I cannot believe the overwhelming amount of love that Sir Fluffykins got. You guys all rule.
Dunno if anyone here has been reading Coeur's new fic 'Raise' but lordy loo does he never cease to think up a real winner with story ideas. No relation to anything I've been writing, just a real breath of fresh air among the sea of 'crazy op Jaunes'. I know I've got my own op Jaune here, but he's supposed to be a joke on the trope, not a legitimate shot at making it work.
Who knows, maybe I'll succumb to the whim like so many RWBY writers of fame and write my own Jaune fic someday. For now, I'm pretty darn happy with Role Reversal, and I'm glad to see many of you are as well. Thanks for being here, and see ya at the bottom!
The halls of the massive ivory tower were ornate and beautifully crafted. It looked like a fairytale come to life, complete with sparkles and everything! It actually kind of hurt to look at directly if Yang was being honest...
They continued their walk through the decorated halls, arches overhead and literal, honest to god columns of gold beneath each. The difference from when they got off of the bullhead to inside of the castle was drastic to say the least. How could a castle this nice and holy looking exist in what basically amounted to a wasteland made up of monsters. Seriously, the Grimmlands looked like a Hot Topic had been stabbed and bled all over it, and then Salem's castle was the one clean spot on the marble floor that didn't get hit.
Jarring to say the least.
They came upon a large ornate pair of doors— were they mahogany!?— with an epic battle scene carved into each panel section. Just looking at it was like viewing a piece of art from a time long past.
"Uh, so what exactly is this Salem person's job?" Yang asked, having gone into a state of shock until this point due to everything they'd seen in the last hour. Sir Fluffykins still stood out in her mind as hands down one of the most terrifying things she'd ever bore witness to in her life. Ren thought it was cute, but that thing was a sentient thunderhead and she wasn't just going to let it into her heart that easily!
"It's not truly an occupation more so than having the oldest wealth in the world," Tyrian lectured, standing straight before the door with his hands held behind his back.
"Oldest wealth?" Whitley asked incredulously, being the only one present who really knew what that would look like, "This extends beyond just wealth! This is practically a landmark! We're basically stepping in history here!"
"As I said," Tyrian tried desperately not to sigh, "old wealth. Salem is royalty after all."
"Wait like legit royalty?" Yang asked, cutting the man off. He nodded, and there were murmurs among the group.
"I didn't know that there even was any real royalty left," Summer mused. Tyrian nodded, waving a hand at the ornate door once again as he prepared to speak again.
"If I duel her and win, do I get to be the One True King!?" Ren vibrated in place at the thought. Nora clapped a hand over his mouth, apologizing quietly for the disruption.
"In technicality, she has remained the Queen for the last few millennia," Tyrian carried on without even a twitch.
Bonafide royalty? When they said she was old, it hadn't registered that they had meant ancient. When Cinder had said that Salem and Ozpin had been fighting for a long time, they had just assumed they meant that the war between their sides was an ongoing affair from a long time ago, not that it was literally a war between the two of them for thousands of years!
"So is she, like, a walking corpse?" Yang asked. Whitley smacked her upside the head.
"Don't be rude you buffoon! You're talking about a real, living queen! You can't just talk about her age like that!" Whitley chastised.
As he said this, an excited, if not ear-shattering squee came from behind the doors Tyrian stood before.
"TYRIAN!? ARE THOSE NEW CHILDREN!?" the voice, loud and all encompassing, but also warm and motherly, shouted.
Tyrian sighed, sending them all a look that screamed 'you had your chance' before leaning into the doors and pushing them open. Cinder, Watts and Gretchen followed him inside, the rest trailing after the agents.
Once inside there were two things that were immediately obvious. One was the massive table that held seats meant for council. The table was, like everything else, unnecessarily expensive looking. It was a pure marble piece that likely weighed more than all of them combined and spanned the length of the center of the room. The chairs lining each side were upholstered with velvet cushions and each looked like small thrones. The only reason the chairs looked so paltry at this moment was because of the second obvious thing in the room.
A massive throne, made of marble like the table and lined with gold, sat at the end of the table on the far side of the room. It rested under a large circular window that, despite it being constantly dark outside, was continually letting in a stream of heavenly light that illuminated the throne. The throne itself was decorated in intricate carvings and covered in plush cushions on both the seat and backrest. It looked like it had been carved directly from the floor itself, as it melded into the ground seamlessly.
And sat upon the throne was a woman. A beautiful one that practically glowed with an ephemeral power from above.
"Oh you are all just adorable!" she cooed as she regarded them.
Her hair was a light blonde and tied into a bun, but that didn't stop much of it from flowing behind her and coming to sweep across her face, leaving one ear exposed as well as the earring she wore. She held an excited and warm expression, her face narrow but smooth. Her eyes sparkled a radiant turquoise, and she had a pendant that poked from beneath her diamond shaped collar and a brooch on her hip that matched the color but in comparison even the likely pure gems looked dull compared to her eyes. On each arm was a large and intricate bangle that started at her wrist and reached up to the midpoint of her forearm. She wore a sleeveless dress, so long that it trailed slightly below her feet, yet not oversized as it clung to her form well if the purple sash that was tied around her waist was any indication. She had a beautiful figure that spoke of both poise and motherhood. Summer and Raven were a little jealous honestly.
By process of elimination, this woman had to be Salem.
Whitley stepped ahead, clearing his throat and bowing elegantly. Ever the one for proper etiquette, especially before a literal queen, it was important to make a proper first impression. Not to mention that despite the warm and loving aura she exuded, Salem also let off an intense and ever-present feeling that just made your skin tingle like static electricity was building.
"It is our pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty, my name is Whitley Schnee and I— HURK!"
Whitley was cut off as the woman literally warped from the throne and in front of him. Before any of them could do anything to react, the woman enveloped him.
In a hug.
"MRPHTLRF!" Whitley's screams were muffled by the woman's rather ample bosom as she smothered the boy in her embrace.
"Oh you are just the cutest! Proper form and all! It's been so long since anyone has spoken to me like that!" she didn't let up even as the boy's flailing slowed and he began slumping in her arms. His protests slowed as he stilled and his savior came in the form of the scorpion faunus grumbling.
"Salem," Tyrian growled, "You're killing the lad."
Salem gasped before dropping the Schnee, who coughed on the floor as he sucked in oxygen. Salem cleared her throat, straightening herself and folding her hands before her.
"My apologies," she said majestically, as if she hadn't almost suffocated Whitley, "It's been some time since I've had guests so young. I lost my composure for a moment."
Not just a moment, they all noted as they watched her tap her fingers impatiently against each other. The woman looked like she was holding herself back from pouncing on each of them. Ren not-so-subtly pushed Nora in front of him, to which the girl simply sighed dejectedly.
"Uh," Summer decided to take point in this situation, "It's no problem?"
Whitley begged to differ as Ruby and Yang helped him up. Yang offered him a high five for making it to second base, and Ruby met it by slamming five fingers into the back of Yang's head. Whitley gave the older girl a thankful nod as he fully recovered from his impromptu strangulation.
"Ahem," Salem moved on, "Please allow me to welcome you to my humble abode."
Humble? HUMBLE!? Even Whitley was in awe of this place for the entire time they'd been here! There likely wasn't a single room in this entire castle that wouldn't be able to feed a village for years or fix the impoverished parts of any of the kingdoms. To say this place was humble was like saying that being hit by a truck was uncomfortable.
Yang almost said as much too, but for Ruby holding her back and stepping forward to speak instead. Good thing too, since Yang definitely didn't have anything nice to say at the moment.
"Hello Miss Salem," she started, thinking that she was coming off as informal.
"Please little warrior, just Salem is okay," the woman's smile was wide and inviting.
"Oh, uh, okay then... Salem," that definitely felt informal, "We've come because we don't want Ozpin to end the world!"
Salem blinked, before turning to Cinder.
"Who?" Salem tilted her head. Cinder groaned.
"Ozma," she reiterated in a growl.
"Oh," Salem's previous cheerful disposition vanished almost instantly, "him."
She made a face like she was chewing on lemon peelings before sighing and smiling towards them again, though much more sedated this time.
"Well I welcome the help. Tell me though, why are you all so young getting involved in something like this? I found Cinder on a... chance trip through the woods, Gretchen showed up on our doorstep looking like a one-woman-army, Watts actually found us by accident but he gifted me a television so I kept him, and Tyrian is the only one that I actively sought out because I needed a secretary, but you all look so... innocent to this," she explained, gazing across their rather young group as she spoke.
