I wanted to use this author's note to thank all of the people who have posted positive reviews and liked this story. It's really encouraging to know that people are enjoying this story, because I like writing it and want to keep doing so. This chapter is the longest I've ever written, and I'm pretty proud of it, so I hope you enjoy it. Regardless, here's the newest chapter:


Ruby blinked in surprise, stunned by what Weiss had said. As far as she could remember, Weiss hadn't ever really initiated a conversation with her. It was always Ruby who would start talking, and Weiss would respond snarkily. She had honestly never even considered that Weiss would try and talk to her first, so she kind of just shut down.

Weiss stared at her until Ruby realized she was waiting for a response. Weird. Usually, Weiss wasn't this polite with her, just speaking over her, ignoring her, or cutting off her sentences.

"W-what do you want to talk about?" Ruby stuttered, cursing her nerves for making her look like an idiot. Just her luck that her anxiety kicks up when Weiss drops a massive opportunity into her lap.

"I've noticed how you've been looking at me this past week. Every time I look up, I see your pitying gaze," Weiss began, scowling. "And that needs to stop. I don't want your sympathy."

"Huh?" That hadn't been what she'd been expecting Weiss to say at all. She wasn't exactly sure what she'd been expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't that.

"I mean I want you to stop giving me that look like my life is some sob story. I don't need pity from someone who's literally dead. You have it worse than me, and you don't see me pitying you," She said venomously. Ruby recoiled at the raw emotion in the short noble's voice. She sounded like Ruby was physically harming her by feeling bad for her.

"I-I don't pit-"

"Don't even bother to lie, ghost. It's a waste of both of our times."

"I was going to-"

"Did you not hear me? I'm not an idiot."

"I wasn't-"

"You weren't pitying me? Please, I can see it written all over your face. 'Look at this poor girl, whose family hates her. Her life must be so hard'. I refuse to be thought of like some pathetic child. I don't need your-"

"Will you just shut up!" Ruby screamed at Weiss. The heiress's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She had never seen the ghost girl so angry before. The silver flames that surrounded her roared in a radiant inferno, bathing the room in their ethereal glow. Ruby's eyes blazed as she approached Weiss, who backed up until she ran into her bed.

"Every time I try and talk to you, you just ignore me, belittle me, complain about just existing. I'm not trying to pity you, I'm trying to be your friend!"

Weiss's widened eyes narrowed, and her agape mouth snapped shut. "Why? What is so important about me that you would go out of your way to befriend me?" She interrogated, taking a step with each word, pushing Ruby back into the wall.

The caped girl just groaned in frustration and covered her hands with her face. She should have known that Weiss's fixation on her 'motivations' would come into play while they were talking.

"Is it because of my magic? Or my position as heiress? What do you want with me, Ruby?" She said, each question making Ruby want to scream in anger, yet she was miraculously able to remain calm.

"None of that. I just want to be friends," Ruby explained, which caused Weiss to glare at her with even more suspicion.

"Why? What do you have to gain by becoming my friend? For what reason would you want to try and befriend me?" She asked.

"Because I'm afraid!" Ruby screamed out, causing the silver flames to ignite once more and wreath her in blinding light. Weiss recoiled backwards, this time because of what Ruby said rather than the flames.

"W-what? What do you mean-"

"I died, Weiss! I died because of a curse I have no idea how I got. And now I'm stuck as a ghost, which means I can't see my family, alive or dead. I'm alone, and that terrifies me!" Ruby sobbed, tears forming in her eyes. Weiss was stunned into silence.

"I can't interact with anyone. No one can see me, no one can hear me. No one but you. I have no choice but to be around you, and the thought of you hating me terrifies me!" Large tears were streaming down her face, her breath coming out in shaky gasps. Weiss was overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt. This was how her father had made her feel, and here she was driving another to such sorrow.

"I'm stuck. There's nothing I can do. My soul won't pass on to the afterlife. I can't do anything. The only things I can do are watch and talk to you, and that terrifies me," The girl was hysterical, ghostly tears covering her face, deep sobs echoing through the room. Weiss could barely stand, the weight of her guilt crushing her. She had done this. This poor girl hadn't wanted this to happen, but Weiss had been nothing but cruel to her.

