Secret Santa Fic for JealousCartoonist
Inspiration from: post/622937359225389056/yes-i-know-we-already-have-a-cinderella-in-rwby
A/N: I plotted this out well before Cinder finally got a backstory and once that came out it felt sliiiightly wrong to do a pseudo Cinderella story featuring Ruby but oh well. It diverges from the original story quite a lot.
The kingdom was absolutely bustling with news of the Grand Ball.
Rumor had it that this event was to find a proper suitor for the Crown Prince, Oscar.
It was to be the largest event of the decade, more open to the public than many events but also with many important and influential people planning to come. There was much talk of the preparations happening at the palace in the weeks leading up to the event as even those with no plans or no means to attend enjoyed participating in the excitement.
Many were sent into a tizzy of daydreams of meeting the love of their life at the ball. With all that talk about the prince those daydreams tended to prominently feature him. For some the daydreams morphed into full on scheming and for others they remained fun fantasies that filled the streets with quiet whispers and giggles of just how romantic it would be to get a moment alone with such a charming and handsome prince.
The rumors, however fun, were patently false.
Yes this was to be an event of massive proportions and King Ozpin certainly hoped that a few people might find a spark of romance for themselves that night but he wasn't doing this to marry off his adoptive son to the first or most enthusiastic party-goer who made a move.
"Just because that wasn't what you meant to do, doesn't mean they won't try." Oscar pointed out, voicing his anxieties as the day of the ball grew closer.
"Ah but that's just part of the fun!" Ozpin replied, a far too pleased look on his face.
"Fun for you maybe…"
"And fun for everyone else too. They are making their own fairytales that prominently feature themselves. The human imagination is a wonderful thing."
Oscar sighed, he should have known that a chat with Ozpin wouldn't exactly quell his fears in a normal way but it did sort of help even so, just a little bit. "You're sure I have to go?"
"You've never had a miserable time at a party thus far. You can see your friends, maybe meet someone new… Just try to celebrate with everyone."
In this kingdom still bustling about a ball lived a beautiful girl named Ruby Rose.
Ruby had never been to a ball. In fact Ruby couldn't at all recall attending a party where she didn't have to do all the prep work and clean up, only getting scraps of the food that was served.
She lived in a lovely house with her stepmother Salem, and her two stepsisters, Cinder and Neo. Despite the high status of the family and the fact that they could more than afford to hire servants, Salem treated Ruby as nothing but a scullery maid herself. She made Ruby do all the work around the house while Cinder and Neo did seemingly everything they could to make it more difficult. Cinder was more direct in her ways of showing disdain, she would make huge messes right when Ruby had something important to do,or she would burn Ruby's possessions for fun. Neo was more subtle, waiting until no one was looking to set up situations that would frame Ruby as having messed up. Putting bleach into the wash with the dark clothing Ruby was cleaning, or slipping an ingredient someone in the family was mildly allergic to into a meal Ruby was preparing.
Ruby had grown rather numb to all their antics after dealing with them for so long.
The step family was of course planning on going to the ball and all the talk of the prince looking to find a suitor had certainly gotten back to them. For the last month Salem had been coaching Cinder in this elaborate scheme to catch the prince's attention, ensuring that they had planned down to the last little detail.
Ruby thought it all a little silly because no matter how much they planned there was always a change that Cinder wouldn't run into the prince at all, or he wouldn't like her if he did meet her, maybe even see through that thin veneer of faked kindness to how cruel Cinder could actually be.
None of that was Ruby's problem though and she had the sense to not voice any of these opinions. She had other things on her mind.
For the first time in her life she was going to go to a ball. Salem had given permission (however offhandedly, it was still a yes!).
For years, during her limited free time she would work at Pietro's mechanic shop in town to earn money. She had a certain talent for weapon repairs which were nearly always a necessity for anyone traveling outside the city limits where beasts and bandits lurked.
Most of the money she earned at this job was tucked away to someday move far away from her stepfamily but for the last few months she had saved up the money and bought herself a lovely dress. The style of it might have been a bit unconventional- particularly when in combination with the boots she was planning to wear with it- but the fabric was silky to the touch and a deep red color and trimmed with an intricate lace at the hem. She was incredibly proud to have this tangible proof of the work she had put in to get to this point.
The morning before the ball, Ruby woke up early to go to the market to do the grocery shopping. She knew if she wanted time to get ready she would have to get all of her chores done as quickly as possible because here was always a chance Salem would add new tasks to the list.
The excitement in the air was palpable everywhere she went. It was the only thing anyone around was talking about it seemed. Normally Ruby was happy to talk idly with the owners of the various food stalls but today she just nodded along politely as she filled her basket, not lingering for the chit-chat.
Ruby arrived home, basket heavy with produce heavy on her arm, with plenty of time to complete the rest of her chores. She put away all the food and went immediately to cleaning. She took extra care to avoid her step family as Salem was already getting the girls dressed up and ready meaning they would all probably be looking to take their anxiety out on her.
By early afternoon Ruby has finished up and finally can retire to her room to rest and get ready. Her room was in the cellar, not much larger than a closet. It could get cold and damp in there during the winter and after downpours of rain though right now it was pleasantly cool compared to the hot summer weather.
She had done a lot to make it cozy and comfortable. Every inch of wall was decorated, her bed piled up with blankets, and her shelf lined with books she bought over the years from a thrift store in town.
When Ruby opened the door to her room she saw something that made her blood run cold. Cinder, perfectly dressed up and ready for the ball, perching on the end of her bed, holding Ruby's dress.
Cinder smirked with an awful twist to her lips when she saw Ruby, like she was laying in wait for this moment, a lit candle held in one hand.
The dress had been hidden at the back of her closet so there was no way Cinder just tumbled on it.
"I thought you were joking about going to the ball. You can't be serious." Cinder said with a mock laugh.
"No… I wasn't joking." Ruby's voice already held a hint of defeat, already knowing where this was going to go.
"Do you seriously think anyone there would be interested in /you/?" Disgust radiated from Cinder in those words.
"That's not why I-" Ruby was cut off before she could finish her sentence.
"And this dress. You'll be turned away at the door for wearing something so low class." Cinder held the dress up as if appraising it for it's every flaw, as if it was too hideous to look at for too long.
