In a secluded courtyard in Vale, located behind a building that, before the walls had been breached by the Grimm, had once been the home to a harmless family, the sound of steel clashing against wood rang again, and again, and again. Splinters soared through the air, breaking off a dummy worn-out by the passage of time and continuous usage.

Jaune was drenched in sweat, his uniform sticking to his skin disgustingly. His vision wavered, sometimes causing him to see double, and his forehead stung like hell. But he kept swinging, jumping in all directions, imagining flames and bullets raining towards him relentlessly.

Every once in a while, he would stop and listen. Whispers, exotic and menacing, like the crackling of fire. Dark omens. Promises of finishing what had already been started. Then he would realize it was just his mind playing tricks on him and begin all over again.

When his arms got too sore from using his sword, he took out his pistol. Well, it wasn't his pistol. When he had joined the Guard, Lord Ozpin had forbidden him from using any kind of firearm, stating that it would be a great danger to not only himself, but everyone around him. Jaune had been more than happy to agree.

But things had changed. Ruby had died and come back. The queen, Yang, and Blake wielded unworldly magic that was way beyond his comprehension. Sitting on the throne was a witch, and not the kind from fairytales that turned people into frogs and tried to bake children into cakes.

No. Cinder Fall was the kind of witch who could turn the most wonderful of people into murderers with mere words; who slowly drained the life away from the noblest warriors and smiled all the way through it.

So, yes, he was willing to risk an unfortunate explosion or two if it meant him standing a chance against that kind of power. Perhaps it was futile, but he would feel much safer shooting a bullet from afar than trying to attack at close range.

He aimed carefully at his target, the center of the dummy's forehead. He imagined the trajectory the bullet would take; how the wood would explode once it impacted. The tip of his tongue escaped the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowed in concentration…

Boom. And he hit the wall behind the dummy, missing his target by far. Frustrated, he raised his pistol above his head and prepared to throw it on the ground.

"Hey!" A familiar voice called from above. He raised his head to look and found Ruby sat on the edge of a nearby rooftop, her legs swinging leisurely as she stared at him. "Don't do that. We don't have a lot of firearms to spare, you know…"

"Ruby! Uhm, how long have you been watching me?" He asked, recalling every mistake he had made during his training. It had felt intense, but he must have looked like a blundering fool to a trained eye.

"Not long. I was actually looking around the city – Weiss' orders – when I saw you down here," she explained. "Nice swordsmanship, by the way."

"Really?" Jaune eyed her suspiciously. "You're only saying that to make me feel competent, aren't you?"

"No, really! You've gotten much better!" Ruby shook her head fervently, then paused briefly in contemplation. "Well, that's not saying much – but really! I'd say you're almost as good as I am."

"Hmm. I'm a crappy shot, though."

Evidently, Ruby had no way of refuting that statement, as she only shrugged and dropped down to the ground. Curiously, her landing made almost no impact, as if she was weightless. A couple of leaves crunched quietly; some dirt raised a few centimeters off the ground.

"You know," Jaune said. "You are a little bit too creepy nowadays."

"Yeah," Ruby smiled. "I get that a lot. Anyway, want some help? Ozpin taught me how to shoot a gun."

Jaune considered the offer for a moment. Maybe if he was someone else, he would find the very idea of being taught by Ruby insulting. She was small, adorable and innocent-looking. But he had known her for more than half his life now. When they first met, he had recognized how capable she truly was, and recent times only strengthened that belief.

He nodded, and she went on to teach him the basics of shooting a gun. Jaune thought he knew those, but apparently his memory was hazy at best. Apparently, he was not supposed to pull the trigger with two of his fingers at once… That probably explained why his aiming was always so shaky.

Ruby also showed him the right postures for when he was standing still, when he was running, riding an animal or Grimm, and even jumping… Then proceeded to tell him he really shouldn't rely on those and to just trust his instincts. He was annoyed, to say the least.

As their little session went on, Jaune couldn't help but notice Ruby was acting… strangely. She seemed too focused on him almost, as if she didn't want to think about anything else. When he went on to actually shoot and she moved a safe distance away, he noticed her staring blankly, her thoughts obviously somewhere else.

He dismissed the matter, thinking he was probably seeing things where there was nothing. Besides, if Ruby was worried about something, it didn't mean it was his business, or anyone else's, for that matter. She had gone places no one else had ever been before – who knew where her mind wandered these days?

His attitude changed quickly when he finally landed a shot squarely on the dummy. The sound of wood flying everywhere filled the courtyard, and he yelled victoriously, but Ruby did not react. Her gaze was fixed on the wall opposite her, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Ruby?" Jaune called worriedly. "Are you still here?"

"Huh?" She blinked and looked around, only then noticing the damage he had done. "Hey, you did it! Congratulations, Jaune!"

"Ruby," he crossed his arms. "What's wrong? And don't even try to lie. I know something's eating you up."

She joined her hands behind her back and looked around guiltily. "Uhm… Remember when I said Weiss ordered me to look around the city? Well, I lied," Ruby frowned. "I just needed some time to think. And, uh, spending time with you is pretty relaxing, I guess. Sorry."

"It's fine, I was just worried," Jaune shrugged. "What were you thinking about?"

Ruby scratched her head and looked away, this time looking truly uncomfortable. Jaune raised his hands amiably.

"Hey, you don't need to talk about it if you don't want to." He assured.

"Thank you," Ruby sighed. "Sorry. It's just complicated. Very complicated. And not only one thing. Or two. Yeah."

"Well, let me at least give you a tip, then," Jaune assumed a very serious expression, something he didn't do very often. "Don't stall. Deal with whatever's bothering you before it's too late. Alright?"

Ruby nodded mutely, her eyes peering him from head to toe.

"Jaune…" She said. "Are you doing this to avenge Pyrrha?"

He stopped for a moment, then raised his pistol again and took aim. "Yes. I don't know how she would really feel about it, but… I like to think she'd appreciate me just trying."