"I know you don't trust me, and that terrifies me. I don't want to spend however long I'm stuck like this arguing with you. I don't want the only person who can see me, who can interact with me, to hate me!" Ruby's body was wracked with deep shakes as she poured out her heart.

"I'm terrified, Weiss. I'm lost, and confused, and weirded out, and I'm terrified!" Ruby screamed, the silver flames consuming her ghostly form and concealing everything but her shining silver eyes from Weiss's sight.

Weiss bit her lip. She had always just assumed that Ruby was some malevolent spirit out to get her. She had never actually considered that Ruby was just some lost soul that was as lost and frightened as she was. "She might be lying to you," Weiss briefly thought, before dismissing the idea. Something about the way Ruby had said those words resonated with her, and she doubted anyone could fake such raw emotion and fear.

"You said you were cursed. What can you tell me about it?" Weiss asked sternly. Ruby's head snapped up, and she gave her a confused and incredulous look.

"What?" She asked, still shaking from her emotional outburst, but much more calm.

"Well, I need all of the information I can get if I'm to help you," Weiss stated matter-of-factly.

"I-I don't understand. What do you mean?" Ruby asked, silver eyes looking at her questioningly.

"I mean that I'm going to help you, you dolt," Weiss said, smirking slightly.

"What? W-why?" Ruby questioned, causing Weiss to sigh. Was this what Ruby had felt like when she kept trying to figure out what the ghost had wanted?

"I guess... it's because I felt bad for you," Weiss admitted, seeing Ruby's eyes widen in realization.

"Wait, doesn't that make you kinda hypocritical? Because you were complaining about me feeling bad for you earlier," Ruby asked teasingly, laughing when Weiss stammered.

"Well, t-that's different! Pitying someone and feeling bad for someone are two different things!" She exclaimed, before noticing Ruby was struggling to hold back her laughter. "Y-you brat!" She hissed at the girl mocking her.

"S-sorry, it's just... you got so worked up over nothing!" She said through her giggles. Weiss rolled her eyes at her childishness but had a slight smile on her face while doing so. The emotional outburst she'd had a minute later seemed to have blown over, given the way she relaxed her shoulders.

"So, Ruby, let's make a deal," Weiss said, causing Ruby to look at her questioningly.

"What's the deal?"

"We'll restart. Put our differences behind us and help each other out. I'll help free your soul, and you'll be my... friend," She offered diplomatically, hoping that the girl would accept despite how cruel she was to her.

Ruby's perplexed expression made Weiss nervous. The younger girl seemed to be deep in thought, so she didn't wish to disturb her. With each passing second, however, she became more and more anxious.

Finally, the ghost seemed to make a decision. Perking up and thrusting her hand out, she spoke in a chipper voice.

"Nice to meet you! My name's Ruby Rose!"

Weiss cocked an eyebrow before realizing what Ruby was doing, she gave a little curtsey and introduced herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rose. I am Lady Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee family."

Ruby burst out into laughter once again at the overly formal greeting, causing Weiss to giggle at the sight of the ghost floating higher and higher as she laughed like a child. "Hearing her laugh is a lot nicer than hearing her cry," She thought to herself.

The two laughed like old friends recounting jokes and stories. Once she had calmed down, she looked up towards the girl floating several feet off the ground.

"Ruby, would you come down? It's hard to talk to you when you're so high up."

"Your wish is my command, my lady," She said in an over-the-top mimicry of a stereotypical knight voice, floating down and kneeling before her. This caused her to laugh even more, but she quickly reigned herself in.

"Now, if I'm to help free your soul, I'll need all of the information on the curse that claimed your life," Weiss stated, starting a Ruby expectantly, only to grow frustrated when Ruby stared blankly back.

"Well? What do you know about it?" She questioned but received only a blank stare in response.

"Do you know anything about the curse?" She asked, and Ruby just sighed.

"It's an incredibly powerful, extremely ancient curse that caused me pain, drained my strength, and killed me," The ghost surmarised her, causing Weiss to gape in disbelief.

"That's it? You weren't able to figure out anything else?" Weiss inquired, to which she received only a shake of her head.

"None of the mages my uncle and dad hired could find out what it was, or how I got it," She admitted, and Weiss shook her head in disbelief.

