On the first day, a voice woke her, muffled and distant, as if she were on the bottom of the ocean and someone was speaking to her from the surface
"Your Highness?" She stirred and rolled her head to the side, eyelids pressing together fiercely. For some reason, she found it very difficult to open them. "Weiss. It's time to wake up."
The queen opened her eyes and sat up. Suddenly, she was feeling light and full of energy, the absolute contrary to herself five seconds ago. She looked around and realized she was in a stranger's bed, covered in soft white sheets. Standing to the right of the bed, fixing her famous red cloak around her shoulders, was Summer Rose.
"G-General," Weiss stuttered, her fingers clawing at the mattress beneath her. "Good morning…?"
"Indeed. By the Moon, Your Highness, I had no idea you were such a heavy sleeper. I was contemplating shaking you awake for a while there," Summer smiled. "Are you well rested?"
"…Very," the girl's eyes narrowed, her confusion and shame giving way to anger. "Why am I not in my own bed, General? Is this your room?"
Summer looked at her and blinked, as if she wasn't understanding the underlying accusations in her words, but Weiss knew better than to believe in the act.
"Apparently, you take a while to really wake up, my queen," the redhead said. "You had a… confrontation, with Lady Belladonna, yesterday. It turned to be that she was a faunus, most likely connected to Ozpin's treacherous plans. You chased her off, but were quite distraught after that."
"That does not answer my question," Weiss interjected seriously. "Why did I sleep in your quarters, General?"
"Oh. Oh! I-it's nothing like that, my queen, I assure you!" Summer laughed nervously. "As I said, you were distraught. I thought sleeping your own room, alone, where Belladonna… worked… Would be too much for you. So I offered my own bed."
"Well, where did you sleep, then?"
Summer's smile reappeared.
"On the floor, of course," she said. "Anyway. There's much to do today. First and foremost, we should arrange a new bodyguard for yourself, my queen."
"I am done with bodyguards," Weiss rose from the bed and skirted around the General, making sure to maintain as much distance between them as possible. "I can defend myself, and it's been more than proven to me that I cannot trust others with my safety. There is always an angle to be exploited, something they seek to gain by being close to me."
"Hmm, I cannot say I disagree with you. Being close to the queen of Vale is indeed something more valuable than can be measured in gold," the general nodded. "I suppose I shall look to your safety myself."
Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but Summer raised a finger and shook it.
"Don't argue. I'm your bodyguard now." Summer stated.
Weiss pursed her lips and strode out of the room. The Reaper fixed her scythe to her back and chuckled before going after her.
On the second day, they held a council meeting, and Weiss raised up the question that had been bothering her ever since her sister died. One of them, at least.
The council members' joy at the topic was obvious, if not a bit insulting. One word of hers about seeking a worthy king, and they began to throw offers at her, naming their eldest sons or, in more uncomfortable occasions, themselves. Weiss halted the discussion not an hour after, saying she would think about their words carefully over the next days. And then, the High General spoke up.
"I do not question the importance of there being an heir to the throne, gentlemen, but I believe it would be wise to explore other options aside from… well…" Summer shrugged. "Queen Weiss is of birthing age, but it would be hash for her to bear a child so soon. Vale needs a strong heir, but even more importantly, it needs a strong king too," she smiled to the queen. "Besides, she is young, and her sister's death is still fresh on her mind."
Weiss expected the council to protest that the queen's happiness was second to the kingdom's safety, but to her surprise, no one spoke up. In fact, some even nodded in accordance to the general's words.
"What would you suggest, then, General Rose?" Lady Goodwitch asked.
"There are many options. For one, the queen could name a regent to rule in her name in the event of her death or disappearance, until she is ready to marry and bear a child." Summer replied easily.
"And who could that regent be?" Glynda crossed her arms, as if she already knew the answer.
All eyes flew to Weiss at once.
"I am considering options," the queen said neutrally, then brought her chair back and stood up. "If you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. General, about that issue with the soldiers…?"
"Ah, yes. Let us go to the barracks at once."
Summer followed her out of the strategy room while the council members still discussed among themselves. As soon as they were in the hallway, Weiss turned around and glared at the general.
"You forget your boundaries, Rose," she stated. "Do you realize what effect your words have on my image? She is young. She is not yet ready to marry. How am I supposed to rule these people when you make me look like a helpless little girl?"
