Weiss hadn't dared to think that after Cinder Fall's reign of terror was over, everything would go back to the way it was before. She wasn't naïve – not anymore. But she had never thought things would fall into such disarray.

The members of the nobility had all, without exception, shut down once they realized how they had been bewitched and manipulated by the Regent. Cinder's last cruel trick on them – Lady Goodwitch's demise – was too horrible for them to come to terms with.

Similarly, the Guard had come to a standstill, the soldiers not knowing who to follow and what to do. Only a handful had been cooperative with Weiss and her allies when they were rounding up the White Fang and imprisoning them. She had dismissed the rest, knowing they were no good in their confused state.

As for the commoners… Weiss heard many conflicting stories, some saying they were relieved about the Regent's death, others reporting anger, mistrust, and unrest. She wished she knew more, but it was impossible to get a proper understanding of the situation.

And now she sat in her throne, facing a room empty except for Ozpin, who she had been quick to restore the title of High General to. She wondered if that was how Cinder had spent her days of rule too – alone, trying to tell ally from foe, threading the thin line between control and all-out war.

The witch was dead, but she had left a world in chaos as her parting gift.

"Weiss," Ozpin said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be here right now. Go rest."

"I am Queen," Weiss muttered. "I didn't fight for this throne to go lay down in my bed at the first opportunity."

"I understand. But for now, there is nothing you can do,," Ozpin insisted. "There won't be anything for a long time. The wounds Fall opened haven't yet begun to heal. When they do… then will be the time for you to be a ruler."

Weiss pursed her lips. She didn't like what he was saying, but more than that, she didn't like that she wanted to agree with him. How good it would feel to finally sleep in her own bed, to not have to worry about usurpers and White Fang assassins and losing her friends overnight…

The doors of the throne room opened, and Ruby entered quietly. She was without her cloak, which was strange to the eyes, but Weiss thought it made her look somewhat more mature.

"Your Highness…? Uh, Your Majesty – sorry, all those titles are so confusing…" Ruby shook her head slowly, then looked down at her feet. "We are going to bury her now. I was wondering if you would… come along?"

"Bury her?" Weiss said coldly. She knew exactly whom Ruby was talking about.

Ruby drew in a deep breath, then started to turn around. Weiss rose from her seat and took a step forward.

"Wait," she called, assuming a softer tone. "I'll come."

Ruby turned to look at her and smiled slightly.

"I'll take care of things while you're gone," Ozpin said, staying beside the throne. "Should anything come up…"

"You'll contact me." Weiss finished.

"I'll handle it." Ozpin corrected firmly.

Weiss opened her mouth to object, but instead sighed and nodded. The wounds needed time to start healing, and she had her fair share of those.

"Fine," she walked to Ruby and offered her arm, allowing herself a little smile. "Shall we go, my bodyguard?"

They held the ceremony in the outskirts of the city. The weather was getting gentler as the end of the season grew closer, but Weiss still had to use her magic to protect Ruby and Blake from it. Yang did well enough on her own.

Not a word was spoken while Ruby dug a hole in the ground with a shovel, vehemently tossing away the snow that threatened to fill it up again. It was slow and arduous work, but she had to do it on her own, and nobody would contest that.

Once she was finally satisfied with her handiwork, Ruby nodded to her sister, and Yang laid down Summer Rose's body. The four girls stared for a while, all in a loss for what to say, each for vastly different reasons.

Yang looked around at her companions, then took a deep breath and started to speak. "I'm… sorry about what happened to you. You deserved a lot better than… all that," she paused. "You weren't my mother, but… you were. I've been given so many names, especially recently… It's getting tiring, to say the least. But I'd be honored to be called a Rose."

Blake stepped closer. "I never got to meet you. I wish I could talk to you now…" She smiled slightly. "So I could thank you for all you left behind. In a way, you changed my life for the better."

Weiss looked up at the featureless sky. There were a million words she could say, but she knew those weren't the right ones. So she had to settle for something lesser, but honest, nonetheless. "Rest well."

Ruby jumped down on the hole and crouched. She examined her mother's face for a moment, then gave her one last smile and closed her eyelids. "I love you."

Ruby climbed back up and went to pick up the shovel she had left on the ground, only to find it already in Yang's hands. The sisters – in everything but blood – shared a look, then Ruby nodded and Yang started to fill back the grave.

