RAWR, everybody! This week, we're giving our villains some love and backstory, and are starting the fun times in Mistral. Enjoy!

Haven Dragonry: Just before first semester

Everything was going according to plan. The four chosen spies passed the combat test with flying colors, and were even more welcome when Dragonmaster Lionheart found that they had their own eggs. Of course, their backstories placed them all over Remnant, so they had to make their simultaneous arrival convincing.

Ilia was a native to the coasts of Mistral. Her family had sent her to a prestigious primary school in Atlas, which funded her transfer to Haven and provided her with an egg after she demonstrated incredible skill with the school's dragons. There was nothing like planting a seed of truth in a good lie to make it that much stronger.

Neo was a mute orphan from Vale. Her parents died while she was very young, and she was fostered by a broodmaster, who gave her the egg she had brought to Haven. It had certainly been easier than saying she was fostered by one of Remnant's most notorious thugs.

Mercury and Emerald had been living on the streets in Vacuo when a nearby broodery was attacked by the mysterious woman on the golden dragon. They risked their lives to help save the eggs and dragons, which earned them eggs of their own. Cinder liked that she was involved in this story and knew that their former "actions" would lower any suspicions people might have of them.

All of the paperwork had been forged months in advance from the breeding records, to tampered news stories of an early attack that most of Remnant didn't have any information on, to fake files. And, after many bribes and threats, there was a high-ranking staff member at the Atlas Primary Academy, as well as the entire staff of two different brooderies, who were willing to swear that the stories were true. Everything was set.

Cinder made sure that the dragons would be siblings. While she trusted Mercury and Emerald completely, she knew that she needed a bit of extra security for the other two. She had scouted out a broodery that had four sibling eggs, so that the dragons would be loyal to each other, even if any of the Riders tried a double-cross. She also arranged things so that her plant in the Schnee Dust Company tended to the Dust that would go into these four eggs. These dragons would be part of the greater fight, after all. They needed to be perfect.

And perfect, they were.

On the day of the hatching, the four were put into separate rooms in Haven's brood building. Ilia knelt before her egg. She had chosen a fire dragon, a dragon to match the burning rage that filled her whenever she looked at her smug human teammates, whenever she thought about how Adam had been forced to lower himself before someone like Cinder.

This is for the Faunus, she reminded herself. We need the humans now, but they will be disposable once we have what we need.

The egg was a deep, smoky gray color and was flecked with brassy dots that mirrored Ilia's own freckles. When the shell cracked, it was hard to tell whether it or her heart made a louder noise.

There was a growl from within, and the dragonet swung its head, smashing the egg tooth against the shell, determined to get out. Little claws scratched at the smooth interior, and a curled tail longed to stretch out fully. Shaking its head from side to side, the tiny creature beat its prison away and let out a victorious hiss.

For a moment, all anger and all thought left Ilia. All that existed was the little dragon. Her dragon.

She extended a hand, and the dragonet immediately bit down. Ilia barely flinched. A smile spread across her face. "You really are fierce," she cooed. "You'll be so strong." She grabbed an apple slice with her free hand and held it out, enticing the dragonet's teeth away from her.

The gray, freckled dragon considered its options for a moment, then snapped up the apple, making little hungry noises in its throat as it scarfed its meal down. It blinked its tiny eyes, which were the red-orange color of a forest fire.

A wave of protectiveness swept over Ilia as she looked at her dragonet, something she had never felt before. She had seen the eggs in Adam's hatcheries, of course, particularly the one that had been stolen by Blake. She had thought them beautiful, and found the dragons to be enigmas. Useful, mysterious beings that would help the Faunus achieve their victory.

This new feeling scared her. She knew that, if not kept in check, her love for this new life would overwhelm the many-year passion that had ruled her since her parents' death. Never forget that, she told herself. This is all for them. This is to get justice for those who suffered under human rule.

She felt a nip on her hand and quickly handed the dragonet another apple before proceeding to rub it down with a towel. "Justice," she murmured thoughtfully, looking at her dragon's winking, flickering eyes.

…

Mercury rubbed irritably at his face as the misters in the room caused his cheeks to grow moist. Why had he been stuck with the water dragon? On top of teaching the thing to fight and fly, he'd have to deal with teaching it how to swim too!

At least they're supposed to be mellow, he allowed. Maybe this one will be quiet. He knew that he didn't want anything as loud and bombastic as Strike, or as fierce and angry as Brand. He had been all too happy to let Ilia get the fire injection for her egg. Maybe it'll singe her hair, he thought with a chuckle. Turn her red in a whole other way.

The egg shook. Mercury folded his arms and waited.