"How skilled were the mages? If they were just common practitioners of the arcane arts it might be that they just-"

"My dad took me to see Glynda Goodwitch, the court wizard of Vale," Ruby shot down Weiss's idea before it could even fully form. The heiress gasped. Glynda Goodwitch was known as one of the most powerful mages to be born in the century. Very few could claim to be her equal when it came to control over the arcane. For her to be helpless against the curse did not bode well for Weiss.

"Well, then I have my work cut out for me," Weiss stated, but turned to Ruby and smiled softly, "But at least I'll have a friend along the way."

Ruby beamed back at Weiss. "Yeah, I'll be there. Not like I have a choice anyways."

The two smiled at each other, thankful that they were able to put their conflict behind them and work on the bigger problem. Weiss got into her bed and began to drift off into a peaceful slumber, content now that her argument with Ruby was over. Just as sleep began to overtake her, she heard a quiet voice in the dark whisper:

"By the way, your brother is still totally a little prick,"


Weiss woke up the next morning refreshed and reinvigorated. She was happy that the whole situation with Ruby had been mostly resolved. It was nice having one less thing to worry about. Of course, she still had a promise to keep. She had to figure out how to help out the lost ghost, and that was no easy task. Weiss shook the pessimistic thoughts out of her head; they benefited neither of them.

Ruby glanced up at her and smiled warmly, to which Weiss responded with a nod and the slightest traces of a smile crossing her lips. The girl's smile only brightened when she saw the heiress smile back, which in turn made Weiss smile more.

"Ms. Schnee, are you up yet?" The inquisitive voice of Klein spoke through the door. Weiss's good mood only increased. Klein was far better than any of the other servants, as he treated her like an actual human being.

"Yes, Klein. I'll be ready in a moment," She responded before making her way to her wardrobe. Glancing at Ruby, she jerked her head, gesturing her towards the slightly cracked open window. The girl gave a mocking salute before slipping between the two glass panes, into the open air.

Just because they were friends didn't mean Weiss was comfortable enough to get changed in front of the ghost, and Ruby had faithfully left the room each time she had needed to. Even when Weiss was rude to her, she left each and every day.

"I'm ready, Klein," She called out loud enough for both the butler and Ruby to be able to hear. The oak door opened to reveal the butler with a smile large enough to rival Ruby's, before letting out a jolly laugh. Ruby floated up next to her and looked at him curiously.

Her interest was piqued when the man strode up to her carrying a tray containing a plate, likely her breakfast. He set the tray down on her tea table before turning to her and grinning.

"I have wonderful news, Weiss! Your sister Winter will be arriving in the afternoon," He informed her, smiling while doing so. She saw Ruby shoot her a worried look out of the corner of her eye, but Weiss smiled. Ruby's worry didn't seem to lessen, but she didn't say anything just yet.

"That's wonderful, Klein."

And it was truly wonderful. She dearly loved Winter, and she always loved spending time with her. She was the only member of her family who wasn't against her, and was the only friendly face for a large part of Weiss's early childhood.

"She said she would like to speak to you once she arrived, so I have taken the liberty of informing all of your instructors that you will be absent from any lessons this afternoon."

"Thank you, Klein."

"It was no problem, Ms. Schnee. You've had a stressful couple of days, haven't you?" He asked gently, offering his shoulder to cry on.

"Yes, I have," She admitted, but saw Ruby smiling at her from behind Klein, "But things are starting to look better already," She said with a smile. Klein smiled as well, pleased that the girl he had practically raised was happy. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have my morning lessons to attend."


The lessons that morning seemed to drag on forever. She was so excited to see her sister that afternoon that she could barely focus on anything. She still diligently took notes, as Father would never forgive her for slacking off, but her heart wasn't in it.

When it came to practicing magic, she was a bit more focused, due to the inherent danger of being distracted while creating glyphs. Nonetheless, she waited with held breath for the moment the mage supervising her would give her permission to leave. Once he did so, she practically took off down the hall to reach the dining room.

Weiss ate quickly, yet neatly. No crumbs fell down onto the floor, no water spilled out of her cup. Ruby couldn't even come close to being that neat, and this was while she was rushing. Once she had finished her meal, Weiss hurried to her quarters to wait for Winter's arrival. Ruby, who had been oddly silent all day, finally spoke up.

