"Go on, girls… Don't look back! Just… keep moving…"

Summer's voice was one of the two reasons Ruby hadn't died that day, eleven years ago. With every step she took, her little legs almost disappeared into the snow of the field. She hadn't known at the time, but they had been leagues away from Vale, and in the height of winter, there was little hope for them to make their way to the city.

"Yang! Don't let go of your little sister!"

That was the other reason she'd remained alive. With Yang at her side, Ruby was filled with warmth. Even Summer was guarded from the blizzard by the little blond girl, even if she was lagging farther behind.

Time had stretched itself seemingly endlessly. In her young mind, Ruby was only vaguely registering what was happening around her – all she knew was that they had to keep walking, her father had left, and that they were in very serious danger.

One memory had stuck in her mind ever since that day, though. She could remember everything about the moment, and she often had nightmares about it.

After hours of fighting through the snow, a hoarse yell had sounded behind them, piercing the deafening blizzard. Her father… Why was he screaming? Was he in pain? Was he dying?

Before she could break down and cry, Summer had caught up to her and flipped her around. Her mother had leaned before her, one hand on her shoulder, the other reaching for the scythe behind her back.

"Shh… Don't cry. There's no reason to be sad."

Summer planted a kiss on her forehead, and then her silver eyes met with her daughter's.

"Mommy's never going to leave you, sweetheart. I'll always be there for you… Whenever you feel scared, or lonely… Just know that I'll be with you. Just don't forget that, alright?"

Ruby's lips pressed together and she clenched her fists, as if she were trying her hardest to not cry. A little smile appeared on Summer's face.

"…See? No more tears. That wasn't so hard, was it now?"

Summer had then righted herself and taken a step back. Ruby's hand reached for her, but Yang held her from behind. Her older sister knew what was happening, but tears still shone in her eyes.

Summer looked at Yang, her smile somehow becoming even more honest. At that moment, Yang stiffened… It was like an unspoken promise that been negotiated between the two of them.

"Now, go, Ruby. Make me proud."

And then her mother turned and walked away, her red cloak fading from sight in the middle of the blizzard.

But, somehow, Ruby had been able to hear her last words.

"I love you."

As Ruby and Yang sat on their mother's bed, waiting, an array of emotions displayed on their faces. Uncharacteristically for both of them, not a word escaped their mouths. They simply didn't know what to expect for the rest of their day.

Learning Summer was alive so suddenly had hit hard enough, but learning that she was now a noblewoman with direct obligations to the queen was almost harder to believe. But they had held their questions back, as they were too busy being happy during their return to the castle.

Now that they were in peace, though, Yang was taking a much more level-headed approach to the situation. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't figure out a way Summer could have made it out alive that day. She was so confused, it was hard to be excited about spending time with her again.

"Do you think…" Ruby spoke quietly, her eyes staring into a corner of the room distantly. "Do you think she's… you know, the same?"

"Yeah. Of course, she's Summer. She's your mom," Yang smiled, though she knew that, realistically, a lot of things could change in the span of ten years. "Don't worry about it, Ruby. It will be weird, but only for a while."

"What if…" the redhead gulped. "What if she doesn't like me?!"

"Obviously she's not going to like you," Yang crossed her arms knowingly. "She's going to love you!"

Ruby smiled a little at that, but she still looked more worried than not. Yang sighed, realizing that being her usual cheerful self wasn't going to cut it this time. No, she would have to bring out her ultimate weapon.

Without saying anything, Yang edged closer to her sister and wrapped her arms around her. Ruby leaned her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling comforted by Yang's unnatural warmth.

They stayed like that for a long while before the door to the room opened and Summer stepped inside. The noblewoman discarded her cloak casually, then turned to look at them with a smile on her face.

"You two haven't changed a bit," she said. "Well, you're bigger. But you're still so close to each other…" Summer looked away. "Damn. I don't even know how to begin… I'm just so happy to see you alive and well…"

"Us too!" Yang exclaimed, then her eyebrows rose questioningly. "Though I really can't figure out how you survived. I mean, you told me the person who was chasing you was very, very dangerous."