It wasn't that he wasn't excited to have his own dragon. The things were freaking powerhouses, after all. Who wouldn't want one loyal to them? He just wasn't sure what to expect. He certainly didn't see himself becoming all doe-eyed and emotional, like most Riders are when their dragon first hatches. He hoped that his dragon wouldn't expect him to dote on it. They would grow up as partners, interacting efficiently and well. That was all he wanted.

Still, even though love wasn't a factor, Mercury did like the idea of having a creature he could trust to always put him first. He wasn't exactly used to people doing that, after all.

Another shake. A crack. Mercury waited.

There was a wet noise as the egg tooth was shoved through the shell, releasing sticky fluids onto the incubator. A large, rudder-like tail pressed against the inside, breaking the rest of the egg and revealing the creature within.

The dragon that emerged was the color of grime at the bottom of a polluted river, its scales shades of sickly green, grayish brown, and even an oily kind of black. Its eyes were white and seemed to look right through Mercury, who shuddered a little.

"Of course, I got the ugliest dragon in Remnant," he muttered.

The dragon tilted its head and squawked, pawing at the shattered shells with a webbed foot.

"Wait, don't do that. You'll cut yourself. That's the last thing I need." Mercury lifted the tiny creature and placed it on a nearby towel. He found the apples and put a few in front of his new dragon, who snapped them up gladly before blinking up at Mercury with its milky eyes.

It had a flat tail, delicate head fins, gills that opened and closed as the misters moistened them, and perfect webbed paws. Mercury nodded once in satisfaction. "Okay. Looks like this will work."

The dragonet tilted its head at him as it contentedly licked apple juice and egg goo from its face.

…

Emerald paced back and forth in front of her beautiful egg, the egg Cinder had given her, the egg that held a dragon who would love and protect her. This was what she was promised when Cinder found her starving on the streets. She would never be afraid again once she had her dragon!

When the first tap sounded, she actually had to cover her mouth to muffle a delighted squeak. Her hands shook as she stared at the twitching egg with wide eyes.

The egg broke open neatly in half. The dragonet had sat back and tossed its head back, striking the very tip of the egg with its tooth. It extended its wings, pushing the two halves aside. It blinked its moss-colored eyes, saw Emerald, and let out a single, demanding bark.

"Of course, sweetie," Emerald cooed, taking a towel and wrapping it around the dragonet. "Let's get you nice and warm, and then we'll feed you." Her voice came out strange and alien. She had never spoken to anything in such an open, loving tone. She had wanted to speak to Cinder in a more intimate way, but there never seemed to be a chance to do so. And there was always the fear of rejection.

This little angel wasn't rejecting her at all. In fact, it cuddled close to her, nipping at her skin and squawking. It scarfed down an apple slice, its claws digging into flesh and drawing blood as it scrabbled to find a sense of balance.

"Jade," Emerald murmured. She had known the dragon's name when she had first seen the pure, earthy-green color of the egg. "My little Jade."

Jade finished an apple and started nibbling on Emerald's fingers, drawing blood and lapping at the iron-tasting liquid.

Emerald would be annoyed at the pain in her fingers and abdomen later. In that moment, however, she would have gladly let her entire hand be bitten off if it made her dragon happy.

She thought of all the times she had gone to sleep alone behind some dumpster or was injured when a shopkeeper's aim was just a little better than her dodging skills. Her entire childhood, she had been hurt, scared, and alone. That was all over now.

Thank you, Cinder, she thought, tears running down her cheeks. Thank you so much!

….

Neo didn't talk to anyone. Despite what everyone thought, it wasn't because she was mute. It wasn't because she couldn't talk. It was because of how she talked.

She had been raised by Roman Torchwick, willingly becoming his right-hand person in crime when she was old enough to fight. A crook needed to be intimidating when facing bigger, stronger people. That was how fights were avoided. That was how respect was earned. That was how a scoundrel lived to see another day.

But her words destroyed any hope she could have had for having that effect on people. If she opened her mouth, she immediately became a dumb child and, while there were advantages to being underestimated, it was much better to be feared. So, over time, she became silent. She spoke only to Roman, who loved her and respected her and assured her on a daily basis that she was a terror to behold when she wielded her small, thin knives and appeared behind a competitive backstabber with ease.

She wouldn't speak to anyone at Haven. She had been thrilled at the opportunity to finally have a dragon of her own (despite Roman's obvious distaste for them), but she had also known that she was putting herself in danger. She owed Cinder, and that would certainly come up if she wasn't able to do her part.

She had to keep playing the part she had crafted for herself, even as she also played the part of a simple student.

When the egg shattered, however, everything changed. When a tiny, squeaking wind dragon with creamy scales with flushes of minty green jumped at her, Neo let out a soft sound of pure joy.

She held the tiny body to her chest, giggling aloud as it squirmed against her and licked at her face. She fed the dragonet as its whip-like tail tickled her hip.