Blake touched Ruby in the shoulder and smiled kindly to her, then went to help Yang. Ruby drew her cloak closer around herself, then approached Weiss.

"Hey. Thank you for coming," she said quietly. "It must be hard for you."

"Yes. I'm not going to lie, it is difficult, after everything Fall did to me and my kingdom…" Weiss turned to Ruby. "But… that isn't who we are honoring now. Your mother was a rebel, and a damn good one at that. My parents absolutely detested her, from what I've heard. But look around and point me to someone who is not a rebel these days."

"That's a good point." Ruby giggled softly.

"Besides, like Blake said," Weiss lowered her head a bit. "Summer Rose left us with many gifts, such as you. And I can't fathom to think of a world without you, Lady Rose."

Ruby closed the distance between them, enveloping Weiss in a tight hug. The queen stood frozen in surprise for a moment, then returned the action just as willfully.

"Is that an official thing, by the way?" Ruby asked. "Am I part of your court now?"

"We shall see. There's a lot for me to resolve before I start giving out titles to my friends," Weiss noted. "Speaking of. You are dismissed for the day, Royal Bodyguard. Go rest at home."

"But-"

"It's an order," Weiss said. "You wouldn't disobey your liege, would you, Ruby?"

Ruby looked at her crossly, but did not say a thing in protest.

Yang turned the shovel for the last time, filling the grave to the brim, then bowed her head respectfully. Weiss and Blake followed suit.

Ruby raised a hand in goodbye and smiled.

"Maybe… maybe copper? Ugh, no! Never! Copper is so… ugh. We're not using copper. But then what else can we get around here…?"

Ren sighed as he watched Nora frantically scribbling notes and drawing half-finished blueprints, only to always crumble them up into a ball of paper and toss them in a corner. The Queen had been kind enough to lend them a place to stay in the castle while winter still made a journey back to their home difficult. They couldn't thank her enough for the gesture, as it also provided them the time and opportunity to start working on bringing Penny back.

Penny's remains were currently locked in a chest hidden beneath their beds – which had they bundled together just for that purpose, not because they were together! The few people they had shared that information with had demonstrated some… odd reactions, to say the least. But both of them had a lot of experience in fixing Penny after her getting herself in trouble, so it was not strange at all to them.

Except this time, it was different. Ren knew it, and he knew Nora knew too, even if she wouldn't say anything. That was why she was working so hard. If she stopped, reality would settle in, and then…

"I know! We could try using something like mail armor! I hear that's the toughest thing these days. Hard to make, but it pays off…" Nora frowned. "But we'll have to cover it with a layer of something else. We don't want Penny walking around looking there's holes in her skin…"

"I still fail to understand why you won't use the same materials as always. Wouldn't that be much easier than all these ideas you're considering?" Ren asked.

"Well, I don't want to just… rebuild her," Nora said hesitantly. "I want to make her better, so… what happened… never happens again."

Ren tore his gaze away from his lifelong companion. It was too hard to look her in the eye when she talked like that. Rebuilding Penny… Making her better… It sounded like she wanted to bring back a whole other girl altogether, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Noticing his silence, Nora turned around in her chair and looked at him. It was normal for him to be quiet, but she knew that explanation did not fit the current mood. Ren wasn't content enough with saying nothing, unlike usual. Instead, he had a lot to say, but did not want the words to be out in the open.

"I'm sorry, Ren. I don't know how else to deal with it," Nora said sadly. "But I can see I'm hurting you by doing this. And that's what really matters right now. I'm… stopping. Alright?"

"Nora. You can't," Ren shook his head. "It's Penny. She's… special."

"She was. But now she's gone."

Ren cursed himself silently. He hadn't meant to make her feel guilty, not at all. He only wanted her to get better, but this wasn't the way.

Before he could say anything, someone knocked on the door. The pair shared a worried look. They weren't expecting any visitors today.

"Who is it?" Nora asked loudly, almost screaming, as she approached the door.

There was a sound of shuffling feet behind the door, then the visitor cleared his throat. "Uh, it's Jaune Arc. We haven't been introduced properly, but we fought together against the Regent."

"Oh, alright," Nora said cheerfully, opening the door. "Come in!"