Summer smiled sadly and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"I can't apologize for my actions, my queen," she said. "I could easily say I was trying to strengthen the kingdom, but that wouldn't be the truth, now would it?"
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked with a furious edge to her words.
"I said you weren't ready to marry and have a child, not because I would prefer you name a regent, but because I care for you," Summer explained. "The last thing I want is for you to tie yourself to someone you don't love."
Weiss's gaze softened. Truthful or not, Summer's words put her at ease, if only for a little while. It wouldn't be long before something horrible happened again, like an assassination or another breach, she was sure, but she couldn't live her whole life waiting for every disaster.
"I'm glad you're by my side, Summer." She said, smiling a bit.
"Where else would I be, Snowflake?" Summer laughed and started to mess with the queen's hair.
"Stop it! And don't call me Snowflake!" Weiss protested, stepping back and slapping the general's hands away, though her smile had only widened. "You really want to destroy my reputation, don't you?"
"The cute and sweet ruler reputation? I think I'm helping to build that one, really," Summer bowed mockingly and made distance between. "Let us see to that soldier issue, hmm?"
Weiss nodded and started walking, her eyes showing a sign of happiness that she had been lacking for far too long.
On the third day, Lady Nikos pulled her aside as she moved from one task to the next. Weiss demanded to know what she wanted, but Pyrrha only shook her head and assured it was an urgent matter, all the while leading her to a corner of the castle the queen rarely visited.
"This is my room," Pyrrha said, opening a door and gesturing inside. Her eyes darted in all directions, as if she feared someone would spring out of the shadows and attack them. "I would be very pleased if you entered, Your Highness."
"You have given me little reason to do any such thing," Weiss crossed her arms stubbornly. "If something is troubling you, you should bring the matter to the Council during our meetings, or directly to me in my room, if necessary."
"My apologies, but your room is not nearly private enough for this matter," the redhead swallowed dryly. "Does General Rose know where you are?"
Weiss stared at her for a long time before entering the room. She was surprised at how small and cramped it was, especially for a noblewoman like Pyrrha, but she was even more surprised to see there was another person in there, sitting on the edge of the lady's bed with his hands laced together above his knees.
"…Is he supposed to be here?" Weiss asked suspiciously as Pyrrha closed her door behind them.
"You've met Jaune already, haven't you?" The mistralian warrior frowned worriedly.
"Ah, yes. He did not know I was a royal… He thought I was Ruby's… girlie," Weiss extended a hand cordially. "It's a pleasure to formally meet you, Jaune."
"Uh, yeah," Jaune shook her hand shyly. "Sorry about that."
"Water under the bridge," Weiss looked at Pyrrha. "Why did you drag me here?"
Pyrrha and Jaune shared a significant look, as if both were silently trying to convince the other to speak up. Weiss stood by, tapping her fingers against her arm impatiently.
"I don't know how to say this, Your Highness," Pyrrha said slowly. "There is a traitor in your court. I'm afraid she wants to take your throne."
"What?" Realization dawned upon Weiss. "Wait, do you speak of General Rose?"
"…Yes. She's a witch. She can enchant people with words, and who knows what else she can do," Pyrrha spoke faster, gathering her courage. "She painted General Ozpin as a traitor. She cursed your sister and Ruby. And now I can only imagine what she did to Lady Belladonna."
"Lady Belladonna claimed the same things."
A moment of silence passed as Weiss stared at nothing in particular, eyes wavering with emotion. Jaune reached with his hand to touch her arm, but suddenly, she sprung to life again and walked to the door.
"I will forgive your slander this time," the queen said icily. "But speak another ill word of my General, and I will have both of you thrown in prison."
"Weiss-"
"Not. Another. Word."
Weiss exited and slammed the door behind her, her heart beating quickly in her chest.
How could this be happening? Two sources now claimed Summer Rose was manipulating her with magic. One had been Blake, and she had been a faunus who had tried to kill her. Weiss hadn't given a second thought to her disparate words.
But Pyrrha Nikos? The mistralian had been nothing but honorable and cordial during her visit to Vale, and had defended the town from the Grimm when she had had no obligation to.
"No," Weiss whispered to herself and gripped her rapier by the hilt. "Nobody can be trusted. Nobody."
On the fourth day, Summer brought a basket of fruit to her room and they lunched together. They sat on the balcony and watched the city from above while the sunlight pierced through the nebulous sky and shone on their faces.
