Hope you all enjoy
Chapter 4
Generally speaking, Cinder had always been adamantly persistent and steadfast in her goals. With the deep desire to grow powerful and the willingness to pursue that goal whatever means necessary, she was truly an individual that rarely wavered.
Rarely.
Beacon had not been entirely terrible. While there were times she wished to melt the Grimm studies professor, the classes were not entirely something that took up all her time, and it allowed her to keep tabs on both maiden candidates and students who posed a threat to her goals.
Then, there were other times; times when Mercury and Emerald resumed their childish bickering, times when she was tasked to complete useless tasks she couldn't pass onto Emerald to complete, and even worse… times like these.
"While I am flattered… I do have a boyfriend back at Mistral, so I'm sorry to say; but I must decline." The words were spoken sweetly, rolling off her tongue without an ounce of malice, yet she could feel her stomach ache in annoyance, fingers twitching in the innate need to light this idiot aflame.
"Aw c'mon, babe." The male grinned with pearly white teeth, leaning towards her as his bright eyes danced across her figure with an almost hungry leer. "-I'm sure I can show you a better time than that guy."
She could feel her brow twitch at how she was addressed, briefly closing her eyes to hide the sheer killing intent that radiated off her gaze. While she could not fault this student for being enamoured by her beauty-few weren't- she (could) grow steadily irritated by his persistence. A majority of the men who set their eyes on her were too intimidated to approach, and those that did soon gave up after her initial refusal.
While she would be the first to say she needed some stress relief, something to help with all of the weight that bore down upon her, she would also say that any type of relations she found in this school or Vale in general would not be something of interest. Especially not with an idiotic student.
"Once again; I will not be cheating on my partner." She said once more, and this time the male in front of her sneered, turning around with a huff as he walked off. Anger quickly gripped her emotions from within, eyes narrowed into the back of his skull, and the maiden powers behind her fingertips begged her to scorch the man-child into ash.
She exhaled sharply, shutting her eyes as she turned away. No… she could not allow herself to fall to the whims of anger or irritation with her situation. It seemed as though the setting had truly begun to get the best of her; Roman's failures, her henchman bickering, Adam complaining on and on… Normally she was more in tune with her emotions.
She dared not think about what other emotions had stirred within her since the week prior. For those feelings of doubt were not to resurface.
Maybe some stress relief was the best solution to her dilemma? Not any form of relations, but instead a simple form of relaxation… It would do her wonders to wind down a little, perhaps even get some rest so she could further her plans with less agitation constantly clawing at her mind.
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The streets of Vale were bustling, but to a lesser degree than usual. The bright azure sky was cloudy, patches of stark white littered across the great expanse of blue, which prevented the sun's rays from becoming too taxing on those that walked through the streets. It caused the mid-afternoon to have a rather nice mood to it, with few cars honking or much loud chatter. The sidewalks were also quite clean and even, giving the city a look more domestic than most of the other kingdoms.
Cinder had not quite known what to do, but she supposed that going into the city and finding solace in a nice restaurant and a bottle of wine could provide her with some much relief. The raven haired woman wore clothing more casual than normal; sporting a pair of dark jeans that hugged her long, shapely legs. Her upper form consisted of a dark, tube top with a heart outline, giving a view of her modest cleavage and pale neck. Finally, she had a red short jacket over her frame, one that ended just above her waistline, she looked sinfully beautiful as always. Her supple hips swayed with each step, and of course beaconed several eyes on her moving form.
Ignoring the attention, the brunette vixen stepped into a restaurant. Her eyes had briefly caught the well put exterior and decided that it was worth a more in depth look. It wasn't entirely too full either, merely with a handful of patrons here and there. The interior itself was a modest mix of both casual and formal. With wooden flooring and uniformed waiters. Although; it still did possess casual aspects, and the mixture of both well dressed and more loose wearing people only added to that.
She stepped forward, and just as she was about to request a table..
"Cinder!"
She halted immediately, eyebrows raising as she slowly turned to her right. Sitting a few meters away, within a leather booth next to the window, was Jaune Arc. He wore a simple button up white shirt, with the few top buttons undone. He looked..decent, though he more than likely just took off his school jacket and undid the first few buttons before coming here.
...and he was currently waving her over.