Jaune nodded and entered the room. Before he could get a third step in, Nora stopped him, scanning him up and down energetically, moving her whole body in the process. He stood confused, while Ren shot him a sympathetic look.

"Hmm," Nora stood back and crossed her arms, as if she had reached a conclusion. "You're the man who killed Cinder Fall by shooting her in the face?"

"…Yes?" Jaune answered hesitantly. "Well, I just finished her off. Ruby and Yang and the Queen did most of the work."

"Yeah, that makes sense, because I expected you to be a lot taller." Nora stated plainly.

"Nora!" Ren chided.

"What?" Nora turned to him and shrugged. "I'm just being honest. Didn't mean it as an insult," she looked back at Jaune. "So, what do we owe the visit, witch slayer?"

Jaune stared at her, trying to discern if that last part was a joke or a jab.

"Well, I heard about your… Penny, and how she got, uh, destroyed, in the battle?" He said. "I also heard you were going to rebuild her, so I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help?"

Nora and Ren shared a look, both genuinely surprised by his offer. "Why?" The inventor asked.

"Why?" Jaune frowned. "I just want to help. A lot of people died these past months because of this whole mess with witches and thrones and rebels, and none of them will get to come back," he looked down sadly for a moment, then raised his head back up. "Except Penny, from what I gather. And if that's possible, if one person can be brought back… I want to help with that."

"That's very noble, Jaune," Ren said. "We'd appreciate your help very much."

"We would," Nora agreed bitterly. "But… I don't think Penny can ever be brought back. Even if we rebuild her body perfectly, it won't matter without what brought her to life in the first place."

"And what was that?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know! It was thunder and luck and I bet even some magic. There were so many variables that day…" Nora sighed. "I can only guess what made Penny possible."

"Well, then… we try everything!" Jaune decided. "Everything, anything you can think of, until it works!"

Nora pursed her lips. She wasn't one to shy away from experiments, even the most optimistic ones, but this sounded too hopeful to ever be successful.

She was about to express that feeling and ask for Jaune to leave, when she felt a hand fall on her shoulder from behind her, then saw Ren smiling from the corner of her vision.

"I agree with Jaune," he said. "We need to try everything, no matter how long it takes. Right, Nora?"

Nora gazed at him for a moment, then nodded. "Right!" She smiled. "Let's get to work!"

Ruby pushed the door of her house open, smiling slightly at the familiar sound of wood scratching against the ground. Yang used to talk about fixing that problem all the time, but she had never gotten to it. Perhaps now she finally would.

The redhead was pleasantly surprised to find the house in a nearly identical state to what she had left it months before. The beds were messy as all hell, clothes and tools were strewn all over the floor, and, at the very back, Yang's cage was shut.

Ruby paused, looking at the cage in silence. Over the years, she had normalized the sight of it and the act of locking her sister inside it. After all, she was doing it to help her, and Yang was in full agreement. But now… now she wondered how both of them had ever thought that was a right thing to do.

She sighed and moved on to her bed, sitting at the edge of it. She had been awake for nearly three days now. So much had happened during that span of time – the Guard invading the hideout, her getting stuck in its ruins, the battle against Cinder, and then the aftermath of that – that she hadn't had the opportunity to as much as feel tired.

But finally, finally, she could rest, as Weiss had commanded. Ruby lied back on the bed and covered herself with her cloak. She closed her eyes and pressed her nose against the fabric, smelling the scent of blood and dirt and sweat, but above all else… roses.

Castle Vale's dungeon was as dark as Blake remembered, but that had never been much of a problem for her. Her amber eyes could see everything almost as clear as day, and her ears picked up on every noise that came from the dozens of cells after the end of the steps.

The fact that so many faunus had been locked up after the battle should disturb her, but she instead felt vindicated, knowing they were all White Fang. She wasn't proud she felt that way, but she couldn't deny it was true.

Maybe she could excuse herself, at least partly, as her feelings came mostly focused on Adam Taurus' imprisonment. He was the head of the snake, so to speak, the man who had poisoned so many of her kin against the humans, turning what could have been a peaceful, if slow, change in society, into an outright war with immeasurable losses on both sides.

Yes, maybe she was a bit justified in how she felt.

