It took the half Grimm a bit longer than she had hoped to find an unoccupied workshop she could access. Once she finally found her way into one, Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose into its scythe form before she engaged the mechanisms safety so the weapon wouldn't start transforming accidentally and damage itself or the tools she was going to use.

Laying the new Grimm like parts out next to the scythe, the redhead began to carefully remove the pieces forming the weapon's blade, a task she had performed hundreds of times before inspecting and sharpening them if needed.

'So if you really are my mom, how did you get into my head?' The redhead thought at the voice she had started to hear after touching the blade of her mother's sword.

'When a Maiden dies, their consciousness is passed onto the next Maiden along wit her powers.' Was the reply that came from the voice in her head.

Removing the tip of Crescent Rose's blade, Ruby continued her mental conversation.

'And who do I know that can confirm this?'

A moment of silence followed while Ruby moved on to the next part she wanted to remove.

'Well I did tell your grandpa Fafnir, but I am pretty sure you don't remember him, or the way to his home without my help. Other than him, the only other person that knows is Professor Ozpin.'

'Who is this 'grandpa Fafnir' supposed to be, and even assuming I am not going crazy, how can I be sure you really are Summer Rose?' The young half Grimm thought back doubtful as she pulled the last piece of sharpened metal from its place.

'Well I could tell you my secret cookie recipe, but then again I already told Yang so -' Summer explained to Ruby, but was drowned out by her daughter.

'Wait Yang has known your super secret cookie recipe all this time? No wonder her's taste SO much better than dad's.' The half Grimm replied incredulously, barely managing to catch the piece of metal she had dropped, cutting into her protective Aura.

'Yes that is most likely the reason' The voice in Ruby's head replied, amused by the girl's reaction. 'As to who Fafnir is, let me show you something, just close your eyes for a moment.'

Deciding to give whoever was in her head the benefit of the doubt for the moment, Ruby put down the piece of Crescent Rose she was still holding and closed her eyes.

'Good now try and relax just the tiniest bit'

As the half Grimm took a deep breath, she began to 'see' things.

-x-

She was looking at a rather undefined cave. She was sitting down on something hard as her head turned around on its own, bringing the edge of a table carved from stone into view, which was just as rough to perceive clearly as the walls of the cave.

What was sharp and clear on the other hand was a little toddler with a pair of red furred ears poking out of what little hair she had, and a tail coming out of the back of her onesie. Ruby realised she was looking at herself when the toddler turned around halfway, revealing the white mask with red lines outlining rose petals covering the top half of her face.

'Yes you really were that cute' Her mom's voice commented in her thoughts just as Ruby felt the body she was in chuckle as the little half Grimm before her managed to catch her own tail. A moment later a deep, bellowing laugh filled the air as 'Summer' turned to look at an old man, his face as pale and vein crossed as Salem's, wearing a set of heavy looking plate armor that seemed like it was made from the same bone like material as the little girl's mask.

'Who is that?' Ruby asked the voice in her head curiously.

'That would be your grandpa Fafnir, who had taken care of me for most of my live before I came to Beacon' Was the very prompt reply, the thought filled with fondness for the old man.

As they continued to watch the memory for a moment, toddler Ruby crawled over to the old man, seemingly deciding her own tail wasn't worthwhile prey. Instead she bit down on the long white beard hanging nearly to the ground from Fafnir's face.

-x-

As Ruby came to her senses, she noticed a warmth filling her cheeks. Looking at her reflection in one of the pieces of polished metal she had just removed from her weapon. What could be seen of ehr cheeks below her mask was filled with a very visible blush, although the coloration was a much deeper red than what she was used to. Deciding it was most likely part of the changes she had undergone not long ago.

'Okay so you did know me as a toddler, that doesn't necessarily prove you mom.' The redhead thought at the other person inside her head.

'Well as you now at least believe me that I am not just a figment of your imagination, Is there something I could tell you to prove I am really your mom?'Summer replied, her mental voice radiating worry.

Ruby thought about it for a bit as she fastened the bolts keeping the first of the Grimm like blade pieces in place.

'If you really are mom, can you tell me the name of the village Summer Rose told me she grew up in?' the half Grimm finally asked as she move on to the next piece she would instal in her scythe.

'That is a tricky one, but I never told anyone, because I had some rather bad experiences there I just wanted to leave behind me.' The voice in Ruby's head replied, repeating what Yang and her dad had always told her when she asked about mom's home village. This caused the young redhead to drop the tool she had in her hand as tears began to flow freely from her eyes, spilling over the edges of her mask to run down her cheeks.