Jaune looked at Ruby and examined her troubled expression. He could picture the cogs turning inside her head, the doubt and fear that she must be feeling. Like everyone else – like himself, in fact – she thought him facing Cinder was bound to end badly; that he stood no chance at all.

But then she smiled and said something he never could have predicted. "Alright. I believe in you, Jaune," she turned away. "I should head back. Pass by the hideout sometime. Weiss would like to see you."

He broke off his daze to stare incredulously at her.

"I'm being serious!" Ruby giggled. "Weiss is not as cold as she seems."

"Heh," Jaune shook his head in wonder. "If you say so. Good night, Ruby."

She jumped to a rooftop and ran away, disappearing from his line of vision. Jaune smiled and turned back to the damaged dummy, taking aim one more time.

"And so I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, we could bathe our bullets in my special concoction!" Nora declared. She stood at the end of a table, taking her turn to talk before the strategy group that had gathered for the day – Weiss, Blake, Ozpin, and Yang. She had a wide smile on her face, which disturbed most of the ones listening to her.

"Alright, Miss Valkyrie," Ozpin said, the only one able to maintain a calm expression upon hearing her speaking. "And what does this… special concoction, do?"

"It blows stuff up!" Nora yelled joyfully.

Weiss' eyes widened in horror. Blake slapped her own forehead. Yang broke into laughter.

"Hmm," Ozpin cleared his throat politely. "And what would we be blowing up, exactly, Miss Valkyrie?"

"Not people, of course!" Nora snorted.

"Oh, that's a relief." Weiss muttered.

"We could blow holes in the castle's walls to make an invasion easier!" Nora suggested. "Or if things get too hairy when we're inside, we aim at the ceiling to break up the fight! And if Grimm somehow attack us, explosions are always nice!" She paused, then added under her breath. "And as a bonus, it provides a nice last-resort suicide option."

Blake looked around in disbelief, but everyone was actually nodding in approval. Apparently, only she had heard that last suggestion.

"That's actually very sensible," Weiss said. "Can you make enough of your concoction to bathe all your ammunition in?"

"Oh, I have some on me already. I always have some on me," Nora said, which only made Blake more alarmed. "But it takes a long time to make, and I have a limited supply of ingredients to work with. If it were summer, I could go out to gather more, but alas…"

"Then the most advantageous application of what you do have is with our larger weapons," Ozpin said. "We probably don't want everyone running around with explosive bullets on their sidearms, anyway."

"I'll get to work!" Nora shouted at the top of her lungs, then ran away, presumably to the makeshift laboratory she had built in her room.

The group took a moment to recover from the loud girl's presentation. Blake considered bringing up the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Nora was a little suicidal, but she worried that might not elicit a good reaction from her allies.

As Ozpin started their next point of discussion, Ruby entered the hideout and stopped briefly, her eyes passing over them. They stopped briefly at Yang, and Blake noticed her freeze up, as if she had been meaning to say something but was quickly changing her mind.

"It's important that we establish how trustworthy Prince Neptune is," Ozpin said. "Blake, next time you contact him, make sure-"

"Excuse me," Blake got up. "I need a moment with Ruby, if you don't mind."

"As you wish." Ozpin nodded. If he was curious, he didn't show it.

Weiss smiled appreciatively to her, while Yang stared in confusion. Blake wrapped a hand around Ruby's arm and walked away, bringing her to her room and closing the door behind them.

Blake turned and found Ruby staring at her anxiously. When the redhead noticed she was looking at her, her eyes started to dart to everywhere else in the room, as if she was devising a way to escape.

"Ruby," Blake said. "We need to talk."

That only seemed to make Ruby more nervous. "W-what about?" She gulped.

"Relax. What do you think I'm going to do, hurt you?" Blake smiled kindly. "It's about Yang."

Ruby seemed to relax for a brief moment, only to start fidgeting even more the next second. "A-alright! I know what you're going to say! You want me to tell her we're not real sisters," Ruby crossed her shaking arms. "And I will. I just need time, alright?"

"I understand, but it's not right," Blake shook her head. "You've had more than enough time to come to terms with the fact. You still see her as your sister, and that's fine! But Yang knows something's wrong, and even worse, she knows you're keeping it from her," she took a deep breath. "If you take too long, you're going to be sorry. We're all going to be sorry."

Ruby stopped shaking. Blake sighed in relief, thinking she had calmed down somewhat. Before she could see it coming, though, Ruby hugged her and buried her head on her shoulder.

"I don't want to do it."

"You need to," Blake said slowly. Her resolve was waning – the longer she talked to Ruby, the harder it was to be stern to her. "I can be there with you, if you want."

"…No," Ruby took a step back and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I'll do it soon, I swear. If I don't… you have permission to take Crescent Rose and hide it until I do."

"Well, that would hardly help our cause. I'll come up with something better," Blake smiled. "I'm proud of you. Now, I need to get back. They're expecting me."

She turned to leave, but Ruby caught her arm, stopping her. Blake looked over her shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Uhm…" Ruby said quietly. "I, uh… Can you stay?"

"Why?" Blake asked reluctantly. Her first instinct was to agree, but she had important matters to attend to.

"I don't know," the lithe bodyguard shrugged and smiled. "I just wanna spend time with you. It's been too long."

Blake closed her eyes. For everything she had gone through – slavery, slander, near-death – saying no to Ruby felt like the hardest obstacle she had ever faced. The fact that her heart was beating so quickly, with Ruby none the wiser to it, only made it more difficult.

"I can stay," Blake said. "But only for ten minutes!"

Ruby yelled happily and sat down on the edge of her bed. Blake pulled a chair in front of her and sat too. She looked up, straight into two silver eyes.

At that moment, she knew she would be staying for much more than only ten minutes.

Cinder entered her quarters with heavy steps. Her eyes were red like fire, betraying her disguise, but she was finally alone – or alone enough, at least, that she could feel comfortable not hiding her true identity. She shot a glance to her balcony, knowing exactly who was waiting there, but decided to wait before bothering herself with them. No one brought her good news, these days.