"Uh, well he was our headmaster until he tried to kill us," Ren pointed out.
"The bastard!" Salem hissed, scaring them all with her sudden shift in mood again, "Still getting kids killed! Oh but I'm the bad one! Fool!"
As Salem continued to rant to herself about Ozpin, the students turned to her agents, questions evident on their faces. They all merely shook their heads, looking forlornly at the queen as she continued her micro-tantrum. Unspoken was the fact that this was a fairly regular occurrence when one brought up her arch enemy. As Salem simmered down, settling for just a scowl, Watts cleared his throat.
"Salem," he called for her attention, nodding towards their group, "I believe they still have questions for you."
Indeed they did, but if the explosive reactions the woman had were any indication, control over her emotions was not one of her strengths. They didn't know exactly what she was capable of, but the giant lightning whale flying past the window reminded them that she was likely stronger than all of them.
"If I beat you in a fight can I be the king?" Ren asked unprompted.
Nora was halfway to apologizing for his behavior when Salem hummed as if entertaining the thought.
"I suppose that would technically be true," she mused aloud. Ren's eyes lit up and Nora's heart dropped. She moved quickly to intercept him.
"You are not fighting her just for a castle!" Nora shouted as she grappled with her childhood friend, holding him back as he foamed at the mouth, weapons out as he tried to duel the queen.
"More importantly," Raven stepped forward, "I want answers. Clear ones that don't involve any more damn dancing around the subject."
"Very well," Salem waved her hand in a circle, "ask away."
Raven blinked. That was... remarkably easy. She was used to there being some form of confrontation, but this woman just gave her a 'yes and' while looking at her like she was a child. Standing before her, the way Salem was regarding her made her feel quite... young. She felt like a little girl standing before her mother again, not that her relationship with her mom was anything pleasant in the first place. That's bandit life for you.
"... What's the real Ozpin like? What'd you call him? Ozma?" Raven asked after a pause. May as well start with the most basic stuff. After all, there was a lot she and Summer had to unwrite about the man and his lies.
"The man you know as Ozpin was likely just a regular man once upon a time. Ozma is his own person, but is also a curse. He latches onto your soul and subsumes you," Salem looked lost in thought as she mentioned him, "So this Ozpin fellow is just an unfortunate casualty on a generations long list of poor souls."
That was... terrifying to say the least. No, that was downright chilling! What the hell did that even mean!?
"Okay," Raven shook her head, "maybe that wasn't the right place to start. What... Er, how did you two start fighting exactly?"
"What did he tell you?" Salem asked. Summer answered this time.
"He said you were an evil Grimm witch lady that wanted to gather the relics to destroy the world!"
It was a good thing nobody was standing around Salem at the moment, since the entire area around her seemed to compress inwards as if reality itself was bending against its very restraints. When the oppressing spectacle ended after only a brief moment, the floor around her was completely erased, leaving a clean spherical shape cut around her.
"Oh that rotten man," Salem seethed, glaring as if he were right in front of her, "of all the low down..." she took a deep breath before regarding Raven again, "Well if it wasn't evident, I'm not as he described me."
Raven nodded dumbly, now officially terrified of the woman before her.
"Uh..." Raven took a subtle step backwards, "right. Noted."
"Any other questions?" Salem asked.
Yes.
"Uh, no?" Raven wasn't sure the room would survive anymore questions.
"I apologize," Salem looked beleaguered, "I realize I have a somewhat short temper. It's been a long time since I've had to talk about my ex-husband for more than two consecutive minutes. It's a bit of a taboo subject around here."
There was a beat of silence before Summer's strangled noises broke it. She looked absolutely horrified, pointing at Salem and then out the window as if to point at someone else entirely.
"W-wait," she spoke in shock, her words coming out a higher pitch than normal, "Ozpin is your ex!?"
Salem blinked.
"He never told you?" she sounded a little hurt. Summer blinked.
"Oh!" she looked to Raven who waved her hand back and forth over her neck in a 'stop talking' motion with a grimace, "uh, of course... He did?"
Summer's lack of confidence was quite telling that Ozpin had, in fact, never mentioned that he'd once been married to the very woman he'd devoted himself to killing.
"Ozma you whore!" Salem hissed, raising her hand as a bright magic of literally indescribable color— no, literally none of them had ever seen this color before (Ren would later describe it as 'Blorply')— and prepared to bring it down with a slam.
"Stay your hand woman!" Tyrian barked, breaking Salem from her trance. She waved her hand around as the magic fizzled out, covering her mouth with it a Monet later as she blushed slightly.
"My apologies," she laughed as if she hadn't almost sent them to the abyss, "where was I?"
Nobody wanted to remind her in fear of the woman shredding the universe. In reality if she were capable of such a thing she would've probably already have done so, but it was likely that none of them would survive the encounter. Tyrian just glared as he rubbed his temples.
"Ma'am," he said the word as if it physically hurt him to do so, "please refrain from slaughtering our guests and allies when they only wish to know what they've gotten into."
Salem hunched in on herself like a schoolgirl being scolded. This woman was eons of years old?
"Okay..." Pyrrha finally found her voice, stepping forward slightly to speak, "What if you just tell us your story? That way we don't surprise you with questions of your ex-husband and we don't get surprised with an early death?"
Salem mulled the idea over, tilting her head to and fro before nodding once.
"Very well," she gestured to the seats around the large table, "though you may want to sit. I'm afraid there isn't an easy short version of this story."
They all walked around the small crater Salem had carved before taking various seats around the table. Cinder and the others sat as well, and when everyone was ready, Salem looked over the room before putting her hands before her.
A light emanated from the palms of her hand before it slowly began to encompass the entire room. At first, the new arrivals all worried this was a threat and readied themselves, but a placating hand from Gretchen had them all calming down slightly. They remained on edge regardless.
When the light reached its brightest, they all had to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded.
"I suppose I can start where we met."
Being trapped in a tower, Salem mused as she stared at the same spot on the wall that she had been for... well, forever really. She'd been born into a life of royalty, and then given the life of a prisoner as her tyrannical jackass of a father kept her trapped in a tower. The worst part wasn't that she was trapped however. It was that she was trapped with a view.
She had a window to the outside world, too small to fit through, but overlooking the vast and beautiful land that lay beyond these sealed walls.
She used to love that window. She'd stare out of it, dreaming of the day that she'd be able to feel the grass below, the feeling of rain or the caress of the wind. She'd seen the world in all of its various states, but had never once been allowed to feel any of them.
That's when she'd started hating that window. When she realized she'd likely never be able to get out of this admittedly lavish prison and actually experience real life. Now, that window only represented a world that she would never be allowed.
"Alright we get it! You hated the window!" Ren groaned. He was silenced by Nora a moment later, a mumbled apology following after.
It wasn't all bad, though. She wasn't without company.
"You'll always be there for me, right Mister Fluffykins?" Salem held the cloudy whale, currently only the size of a large stuffed animal, in her arms. The whale hummed happily as Salem pet him. The precious thing had flown through her window by accident when he was just the size of a cantaloupe. Ever since she'd kept him hidden whenever she received meals. He never seemed to want to leave and by this point may have been too big to fit through the window again anyways.
So yes, life for Salem was anything but interesting and she would rather be thrown from the tower at this point than spend even another moment in this infernal place. This would remain the case for another five months.
"Five months!? We don't have time to sit here watching you sit in a small room for five months! Fast forward or something!" Raven growled.
"But those five months hold relevant plot details that will come into obscure effect exactly two different times!" Salem whined.
"Stop acting like your life is a novel, woman," Tyrian grumbled. Salem pouted but time immediately sped up until five months passed.
She sat in the same chair she'd had for years. She cradled the large whale in her arms as she hummed. This was how she passed her time when she wasn't sleeping or trying to kick her door down. The latter of those two pastimes was more of a guilty pleasure since it was the only thing other than the stone walls in her room that couldn't be broken. She'd break something else, but then she'd only make her small world even smaller.
Suddenly, she was taken from her thoughts as the tower rocked slightly. She blinked, looking down at Mister Fluffykins.
"Am I finally reaching enlightenment?" she asked the whale.
The tower rocked again and she sighed.
"No, I think I'm just having another episode."
This time when the room shook, there was noise accompanying it, and it sounded destructive. Magically destructive not physically destructive. The difference was actually quite obvious.
"Continue." everyone demanded.
"No fun..."