Of course, Neo was quick to recover once she realized her mistake. She clapped a hand over her mouth, waiting for a sign that someone was listening through the door. No one was.

Slowly, she lowered her hand. The dragonet's eyes were blinking inquisitively up at her, as if wondering why she had suddenly gone silent.

Her heart ached. She leaned close, touching her lips to the dragonet's fin. If she was quiet…if she whispered…she could…

"H-Hello, lit-t-t-tle one. Muh-my name is N-Ne-Neo."

The dragon didn't laugh at her. It didn't give her a weird look. It didn't think she was strange or stupid. It just licked her cheek as if to say "Hello to you too!"

…..

Present Day

The dragons of Vale didn't have long to get used to their new guest stalls. As soon as their Riders had unpacked, it was time to explore the Festival. Immediately, it was easy to see the differences between Mistral and Vale.

The streets were much wider, and practically every building had a flat, strong roof specifically designed to hold resting dragons, as opposed to only the dragon-specific stores. Market stalls sold local fruit, plants, and fresh meat cooked fresh both with and without seasoning. Ruby immediately understood why Scarlet had been so jealous that they got to see it.

Storm stared around, marveling at the wide spaces surrounding her, at the thousands of new sights and smells that greeted her every second. She looked up and saw dragons dipping and swooping through the sky, wearing shining bridles and ribbons on their saddles. It was beautiful. Overcome with excitement, she lifted her head and bugled a wordless greeting. Her heart soared when one of the older dragons called down to her in reply.

Ruby jumped at the new noise Storm made, then grinned, recognizing a long-distance call, similar to the ones Tempest would use when she wanted someone to come to the stables. "Making friends already?"

Another bugle sounded nearby, prompting Storm to walk faster and find whoever had called. She paused to make sure Ruby was keeping up.

They rounded a corner to see a first-year dragon and Rider pair. The green earth dragon had been the one to call, and stepped forward to greet Storm. "Hi there," she rumbled. "You're new."

"I sure am!" Storm chirped. "Do you live here?"

"Yep! Nice, isn't it?"

"Definitely! I wish the streets were this wide back in Vale."

Ruby, meanwhile, looked at the girl who stood by the green dragon. "Hi, there. Sorry. Storm's a bit excited."

The girl flashed an easy, friendly smile. Her red eyes held nothing but good humor. Immediately, Ruby felt that this would be an easy person to make friends with. "No problem! Jade's never been around a festival before either." She gave her dragon a look of deep affection.

"I'm Ruby, from Beacon. What's your name?"

"Emerald. I go to Haven, obviously." Emerald cocked her head curiously. "I thought first-years didn't come from other schools to the Festival. Did you get special permission, or something?"

"Uh, yeah," Ruby said, remembering the lie Ozpin had told her to tell until the unveiling. "My teammate is Weiss Schnee, and her ice dragon is the second to ever go through the dragonries. Dragonmaster Lionheart gave them a special invitation, and decided to include the whole team."

"Lucky break for you." Emerald glanced over Ruby's head. "Is that your team's earth dragon over there?"

Ruby glanced over her shoulder toward where Blake was taking a closer look at the stands. "Yeah, that's Pit."

Emerald silently noted the shimmer of the silvery flecks, and the dragon's large size. "He's certainly a beauty!" she said out loud.

"They all are," Ruby said loyally, smiling up at Storm, who nudged her cheek gently.

Emerald grinned. "You know, a kid from Vale could get lost on these streets. Maybe Jade and I should show you around."

"Sure!" Ruby replied immediately, feeling a strange, sharp thrill at the invitation. "What do you think, Storm?"

Storm looked at the easygoing earth dragon, and found no reason to disagree.

Fang, meanwhile, was sniffing the air, his mouth watering at all the strange food smells. He peered at a nearby stall that had meat that somehow smelled of fire, except it was a kind of fire you could eat. He licked his teeth and nudged Yang with his nose.

"Not so fast, buddy," Yang laughed. "You might be a fire dragon, but there's no way I'm giving you chili sauce! Your stomach can't handle that kind of burn."

Fang snorted. He could handle anything! He stepped closer to the stall, barking to get the man's attention. He opened his mouth hopefully.

The man burst out laughing. "You're a dragon who knows what he wants, huh?"

"Sorry about that. Fang, behave," Yang hissed.

"No need to apologize. You know, I have a few roasted meats here that have some dragon-safe spices. Nowhere near as spicy as the chili."

In the end, Yang bought her dragon some beef ribs with a light spice sprinkled on them. She hoped that gnawing on the bones would keep him occupied, so he wouldn't beg for more food.

Fang happily sucked and bit at the meat, holding it in one paw as he tried to hurry after Yang on his three other legs. His tongue tingled pleasantly, though he still wished he could have tried that chili sauce. Still. This is the best thing I've ever eaten! He would definitely save one of the bones to chew on later.