"Where did you get these?" Weiss asked, taking an apple from the basket. "They look too good to have been grown in winter."
"Your assessment is correct, my queen, but you'd be surprised at how well fruit can be preserved if you put your mind to it," Summer said. "The farmers wouldn't tell me what they did, of course. Trade secret. Could be magic, for all I know."
"Hmm. Can magic sustain a population through winter?" Weiss smiled bitterly. "If yes, I would like to have a word with those farmers about their selfish ways."
"Spoken like a true queen."
Weiss took a bite of her apple and looked at Summer. The general hadn't eaten anything yet, seemingly content with only staring at the city.
Weiss fidgeted in her chair, a rush of differing emotions overwhelming her. She couldn't take her eyes off of Summer, and she couldn't quite tell why. Maybe it was the suspicion that Pyrrha's words had woken inside her; or the simple comfort of having one person she could connect to in the mess she was living in; or the way Summer's eyes seemed to shimmer beautifully against the sunlight, and how the skin of her neck showed when she bent forward, so pale and unblemished, and how her tunic…
Weiss cleared her throat.
"I've… never met anyone with eyes like yours before, General," she said, hoping Summer hadn't noticed her staring. Dragon's blood, how long had she been like that? Five, ten minutes? "Aside from Ruby, of course. Is it a trait from wherever you come from?"
"Wherever I come from? You wound me, my queen," Summer straightened in her chair and put a hand to her chest, sighing dramatically. "I was born in Vale. Not the capital, of course, but within the kingdom's borders. A little village named Patch. Doubt you ever heard of it."
"Oh," Weiss looked away embarrassedly. "I always assumed you were from another land, seeing how… legendary, you are."
"No, ma'am. I'm of Vale blood, through and through," Summer smiled. "Legendary, you say? What sort of legends do you speak of?"
The queen resisted the urge to groan. It had been years since this last happened, but Summer had a habit of pressuring her into sharing the stories of her adventures as she'd heard them. For all her other qualities, Summer was awfully vain.
"You know what I mean," Weiss sighed. "The Reaper, the Flame, the Wall, the Shadow? Your little band of rebels and ruffians?"
"Ruffians?!" Summer gasped. "You do wound me! …Tell me more."
"…No," Weiss smiled deviously and crossed her arms. "You tell me more. How old were you when you became the Reaper?"
Summer frowned and looked at the sky, tapping her fingers on her chair, as if she were counting mentally.
"Fifteen, I think," she said slowly. "A group of bandits took our village and forced us to work for them, and… other things. I picked up a scythe and went to fight them. Luckily, I had some friends to help, or else Summer Rose would be Dead Rose right now."
"Bandits?" Weiss frowned. "I thought they were knights of Atlas…? And that's why you were so determined to fight the kingdoms afterward?"
"Huh?" Summer blinked. "No. I'm fairly sure they were bandits," she shrugged. "No wonder I'm a legend. People have really embellished my deeds over time."
"Hmm. So you went on and brought terror upon Lords and Ladies everywhere," the queen grinned. "When did you have Ruby?"
"Twenty-two," Summer replied immediately. "Taiyang – excuse me, The Wall – was very happy about it."
"And how did Yang Xiao-Long come to be?"
Summer picked an apple from the basket and took it to her mouth. She ate slowly, eyes turned away from the queen.
"I'm sorry. It must be a sensitive topic to you." Weiss said guiltily.
"Don't worry about it. You were just curious," Summer took another bite of her apple. "But I don't wish to discuss that matter. Are you enjoying the apple?"
"It tastes as good as it looks."
"Must be the magic."
They spent the next minutes in silence, eating their respective fruits. When Summer was done, she turned on her chair and leaned towards Weiss, silver eyes fixed expectantly on her.
"So, I have shared stories with you, stories that people would kill to hear from the lips of the Reaper herself," she said. "Now it's your time to share."
"You know everything about me, Summer," Weiss scoffed. "What stories have I to share that you don't already know?"
"A good point," Summer nodded. "I was thinking you could show me some of your magic."
Weiss tensed, feeling very cold all of a sudden. Summer's eyes bore into hers, her lips curving upward ever so slightly in that mischievous way of hers.
