Chapter 13 — Legend

"Legends are material to be moulded, and not facts to be recorded."

— Hervey Allen

Three months had passed since the Grimm attack on Vale. There had been substantial damage to the city, but fortunately no one had died. Rebuilding was the main worry of the government, and they recruited civilian volunteers to help with the damage, as a way to help encourage unity through hardship among the citizens.

Coincidentally, it was in those three months that rumors started to spread. People talked of a mythical person or creature that held the power to control Grimm. Some said the person had been raised by Grimm themselves, while others claimed that the person hailed from a yet unknown kingdom. Some asserted that the person was a man capable of killing a Grimm with but a flick of the wrist, others thinking it to be a woman with glowing red eyes and teeth sharp as fangs.

And thus, the legend of the Grimm Tamer was born.

It was during one of her seldom shopping tours that Serena first caught wind of it.

The weather had warmed up over time and so she had to buy some more tops and pants to match the climate. Lucky for her, she did not need new boots — her green combat boots somehow adapted to the climate, no matter if it was freezing or hot outside. She was quietly browsing through a rack of pants (choosing a black, Gray, and red one) when she heard the shopkeeper whispering to another customer.

"It must be some hideous monster," the shopkeeper said, keeping her voice low so that no one except the woman opposite her would hear.

"No, I believe it to be a man. This person wields a great power; naturally it would have to be a male."

Serena had to smile to herself at the ridiculous assumptions of both women, inwardly laughing at the romanticized version of a superhero that one of them was thinking about.

She quickly grabbed the few tops and pants she had and walked up to the counter before stopping in front of a shelf that held different socks and other garments. She pondered for a moment before grabbing two pairs of black and deep red over-knees that she could wear with the hot pants. When she walked up to the counter, both women quickly ended their conversation. Serena paid for the clothes and exited the shop, the gossiping already continuing behind her back.

Most of the damages had been repaired over the past quarter year, but there were still traces of the attack that was still fresh in everyone's mind. She slowly walked around town, grasping parts of sentences that mentioned the Grimm Tamer.

"…and then he just told them to leave and…"

"…she saved a mother with her children without even…"

"…wonder what she looks like…"

"…nobody knows if it's a girl. It could also…"

On and on they went, speculating about what the Grimm Tamer looked like, if it was a he or a she, if she was single…

When Serena was finally out of the city and back in her quiet forest, she had to laugh at all the inane theories that coursed about her person. Never before had people talked so much about her, and the best part was that they didn't even know that she was walking among them, right in their midst.

But she was glad that no one had spotted her during the attack. She had tried to avoid the military. She preferred not testing their reaction to a person that could control Grimm and be a possible threat to national security. No, she stayed in the shadows, hidden from curious eyes. She liked the forest better, anyway. It was far more peaceful than the bustling city and she could do whatever she wanted without troubling anyone. She protected the city and its people from afar, making sure that no one would be attacked that had somehow stumbled into the forest.

Reaching her home, she put the new garments away and took off her cloak. It was hot with it on, but it hid her primary weapon, namely her retractable spear that was strapped to her thigh. She had bought a special sheath into which she could put it when going out. It was just two strings of brown leather with a loop into which the weapon was slid that were strapped around the middle of her thigh, keeping it in place and allowing her to have it with her without it hindering her in any way. She had also bought a sheath that could be attached to her forearm and which held the weapon on the inside of it, though she rarely used it. But if she ever needed it, then she could use it instead of the other one.

"Hey, Serena," a voice startled her from behind. Quickly grasping her staff, she whirled around and settled into a fighting position, arms raised, feet apart, slightly crouched and eyes narrowed, glaring at whoever had found her home. "Whoa, relax! It's just me."

"Oh, Ruby," Serena breathed out upon recognizing her frequent visitor. "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't do that. I'm not really used to your visits yet," she scolded the girl mildly, lowering her weapon and standing up straight, relaxing her tensed muscles.

Ruby gave a sheepish smile and scratched the back of her head, walking over to her friend. "Sorry, I always forget."

"It's okay, just don't do it too often or I might hurt on you accident one day," Serena replied.

Ruby had kept her promise and visited her once or twice a week ever since the attack had transpired. Serena welcomed the change in her daily routine and enjoyed talking with the younger girl about her school and teammates, but also about the Grimm and what they had to expect after that attack.