Pit stayed close to Blake, checking her for any signs of increased tension. She had been beside herself after his attempt to save Tornado, and he was determined not to scare her again. He felt her hand on his leg and rumbled comfortingly.

Blake smiled at her dragon, even as she tried to beat down her worries. In the crowded streets, she was painfully aware of how Pit outsized every dragon his age. She hoped that everyone would just assume that he was stronger than usual. But Pit was getting older, which meant that his abilities would grow with him. Ozpin had been able to cover for him after Tornado's execution, but what if something happened in Mistral?

She looked at her dragon, saw the concerned look in his eyes, and forced a smile. It wasn't Pit's fault he was different. It wasn't his fault that he was a hybrid. Blake wouldn't let him carry the burden of her worries. "See anything you like?" she asked.

Pit looked around, his eyes falling on a stall of gigantic, dragon-sized pillows. His eyes lit up at the sight of them and he padded closer, eying a blue and amber-striped one that looked especially comfy.

Blake sighed. "Oh, why not? You deserve a present after these past few weeks." She paid for the pillow and asked for it to be delivered to the guest stalls at Haven. There was no way she could carry that thing around the festival, after all.

Specter and Weiss, meanwhile, had been mobbed as soon as they left the stall area. Everyone was eager to get a closer look at the famous ice dragon, and clambered to touch his cold scales or stare at his black eyes.

Thankfully, Specter was perfectly happy with the attention, sitting down and letting out his signature eerie whistle, which delighted the crowd and drew several gasps from the children. He let people touch his pale blue scales, and bent down to get a closer look at a stall that was selling ice cream. He was thrilled when Weiss bought him a giant piece of green-colored ice to chew on. His excitement increased tenfold when he bit down and found that the ice tasted sweet!

Weiss paid for the melon-flavored ice, smiling at her dragon's obvious joy. Several people were approaching her as well as her dragon, asking what it was like being an Ice Rider, what she intended to do with such a unique dragon, what powers Specter had, etc. She tried to answer everyone to the best of her ability.

At one point, however, a loud voice from the crowd caused several people to turn. "Why is it that only the Schnees get a dragon like this?" It was an older Faunus who had spoken. "I always figured that Dragon Riders were all about equal opportunity, yet your family holds a monopoly on Dust injections, and gets its own designer dragons."

This was something Weiss had been dreading. She already had to deal with jealous whispers from fellow students. Here, it would be much worse. She knew that her grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, had first created Snowflake as a test, and had given her to Willow, who he trusted more than anyone else to determine whether such a dragon should be made again. When Snowflake proved to be stable, Glacier was made just in time for Willow's engagement to Jacques, given as a sign of good faith and acceptance into the family.

Before Snowflake's death and Willow's descent into alchoholism, Willow had told Weiss that Nicholas had wanted ice dragons to become a fifth option at the dragonries, wanted to see five-person teams come of this new species, wanted to see the strength of the Riders increase.

Of course, when he died and Jacques took over, all talk of anyone outside the Schnee family receiving ice dragons suddenly stopped.

Weiss knew she had to be careful. If her father found out that she said something to contradict him in a public setting, she would be in big trouble. Still, she couldn't bring herself to act like she agreed with him.

"Ice dragons are a new breed," she explained. "Only three currently exist, and are only beginning to show what they are capable of on the battlefield. My sister, Winter, is in the Atlesian Flight Squad. As Specter and I train more, we will be able to figure out even more about how an ice dragon should be taught. I do hope to one day see more ice dragons throughout Remnant, being flown by capable Riders."

Her answer clearly satisfied most of the crowd, many of whom were nodding with approval. The Faunus scowled, but didn't push his point any further.

"Huh. Looks kinda like a fancy water dragon up close."

Weiss turned to see who had spoken, and saw a first-year water dragon and who she assumed was its partner. The Rider was staring at Specter with keen gray eyes.

"They are closely related," Weiss said. "Though, ice dragons don't have gills, or the thick tails needed for swimming."

"The frills look a lot like water dragon webbing, but wouldn't they freeze in cold weather?" the Rider asked.

"They actually assist with absorbing oxygen from higher, colder altitudes." Weiss held out her hand. "I'm Weiss Schnee, and this is Specter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The young man grinned easily as he shook her hand. "I'm Mercury Black, and this guy is Rudder. Welcome to Mistral."

So, the idea of Neo having a stutter came to me way back when I first watched the 2017 version of It. It's a perfect explanation as to why she never talks, but still has a confirmed voice actor. Also, it's a good chance to have another kind of representation in the show alongside our one and only confirmed lesbian… Until canon proves otherwise, I'm headcanoning her with a stutter.

If you like what you see and want to join an awesome fan community while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.

Peace out!