Biting back a sigh, the woman stepped towards him with a forced smile. "Jaune…" She greeted, tilting her head to reveal both her eyes to the blond. "It's nice to see you, I didn't quite expect to see you here?"
The words caused a smile to broaden across his lips as he nodded. "Ah, yeah. The owner of this place is a friend of my mom. They moved out of my village when I was a kid. Ended up running into her by accident, she told me to come down to eat whenever I could. Since school ended and my team was busy, well..guess I decided to try it out. Didn't expect the place to be this nice though…"
She nodded her head, he had told her that he'd had come from a place outside of Vale if she recalled correctly. It had been around a week or two since they had first begun training, and had that unfortunate run in with Goodwitch. During that time she hadn't learned much besides that he had come from a frontier village and had a father huntsman who was rather overprotective. Thankfully; she had gained knowledge on the other teams somewhat- namely that team RWBY specialized with great teamwork, and that his own team was gradually learning more and more combination maneuvers. Though both teams did know how to fight without their partners.
...besides him, of course.
It pained her to say; but he did have potential. He had the largest aura she'd ever seen since meeting Hazel. Along with that he's demonstrated powerful strength and resilience. Yet his lack of skill was still… daunting. It was as if he had been training for under a year.
Although, it wasn't as if she helped much. Generally she just tossed him around the whole sparring match and gave a weak assessment as to what he did wrong, before then throwing in a compliment or two to make sure his confidence didn't become too low. It was..irritating, but an hour or so wouldn't set her back much, besides… even a little physical activity was enough to stretch her muscles.
"Would you like to sit? I'm not really expecting anyone… O-only if you want of course! I just wasn't really sure what to say.."
His question caused her stomach to boil with annoyance. He'd definitely notice if she rejected his offer before sitting down to eat somewhere else. While he probably wouldn't hold it against her; the chances of him being put off were still there. While this did prove the excellent opportunity to question him as well, today was meant to be made for relaxing, not working.
With a slow sigh, she smiled a little wider and nodded her head. "I would love to, Jaune."
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If Jaune thought that Cinder was beautiful before, then she was a damn divine being now. Those pants hung around her perfectly, and her top only accentuated her already gorgeous upper body. The red jacket simply added even more to her already scorching appearance. Part of him felt… nervous? He figured it was because he was eating at a restaurant with a pretty woman. Some may get the wrong idea, and even then there was enough for some to view this as a date. The thought alone had his cheeks flushed, which he hid away by taking a sip from his drink.
"So, what brings you into town?" He asked eventually, they had only really traded small talk thus far. With her only starting the conversation once; when she asked what he recommended. She ended up choosing red wine to start off, before then saying she'd choose her lunch option later.
Just when she was about to answer once more, a booming voice addressed him from across the room.
"Jaune!" She cried, he turned in time to see a woman strolling through her restaurant. Roselyn Rune, a tall dark skinned woman with thick hair tied behind her head. Her eyes glittered like gold out in the sunlight, and her pearly white teeth were pulled back to reveal a smile that could match the sun. She was probably around her mid thirties by now, but looked to only be in her mid twenties. She was truly a beautiful woman, and the only thing that really looked outwardly different was the shining golden ring around her finger.
"It's so nice to see you!" She beamed, pausing in front of their table to dip down and take both of his cheeks within her hands. "You've gotten so handsome! I still remember when you were a little child, running away from your crazed sisters."
"Roseeeee…" He whined, cheeks reddening as he attempted to pull away from her. She simply grinned and pulled away, before she then turned to Cinder with a look filled with mirth.
"And who's this beautiful lady? Snagged a catch already, Jaune?"
"N-no!" He blushed, turning to Cinder with an apologetic look. Though she simply looked… amused? Deciding to take hold of the situation he waved his hand in front of her.
"Roselyn, this is Cinder, Cinder this is Roselyn."
Cinder simply seemed to smile, giving the woman a polite nod. "A pleasure, your restaurant looks well kept."
In response, the woman laughed, waving it off. "No need to be so polite, dear. A friend of Jaune is a friend of mine. Your orders should arrive soon, don't let me keep you." She smiled and departed with a sway of her hips, along with an added wink sent towards Jaune for good measure.
He simply groaned, and buried his face within his hands. Embarrassment couldn't even begin to describe the scenario. Going on a date with Cinder was almost as unbelievable as going on a date with Pyrrha. There was simply no way he had a shot.