"I…" That hurt more than it should for how many insulting things Cinder had said to her over the years. She had grown a rather thick skin about it but this dress was really important to her.
"Really, dear sister, I should save you from the embarrassment. You could tarnish our family name." Cinder brought the candle up until the flame of it licked the lace trim, making it curl, then crisp, then catch fire.
"Please stop." Ruby whispers, knowing it was useless, she knew what was about to happen the moment she saw Cinder in here.
It didn't completely catch fire, put a few flames eat at the edges and creep up the bottom of the skirt, leaving it a mess of holes and ash. Cinder says nothing else to her, simply unceremoniously dropping the dress in a pile on the ground, stepping on it as if to put out a still burning ember on her way out.
Ruby waited until the last of the burning embers died down before picking the dress up and bundling it in her lap as she sat on her bed. She sat frozen like that in silence, her ears ringing as she tried to bite back tears. There was no way she could mend this in time for the ball. She couldn't afford to get new fabric even if she had the time.
All she had wanted was to share this one special night with everyone who was so excited about it but that was ruined.
"I wish I didn't live with these awful people." She muttered to herself. "I wish they would just disappear." She took a breath and all at once any anger she held just deflated into grief as tears finally spilled. "No… I just wish I could go to this ball."
In her mind she had held this event as a moment of defiant freedom, that if she could never escape Salem and she lived the rest of her life like this then at least she got this one wonderful moment.
"You called?" A voice broke the silence, startling Ruby so badly she nearly fell off the bed.
In front of her was a familiar man- er Fairy, technically. He stood in proper Fairy Godmother attire, a clearly enchanted black dress with translucent red fairy wings fluttering behind him. In contrast with the traditional look was his much less conventional scythe-style magic wand at his side and the full martini glass held precariously in his hand.
"Oh! …. You." Ruby sighed in relief as she got her bearings after being so startled.
"Well don't go sounding too thrilled about seeing your Fairy Godmother kiddo. You summoned me, remember?" He put on the airs of being dramatically offended though his smile told a different story.
Ruby wiped the lingering tears from her eyes before she spoke. "No it's… sorry, it's good to see you actually Qrow."
In all honesty she had almost forgotten that wishing for things summoned him. She didn't exactly even know why that happened. When she asked before all she got was a shrug from Qrow and some half-excuses about the 'mysterious ways of magic'.
It had been a long time since she'd wished for anything actually. Her memories of her childhood were blurry at best but she could vaguely recall how she'd make all sorts of silly wishes just to have him come visit. He was odd and always a little tipsy but he was also so much nicer than her step-family that it made her earlier years with them much more tolerable.
"I didn't actually mean to call you, it was sort of an accident." She admitted after a moment.
"Hmm, well even if it was an accident, I'm here now so why don't you tell an 'ol Qrow your woes. Looks like you've had a rough time of it." He walked with a strut in his step over the small distance to her bed, sitting down next to her. He took a long drink from his seemingly never emptying glass as he waited for her to talk.
Ruby started and stopped her attempts to explain several times before she got all the words out, still stumbling over herself. She gave more detail than could possibly ever be needed but this was the first time in a long time she ever let all these emotions out. She had friends in town but she never ever let any of them know the cruelty of her 'family'. Her Fairy Godmother already knew of these things so for once it was safe.
She began to cry again as her words flowed. Qrow was content to listen in his somewhat drunkenly glazed over state.
"-and now I can't go because my dress is ruined and it's not like I have anything else I could wear and the ball is in just a few hours and I'm never going to get a chance like this again."
Ruby finally took a pause and Qrow chuckled.
"Well if it's only an outfit you need then I can fix you up fine."
"Wait, really?" It hadn't actually crossed her mind that he could help with that..
"Yeah that's what I'm here for. Mmm, but there's limits to it, I think you remember that." Qrow said, fiddling with is scythe-wand as he got ready to do some magic.
Yes Ruby remembered there were limits, there were always strange caveats to any wish she made but right now she could barely bother to care. "Okay! That's fine, I don't mind as long as I get to go. Wait um what are the limits?"
"It'll wear off at the stroke of midnight. Indefinite magic gives the worst sort of headache to do."
"Are you sure that's not just a hangover?" Ruby mumbed, being immediately met with a shove and grumble from Qrow.
"Shush you. No sassing your godmother. Magic works in mysterious ways.
Speaking of which, magicking you up might make you a little harder to recognize. Not that you'll look different, just a side effect of illusionary magic."
Ruby nodded along, none of those terms sounded awful and now she was just in a rush to make it happen. "Okay goes away at midnight and I'm sorta in disguise, I can handle that."
"Great, go put that dress on then and I'll get you all set. Best to work from a base product to build onto y'know."
"Get out of my room then please?" Ruby started ushering him out of her room so she could have space to change.
"M'kay, I'll wait outside." He swayed as he walked out of the room, leaning against the wall in the hall as she got ready.
Ruby carefully slipped the dress on, as if trying to prevent it from crumbling more than it already had. Dark ash smeared her skin as the burnt bits brushed against her. She put her boots and accessories on to finish the look. One glance at her small, cracked mirror had her frowning. She looked absolutely ridiculous. It took her longer than it should have to build back up the confidence to call Qrow back in but eventually she did.
"Oh good, you're all ready." Qrow came to stand beside her. "Time for the magic words, you know the drill." He lazily waved his scythe-wand over her head while in a dramatic and slurred fashion exclaiming "Bippity boppity boo!"
Ruby could feel the hum of magic before she could see it. The dress seemingly mended itself all at once, fitting even better than before. She was so captivated by how well it worked that she did notice the other alterations until she took a step and immediately lost her balance, sticking her arms out to keep herself from falling. Her nice practical knee high boots were now sparkling ruby red heeled shoes.
"Why did you give me stilts to walk on?" She asked, still trying to keep herself upright.
"Isn't that just what people wear to these things?" Qrow shrugged, completely unbothered.
"I'm going to trip and die before I get there." Ruby commented half to herself, but she didn't want to be ungrateful and he had done something wonderful for her.
"Thank you for this." She eventually added.
