What why hurts not now please Winter falling so much left Ruby save me please catch me Ruby Yang CATCH ME
Yang darted forward, barely catching Weiss before she hit the ground. Blood soaked through the queen's dress, adding even more red to her already tainted hands. Horror and disgust struck her in waves, but that was nothing compared to the rage threatening to burst from inside her.
Her head snapped up, fiery eyes scanning every inch of the town square. White Fang goons and city guards were strewn unconscious everywhere, while her allies looked at Weiss and her in shock. Ruby had her mouth covered with her hands, tears trailing down her cheeks. Her scythe was dropped near her feet.
The only one not looking at Weiss was Blake. Her amber eyes were fixed instead far ahead of her, and even from such a distance, Yang could see the disdain in them – although she could swear there was also some pity there.
Blake marched across the square, holding her daggers steadily at her sides. Yang followed her trajectory and saw two young women standing there. She faintly recognized one of them – probably a guard she had seen before – while the other, a rabbit-eared faunus, was unknown to her.
"Velvet." Blake said, stopping before the two women. The soldier girl looked at her companion in worry, then put herself between her and Blake, drawing a pistol.
"Back off." She warned.
"You just attempted to assassinate the Queen," Blake took another step forward. "You back off."
The soldier faltered, then stepped aside. Blake just stood there, staring at the faunus in silence, as if she didn't know what to do next. Yang looked the stranger up and down, noticing she was holding a smoking pistol in her trembling left hand.
Fury overwhelmed Yang again, but as she made to stand up, Blake looked back at her and spoke up again. "Is she alive?"
Yang stood still for a few seconds, struck by the question. Everything had happened so fast, and she had been so distraught, she had barely even looked at the girl in her arms. She knelt back down and examined Weiss, her anger ebbing away slowly as she took in her now-crimson dress, replaced by a sense of helplessness and defeat.
"Yeah. She's breathing. I think she got shot in the… the…" Yang's words got caught in her throat. "She needs help."
Blake walked to her and crouched at her side. "Give her to me," the faunus whispered, and Yang glared at her. "You said it – she needs help. But we can't have you carry her all the way back to the hideout in broad daylight. I'll be more discrete. Just trust me, alright?"
Yang still didn't like the idea of letting go of Weiss, but thinking back, Blake had never disappointed her. Despite all the dark paths she could have followed, Blake was here, fighting for the very people she should, by all rights, hate the most.
Wordlessly, Yang handed the queen over. Blake took her carefully, then nodded confidently to Yang and sprinted away from the square, soon disappearing in maze of streets of Vale.
"So!" Yang turned around at the sound of Ruby's voice. She was a little alarmed, even after all that had happened. It wasn't often that she heard such intensity in her little sister's voice, after all. "Are you coming willingly, or am I gonna have to knock you out?"
To emphasize her point, Ruby lifted her scythe and spun it once in her hand, then slammed it to the ground heavily. Velvet flinched, her whole body shaking, eyes darting everywhere but Ruby. Her companion looked at Ruby, then the giant brute collapsed nearby, with his chest destroyed. Silently, she reached for Velvet's hand and took her pistol, then offered it and her own to Ruby.
"That's what I thought," Ruby said, confiscating the weapons. She looked at Velvet, her expression softening ever so slightly. "I never thought you'd do something like this, Velvet. I really liked you."
Velvet almost collapsed, her knees buckling underneath her. Her friend held her by the arms and looked at Ruby pleadingly. "Can we just get this over with? Take us wherever you want. We submit."
Ruby nodded, fixing her scythe behind her back. "Alright. So, uh…" She turned around and met eyes with her sister, seeking help.
Yang smiled, putting aside the turmoil inside of her for the moment, her motherly instincts taking over without her even noticing. "Nice work, Little Rose. Go on…"
Ruby grinned, then turned around again and began to gesture to their gathered allies in the town square, organizing an orderly retreat.
Yang just shook her head in admiration. In these moments, everything felt so much easier. But she knew better than to let her guard down.