"Sorry about that… she can be a little excitable."
The brunette simply waved it off. "It's fine, she seems to care about you."
At that he nodded, leaning back within his seat. She always was close to the Arc family.
"My mom babysat her when she was younger. When she got older she decided she wanted to open a restaurant in Vale. Since she thought of my mom as an excellent cook, she went to her for help. Ended up getting mentored and all. We saw her a lot, she was like a surrogate eighth sister."
Cinder nodded in understanding, though paused a moment later. Genuine confusion washed across her eyes as a raven brow lifted up in question. "Eighth?"
"Oh...right. Yeah… I have seven sisters. Couple older, couple younger. I was the only boy though."
"I...see.." She spoke with some hesitation, which caused the blond to merely laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, I get that a lot. Parents were animals or something."
This caused a soft laugh to escape the brunette in front of him, she pressed her chin against her palm and focused on him with a teasing expression. "Are you sure you aren't part rabbit Faunus?"
His cheeks reddened almost immediately. "N-no!" He stuttered, eyes flickering away from the woman. He's had that question asked once or twice as a joke, but to have it be asked in such a playful manner was enough to have him burning up. "A-at least I don't think so…"
The words were enough to draw out a soft laugh from Cinder, rather than any form of outburst it was more so like a minor shake of her body, with a gentle melody exiting her lips. She admittedly had a really nice laugh..
"W-what about you?" He asked suddenly, attempting to pull the conversation into another, less embarrassing direction. "Any siblings?"
"None." She spoke dismissively, and Jaune gathered she didn't really like to talk about her family. Not being one to pry, he allowed the conversation to steer elsewhere.
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"-and then Ruby used her semblance and trashed the rest of the cafeteria. Goodwitch ended up throwing a fit after fixing the entire thing like it was nothing."
Another gentle laugh escaped her lips, drawing out yet another coy smile. "I didn't expect Beacon to be so lax with its rules."
"Oh it isn't." He corrected, "Nora is just...well, Nora."
That explained more than it needed to. Both the ginger from JNPR and the blonde from RWBY proved to be little more than loose cannons. Even still; they both had abilities that could be difficult to combat with anyone that wasn't professional huntsman level.
The evening so far had been surprisingly… lax. While she was initially irritated with having met Jaune here, his insight had caused her both to gain information on the two teams, and provided her with amusement- namely at how Roman had somehow failed against such incompetent people. It should've annoyed her-and truthfully it did somewhat- but it still caused her to gain some amount of pleasure.
Jaune had become gradually better at talking the deeper the conversation went on as well. She had gained a few small bits of information about his family life thus far.
All in all, the day proved surprisingly pleasant. Not at all affected by the restaurant owner returning to inform them that their bill would be covered today, thus meaning she could have as much wine as she wished.
She hadn't yet gained too much information on Jaune as of yet. On the night she asked if he wished to train with her, he confessed to not being trained by his father, yet he did receive training outside of that. It caused her to imagine a few other conclusions. He looked exceedingly nervous when she had posed her question, something was clearly not told. She wasn't sure if it meant he had been given training through illegal means, or some form of roundabout method.
Though..
"Jaune?"
"Mmmh?" He hummed in question through a mouthful of food, which he quickly swallowed. "Yeah?"
He had been refused to receive training from his father, and thus seemed out other methods. He clearly wanted to come here, and went through numerous barriers that would've prevented him. "Why do you wish to be a Huntsman so much?"
The question was enough to have the blond pause. He swallowed his food and simply mulled over his thoughts for several seconds. For a moment she thought he wouldn't give her a response, though he looked up at her a moment later with an uncertain expression on his face.
"It's… it's hard to say I guess. My great grandfather, and my grandfather, and my dad were all huntsmen, but that's just not the reason why I want to be one, I think? I kind of always dreamed of it when I was a kid, hearing stories of hero's all the time, but more than that I guess I just wanted to do something with my life that helped people you know? I wanted to accomplish something that had an effect. Maybe it's stupid, I don't know… but still, it's my dream."
A rather regular, idealistic answer. He wished to be a hero that had an effect on the world. Many people uttered that line but let by as soon as things became too difficult, or when their life was truly on the line. With him though, she felt that she believed it. It was ridiculous, he was nothing special; he was clumsy, weak, and didn't provide her with an ounce of danger.