"As you said, I know everything about you, Your Highness," Summer said smugly. "I knew before ever going near any Schnee, in fact. There are places in this world, Weiss, libraries old and forgotten, with knowledge you couldn't even imagine."
"But… That can't be! Our magic is the most well-kept secret in the kingdom! In the world!" Weiss stood up furiously. "Where exactly did you learn about my magic?!"
"Alright, alright! Calm down! Take a seat."
Summer gestured to the now empty chair, and Weiss sat back down begrudgingly.
"I was joking. There is no old library or anything. Your sister told me about the Schnee's magic," the general explained. "Now, I know what you're thinking! In what plane of existence would Winter Schnee share such an important piece of information with a measly rebel like Summer Rose?"
"Yes. That's the gist of what I'm thinking," Weiss nodded. "Excluding the measly rebel bit."
"I guess Winter just trusted me not to go around telling the people of Vale that their rulers could freeze them to death if they wanted to," Summer said. "Since the kingdom is still standing and there were no public outcries about witches and demons, I'm of the opinion she was right to trust me."
Weiss frowned, still perturbed by Summer's knowledge of her magic. She really doubted Winter would give away the secret… Even Ozpin hadn't been told. Had Winter valued Summer even more than the High General himself?
The queen took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She extended her hands in front of her, palms facing the sky, and felt the temperature dropping around her. Shivers ran down her back. When she opened her eyes again, they were shining with a faint blue light. The air had crystalized above her hands, making meaningless figures made of thin ice that constantly shifted in size and form.
Summer watched in silence. She had stopped breathing, vision fixed on the supernatural display in front of her. Squinting her eyes, Weiss could swear she saw the High General of Vale shaking.
Weiss closed her hands and hung back on her chair. Summer blinked and glared at her.
"Why did you stop?" She asked harshly.
"Sorry. I saw you shaking and thought you were cold." Weiss explained.
"No, I was… excited, I guess," Summer laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "I should be the one apologizing… Forcing you to show your magic for no reason at all, getting upset when you stopped…"
"Well, I asked you about the child your husband had with another woman, so I believe we're even now." Weiss smiled.
"Spoken like a true queen," the general got up. "I suppose it's time to do some actual work. You know how it is. Soldiers to train, prisoners to interrogate."
Weiss nodded and gestured towards the door. Summer bowed briefly and headed towards it, but halfway there, she was stopped by a call from the queen.
"Yes, Your Highness?" She turned around, smiling. "A last minute question about my daring ruffian adventures?"
"No," Weiss looked away uneasily. "Before she died… Were you sleeping with my sister?"
Summer stared at her impassively for a moment, then bowed again and left the room.
Weiss took another apple and eyed it emotionlessly. Summer hadn't answered her question, but she knew the truth. As much as she tried to force herself to be angry, though, she couldn't manage it. No, she was feeling something else entirely…
Jealousy.
On the fifth day, Weiss watched Summer Rose and Pyrrha Nikos duel.
The challenge was posed by the mistralian noblewoman when Weiss and her general finished a discussion with one of the Guard' lieutenants. The queen was furious, but she couldn't punish Pyrrha. While she had prohibited Pyrrha from speaking ill of Summer, she hadn't said anything about challenging her with seemingly honorable intentions.
Summer was caught off-guard by the challenge, but she accepted it without pressuring Nikos for answers. It was widely known that duels of such fashion were common among the noble houses of Mistral.
Room was cleared in the training courtyard, and a crowd quickly formed as word of the duel spread through the castle. The nobles and soldiers were eager to watch the fabled Reaper and the mistralian who had taken down a Goliath fight.
"Are there any special rules for these duels?" Summer asked casually as she untied her cloak. "I assume you won't just shoot me in the forehead as soon as the opportunity arises."
"That won't be a problem. Rifles aren't weapons meant for dueling," Pyrrha threw her rifle to Jaune, who was standing at the sidelines with a worrying expression on his face. "I will use my lance and shield only."
"Good. Crescent Rose has seen little action as of late," the general grinned and extended her arm to the right, holding her loose cloak at that hand. "My queen, if you would be so kind?"
Weiss sighed and took the cloak, then seated herself on a nearby bench.
"Do we have your blessing?" Summer asked smugly, her eyes never fleeing from Pyrrha's.
"Yes, yes," Weiss said exasperatedly. "You have my blessing for this meaningless duel. Finish it and then we can get on to actually important matters."