"Well, he was," Summer's smile faltered. "He killed your father. By the time he got to me, though, you two were far away, and so I had nothing to hold me back from taking my vengeance."

"So…" Yang paused. "You… managed to kill him?"

"Yes."

Summer turned her back to them and approach a wall. She took the scythe from her back and fixed it on the wall, all the while not adding a word to her explanation. Yang wanted to dig deeper, but she could tell it was a difficult topic to talk about.

"I assume you two survived because of Yang's gift." Summer spoke suddenly, turning to face them again.

"Yes," Yang frowned. "Though I would hardly call it a gift."

"Well, it saved both of your lives," Summer tilted her head slightly. "I think that makes it a gift, don't you agree?"

Yang lifted her shoulders slightly, then left the bed to stand on her feet. She looked from Summer to Ruby with a big, kind smile on her face.

"It was really nice… meeting you, Summer," she said. "But I've got an errand to run, I'm afraid."

"An errand?" Summer repeated dubiously. "That is the weakest excuse I've ever heard in my life. Can't you stay a while longer?"

"It's not that I don't want to stay," Yang nodded towards Ruby. "But I've gotten enough attention already."

Before Summer could protest further, Yang exited the room swiftly, closing the door behind her.

For a long time, Summer just stood there, staring at the door, as if she didn't know how to proceed. Ruby lowered her head, unconsciously trying to make herself as small as it was possible.

And then Summer blinked and turned to look at her daughter, her lips curving into a smile, even as tears emerged in her eyes.

"Sweet Moon," she whispered. "You've grown so much…"

In an instant, Ruby suddenly found herself being embraced. Summer's fingers clenched at her cloak and her hair, as if she were afraid her daughter would slip away from her.

Before she could try and get a hold of herself, Ruby returned the embrace and rested her head on her mother's chest, weeping openly. The feeling was familiar, but at the same time, otherworldly – as if she were reliving a memory from too much time ago.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, though in reality it was only a few minutes. Summer sat on the bed beside Ruby and kissed her on the forehead, eyes still shimmery with tears.

"Sorry," she barely managed to say. "I wasn't planning on losing control like that. I thought… I'll be strong for Ruby, so she can be strong too!... My plan didn't work."

"I-I don't mind," Ruby smiled slightly. "It was nice."

"It was, wasn't it?" Summer chuckled. Her eyes examined Ruby once again, from top to bottom, lingering at the sword and pistol on her hip. "You're a warrior. A knightess… I couldn't be happier!"

Ruby's heart threatened to explode with happiness at that moment. It was just like Yang had said, there wasn't anything to worry about!

"And you're a… noblewoman?" Ruby inquired, puzzled. "Uh… how did that happen?"

"It's a long story," Summer looked at her scythe longingly. "My days of rebellion are over. Let's just say I owe a lot to the Schnee line, and that they are worthy of my… noblewomanliness."

"Noblewomanliness?" Her daughter repeated unsurely. "What exactly do you do around here, mom?"

Summer paused for a brief moment at the sound of that title. Mom. That would take some getting used to.

"I'm a member of the Vale Council. We advise the queen in all matters, from political to economical to military," she explained. "Queen Winter greatly values my input, and… She would never say it out loud, but we are good friends too."

"Can the queen really have friends?" Ruby questioned, though she had Weiss on her mind.

"Of course. We all need friends," Summer smiled knowingly. "Even the princess heir."

Ruby's mouth parted in surprise. She wasn't exactly secretive when it came to her feelings, but Summer had read her like a book. Perhaps it was motherly instinct, or she was just that smart.

"I'm sure Weiss appreciates you. She's just too stubborn to say it out loud," Summer said, then leaned closer to Ruby. "That topic has made me curious… How did you manage to earn a job as honorable as guarding the princess heir?"

"Ruby! Look!"

Her eyes had fluttered open with difficulty, her eyelashes heavy because of the freezing weather around them. She had been in a half-awake state of mind for days now, the only thing keeping her alive being her sister's warmth.

