A/N: Again, apologies for the last chapter. But starting here is the current time of the story events.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Chapter 2. Princess Rose

Pale, milky sunlight filtered in past the beige curtains, dyeing the room in tea-stained colors.

Being a princess of a renown kingdom, Ruby Rose was never one to sleep in late; while she was quite far from succeeding her mother in being queen, she still had responsibilities to her people to tend to.

But this morning, she had woken a little earlier than usual, even before the songbirds could start filling the crisp, early-autumn air with their melodies.

If she closed her eyes and focused more on her hearing, she could just make out the sounds of creaking steps around the castle, or things being moved around in the kitchen to prepare for breakfast. Outside too, she could hear the shopkeepers rolling their wagons of stock, setting up their stands, calling short greetings to one another before they got ready for a new day.

Her mind was still a little fuzzy, her vision bleary from sleep, and it was at times like these when she could best feel and appreciate the soft fabrics of her red nightgown, the plush of her pillow.

She closed her eyes again; a bit of time remained for her to sleep...

But by the familiar padding of footsteps bound for her door, she knew she would not get to indulge herself in those final fleeting moments.

She groaned a little, counting down the footsteps – three, two, one – until a knock came on her door and a voice called out.

"Princess?"

Ruby sighed heavily, but reminded herself that what she had lost in sleep would soon be compensated for in companionship. She pushed herself up and looked toward the door.

"Come in, Weiss."

There was a respectful pause before the door was pushed inward, and Ruby could not prevent the smile on her lips when her knight stepped in.

Ruby was often early to rise, but Weiss was even more so.

While the princess still adorned her sleepwear dress, Weiss was already fully dressed in her attire – white pants and a shirt of thick material that covered a skirt of similar color, all of which were lined with blue and coated by armor. Her sheath and weapon hung at her left hip, but unlike the other knights in the kingdom, Weiss did not wield an ordinary sword, but a rapier. She had been a master at it, trained in the way of this weapon possibly even before she could walk or speak.

Weiss' father had gotten close to Ruby's long before Summer's disappearance. Like they tried to do for all families, the King and Queen had assisted the Schnees in their darkest of times. The man and his wife had been so thankful that they pledged one of their two daughters to the King and Queen, vowing that she would serve to be the future princess' personal bodyguard.

And so she was.

Weiss had been trained all her life to protect and defend Ruby, even at the cost of her own life.

But being Ruby's bodyguard was not her only task.

Even at a younger age, Weiss could never manage to maintain the wedge that was supposed to exist between herself and her charge, how Ruby was supposed to be the royal princess and Weiss merely an aide.

Ruby had never been aloof or uncaring – just the opposite, in fact. No matter how hard Weiss tried to put distance between the two of them, keep their status levels apparent, Ruby broke down every wall, crossed every boundary with her cheerful laugh and amiable smile. She was not so petty as to care for titles and how high up a person was on the political food chain; she lived believing everyone and anyone was her friend.

And before Weiss had even realized it, Ruby had brought her into her circle, someplace closer to her than anyone else had ever gone before.

Weiss had been scared at first that ignoring their differences in power could prove to destroy their relationship altogether; but as the years went on, she found it only gave strength to it.

Of course, she still kept up the appearance as much as possible, despite Ruby's obvious enjoyment of trying to make her drop it.

"Weiss!"

The jovial call of her name snapped her back to her senses and the present. She looked up to where Ruby still sat in bed, giggling softly to herself.

"Don't just stand there all day! Come inside, silly."

Weiss realized she was still lingering in the doorway, and with a sigh did as she was told, closing the door behind her before crossing the room.

"Yes, Princess."

"Weeiissss," she whined. "I told you to just call me by my name when it's just the two of us! Heck, it's fine to do it even in public, but I know you won't. But still, it's okay!" She gave Weiss an imploring look.

The white-haired girl scratched the back of her head before running her gloved fingers down through the length of her ponytail.