She removed her cape and tossed it carelessly on her bed, not in the least worried about damaging it. It wasn't hers, truly, after all. She thought about removing her sword from her belt too, but ultimately decided not to. With her magic, she had hardly any use for it, but it did give her a stronger presence.

If there was one good thing that came from Ruby Rose's infuriating awakening, it was her absconding with that damned scythe. Cinder had always had a tough time wielding it, and she had no desire to master it. It was a clumsy instrument which no one but the most desperate of warriors would choose, more fit to cut up Grimm than anything else, and even then it wasn't that effective. The girl could have her mother's keepsake, for the little time she had left to relish it.

Cinder sat on the end of her bed and pretended to yawn, lifting her head while covering her mouth with her hand. The movement made the skin of her neck all the more visible, and her arched back highlighted all her important features. Her lips curved into a smirk as she glanced at the balcony from the corner of her eyes.

Magic was a powerful tool when attempting to get someone under your hold, but Cinder wasn't foolish enough to rely entirely on it. She knew how effective the more mundane methods were. Intimidation, blackmail, lying, seduction… Those were what had gotten her to where she was now; magic had only been the unbreakable backbone behind them… aside from when she had to deal with some more annoying problems, like a pesky foreigner meddling where she didn't belong or a royal brat who was too prideful to give in to her charms.

"Emerald," she called finally. She had no real affection for the girl, but even she had to admit manipulating her like this was too cruel after how helpful she had been over the years. "You can't stare forever."

She heard a soft gasp, then Emerald stepped out of the shadows and into the room, staring at her own feet with reddened cheeks. It was almost adorable, in a way.

"Something to report?" Cinder asked. "I hope so, or else… Well, I could only assume you came here to snoop on me, and as flattering as that is, it's also very disrespectful."

Emerald nodded shakily, clearly understanding the threat in her words. "Mercury did as you asked and checked on the White Fang. As you thought, Roman wasn't thrown at the castle's door just to annoy you. Taurus made it very clear our alliance is over. Mercury barely made it out alive."

"Ah. As predicted," Cinder looked up at the ceiling. "The fool got restless, or perhaps he finally realized the truth. More than ten years, acting like such a useful pawn, salivating for a piece of the throne I never intended to share…"

She tried to smile, but it was a futile effort. The fact that she had been in control of their arrangement all along was not enough to quell her rage. She wouldn't have a false enemy to act as a target anymore, to elevate her standing and divert the court's eyes away from her.

Now she had an actual enemy – or another one, to be more precise. The White Fang would be killing her puppets left and right, and all the while, hidden somewhere under her very nose, the runaway Schnee was plotting her revenge.

"Lady Rose?" Emerald called quietly.

"Yes, Emerald?" Cinder looked at her sharply. "Do you have something more to say?"

"I was wondering…" Emerald gulped. "Perhaps it's time we reconsider our options. Now that the White Fang turned on us, it's only a matter of time before everyone realizes…"

She stopped speaking when she noticed how intensely Cinder was staring at her.

"Emerald," the witch spoke slowly, savoring every syllable. "Unsheathe your dagger and bring it to your throat."

Cinder saw the girl's nerves bulging in her hand as she tried to fight the order, but the resistance was fruitless. In a matter of seconds, the tip of her dagger was touching her throat, threatening to draw blood.

"Now, answer me, and answer me truthfully," Cinder leaned forward. "Do you not believe I have this situation under control?"

"Y-yes." Emerald squeaked immediately, then closed her eyes forcefully.

"I see. Do you also not believe I can regain control?"

"N-no! No!"

"Ah. Good, good. Then there is the answer to whatever foolish doubts you were having," Cinder waved. "Leave, and only come back when I call for you. And give Mercury a kiss for me, will you?"

Emerald dropped her dagger and marched out of the room, hastily conjuring an illusion so the guards in the hallway wouldn't recognize her.

Cinder was motionless for a moment, her chest rising up and down as she tried to maintain her calm. Her sight fell on the dagger on the ground; the blade was so clean, she could see the reflection of her eyes staring back at her.

Silver, so innocent and… accusing.

She jumped to her feet and picked up the dagger, then raced to the balcony and tossed it away, flames jumping off her fingers in furious sparks. It took all her restraint to not jump off the ledge to find the first victim to a very unfortunate burning.

"Blake?"

Weiss poked her head inside the faunus' room, but it was empty. Troubled, the exiled queen stepped back and walked back to the entrance chamber of the hideout. There was only one person there at the moment.

Yang was sitting cross-legged on top of a table, wrapping her left arm with a roll of bandages. She looked restless. Her whole posture spoke of someone with far too much energy, yet with nothing to spend it on. It was hard to catch a glimpse of her eyes behind her blond bangs, but their color was somewhere between violet and red – falling closer towards the latter.

"Yang," Weiss approached her warily. "What happened?"

"Huh?" Yang looked up, seemingly surprised by her appearance. A moment later, she recovered, giving a cocky grin she always reserved for the queen. "Nothing big, Snowflake. I was training – you royals do that sometimes, right? – and I let myself get carried away and injured my arm."

"I see. Be more careful next time. It would be unfortunate if the need for you to fight arose, yet you couldn't do anything because of a reckless injury," Weiss said sharply. "And, for your information, us royals do train. A lot. Have you never seen me using my rapier?"

"Oh, sorry," the blond feigned remorse by covering her mouth with her hands. "I thought you were flailing it around! My, you must be a true master."

Weiss glared at her momentarily, then shook her head, not letting herself be distracted by the meaningless taunting. "Have you seen Blake?"

"No," Yang replied immediately. "What do you need her for?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at her. That protective tone of voice would have been admirable, if it weren't so unnecessary.

"I am going to stab her through the chest and dump her in a dark alleyway," the queen said dryly. "If you must know, I need someone to accompany me into the city. Of course, I have my magic and my sword at my disposal, but, as they say… Better safe than sorry."

"Ruby's your bodyguard, loathe as I am to say it," Yang pointed out. "Why not ask her?"

"Your sister has other matters to attend to today."

At that moment, Blake entered the room, carrying an unfamiliar book on her hands. She looked up from it and saw the odd pair of Weiss and Yang, and rolled her eyes.

