A/N: Hello lovely readers! First off, the amount of feedback and support I've received has been amazing, and a real incentive to write more. To all you who reviewed/followed/favorite this I would like to thank you! So without further ado I present the true first chapter... Enjoy! :D
"I believe that two people are connected at the heart,
and it doesn't matter what you do, or who you are or
where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers
if two people are destined to be together."
- Julia Roberts
~ ~0~ ~
The Princess and the Pauper
- Chapter 1: A Fated Encounter –
~0~
Under the cover of shadows a figure takes a single cautious step, carefully inching towards its target, an unsuspecting doe. The animal munches contently away at a patch of colorful wildflowers, unaware of the silhouette silently retrieving an arrow from the quiver on their back. Oblivious as the shadow, a female cloaked in red, draws back the arrow, carefully aiming for the heart of her prey. Ignorant of its impending death, of how quickly its life would end as soon as…
Crack
Its head snaps up, intelligent eyes scanning the surrounding brush, gauging likely hideouts for any possible predators. Its whole body tenses, muscles taut, ready to run at the first prominent sign of danger. It never stood a chance. The twang of a bowstring coupled with the animal's pained cry echoes throughout the otherwise serene forest. Droplets of red spray the ground, oozing from the arrow's entry wound in the doe's lower abdomen. It grunts weakly, exhausting the remainder of its strength to dash through the dense foliage and interweaving trees. Running was its last resort; a futile final attempt at survival.
From under the huntress' hood brown irises flash silver in annoyance. What she wouldn't give to be able to chase after her prey at top speed. It would be simple to skip the tracking, skip the waiting, skip the hassle. The risk is too high though, no deer is worth risking a trip to the gallows.
She takes a deep, calming breathe, eyes flickering back to their natural shade of brown, and crouches low to the ground. An animal, especially one that is frightened or injured, always leaves a trail, a sort of road map to where they've run off to.
Sure enough, every few meters, stark against the lightly pigmented grass, were scattered globules of blood. Rich red tones sharply contrasted with pale spring grass, leaving a clean trail.
And so the real hunt began.
She walked for what seemed like an eternity. The hunt was always long, or so she had been told. So, she knew she would have to practice tolerance, not an easy task for the normally hyperactive girl, and eventually she would cross paths with her prey. Finally the thick foliage parted, revealing a quaint forest clearing, untouched by the tainted hands of man. And there, lying right in front of her, was the doe. It was too weak to stand and run, too weak to even growl as she cautiously approached.
It just lay there on the forest floor, stock still, wide innocent eyes never leaving the huntress' hooded face. The animal knew what was happening, that was for sure, but it had lost all of its strength, it had accepted the inevitable.
"Shh," She cooed, using a tone one would usually save for a small child. The huntress slowly drew a sharpened hunting knife from its thigh sheath, holding it nervously in front of her. "It's all over now. Rest in peace little one." One clumsy, unpracticed, slash ended the hunt once and for all. The killer watches wide-eyed as the life essence slowly drained from the corpse, staining the grass a deep crimson. She had never seen death up close before… it was so, so…
"Disgusting!" She groans, wiping the damp, stained knife on the hem of her red cloak. "Ugh, I don't know how Velvet does this everyday! I think I'll stick to smithing from now on. There's no blood, no guts, and no mess. Plus, I get to lock myself in the forge and work on my sweethearts."
With a sigh she grabs onto the doe's front legs, arms straining to pull the moderately sized carcass onto a small sleigh. The huntress takes a final deep breath of the crisp evening air, savoring how clean it seemed in comparison to the town, before beginning the short trek back towards civilization. During the trip her hand never drifted far from the hunting knife strapped to her thigh. After all, you never know what will be attracted to the scent of a fresh kill…
~ ~0~ ~
It took just over half an hour for the blacksmith to reach her destination, the island village of Patch.
Upon arriving at the town gates she was immediately swarmed by a small group of children, each fighting over her undivided attention. "Miss Ruby! Can we take your sled to the butcher? Can we? Please!"