"I think… I think that's Vale!" The blonde's voice was barely audible above the roar of the snowstorm. "We're here! Come on, just a little more!"

But even Yang, with her inner fire and unyielding spirit, couldn't hold out in the open for so long. For the first time in her short life, she was beginning to feel slight stings along her skin, sucking her body's heat away and replacing it with coldness. That, and having to practically drag her little sister for days without rest, was draining the last remnants of energy in her.

"Damnit… Ruby? Ruby, don't worry," Yang whispered tiredly. "We're going to make it… Don't… Close your…"

And then Yang's knees gave out, and both girls went tumbling down to the ground snow. Ruby fell face first, and the contact of the frigid snow with her skin jolted her to full awareness. She struggled to her feet, but the wind seemed to be growing even fiercer, and she was knocked back down in a matter of seconds.

Yang's arms snaked around her from behind, pressing Ruby against her body in an attempt of keeping her protected from the cold. But even Ruby could feel her sister's warmth ending, and the terror that realization brought was worse than any blizzard.

"Stay… Put…" Yang muttered. "Wait… Wait a few minutes… Let me build my…"

A howl rang through the air, and then a grotesque silhouette appeared before them, a single dark point in the vast whiteness of the fields. Yang's eyes widened, but she couldn't muster the strength to say, much less do anything.

The wolf's form became clearer to them as it raced in their direction, sharp fangs and claws and dead eyes sending shivers down their spines. It howled again, only a few seconds away from reaching them.

It lunged at them. Ruby struggled against Yang's hold, and the older sister was too weak to stop her from freeing herself. All that Yang could do was watch helplessly as the Grimm made its downward trajectory upon the little redhead.

To her surprise and dismay, Ruby did not brace herself. Instead, she yelled and jumped at the creature, colliding with it in midair. The Grimm hadn't expected that either, and fell on the snow on its back.

Ruby's fall was more graceful, but also not smooth at all. She visibly shook as her feet rejoined the ground and almost collapsed right then and there. The wolf stood and swung a claw towards her, which she only ducked under fast enough because of instinct.

The redhead yelled again and dealt a punch to the Grimm's snout. It screamed and shook its head, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Its eyes focused on Ruby, revealing a new depth of malice.

If it had had the opportunity to attack again, there would have been no defense for Ruby. But luck was at finally at their side that day, as a round shot through the air and hit the Grimm's head, making it fall to the ground, lifeless.

Ruby's body faltered and she started to fall backwards, but suddenly she was being held by a man with gray hair and worried eyes.

"Ssh. Don't worry, little girl," he said, eyes wandering over to Yang, who was slowly getting up. "What's your name? What are you doing here, all alone in the height of winter?"

"I'm Yang Xiao Long. That's my little sister you're holding," Yang almost growled. "Let her go."

"Xiao Long?" His expression shifted from worried to confused, and then finally he seemed to come to a realization when he looked down at Ruby again. "And this… Is Ruby Rose?"

"Yeah!" Yang yelled. "Give her back!"

He complied, letting Ruby stand on her own and wander over to her sister.

"Where are your parents?" He asked.

Yang glared at him.

"Ah. I see," he looked down sorrowfully, then turned in Vale's direction. "You can't stay here. Let me take you to the city, and I'll arrange shelter for you."

"Mister, we don't even know who you are."

He stopped and looked over his shoulders. His eyes met with Ruby's startled ones. He suspected he would never see a sadder sight in his life.

"My name… is Ozpin."

Emerald woke up on a cold stone floor. Her back hurt like hell, and her skin stung every time it made contact with anything – as if she were touching ice. Only a dim light coming from beneath a door gave her some knowledge about where she was.

Iron bars, low ceiling, uncomfortable space… Vale castle's dungeon.

She smiled slightly. Aside from the pain and disorientation she felt, everything was moving along perfectly.

Before she could reflect on her situation for much longer, though, the door swung open and two people entered the dungeon, one of them carrying a lantern. The bright flame irritated Emerald's eyes, but she didn't look away.