She reached the end of the stairs and walked softly from cage to cage, knowing well that most of the captives could hear and see her as she did them, but she paid them no mind. Blake had only one interest in this venture.

She found him at the very last corner of the dungeon, in what was by far the dankest and most restrictive cage of them all. Blake stared at Adam, and he stared right back, a thousand words going unspoken between the two of them.

"So," he said finally, sitting with his back against the bars of the cage. "Come to gloat?"

Blake tilted her head to the side. "Yes. That is exactly what I had in mind."

"Alright. Go ahead," Adam sighed. "Fair warning, I've grown tired of your moral nonsense and your talks of freedom. But in what position am I to knock you off your high horse?"

"Oh, Adam, you've got it all wrong. I'm not here to give you a speech about morals," Blake smirked. "I'm here to gloat about how much better I am than you."

She turned to shadow and slipped between the bars of the cage, then became solid again and leaned down, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and staring him in the eyes.

"You're lucky Ruby was the one to take you down. Anyone else would have killed you where you stood. But she's that good," Blake whispered. "But I guess we are all lucky she did, because now you don't get to play the martyr and spark another White Fang rebellion."

"The Queen is going to give you and all those you manipulated a fair trial. She doesn't know it yet, I bet the idea hasn't even come to her mind, but I'll convince her that's the way," she paused. "We're going to reach an accord. Take a significant step towards faunus and human equality in this kingdom. And then you're all going free. No more bloodshed is needed."

Adam's lips raised in a lopsided grin. "I think I can hear the hooves clattering…"

Blake's eyes narrowed, and she pulled him closer, their noses almost touching. "You don't get it. Yes, you're going free," she said. "But I won't ever believe you are anything more than a monster. I'll be watching every day, waiting for you to step out of line, and then… Then you'll be ashamed of how smug you were today."

She let go and exited the cage, turning her back to him. "I can live with you being free, if that's what's necessary for everyone else to have that privilege. And that, Adam, is why I'm better than you."

She waited for an answer, but none came. Satisfied, she lowered her head and walked away, leaving Adam Taurus alone in the dark.

The Shades were restless today. They had been passing by Raven's home since she had woken up, a sudden flood of faceless roamers, all seemingly motivated to go in the same direction by a singular reason. She wished she knew what that reason was, but as she had learned long ago, there was no way to communicate with a Shade. Perhaps she should do some hands-on investigation, venture out once more…

Although, the last time she had done something like that, it hadn't worked out very well for her.

Raven was about to head back inside her cave when she spotted something down below, an irregularity amidst the roaming Shades. Something... red?

She stared in disbelief as the red spot moved through the crowd, getting closer and closer to her spiral, until it was at the bottom of it, separated from the Shades.

"Ruby?!" Raven called.

The girl looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. A Shade passed just behind her, brushing against her back, prompting her to jump and race around the spiral stairway to the top.

When Ruby finally stopped before her, Raven didn't know whether to be happy or dismayed about her unexpected appearance. She didn't yet know why she was in the dream realm again, but considering how she had arrived the first time…

"Ruby. It's… good to see you," Raven said, laying a hand on her shoulder and leading her inside. "But why are you here?"

Ruby rubbed her eyes and shook her head, then looked at Raven helplessly. "You tell me."

Raven crossed her arms, a terrible feeling sinking down her stomach. "You defeated Cinder, did you not?" She asked. "I've been following events through Yang's eyes. I watched the battle unfold. Unless…"

…Unless everything she had been seeing was a lie. Cinder tricking her as punishment for her 'insubordination'. It sounded just like something the usurper would do.

Ruby blinked a few times, then raised her head. "No. We did defeat her. Cinder's dead."

Raven sighed in relief. "Good. Good. I'm glad her reign is over at last," she said. "Perhaps her death has something to do with you being here? What is the last thing you remember?"

Ruby pondered the question for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I lied down in my bed and fell asleep," she looked at Raven expectantly. "Could her death really affect me somehow? I mean, she's gone…"

"I wish I had a concrete answer, but I don't know everything about my family's magic. I can only extrapolate from what little we have at our disposal," Raven said. "Who knows. Perhaps her death released some stray magic she still had latched onto you, and that caused you to be transported here again."

Ruby stayed silent. Her first visit here had been confusing enough already, she wasn't eager to have her head jumbled up once more.