Nothing good lasts forever.
Mercury left the shadows of the alley, his boots clinging softly against the ground. Fortunately for him, there was a thin layer of snow covering the whole of Vale, so the noise was muffled. If not for that, his current task would have been virtually impossible to accomplish.
The girl was cocky, he could tell. Clinging to the shadows, keeping her head low, taking turns that led them in circles time and time again. A good attempt at shaking off any unwanted pursuers. But he was no ordinary thug, and until three months ago, she had never set her foot outside of her slaver's castle. It was only a matter of time before he caught up, and she would never be the wiser to it.
Lady Rose would reward him greatly for bringing him the Schnee. He knew she wanted the girl, and she wanted her urgently – desperately, he dared think. Not only that, but he would also be getting rid of Belladonna in the process. If only he could get to the redhead too, somehow…
Belladonna stopped briefly, kneeling down in the shadows of an abandoned house. She put the Schnee down gingerly, probably checking her injury.
Mercury grinned. "Mistake." He fished out his pistol and sneaked closer, preparing to jump out of the shadows and take one clean shot at the faunus' head.
Just as he was about to put his plan to action, he felt the cold touch of a barrel on the back of his neck. "What did you say? Mistake?" A chuckle. "Oh, the irony."
Mercury growled and spun around, putting all his momentum into a kick. His unexpected foe seemed to dodge only by pure luck, as he took a step back and slipped on the snow, falling beneath the attack.
Mercury glared at the boy, recognizing him from the castle. Jaune Arc – the guard who had befriended Nikos. Lady Rose hadn't thought he was worthy of searching for. An error in judgement on her part, perhaps.
"Are you really going to fight me?" Mercury whispered in frustration. "Do you even know who I am? I'm a born assassin. You're just a fool who got in with important people. How long do you think you'll last?"
Jaune raised an eyebrow at him. "Jeez. Be more arrogant, please. I can't quite see your gigantic ego yet," he rolled his eyes. "But, yeah. I guess you're right, partly. I'm no match for you. And I did make some powerful friends," he grinned. "Which is why I am not gonna fight you."
He raised his pistol suddenly and shot at the sky. The noise carried through the air, echoing in the streets all around them. Mercury cursed and looked over his shoulder, noticing Belladonna had gotten up in a hurry and was now sprinting away with the queen.
Mercury turned back to Jaune, raising his own pistol. "You little piece of-" Someone dropped behind him, but before he could turn, a staff smashed against the side of his face. Mercury stumbled away, dizzy, but still keeping his grip on his weapon.
Mercury growled. "I swear, whoever you are, you're gonna-" The staff hit him again, this time right in the head.
"Yeah, yeah. You're gonna regret this, dirty monkey, blah blah, I already know it," a sigh. "I swear, you thugs are all the same. Want a banana, Jaune?"
Mercury looked up, bewildered by the question, only to receive a hard punch in the cheek. He fell down, hitting his head on the ground and passing out.
"I'm not all that hungry," Jaune said. "Thank you for the offer, though. And for saving me, too."
"Eh. You know what they say. Today you; tomorrow me," Sun leaned his staff on his shoulder. "Or something like that."
The court slowly shuffled inside the strategy room, the nobles slowly taking their seats around the round table, throwing wary glances at the Lady Regent. Cinder simply sat in her chair, which looked much more like a throne, tapping her fingers rhythmically on its arms, and gave them comforting smiles in return. Her charm and her magic were enough to calm them down. They would never know just how furious she was on the inside.
"Gentlemen. Ladies," she spoke calmly when everyone had taken their seats. She gave Lady Goodwitch a sly glance, and the woman nodded slightly in response. "Thank you for showing up at such short notice. I was not predicting such momentous… events to happen today. I suppose everyone is aware of what this meeting is about?"
Half of the gathered nobles expressed their understanding, while the other half seemed hopelessly confused. Cinder contained a sigh. She supposed every court in the world was filled with fools, but why did she have to end up with these ones in particular?