So as the tower continued to rumble and quake, Salem stayed calm. Frankly, if someone was coming to destroy the tower, she was at least happy that her asshat of a father would probably be killed in the attack. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't a violent person, but her father definitely was and he was basically asking for someone to come and kill him.
Maybe they'd save her while they were at it?
That thought gave her a hope she hadn't had in a long time. She stood, allowing Mister Fluffykins to float out of her arms and ran to her door. What did she do? Magic didn't work from this side of the door and she wasn't able to slip a note under or send a missive.
So she shouted instead.
"Hello!? Is there someone out there!? Please, help me!"
She shouted over and over, each cry desperate as the idea of escape after all of this time finally set in. She didn't care if she sounded manic or if other royals would see this as debasing herself. She wanted freedom, and she'd do anything at this point to get it.
When the explosions and sounds of magic slowly died out, her screams became cries as she slumped against the door. She slid down it slowly, holding her head in her hands and breathing heavily. Even when Mister Fluffykins floated over and tried to ease her despair, she just held herself.
Was she to be trapped here until she withered away? Was that truly her fate? The Brother Gods had wanted this for her?
It was then she heard something that to many would be considered miniscule, but in this moment was like being given a new life.
Footsteps. And they were coming this way.
She came back up instantly, pounding on the door once again.
"Who's there!? Can you please get me out!?"
The footsteps stopped for a moment before becoming faster in pace and racing her way. Was this it? Was her salvation at hand?
"Is somebody in there?" a male voice asked. Her eyes widened and tears came to her eyes without her realizing.
There was a clack of the doorknob trying to turn. When it didn't open there was banging instead.
"It's locked and enchanted!" Salem explained when she realized no progress was being made. She heard a muffled curse before the voice spoke again.
"Stand back!" the voice called. She did as she was told, running to the far end of the room and ushering Mister Fluffykins with her. There was a silence that pervaded for a moment before a sound she was familiar with sprung to life; that of magic being conjured. Several different ones impacted, and none did anything to the barrier. Still, the onslaught continued, all manner of spell being hurled forth.
Until finally, with a great, bassy explosion, the door flew open, the hinges squealing for a moment before they crumbled all together and the dense slab of wood fell flat. Salem shielded her eyes to prevent any of the dust from blinding her. When it settled, and the charge of magic fully left the air, she allowed herself to look up at her savior.
A handsome man stood in the door, a staff held before him. His skin was bronze, with black hair cropped to the side and eyes like chocolate. His attire screamed that of a knight, complete with pauldrons and hip guards. The cloth of his armor was a deep green and a billowing black cape flowed from behind him. The emblem of a crown was emblazoned on the breastplate he wore.
"How did you destroy the door? There were enchantments to make it indestructible!" Salem looked on in awe. The noble man shrugged.
"I used spells until it broke," he said simply, "when one thing doesn't work, try another."
"You're..." he stepped hesitantly forward, still guarded as he entered the room, "... You're the girl in the tower."
"Oh joy," she grumbled, "they've written stories about me but it took this long for someone to come to my rescue?"
He blinked, and she flushed slightly as she realized she had not only said that out loud, but also directly towards her hero.
"That is to say..." she cleared her throat, "Thank you. For breaking the door."
"Of course," he recovered well enough, "but I must ask, who put you here?"
"My father. The king," she sighed. He stared at her wide eyed for a moment before his eyes darted back and forth.
"Ah," he grimaced, "about that..."
"You're not one of his men, are you?" Salem suddenly realized this could've been a trap, and readied a spell in her hands. Behind her, Mister Fluffykins hummed in warning, thunder and lightning billowing in his clouds.
"No, no," he waved his hands in front of him, stowing the staff on his back, "I was here for something else..."
"For me!?" Salem dropped her magic in an instant, her hands clasped together before her as she stared at him, practically swooning.
"Uh," he smiled awkwardly, "actually, I came to... kill... your father..."
For a moment he feared she'd want to kill him again. Maybe despite her imprisonment, she still loved her father still and harbored a deep resentment for him for ending his life.
What he didn't expect was for her to leap into his arms, body reflexively catching her, and give his cheek a searing kiss.
"You must be from my dreams!" she melted in his arms, and he sighed in relief that she wasn't upset. He realized something important and stepped back, bowing.
"My apologies," he looked up at her, "I haven't even given you my name. I am Ozma."
"Name drop!"
"Shut up Ren!"
"Salem," she curtsied, "it is a pleasure to meet you sir."
A hum from behind her drew both their attention to the sky whale that still stuck behind Salem. She smiled and spun around in a full circle, grabbing the whale and presenting him to the knight.
"And this is Mister Fluffykins!"
Ozma stared at the creature, which stared back. He tentatively reached forward and patted its head. When it nuzzled further into his hand he smiled slightly.
"Quaint," he grinned at her, and she smiled radiantly back at him, "we should flee this place. I don't know how well the foundations will hold after all this place has been through."
And so for the first time Salem saw more than her room. The castle was so much larger than she had ever thought. It was probably quite beautiful at one point, but after the battle that had been waged it looked like a war zone. Grisly and scorched, walls crumbling and clear signs of people having died in the fight marked every hall of the structure.
"This is wonderful!" Salem laughed beatifically as they ran through the hallowed halls. Ozma looked at her half in shock and half in fear. Had she just said this battleworn scene was wonderful? They literally just stepped over a knight who had a sword lodged in his face!
"This is awful!" he stated what was on his mind and she laughed again.
"Obviously," she couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the massive crystalline chandelier they just passed. It had been dropped on a squadron of unsuspecting guards. Neat!
"Then why would you say this is wonderful!?"
"Because it's anything other than that damnable room!" she laughed gleefully again as they rounded the corner, finally seeing the large open gateway to the castle. Salem gasped in awe of the sight, seeing the dusk sun break through the opening and seeing the ground at eye level for once. It was all so close. So within reach!
Stepping over the threshold of the gate and outside, her eyes widened at the feeling of a slight breeze coming over her whole body. The feeling of a soft ground beneath her as they reached dirt and grass sent sensations she hadn't felt before up her legs. Mister Fluffykins flew freely alongside her, and she laughed as she watched him happily twirl in the air. She joined him, spinning freely in the vast open plain around her former prison.
Ozma watched in rapt attention as the beautiful, if not somewhat odd, princess he'd freed acted like a child finally allowed time outside after doing their chores. It was an optimism that he didn't see in other adults, something completely innocent and genuine that made him smile warmly. He walked over to her, and when she noticed his approach, she beamed up at him.
"This is spectacular!" she smiled so widely he feared she may hurt herself, "The view from the ground is breathtaking!" His eyes never left her.
"It sure is," Ozma said softly. She flushed slightly, but smiled with a new expression he hadn't seen before. Something smug and, dare he say, impish.
"Oh behave sir knight," she teased, "we've only just met and yet you're so forward."
He froze, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to formulate a response. He hasn't meant to be uncivil! He had just...
Her giggles cut his thoughts off, and he watched her in surprise as she hid her mirth behind her hand as she stared at him. This woman was something else! Two could play at that!
"Well then," he put on his suavest air, "would you permit me to get to know the fair maiden?"
It was her turn to be put on the backfoot, her laughter ceasing as she blushed at his charms. Oh, she would absolutely be taking this chance.
"Okay so we know how you met, and that's cute and all..." Yang grumbled.
"But how exactly did this adorable scene become an eternal war?" Pyrrha asked, confused as to where things took a turn. Salem sighed.
"Right. Well, not all things just have a neat and tidy ending."
Days went by. Days turned to weeks, weeks into months, and finally, months into two solid years together. The two were enamored with the other. Ozma took her to places she'd only ever been able to imagine. He let her see the world, see the things she'd been kept from. In return, he had finally found someone who matched his zeal and enthusiasm for adventuring. She would be by his side when so many others refused. It was only natural that they had bonded so deeply.
But despite the adventures, the fairytale-like experiences, the magic, they were still just mortals. Humans whose lives were as fragile as they were short.
And so it was that a sickness had taken her beloved from her.
Of all the things they'd encountered, from the creatures of darkness, to brigands and bandits, even multiple dragons—
"No fucking way!"
SMACK!
"... Okay I'll be quiet for real now."
— They'd practically conquered their own little world, and they had finally settled to enjoy the smaller things in life, maybe start a family or retire to the countryside. When Ozma fell ill, they thought it'd pass like so many other small things had. When it got worse, they thought it was something that could be treated. When it wouldn't go away, they tried magic, spells, incantations, artifacts, and concoctions.