"Yeah yeah, any time. I'd love to stick around but I do have things to do, places to be. So go enjoy that ball, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He said, seemingly uncomfortable with the appreciation and in a rush to escape it, he disappeared in a blink.
Ruby walks the length of her room several times, trying to get a hang of walking in these shoes.
She didn't dare leave her room until she was certain her step family had already left for the ball because she dreadd what Cinder might do if she saw Ruby all dressed up- or worse what Salem might do.
When finally she is sure it is safe to leave, she heads out immediately to the palace.
The ball was in full motion when she arrived. It's the most beautiful thing she has ever seen with people laughing, drinking, and dancing the night away to beautiful music performed by a live orchestra. There were tables filled with the most luxurious snacks and servants going around to cater to guests as well. There were of course guards posted around but even they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ruby was a bit out of sort, unsure what to do with herself but more than content to just take it all in.
She has been seated in a quieter corner, enjoying some snacks when a man sidles up next to her to start a conversation which leads into asking her to dance. She politely declined but this repeated itself once again with an entirety different and more persistent lad who was determined to dance with her. She wouldn't be able to dance in these silly shoes even if she knew how to or wanted to so she less than politely bid him farewell and walked away, trying to find somewhere she won't be pestered.
She weaved through the crowds, paying little attention to who was there. It was during this escape that she stumbled terribly, instinctually grabbing at something to keep herself from falling on her face. The tearing sound of fabric was audible as she realized she grabbed the sleeve of some woman's dress. The horrified screech from that woman was what made her realize the person she had grabbed was none other than Cinder.
Ruby stole a glance at the scene, Cinder having clearly been mid-conversation, now with a torn sleeve and wine covering her whole front from a glass that had been jostled.
Ruby quickly ducked her head, hiding her face, planning how to escape, praying that Cinder hadn't noticed who she was. As it turned out, an escape plan was unnecessary as Cinder stormed off and away from all the prying eyes watching this scene play out.
Ruby stayed knelt there, stewing in her own mortification, wishing in her head to just disappear.
"Hey, are you okay?" Someone asked, bending down and offering her a hand up.
"I'm… fi- fine?" Her voice cracked mid word as she took his offered hand and finally got a proper look at him. Her gaze sliding from his face to the circlet on his head. Without that, she would have no clue who he was, she had never seen the prince before after all.
She had made no move to stand yet but Prince Oscar had also made no move to help her up either. They were frozen like this, hand held, staring at each other.
For Ruby it was the shock of meeting the prince and him kindly trying to help her (and he was as pleasant looking as everyone said).
For Oscar it was because when his eyes met her he was utterly and inexplicably captivated. His heart skipped a long beat and he couldn't seem to look away.
In the same instant they both snapped out of it. Oscar helped her up in one swift motion, completely red in the face as he processed just how long he'd been staring at her.
"I'm-" Ruby was instantly interrupted.
"No I'm-" Oscar tried to say.
"Sorry"
"Sorry."
They said in the same moment, looking down and away from each other.
They fumbled over each other's apologies for another moment and finally got the courage to look at each other again. Another pause, just for a breath and they both laugh.
"It's not a big deal. If I'm being honest you sort of saved me there? I had been trying to get out of that conversation for a while and that definitely took care of it." Oscar explained, rubbing the back of his neck as he confessed that.
Ruby held in another laugh, it would be very difficult to explain just how funny this situation was to her personally. "Well I'm happy to be a help?"
She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as she was quickly becoming acutely aware of just how many people were still watching them.
"I should probably go do- do something else, something ball related, you know."
She turned away and tried to disappear into the crowd, headed outside to get some fresh air.
"Wait!" Oscar called but she didn't seem to hear him. There wasn't a thought in his head as he followed right after her out to one of the balconies. It was quiet out there and a major relief for him to have a break from people constantly wanting something from him.
When she noticed him approaching he flustered again, he had no reasonable explanation for why he followed her other than this undercurrent need to get to know her.
"Are you enjoying the ball?" He asked, internally cursing himself for such a bland introduction.
Ruby was more at ease without so many people around. Even if it was a little nerve racking to be speaking to someone so important, she was somehow less on edge than when anyone else at the ball had approached her.
"I don't really have anything to compare it with but it's sort of amazing?" It was true, it was all so grand and amazing, even if she did have to dodge a couple of people it was still one the most incredible things she'd ever been a part of.
"Oh, so it's your first time attending a ball then? I'm glad it's been good."
"Yeah I mean, all the books I loved when I was little had castles and grand balls in them and I never thought it would actually be like those stories. Turns out yeah it really is." Ruby took a seat on the bench to finally get off her feet.
"I loved those sorts of stories growing up too. I guess it's weird now to think about how people dream of becoming royalty, being a prince or princess. I went from living on a farm to being adopted into this and then those stories were less fun to read." He hadn't really read any books like that since he moved into the palace, now that he thought about it. They all lost their charm.
"I always wanted to be a knight in those stories actually." Ruby admitted.
"Oh really?" Somehow that didn't seem surprising at all, he had known her for no more than a few minutes but there was a certain spark to her that made that so believable.
"Yeah I just loved the idea of protecting people that can't protect themselves, y'know?"
"Remind me to introduce you to the castle guards sometime, I really think you'd like them." Oscar noted. "But that's a really nice dream you have though. I think sometimes imagining things is more fun than the reality of it? I'm very lucky to be in this position but living it made dreams of it more dull...I'm sorry I'm rambling!"
Ruby covered her mouth to conceal a grin. "No, it's fine. I know what you mean but I want to believe that sometimes reality can be even better than dreams if it's the right reality for you."
"That's- hm I think I'd like to believe that too." Oscar mumbled, leaving them sitting in comfortable silence side by side for a long moment.
"Would you like to go back inside and dance?" He eventually asked, worried she might grow bored with him otherwise.
Ruby shook her head immediately "Oh please no! I mean I'd love to but… erm you saw me trip back there, I don't really want to have a repeat performance."
"Okay then do you want to go on a walk?" Oscar just didn't want to leave her side, not yet.
"That would be nice actually." Ruby didn't particularly want to end their conversation either.
Like a proper gentleman, Oscar offered her his arm to link together which abated any of her lingering anxiety about tripping again.