"It seems that the former lord Ozpin was not content with just laying low and escaping our city once winter is over. No, no! Apparently, his treachery knows no end," Cinder said. "The whole time we've been searching for the Queen, he had her. And now, through deceit or vile magics – I wouldn't put anything past him – he has turned her against us."
"They plan a rebellion. Unbelievable," one lord muttered, his eyes avoiding the Regent's as if they might turn him to stone. "And they paint you as a witch and a tyrant."
"I wonder why." Another chimed in, leaning back on his chair and rolling his eyes.
Cinder turned her head to look at him. Her fingers stopped tapping, to instead grip the arms of her chair. She had half a mind to incinerate the idiot on the spot, but she couldn't very well do that with the whole court in presence. Perhaps later.
"Well, I am certainly no witch. If I were, I wouldn't have spent most of my life fighting the likes of you with only a scythe, now would I?" She chuckled. "As for a tyrant? I suppose some would call me that. But then again, I've yet to hear of a ruler that was never at the receiving end of that claim."
"With all due respect, Lady Rose," a noblewoman raised her hand to draw attention. "The city is a mess. You have spurned the Guard to such activity, yet that has only resulted in more violence and chaos. Bodies line the streets. People are taken from their homes in a frantic search for the queen. Slaves flee and murder their masters. And it's only a matter of time before the White Fang storms this castle and beheads all of us," she paused. "You might not be a tyrant, but you're no savior either."
"Ah. I see," Cinder scoffed. "I suppose I should have just snapped my fingers and had the whole situation fixed overnight. It is that easy, after all, to deal with rebels, traitors, and missing and dead queens."
"No one in their mind would think any such thing. You are not to blame, Lady Rose. The situation is just beyond your capability to fix, and… you've gone through so much recently…" the woman sighed. "Your daughter was seen fighting at the Queen's side during the altercation in town."
Suddenly, without her even thinking of it, Cinder stood up and slammed her hands on the table in front of her. "That demon is not my daughter!"
A heavy silence filled the room. The noblewoman who had been talking lowered her head in shame or regret. Cinder stared at her own hands with wavering eyes, her heartbeat accelerating.
The girl. Out of everything, all the things that could have proved a problem to her. The Schnee sisters. Ozpin. The White Fang. She had had plans regarding all of them. And that wretched, silver-eyed nobody had come out of nowhere and ruined all of them.
"She…" Cinder composed herself, sitting back down and letting out a long breath. "I don't know what she is. As I said, I'm not putting anything past Ozpin anymore. Perhaps he… he stole her sleeping body and poisoned her against me. Just like he did with the Queen."
She looked up discreetly, examining all the nobles gathered around the table one by one. She could tell they pitied her. Before, that had been good enough to manipulate them, but not anymore. If they thought her weak, they would replace her and cast her out.
There was only one option left. She would have to go all out, bind their will to hers with her magic. Every single one of them. It was incredibly risky. One moment of carelessness, or a mind too strong to be conquered, and it was over.
Well, not exactly over. She could always murder the whole lot of them and sit alone in her throne. But that wasn't what she wanted, now what was it?
Desperate times called for desperate measures, she decided, and stood up again. "I will not stand for it. Mark my words," her voice boomed throughout the room, magic permeating every syllable. "By the end of this winter season, I will have the Queen returned to her rightful place on the throne, Ozpin and his lackeys all captured and hanged for their crimes, and the White Fang will be nothing but an ugly footnote on the history of Vale," she raised her voice even more. "Now. Does anyone wish to question my resolve?"
She didn't lower her guard for an instant, all her being focused on the nobles gathered before her. She could feel the magic of her words flowing around them, invading their thoughts, the deepest, most private confines of their minds being twisted and reshaped according her will.
They all bowed their heads and muttered all sorts of things, from apologies to oaths of allegiance to offers of all their help. At another time, a time before everything was hell for her, Cinder would have smiled, proud of her infallible power. But hatred was still burning inside her, and she couldn't bear the thought of staring at their idiotic faces for as much as another minute.