'Oh mom we all missed you so much.' The half Grimm thought at Summer.

'I missed you all as well my little Alpha.' Her mom replied, sounding as if she was going to shed tears herself any moment if she could. 'Now don't cry Ruby, I will be with you for quite a while now, so wipe of those tears.'

Wiping her face with the dark red fur on the back of her hands, the redhead bent down to pick up what she had dropped moments earlier.

As she started her work again, a smile graced the half Grimm's lips at the fact that she could finally tell her mother everything she had wanted to share with ehr for as long as she could remember.

'Okay mom. Say could you help me make cookies like we used to someday?'

'Of course Ruby, but are there any questions you have for me about all of this?'

'So many.' Ruby thought back as she picked up the next piece of black and white metal she would install in Crescent Rose. 'But what I want to know much more is how you fell into a spawning pool, I mean they are pretty rare and easy to avoid.'

'Who told you I fell in?' Summer thought back curiously. 'They are really great to relax in, like a nice, although thicker than normal, bath and a massage all at once, that is if you don't have to evade newly spawning Grimm like a normal human would have too. But how about I just show you that time?'

-x-

Ruby found herself in the same cave as the last memory once again. She wasn't sure how she was sure of this, seeing as the cave itself was only barely clearer than in the last memory.

As she made her way past the table and benches Summer had been sitting on the last time, they entered a vast chamber, big enough to fit at least one of Beacon's more spacious buildings. With seemingly practiced and quick stepps her mother was making her way along the cavern's edge until she found a small tunnel leading further down into the mountain.

A few moments later she reached the bottom, where a sizable spawning pool was in the floor, which seemed to have been her mother's destination all along.

Quickly removing her clothes, most of which showed more than a little wear and tear from the mission she had just finished.

Summer carefully stepped into the pool, making sure she did not step into anything that might lay on the bottom of the pool before she sat down and leaned back. Although the unborn Grimm managed to slither around her sore muscles just like she loved it, the gooey liquid she was in felt a bit to cold for her preferences. So with no one to see her do it, she began to increase the temperature of the pool, her eyes rimmed by silver flames.

Just a moment later there was a glow coming from the center of the pool, where Fafnir had hidden the artifact in his care. The glow soon spread towards and around the wary Huntress.

Immediately she began to feel very strange sensations as the black goo around her was absorbed through ehr skin.. Just as suddenly as it had began it was over again. Spooked by what had just happened, Summer quickly stepped out of the pool. The memory ended with Summer throwing her white cloak over her shoulders before starting to search for her adoptive father.

-x-

'Wow' Ruby thought as her senses returned to normal, unsure what else to say for a moment. 'So why did Fafnir have a spawning pool in his cave and how did you actually meet him, now that I think about it?'

'Well I promised not to tell anyone about that, but I am sure he will tell you himself once the two of you see each other again.' Summer replied immediately, but as she continued her thoughts were filled with sadness. 'And I met him when I was about 6. After my village had been ransacked by bandits, the Grimm came in and finished off anyone still alive except for me. Seeing as the bandits would attack me, I picked up my father's blade, which reformed to better fit me, just as thorn's blade did earlier for you, and began to make my way towards the nearby mountain range.' Summer interrupted herself with a short sob at that before she continued to tell her story.

'The elder of our village had always warned us not to go there, as they were supposedly teeming with Grimm, but as they had left me alone earlier, I put on my bravest face and decided to take my chances with the Grimm over the bandits.
Days later I arrived at the entrance to a big cave halfway up a mountain, but before I could move into it I passed out from exhaustion. When I woke up next, Fafnir was with me and from then on he raised me and took care of me until I left to join Beacon years later.'

Noticing her mother barely perk up towards the end of her tale, Ruby decided to change the subject of their mental conversation as she continued working on her weapon.

'So what can I do now that I am the Winter Maiden?'

'Well the ability that should come easiest to you is creating and manipulating Ice and cold. That is more or less how I heated up that pool in the memory, by removing the cold from it.'

Summer began her explanation of the WInter Maiden's capabilities, while Ruby finished the work on Crescent Rose, eager to get it finished and try the legendary blade she was installing out, but for now content to just listen to her mother's voice again.

This mornign I noticed that thi story had for the first time more views than it was words long, so thank all of you for reading.

I hope you all enjoyed, if not feel free to tell me why, if you did a comment is appreciated nonetheless.