The red cloaked teen chuckled, handing the reigns over to the oldest boy in the group. "Well aren't you all the sweetest things. I suppose I don't mind as long as you bring me my Lien from Ren tomorrow. But you know, something tells me you are doing this to be nice; you all just want to go see Miss Nora. Maybe collect some kind of reward she offered you in exchange for help? Some sweets perhaps?
Immediately the children reddened, all sputtering excuses, firmly denying any connection between their rare act of kindness and free candies. Ruby shook her head in amusement before shooing the children off to complete their errand.
I thought most of the children were terrified of Ren… guess they really want the reward, whatever it is. But, what if she isn't at his shop right now, the children would be so disappointed. Who am I kidding? Wherever you find Ren you'll find Nora. She sticks to him like a sloth sticks to a tree, though she isn't nearly as quiet as a sloth. They don't make a whole lot of noise…But seriously, why does she still refuse to admit that they are "together, together" hmm…
Ruby pauses mid step to collect her thoughts, absentmindedly glancing down the road towards where she knows her smithing shop stands. Even from the distance it was obvious that the forge's fire had died down, a sure sign that her older sister lay somewhere inside. Yang always seemed to migrate towards the workshop whenever she stumbled home from work, especially if the evening had involved any sort of alcohol.
Three soft knocks and a quiet call of "Yang" were met with an irritated grunt and a few not so muffled curses. Ruby sighs softly, reaching into her pouch for her shop keys. Her hand withdrew from the pack, cradling a small black key. She twists the thin metal into the lock, grunting as she strains to pull open the heavy cast iron door. The dying evening light filtered into the otherwise pitch black room, casting red hues across the dimly lit shop, and lighting up half finished metal contraptions, weapons, and armor.
Her gaze flitted about, ascertaining the state of disarray her workspace had been life in. The forge's fire had recently been extinguished, though not very thoroughly, quite a few embers still glowed contently from the hearth. Tools lay scattered across multiple tables, haphazardly thrown about without any concern for order.
Oh well, at least they're all still in the shop this time. Tracking down misplaced tools is the worst! It's especially annoying when a certain someone pawns them off in her drunken stupor. Speaking of her, where is that sister of mine?
As if summoned by Ruby's thoughts a hand shoots up from the darkness; the figure grabs the end of one of the tables, unsteadily hauling themselves up and into a passable sitting position. She stretches and yawns noisily, spine cracking in multiple places as the bones pop back into their correct placements.
"Ugh I really need to stop passing out on the floor, these stupid metal shavings are a pain to try and untangle from my hair!" The blonde turns her head as she runs fingers through her thick mane, acknowledging her hooded companion for the first time. "Hey Rubes, how did the hunt go? Actually, do I even have to ask? It may have been your first solo hunt, and a favor to Velvet, but I'm sure you Rose to the occasion… Ha! Yang Xiao Long you are a comedy genius!"
Ruby chose to ignore her sister's bad pun, and instead lower the hood on her cloak, finally revealing her full face. Physically she stands nearly a full head shorter than Yang, though that isn't too undeveloped considering the blonde's two year head start. Short black hair frames a pale white complexion. Her shaggy bangs, purposefully grown out, nearly hide chocolate brown irises form view.
Springs audibly creak as she settles into the workshop's sole unoccupied chair. "Yang it's getting worse." She whispers, her normally childlike voice taking on a rare, serious tone.
Immediately the blonde's violet eyes narrow, her smirk twitching downwards into a deep frown. "You have to hang in there Ruby, you're so close! Just two more years and you'll be able to control it, everything will be okay. Now, did anyone see you? Is there any chance, at all, that you were discovered?" The blacksmith shakes her head, prompting a sigh of relief from the taller sister. "Alright, that's good, that's very good. Let's just keep it that way. I don't… I don't want anything happening to you baby sis."
"Thanks Yang…" Ruby whispers, wrapping thin arms around her sister's lithe waist. The blonde gives her a rare smile, full of vulnerability instead of the usual self confidence, before returning the embrace. "Hey anytime kiddo. Also… Rubes I hate to break it to you, but you stink like a slaughterhouse! How long have you been wearing that cloak? You know what, I don't care, but I refuse to hug you until you change clothes and bathe. Ew, ew is there any blood on me? Well? Is there?"