"So, Weiss... your sister... is she anything like your brother?" Ruby asked nervously. So that was what was wrong. She was concerned for Weiss after hearing that her sister was coming, and justifiably so.

"No. Winter is nothing like the rest of my family. She left the life a noble behind to train to be a knight," Weiss stated. "Father never wanted her to become so... independent from him. He was furious."

"Oh, so your sister doesn't get along with your dad? Well, I guess that's a good thing," The ghost murmured, still not sure whether she should be worried about Winter blowing up on the white-haired girl. Weiss may seem fine with Winter, but she didn't really have anything to compare her to, so she might be worse than she realized.

"Speaking of sisters, I seem to recall you mentioning you had one. What was she like?" Weiss asked her after they finally reached her room. She opened the door and made her way to the large bed in the middle and sat down. Ruby made her way to the bed and laid down next to Weiss, draping her legs over the side of the bed.

"My sister, Yang, was awesome. She always was there for me. She read me stories after my mom died, and would always make sure I was okay after I tripped and fell," She said with a sigh. "She could be a bit overprotective, but she was the strongest person I knew. She gave everything she had in everything she did, and she encouraged you to do the same."

"She sounds like a wonderful sister."

"She was. Is. She is a wonderful sister."

Weiss looked at her sympathetically. It was hypocritical of her to pity her when she refused to be pitied, but she couldn't help but want to do whatever she could to make her feel better. She supposed this must have been how Ruby felt watching her the past week.

"What about the rest of your family? Don't you have a father, and I remember something about an uncle?" Weiss questioned, wanting to learn more about her new friend.

"Yeah. My dad used to be a knight," She explained as she sat up on the bed. "After I was born, he and my mom bought a farm on Patch so he could raise me and Yang. They took turns looking after the farm while the other went out and fought Grimm. One day, my mom never came back. So Dad just hung up his sword and focused on raising us instead of fighting."

"I wonder how it would be to have such a loving father," She thought to herself. Instead of voicing her thoughts, she simply nodded along and waited for Ruby to continue.

"Uncle Qrow was another knight. He always visited after every mission, even more so after Mom's death. He made sure to always have a new story to tell us after every mission. Even if the mission by without any problems, He'd always make sure to portray it as if the lone Beowolf he killed was the most dangerous threat to the kingdom of Vale, and that he single-handedly saved all of Remnant by killing it," Ruby said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Weiss was taken aback. She hadn't expected the girl to start crying, but she should have. She cursed herself for not realizing that talking about Ruby was just going to make her sad.

"Sorry. I know I shouldn't cry," Ruby mumbled. "It's not like they're dead or something. It's just... I miss them," She said with her eyes tearing up again.

"No, Ruby. The one who ought to apologize is me. I should have realized that trying to get you to talk about your family was insensitive. A friend should never make their friend do such a thing," She said, noticing Ruby get visibly happier at the word friend.

"Thanks, Weiss. It's always nice to be comforted by a friend," She said, emphasizing the word.

The two's moment was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door, which made Weiss shoot to her feet. She had forgotten that Winter was coming. She wasn't ready for this. Her heart began to beat faster, the stress of disappointing her sister getting to her. It was only when she realized that making her wait was going to upset Winter that she was able to force herself to walk to the door and open it.

Twisting the decorated doorknob, she pulled the door open and found her sister standing before her. The elder sister was wearing an ornate breastplate over a simple blue tunic. She wore white breeches, with silver greaves covering her shins. Over that, she wore a fitted white cloak and metal gauntlets, with a silver saber hanging from her waist. Overall, she cut a very imposing figure.

Yet Weiss could not help but smile when she saw her dear sister, and gave a small courtesy, greeting her sister. "It's wonderful to see you again, Winter," she stated as she stepped out into the hallway to greet her.

"Likewise. It has been a long time, dear sister," Winter said sadly, but they both knew why she didn't visit often. Escaping from Father was hard, and returning to him was even harder. With each visit, her desire to be free of him only grew, leading her to spend even more time away from the manor.

"Well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here now," Weiss reassured her, not wanting Winter to be upset while spending time with her.