None of it worked.
And what was she able to do but watch as he withered away, a husk of the man he'd once been. She wailed by his side as he grew weaker by the day, before finally, with one last smile her way, he closed his eyes and breathed his last words to her.
"Live for us both."
For days she was stricken with grief, wasting away as the life that Ozma had saved and helped her cultivate seemingly crumbled away right before her eyes. She'd be well off, the treasures they'd amassed were enough to keep her living lavishly for the rest of her natural days. But what kind of life would it be now? Her savior, the man who'd gifted her a chance away from that tower had been taken.
Taken.
But wasn't it possible for that which had been taken to be given back? Necromancy would only bring him back as an undead being, and that was no fate she wanted. There were no spells or potions that would give him life again. That left one option, and a rather daring one at that.
The Brother Gods.
But which one to ask? Most would obviously say the God of Light, who was known for creating and giving life. That did make a fair bit of sense, Salem supposed, but that also meant he'd probably heard this same request before, and she hadn't heard of anyone coming back to life, not to mention that as much as the people worshiped them, nobody had actually seen the two gods before. They just knew that they existed and made things the way they were. Of course, that left the alternative.
The Spring of Darkness was something that Salem personally found quite charming in its own way. While the bleakness of the area made many want to gouge their eyes out in terror, and the bones of beasts and creatures far more powerful than any human lay scattered across the land, Salem actually quite liked that the God of Darkness did his own thing.
She climbed the steps that wound their way around and up to the massive, oily black spring, taking in the sight. It was something to behold in its own twisted way. The surface of the spring didn't reflect any light, and almost seemed impossible deep. The sharp rocks that both broke the surface and loomed above also gave it quite the look.
Stepping into the clearing before the spring, she looked around. There was nothing around, no creatures or people, not even any bones. She stood now before the spring and cleared her throat before speaking.
"Excuse me? O' God of Darkness? I have come with a wish!"
She expected there to be a delay, honestly she didn't know why, it wasn't like there was a standard procedure for this kind of thing. What she certainly hadn't expected was the twitching figure of pure darkness to practically explode from the spring's surface and start walking towards her.
Its form was humanoid, but it lacked defining human characteristics. Their body was lithe and lean, looking neither male or female, and they stood taller than her by a longshot. A pair of twisted horns on the crown of their head denoted that this being wass anything but human, their purple form notwithstanding. A curtain of long, twinkling hair trailed down their head, looking exactly like the night sky. They also had no facial features, looking more like the imprint of a face pressed into their head. They wore a set of ceremonial looking robes that looked melded to their body and yet still completely fluid in the way it swayed ethereally and much like their hair, their clothes seemed to reflect the starry night sky, a gradient of deep purples to sunset like pinks. If Salem had to pick a way to describe them it would be 'pretty'. Disturbing in a way unknown to humans, but pretty nonetheless.
What she also didn't expect was for the figure to look so... happy. At least that's the feeling she got from its posture.
"A guest!" the figure exclaimed in a strange and otherworldly voice. It was more like several voices talking at once, "Ahem! I mean, a subject!"
"You are the Brother God of Darkness," not a question there, Salem hadn't seen anything like this before.
"I am the God of Darkness," the god corrected, "Do not place your contemptible titles and labels on me."
"Wait, okay, I know I said I'd be quiet but have we really been referring to a nonbinary being as a male this whole time without knowing?" Ren asked.
"Actually I'm with Ren on this one," Yang added, "How did we let that one happen? The God of Darkness doesn't even look like a male here! They look way more feminine!"
"Listen, the Gods are beings beyond mortal comprehension and I don't have the patience nor the care to try and get into all of the details. Just know that you've had it wrong, the gods are inhuman, they aren't male or female, or really any gender or sex, and either way they're terrible," Salem sighed before allowing the memory to continue playing.
The God of Darkness loomed over her, taking in her features and making Salem feel slightly uncomfortable, moreso due to proximity than to the feeling of literal darkness creeping over her skin. It wasn't like she was being observed, it felt like she was being tested in some way.
"So you come to me with a wish then," the god fell sideways, floating in the air and drifting around her, "I must say, normally the people go to my insipid sibling, but for you to come to me means you must be quite desperate..."
She was, and she said as much.
"I want my beloved Ozma back!" she stayed firm in her resolution, not flinching back at the power before her.
"Oh? Did this Ozma run away?" the god asked, making a gesture that Salem assumed was raising an eyebrow if the figure had a face. Or eyebrows.
"No," she whispered, "he was taken by illness."
At this the God of Darkness groaned like a disappointed child, slumping in the air as they slowly floated upright again.
"Oh," they said simply, "you want me to bring the dead back to life."
It was a statement, not a question. The way it was said did not inspire the same hope in Salem's heart that she had when she first arrived.
"Will you grant my wish?" she begged.
"My bothersome sibling would hassle me for eons," the god sighed, "which normally would be just fine with me. But this isn't something I can do so lightly..."
It was sounding more and more like a no, which was making Salem start to panic. In her frayed state, she blurted out the one thing she could offer.
"I'll be your first worshiper!"
That got the gods attention.
"Truly?" they said, leaning in far too close for Salem's comfort. Even still she looked directly at the not-face of the god and nodded.
"Truly. Bring my beloved back and I will be your devoted worshiper!" she promised, hand over heart.
"Damn," Yang looked on sadly.
"You really loved him, huh?" Ruby asked, looking over to the woman. Salem looked indifferent at the moment.
"Once upon a time, perhaps even still to this day..." she stated, face hard as stone.
"Then I suppose..." the god thought for a moment, looking quite interested in the idea. Salem held hope once more.
"No."
And like that the hope evaporated.
"Why not!?" she cried.
"I am a god of destruction for one. Humanity was one of the few things that I created, and I did so with my sibling with a set of amendments in mind. To go back on it would only go to show we haven't learned anything from one another. I will not bring back your beloved," the god stated, turning and stalking back towards the spring.
Salem could only cry and seeth. No amount of pleading would have them go back on their decision, and she doubted that trying to fight them was a smart decision. She left, broken hearted all over again and with her options severely limited.
When one thing doesn't work, try another. That's what Ozma had said.
So she resolved to try a different approach. She sought out the Spring of Light instead.
The Spring of Light was far different than the Spring of Darkness. Bountiful, was a good word to describe it. It was like an oasis in an already lush area, though it somehow managed to stand out further yet, looking for all the world like the actual source of life on the planet.
The steps up to the spring were far more grandeur. They were decorated with offerings and finery that spoke of the love that many had for the God of Light.
When she entered, she stepped to the center of the regal opening before the spring.
"O' God of Light," she started the same, "won't you hear my plight?"
There was a deep hum as the spring rippled from the center. A figure of golden brilliance slowly emerged, the water's surface not being disturbed beyond the gentle waves that emanate from its center. The figure emerging, much like their sibling, was fairly androgynous, but where the God of Darkness was sleek and seemingly nimble, the God of Light was larger and broad shouldered. Where the God of Darkness's hair was like a straight sheet, the God of Light's hair was more akin to a mane. They wore a much fluffier set of robes to the ones their sibling wore. The God of Darkness's clothes hung from them like wisps of smoke, but the God of Light's robes made their already massive form look more plush. The antlers sprouting from their head were like branches of a great tree, and the sheer warmth of being in their presence was staggering.
"Who is it that seeks my aid?" the many voices reverberated and left a vibration in the chest as it echoed throughout the clearing.
"I am Salem," she bowed, "And I come with a wish."
The god tilted their head, lacking the same facial features as their sibling but still conveying the intrigue with motion alone. They stood not on the ground, but right above it, each step making a small ripple of light as their foot touched down on a surface that wasn't there.
"You speak boldly," the God of Light replied, "I would hear this wish then."
And so she told the God of Light the same thing she had told the God of Darkness. She left out the part where she asked their sibling to revive him first, and by the end the God of Light had their arms crossed.
"I hear your tale," they fell into a cross-legged sitting position, still leaning down to look at her, "And I acknowledge your wish."
"Y-you do?" Salem quivered as she beheld the being before her. They nodded, holding one hand up. A small but vibrant orb appeared and they ushered it down and in front of her. It hovered before her and she could feel the essence of the man she loved emanating from it.
"I am a god of creation, and I have much love for humanity and mortal life."