"Now leave," Cinder pointed to the door. "This meeting is over."
The nobles rose and exited the room fast, unknowingly driven by the magic that now affected them. Glynda was one of the last to go, and before she left, Cinder grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to her.
"You will wait a few days, then talk to Vasilias. Make him tell you where the traitors are keeping the Queen. Torture him if you have to," Cinder whispered on her ear. "And if he refuses to speak, bring him to the verge of death and toss him outside. Can you do that for me?"
Glynda did not reply for a few seconds, staring blankly at the space behind Cinder. The Regent gripped her arm tighter, adding more to the magic she had already applied to the noblewoman.
"Yes," Glynda said finally. "I can do that."
"Good. You may leave."
Once Glynda was out of the room, Cinder took a few moments to rest. She sat at the edge of the table, breathing steadily, her eyes closed. The flames inside her faded slowly, until she could think straight again.
She looked to the corner of the room and smiled. "You can show yourself now."
With a sigh of relief, Emerald appeared out of thin air, discarding the illusion she had held for the duration of the meeting. "The way you handled those pigs, ma'am, it was very…" She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Impressive."
"Thank you, Emerald. Though I must admit, I am a bit disappointed I had to resort to witchery," Cinder shrugged. "But you are not here to compliment me. Can you relocate Mercury?"
"I'm afraid not, ma'am," Emerald gulped. "That idiot went out on his own to pursuit Belladonna. I told him we should just head back to you, but he ignored me. He probably got captured."
"Captured. And here I was thinking hiring the best assassins in the land would be worthwhile," Cinder clucked her tongue. "I cannot wait to get my hands on him again. I gave all of you very strict orders about what to do about Schnee – chiefly among all, don't harm her. I need her alive."
"Yeah… I also told him not to shoot her," Emerald nodded. "Mercury is stubborn like that."
Cinder looked up at ceiling, letting her head slack for a while. Her plans had been doing astray for a while. Even now, they threatened a spectacularly horrible ending. But… she could see a way out. A way to twist everything that had gone wrong in her favor.
"Emerald. Listen closely," she said. "I have a very important job for you…"
Weiss opened her eyes to utter darkness. A groan rumbled in her throat, her mouth too dry to make a sound. She felt light, impossibly light, her head swimming in the clouds.
As time passed, she grew more aware of her surroundings, noticing the soft surface upon she was resting. A mattress. Her bed in the hideout? She was wearing a gown too big for her. And beside her, she could hear someone breathing not very softly.
She swallowed dryly, then snaked her arm out of the covers and poked whoever it was.
"Hmm? Oh, hi," there was a spark, then a candle was lit, revealing Yang. "Welcome back to the world of the living, princess."
"Don't call me princess," Weiss said groggily. "How long was I out?"
"A week." Weiss nearly jumped out of the bed. Yang chuckled, then waved her hands to settle down the royal. "Just kidding. Blake brought you back, then Ozpin fixed you up. Then you slept overnight. It's a new day."
"Oh," Weiss looked at her crossly. "You could have just said that in the first place."
"And not see that priceless expression you made?" Yang smiled. "Not a chance."
Weiss sighed, resting her back on the wall behind her. She felt down her body with one hand, and eventually found the spot, at the right of her belly, covered by stitches and a bandage. It hurt like hell, as she had imagined it should.
"Congratulations on your first bullet wound," Yang said cheerfully. "Even I haven't got one. I mean, a lot of people have shot at me. I should be dead, actually. But they just bounce off, so…"
"How unfortunate for you," Weiss replied bitterly. "Who did this to me?"
"One of your former slaves, I think. Velvet. She had a friend too. They're both locked up here, if you want to talk to them. Or punch them," Yang shrugged. "I would probably do the latter."
Weiss clenched her fists. Of course it had been Velvet. That faunus hated her with all her might, probably, after Weiss had sentenced her to death. And yet when they had met in town, Weiss had let her go without doing anything. She had felt sorry for Velvet, and a shot in the back had been her repayment for that.
