paralysed, but her eyes were glassy.
Yang stood with her arms by her side, stunned as well, but she could hear faint sobs as tears ran down her eyes like waterfalls. After an eternity, it was Yang who spoke.
"W-Why didn't…" Yang wiped her eyes, voice cracking. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"I…" she was coming clean. What did she care anymore? "I was afraid. I wanted to be the strong sister. I didn't want you to see me as weak, to pity me, or… hate me."
"Why would we ever hate you?!" Ruby asked suddenly, standing up with a jump, voice indignant.
"I'm a killer Ruby. A murderer, a broken person. I only wanted to be a huntress for the power, the status. I'm a selfish monster. Nothing more." She then looked Yang straight in the eye. "You two are the only two people in this shitty world that ever gave a single shit about me, who never wanted anything and only ever gave me love and affection. I…" she felt herself crack, she closed her eyes to prevent herself from crumbling down. "… I didn't want to lose that. I- I'm sorry."
She kept her eyes shut, closing herself on her own darkness.
Then something warm wrapped around her body, with a tight and strong grip. It forced her to open them. She found herself staring past a mane of blonde hair.
Yang was hugging her. Why was she hugging her?
"You dumbass," Yang muttered, voice weak.
"Wha-?"
"I don't care if you did something wrong. You were always there for us. You're our family, our sister. We love you, no matter what. That will never change." Yang said. Cinder then felt something else tug at her free side. It was Ruby.
"You are the strongest there is. So, please rely on us, like we relied on you. We love you, like mom did, like Uncle Qrow and dad do. You'll always be our Super Sis."
In Yang and Ruby's embrace, Cinder felt herself break down. For the first time in what felt like ages, Cinder found the strength to cry freely.
A/N: So yeah, it finally happened. Sorry if it was too cheesy or angsty or unrealistic.
Anyways, there is a bunch of unaddressed stuff, and all that will come with the next chapter to close off this arc nicely. I just wanted this chapter to be only for the three sisters. That's all for now. Chiao!