"Wait, really? Nobody ever tried asking the God of Light to bring someone back to life!?" Summer asked.
"Apparently they all thought the same thing I did. That they just wouldn't do it. After seeing how the God of Darkness had reacted I had expected the same," Salem mused.
"Okay, but seriously, nobody ever tried? You all just assumed that they wouldn't and figured it wasn't worth bothering?" Whitley chimed in. Salem sighed.
"You'll soon see that we were right to be weary of the Gods."
Like watching a tree grow in an instant, a form started to take shape from the orb that the God of Light had created. When it was done, Ozma lay before her, suspended mid air. She fell to her knees as he floated gently down into her arms. When his eyes flitted open, he looked up at her in shock. She couldn't help the tears that fell onto him as she beheld her beloved once again.
"Thank you!" she wailed, holding her head to Ozma's, "Thank you, my lord!"
The God of Light watched on, seemingly interested in how the mortals before them worked. All felt right in the world for Salem again.
Then the sky cracked and darkened, and a figure descended from the rift.
"FOOL!" the God of Darkness boomed as they took form and pointed at their sibling, "YOU DARE COMMIT SUCH HEINOUS ACTS AGAINST ME!?"
The God of Light stood and faced off against their kin, the two literal titans making Salem feel faint as she sheltered the newly revived Ozma to her chest.
"On what means do you accuse me of betrayal?" the God of Light demanded, "This is not your domain!"
"This abomination!" the God of Darkness pointed to her— no— to Ozma. In rage, the smaller god waved their arm and Ozma crumbled away, leaving Salem shrieking in despair.
"That is not for you to decide," the God of Light waved in return and brought Ozma back. The man looked stricken and hollow.
"You make a liar of me and act against my respect for our truce!" the God of Darkness snarled.
"What do you speak of?" the God of Light now sounded suspicious, but no less irritated by their siblings' accusation.
"This mortal came to me before with the same wish, even swearing to pledge loyalty to me!" Salem's entire being froze, "I denied her request believing that it would anger you! And you curse my name by granting her your boon!?"
At that, the God of Light turned to her and her heart stopped.
"I was not made aware that she had asked this of you. I was to believe that she came here first."
Now both gods stared at her and she quaked as she realized the error she had made.
"Is this true?" the God of Light asked, "Have you set my sibling and I against one another?"
"N-no!" she tried to shield Ozma with her body, "That isn't what I intended! I just—"
"If I had known that you denied her wish out of respect for our mutual creation of humanity," the God of Light cut her off, turning to their sibling, "I would not have done this."
The God of Darkness seemed to loosen up a little after hearing that. They didn't look happy still, but they didn't look ready to start a planet destroying fight with their sibling either.
"Very well then," the God of Light turned back her way, "I shall correct my error."
Once again Salem was left shattered as her beloved was erased from her arms. As if she had to relive that same hellish moment over and over again. She would gladly be locked away in that tower for the rest of her life if it meant that her beloved was still with her and well.
"A lesson is in order," the God of Darkness spoke, breaking her out of her grief, "One to show this mortal the impudence of her ways."
"And the importance of mortal life," the God of Light added. At once both raised their hands, and Salem felt the world around her shift and before she could register why, she was falling.
Falling fast.
She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, she felt the impact on her back and saw spots in her vision.. It winded her, leaving her without breath and feeling like she would drown. Wait.
Drown?
Water. She was definitely in water at the moment. It wasn't dark though. It was bright, a heavenly light, encompassing her and absorbing into her very being. It felt warm as it entered her being, so why then did she shiver so much, as if a dreadful chill had taken her?
She gasped as she pulled herself back together and crawled her way from the spring. Breaching the surface, she pulled herself back onto land, eyes wide as she stared up and was met with the two gods. In that moment she realized just how uneven mortals were to them, how insignificant she was to their power.
"What...?" she couldn't even get the entire question out, instead feeling the power inside her well up as a golden glow enveloped her and she felt a vitality she'd never experienced before. She was confused, but more so than that, she was terrified. What had been done to her?
"In order to impress upon you the importance of mortality, we've bathed you in the Spring of Light," the selfsame God stated, "I almost made a mistake in being so flexible with my own powers. You shall serve as a reminder, both to you and myself, that life is a gift that we gave your kind."
"What... What do you mean? What did you do to me!?" Salem shivered, not from the water that dripped from her form, but from the trepidation of whatever punishment literal gods could administer.
"You have been granted eternal life," the God of Darkness claimed, "perhaps you will come to understand how death is equally as valuable as life."
With those words, the God of Darkness disappeared, distorting and stretching out before collapsing back in like a star. She stared, mouth agape at where they once were, before staring at her hands. Eternal life? As in, immortal? Incapable of death?
A look towards the God of Light only confirmed this as they nodded before they too disappeared in a blinding light.
"No..." she whispered it over and over, and before she even knew it, she was screaming it. Screaming until her throat was raw and she could barely even rasp the word out.
Nobody heard her. Not the gods. Not Ozma. Not even herself. She was more alone now than she had ever been before. Would she ever find that same happiness she had felt? Was there anything more she could do? To most, this would be the end, at least figuratively as far as being immortal went. They would hide away, doing their best to just turn their mind off and be as dead as they could.
But Salem was nothing if not determined. Determined and scorned, now. And nobody would treat her this way, not even the gods.
And so she united the world. That's right, the entire world. Every hold and kingdom came to know of the former princess of the tower, now technically queen, who was granted immortal life. But Salem never lied. She never whispered that they too could be immortal, that the gods were hoarding power that could be theirs. She told them the entire truth.
She told them her story, and in a time where magic and fairy tales were all real and nobody would know if the gods would strike them down next, it scared the people. Scared them into asking her what they should do. She told them honestly, and did things the way she felt Ozma would want. With as little bloodshed as possible.
"Cease your worship of the gods. They want not for our survival out of love, but out of agreement. Our survival, nay, our very existence is but a handshake between two petty children."
Around the world she went, claiming this very thing. And while many were slow to trust, she would assure them, time and time again, that she was in no rush and would be around for as long as they needed to decide. When ten years would pass, and some rulers would become too old for the throne, she would return, not to manipulate the next in line, but just to prove that she was patient.
And in just under thirty years, she had the entire human population under her banner. The royals and officials of the world came to counsel, holding a grand summit, proclaiming her as the one true ruler of their world. And for another hundred years she ruled them as they wished.
"Wait, this plan took you over a hundred years to get through?" Yang asked.
"It's all about the long con," Ren smirked knowingly, confusing most of them. Salem continued, ignoring him.
The people loved her. Her rule was a benevolent one, and all she asked was that the people stopped their reliance on the gods. She even allowed the few who couldn't bear to separate themselves from the gods to worship them through religion, only with the ruling that seeking their blessing was forbidden. In time, new religions sprouted, and she relished in the fact that more and more people were forgetting the God of Light and Darkness. The world was actually thriving more than it ever had before.
Not everyone was all in of course, and there were no shortage of attempts on her life. What they didn't understand was that nothing short of the gods themselves could kill her. When their attempts failed and she'd turn to look upon them, they'd drop to their knees and beg for their lives. Rather than incinerate them where they were, they were instead met with a gentle forgiveness like that of a mother, and soon enough, even the most hardened, malicious killers were singing the tales of Salem the Divine. It also helped that by this point Mr Fluffykins had now been knighted, and seeing the giant sky whale float above her home was more than a little imposing to any would-be assassins.
When told she needed a castle, she refused. The home she had made with Ozma was the only place she would ever feel that same warmth she once had, even if it was only a fraction of a fraction now. Still, the people would leave offerings at her doorstep. Having no need for many necessities like food or drink anymore, she gave them back to the people. Her charitable reign made the people love her more than they ever had the gods.
The gods didn't like that.
Who would, really? You literally create something in the image of yourselves, as an agreement that you won't fight your own sibling anymore no less, and what do they do? Denounce you both and claim that they're better off without you. Then they even elect the one you cursed as their new god? It was more than just outrageous.
And so it was that after the many joyous years, where people called upon Salem as the new, true goddess of their world, the gods were met with a world that not only didn't love them, but hardly even thought of them, even forgotten in some realms. In rage they appeared before her on the anniversary day of their world's unification. When people screamed and cowered rather than bow or praise their arrival, the gods only grew more enraged.
"What is this!?" the God of Darkness bellowed, glaring at the decorations and flowers that adorned the area. The massive city that had been erected around Salem's small home was almost a comical sight. As if her wooden cabin was a castle or monument of some kind.