Of course it's repayment, Weiss realized. Her expression softened. Repayment for years of slavery, of being toyed with and ordered around at the edge of a blade and pistol.
Suddenly, her injury did not seem to be hurting all that much anymore.
"So, I know this is not the time, with you recovering from being shot and all that," Yang spoke again, unusually softly. "But… Why didn't you tell me about Ruby not being my sister?"
Weiss groaned. This really was not the time. But she supposed Yang deserved an answer, and in the state she was in, Weiss felt like giving an honest one. "First off, it wasn't necessary. All you needed to know at the time was that Ruby was alive and with me," she said. "On top of that, it wasn't my place to tell you. The choice of telling you was hers and hers only."
Yang nodded, taking the information silently as it was given.
"And… While this is in no way rational, and I'd prefer to keep this to myself," Weiss looked away. "My sister was practically lost to me. I did not want the same to happen to Ruby, or you."
"Oh," Yang was stunned for a brief moment, before she gave a mischievous smile. "So you do care."
"Yes. That's the point of what I just said, you oaf," Weiss wormed her way back to her covers. "But don't let it get to your head."
Weiss closed her eyes to sleep again, but couldn't rest. She looked at Yang again, only to find her with a lopsided grin on her lips.
The queen groaned. It was definitely getting to her head.
Ruby paced restlessly in the entrance room of the hideout. Her eyes kept darting to the table next to her. Her scythe laid there, close enough that she could have it in her hands in the blink of an eye. Just a precaution, probably an unnecessary one, but she would rather not regret having it if something went wrong.
A few minutes passed, until finally, Blake arrived. The faunus gave her an amused look, then sat down on a chair. Ruby sat next to her in the blink of an eye, staring at her expectantly.
"So," the redhead leaned forward. "How did it go?"
"It went… not as bad as you'd think," Blake said. "Velvet's really shocked at what she did, which, to be honest, we should have predicted. You know how nervous she is. Even for a slave, she was so… fragile."
"So she won't do anything like that again?" Ruby asked. "We don't have to punish her, right…?"
"I don't think so. That was a one-time thing. Like she had reached a breaking point," Blake explained. "And Coco is keeping an eye on her. She's a good friend."
"I know her, kind of," Ruby noted. "She was from the Guard. And wasn't she the one who survived the breach's opening?"
Blake nodded. Ruby leaned back on her chair, feeling much more at ease now that she knew things would be alright. Weiss was recovering nicely. Velvet was under control. And, as far as public fights for the future of kingdoms went, theirs had gone relatively well.
"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked.
"Well, I'd like to deal with the White Fang. As long as they're around, we can't fight Cinder. Not without worrying a surprise attack like the one at the square," Blake sighed. "But… I suppose for now, we rest. Weiss isn't going anywhere in her condition."
Ruby hummed, not disagreeing with that train of thought. She always preferred getting back on the action, but fighting Cinder and the White Fang meant nothing if Weiss wasn't at their side.
The two shared a moment of silence, Ruby twiddling her thumbs on her lap. She didn't know what Blake was thinking, but it seemed like she was comfortable, which only resulted in Ruby feeling the exact contrary. This seemed to be happening more and more lately every time they were alone, and Ruby was starting to hate it.
"Uh… So…" Ruby said hesitantly. "What are you planning to do, Blake? When… all of this is over?"
Blake shifted her weight in her chair, leaning towards Ruby slightly. Her amber eyes fell curiously on the redhead, and Ruby felt like slipping away using her unnatural speed.
"I haven't thought of that. Not really. My life's always been either of a slave or a fighter," Blake frowned. "I can't imagine how it will be like after Cinder is gone. What about you?"
"Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess I've a few ideas. Maybe travel around the world a bit. Although Weiss probably is going to need help keeping order around here…" Ruby gulped. "But, I guess anything would be nice, as long as you were around."