"Yes, Ruby."

"There we go!" Ruby clapped, delight clear in her tone. Save from her sister and father, everyone else called her by her title "Princess" or "Princess Rose" or "Miss Rose". Weiss was the only person unrelated to her who would sometimes call her by her real name.

The first time Weiss had done it was when they were younger, and Ruby had been about seven years old. Weiss had quickly slapped a palm over her mouth and thrown herself onto the floor before Ruby, bowing in the form to display one's deepest apologies, begging to be forgiven for carelessly misspeaking.

But the princess had merely placed a hand on her shoulder until Weiss looked up at her, and Ruby told her: "I like it when you say my name!"

So from then on, Weiss would try to make her happy, calling her by name whenever they were alone, though as they grew older, the knight only grew more stubborn for the sake of appearances and being professional.

Presently, Ruby made eye contact with her knight and patted the space beside her on the bed.

"Here, come sit down!" she invited. "Gosh, you always look so tired."

"I most certainly do not," Weiss said in the most respectful retort possible, remaining where she was. "I assure you I get my five hours' worth almost every night."

"Ugh, Weiss..."

"Is there a problem?"

"Nooo..." Ruby sighed. "But I wish you'd get some more rest every once in a while. I mean, you're already one of Vale's most skilled knights and fighters as you are, but imagine how much better you could be if you actually slept!"

"I sleep plenty, I assure you. And besides..." She trailed off briefly, her tone lowering an octave. "We don't exactly have that kind of luxury, what with the world as it is now."

Ruby's smile fell, Weiss' words bringing up the thoughts beyond her cozy bedroom, where real issues were still occurring right beneath her window sill.

Although Vale was in a time of peace with the rest of Remnant's kingdoms, it was not due to the educated minds and kind hearts of humans and Faunus. Rather, the people found themselves at armistice due to a common enemy; the Grimm.

Each kingdom focused on defending its own people from the beasts, as the creatures' attacks seemed to be getting fiercer with each passing season.

However, a discovery made by Ozpin and his team of researchers several years ago had put Vale in an even more pressured position than the other kingdoms.

The story of the Dragon's awakening almost a thousand years ago was known by all. It was the story parents told their children to keep them in line, that "if you don't listen, the Dragon will come and curse you!"

In addition to what Ozpin and his fellows had discovered about Summer's curse, their continued research had also brought them stumbling across another, possibly more dire aspect of things. When the Dragon was awoken due to man's irksome tantrums, the great beast breathed curses onto all that were not purest of heart, body, and soul. Half the world's population perished.

But there was one person who survived with what they called the Dragon's Curse; a curse that did not kill the host right away. That host had been none other than Summer Rose.

Being cursed by the beast, most people died within years, if not weeks or days. But Summer had lived for centuries, her soul closer to the Dragon's than anyone else's. And with her evident passing, the Dragon's Curse had been passed on to another.

The researchers still knew not how the transfer occurred, or what the new curse would entail, but it would likely not be the same as Summer's. She had been bound to watch those she cared for die around her until she found true love, and once she had obtained that, she was forced to leave them behind and make them suffer and grieve her loss.

Whatever the new curse was, no one could be certain.

But they did have an idea of who bore it.

Ruby's shoulders slumped as she thought of it all.

Her expression was so miserable, such a dire contrast to the bright smile it had been mere moments ago, that Weiss gasped softly. She went before her princess, kneeling down in front of her and covering both of her hands.

"Now, now. No need to get upset. I'm sorry for bringing it all up, Ruby."

The sound of her name made her feel a bit better, and she lifted her gaze to meet Weiss'.

"No. It's okay. I would've remembered it at some point during the day, so I'm glad you were here with me when I did." She shrugged, trying to bring back her smile.

Weiss' thumbs traced circles over the brunette's knuckles.

"You dunce," she chided good-heartedly; it wasn't a term she called Ruby often, but it always made the girl chuckle. "I would've been there beside you either way."