"What was that for?" Yang asked humorously.

"You two are probably in the middle of a bickering contest, as always," Blake explained. "Am I wrong?"

Weiss glanced at Yang briefly, then turned her eyes back to Blake, choosing not to give any of them the satisfaction of an answer – Blake would be amused, which was fine, but Yang would learn she had truly gotten on her senses, and Weiss couldn't have that.

"I was just looking for you, Blake. There's a favor I need to ask of you," Weiss said. "Well, it's not exactly a favor, as I'm sure you're very… invested, in the matter."

Blake examined her critically, then nodded her go-ahead.

"I am heading out today, to the town square. On my way, I intend to learn exactly what my people have gone through during Cinder's rule," Weiss raised her chin determinedly. "And then, I will reveal myself in front of them and issue a challenge to her and the White Fang – or, more precisely, Adam Taurus."

"What?" The faunus' eyes widened a bit. "But that's extremely risky! Exposing yourself like that… It opens up so much room for error."

"Yes, that was discussed at length yesterday, over the course of the meeting you missed purposefully," Weiss clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Ozpin expressed the same fear as you, but he couldn't dissuade me. I'm the rightful heir to the throne, for starters, and I will not abide another day of sneaking in the shadows like rats while the woman who all but murdered my sister sits on it. It's time we fought her on the light of day."

Blake shook her head slowly, then looked at Yang. "What do you think of this?"

"Believe it or not, I agree with her," Yang shrugged. "Maybe it's smarter to take things slow, but it doesn't feel right. Besides, I didn't join this rebellion just to enjoy Snowflake's company – I want to punch some evil thugs, please."

Weiss gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to yell for Yang to stop calling her by that stupid nickname.

"I suppose there's some merit to what you're proposing. It's a symbolic victory, if anything," Blake sighed. "Fine. I'll go with you. But if all hell breaks loose, remember I'm just one person… and I won't fight innocent townsfolk."

"I would sooner surrender than ask you to do that. Shall we go?"

Blake put her book down on the table beside Yang, then nodded and walked towards the exit. Weiss hung around for a moment, her royal training dictating she should deliver some sort of farewell to Yang, yet she did not feel very inclined to do it.

"Good luck, Weiss," Yang said easily, then seemed to catch herself. "Snowflake."

Weiss smiled lightly. "Thank you, Yang. Good luck to you too."

Ruby stepped back and forth in front of Yang's room's door, taking deep breaths as her hands fumbled with the edges of her cloak. She had been like this – lightheaded and sweating buckets – for hours now, as she gathered the courage to talk to Yang, but now that she was about to finally do it, she had gotten even worse.

Maybe she should leave and ask someone to check if she was well. It would be disastrous, after all, if she fell ill during their daring rebellion! It would be for the good of the kingdom. Surely, Blake and Weiss would understand and agree to that reasoning. And then they would tell Yang everything, and she would get no blame for keeping that secret because she was ill, after all, and who could blame a…

"Ruby?" Suddenly, Yang was leaning on the doorway, arms crossed as she stared at her worriedly. "Everything okay? You've been doing that for minutes, now."

Ruby immediately stopped pacing and spun around to face her. "Yep! I'm fine! Fine as a… as a fine person!" She laughed nervously. "Uhm… L-let's talk…?"

Yang frowned, then gestured for her to step inside. Ruby did so, distracting herself momentarily by examining the room. It wasn't decorated at all – not that anyone, even Weiss, had had anything to decorate their rooms with. As safe as they all felt here, the hideout wasn't a home by any means.

"So," the blonde said behind her, and Ruby jumped onto her bed in a frightened reaction. "I suppose now you're going to finally tell me that secret that's been eating you up ever since we reunited at Nora's house?"

"Uh…" Ruby made a poor attempt of appearing innocent, dragging one foot on the ground while looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Ruby, please. Don't insult me," Yang smiled humorlessly. "I've been pretty much your mother for half our lives, I can tell when you're telling a lie. I can also tell when you're doing it for good reasons, so… don't be afraid. I won't be mad, I promise," her lips trembled a bit. "Please? I just want to know if I can help you."

Ruby stared helplessly at her, feeling as if an invisible hand had just wrapped its fingers around her heart and squeezed. Suddenly, she understood how selfishly she had been acting by keeping Yang in the dark for so long.

Yang had a way about her. She liked to act tough; she prided herself in doing that. It was a result of having to grow up mostly alone, raising a sister in a city where one night without shelter meant either dying from exposure to the merciless weather or being robbed blind or killed. She didn't stand up to Weiss and the likes of her just because of the difference in their upbringings – it was a natural reaction for her, to protect herself and her little sister.

And yet… when it came to Ruby, she acted like the sweetest person in the world. There wasn't a wrong thing for Ruby to do that couldn't be forgiven… And how had Ruby repaid her?

"I'm sorry," the redhead blurted out suddenly, her eyes brimming with tears. "I should have told you. I-I'm so sorry."

"Ruby…" Yang chuckled and sat beside her on the bed, running a hand over Ruby's hair. "You can tell me now. I already said I won't be mad. What more do you need?"

"A-alright," Ruby raised her hand, took one last deep breath, then began her explanation. "Alright, so when Cinder cursed me to sleep and I met your mother, there was some stuff… A lot of stuff… I didn't mention…"

How did things get this bad?

That was the question that echoed continuously inside Weiss' head as she walked through the streets of Vale. Her own city, desolate, in the brink of collapse. Every corner she looked, there was a new wrong to find.

Bodies gathered in heaps, built up over days, or hanging by ropes, like warning signs.

Children so thin, they resembled stick drawings, begging for food with their eyes.

The very air, ripe with dark qualities, as if this was the territory of Grimm, and not one of the most glorious cities in the world.

Weiss felt sick to her core. Not only because of what she was seeing, but also because of what all those horrible sights told her. Yes, Cinder was a witch, a murderer, an insult to every living thing in Remnant. But there was only so much evil one person could cause.