Yet, she believed him.
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"I'm telling you Renny, what if Jaune's getting seduced and sucked in by that vixen's dirty clutches! What if she's an alien, or a vampire...or a alien vampire!"
"Nora…" A quiet, much less eccentric voice sighed. Pink eyes watched with dismay, as his partner spied on their team leader through large binoculars. He had not an inkling as to where she even got them from, one second they were talking and the next she was pulling him towards a building while pulling out a pair of binoculars from her shirt. No explanation, they were simply there, and he did not wish to ask what they were even doing there.
The two had been walking through Vale with some groceries after Nora was adamant that they were low on pancakes. They weren't of course- but considering how much Nora ate- they would more than likely finish the entire batch by the end of the week. On their way back to Beacon, they spotted their team leader through the large window of a rather well kept restaurant. What was even more surprising was that he was there with a woman. He immediately tried to steer Nora's attention away, but not even he could suppress her attention from this, and now, a full hour later, he was dragged into spying on his friend.
He could see Nora's grip tighter further around the rims of the binoculars, more than likely meaning the two had been visibly enjoying their time together. Sighing once more, Ren raised his hand and gently pushed the object down.
"Nora, this is wrong."
"B-but what if something happens? We don't know anything about her!"
They both knew she was lying through her teeth. Some may have believed her words, but he knew her far better than others did. The journey that the two orphans had led together was hard, but it was also enough to make them connected on a level few people reached. Nora was worried about what this meant for Pyrrha. It was no secret that the redhead had affections beyond friendship for her partner. He was certain the entirety of Beacon had known it by now, everyone except Jaune himself. Even then, Pyrrha had never bothered to be straightforward with her approach, they had both warned her countless times already, but… well he knew how hard it could be, to be honest about the things you felt deep inside. It was almost ironic, considering his semblance was the clearing of emotion.
"I understand, Nora. But we must believe in Jaune. We aren't even certain if this really is a date, we both know Jaune would have more than likely asked one of us for advice by now if it was."
That had been enough to somewhat lift up her spirits. The ginger sighing as she turned around and rested her back against the building ridges.
"I know, I know… What if something does happen though? I mean what if Jaune falls for this girl, and...and…."
She didn't have to finish, he already knew what she was going to say.
"Then we support him, and we support Pyrrha."
She simply smiled at him, and nodded.
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By the time the two had finished eating and drinking, the mid afternoon had gradually become early within the night. She walked out into the streets with a gentle chill swaying in the air. Jaune exited the restaurant soon after, a content sigh escaping his lips.
"Man, that was good." He spoke with a grin, stretching an arm over his head. "I didn't think she'd manage to make a place as good as this so quickly. But damn if she proved me wrong."
Cinder simply smiled, turning her body to face him slightly. "Your mothers friend has certainly come up with something pleasant. I'll more than likely return someday." She was surprised to find that she meant the words. The atmosphere wasn't so formal that it felt pretentious, but enough that it didn't cater to those that would bring screaming children inside. The actual menu itself wasn't bad either, and the wine was admittedly… pleasing.
Jaune had also somehow managed to not be horrid company. Despite his awkward nature, his denseness meant that she could gain information at a steadfast pace while maintinh casual, all under the guise of a curious friend.
Friend… that job was meant to fall under Emerald. Though if she had to be roped into it, then so be it.
A quick look at her scroll told her it was approaching ten. While she would like to maintain some more time out at night- preferably by herself- she had a meeting to attend tomorrow in the morning with Adam. A look towards Jaune told her he more than likely had similar obligations, if the expression on his face, after checking on his scroll was anything to go by.
"It'll take us about an hour to get to Beacon if we go now. Would you, uh...like to go with me?"
What a stupid question. They were going to the same place, separating from him now would simply be a tedious affair if they'd need to go in the same direction anyway.
"I don't mind, Jaune."
"Great! Uhm, I think I know a shortcut to the bullheads through the park, it's actually really pretty." He spoke as he began to lead her, she silently followed him. Amber eyes darted along the streets, enjoying the view it provided. While the hum of the city produced a lullaby.