"Oh yeah. I guess you're right." After all, the only times Weiss was not right beside her were the five hours her knight slept at night. "Well still, I'm glad you were with me." Ruby turned her palms so they pressed up into hers.

Weiss held her gaze for a moment, searching for any lingering signs of discomfort. But the princess' semblance was speed, and her mood could bounce back just as quickly as she could often dash across an open field, putting the kingdom's best horses to shame.

Once she was certain the girl was alright, Weiss got to her feet.

"Alright then. I'll help you get dressed."

"But Weeiissss! I'm old enough to do it by myseeeelf! Don't tease me and treat me like a kiiiid!"

"Says the girl who just whined all of that," Weiss grunted, albeit playfully.

"But I'm almost eighteeeeen!"

"Then start acting like it."

"Booo, you're no fun..."

Weiss kept a hold on the girl's hands and helped her up as well.

As Ruby retreated to her closet and personal bathroom to prepare herself for the day, Weiss made her bed for her and tidied things up.

The castle did have maids and servants, most of which were Faunus the King himself had hired, not only to provide work for them, but to keeping them out of White Fang's activities. Though he could not hire every financially-challenged Faunus in Vale, he did his best to dissuade illegal Grimm hunting without harming his people; those who were apprehended were tried and held in prison for a time.

So the royal castle did have plenty of maids to keep the place clean, but Weiss always opted to take care of Ruby's room herself.

She could hear the water splashing as Ruby bathed herself, and in the meantime, Weiss went to the girl's wardrobe and pulled out a flowing red cloak. It had been the only thing Summer Rose had left behind the night she disappeared, her once-pure-white cloak having suddenly been dyed an ominous crimson shade with no explantation as to why.

Ruby's father had given it to her even at such a young age, believing it would help protect Summer's only daughter against whatever dark forces in the universe that acted against her.

And Ruby loved that cloak; it was her treasure, and Weiss knew just how dearly she cared for it, so she took the liberty of keeping it clean and soft, washing it every night with care.

She folded it neatly, carrying it to Ruby's bed and placing it down as Weiss waited for her princess to emerge.

But a pleading call of Weiss' name for help had the older girl rolling her eyes before she slipped into the bathroom.

As so often happened, Ruby was having trouble with zippering her dress and tying her corset. The girl had never been one for gowns and layers of fancy lace; she would much rather wear something like what the citizens wore, something lighter and easy to move and breathe in.

Over the years, Ruby's father had agreed to letting her wear simple shoes without heels, though he insisted the formalwear stay the majority of the time.

She did often get to dress in armor though, as even princesses needed their fighting lessons – especially a princess born of the legendary Queen Summer Rose.

Ruby was highly-skilled by nature – it was in her blood to fight and defend what she loved most dearly. Therefore, a few days a week, Ruby adored knight's attire to attend her combat lessons.

Unfortunately for her, today was not one of those days.

Weiss helped her with her corset and zipper, manually fixing the girl's faulty posture for her before ruffling a towel through her damp, messy hair. Ruby chuckled when she saw her own reflection.

"I look like a shaggy puppy!"

"More like a mutt," Weiss commented, also smirking.

She fixed Ruby's hair for her, combing through it lightly before leading her back into her bedroom. Weiss fastened Ruby's cloak around her shoulders, taking note of how this always seemed to be the brunette's favorite part of the morning routine.

"There," Weiss nodded. "You're all set."

"Why thank you, m'lady!" Ruby gave a slight bow, causing Weiss to jump a bit.

"Dolt! D-Don't lower your head to someone like me so casually!"

"Aw, but you're my best friend, Weiss!"

"But you're the next in line as Queen, must I remind you?"

"And that means I can't appreciate my friends?"

"...Fine. Do as you please."

"Thank you!"

"Let's get you to breakfast."

Weiss took Ruby's hand, not missing the little squeeze the younger girl gave to her palm.

She led her out of the room and down the hall, pausing every so often so Ruby could greet every servant that passed them by.