Oscar led her through a quieter path out of the castle and out along a cobble pathway that snaked around the rear courtyards and into the gardens. Lit only by the moonlight it was gorgeous, overflowing with different flowers and vines covering every surface other than the path itself.
Their evening was filled with conversation, once past the initial awkwardness they slipped into comfortably chatting about all sorts of meaningless things.
Time had melted away for the both of them.
That was, until the gonging sound of the clock tower atop the castle interrupted Ruby mid sentence.
She went pale.
"I have to go." She said, pulling away from him. She could already feel the magic beginning to fade as she hurried away.
"Wait come back!" Oscar held a hand out like he wanted to stop her, like he hoped she would listen and turn around for even a moment.
Just before she was out of Oscar's view she stumbled once more, the heel of one of the slippers getting caught between two stones in the path.
Oscar flinched, taking one step forward. "Oh, are you okay?"
She didn't have time to waste and she hated these stupid shoes anyways so she just slid her foot out of it and kept on running.
Ruby was well on her way out when Oscar stooped down to pick up her shoe. The clock had struck midnight and that slipper had reverted back to its old form as a boot.
"You left your...boot?" He muttered to himself in complete confusion as he stared at it.
Ruby's dress was back to it's charred state by the time she had left the palace property. She hobbled her way home with one boot and one foot with nothing more than a sock on it.
Sneaking back inside her home went better than she was expecting. She was able to get to her room and change out of the ruined dress without anyone seeing her. None of that stopped Cinder from being in a foul mood and barging demanding Ruby draw her a bath. This time Ruby couldn't even claim that Cinder's mood wasn't her fault, even if Cinder wasn't aware that it was Ruby who had interrupted her plans.
The morning after the ball Oscar sulked through breakfast. He just couldn't get his mind off the girl he had spoken with at the ball.
Four of his guards who were more just friends of his than anything else often joined him for meals when there was no formal gathering in place. Today was no different but there was a certain tension in the air.
"Soooo, how was the ball?" One of his guards, Nora asked, breaking the silence with a smile that told him she was already perfectly aware of how it went.
"It was fine. It was a ball." Oscar answered blandly, still staring at his food that he pushed around on his plate.
"Just fine? Hmm well I heard you disappeared with some pretty girl and didn't show back up all night." Nora pressed more, leaning in with an intense expression like she was rearing for a full interrogation. Ren put a hand on her shoulder to try and rein her in.
"Oh you met someone?" Jaune asked and Oscar genuinely couldn't tell if he was teasing or if he was completely out of the loop. "What's her name?"
Oscar shrunk in on himself with a quiet sigh."I don't know, I didn't ask."
"Wait wait wait, you spend all night with this girl and you don't even ask her name? How are you going to find her again?" Pure horror present in Nora's voice as she asked that.
"I guess I probably won't." Oscar said like he was trying to come to terms with that himself.
"If you are meant to meet again, I think your paths will cross." Pyrrha chimed in right as Oscar was getting ready to leave the table.
The entire day following Oscar felt like he was in a daze. He couldn't concentrate for any of his lessons, which got him scolded by one of his etiquette teacher, Glynda, and told to leave early since he clearly 'had his head in the clouds'.
Even King Ozpin commenced on it in passing with that odd smile on his face that always irked Oscar just a little bit.
When he finally had enough of all the 'knowing' comments and teasing he dug out his commoner clothes from his closet and slipped them on. He used to sneak out much more often because sometimes he missed being looked at like a normal person. He hadn't done this in a while and the clothes didn't quite fit anymore but he really needed some space.
Oscar wandered aimlessly through the maze of streets in the city surrounding the palace. For the first time all day he felt relaxed as he blended into the crowd with on stares or comments. There was always the slightest bit of tension he held from always having to perform in a princely manner, but here no one expected anything of him.
He was window shopping at an antique store when someone passing by catches his eye.
Maybe Pyrrha's comment about paths crossing if they were meant to wasn't so silly because he sees this girl and his brain goes completely fuzzy like it was trying to piece things together while his heart skips in a way that's becoming very familiar to him.
"Hey wait!" He called out, jogging to catch up with her, not paying mind to how odd this might seem to bystanders.
Ruby doesn't immediately realize it's her that's being called out to. Not until he catches up to her. She started, stopping mid-stride to look at him. Despite his change of clothes she recognized him immediately. She was nervous and happy and confused all at the same time. She never thought she'd see him again and didn't think he would care to talk to her again either.
"Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. I guess that was pretty weird to do." Oscar said apologetically, realizing this was the second time in a row they had an awkward greeting.
"No, no it's okay I just wasn't expecting to see you again!" Ruby explained, unsure what to say or do now. "Do you come around here often?" She asked, just to fill the silence.
"Sometimes it's just nice to be able to take a walk without people staring, you know?" Oscar answered, genuinely thrilled to talk to her about literally anything right now.
"Won't people recognize you?" Ruby thought he was fairly recognizable, but then again she also had a whole night to take in the details about him.
"Well no one has so far, I think when people aren't expecting to see me I sort of blend into the background." The only person to recognize him thus far was her, but that was because he came running up to her so obviously.
"You weren't expecting to see me but I didn't blend into the background for you."
"Oh it's your eyes…" Oscar tapered off quickly, not wanting to admit that he'd been subconsciously scanning the crowd every moment he was out, hoping to run into her again.
"Hey, have you eaten lunch yet?" He changed the subject abruptly.
"I haven't but-"
"Well, would you care to join me? There's this little bakery I love around here."
Ruby was anxious both because the longer the less chores she was getting done but also because she didn't have the money on her to pay for lunch. But he looked so bright eyed and hopeful and that smile was killing her.
"I can't be out for too long, but okay." She answered finally.
"Really? Great!" Oscar was nearly bouncing on his feet as he offered her his arm reflexively, an overly formal gesture but sweet nonetheless.
Ruby laughed quietly but took his arm, ignoring the couple odd glances they earned.
Oscar led the way to this small corner shop filled to the brim with various baked goods. The sweet scent made her mouth water. She looked at all the different offerings as Oscar chatted with the old lady running the place, listing off the pastries he wanted to get.
He turned to Ruby after a moment and asked "What would you like?"