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The two idly spoke about Beacon on their way to the bullheads. It had been roughly twenty or so minutes by now, and they were at the heart of the park trail. Jaune seemed to be surprisingly intelligent in regards to tactical planning, if the team moves he had brought up were any indication. He had asked her about what she thought in order to simply gauge her opinion of his thought process, unknowingly feeding information to the enemy.
She also found that Jaune was surprisingly correct about the park trail. The early moonlight bathed the dim emerald trees in a silver glow. The shattered moon hanging within the eternal abyss. The winds felt pleasant against her warm skin, while the grass shimmied like waves crashing along a beach. It was… nice, she found herself admitting.
"Hey, Cinder?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you." he began, running the back of his neck nervously as his gaze left her own. "For helping me train, I mean. I trained on my own and my partner helped me a ton, but, well the things I learned from you have really helped in sparring."
She found herself taken aback by his words. While yes the sparring would provide him with some insight, it shouldn't be enough for this much gratitude. She peered towards the male who watched her with dark sapphire eyes, her own golden orbs somewhat curious.
"I haven't done much, most of what has been done has come from you."
He shook his head quickly. "Nope!"
"No..?"
"Nope!" He snickered, as if on some inside joke. "Sure I'm getting better, but it's like I'm progressing faster than ever before. Heck, yesterday I almost managed to beat Cardin!"
He had indeed gotten close the previous day. While it wasn't very impressive to her, Cardin was in the upper half of the class. Going from what was supposedly dead last to doing as well as he did must've felt like a shocker for the blond.
"I really do owe some of that thanks to you. So...thank you."
"I didn't do much." She repeated, while being graceful made sense, this much wasn't warranted. "You got into Beacon on your own, Jaune. You would have been fine on your own."
She hated being this...this encouraging. He had taken up far too much of her time for her to spend even more of it uttering words like some supportive friend. Though, what caught her attention even more than the irritation at her gut, was the stiff look on his face. He looked..saddened, disappointed even.
Without warning, the blond halted with a downcast gaze. Curiously; she paused as well. He looked troubled. He always did when she brought up his skill level. She stepped towards him slowly, eyes peering forwards. "Jaune..?" She began, and he simply sighed. Muttering to himself words that were not coherent enough for her to make out.
"Jaune, I can't help if you don't speak clear enough."
He finally looked up to meet her eyes. He looked conflicted, if the emotion behind his tempest eyelids were anything to go by. The once vivid blue had become stormy in shade, glossed over even. She could feel his eyes search her face for something- anything. Finally he simply sighed out, sitting back upon a nearby bend with a loud groan, face buried within his hands.
"I didn't."
Confused, she stepped forwards. Treading towards him slowly until only a foot or so of distance sat between them. "Didn't what, Jaune?"
"I didn't make it to Beacon like the others."
"What do you-"
"I'm a fake!" He suddenly managed, before continuing before she could question further. "A fake, a liar, a fraud. I got into Beacon with fake transcripts. I got in based off a lie."
What…?
All this time she thought he was something else. Perhaps placed in by Ozpin, or a spy for Torchwick or anyone else. Yet this explained things perfectly, his skill level, how he got in, and why he acted like he was as weak as he was.
Several emotions ran through her. Fury at having thought he could be more, anger and frustration at being saved by someone this incompetent, annoyance at wasting all this time and becoming what was practically a surrogate mentor for him.
Yet most of all…
She felt amusement.
Jaune Arc had given her the impression of an idealistic idiot. Someone who followed the rules to a T, someone that preached about what the right thing to do was. Never in a millennium would she think that he could commit a serious crime all so he could accomplish his goals.
Maybe, there was more to the idealistic fool than she thought.
She was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed he was waiting for her response. She blinked as she searched his face, finding all kinds of emotions written across them. Nervousness, anxiety, uncertainty, desperation, and dread.
Yet all she could ask was a single word.
"Why?" She asked, and at his confused expression she continued. "Why tell me this?"
He blinked and leaned back within his seat. Chewing on his lip in thought. "I guess you just deserved to know. I-I already told my team, and I told Ruby. I figured you should know too. I..I think Ozpin knows too.." At her surprised expression, he continued. "Yeah..I talked to him a little while back. After what happened with Goodwitch. He didn't outright say it, but he kind of hinted at it all mysterious like."