"Hello, my queen," she said sweetly. "I'm so honored by your visit. And you too, General Ozpin."

"Speak only to answer our questions," Winter's voice lashed like a whip, but it only made Emerald happier. "What is your name?"

"Emerald Sustrai."

"Why did you try to kill the princess heir?" The queen pressed. "Are you with the White Fang? What are your allegiances?"

Emerald smiled and looked at Ozpin slyly.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said, then shifted her posture to look at the queen again. "Can you tell me what you serve to the prisoners, by any chance? I've been trying to lose weight for a while now. I'd hate to see all that effort go to waste."

Winter's eyes narrowed, and, for a moment, Emerald thought she would scream at her. But to her surprise, the queen just shook her head and turned towards the door.

"I can't do this right now," she muttered. "Get the information out of her, Ozpin. I don't want to keep her around for long."

"What?" Emerald's eyes widened. "But I so wanted to talk to you, your majesty! I thought we could have a nice, relaxing talk about your family-"

"That's enough!"

Winter spun around and reached for her belt. Her hand closed around the pistol she always carried on her, but as she pointed it at Emerald, Ozpin grabbed her wrist. The queen's eyes sparked with rage as she turned her head and glared at him, but Ozpin just stared at her calmly.

"I think it is best we leave this for another time indeed, my queen," he said. "You should rest. Tomorrow will be a more opportune time."

He let go of her wrist and took a step back. Winter waited a few seconds before slowly lowering her hand and withdrawing her pistol. Without another word, she turned and exited the dungeon.

Ozpin took a moment to look at Emerald. She had a little smile on her lips, her eyes trained on him too. The general shook his head and walked away, closing the door and leaving her in utter darkness.

"Stretch your arm more. The recoil of a pistol is greater than you might imagine. You don't want to have it anywhere near your head when you shoot."

The tip of Ruby's tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on lining up a shot at a wooden dummy. The fact that it stood two heads taller than her posed a difficult, if somewhat hilarious, challenge.

"In the same vein, you should take care to keep your arm steady, or the pistol will fly out of your hand. Don't put more force than necessary, though. That will tire you out quickly, and greatly lower your chances of making multiple, accurate shots."

Ruby nodded slightly and adjusted to the advice. She slowly pulled on the trigger…

"Also, your feet-"

The round raced through the air with a deafening noise and struck the wall behind and to the right of the dummy. At the same time, Ruby's entire body shook, and she dropped the weapon on instinct.

"Your feet are too close together," Ozpin sighed. "Let's try again."

"No! I don't want to!" Ruby shouted.

"You're not going to become a master in a day's length. That takes a lifetime… If you are lucky enough to manage it at all."

"That's stupid! I don't want to use a gun!" She continued, her voice rising even more. "Why can't I use a scythe like my mom did?!"

Ozpin looked at her in sympathy. The little girl was so desperate, she hadn't even noticed how much attention she was drawing from the nobles that passed by the inner garden they were training at.

The general smiled and crouched in front of her, then put his hands on her shoulders. Slowly, her breathing lowered to a normal pace. However, she now had tears build up on her eyes.

"A scythe is not a real weapon. Not in the traditional sense," he said in a soothing tone of voice. "The reason your mother used one was because she had no other option… She didn't have swords or guns to choose from. Was she still a fearsome warrior? Certainly. Perhaps more than most proper swordsmen."

"So?" Ruby crossed her arms stubbornly. "I still want to use one."

"The truth is," Ozpin chuckled. "I have no clue how she did what she did. I can't teach you how to wield a scythe in battle, Ruby."

She looked at him with wide eyes. Up until then, she had believed he knew everything about anything related to combat.

"That doesn't mean you can't try once you're older," Ozpin assured. "But if you want my help, I'm afraid we are limited to this…"

He picked the pistol up and offered it to her. Ruby looked at it for a while, now without any sign of tears, but frowning.

"Alright…" She said slowly. "But you're going to teach me swords too?"

"Of course," Ozpin chuckled. "We can start right now."

Ruby exclaimed happily and hugged him, almost knocking him to the ground. Ozpin awkwardly stood up and patted her on the head.