"This was always like this, wasn't it?" Weiss muttered.

Blake had been walking closely behind her, but she leaned over her shoulder to speak. "I wouldn't know," she said morosely. "Remember how I spent all but the last months of my life?"

"Ah," Weiss felt another wave of self-loathing hit her in full force. "I guess that was as good an answer as any."

"Do you want to go back?"

Weiss, trained her whole life for the subtleties of social gatherings and dealings, immediately understood every layer in that question, even the ones Blake hadn't consciously meant to be there.

On one hand, the faunus was being sympathetic. Weiss was disturbed, to say the least, by their surroundings. Blake was offering her a way out before things got even worse.

On that same note, there was the fear Blake herself was feeling, of what came next after this. Standing out. Exposing themselves to not only Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus, but the people of Vale. Of those three, the last one was probably the most courageous one.

And, of course, the most hidden of those layers. The challenge. The proposition that taunted her into retreating; into proving that, after all, Weiss was only speaking empty words. That she didn't deserve the throne she was supposedly fighting so hard to reclaim.

"No," Weiss replied firmly. "We keep going forward, no matter what. Understood?"

Blake nodded, and for a moment, Weiss saw her eyes fill with pride as they walked together. Not that Blake hadn't carried herself similarly before in her presence, but it had always been difficult. Like she had had to force herself to not be antagonistic.

It hit Weiss, then, that her situation was no different. She was glad to have Blake by her side. She respected her, even. She wasn't just a last-minute replacement for Ruby, but a real ally Weiss could count on.

The time would come for their disagreements to come to the surface. Weiss was sure Blake had a thousand and one things to demand of her once their rebellion was over. And, maybe… Maybe that was good. What good had her family done to the city by ignoring – no, demonizing the faunus?

They stepped out into the town square. Even in such dark times, it was still as bustling with life as Weiss remembered it had been the first time she visited it. Although… the Guard spread around the place stood a lot more menacingly, and the people were going out of their way to avoid them – more than they usually did, anyway.

"You see what I see?" Blake whispered in her ear.

"The soldiers?" Weiss frowned. "Yes. Perhaps it's just my new perspective on things, but they look a lot more menacing than they should. They're almost… sinister, I'd dare say."

"Cinder's witchery, no doubt," the faunus' voice was filled with contempt. "Now that she's on the throne, she's grown bold and spread her influence even further. The whole Guard might be under her thumb."

"Bloody Moon. I'd hoped to be able to talk to them, perhaps show them who they should really stand with, but if your theory is true…" Weiss grunted in frustration.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the square. In the very middle of it was the fountain, though it was dry, not a single drop of water in it. It would have probably frozen anyway, Weiss reasoned.

Perhaps… That was where she should speak. It wasn't an optimal location, but it was the only position where everyone would be able to see her. But it would leave her open to attack from all directions.

"I'll speak there," Weiss gestured discreetly towards the fountain. "Blake. As you put it, this will be incredibly risky. You are free to turn back."

"And what kind of bodyguard would I be if I did that?" Blake raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"Ah, I see. Aiming to steal Ruby's job?" Weiss smiled.

"Never. I know both our terms as your bodyguard ended very badly, but at least she didn't try to murder you." Blake pointed out.

"Then I appoint you as her bodyguard," the royal chuckled. "I joke, of course. Unless you want that."

Blake rolled her eyes and stepped past her, opening a path to the fountain through the crowd.

Minutes of silence passed when Ruby finished talking; a heavy, foreboding silence, which she could almost feel crushing her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Yang stared first at her, then down at her lap, her hands crossed on top of her knees, thinking deeply. Finally, she shook her head and sighed.

"So, basically," she said. "We're not sisters. My actual father was a psycho which more or less raped my mother. And there's the distinct possibility that Cinder Fall is related to me, somehow."

"…Yeah," Ruby barely managed to say. "That's it."

"Alright," Yang looked at her. "So, nothing changes, except I have a lot more motivation to kill that manipulating bitch."

"W-what?" Ruby asked, not comprehending the response. "B-but…!"

"Ruby, do you honestly believe us being related by blood matters? We're sisters. What everyone else thinks be damned," she shrugged. "Sure, I'm a little sad, I admit. But what matters is how we see each other, right? And you've always been my little sister."

Ruby's eyes welled up with tears, and this time, she couldn't stop them from flowing down her face. Yang smiled and wiped them away gently, then closed her fists in determination, her eyes burning a deep red.

"Everything makes sense now. When we didn't know she wasn't really your mother, Cinder tried convincing me several times to train with her, so I could learn how to control my powers," she said. "She must have felt some kind of twisted kinship to me. Probably still does. Well, I'm gonna make her regret toying with our emotions like that!"

"Well, I already made a promise like that to her," Ruby smiled shakily. "But I can give you a round with her too."

"Of course. It's all up to you."

Ruby nodded. She felt so much better now, as if a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. And looking at Yang now, things really did not feel any worse… if anything, she felt an even stronger bond to her sister, if that was even possible!

Yes. Her sister.

"Hey, wanna grab a bite to eat?" She asked, getting up from the bed. "All that talking left me famished."

"Ruby, everything leaves you famished," Yang reminded knowingly. "But, sure. I could use some food myself."

They left the room and started their way to the back of the hideout, where they were keeping all the food supplies, but halfway there, Ozpin crossed their path. A frown marked his forehead, and his mind didn't seem to be entirely where he was.

"Sir Ozpin?" Ruby called hesitantly. "Is something troubling you?"

"Have you seen Weiss, by any chance?" He asked. "We were supposed to meet again today, to discuss matters concerning the breach."

"Ah. I'm afraid she already left, sir," Yang said, sounding a little guilty, though her eyes told a different story. "To issue a challenge to Cinder and the White Fang."

Ozpin was so rattled by her words, he almost dropped his cane. "But we came to an agreement… I couldn't get her to back down, so we compromised. Wait a week, during which we would plan that move carefully…"

"Yeah, I was there for that. I guess the queen is a little more daring than we have her credit for," Yang chuckled. "If it's any comfort, Blake went with her."