During that time, the blue-eyed girl had taught Ruby a lot about Grimm, as well as introduced her to Ajax. Both had become friends quite easily and the Ursa no longer growled whenever the Huntress neared Serena's home. Instead, he gave her a gentle nuzzle and a lick of the face before letting her pass. To Serena's surprise, Ruby did not mind the slobber being rubbed onto her face, and she could see that she was slowly starting to like Ajax, and even Loki who joined them sometimes.

"Come on in. I've got some tea if you want," the older girl offered while walking on ahead to the fire that was still burning, although now diminished to a moderate flame since it had become so warm.

"I'm good," Ruby replied, plopping down on one of the stone seats that surrounded the fireplace. Serena nodded, quickly pouring herself a cup of tea before sitting down opposite of Ruby.

"I was in the city today," Serena started after taking a few sips. "And I heard some interesting rumors. About someone called the Grimm Tamer. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"O-Oh. Really?" Ruby squeaked out, trying to avoid the older girl's eyes that seemed to bore into her own silver ones right then.

"You told someone about me, didn't you." It wasn't a question, but it wasn't quite an accusation either.

"I…" Ruby tried to find an explanation, but nothing came to mind. Sighing in defeat she admitted, "Yes, I did. But I only told my teammates and they promised to keep it a secret."

"I guess that someone heard you talking, because I heard the whole city gossiping about me today when I was in town."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told them," Ruby apologized, hanging her head in shame.

"Look, I'm not angry with you or anything. I'm just a little worried now. You know why I live out here; I'm afraid what people will do once they find out that I can pacify Grimm. They aren't ready to find out about me just yet," she calmly explained, giving the girl a compassionate look and sipping some more of her tea.

"I know. But what if they weren't afraid of you? I mean, you saved a lot of people back then. Maybe they'll actually think of you as a hero," Ruby offered hopefully.

"I don't think so," Serena objected, deflating Ruby's hope instantly. "They're scared to death of the Grimm. Think of their reactions when they find out there is a human out here that can actually control them. Alone the concept of me liking them would be too much for the people to take. I would be a monster or abomination in their eyes," she voiced softly, sadly. "The military would almost certainly arrest me and maybe even keep me to themselves. I don't know much about this world, but it's always the same with these things no matter where you are or come from. I will show myself one day, but not just yet," she concluded, leaving no room for debate.

There was silence after that, Ruby not daring to say anything more. She had already broken her friend's trust when she'd told her teammates about the girl. Now, not only did they know, but also the entire city, and if it went on like that, then it was only a matter of time until the military and other kingdoms heard of it. She knew Serena was right; the military might be there to protect them, but even Ruby didn't know what the likes of General Ironwood would do with Serena if they found out about her and her power.

She was right; the people would see her as a monster and treat her as such. They would lock her away. And this she could not bear to imagine.

"Anyway, has there been anything new concerning the incident three months ago?" Serena asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence and jerking Ruby out of her guilty thoughts.

"Not yet. Torchwick's still under arrest, but as far as I know he hasn't said a word yet."

"Hmm… I really wanna know what he wanted to accomplish by letting Grimm into the city," the ravenette uttered, agonizing over the possible motives the criminal could have had.

"I don't know, but as far as I see it, he's not right in the head. He always calls me that weird nickname, and it didn't seem like he was disappointed when he got caught. He seemed almost... happy about it," Ruby replied, frowning at the strange behavior the criminal had shown when he'd been caught by Mercury and Emerald who had handed him over to General Ironwood.

"Maybe this is only one piece of the puzzle. We might not be seeing the entire picture yet," Serena mumbled almost to herself, Ruby catching her words. This sparked a thought in the younger girl's mind.

"Now that you mention it… Back then, I got caught before the train started. When my team arrived, he told one of the Faunus to start the engine. But they said that they hadn't finished," she pointed out, eyes lighting up in revelation. "It was as if he hadn't planned the attack to be so early, but since we found their hideout he had to advance in his plans."

"I think this was only the beginning. There is be something far bigger to come in the future. Only when?"

Neither of the two had an answer to that, but they continued talking about the incident, the possible perpetrators and so on until late evening. When it started to get dark, Ruby had to return to Beacon. Both said their goodbyes and Ruby left, Ajax accompanying her as her bodyguard.

Serena quietly ate her dinner — herbs and meat — before going to sleep. But all the while, she couldn't stop thinking about their conversation.

Just what are you up to Torchwick? What is it that's going to come at us?

So many unanswered questions.

Edited 29/12/2016

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. All I do own are my OC and the idea and plot of the non-canon parts of the story.