"That's culturally offensive," Summer noted. "But Your Highness has spoken. Lady Nikos, are you ready?"
Instead of answering verbally, Pyrrha dashed forward, stabbing with her lance towards Summer's chest. The Reaper brought her scythe up and clashed it against the mistralian's weapon, effectively blocking the attack. Pyrrha swung her shield at her foe's face, but Summer moved aside and made distance between them.
"Neither of us want to fight at such close range," Summer noted cockily. "But I doubt you'd like for me to have room for my scythe."
"Don't presume to know me, Rose." Pyrrha retorted, once again dashing towards the general.
Summer swung her scythe horizontally, intending to force Pyrrha to a halt, but to her surprise, the mistralian jumped above the weapon's trajectory and kicked at its end. Summer gasped as she lost her grip on the scythe and it fell to the ground, but before she could pick it back up, a foot struck her in the nose, sending her crashing down.
Pyrrha landed above her and brought her lance down fast. Summer rolled to the side just in time to avoid having her skull pierced by the weapon. The crowd gasped in fright, and Weiss almost rose to her feet to demand the duel be halted.
"I realize now we set no limits regarding the intent of our blows," Summer said, breathing raggedly. "But that's only because I didn't think you'd try to bash my skull like that."
"Pardon me. I knew you would dodge the blow," Pyrrha explained neutrally. "You are the Reaper, after all, aren't you?"
Summer's eyes sparked with fury.
"Would you hand me my scythe?" She requested as she rose to her feet. "I won't hold back anymore."
Pyrrha froze for a second, not long enough for most surrounding to not notice, before picking up Crescent Rose and tossing to Summer. Her head turned to Weiss for a moment, a clear message on her eyes, before she faced the general again.
This time, Summer took the initiative, swinging her scythe fiercely in a diagonal arc. Pyrrha raised her shield in time to block, and her whole body shook at the impact. She felt a dent form on her shield, poking at her knuckles painfully.
"No holding back, indeed." She muttered, then tossed the shield at Summer.
The general sidestepped and the shield bounced off a pillar behind her. Recognizing the mistralian was now almost defenseless, she closed the distance between them and swung again.
Pyrrha watched the scythe coming towards her neck as if time had slowed down to a crawl. Her eyes wandered to Summer, and she noticed how the general had put all her weight into that single blow. The mistralian's lips quivered into a smirk. With a simple kick to her ankle, Summer went tumbling down, her body crashing painfully to the floor. The crowd hissed in sympathy.
Pyrrha's smirk didn't disappear as she eyed the general's still form. Normally, she would never taunt a fallen opponent, but she felt vindictive against the treacherous witch who had taken her freedom away several times now.
"I'm disappointed," she said. "Growing up, I heard so many tales of the Reaper and how her scythe was the most feared weapon in the world. But now I see they were only that – tales. Perhaps you could cut down a bumbling bandit with your Crescent Rose, but anything more…"
Summer stirred and rose to her knees, one hand suddenly closing around Pyrrha's right ankle. With a powerful tug, she brought the mistralian down, smashing her back against the floor.
Pyrrha's mouth flooded with blood and she realized the sudden attack had made her bit down on her own tongue. She spat red on the ground before lunging at the general, swinging a fist at her face. Summer rolled with it, a sickening cracking sound echoing through the courtyard. But to everyone's surprise, the High General seemed unaffected by the blow, as she responded with an equally powerful punch. Pyrrha's head banged on the floor, the world spinning around her in a blur.
Summer rolled above her, straddling her hips. Pyrrha looked up dazedly, and through the hazy veil that had formed on her vision, she saw two red eyes staring down at her like twin living flames.
Summer raised her fist, grinning viciously…
"Enough!"
Summer blinked, her eyes turning back to their usual silver coloration, and looked to the side. Whispers ran rampant among the nobles, and the queen was standing, hands clenched and shaking at her sides.
"My queen," Summer said mechanically, and stood. She offered a hand to Pyrrha, who took it reluctantly and rose with her help. "Are you well, Lady Nikos?"
"Dazed. My ears are numb," Pyrrha mumbled. "That was a powerful punch, General."
"I could say the same about you," Summer cracked her knuckles. "I must apologize. My skill with the scythe is indeed rusty. Perhaps we could have a rematch in a month's time, once I've done something about that?"
"Perhaps."