"That is not nearly enough protection," Ozpin said. "Ruby, will you-"

The redhead had already vanished. A few seconds later, she reappeared, her scythe now behind her back. "Yes, sir," she turned around. "Coming, Yang?"

"You really care about her, don't you?" The blonde muttered, a little impressed by the impossibly fast preparation her sister had done. "Sure. I'm right behind you. But don't let me slow you down.

"Sir."

Adam Taurus looked up from his latest handiwork. One of his underlings, a rabbit faunus he didn't quite remember the name of, was standing a few paces from him, shaking in anticipation.

"Calm yourself," he said, sheathing his blade temporarily. "Then talk."

The underling took a quick breath. "Well, sir, our scouts at the town plaza sent word. A girl has been spotted there – she resembles the runaway queen," he gulped. "Apparently, she's giving some kind of speech. What should we do?"

"She's right out in the open?" Adam mused. "There's a very simple approach. Assassinate her. I don't care what you have to do. Deploy every White Fang member nearby; take them out of their posts, if necessary. This is too good an opportunity to pass up."

"Yes, sir!" The rabbit faunus ran away.

Adam smiled, his eyes falling back to the Vale Castle guardsman his people had abducted the following night. He was already barely conscious, dozens upon dozens of open injuries spanning his body.

"Today's your lucky day… Well, not really. But it's not as bad as it could have been," he crouched down beside the guard. "You've already given me a lot of information. Your witch mistress' influence comes with some benefits. Higher endurance; abnormal strength. Very annoying, but we can break through all that, with enough effort," Adam nodded. "I'm in a good mood, now. Rest well."

He raised his sword and brought it down, blood spraying on his face and his bright smile.

"People of Vale!"

Weiss' words barely rose above the noise of the crowd shuffling in the town square. A few people stopped to look as she climbed on the edge of the fountain, their attention first drawn by her voice, then kept by her royal appearance. White hair, blue eyes, fair skin. None many had as much as caught a glimpse of her in their lives, yet they all recognized who she was.

Blake stood a few scant paces to her right, trying to appear inconspicuous. Her hands fell slowly to the daggers at her hips, while her eyes scanned every direction in search of potential trouble.

"People of Vale!" Weiss yelled again. She unsheathed her rapier and raised above her head. "You must listen!"

Slowly, the first people who had stop started to shuffle around, touching and calling to others, who stopped to listen too. As more and more eyes fell on her, Weiss found that breathing was suddenly a monumental effort. The arm by which she held her rapier was shaking; her throat felt dry. Never before in her life had she felt so afraid - Cinder Fall seemed a threat from another world, now.

"There is…"

She stopped herself and closed her eyes. She heard murmurs from the crowd; a few scoffs and footsteps echoing away; Blake moving closer in concern.

She opened her eyes again.

"People of Vale. A disease runs in your city. Our city. We have all felt it – we feel it every day, with every breath we take, every second we spend living here," Weiss spoke. "That disease has taken away your children, your fathers and mothers, all your loved ones! I say… no more!"

"My name is Weiss Schnee, rightful heir to the throne… and spreader of that disease." People gasped. Blake looked at her with wide eyes. "For too long, my family has watched from above as you suffer. We were comfortable within the walls of our castle, never cold, never hungry. I'd like to say we were ignorant of how things are down here… but I'm afraid I would be lying to myself, and most importantly, to you."

"There's no way I can apologize. Words alone cannot mend the damage my family has caused you. But, still, I must ask that you put your faith in me… For there is an even greater evil in our city, and she relishes in our suffering and aims to make it even greater."

For an instant, she was silent, though nobody quite noticed it. Yet the silence felt like an eternity to her. There was no going back from this.

"Her name… is Summer Rose, scourge of Vale! Let us take her down – together!"

She watched anxiously as the crowd broke into many different reactions.

Half of the people present turned and continued their activities as if nothing had happened.

Some screamed at her in rage. Others in support. Those two groups shoved and punched each other, defending their points as fiercely as they knew how.

Many stood still, not knowing what to feel. This didn't happen every day. Should they even have an opinion?

A young man with gray hair raised a gun. Even surrounded by so much noise, the clicking of the chamber turning reached Blake's ears.

"Don't-!"

Bang.

Blake tackled her. Weiss fell to the ground and rolled. She stood up hastily and glanced at her temporary bodyguard – unharmed. The fountain behind them had a new chipped spot.

Blake opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly, the crowd threw up an uproar all at once, their divide from before completely forgotten. Guardsmen came marching towards the fountain, shoving people aside. Some brave souls stood up to them, and they were felled quickly and mercilessly.

Red soaked the ground; screams of outrage and despair filled the town square.

"Guards! I order you to stop!" Weiss yelled, though she knew it would most probably be futile. She put her rapier in front of her. "You're under a spell! Fight it!"

"It's no use," Blake said, her voice betraying how calm she looked as she stepped in front of Weiss. "Stay behind me."

"No," Weiss stepped beside her. "I cannot use my magic, not in front of so many people. But my sword is still as sharp as ever, as is my skill with it," she glanced at the faunus sideways. "Don't kill them."

Blake grunted and brought her daggers up, deflecting a lance strike from the first guard that reached them. With the pommel of one of her daggers, she struck the center of his forehead through his helmet, knocking him out cold.

Weiss made a sound of satisfaction and readied herself to face her own targets.

Ruby was as fast as the wind as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, moving towards Vale's town square as fast as she could. The world was a blur around her, yet she still feared she would arrive too late. Weiss and Blake had left at least two hours ago, by Yang's account. That was too much time for something to go wrong.

She stopped suddenly as gunfire rang in her ears. Yeah, there it was! Ruby gritted her teeth and began to run again, willing herself to go even faster – faster – faster!

"Hyah!" She soared over the town square, her red cloak flowing behind her. Her eyes scanned the ground below.