It hadn't occurred to her that he was offering to pay for her until then, she didn't have the money on her to actually buy anything so she was planning on just quietly not ordering anything.
She paused, internally scrambling to make a decision. "One of these?" She pointed to a flaky chocolate croissant that had caught her eye earlier. He picked up on her hesitance quickly and ordered both that and a couple of his personal favorites for her to try.
Once they gather up all their pastries they sit at the one small round table next to the window, settling down.
" Okay, weird question but it's been killing me ever since I last saw you." Oscar asked.
Ruby nodded, giving permission for him to go ahead and ask.
"How do I phrase this,,,,When you left, you dropped your boot? But you definitely weren't wearing a boot before that?"
Ruby blinked at him then laughed. "Yeah I get why you'd be thinking about htat for so long. It's well, it was magic? And no I'm not joking! I really mean it."
At first Oscar gave a slightly doubtful look but she seemed so genuine and there was no other good explanation either. "You know someone that can use magic then? Wow that's pretty rare nowadays."
There were traces of magic, some people were born with minor magical abilities and there were healers that cultivated that particular skill but it was rare to have someone perform magic for something like this.
"Yeah I've known him for my whole life I guess. Kinda an odd guy but also he's always been there or me so I guess I can't complain."
With that they fell into easy conversation once again and once again time slipped away.
Until she was abruptly brought back to reality from a comment by the old lady running the shop.
"Are you two planning to just honeymoon it here or what? We're losing daylight!" She asked, halfway between amused and annoyed at the two lovebirds.
Ruby froze, glancing out the window to note that indeed the sun was going down.
"Oh no, I have to go." She should've already been working on dinner and none of her other chores were done yet, scrubbing the floors always was so time consuming.
She was out the door before he could even call out to her, almost impossibly quickly.
"I didn't even ask you your name. Oscar grumbles as he buries his face against the cafe table.
Quite predictably Ruby was immediately scolded when she arrived home. She hadn't washed Neo's clothes in time and all her other chores were left to do too. She had to work far into the night without dinner to get it all done, though she wasn't too bothered after having a lovely lunch with Oscar. She figured that would be the last time she saw him, that fate decided to give her that nice little bit of closure with him, one nice happy moment she could think about as her knees ached from crawling on them scrubbing floors.
Oscar however wasn't at all satisfied in that being the last time they met. In fact had been skipping out on his lessons and duties, sneaking out in commoner's clothes constantly. It was not like him at all, normally he was highly responsible and took his role seriously.
After several days of this, King Ozpin interrupted one of his escape attempts. "If you needed a break, you could always just ask for one."
Oscar, very much having not expected Ozpin to be lurking by the exit he always snuck through to get to town, startled. "I'm- it's not that- it's-"
Ozpin just nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "You met someone." He answered for Oscar.
Oscar just sighed and nodded.
"Well, a little birdy was telling me about this girl who works at a mechanic's shop. Pietro's I believe? Interesting thing about her is she's got bright silver eyes, a pretty rare trait." Ozpin explained casually.
"I… didn't tell you she has silver eyes?" As odd as it was, Oscar had grown somewhat accustomed to Ozpin's odd ability to know things he really shouldn't be able to and knew that the half shrug and smirk he was given at that comment was all he would receive.
Ozpin stepped aside, clearing the way to the exit and gesturing for Oscar to go on.
Oscar began lingering around that shop whenever he could. He didn't see the girl that day, or the day after that. In fact it took almost a whole week and he was beginning to feel rather creepy for doing this.
He just wanted to know her name. If it turned out that she wanted nothing to do with him after that, then so be it.
But finally his determination paid off and she was there that day. He didn't approach her while she worked, not wanting to interrupt and be incredibly rude.
Instead he waited until she was off shift and out of the store, making himself very visible as he approached her. He had a whole thing to say planned out but it all left his brain the moment she saw him and looked happy to see him.
"Sorry to ah- ambush you here but I- someone told me where to find you and-" He just couldn't string a sentence together. "What's your name?" He finally blurted out.
Ruby was surprised to see him but already grinning at his awkward entrance. "Ruby, it's Ruby."
"Ruby." He repeated back to her with a look of wonder on his face that made her stomach flip. He said it like it was the most beautiful word he had ever heard.
"So Ruby, you work at a mechanic shop?" Oscar asked, as if he was looking for an excuse to say her name again.
"Yeah, I work on weapons mostly, it's fun."
"Weapons huh? How come?" He wanted to know everything about her, he realized.
"Well… same reason I dreamed of being a knight as a kid I think? It helps protect people, in any way I can manage. That and the way weapons are put together is sort of like a puzzle? I find it calming I think and- oh, I do have to get going soon though." She interrupted her self, knowing full well that they could talk for hours again.
"Come visit sometime!" Oscar said in a rush, not wanting to lose the chance to see her again.
"I can show you around, show you what it looks like when it's not crowded with people for a big party."
"If you're sure that's okay…" Ruby wanted to see him again too and seeing the rest of the palace sounded really interesting too.
"Absolutely! It won't be a problem, no one around will 's always a guard up at the front gate, just tell them who you are and they'll let you in."
Ruby felt warm at the implication he'd mentioned her to enough people that the guards would know who she was. She nodded. "I'll stop by as soon as I can, I promise."
She left for home feeling light and with every intention of visiting him.
Bogged down by chores, it's nearly two weeks later when she first gets a chance to visit. At the entrance to the castle stood a tall red haired woman in armor standing guard.
Ruby opens her mouth to introduce herself but doesn't even have to as the guard is already opening the door. "It is very good to meet you." she says. Ruby guessed Oscar really wasn't exaggerating about the guards knowing who she was.
"Wait here and the Prince will be right down." The guard assured.
Ruby stood in the main hall, looking at all the tapestries and portraits lining the walls as she waited.
Oscar showed up only minutes later, looking ecstatic and slightly out of breath as if he'd been running to get to her.
He reached out to her then hesitated. Like he wants to hug her or some show of affection but his etiquette training kicked in.
He held his hand out, palm up.
Ruby wasn't entirely sure what to do but took a guess and put her hand very lightly on top of it.