Pyrrha tilted her head to the queen briefly before stepping towards Jaune. The blond soldier examined her from head to toe, speaking in low tones. The mistralian looked about to collapse.
Weiss watched the two for a while before turning her gaze to Summer. The general had a curious look on her face, as if her mind wasn't truly in the courtyard with her queen.
"General?" She called. "How are you feeling? You should have Lord Oobleck tend to your injuries."
"Hmm?" Summer blinked. "Oh, there's no need. A good night's sleep should fix me up."
"It's midday, Summer," Weiss noted worriedly. "You can't carry yourself like that until nightfall."
"So says the queen of Vale," the general smirked, regaining a little of her usual attitude. "I promise you I won't collapse."
"It's your well-being…" Weiss sighed. "You should never have accepted that challenge."
Summer rolled her eyes and snaked an arm around Weiss's shoulders.
"And let the Council think I was too much of a coward to face Nikos?" She asked. "Besides, now you know how capable of a bodyguard you have. No one's getting near you with me around."
"I suppose you're right, but still, you are not my bodyguard. Not officially," Weiss shifted her weight uneasily, examining the general's unbruised face. "Dragon's blood. How are you standing after all of that?"
"What can I say," Summer winked. "I roll with the punches, my queen."
On the sixth day, she visited her sister for the first time since her coronation.
Winter looked beautiful and serene in her coffin, just as she had been in life. It was difficult to see and think of her like that. Alive, dead. She was sleeping, but Weiss couldn't fool herself into thinking she would wake up.
"Sister, I'm sorry I haven't seen you for a while… I… hope you've been having good dreams," she muttered, sitting on a chair beside the ornate glass coffin. "A lot has been happening, so I've barely had any time for luxuries. This castle feels more like a snake's nest than a home now."
She watched Winter's face, waiting for a reaction, but, as expected, there was none.
"I… I wish you could talk to me. I need your help," Weiss continued meekly. "You always told me to be ready for the throne, that one day, I would have to take your place. I never really listened, it just sounded… Well, like everything else you ever said. Wise, cautious, responsible. I guess I didn't appreciate that until it was too late."
"It's been brought to my attention twice now that Summer Rose might not be who she claims she is. I find that… very hard to believe. They claimed she's a witch of some sort, that she's manipulating the court and wants to possibly take the throne for herself," Weiss smirked. "So you understand why I'm skeptical, right? Summer, an evil witch? She's always been there for me, and… and for you too."
Weiss sighed and rubbed her forehead. She felt a headache coming, the kind that was caused by the holding of tears and tormenting emotions.
"I promised myself that after Ozpin, after Ruby, after Blake, I would trust nobody," she said. "But if I cast Summer aside, who's left? I-I'll be all a-alone."
She stood up suddenly, knocking her chair to the ground. Her eyes stung and her shoulders shook beyond her control, but she refused to cry.
"I just wish you hadn't left me."
"…Goodbye."
On the sixth night, someone came knocking on Summer's door, and when she opened it, the general found the queen of Vale standing in the hallway, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. Shivers ran down Summer's arms as she pulled Weiss into her room. The girl felt as cold as ice.
"Weiss?" She put her hands on the queen's shoulders. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Weiss shook her head. "I just need someone to talk to."
"Oh, dear…" Summer smiled and touched her on the cheek. "You can always talk to me."
On the seventh day, Weiss once again woke up in an unfamiliar bed.
"You're awake," Summer's voice came from behind her. "How are you feeling?"
Weiss turned and met eyes with the general. Her cheeks reddened as she realized neither of them were wearing anything, only the sheets of the bed covering their forms.
"I-I'm…" The queen stuttered. "I'm… fine."
"Thank the Moon," Summer chuckled. "I'd feel humiliated if you said anything else."
"S-Summer, d-did we…?"
The general raised an eyebrow at her. That was enough of an answer.
Weiss closed her eyes and heard her heart racing in her ears. What did this mean? What should she do? She could barely think straight, and to make matters worse, she could practically feel Summer's gaze fixed on her with heated intensity.
"Well, we can't lay around all day," Summer stood and gathered her cloak from the ground. "This is an important day. It would be wise to hand the document to the Council as soon as possible."
"Document?" Weiss opened her eyes. "What document?"
"The one you signed last night, naming the graceful Lady and High General Summer Rose as the emergency regent of the kingdom of Vale?" The redhead smirked smugly. "Damn, I must be really good if you forgot about something as important as that."