"Ozpin?" She muttered. "Did you know my mother? I mean, I know you know about her, but…"

"Yes," he answered. "We knew each other."

"Were you friends?"

"…No," the general paused. "We've been slacking for too long. Let's go find you a sword, shall we?"

"Yes, sir!"

Weiss didn't pray often. She believed in her religion, of course – it was expected of the royal line, and every other noble, in fact. But it made her feel foolish to speak to some deity that didn't seem to ever be listening. So she only prayed when she was required to, usually in public gatherings or when she shared a meal with her sister.

But now, for the first time in her life, she felt like she had a reason to pray. Every day that passed, more enemies appeared, and she had no clue as to who they truly were. The White Fang could be a few dozen rebel faunus, or hundreds, for all she knew. And Ozpin…

No. It couldn't have been him, she thought vehemently. He's always protected me. It had to have been a misunderstanding, or a trick… But even Ruby had seen and spoken to him.

"Dragon," she muttered, kneeling on the balcony of her room with her head bowed. "I know I am not in nearly enough need, but I do not know where else I can turn to. Was my mission foolishness? Did I endanger my life and the royal line for nothing? I… I need a sign that I am in the right path."

She paused, patiently waiting for an answer of any kind. All the while, she felt like an idiotic little girl… But, if she didn't show her belief was true, then her prayers would never be answered.

"Please… I need clarity…"

Weiss waited silently. After a while, she started to feel strangely, as if she was being watched by someone outside of her vision. She resisted the urge to rise up and look around, knowing it was best to remain patient and pious until the sensation faded away.

"Oh, please," a voice sounded behind her. "That is a surprising amount of horse crap for someone of such blue blood."

"What?!" Weiss jumped to her feet and turned. To her surprise, she found Yang Xiao Long standing in the middle of her room with a devious smile on her face. "What are you doing here?! I should call the guards right now and have you thrown in the dungeon!"

"You shouldn't," Yang corrected. She sounded very sure about herself, which annoyed Weiss greatly. "You owe me answers, your highness. And if you refuse to cooperate… Well…"

Weiss scowled at the threat. What could Yang do? Spread rumors about the princess heir having magical powers? Surely, no sane person would believe her. But if Winter caught wind of the rumors, she would know they couldn't have emerged without justification.

So, as much as the princess wanted to kick Yang out of her room and, even better, the castle, she couldn't risk angering her. Her only hope was that she would be merciful with her questions.

"Fine," Weiss said, exhaling heavily. She bit her lower lip, searching for any way to distract her unwanted visitor. "Shouldn't you be with your mother?"

"We've talked enough," Yang responded. "Summer is not my real mother. She's Ruby's."

"Oh," Weiss's cheeks reddened. "I suppose that is rather obvious. You look nothing like either of them."

"Yes," the blonde's eyes narrowed. "Tell me about your powers. Is it ice magic, or something else?"

The princess sighed. So much for stalling the inevitable.

"You could call it that," she said hesitantly, turning to look at the city from her balcony. "I was born with it."

"Born with it?" Yang almost leaped to her side, which only annoyed the princess further. "Does that mean the queen is magic too?"

"Yes. It's in the royal bloodline," Weiss glared at her. "And it's a secret. We don't use these powers, we don't think about them, and we certainly don't want everyone else accusing us of… of being witches, or other stupidities!"

"If it's any consolation, I would call you a witch even if I didn't know you had magic."

Weiss closed her eyes. If she started to scream furiously, it would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

"So, what exactly can you do?" Yang continued. "I know you can encase people in ice. What more? Can you… make snow? Can you control the weather?"

"I don't know," Weiss muttered bitterly, leaning on the balcony. "I never use it. What you saw was an exception. Now stop bothering me about it."

To her surprise, Yang complied with her wishes and sat on the edge of the balcony. Her expression was serene, which contradicted everything Weiss had previously seen from her yet.

Unfortunately, what little credit Yang was earning would quickly be ruined by her next phrase.

"I really don't get why anyone would worship a dragon."