Blake blinked a few times, then leaned back and crossed her arms, staring at Ruby as if asking a silent question. Ruby tapped her foot nervously on the floor, while her eyes went up to the ceiling. Anything to make the conversation less awkward.
"When Cinder cursed me and I went to sleep, a lot of weird stuff happened. I know I told you about it, but not everything," Ruby said. "So, there were those things called Shades there. Raven said they were spirits or something. People who had gotten lost in their dreams."
Ruby paused to make sure Blake was understanding what she was saying. She was still paying attention, and hadn't made a sound.
"And, you know, these dreams… They were basically about these people's lives being perfect, or how they wanted them to be. Even if they didn't know it," Ruby said. "One time, I almost turned into a Shade because I dreamed a little too much. I was lucky Raven was there to save me."
"…Alright," Blake said. "And what did you dream about?"
"Ah! You catch on quick! Clever Blake!" Ruby giggled nervously. "Life was, uh, good. I was still Weiss' bodyguard, and she was just a princess, so I suppose Winter was alright. Summer was alive and actually my mother. I think Yang was with Weiss? That was weird."
"Huh," Blake grinned. "You have some imagination, Ruby. What about me? Did I have a place in your dream?"
"You were, uh… a member of the Guard, I think," Ruby braced herself. "And… we were t-together! Haha!" She knocked herself on the side of the head. "Yes, I have some imagination! Woo! Slow down, inner Ruby!"
"Oh!" Blake sat up straight in her chair, blushing profusely. "Y-yeah, t-that's funny."
"I k-know, right?!"
Suddenly, Yang appeared behind Blake, shaking her head slowly. "You two are hopeless."
The only thing that stopped Blake from leaping away was Yang holding her down by the shoulders. Ruby watched in horror as her sister leaned down and began to whisper in Blake's ear. The faunus' face went through several expressions, from confused, fearing for her life, mortified, and finally, very, very embarrassed.
Once she was done, Yang stood up straight again and winked to Ruby. "Have fun." She strolled away nonchalantly, whistling a merry tune.
Blake did not say a word, her eyes focused sharply on her lap. Ruby waited for a long while, building up the courage to ask what exactly Yang had said to her, but before she could, Blake snapped out of her stupor and looked at her.
"That was a nice dream," she said, standing up. "Maybe after everything is over… we could give that a try?"
Ruby did a double take, wondering if she had heard that right. Surely she had? But Blake was staring at her, hopeful, waiting for an answer.
"Y-yes?" Ruby replied shakily, then took a deep breath and spoke again. "Sure. I'd like that very much."
"Alright," Blake turned around mechanically. "I'll, uh, go check on-"
She was interrupted by the sound of the entrance of the hideout opening. Blake's hands flew to her daggers, while Ruby jumped to her feet and grabbed her scythe. They waited side by side, listening carefully as something came bumping down the stairs. A pair of voices grew closers, bickering and whining.
Finally, Jaune and Sun stumbled into the room, dropping an unconscious Mercury on the floor in front of the girls. Ruby stared in disbelief, while Blake just shook her head.
"Uh, sorry about this," Jaune said awkwardly. "I, uh, kinda stopped this guy from killing you yesterday. Knocked him out cold!"
"That was me, actually," Sun pointed out smugly. "But, to be fair, you did some nice distracting."
"Alright. Sun knocked him out cold. We were planning on keeping him locked up somewhere, but there wasn't anywhere safe, not really," Jaune explained. "I know this is supposed to be secret, but there wasn't any other option."
"Well. We can't blame you," Ruby looked at Blake for help. "Maybe we have room somewhere…?"
Blake sighed. "I'll get Ozpin."
Ah. A brief moment of despair. Things didn't go as badly as they could have. Well, I'm sure that's gonna change soon!
I actually don't have much to say about this chapter. It was quite small... but it does set up what is pretty much the last stretch of the story. We still have a ways to go, though.
(And I guess the hideout is S.T.A.R. Labs now, because anyone can come in no problem? Haha The Flash references! It feels like I've been waiting centuries to make this joke.)
-Zeroan