At first, this had been a comical scene, as Ruby would always greet them first, which was the exact opposite of how things were supposed to be; for a princess to initiate a conversation with servants... Most of them had almost fallen over in a panic the first few times, their Faunus ears flattening or tails twitching nervously.

But as time went on, they had accepted just how kind and thoughtful Ruby Rose was, never discriminatory or one to care for status.

It was due to her wholehearted kindness that most people in Vale had come to love and respect her, and the very, very small percentage of those who did not were kept in line and intimidated by all others, enough to never cause any actual issues.

But it was exactly that – Ruby's innocence and willingness to trust any and all people she saw – that worried Weiss most of all and called for her overprotectiveness of the girl. She could imagine Ruby as a young Queen, signing whatever treaty or document that came her way so long as the other party said "please".

She still had a long way to go in terms of being a ruler, but in terms of being a person – a human being and a huntress – Ruby Rose was second to none.

They reached the dining hall which consisted of a humble table with only three chairs on either side and one on each end, meant only for the royal family and the closest of aids.

The King was already present and in his seat at the head of the table, and Weiss bowed low to him in greeting. Ruby, on the other hand, rushed over to embrace her father, squealing a "gooood morniiiiing, Daddy!" to him.

And Weiss watched as he smiled; it was the only time he ever seemed to do so, whenever one or both of his daughters was with him.

As the legitimate princess and next in line for the throne, Ruby's seat was at the other end of the table, and Weiss stood behind her at her left shoulder.

"Weiss, just sit down!"

"I've already eaten."

"Okay, but still! Just take it easy for a second."

"Perhaps later."

"Ugh..."

The smell of food was thick on the air, wafting from the kitchen.

But just before it was brought out, the final pair to complete the puzzle revealed themselves.

Ruby's half-sister Yang appeared in a golden dress with her aide at her side. Her name was Blake, and she was a cat Faunus who dressed in darker clothes and kept her hair tied low.

"My deepest apologies for being late," Yang said sheepishly as she yawned, throwing a hand back through her long hair. "I slept in a bit."

"I can see that," Weiss muttered.

Yang sauntered over to her father to give a kiss to his cheek before doing the same for Ruby. When she passed Weiss, the blonde teasingly tried to peck her as well, and Weiss needed to swat her away; Yang was not whom she had devoted her life and services to, so Weiss was allowed to treat her like a pest when she was insistent upon acting like one.

Yang chuckled as she took her seat.

"Geez, Weiss. When're you gonna lighten up, huh?"

"Probably around the same time you can learn to wake up on time."

"Ouch."

Ruby giggled at their squabble, and Blake then greeted her with a soft voice.

"Good morning, Princess."

"Morning, Blake. How are you?"

"I'm fine."

The Faunus girl then made eye-contact with Weiss and nodded. Weiss returned the gesture with a smile.

They had both come form very different walks of life, but had met their respective mistresses at much the same age, though Blake's circumstances were very different from her own.

Still, Weiss had grown up in the castle in her own quarters in order to keep a constant eye on Ruby, and Blake's story with Yang was just as similar.

The four of them were all very close behind closed doors, even if publicly they sometimes needed to keep up a bit of an act.

The King knew of their bonds, however, and he had accepted everything about them all.

Blake took her seat beside Yang, and eventually, even Weiss decided to sit down this morning.

Food was brought out, and casual conversations started up, discussions of plans for the day, news about the going-ons of the town and country.

But as they spoke, they made sure to savor their food, every flavorful bite.

They ate graciously, enjoying one another's company and presences; after all, they never knew which morning like this could be their last.

Chapter 3 preview: "Hey now... I might've saved you today, but if you go back out there, you're only gonna be putting yourself in danger again. So..." She gave a tug, pulling Blake closer. "So let me save your life a little longer."

Blake cocked her head to one side, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Yang gave her hand another squeeze.

"Just trust me, okay?"

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