"Why- It's not a literal dragon! It… It only takes the form of one." Weiss corrected.

"That still doesn't explain why you would worship it," Yang pointed out. "According to your fairytales, It tried to drown everyone because we sinned. Boo hoo. No one's perfect, you oversized lizard!"

"How dare you!" Weiss exclaimed. She had never heard anyone talk about the Dragon that way, and it didn't feel right at all. "They're not fairytales! And you shouldn't call It a… what you just said!

"Alright. I'm so sorry if I offended you," Yang rolled her eyes. "Just don't start talking to me about the Moon. She is a giant arsehole, and don't believe anyone that says otherwise."

The blonde dropped back to the floor while Weiss just stood beside her, not knowing how to react to what she had just heard. Yang chuckled and took one of her hands and patted it comfortingly.

"Don't think about it for too long," she advised. "And close your mouth. That's no appropriate look for a princess."

Weiss realized Yang was right and that she had been staring at her, slack-jawed, for a good while now. Just the thought of that made her ashamed – how could she forget all the training she had received about posture and etiquette, in so little time?

"Don't be ashamed, princess," the blonde winked at her and strode towards the door. "I have that effect on people."

The only thing Weiss could do was look away and wallow in her humiliation as Yang left the room with a content smile on her face.

"Weiss! Hey! Come with me, there's something interesting going on!"

At the age of fifteen, Winter hadn't been much different from the common youth. If anything, her royal raising had made it difficult for her to have many friends of her exact age, and so she had grown used to interacting with the children of the court. It wasn't too rare to hear a noble or another whispering about how childish she was, despite her being the heiress to the kingdom.

The same critique wasn't directed at Weiss, of course. She had barely six years of age at that time, and the possibility of her ever having to sit on the throne wasn't discussed much, if at all.

Despite the nine year gap between their ages, the two sisters had a close bond. Winter didn't feel shame in spending time with her little sister, and she often snuck her into meetings meant for more adult ears, despite their parents' constant disapproval.

That day, she did nothing different.

"Stop playing with your toys!" Winter had urged by the door of her sister's room. "We can't miss this!"

"What?" Weiss had asked. "What's happening?"

"The Reaper's here!"

Without asking for permission, Winter had raced to her sister and raised her in her arms, then put her sitting on her shoulders. Then she had run off through the hallways of the castle, not wanting to waste a moment of their time, while Weiss giggled happily above her.

In a matter of minutes, they were in the throne room. Every noble in the castle seemed to have gathered there, and Winter had been smart enough to weave through them and hide behind a curtain before someone thought of forbidding her and Weiss's presence.

The queen and the king had been sitting on their thrones, outwardly appearing to be calm, but Winter had seen by her father's eyes that he was very, very worried.

After many restless minutes, the crowd parted, and a half dozen soldiers marched to the throne. One of them had separated from the rest, stepping forward, and shoved a woman in front of him. She fell to her knees, silent.

Winter had to rub her eyes and look again. From all the stories she had heard, she had formed the image of the Reaper as a scarred, hard-looking woman, but what she found was someone of surprisingly mild stature, with fair skin, beautiful red hair and young, delicate face.

"That's the Reaper?" Weiss had whispered on her ear, clearly disappointed.

"Yeah?" Winter had answered tentatively. "I think so. There is only one Reaper…"

The woman had looked up at the rulers in a way that Winter had never seen before. It was as if she had intended to appear defiant and angry, but hadn't been able to muster the will for it.

"Summer Rose," the king's voice had boomed through the room, silencing the nobles at once. "I did not expect to ever see you in our kingdom again," his eyes narrowed. "I wonder what you were planning to do here. Have you and your friends given up on Mistral already, and now want to become enemies of Vale?"

"We are not as forgiving as the southerners, Reaper," the queen had warned. "But if you come clean and give the location of your comrades, we will spare your lives."

Summer had looked down again and muttered something.

"What was that?" The king asked. "Repeat yourself, louder this time."

She then raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I said they're dead!" She had exclaimed. "They all are dead! Now release me and let me be!"