Weiss' blood ran cold as the memories came rushing back. They felt like a distant dream of deeds done by another person. A sick feeling came over her, along with a splitting pain on her head.
"Your Highness?" Summer called, now fully clothed. She stared down at her with what seemed to be worry, but Weiss could swear there was a sign of malicious mirth on her eyes. "Are you truly feeling fine?
"…Yes," Weiss gulped. "Just… Nerves, I guess. We did just, you know… Would you fetch me my clothes?"
"I would be delighted!" The Reaper smiled. "Now let's see, where's that skirt…"
Weiss blocked out the rest of the general's words. She looked at the ceiling without truly seeing anything, feeling as if she had fallen down a well with no method of climbing back up.
Let it be known, from this day forward;
That your queen is a hopeless fool.
Welp. Who wants to name that ship? SnowSummer? SummerFlake? I wouldn't reccomend shipping them here, of course, seeing as how one of characters is an evil treacherous witch and the other is practically a rape victim. (I just realized this is disturbingly dark. Weeeeeelp...)
Serious time, though. I actually debated with myself a lot about whether I should have Summer's seduction succeed at a physical level. In the end, I chose yes, mostly because it makes this whole part of the story more believable. Weiss is vulnerable; Summer really fucking wants to be named regent. It's logical that Summer would resort to the deepest levels of manipulation possible. Also, I think you guys are mature enough to not condemn me for writing that (it's not like there was actual smut anyway. It would be a disaster if I even tried).
You know, in the wake of all that depressing talk, I realize I have an awesome opportunity to self-plug! If you like Avatar: The Last Airbender, you might want to check Avatar: the Legend of Remnant, by yours truly. I can 100% guarantee that story contains 100% more rainbows and happy feelings than this one! Yaaaay!
And, yes, we'll learn what's going on with Blake and Yang soon. I haven't forgotten about them. (And Velvet too, though she's not as important as them. Short version, she made it to the town. Long story, you'll learn later.)
Also, I feel obligated to write a BONUS ALTERNATE REALITY SCENE.
Weiss cleared her throat.
"I've… never met anyone with eyes like yours before, General," she said, hoping Summer hadn't noticed her staring. Dragon's blood, how long had she been like that? Five, ten minutes? "Aside from Ruby, of course. Is it a trait from wherever you come from?"
"Wherever I come from? You wound me, my queen," Summer straightened in her chair and put a hand to her chest, sighing dramatically. "I was born in Vale. Not the capital, of course, but within the kingdom's borders. A little village named Patch. Doubt you ever heard of it."
"Oh," Weiss looked away embarrassedly. "I always assumed you were from another land, seeing how… legendary, you are."
"No, ma'am. I'm of Vale blood, through and-"
Suddenly, a masculine voice boomed from the sky.
DING! Roll credits!
"What?" Weiss looked up at the sky. "Dragon's blood, what in the blazes was that?"
"My queen?" Summer frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Did you not hear that voice? That annoying, shrill noise, like a bell?" Weiss asked in panic.
"I'm... afraid not," the general leaned towards her, examining the queen's eyes. "Are you feeling well?"
Weiss took a deep breath. Perhaps she had been stressing herself far too much recently, and imagined that voice. She squirmed in her seat, feeling Summer's intense look on her, and realized that-
DING! Scene does not contain a lap dance.
"What?!" Weiss glared at the cloud once more. "What the hell is a lap dance?!"
"Weiss," Summer smiled shakily. "I think you should lay down. Perhaps you're cold. I'll give you my cloak to warm yourself..."
DING! Summer Rose is not my girlfriend in this scene.
"Summer, please tell me you're also hearing that man from the sky!"
Summer stared at Weiss, unblinking, then slowly stood up. If this was the queen of Vale, she didn't want anything with her anymore.
"Wait! Summer!" Weiss called as her general strode towards the door. "Don't go! Nooo-"
DING! Summer Rose is a dick to Schnees.
Weiss took a deep breath and started to cry.
DING! Sin counter: 4. Sentence: Sleep forever.
So that was a thing. If you understood the reference, yay. If not... Well, you're probably very confused right now.
Just remember: BONUS. ALTERNATE REALITY. SCENE. NOT CANON. Good? Good. Now bye.
-Zeroan