"Oh," Salem looked at them, unimpressed, and even a little bored, "it's you two."
This made her people a little less afraid. That didn't make the gods calm down any more.
"When we instilled eternal life in you, it was with the purpose of making you realize how precious life truly is," the God of Light looked down on her. At least, they thought they were, but it was really Salem who was looking down on them now.
"Exactly," she sniffed, turning her nose up at the two, "And I have done just that. I have proven to the world that life when we all come together is a wonderful and beautiful thing. Far more better than the world you two had made."
"We made your accursed existences!" the God of Darkness raged. Salem shrugged.
"All I'm hearing is the whining of two little bitches that couldn't keep a dandelion alive, let alone an entire planet," she crossed her arms, looking down her nose at them. The people chanted and cheered at her words.
"Evidently," the God of Light sounded spiteful, "you didn't understand what our divinations for you were."
"Oh I understood them," she interrupted him with a wave of her hand, further annoying the two, "I just didn't agree so I ignored them and did my own thing."
"You can't ignore fate!" the God of Darkness looked close to snapping entirely at this point.
"Oh well," she yawned, at the goddamn gods, "I did. You're welcome to be a part of our world if you promise to keep things civil."
That seemed to be the tipping point for the gods. They exploded with an energy that they had never seen, but rather than run, the people stood and readied themselves. After seeing their beloved ruler stand up so bravely and staunchly against the gods, they were rallied to stand against them with her.
"So be it then," the God of Light sounded disappointed, "We had such high hopes too."
"Speak for yourself," the God of Darkness spat, "I knew this would fail from the beginning."
"We shall be leaving this place, and taking all the gifts we bestowed with us," the God of Light stated.
"Cowards!" Salem shouted, "You two are nothing but celestial failures! Catastrophic disappointments to the literal grandest degree!"
The people screamed their agreement, and the gods only burst forth with more power. The deceit of their own creations was unforeseen, and Salem would forever be solidified as an enemy of the gods for this transgression. The God of Light made to speak.
"Such a—"
"Such a disgrace," Salem cut them off, stealing the same thing they were about to say, but adding further insult to injury, "And here we thought you were both better than that."
Having had enough of being made to look like fools by a mortal (except she wasn't now), the gods simply left.
Explosively.
Salem hadn't even realized the silence that surrounded her for a moment. Didn't even notice the moon above shatter. But when she did finally observe both, she was left with the same crushing revelation as she had been so many years ago when Ozma passed.
She was once again, alone. Except now, there were no people. No animals. It felt like there was hardly any air, and at times it looked like even the flora around her began to crumble away.
"Wow, the gods suck," Ruby mumbled.
"Indeed," Salem grumbled, annoyed.
"Wait, if you instilled a series of new religions and basically had people forget about the gods, why do we all know about them today?" Whitley asked. Salem looked even more annoyed.
"I think you know the answer, young one."
"Oz... ma?" Pyrrha corrected herself mid name. Salem nodded, waving back to the memories before them.
"In due time."
So for... well, she didn't know how long, Salem simply wandered the planet, hoping that somehow, some way, something had survived. She had one solace, and she hadn't thought it possible when it almost literally fell on her from the sky.
With a mighty thud, all five-hundred tons of Sir Fluffykins flattened her.
"HOLY SHIT!" Raven cursed, the act having happened so suddenly.
"No way Sir Fluffykins only weighs five-hundred tons," Ruby claimed.
"Not anymore," Salem coeed, "My boy has gotten so big and strong in the last few millennia! He's easily over two hundred thousand tons now!"
Nobody had a comment for that.
"So how exactly did he live?" Yang asked.
"From what I can tell, he was hiding in space, he was always afraid of the fireworks people set off, you see. The gods simply didn't account for there being anything floating around up there, so he managed to avoid the extinction."
"He can live in space!?" Pyrrha shouted.
"Oh yes! He can breathe carbon and helium! That's how he makes those adorable clouds around him!" Salem gushed.
"So what does he breathe out?" Nora asked.
"Oxygen! Like a big, huggable tree!" the queen sighed in happiness.
Yeah, a big tree that shot lightning and could probably tackle Atlas back into the ground.
"He can also sustain off eating Grimm!"
That didn't make him any less terrifying. And did that mean there were space Grimm!?
Salem, being unable to die, reassembled after half an hour, and she couldn't help but cry as she hugged the massive whale and embraced as much of his form as she could.
And so for another who-knows-how-many years, Salem roamed the planet looking for people with her trusty knight by her side. For whatever reason, the gods had left the Grimm on the planet, the douches, but that was how she learned that the leviathan could subsist off of the previously thought useless Grimm.
At one point, Salem simply stopped looking, and went back home. She didn't remember how long she'd been there. She did her best to maintain the cabin, make it look as good as new whenever she could. When the land started to grow around her home, she smiled at the signs of life around her, not even realizing that if plants were back, then that meant something had shifted.
So imagine her surprise when there was a knock at her door one day. She blinked, standing up and slowly walking to the source of the knocking. Opening the door slowly, she was met with a very confused looking man.
"S'cuse me ma'am," he tipped his hat, an axe over his shoulder, "I've never known someone lived out 'round here. Didn't mean to impose."
Salem almost screamed when she saw the man, but she settled for staring like an idiot instead. The man looked concerned and a little fearful, so he slowly reached forward and waved a hand in front of her face.
"Ma'am?" he asked. She jumped at his voice and came to her senses.
"O-oh, pardon me!" she laughed, many emotions overwhelming her, "I don't get many visitors out here!"
The man nodded, pointing behind him.
"We've got a little village out that way if'n you're ever lonely," he offered. Salem almost ran past him to find this village herself! Had she really been sitting around her home for that long!?
Instead she opted for allowing the lumberjack to guide her to his village. There, she was met with people working and toiling to get by. It wasn't much, but it was civilization, and that was more than Salem had been able to experience for a long, long time now. The people here looked like they weren't the best off, but that could be changed with a little roadwork, so to speak. But there was something off about them that Salem was sensing, but she didn't know what.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, nearly crying at the sight. The lumberjack looked at her, confused.
"Er, thanks?" he didn't think it was all that special. Pretty dull honestly.
But to Salem it was like seeing a flower bloom in a desert. Somehow humanity had returned, and she wouldn't have to be alone again. A scream from the other end of the village broke her from her reverie. The lumberjack by her side cursed.
"Grimm," he snarled, hefting his lumber axe and running, "Get inside ma'am! It ain't safe out here!"
People were screaming and running for shelter, and Salem blinked in confusion. Why such a commotion? Grimm had only ever been a minor issue before, especially compared to dragons and other such beasts and monsters.
"Okay, seriously, you need to tell me about dragons!" Ren begged.
"Later," everyone else droned, wanting Salem to finish already.
She strolled slowly through the now sheltered village, looking around. It was all quite ramshackle really, and she wondered why they hadn't erected any towers or had any lamps in place.
Reaching the area where the lumberjack had rushed off to, she saw him locked in combat with a Grimm. It was an ursa if she was correct, and he looked to be struggling as he held it off. Behind him, cornered, was a small girl, crying as she witnessed the creature of darkness trying to maim the man in front of her.
Salem decided to help the man, throwing a ball of fire forth that immediately turned the ursa to ashes. He blinked, looking at her shock. All around her, she heard murmuring as people looked out of their windows at her hushed whispers being thrown around.
"Wh-what was that!?" the lumberjack asked, shocked but thankful for the assistance.
"That was a simple fireball," she said basically, not understanding the awe. Even fledgling mages could use that spell.
Then she felt it. Realized what felt so wrong around her in these people and this village.
Magic. Or rather, the lack thereof.
She couldn't sense it in anybody here, not in the ground or in their bodies. The entire village was completely devoid of magic in all of its forms. It felt naked to her, especially where she had been born into a world where magic ran rampant, where hardly anything was truly impossible.
"Simple or not, you saved me an' this little'uns life!" he wore a wide smile. Salem waved the thanks off, still in a bit of a daze. She'd literally brought the world together some thousands of years ago or however long it'd been. Saving a little girl was but a raindrop in the ocean as far as her effort was concerned.
"Did the gods not bless anyone here with such power?" she asked.
"Ma'am," the lumberjack looked at her like she was crazy, "There ain't no gods if something like the Grimm exist."
Technically that was wrong since the Grimm only existed because of the God of Darkness, but if these people didn't know about the gods then she wasn't going to try and teach them. Those two bastards could stay dead to the world in the era that they had left.