His fingers curled around hers as he lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
This was by noble standards a very appropriate greeting for a woman he highly respected- if not a little strange because of their status difference. Yet it felt more intimate than just about anything else he could have done. She stood there,red faced and dizzy as he lowered their hands but still held hers in his. "I'm glad you actually came."
"I promised I would, didn't I?"
"Well I'm very glad you keep your promises then… I missed you." He mumbled the last part before clearing his throat."May I give you a tour?"
"Of course, lead the way your majesty."
Oscar walked with her hand-in-hand through all the major parts of the castle. Quickly his tour got off track to them discussing other things with him briefly stating what room they were in but otherwise not bothering to give details about it, much more interested in the conversation at hand.
The sun is setting once again when they part ways, Oscar inviting her back any time she wants.
Rumor has it that the Prince is seriously courting a girl. She is over many times a week and several servants whisper of the fact they have seen the two snuggled up together when they thought no one was looking. Even without that damning evidence, the bright mood the Prince was constantly in told the story plainly enough.
Ruby had taken to visiting the palace rather than working at the shop. She knew Pietro would welcome her back no matter how long it had been since she last worked. Still, it made her a bit anxious to not be working on her savings currently but for once in her life she was so very happy.
Oscar had been serious about properly introducing Ruby to his guard friends. She got along with them easily, so easily in fact that they had begun teaching her the basics of fighting out in the training yard.
Whenever Oscar knew that was going to happen, he tried to get out of his duties early to go watch, it was always worth it to see.
This time around he got there just in time to watch Nora flip Ruby, pinning her to the ground.
"Nora… please try not to kill her, I think Oscar might actually get mad at us then." Jaune pointed out as Ruby stood up and brushed herself off.
"Oh come on, I'm not that breakable." Ruby laughed. "You next then." She grabbed one of the wooden training swords and stood at the ready for him.
A few parries from either side before Ruby went on the offensive, half accidentally Jaune over the head with it.
"Ow okay please don't kill me either." Jaune whined cradling his head.
Ruby snorted in an attempt to hide a laugh, completely unable to feign concern. "Hm but if I kill you do I get to take your place and be a guard?"
"What! No! Now I'm afraid you're actually going to kill me."
"You don't need to kill Jaune to have a place here. You are more than welcome to stay" Pyrrha said while sympathetically rubbing Jaune's shoulder, the only one willing to comfort him in his dramatics.
"I think there's another role you'd prefer over being a guard though." Ren noted, backed by Nora wagging her eyebrow to punctuate it with implication.
Ruby was less embarrassed now by this than she used to be. This teasing was commonplace now. There was no way it wasn't glaringly obvious to everyone that the prince was courting her. Honestly she hadn't put a whole lot of thought into it, it sort of just had been washing over her. Shows of affection are basically constant and they weren't exactly secret about it even if they weren't exactly clear about what they were to each other either.
It became a regular thing for Ruby to join Oscar for lunch or dinner on days when she visited. It was during one of these meals that she first met the King who apparently had the time to join them that particular day. King Ozpin was quite kind and welcoming to her, that dinner actually wasn't nearly as awkward as she was expecting it to be. The only thing was that he kept saying things that made it sound like he'd met her before. It was odd but also hard to put her finger on exactly. When the meal was over and they parted ways Oscar assured that he was just like that but that the King really did seem to approve of her.
Some days she and Oscar would go spend their time in the palace library together. Usually they would just quietly enjoy having the other around, leaning gently against each other as they read. Sometimes they would talk about the books they were reading and get completely sidetracked. On this particular day they were going through the shelves of storybooks, quick and simple to read but filled with nostalgia. One particular set of books caught Ruby's eye, pages faded to yellow with age and a gold trim around the edges. She grabbed for them before she noticed what she was doing, thumbing through the pages looking at the print and little illustrations. She hadn't noticed how long she had been standing there when Oscar snuck up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"What'd you have there?" He whispered.
"These books, I just, I remember them from when I was little but I think you're missing one?" There were three books she found on the shelf from this series but there should be a fourth one, the one she remembered best. "My mom- my birth mom used to read these too but my favorite was this one that had these warriors who could turn all the beasts in the forest to stone with their eyes? And well, they had silver eyes which I thought was so cool because both me and her had them too." Ruby explained, she couldn't even recall how the stories went, just like she couldn't really recall her mother. Sometimes she's sure she just dreamed it all up.
Oscar wasn't too keen on giving gifts. It felt odd to do when he had so much wealth, like he was trying to buy affection. Today though was different. It was Ruby's birthday and he'd been looking for this particular perfect gift all month long. Once she arrived he could hardly wait to give it to her.
"You've had that silly grin on since I've gotten here, it's making me nervous.." Ruby said, eyeing him carefully.
"Okay, okay, I was going to wait until later but, well- hold on." He turned tail, running up to his room and back to go grab the unwrapped present, returning soon after. "Here you go."
In her hands he placed a book with those yellowed pages and gold trim. She stared at the title 'The Warriors of the Woods', her fingers tracing the letters in awe. Her cheeks ached from the grin stuck on her face as dragged Oscar into a tight hug.
"Thank you so much!"
"Happy birthday." Oscar said as he hugged her in return.
Ruby's step-family was growing ever more suspicious as she kept returning home happy and grinning, humming songs to herself. Nothing seemed to manage to sour her mood whatsoever and every happy moment she showed only earned her more disdain and chores from Salem. Ruby did them all without complaint.
With Ruby around so often, Oscar began constantly skipping his lessons. All of his tutors eventually came up with a way to circumvent this by simply pulling Ruby into his lessons as well. Oobleck more or less ambushed them in the garden and gave them no room to politely escape as he handed them textbooks, paper, and pencils, diving right into a history lesson of the internal politics of the Kingdom of Vale.
One thing Oscar had learned about Ruby early on was that she hated being forced to sit still if it wasn't her choice. She began to fidget, then doodle, then as all this information droned on made her head buzz she began to drift off into a nap.
Oscar nudged her awake a couple times before taking his paper and writing her a little note.
'Think you'll survive?' He slid that over to her just before she began to doze again.
'I don't know! Is he always like this?' Her writing was scrawls that took Oscar a moment to decipher but once he did he quietly laughed.