"What?" The king leaned forward. "That's madness!"

"I-it's true! They killed… everyone… even… even my little girl…"

After that, someone shifted beside Winter, and she almost let out a scream. General Ozpin had been standing nearby for quite a while, though she hadn't taken notice until then.

"G-General!" She had spoken in a low voice. "P-please don't tell mom and dad…?"

The general had turned to look at her, as if surprised to see her there. In a matter of seconds, however, his expression was back to its usual – calm and reserved.

"Of course," he had smiled gently. "As long as you let me escort you and your sister out silently."

"Y-yes!" Winter had nodded fervently. She would have preferred to stay and watch the rest of the event, but she knew better than to argue with Ozpin.

In the evening of that same day, Winter learned that the Reaper had been spared and, to her surprise, that she was being housed at the castle. She had found the thought of such a legendary figure living so near her exciting, though she couldn't understand why that was allowed.

She first asked her father, and he had directed her to her mother. The queen, however, only said it was a complicated matter, and that they didn't have to fear the Reaper anymore.

It wasn't until two years later and her parents were dead that she had sought to have that question answered definitely by someone else.

For once, Ruby decided to take her time getting back to her house. The smell of fresh air filled her lungs and made her sigh happily. The day had gone from hectic, with the princess almost getting killed, to one of the best in her life. Her mother was alive and well, and she wanted to spend every moment she could with her.

Of course, she still had her duties to take care of. She would be doubling her efforts at guarding the princess – no more missions outside the castle! And… Well, she would have to talk to Ozpin soon. Something strange was happening, and she needed to let him know, and take his advice.

When she arrived home, Yang was already sleeping, but Blake was sitting on the edge of Ruby's bed, reading a book. The faunus didn't twitch until Ruby laid her weapons on the ground with a slight clashing noise.

"You're back," Blake said quietly. "…How did it go?"

"Oh, you know," Ruby did her best to contain her excitement. If she started to talk, she would never stop, and Yang would wake up and be very, very angry. "It was weird, but nice too."

"Are you happy?"

"Yeah!"

Blake smiled slightly, then turned to her book again. Ruby sat beside her, anxious.

"Blake… I'm sorry I pressured you into coming along," the redhead muttered. "I feel really bad. The princess didn't treat you too well, and later… You must have been pretty scared."

"I wasn't scared," Blake noted instantly. After a slight pause, she sighed and spoke again. "Maybe a little. I wasn't expecting that anyone would actually attack her."

"I was," Ruby crossed her arms smugly. "I said it from the very beginning."

Blake nodded. She seemed to be trying to read her book, but not being to focus on it. After a while, she turned to look at Ruby.

"Do you think… you could teach me how to fight?" She asked hesitantly. "I just felt so useless today. While Yang went to rescue the princess, I just hid in an alleyway."

"Hmm… You don't have to fight to be useful, Blake," Ruby said earnestly. "You're pretty smart already."

"Maybe," Blake shrugged. "But I can't defend myself with my brain alone."

"Alright. We can start tomorrow. I'm really sleepy right now…"

Blake gasped and rose from the bed.

"I'm sorry!" She said. "Y-you can sleep now."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Ruby giggled. "If you didn't leave, I would just sleep with my head in your lap or something."

Blake blushed profusely and went to sit on a distant chair, then buried her head in her book. Ruby was puzzled by the reaction to her joke, but didn't think too long about it.

She would need all the rest she could get for the next days.

"My queen?"

The throne room was dark as Summer walked through it. It was the dead of night, but no torches were lit – the guards weren't expecting anyone to be there so late. Fortunately, or not so much, Summer had the queen's sobs to guide her way.

"Winter," she called softly. "I'm here."

The girl was sitting on her deceased mother's throne, her head down on her hands as tears trailed down her cheeks. Summer smiled kindly and touched her on the shoulder. Winter looked up at her, blue eyes glimmering in the darkness.

"Leave me alone," she croaked. "I don't need anyone!"

"Alright, alright. I just wanted to check on you," Summer said. "Don't let the sadness get to you. Take your time to grieve, but don't let it consume you."