"I'm sure anyone else would've done the same," Salem tried to divert the attention she was attracting.
"I'm sure they'd want to, but I'm not sure they would," he replied, waving a hand out among the huddled villagers still in hiding as they watched them, "nobody came out, did they?"
No, they didn't. In Salem's old realm, they'd have not even batted an eye. With knights and mages all over, it'd be impossible for someone not to help. Could she blame these people though? With no magic they were no better than animals hoping to survive against something like the Grimm. She was thankful that Sir Fluffykins was out in space today, she had a feeling that these people would react far stronger to him alone than her throwing some fire around.
When the mother of the little girl came running in, crying and thanking her, Salem realized just how unprotected these people really were. The mother cried as if a horde of demons had nearly taken them, not one simple ursa.
"Please," the mother gave her a watery smile, "You must join us for a meal! It's the least we can do!"
Salem didn't know how to tell the woman that eating was just a pastime for her really, like playing a sport or pottery. She had no reason to do it and even less to take the food from these people who were clearly already struggling. She decided to come up with an excuse instead.
"Fret not for me," she assured the woman, "I am quite fine at my home in the woods. There's no need for you to waste resources on me."
That spawned its own new round of murmurs. Apparently it was quite odd for someone to be doing well on their own in this era.
Sensing the unease she was creating, she excused herself as politely as she could, giving a slight bow before turning and hurting back to the forest. She had a lot to think about. Like how in the world life had returned without the gods. Was she right all those many years ago? Were the gods really useless like she'd said? She had only said that to annoy them! She didn't think it was true!
But it was true. And Salem decided that if the gods were gone, but humanity was back, then she'd do what she did before and unite the planet again.
"Damn, you're a one woman army, huh?" Yang watched the memory as Salem once again went around the world, saving people with magic.
"When the only threat remaining was Grimm, it was basically like being an exterminator," Salem shrugged.
"Well there goes our job esteem," Summer slumped, "Talk about a prestige killer."
After another undocumented amount of time, Salem felt like she was doing pretty well defending the planet. Only problem was that she was only one woman, and even in all her vast power she couldn't be everywhere at once.
One night when she was relaxing in her cabin, a knock came to her door. She figured it was one of the villagers coming to ask her for help, so like always she rose to the occasion and answered the door. The person on the other side looked remarkably unafraid though, and dare she say, somewhat familiar?
Not to mention the feeling she sensed emanating from the man. It was something she picked up in an instant. The feeling of magic.
Perhaps this man was born with the power to wield magic, and having heard of her exploits came to learn from her! She would be happy to teach him, but she had no clue how magic was suddenly brought back to the world after having been gone for so long. But there was more about the power she felt. It was so warm, so inviting. It felt like... like...
"Salem..." the man spoke, eyes wide as he took in her form, unchanged after so long, "It really is you..."
It clicked immediately, the way he said her name, even if it was in a different voice, was unmistakably him.
"Ozma?" she asked, hoped above everything that it was him, that she wasn't finally losing it.
"You remembered me..." his eyes were warm and she watched as they crinkled the same way when he was overjoyed, even if it wasn't exactly his face. She was upon him before she even realized, pressing herself to him as if he'd vanish again if she didn't.
"I'd never forget," she wept openly, holding him in a vice grip in fear he'd be gone once she let go, "I never once forgot."
He looked up at the cabin, then looked within. Everything was exactly as it had been when he had been alive. Alive before? He wasn't quite sure how to define his new existence. Salem didn't even think to ask, thinking that, much like humanity returning, his return was a miracle she'd never be able to explain.
Together, they continued forth with Salem's path. Ozma looked delighted at the idea, and even moreso when he was told she'd done it before, after he'd fallen. They almost became the new gods of this era, but Salem insisted they give their people a way to defend themselves without relying on them. They didn't even give away their own powers, instead unlocking the latent potential within the people they felt would uphold the values of their new world.
"Was that... the first instance of aura?" Whitley stared in shock at the familiar glow coming from people touched by magic.
"You didn't think people were just born with powers beyond understanding and the ability to protect themselves from harm, did you?" Salem asked innocently. It still felt like a sucker punch either way.
"Wait, so where did dust come from?" Yang asked.
"Apparently in the same way that Sir Fluffykins was safe all the way up in space, veins of potent magical ores were preserved deep in the planet's fault lines. After the many years I spent until humanity was restored, those veins grew and began sprouting up."
"History hurts..." Ren groaned.
Years later, they'd finally upgrade their home, their cabin becoming the massive castle that she had always been told she deserved. Only now, with Ozma by her side, it finally felt right and she had no problem with the new grand structure that the people crafted in thanks for their protection and knowledge.
It was made even better when Salem became pregnant, now being able to foster life in a whole new way and maybe even revive magic in the world beyond her beloved and her. Ozma seemed delighted at the idea too, but was then made terrified when Salem demanded it happen right then in front of the fireplace.
Then it happened three more times, before Ozma begged Salem to slow down after the birth of their fourth daughter. She conceded, but only on the terms that four would not be the end. They had a big home, and after so much time alone, Salem wanted it filled.
It was eight years after their eldest daughter's birth that Salem finally realized that she had no idea how Ozma had returned, and as happy as she was, she knew that him coming back was far more than just a miracle in effect. While their daughters were out playing with Sir Fluffykins, whom they loved as dearly as Salem did (a fact that made her happier than she thought it would) she decided to ask her husband what had been on her mind.
"Dearest," she spoke, breaking their comfortable silence, "How did you return to me?"
Ozma's silence and pale face said that she wouldn't like the answer.
"Ozma," she wasn't afraid or even upset, only worried as she saw the way her words had stopped his mind and heart. He turned to her, resolute, and she knew he was going to tell her, but the way he looked had her nervous.
And she had the right to be.
"I... must've been in the afterlife," Ozma stated, looking at something she couldn't see, something beyond their world, beyond life, "and I was visited."
"Visited by whom?" she asked.
"The God of Darkness."
He was apparently offered an ultimatum by the god, perhaps even both gods if what he said was true. The God of Darkness granted him another chance at life, even bestowing the world with four powerful godly items for Ozma to seek out and bring together, with the promise that they'd return to judge the world when all four reuinited. He was even given another power by the God of Darkness themself.
Dominion over the very creations of darkness. Control of the Grimm.
And what was it they asked him to do? It was nothing he could imagine.
He was to kill Salem. When the deed was done, they would return to the world and bring with them all the blessings they took. He would be granted his every desire, but for the price of his beloved's life. If they were to return to a world where she still drew breath, then they'd erase the planet completely this time. In order to do this, he was granted an undying boon of his own, one that worked vastly different to Salem's.
Reincarnation. When he died, he'd be bought back as another. Over and over until he completed their mission.
He wasn't even given a chance to agree, the gods being far too sure of themselves, before he found himself opening eyes that weren't his.
He never agreed, and never would.
Salem held him as he told her how sorry he was over and over. She told him that he'd done nothing to deserve her ire, and the life they currently had together was a sign that he had no intention of killing her. Salem mentally noted that if these godly artifacts ever showed up she'd do her best to destroy them. If that was beyond her power, she'd hide them in the farthest reaches of the world, so that those two damnable gods would never return.
Only Ozma thought otherwise.
"Who's to say they won't try to do this with someone else? That they won't bring back legions of people to bring them back to the world?"
She was confused, but moreso, concerned at the look that had entered his eyes. It wasn't quite manic, but it felt... sinister. It wasn't the noble look he normally held, nor the honorable tone he normally spoke with.
"We should bring the artifacts together! Summon the two gods that would dare want for your head, and use their own powers against them! Rid our entire world of their influence for good!"
It was spiteful, and moreover, it wasn't something she had wanted to hear from her husband. She told him as much. Told him that revenge against the gods would only end up with the world being destroyed all over, this time with no chance at recovering.
But Ozma was stubborn. He insisted that if they could bring him back, they could bring anyone back. And he held a grudge against them too. Apparently being brought back to life, then erased, twice no less, left him very bitter. Not to mention that he'd never know his own body again, cursed to subsume an innocent soul to live on. It was like the reverse of what they had done to Salem.
"My love!" she stopped his ramblings, "Listen to yourself! Think of the rest of the world, of our family!"
They had more at stake than just themselves, and Salem was done with the gods. She wanted nothing to do with them, their deaths or otherwise. She wanted to live out her life with her beloved Ozma and their kids for the rest of their immortal days.