Winter gave a small smirk, and the two began to walk through the mansion, heading towards the training hall. The normally silent hallways were filled with their light conversation.

"So, Winter. How have you been?"

"I have been well. Yourself?"

"Fine."

"That's good to hear. Is Whitley still acting like Father?"

"Yes. He tries to use the same tricks as him, but seems to forget that being insulted by a fourteen-year-old boy and an accomplished noble and merchant cause very different emotions."

"He will learn."

"You expect him to better himself?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"No. I expect Father will corrupt him even more," She stated matter-of-factly.

Weiss nodded to herself. It hurt, but Whitley hated Weiss and despised Winter. There was nothing the two could do to try and help him be a better person.

"What have you been doing?" She asked her role model, watching the older woman blink in surprise. She didn't normally ask questions about Winter's duties as an officer in the Atlesian military, but after hearing about how Ruby interacted with her family, she wanted to learn more about what Winter was doing. She was certain she would have some interesting stories.

The two continued to converse as they neared their destination, Winter telling Weiss about the recent spy they had found. According to Winter, they had caught a White Fang sympathizer within their ranks and captured him before he could pass on a message to his contact. With the information they had gotten out of him, they knew the location of several White Fang hideouts in Mantle. She was moving out against them in a few week's time.

After entering the training hall, Winter walked to the center of the training ring. Placing a hand on her sword, she turned sharply to face her younger sister. Her gaze was stern as she drew her sword and signaled for Weiss to the same.

"Would you do me the honor of having a duel with me?" The soldier requested, with Weiss's only response being a nod. She knew Winter wouldn't hold back, and her harsh criticism could sting almost as much as her blade, but dueling with Winter was the fastest way for her to improve her swordplay. Her sister would explain everything she did in the fight to come, as well as explain how to fix it.

Winter nodded to herself, raising her sword with her right arm and folding her left behind her back. Weiss knew that she would let her take the first move. There were no words said to signal the battle. It started when she swung her sword, giving her full control over the flow of the battle, however brief that would last. Despite the disadvantage, Winter was unphased. Weiss knew she wouldn't be able to break her defenses.

Steeling herself, she lunged forwards and flicked her blade up at the last second. She just had to hit her sister, but it didn't have to be a good hit. Just grazing her chin would be enough, and that was what she intended to do. The blade was stopped less than an inch from its target when Winter knocked the blade aside with the flat of her own.

Winter's saber slashed upwards, causing Weiss to narrowly dodge. Winter redirected the swing to slash at her again, but she jumped back to avoid being hit. The elder Schnee sister leapt forward, closing the distance between them faster than Weiss could blink. She raised Myrtenaster just in time to deflect a powerful overhead swing, before dancing out of the range of the razor-sharp blade.

Blindingly fast, Winter closed the distance again and slashed horizontally. Weiss managed to block the attack with her blade, but now their blades were locked together. Winter was by far physically stronger, so it was no surprise to Weiss when she found herself being pushed back. She needed to get away, but the instant she moved Winter's sword would overwhelm her and score a hit, ending the match.

She was trapped. She could try jumping backwards, but Winter would just appear in front of her the instant she did. She could try to duck under the slash, but she knew she wouldn't be able to in time. She was running out of time, and her options were few. She resigned to her fate; she couldn't match her sister in swordplay. So she wouldn't beat her that way.

Twirling the tip of her blade, she was able to create a small glyph that hovered in the air between them. As soon as she saw the white glow of Weiss's magic, Winter jumped backwards, putting as much distance between the two of them as quickly as possible. Weiss smirked. Her ploy had worked.

"It seems that military training is coming back to haunt you, dear sister," Weiss thought to herself. Winter hadn't bothered to establish any rules to this duel, so Weiss reasoned there was nothing stopping her from using magic. And Winter was a well-trained soldier. As soon as she had seen the magic, she had leapt away from the perceived danger. Her finely honed instincts had betrayed her.

Winter gave her a pleased smirk, impressed with the little ploy. She seemed disappointed in herself for falling for that trick, but happy that her little sister had come up with it. After all, she was the one who had forgotten to establish the rules of this duel, which meant Weiss could use magic without it resulting in her immediate loss.