"Sorry. The reason you're here isn't all that important," Raven shook her head. "I suppose you wish to get back immediately."

"Uh, I'd love to talk to you…" Ruby looked away. "But, yes… This place is…"

"Unpleasant. I understand," Raven nodded. She looked at the girl for a moment, then smiled slightly. "Thank you for telling Yang about me. And, if you please, could you… tell her how proud I am of her? It might not mean much, but she needs to know."

"Yes! Of course!" Ruby exclaimed eagerly. "The message shall be delivered!"

"Thank you, Ruby."

Raven stepped closer, laying her hands on Ruby's shoulders. The redhead closed her eyes and stopped breathing in anticipation.

"Remember how we did this before. Don't be nervous. Focus on what anchors you to the real world…"

"Hey. Your Majesty. Her Most Insurmountable Greatness. Snowflake! Slow down, would you?"

Weiss held back a heated remark, wanting nothing more than to turn around and yell at Yang to leave. But instead, she chose to act like the diplomat she was raised to be, and slowed down to allow the blonde to catch up to her.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Yang asked, eyeing the walls of the castle as if she had never seen them before.

"I am going to my room to rest," Weiss answered. "I cannot speak for you, however. Care to enlighten me, Xiao Long?"

"Well, someone needs to make sure you don't get assassinated while Ruby's out of commission," Yang said cheerfully. "And since Blake and even Jaune have substituted her before, I figured I was entitled to a turn myself."

"I can take care of myself." Weiss noted, subtly flaring up some magic on her hands.

"Yes, yes, I know," Yang winked. "It's all just an excuse to spend time with you, oh noble lady."

Weiss sighed. Since Cinder's defeat, Yang had somehow become even more insufferable, a feat Weiss had previously thought was impossible. It wasn't, of course. Yang couldn't seem to shut her mouth for more than a minute at most, her walking resembled something more akin to hopping than anything else, and she was getting much too close to her at times.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" Yang blurted out, walking backwards in front of her so they were face to face.

"Talk about what?" Weiss retorted, making a point of not meeting her eyes.

"Don't play dumb. Me going inside you, what else?" Yang smiled. "And not inside you like you've always secretly wished for."

"No. We are not talking about that." Weiss replied firmly, accelerating her steps and moving around her.

Yang did not give up, matching her speed easily. Weiss glared at her sideways, now thinking she wasn't doing this to just be annoying – the idiot clearly had no awareness of how she was being received.

"Come on, Snowflake, you can't ignore it forever!" Yang exclaimed. "I mean, we became one person. How absolutely insane is that? But it was incredible, too! It saved my life – hell, it even healed your wound too."

"I'm not talking about this." Weiss muttered.

"Do you know how it felt, being scattered embers in the air?" Yang continued, as if she hadn't heard her. "I don't know. I don't remember feeling anything. But I remember I saw something… something… like a huge ball of light, almost blinding, and I was drawn to it. I guess that was you, huh? And then it just happened…"

Weiss didn't deem to reply, instead focusing on getting to her room. It wasn't that far away now. She only had to be patient for a little while more, then she could get free of her unwanted companion.

"…and it felt great. Like the times when the moon would affect me some nights, but without me becoming a monster. So much power… but with clarity. Imagine what we could do together!"

They turned a corner, and Weiss spotted the door to her room. She sped towards it and laid a hand on the doorknob, shooting Yang a tired glare. "Stop right there. What happened stays in the past. We're never doing that again. Understood?"

Yang stopped, her brow furrowing. "Listen. I know it was strange. We were in the middle of a battle. But maybe if we tried it in a less stressful situation…" She trailed off. "Maybe. And you can't deny it felt good."

Weiss let go of the doorknob and turned around, her patience finally running out. "Let me remind you who else felt this good about using that cursed magic that runs in your bloodline," she spat out. "Cinder Fall. And your father. Now let me remind you of something they have in common: both of them manipulated people, made them do things against their will, and – and if you can't realize how horrible that sounds, how similar you are becoming to them, then I don't know what else to say."

Yang's shoulders dropped, and for a moment, Weiss thought she had gotten to her. But just as quickly as that hope had been born, it was extinguished by Yang stepping closer to her, her eyes changing to a light shade of red.