But Ozma wouldn't be moved. He hadn't had the many years to come to terms with his vendetta against the gods that she had. He had only been cognisant when they had brought him back up until now, only knowing that he hated them as much as she. He was still burning with hatred for them, and he yearned to be rid of them in the most definite way possible.
Only he had tools at his disposal that she hadn't when she was warring silently with the gods. He had the artifacts. And now he even had control over the Grimm, granted to him by the God of Darkness directly.
"No my dearest," he said, standing, "I will keep us safe. I will make sure that nobody, not even the gods come to harm you."
Something in Ozma shifted right then. Something she saw, as his eyes pulsed a deep, blood red for a moment and a power she was oh so familiar with hummed. The power of darkness that had denied her beloved revival so many centuries ago.
"Ozma, please!" she begged, "No more fighting!"
He only smiled fondly at her before turning to leave. But a ward blocked his path and he turned to see his wife with her hand held out, keeping him in the room.
"Don't do this," she whispered before getting louder, "Please, just sit down and think for a moment!"
Ozma only stared. Consumed by a combination of his rage and whatever dark power was used to bring him to life, he turned and shattered her ward with an equally powerful spell before fleeing their home. The castle never felt so empty as it did in the time after he left. The world, once more, proved how cruel it could be to her, gods or not.
Her home now a broken one and her husband on the run from her to make sure his own plans came to fruition, she was now alone, but not like before. She wasn't imprisoned, she was free. She wasn't being cursed as a lesson, she was being abandoned.
No. She wasn't alone. She still had the girls and one very tenacious sky-whale. If Ozma was going to lose to his own insecurities on the matter, then Salem would have to meet him at every angle. She had already spent a long time on her other plan, what was another slog through time?
And so it was that Salem devoted herself to keeping the unification of the four artifacts, what would later come to be known as relics, from ever coming to fore. Many thousands of years passed, and neither ever gave any headway. Her daughters had mourned the abandonment of their father, but the promise from their mother that she would always be there for them empowered them to stay strong, for each other and for Salem herself.
It was with a heavy heart when Salem had to watch her own children grow old and die while she remained unchanging. She watched their children too grow old, and over and over she watched as her own family grew and subsequently shrunk, all while fighting a battle with Ozma as he tried to unite the relics. Eventually she hid away, her goal to unite the world impossible if Ozma was working against her behind the scenes.
New kingdoms were built and summarily torn down. Somewhere along the line, Ozma, the bastard, had reintroduced the idea of "brother gods", likely to keep them as just an idea; so that people wouldn't seek them or their artifacts out. And it worked. What was originally a religion became a simple myth, and nobody ever assumed that such a fantastical idea was really possible.
And caught in the center of it all was her and Ozma. Lovers turned enemies, though not by hate. It was by love, however misguided and spiteful it was, it was their love that had driven Ozma to go to such measures. And where Salem still longed for the man she had once called her soulmate...
That same man likely no longer existed.
"Wait, but Ozma knows where all the relics are. He has them hidden away in the academies!" Summer looked worried, watching as the memory around them faded to dust and they found themselves in the throne room again.
"He does, and he doesn't," Salem replied, "I have always held one of the relics. I found it before him and he has yet to ever find its hiding place."
"Which one?" Raven asked.
"In time, young one," Salem waved her off, making Raven blink at being called young.
"Is there any more?" Ruby asked.
"Well there are the next few thousand years between then and today, but I cannot think of anything pressing..." Salem mused.
"Wait, if your family stayed alive, why isn't the world filled with magic again?" Yang looked confused after seeing so many generations of her family, and yet there was no common magic in Remnant today.
"Ah, that," Salem sighed sadly, "unfortunately there was a plague some time around one to two thousand years ago that did a number on the world's population. My family may have been blessed with magic, but they were as mortal as any normal person. They were all lost to the plague. That seems to be a trend for me..."
"Oh..." her family and Whitley were glaring at Yang, who winced, "sorry..."
"And the maidens? What's the story there?" Nora asked.
A good question indeed. Luckily, Salem had an answer, as she seemed to for all of their questions so far.
"Seemingly, they adopted a few traits from both myself and Ozma. They didn't inherit my curse, thankfully, but they all retained the powerful magic that I absorbed from the Spring of Light. Likewise, none of them ever showed the ability to control Grimm, but their powers themselves took on Ozma's own curse."
"So the maiden powers... are the same as your families?" Pyrrha clarified.
"As similar as they can be, at least," Salem waved a hand, "I do not see any of them as my kin, but the powers themselves feel familiar in a way that only family can."
"And you're in the Grimmlands... why?" Yang raised an eyebrow.
"That..." Salem flushed, "Was a tactical error on my part. I needed a place where Sir Fluffykins could be at my side but the only place that worked was here. Ironically, despite his power, it's also the only place that Ozma doesn't care to send people. He doesn't see a reason to risk the loss."
"Wait, if he's doing all of this because he loves you, why does he talk about you like you're evil? And why doesn't he just come to the Grimmlands and take the relic you have?" Ren asked bluntly.
"For one, the relic isn't here, and that's widely why Ozma doesn't bother coming around," Salem stared out the window, a longing look in her eye, "As for why he speaks of me so, I can only assume that it's the darkness talking. You all saw how he became. He wasn't the same man I loved, and I doubt all this time spent apart and fighting has done anything for his well being."
That made sense. Honestly, Salem's own quirkiness was probably her own form of insanity that had developed after living for so long.
"What about... Silver eyes?" Ruby asked, and Summer perked up.
"That's true! Ozpin always wanted anyone with silver eyes, too!"
Salem stared at them before humming and tapping her chin in thought. Did... she not actually know?
"While I have many answers," she started, "there are still some things I have yet to find the beginning of."
"Like silver eyes?" Raven drawled. Salem nodded.
"I also have no idea how humanity returned, nor where the faunus came from," the queen tacked on, "not to mention that the Spring of Light and Darkness just disappeared."
"It did?" Pyrrha tilted her head.
"Indeed. In its place was a lush oasis, but no spring. The Spring of Darkness, as you may well have guessed, left this wondrous land for us," Salem intoned, waving behind her to the Grimmlands.
That made sense. One left a beautiful mark of life while the other left the haunting stench of destruction.
When nobody else raised any questions, Salem nodded and sat back in her throne.
"Well..." Raven sighed as she tried to gather the right words for the occasion, resulting in: "That was fucking awful."
Summer elbowed her but she didn't take it back.
"I hope that gets you up to speed," Salem smiled at all of them, though she looked a little pained after reliving all those memories.
"It certainly answers more than Ozpin ever cared to part with," Raven chewed the inside of her cheek as she mentally went through all she'd just learned. They all were. It was a lot to learn, and even more to try and accept. There was so much to unpack...
"Why don't you all get acclimated to the castle," Tyrian suggested suddenly, breaking everyone's thoughts and gathering their attention at once, "It would do well to get used to your new quarters for the foreseeable future. Gretchen, Cinder, Watts, see to it."
They couldn't argue with that, not to mention that Salem's agents didn't like arguing with Tyrian. They knew better. Standing, they all hesitated before turning and making their way from the room. Ren bowed, not the normal bow you'd give a queen, but A for effort, Whitley doing the same before Salem was left in the room with just the scorpion faunus.
"Thank you, Tyrian," Salem stood, walking to the window to stare out across the vast land. But it was obvious she was not looking at what she could see, but at something from her memories once again, the trip they'd just taken flipping the nostalgia switch.
Tyrian only hummed, stepping from the room silently and closing the door. Salem sighed when she was finally alone.
"Oh Ozma, you damnable fool," she glared at something only she could see, before deflating, "why do we still do this?"
She received no answer. She never had. She could only stand there, alone in a room in a tower, staring out the window and longing for a knight to come and take her away to a happier place.
A place far, far in the past.
This was a long one, and honestly might be my favorite chapter I've written.
Before I see the reviews about it, yes, I took a ton of liberties with the story of Salem and Ozma, but frankly, I always felt like the show let that story fall flat. There was so much that could've been done and it felt like they just didn't want to make any continuity errors.
I had a great time writing this though. It really let me stretch my muscles, so to speak. Felt like I was really writing my own thing for a bit.
I hope people liked this one, and please, let me know your thoughts on it! Follow to keep up with updates and leave a review, they mean a lot to read through.
Stay safe out there, and have a wonderful time!