A crowd was dissipating in panic, screams and cursed filling the airs. A few mangled corpses laid on the ground. Guardsmen converged towards the fountain at the center of the square, where two people were making a stand…

"Blake! Weiss! I'm co-"

More gunfire. Ruby looked around, wild-eyed, and spotted a shooter standing up in the rooftop of a nearby shop on the edge of the square. She landed briefly, then jumped again, willing herself towards the lone figure.

She landed behind them and turned around, identifying the person as a faunus woman, wearing a white and red mask that concealed her face. White Fang. Ruby swung with her scythe, striking the gunwoman's legs with the blunt side of it.

"Shooting unaware people is rude!" Ruby yelled and punched the faunus on the side of the head, knocking her out cold. "And stay down!"

She looked up, only to realize more faunus were appearing around the town square – on rooftops, on the ground, exiting out of buildings… She spotted Yang arriving and immediately engaging one of the White Fang.

"Nice work, sister," Ruby nodded. "Now, to deal with you rude folk… Hmm… First, the rooftops. Then, the ground. Here I come!"

She jumped to the rooftop with the nearest shooter she could find. This one, a male rabbit faunus, was prepared for her. Fortunately, her movements were too fast for him to follow, and she managed to take him out by striking him in the back of the head.

The next one put up a fight. Different from the others, he wielded a long rifle, which allowed him to block her attacks, with some difficulty. Ruby had to put some actual effort in the fight. She could have dealt with him easily, of course, but she didn't want to kill him. This made things trickier than they had to be.

Their weapons clashed again. His rifle made a crunching noise – something inside had just been damaged. He realized that one second sooner than Ruby, though, and tossed it at her as hard as he could. Ruby ducked to avoid the makeshift projectile, and immediately received a kick in the chin as a reward.

She groaned and let Crescent Rose fall to the ground, then disappeared and reappeared behind the man. A knee to the small of his back made him fall on all fours, and a subsequent open palmed strike on the same spot laid him down, too hurt to keep fighting.

Ruby smiled, but the joy of her victory vanished quickly when she heard a chamber spinning behind her. A cold barrel touched the back of her head.

"Now don't move, little girl. Unless you want to have your brains blown out, of course," a woman said behind her. "The boss has some interest in you. Said he could use you to enact revenge on that noble-rubbing traitor. How do you feel about that?"

"Don't like the idea very much, thank you," Ruby gulped. "Uhm, please don't shoot me…? Or take me to your boss…?"

"I don't know. Both are very good options. Heh! I simply cannot decide-"

Something swung through the air, and Ruby heard a body hit the ground behind her. She spun around and found Sun staring at her with a goofy smile on his face as he picked up his staff up again.

"Sun!" She exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much!"

"Hey, don't mention it," Sun shrugged. "A friend's in need is a friend worth getting into a fight for. Besides, we are in the same rebellion, right? And the queen's down there?"

Ruby nodded.

"Alright! My friends should be arriving any time now to help too!" Sun raised his fists triumphantly, like he was joining a party, and not a battle for the fate of the kingdom. "You've never met Scarlet and Sage, have you?"

"No, I don't think so." Ruby said.

"You're gonna love them. They're mean with their weapons," he stated. "Anyway. We've got some White Fang ass to kick, haven't we?"

Yang growled under her breath as she strode into the square, catching a White Fang grunt by the back of his collar and slamming him to the ground, knocking him unconscious.

A nearby companion of his turned and aimed a gun, shooting it at her. The bullet hit her right in the forehead, and bounced away harmlessly. Yang cracked her neck and dashed at the startle faunus, swinging a fist at his chest. Bones broke at the impact, and he fell down, howling in pain.

Yang took a step back, surveying the damage she'd just done with mixed horror and regret. She looked down at her hands.

"Calm down," she muttered. "You're not her... You're not her..."

Blake pulled Weiss down, hiding the both of them behind the fountain. Bullets cut the air above them. Another second too late, and one of them would have sustained a very serious injury.

"Who's shooting?" Weiss asked. "Did you get a good look?"

"They were all over the place, wearing masks. White Fang, I think," Blake said. "At least they distracted the guards."

"Those madmen… There's people in the line of fire, they could die," Weiss noted. "And who was the man who shot first? From the crowd? He looked familiar."

"I know. I think – hey, is that Ruby?" Blake pointed to a nearby rooftop, where a red-garbed warrior was fighting one of the shooters.

Weiss had no time to answer, as she was suddenly pulled to her feet by a pair of strong hands and dragged away from Blake. A masked brute held her by the collar of her dress, lifting her high in the air, her feet leaving the ground. "Hehe… I've always wanted to kill a Schnee…" He rumbled in a deep, unnatural voice.

Blake went to dash after her, but three more White Fang members appeared and put themselves in the way. "Step aside," she warned. "I am not as merciful as she would be."

They didn't heed her warning, instead charging her with swords drawn. Blake turned into a shadow and passed through them, reforming behind them. She spun around and planted a dagger into one of the outlaw's back, killing him instantly.

Blake pulled her dagger back and stared at her remaining foes. They glanced at each other, fearful, asking silently if they should retreat… And suddenly fell unconscious.

Sage stood over them, cracking his fists with a cocky grin on his lips. Scarlet patted him on the arm and laughed. "See, Blake? Told you he loves pummeling people."

"Not true," Sage mumbled. "…Fine. Partially true."

Blake turned around and saw Weiss still being dragged away by the humongous man from before. The queen yelled and kicked him, but he didn't even flinch. If anything, he seemed amused by her frantic struggle to escape.

Blake raised her dagger and closed one eye, taking aim. She needed to be extremely precise – she doubted the brute would slow down if she hit anywhere that wasn't vital.

"You might hit her." Sage warned.

"Yeah, I suggest we get closer." Scarlet chimed in.

"Can't do that. Too slow," Blake said. "I just need you to trust… me!" With that last word, she tossed her dagger. It flew through the square, making a sharp noise as it cut the air. With a sickening sound, it buried deep in the brute's neck.

He froze. His hand opened, and Weiss fell down and backed away instinctively, thinking he was about to collapse on top of her.

And then he moved again, reaching with one hand to pull the dagger out of his neck. He tossed it away like trash, then scanned the town square. Blake felt a chill run down her spine as he looked directly at her.