Of course, this was a double-edged sword, as that meant she could use her own magic. While Winter would admit that her younger sister had more natural talent when it came to magic, she was far more experienced in the arcane arts, and regularly used them in combat. Her sister, meanwhile, only knew the basics of fighting with magic.

Winter flooded her muscles with arcane energy, strengthening them. She darted towards her sister and slashed three times, each strike being blocked but being closer than the last. Her leg shot out to sweep Weiss's feet out from underneath her, but the young woman rolled upon hitting the ground, avoiding the blade that thrust into the ground where she had just been.

Weiss shifted to her feet and returned to the basic fencing stance. Her opponent's blade was still stuck in the spot she had previously occupied. Her rapier shot out towards her but Winter casually deflected it while pulling it out of the ground. Weiss let out a curse as her sister once again locked blades. It had been a trick; she had let herself get lured into once again testing her strength against Winter.

She focused as much magic as she could into the muscles in her left arm to keep the blade from encroaching further, but it was only slowing it down. The curved saber inched forward, until it was close enough she could see her own reflection in it. Behind her, she could see a faint silver shape watching from the corner of the room. Ruby was watching her.

She found a competitive smile had crept its way onto her face, and her eyes hardened as she stared into Winter's. Creating a glyph wouldn't work this time, and trying to do so would only waste her strength. Instead, she pumped magic from her left arm into her legs and jumped backwards. Winter's blade whooshed through the air, just a hair's length away from ending the match.

She did an acrobatic flip in the air before coming in for a landing, then brought her rapier up to deflect a strike from Winter. The two blades flashed through the air, catching the sunlight streaming in through a window by the wall opposite the entrance. The metallic clang of the two silver blades meeting time and again deafend the sound of her heavy breathing, but it was obvious she was getting tired.

Myternaster was a superbly-made weapon. The silver blade was masterfully crafted to be able to absorb Dust into its blade via the ornate etchings that ran along its length. It was a perfectly balanced weapon, and while its main strength was in its pointed tip, its unique diamond-shaped blade had razor-sharp edges capable of easily slicing through flesh and bone.

It was a light weapon, and one that was meant to be used elegantly. The weapon would weave in and out of an opponent's guard, outpacing their inferior weapons. But compared to Winter's lethal saber, it fell short. It was too light to be able to properly block or deflect her attacks, and the superior cutting edge that the saber possessed meant that Weiss was at a disadvantage when she was close to Winter.

The saber was a cutting weapon, while hers was meant to be primarily a piercing one. Unfortunately, Winter would not let her gain the distance she needed to be able to properly use the pointed tip of her blade to its fullest potential.

The two white-haired women began to clash once again, their blades creating a cacophony of clanging metal. Yet while Winter expertly blocked and deflected Weiss's flurry of slashes, she still came within an inch of cutting her. Fighting Winter like this was like trying to fight a storm. She could do nothing but desperately lash out, trusting her instincts to guide her blade to protect her.

"Weiss! Punch her in the gut!" Ruby screamed out, momentarily distracting the heiress. She nearly turned to chastise the ghost before realizing that not only would that leave her open to an attack, but Winter had no idea about Ruby and would be confused when her little sister suddenly screamed at the air to shut up.

Instead, she just twisted Myrtenaster through the air to deflect a series of slashes that Winter made. The sisters were both tiring, but Winter was clearly more used to this level of physical exertion. Weiss was running out of options. She couldn't create a glyph, she'd be defenseless. She couldn't back up, Winter would just get too close again. All she could do was hold off the inevitable.

"Well, if there isn't any other option, I might as well try Ruby's idea," Weiss thought before clenching her right hand into a fist and plunging it into her sister's stomach. Winter let out a gasp, more from the surprise of the blow than the force of it. She would never have expected such a move from her blue-blooded sister. The momentary lapse in combat gave Weiss the chance to back up, right into the perfect range for her rapier, Myrternaster, to work best.

She launched a series of thrusts with intense ferocity, but her sister simply twirled her blade to redirect them away from her body. The two danced around each other, with each step Winter took, Weiss took one away from her. Her sister was on the defensive now. The only way she could attack would be to overextend herself, leaving her vulnerable to a counterattack.