'Pretty much, why do you think I skip out on this and spend time with you instead?' He replied.
'Saying I'm better than this isn't a compliment :( '
This was the first, but definitely not the last time Ruby was brought into his lessons. Any time they could get away with it they passed notes and laughed like little school kids to pass the time.
When Oscar was having a bad day, he liked to go climb up into the rafters of the stables. The palace had a large stable where they kept the horses and a few chickens roamed freely. It felt familiar and safe to him. It wasn't often that he had a truly bad day but today he was feeling very off. Ruby had come to visit that day and while it cheered him up in the way it always did, it didn't exactly fix everything. That day Oscar decided to show Ruby his hiding spot in the rafters. He led her to the stable and showed her how he climbed up there, sitting comfortably on one of the beams.
"You don't have to tell me but, is something wrong?" She asked, he had been so quiet today and they had never gone to spend time out here like this before.
"It's nothing… nothing in particular, just a bad day, I guess." Oscar admitted. "It's silly, I mean it's hard not to feel guilty about having a bad day when I have so much going or me."
Ruby scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I don't really think it's silly, if you want to talk about it, I'm right here." She rests her head against his.
Oscar took a moment to try to put it into words. "I'm thankful, for everything Ozpin has done for me. I'm a prince now, and he doesn't even push all these outdated royal rules on me or anything. But… I didn't exactly grow up this way? I grew up on a farm, and sometimes I just miss how simple everything was there and I miss my aunt and everything else."
Ruby understood then why he would want to go hide out here and in a way she could imagine how overwhelming this must be for him since what she's experienced of palace life was awfully overwhelming to her too.
She didn't think about it for even a moment before she turned her head to press her lips to his in a sweet reassuring kiss.
Now, affection was shown quite freely between them in private, nearly constantly touching. Kisses, on the cheek, forehead, back of the hand, those were all commonplace for them nowadays. Yet this right here was their first proper kiss.
They were both a bit red in the face at the realization but it felt like it hardly needed addressing, like it was inevitable.
"Hey when you said Ozpin doesn't push outdated rules on you? I mean he's not going to have a problem with…" Ruby gestured between the two of them.
Oscar laughed, kissing her in return finally before answering. "I think he's all for this. He approves of you and he wants me to be happy, and well, you make me happy."
Ruby shouldn't have been surprised when one night she came home to find that book Oscar had gifted her a charred pile of illegible paper in the middle of her room. Cinder had always had a knack for knowing just which of Ruby's possessions would hurt the most to lose. That, and the whole family had been completely furious with Ruby being so upbeat lately that of course Cinder would do something like that.
Somehow it is so much worse than the dress being burnt. She re-read this book every night before she went to bed to remember what she could of the family she once had and to remember that someone cared enough about her to go through all the effort to find it for her.
She cleaned up the pile, feeling cold and empty and like she was entirely trapped here. Maybe it was just because she'd summoned him last time Cinder burnt something of hers, or maybe she just desperately needed someone to talk to in general but once she is calm she whispers "I wish I could see my Fairy Godmother."
Once again Qrow appears in front of her in a blink. "Y'know, you can call me when you aren't crying." He sighs. "What's it about this time? I thought the last gig went well. Heard you even snagged yourself a prince."
"Where did you hear that?! I- never mind, it doesn't matter."
"Am I wrong?" Qrow raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"That's not the point. But even if I did you shouldn't pat yourself on the back about it. You nearly killed me with those heels." Ruby was trying to sound serious but having something meaningless to argue over was such a relief it was difficult to keep that tone of voice.
"Oh I'm definitely patting myself on the back. When you two get hitched that makes me royalty by extension."
"I don't think that's how it works." Ruby mumbled, hiding a smile by ducking her head.
"Well, enough of that. You never answered my question, what'd you need?"
"I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I think I'm just tired of this place."
It was nothing he could fix anyways, not permanently at least probably. "Could you stay for a while? We could play games like when I was little?" She asked, of all things she thinks that might cheer her up right now.
Qrow seemed a bit confused and maybe even a touch startled at that statement but hid it quickly. "Didn't think you remembered any of that."
"You were always around, it'd be a little hard to forget!"
"Hmm…" For a moment he looked to be deep in thought before he shook his head. "I guess I can spare a little time."
It was a few days before Ruby visited the palace again, longer than she had gone without visiting in quite a while.
When finally she does come by, Oscar is visibly worried.
He greets her with a kiss but lingers close. "Did something happen?"
"No, no I was just really busy." Ruby said blandly.
Oscar had an expression that said he knew that wasn't the whole story but he wouldn't press her on it either.
"Just some family trouble, talk about it later okay?" Ruby added to try to quell his concerns.
Before they could continue their conversation they were interrupted.
"Ah, you're here, excellent!" Said Ozpin as he approached the couple who took a respectful step away from each other. "See, I wanted to formally invite you to our next upcoming ball." He handed Ruby a sturdy envelope embossed with her name in silver print on the front.
"We're having another ball?" Oscar asked.
"Yes, it's been a few months since the last one so I thought it's time for another celebration." Didn't I tell you?"
"It must have slipped your mind." Oscar muttered, half sure that Ozpin came up with this on a whim just today.
"This one is by invitation only. Hence why I wanted to personally ensure that Miss Rose received hers." Ozpin shot a meaningful look Oscar's way as he said that before turning to direct his next statement to Ruby "Mm, anyways, don't worry about attire, we can have you fitted for a dress, one properly suited for a night of dancing."
He left no time for either of them to respond before heading off elsewhere. They both are left standing there, confused about what just happened.
"Hey Oscar?"
"Mhm?"
"So, I don't actually know how to dance?" She was embarrassed to admit it, since it seemed like something everyone around knew how to do but her.
"Oh, well there's some excellent tutors around here, you don't have to worry about that!" Oscar reassured.
"Okay but what if I'm afraid of embarrassing myself in front of the tutors?"
"Are you afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of me?" He asked and she considered the question.
"Somehow a lot less afraid." Ruby answered, there was a level of comfort she'd reached in being that vulnerable around him.
"Then how about I teach you?"
That started what would become the weeks of dance lessons leading up to this next ball.