Ruby chuckles and quickly releases Yang from her sisterly show of affection, raising her hands in the common gesture for surrender. "The only reason I haven't cleaned off this gore is because you used up all of the soap. Ring any bells?"
"Yang huffs, crossing her arms and turning her head to try and conceal a light blush. "What can I say? Hair like mine needs a little bit of extra love every once and a while. You should have bought some soap while you were out, then there wouldn't be any problems."
The raven-haired girl sighs, reaching into her coin purse for the remainder of their money, Lien clinking together pitifully as she hesitantly withdraws them. She knew the shops they usually frequented had long closed their doors, all trying to get a head start on preparing their stands for the Vytal Festival. That wasn't the problem though, many of the larger businesses located in the heart of Patch practiced longer business hours. The problem lay with their prices. Which, while reasonable enough, were also higher than what either of the sisters were used to spending.
Hopefully everything will turn out fine... The apothecary is sure to understand my monetary situation. After all, I've heard many rumors speak of his fairness and generosity to those in ! Everything is going to be all right!
~ ~0~ ~
Ruby slammed the apothecary's heavy oak door, fuming as she stomps down the cobblestone street, eager to get home and forget the shopping trip ever happened.
"Who does that guy think he is!?" She yells to no one in particular, drawing more than a couple of strange looks from passersby. "He's a nutcase, a loon, and calls himself a wizard! Who does that!? What was his name again… Oz something. Ugh, it doesn't even matter. That crook and his ridiculous soap prices stole all of my Lien! Yang is going to slaughter me for this…"
She pauses her rant to take deep calming breathe, turning her face towards the sky, trying to use the change in light to determine how long she had been gone. The sun, which was just sinking below the horizon when she departed, was already long gone. It had been replaced by a full moon, hanging high in the beautiful pitch night sky. Stars twinkled like diamonds, shining like a celestial path, a map for Ruby to follow on her short walk home.
I think I'll sneak through the back alleys tonight; the shortcut will save a lot of time. Plus, even I can tell I'm starting to reek, and Yang won't…
The cloaked girl freezes, immediately pressing herself close to the alleyway's stone wall, praying that the alley's menagerie of shadows would be enough to hide her from prying eyes. Approaching quickly, from just around the corner, were quick footfalls. These types of steps were usually associated with the, always busy, Patch town guard. Ruby peeks around the corner, careful to avoid casting herself in direct torchlight.
It looks like I was right to stop. This hiding spot will do, it's just a couple of meatheads who… are they chasing someone? Is that a girl?
The stranger's hair flowed as she ran, a curtain of white that glowed in the moon's modest light. She bore a black cloak at least two sizes too big, the hem occasionally tripping her up as she ran. Ruby gulps, eyes fixed to the girl quickly approaching her hiding place. She rounds the corner, tripping for the umpteenth time and flying to the ground.
"At this rate she'll never get away from them. It looks like I'll be doing something stupid again." Ruby whispers to herself, raising the hood on her signature red cloak. "This ought to hide my face, and stop people from seeing something they shouldn't"
Brown eyes close, opening a second later to reveal glowing silver irises. She blinks and instantaneously disappears, leaving no evidence behind except for a small pile of red rose petals.
When the guards rounded the corner less than five seconds later they were astounded. Their prey had disappeared into thin air! It was mystery that would haunt them for weeks, before eventually slipping from their thoughts. Unfortunately for them, while they were busy scratching their heads and surveying the scene a certain red hooded blacksmith was long gone, her white-haired prisoner in tow.
A/N: That's all folks! To be honest I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but an introduction had to be made. I want to stress how dire the situation would be if the guards, or anyone really, discovered Ruby's semblance. This chapter was twice as long as the prologue, yay! Hopefully you enjoyed and see you again next week.
Important notes: This note is completely unrelated to The Princess and the Pauper. As most of you know Valentine's day is only about two weeks away. So, for the first time I'll be accepting commissions. If you have a prompt, pairing, or just a random idea related to Valentine's day then message it to me. I look forward to your ideas 3