The brute ran in her direction, lifting his big hands as if to grab her. Blake stood still, knowing she should run, but too disturbed by what had just happened to do it. Sage put himself between them, drawing his greatsword and swinging it in the same motion.

What happened next was even more surprising. The brute reached forward, his hands about to meet the sword… and he grabbed it, the blade digging into his palm, and ripped it from Sage's grip.

"What!" That was all Sage could say before he was swatted away like a fly, crashing into a nearby building.

Scarlet cursed and took out his pistol, taking three shots at the man. The bullets bounced off his skin without doing any damage. "I should have expected that," Scarlet groaned. "I suggest you run, Blake!" He turned and jumped away.

The brute brought his two hands down together, meaning to crush Blake, but she turned into shadow at the last moment and phased through the attack. She solidified again and punched him in the chest, but she only hurt herself. One of his hands swung back to grab her, but suddenly, he was sent reeling to the right, the blade of a scythe pushing on the side of his neck.

Blake looked up and found Ruby mid-movement, having just crashed into the beastly man with her all her unnatural speed – yet he only stumbled, not a single drop of blood flowing from his seemingly unbreakable skin.

Ruby yelled, losing her grip on her scythe, and crashed on the ground painfully. The man roared furiously and chased after her, raising one foot to stomp down on her, but she got up fast and backed away, flickering out of his reach and reappearing beside Blake. Ruby wrapped around the faunus' midsection and carried her to a nearby alley outside their enemy's view.

"Thanks for the save," Blake muttered. "You got any amazing ideas of how to take this monster down?"

"Monster?" Ruby repeated, her eyes examining the man from head to toe as he spun in place, trying to relocate his missing opponents. "Yeah, he looks just dumb enough to be one," she shook her head. "And no, I don't know how we're gonna defeat him. I hit him in the neck with Crescent Rose and he wasn't even hurt. Maybe he's invincible."

"There must be some way we can kill him – because I don't think anything less is gonna cut it. Sorry, Ruby," Blake said. "Maybe a weak spot? His face is concealed. Might be – oh, no…"

As if just now remembering his original goal, the brute stopped searching for them and turned away, stomping back towards Weiss. Along the way, he picked up Sage's greatsword and raised it above his head as if it had the weight of a feather.

Weiss took a few steps back, eyes widening in fear… then stopped. Her back straightened, her hands closed into fists, and her expression took on newfound courage. All of a sudden, she looked much taller than she actually was. "Take one more step, and you'll know the power my family used to keep the throne for generations. That's your only warning."

The man came to a halt, only lowering Sage's sword. Somewhere deep in his eyes, Weiss saw emotion for the first time. Fear. And then… wrath.

"SCHNEE!"

He tossed the sword at her. Weiss jumped to the side, barely avoiding being blade, and raised her hands. Her palms glowed faintly, the air around them crystallizing.

A tiny voice in the back of her head told her to stop. Using magic out in the open would throw away all she had done to earn the people's trust. She might as well light up a bonfire and brand herself a witch. But another part of her spoke much louder, screaming for her to let it all out, to show the world who she really was, consequences be damned.

"Not so fast, big guy!" A familiar voice snapped her from her thoughts. The brute was pulled back by the collar of his shirt and slammed against the ground by Yang, whose eyes were redder than Weiss had ever seen before – for a moment, it looked like fire had literally replaced them.

Yang brought her fist down on the brute's face. His mask cracked and fell to pieces around his, revealing a face marred by far too many scars to count. His ire seemed to grow even bigger as he raised his arm and closed a hand around her neck.

Weiss watched in horror as the nerves on his arms showed, his muscles bulging grotesquely. The force in that grasp could have shattered metal. Yang fell on top of his him, pushing against the ground with both hands to try and escape him, but it was to no avail. His chest rose and fell in a rumbling chuckle.

He twisted his hand.

"…Was that all?" Yang smiled viciously. "Let me show you the real thing."

She pushed again, and this time broke from his grasp with apparent ease, but promptly descended on him again, landing punch after punch across his face. Blood splattered on the stone below them. Bones on her hands cracked audibly, but she kept going. Fire spiraled around them – harmless to her, but searing away at his skin.

With a final roar, Yang rose slightly and downed a punch on his chest. What had repelled bullet and blade gave away to her fist. He wheezed for a long while, blood gurgling inside his mouth… then closed his eyes and passed away.

Yang stood up and turned around, slowly walking towards Weiss. The royal waited anxiously, eyes focused on the blonde's fiery ones. Magic still flowed around her hands, faintly, but ready for her to use if necessary.

"So," Yang stopped before her. "Like what you see?"

Weiss hesitated for a moment, then finally relaxed, letting her magic ebb away, unnoticed. "It was rather brutal, so no. But I appreciate your help."

Yang nodded, turning away slightly, then looked at her again. "I was in control the whole time."

Weiss stared at her in silence, wondering where that had come from. Perhaps her apprehension had been more noticeable than she had thought, and Yang felt the need to reassure her. Or perhaps that wasn't really directed at her, and Yang was only reassuring herself. Maybe both.

No matter the truth, though, Weiss believed those words. She opened her mouth to respond, when an explosive noise rang through the square and a sudden pain pierced through her.

Weiss stood still for a moment, her ears buzzing, the world becoming blurry around her. Then she looked down and saw her dress turning red, blood exiting from a hole to the side of her belly, and started to fall.

Sorry for the abnormally long wait for the chapter. I could list all the reasons why it took so long, but I'm not gonna bother you guys with that - I know I don't like when authors start giving excuses for delays. You could probably guess some stuff by how long this chapter was, though.

I hope I didn't cram too much in here. I realize some stuff might seem unrelated to the rest of the chapter - Cinder's scene, for example - but it's stuff we gotta get to so we can move forward with the story in a reasonable pace.

Oh, and sorry for the cliffhanger... Or not. I'm a little evil. Hehe. But rest assured, Weiss didn't die or anything...

OR DID SHE?!

-Zeroan