"It's easier than it looks. I was nervous the first time around too." Oscar said, standing in the large empty ballroom with Ruby as he started the record player on some basic waltz music.
He demonstrated the base steps alone, explaining them as he went.
"Okay, want to give it a try?" He asked.
"I guess, sorry if I step on your toes." Ruby was still pretty apprehensive even after watching him demonstrate.
Oscar chuckled, putting one hand on her waist. "I've seen you practicing sparring with the guards, you're actually really graceful."
"When I'm sparring I'm supposed to be aiming to hurt people, and here not so much." She retorted.
That was only met with a fond kiss and Oscar's other hand finding hers. "Come on, giving it a try?"
She began to follow his steps but it was clear how uneasy she felt no matter how long they tried it for.
"Here, let's try something different. You lead." Oscar offered.
"Won't that make it worse?" Ruby thought that would just give her more opportunity to step on his feet.
"No, I think it's pretty awkward to learn to do these all backwards, it's easier to learn if you're in the lead role."
"Okay…" Ruby reversed their position, putting her hand on his waist to mirror the way he had been holding her before. They were nearly the same height so it worked perfectly in that sense.
It's awkward at first still but Ruby was much less nervous, actually it was Oscar that was stumbling more now because he wasn't used to this role.
By the time they had made their way around the room once, she was grinning.
When the music ended she hugged him.
"Thank you, that was way less awful than I was expecting." She mumbled against his shoulder.
"Ha, glad it was better than awful?" His arms wrap around her in turn.
"But you aren't done quite yet. That's just the very basics, and you still need to practice this more too."
Ruby feigned a pout with a grin hidden behind it. "What? There's more?"
Until the day of the ball they continued to practice. Oscar had been made to take dance classes since he'd been adopted so he was more than happy to show off some of the more intricate steps and dances. Ruby's personal favorite was dips mainly for that cute dazed expression Oscar got on his face when she could easily dip him and pull him back up for a kiss.
Rumor had it that the Prince will be engaged to miss Ruby Rose by the time this exclusive ball is over with.
This rumor may or may not have been started singlehandedly by one royal guard by the name of Nora Valkyrie. Regardless of how it started, word spread far and wide.
Word spread so far and wide in fact that it reached Salem. She was fuming, oh how could that wretched girl catch the prince's attention so easily?
As much as she wanted to lock Ruby away and have done with her, Salem knew that if the prince truly cared for the girl then he might very well go looking for her. So she bided her time and came up with a plan, forging an invitation for Cinder to go to this new ball.
Ruby didn't know any of this. Maybe Salem was a bit more cold and cruel than usual, but Ruby had already grown to expect the worst so she couldn't even tell the difference.
The night of the ball arrived rapidly and Ruby had snuck out without finishing her impossibly long list of chores knowing full well she would pay for it tomorrow.
She wore a lovely floor length dress in a similar red color as her previous one, this time with her comfy boots underneath rather than those awful stilts.
Ruby was happy with how she looked, and so much more relaxed without the constant fear that her step mother or sisters would somehow ruin this for her.
Her confidence only grew when she met Oscar at the entrance and he offered her his arm. "You look beautiful." He said, sounding so genuinely awestruck.
She really had to hold herself back from kissing him or even hugging him since there still was etiquette to follow for an event like this.
"Thank you, you don't look bad yourself." She replied as she took his arm.
Oscar didn't leave her side all night. As he was Prince, they did have to make the rounds of talking with anyone particularly important but everyone was quite polite and seemingly excited to meet her too.
Once all the niceties were out of the way, they joined everyone else on the dance floor.
Ruby wasn't nervous anymore, though she put her hand on Oscar's waist to immediately take the leading role in this dance. Oscar just laughed and tried to stealthily kiss her on the cheek, an action many caught sight of regardless, because of course people were keeping their eyes on the prince and his girl.
For the whole night they only dance with each other which no one seemed to take issue with.
Well, no one took issue with until one particular unwelcome guest mader appearance. A song had just ended when Ruby felt a harsh tap on her shoulder, a fingernail basically gouging into her arm. When she looked up at who was trying to get her attention, she tensed, staring wide eyed.
Cinder stood here, a fake overly polite smile plastered on her face as if she didn't know exactly who Ruby was. "May I have this next dance with him?" She asked, putting Ruby in a position to look very rude and possessive if she were to say no.
Ruby couldn't find her words at all, even if there was little Cinder could directly do to her here she still couldn't help but be afraid.
Oscar picked up on something being wrong immediately, he'd never seen Ruby look so vacant and afraid, and this woman who had approached looked vaguely familiar. He frowned slightly before looking at the guest. "Would you excuse us for a moment?"
Cinder, seeing how this wasn't going her way and so incredibly angry with Ruby getting her way, did not in fact excuse them for a minute. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you heard me, I said may I have this dance?" Her grip on Ruby's shoulder now bruising as she tried to rip her away from the Prince.
Oscar immediately got in between the two of them, and the guards were there almost immediately. Cinder did not go easily or quietly, in fact it made for a rather impressive wrestling match to watch in the middle of the dance floor before she was actually dragged off.
Everyone was quiet, shocked, and confused but slowly the party came back to life with people chancing quiet conversation and then returning to their dance.
"I'm sorry- about that." Ruby mumbled, voice trembling slightly.
"That wasn't your fault… at all. But, you seemed to know her?" Oscar spoke carefully, not wanting her to feel obligated to answer.
"She's my stepsister." She answered shortly
Suddenly something clicked for Oscar about the 'family issues' Ruby had alluded to before and it left a bitter feeling in his stomach. "Hey, you're safe now." He said, pulling her close.
"Yeah, for now." Ruby sighed, she would still have to go home to.. To whatever was going to happen now.
"No, for always. You could stay here, stay with me." Oscar blurted out, more than anything just wanting to make sure she was safe and happy. It took him longer than it should have to realize just how that sounded. "Okay, uh to be clear that was not a proposal. I promise that will be much better thought out and not asked when you're dealing with a lot of stress-" His explanation was interrupted with a kiss.
"You do realize you just implied you're going to propose, right?" Ruby asked once she pulled away.
Oscar laughed, giving her one more peck on the lips. "I thought that was obvious."
The End
(And they all lived happily ever after 3)