Her muscles screamed at her to stop, but she refused to do so. She genuinely couldn't recall a time in which she had done so well against her sister in a duel. Her sister's concentrated expression told her that she was taking this fight seriously, but Weiss knew that her sister would never go all out against her. Winter was a merciless teacher, but the idea of harming her little sister held her back, slowing her down just enough for Weiss to be able to match her.

Unfortunately, while Weiss's clever use of strategy had allowed her to endure thus far, she couldn't physically compete with her sister. She was stronger, faster, and had far more stamina. Whereas Weiss felt like her sword weighed a ton, Winter was merely breathing heavily, sweat barely visible on her face. The difference between the two was enormous, and Weiss had run out of ideas.

Her legs finally gave out when Winter dashed forward, leaving Weiss unable to back up in time to get away. She tried to slash diagonally across her body, but Winter blocked the blow and twisted her blade, sending Myrternaster flying. She lifted her saber and gently poked Weiss in the stomach with it, ending the match. She sheathed her sword and knelt down to help her sister who was panting and gasping for breath.

Weiss was covered in sweat, and her clothes stuck to her like glue. She felt as though her lungs were being crushed, and her pants were only barely heard of the blood roaring in her ears. Her sister rushed off to grab her some water, and Ruby took the opportunity to rush over to her.

"Weiss, that was amazing! That fight lasted so long, I don't even know what was my favorite part! You're super awesome!" She babbled excitedly, causing Weiss to smile softly.

"Thank you," She whispered to Ruby, before adding "for the great fight," when she saw her sister look at her inquisitively, having heard her talking to the ghost.

"It was my honor. I must admit, you far exceeded my expectations. And while some of your strategies were... not exactly honorable, I will say that you have trained well in my absence," Her sister said, only slightly panting. Weiss glared at her while she alternated between drinking as much water as she could and gasping for air.

Winter offered a sister a hand and pulled her to her feet. She smiled at her sister and gently whispered "I'm proud of you," into her ear. Father had tried to crush such sentimental "weakness" when they were children, so even years after she had escaped his clutches it was difficult for her to express her love.

Weiss, instead, simply wrapped her arms around Winter in a hug. Winter froze, so unused to the idea of being hugged that she just sat there with her arms out for about five seconds before wrapping them around her sister tentatively.

Their family had never been big on physical affection, but after seeing Ruby and hearing her talk about her older sister she realized that she needed to show how much she cared more often. She never knew when either of them would die, and she wanted to be sure Winter knew she loved her in case she ever got hurt.

The two just stayed like that for another ten seconds before they broke off. Winter was very confused as to what brought about that sudden burst of familial affection, but Weiss was just content to be there with her beloved sister.

Ruby smiled at the sight of the two of them. At first, Winter had seemed harsh and overly critical of her little sister, and the ghost was about to tell Weiss to tell her sister that she was being a massive jerk. During their duel, however, she realized that being critical was just Winter's way of showing that she wanted the best for Weiss. While they may have been extremely different, Ruby couldn't help but be reminded of Yang when she looked at Winter.


Weiss and Ruby were deep in the library, sitting at a small hidden table in the corner of the bottom floor. A pile of books sat between them, with two of them open. Weiss had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Ruby could read, but exasperated when they realized she couldn't turn the pages.

"Page turn, please," Ruby asked innocently, and Weiss reached over and turned the page for her. The ingenious idea of having Weiss turn the pages of Ruby's book had come to the ghost after thirty minutes of reading over Weiss's shoulder, and Weiss was happy for the additional help.

"Thank you," The girl chirped, turning her attention back to the book on the table. This must have been an extremely strange sight to any passing servants and scholars, with her reading one book and periodically turning the pages of another.

"Have you found anything?" Weiss asked after a little while of silence, looking up from her book to stare at Ruby. The younger girl looked up as well, before standing up from the chair she was sitting in.

"Nope. Nothing," She responded plainly.

"Hmm," Weiss hummed tiredly. She hadn't had much luck, either. The books in front of her were the ones Weiss thought just might have a chance of having information on Ruby's curse. The Schnee family's library was vast after all, and contained a number of ancient tomes that were... less than legal to actually own.

"What's it like?" Weiss asked Ruby, to which she looked up and met her eyes.