So Ozpin knew? Yet he didn't seem to care? She found herself curious as to why. Was it because of his family lineage? It could add context, yet she couldn't understand why he'd risk someone like that.
"I...see."
"You...you aren't mad?"
She was mad, to an extent. Generally just at having spent so much time wasted on thoughts of what he could be. Though she found that she respected his actions, something that surprised her.
"No, I am not. While you did fake your transcripts, you still did pass initiation, something that many students who trained through combat school could not achieve. That means that you do deserve to be here."
The effect was immediate, his face contorted into one of pure glee. Excitement washed over him as the boy nearly leaned in to hug her, though he seemed to think better of it and pulled back.
"Thank you, Cinder." He smiled, though seemed to think of something a moment later as a laugh erupted past his lips. "Oh Gods, you should've seen me on my first day. I had no training, nearly knew nothing about Grimm, and I didn't even know what aura was!"
That was admittedly quite amusing. She felt her lips twitch at the thought.
"-and get this; Ozpin launched me into the Emerald forest! Straight into Grimm before anyone else! No warning or anything, and he apparently knew I didn't have aura too."
That was enough, and without her control; a deeper grin formed across glossy lips.
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Jaune was on cloud nine.
He expected many things; for Cinder to feel disappointed, or angry, or maybe even coddle him. Yet what he didn't expect was for her to simply shrug it off, heck she seemed to think it was funny! Her reaction was more than uplifting, and he practically bounced to the bullheads with her.
On their way to Beacon, Cinder fixated him with a curious look half way through. "Jaune?"
"Yeah?"
"Out of curiosity; how did you even attain transcripts like that in the first place?"
Blinking, the blond shrugged.
"Oh. So after I made it to Vale, I kinda just walked around at night, then I found this club where a bunch of guys in suits wore red sunglasses inside, and I thought 'yeah, this place looks sketchy enough.' Then I kinda just asked around until this guy in a white suit, bowler hat, and mascara approached me and asked if I needed help."
She blinked, once, twice, and finally a third time, before finally turning away with a tight, almost scary smile.
"Oh and uh, I think his name was... Romeo Candlestick?"
"I...I see…"
He was certain he heard the words 'Dammit, Roman.' uttered under her breath...
Dammit Roman...
so I will be the first to admit Iam quite uncertain about this chapter. I spent days just debating over every little thing. Including their conversation and my choice of Jaune telling her about his transcripts. Honestly I'm still unsure about it, so I hope I made the right decision.
More things the two connect about in this chapter. In the previous we see cinder note jaunes desire to become stronger, while in this one she becomes amused and even surprised by the lengths he would go to achieve his goals. A commenter noted that I mentioned we would see more than just kindness be the reason for their growth and connection. This is true, while kindness will be the "boat" itself that lets cinder cross the river, all the other things we have and will end up seeing behave as the motor and different things that push their relationship forward.
Future Fics:
As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I'll be writing a Knightfall one shot that features Queen Cinder and Widower Jaune. But it's actually not the only or first fic I will be writing up. I'll be doing a Lancaster 2-3 shot before completing that fic. Don't worry Iam still continuing In His Kindness, but the updates will be a little slower until those two finish. Please tell me what you think of the two Fics in the comments and if you'd be interestedin them. Down below will be the synopsis for both Fics.
In Memory of You and Me
The fall leaves had just begun to wilt, and the once strong heat had begun to weaken, replaced by the chill of fall. It had been a soft afternoon, one where the sun's shine couldn't pierce through the clouds that littered the skies. He had not known it then, but that day would soon be the most important day of his life.
Because that was the day, that he had met Ruby Rose.
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The Empress
He had travelled an indescribable distance to reach shelter, to reach this kingdom. His bones felt like led, and his muscles roared in aching pain. Yet all of those feelings seemed to wash away as warmth swept over him. Within the throne room guards were absent, instead a single woman was present; candles shimmering on either side of her, as she seemed to practically glow at the center of the room like a burning fireplace.
Her amber eyes fixated on him, as a slow smile soon spread across her face. Strengthening his nerves... he would speak.
"The creatures of Grimm have washed away my town and taken away my wife, what should I do... my Queen?
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Well that's all folks. I sincerelyhope you have all enjoyed this chapter. Please follow, share and tell me what you guys think