"What would you know about grief?!" Winter exclaimed shrilly.

"Everything."

Summer leaned forward and planted a kiss the queen's forehead, then turned around and walked away. Winter's sobs lessened gradually behind her.

When she arrived at the hallway outside, Summer was startled by a dark shape on the wall across from her. She reached for her scythe, but whoever it was raised their hands peacefully and took a step forward.

"Ozpin," she sighed in relief. "Don't do that. Our king and queen just got assassinated – I would have drawn on you if you had been any slower."

"I appreciate your readiness to defend the throne," he smiled humorlessly. "How did you know Winter would be in there?"

Summer paused for a moment, then raised her eyebrows comically.

"How did you know?"

And then she walked away, but until she turned a corner, she could feel the general staring at the back of neck like a hawk.

"My queen?"

Summer entered Winter's room, looking around carefully for any other visitors. It was past the time for any usual visits, but it never hurt to be careful.

As usual, the queen was standing on the balcony, staring quietly at the city below. The sight was so typical, Summer rolled her eyes before joining her.

"Winter," she greeted shortly. "I see you're reflecting on something while staring out into the distance. Very peculiar."

"Funny," Winter replied wryly. "I didn't have the best of days, as you ought to know. My little sister was almost killed, and in the process we've learned we might be dealing with enemies we don't even know."

"Perhaps we know those enemies already," Summer let that hang for a moment. "The White Fang isn't as devoted to their faunus cause as to not recruit a human… or four."

"I think that's a stretch."

"I think you shouldn't worry about this right now."

Summer stared at the queen intensely. After a few seconds, Winter turned to look at her and nodded slightly, as if to show she agreed with that thought.

"I didn't expect to see you here today," she said. "Or any day from now, to be precise."

"And why would that be?" Summer raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Your daughter is back," Winter noted. "Your grief is over."

"Is it? Grieving was so fun after a while, though," the redhead smirked. "I can still grieve for my husband, though I don't think you would appreciate that too much."

Winter just glared at her, which only confirmed her point.

"You're no fun." Summer shook her head.

"Hmm," to the Reaper's surprise, Winter let a little smug smile come through. "Is that why you keep coming back?"

Summer laughed and took the opportunity to close the distance between them, then eagerly crashed her lips with the queen's. Winter let her have her fun for a while before gently pushing her away slightly.

"Not on the balcony." She said firmly.

"Really? And I thought you were easing up, finally," Summer sighed. "Alright. But one day I'll convince you!"

"Keep dreaming," Winter sat on the edge of her bed. "You're negotiating with a queen. We don't yield easily."

Summer paused for a moment. It was oddly suspicious for Winter to act so… loosely. Usually, she was uptight to the point of saying nothing for the whole night. Maybe it was the stress of the day getting to her, or maybe she was grateful Summer had rescued her little sister.

Whatever the reason, Summer would take full advantage of the situation.

"I see," she smiled and reached for the knot of her cape. "Let me give you a fair warning, though… Rebels know very well how to negotiate."

Well, that was a lot of stuff. Longest chapter yet. YAY! I guess that's my Christmas gift for you guys!

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter on itself. This is one of these chapters that is really, really important for the entirety of the story... So if you were confused by any passages here, it's probably because it's meant to link with some later plot points. (Unless it was just badly written or typo'd, then feel free to talk shit about me... and point whatever it is out so I can fix it)

Also, to the guest that showed concern over the Summer x Winter pairing (which was confirmed this chapter), and anyone that shares that concern: This has a LOT of plot significance. I'm not throwing it on here because "OMG THAT WOULD BE SO COOL". If you're getting a bad vibe out of it... Well, stick around. You might be surprised at what comes of it.

And, for the record, they have roughtly a ten year age gape between them (in this story). Winter's 25 , Summer's 35. For aditional information, that means Summer had Ruby at age 19. In this story's setting, I think that's justifiable.

Anyway. I hope each and every one of you has an awesome New Year's Eve, and an even more awesome 2016!

-Zeroan