"Huh?"

"Being a ghost. It could help with the search if we could narrow down some details."

"Oh, that makes sense. You're so smart, Weiss!"

"Shut up and answer the question, you dunce," She mocked her teasingly, with the slightest hint of embarrassment. Ruby threw out compliments far more than Weiss was used to.

Ruby stuck her tongue out at her in a childish pout, before her expression became more serious. "Well, I can float, so that's weird."

"I've noticed you can float, tell me something I don't know."

"Well, um, I can touch stuff, but I can't feel it."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I'm sitting on a chair, but it doesn't feel like a chair. It's more like it's just, like, a resistance that's pushing back. I couldn't feel any difference between this chair and the finest Mistralian silk."

"Hmm. Well, you can see and hear, but can't touch. What about taste and smell? Are you able to?"

"No. I can't interact with the world. I can only listen and watch. You're the only thing I can interact with, as we've established. Any other questions?" Ruby asked cheerfully, though Weiss could tell she was hiding how sad she was

"No, but thank you for indulging me," Weiss said, not willing to continue the conversation if it would upset Ruby. She raised her book and picked up where she left off, her eyes darting across the page.

"What'cha reading?" Ruby asked, causing Ruby to glance over her book at her. The girl was clearly not used to sitting still and reading for such long periods of time, which could be forgiven. But if she continued to constantly distract Weiss then they wouldn't accomplish anything.

"It's a book about necromancy," She explained, then cursed as Ruby's eyes widened. Necromancy was illegal in all of the kingdoms. Practicing the dark art of raising souls and corpses from the dead was naturally considered morally reprehensible, so it shouldn't have been too surprising for Ruby to be so shocked.

"Isn't that, like, super evil and illegal?" She asked, confused as to how the Schnee family could possibly own a book on such a dark subject.

"Yes, but the Schnee family has collected hundreds of tomes on the subject. Many noble families own them as well," She explained to Ruby, who only grew more confused.

"Why?" She questioned, to which Weiss sighed.

"Some use them as badges of honor. Boasting about their collection of dark, cursed tomes that contain unimaginable secrets. Some hide them, unable to destroy such powerful objects but unwilling to let them fall into the wrong hands. But many, such as my family, simply collect them because it is forbidden to do so. It is a noble's nature to ignore the laws they themselves wrote."

"That's pretty cynical, Weiss."

"That's just the way it is."

"Well, not every noble is so selfish. You can be kind of grumpy, but you're really nice. And some of the ones from Vale were fair when it came to laws and taxes."

She nodded, conceding the point. She made to start reading the book again, but Ruby interrupted her.

"But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you reading that book?" She asked concernedly, not wanting her friend to get hurt by dark magic for her sake.

Weiss sighed, explaining it to Ruby. "Necromancy is not inherently evil. It is simply the art of using magic to commune with and control the dead. What gives it its evil reputation is the people who use it."

Ruby blinked, because of course she didn't get it. Weiss sighed again.

"Ruby, think about it. Most people become a necromancer for one of two reasons. Either they want to save a loved one and will do anything to do so, or they are megalomaniacs who want an army of slaves with no free will. Necromancy is dark because it attracts those who are willing to do dark things with it. There are many who use magic for good, but what use is a mindless slave to anyone but one deprived of morals?" She questioned, seeing understanding dawn in Ruby's eyes.

"I, however, will not go to such lengths. I merely need to get a better understanding of the soul, so that I may figure out how to rid you of your curse. Should I figure out a way to resurrect you, I would try, but that is not my goal as of this moment."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah! Right now, we need to figure out what's the deal with this curse!" She exclaimed, pumping her spectral arm in the air.

Weiss smiled at the girl's antics, before turning her attention back to her book.

"Of course. After all, I promised you, and I intend to keep that promise. No matter how long it takes."


I have to say, this chapter was extremely fun to write. The fight scene was never meant to go on for so long, but I wanted to practice writing long fights for later on in the story and before I knew it, I had 1,500+ words describing the duel. I never meant for this chapter to get so long, but I'm pretty proud of the finished product. Just know that I probably won't be writing chapters this long every time. Feel free to leave me a review telling me how I can improve my writing, constructive criticism is always appreciated.