"Don't you dare compare me to them," she said. "And don't think you can lie to me. I was in your head, remember? I know you felt just like I did. Now, if you would just admit it instead of being so damn proud, we could-"

Yang stopped talking, suddenly noticing the horrified expression on Weiss' face. She looked down and saw she had a hand closed around the royal's arm, but… she didn't remember doing that?

"Don't touch me."

Weiss' free hand rose in a backhanded strike on Yang's cheek, prompting her to let go at once. It wasn't painful, it barely even phased her, but that didn't matter.

The door opened and slammed shut. Yang stood frozen for minutes, her heartbeat racing, panic flooding her veins.

"Ruby?"

Blake kneeled beside her friend's bed, shaking her gently by the shoulder. Ruby refused to show any reaction, and her breathing was barely hearable, even for Blake's heightened hearing capabilities.

After almost suffering a public execution, Blake thought she would never feel that scared ever again. But, as always, she was proved wrong. She had gone through so much already, but life found another cruel surprise for her.

"Come on. I know you're not gone," she pleaded quietly. "You came back before. Do it again."

She shook the redhead again, but it was to no avail. Blake grit her teeth and leaned forward, desperation showing in her eyes.

"Please."

Ruby stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, silver irises slowly focusing on the faunus by her side. Blake leaned back, her lips parting into a wide smile.

"Ugh… How long was I gone?" Ruby asked morosely.

"I don't know," Blake said. "It's the same day of your mother's burial. The sun is setting."

"Oh. It was just a nap then," Ruby sighed in relief. "A pretty weird nap, but at least it didn't last for weeks like last time."

"So you were there?" Blake asked, her face souring.

"Yes. I talked to Raven. She was fine," Ruby rubbed her forehead. "And it was no big task bringing me back. So that's a relief…"

Blake frowned. She really didn't like the thought of Ruby slipping away into some weird magic realm just because she had fallen asleep. What was to say this wasn't going to happen again? And next time, coming back might not be so easy…

Ruby looked at Blake, noticing how uneasy she was. "You don't need to worry, Blake," she said softly. "A lot of bad things have happened since we met. We got put into some very dangerous situations, both alone and together. But we've always made it through, haven't we?"

Blake rose and sat beside her in the bed, looking down at her face in wonder. "I suppose we have," she smiled. "You have a talent, you know?"

"Of being cute?" Ruby blinked coyly.

"Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about," Blake chuckled. "The world is such a dark place. At least that's how I feel most of the time. But you always make it seem so bright and wonderful…" She paused, looking away. "I guess it's because it's difficult to pay attention to anything else when you're with me."

Ruby blushed, sinking a little in her bed. "Are we… uh… You remember that stuff about us… after the fight was over and…" she gulped. "Are we going to talk about that?"

Blake was silent for a while, looking at another corner of the house. Then she shrugged and laid down beside Ruby, pressing herself to her. Ruby shifted her weight, awkwardly searching for a comfortable position. She settled for resting her head against Blake's shoulder, melting in her embrace.

"What is there to talk about that hasn't been said already?" Blake whispered.

"I don't know," Ruby closed her eyes. "I've… never been with anyone before, Blake."

"Well, I'm as lost as you are. We'll learn with time, together. For now… let's just stay like this. What do you think?"

"I think… that sounds nice."

Mess. Mess. Mess. Everything was a mess.

No.

She was a mess.

Weiss rested her head against the cold door to the royal catacombs. This day was supposed to be simple. It was her opportunity to settle down, to heal, as Ozpin had said.

But that wasn't how it was working out. Because of her worries, because of Yang, because of her guilt. Because she couldn't rest until she finally went down there.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss decided to get this over with, once and for all. It was the right thing to do. And after it, maybe she would finally be able to rest.

She opened the door and went down the steps, grabbing a torch on the wall to light her way. The silence in the crypt was almost palpable, the humidity in the place settling on her skin and making her feel even less at ease.

She ignored the coffins of her many ancestors, heading directly to the one raised at a pedestal in the middle of the room. It was as hauntingly beautiful as she remembered, with its glass top and fine wooden carvings.

Weiss trailed a finger through the glass, observing her sister's resting features. She couldn't see or hear it, but she knew Winter still breathed. She was still with the living, but at the same time, she couldn't be any farther away.

Not for long, though.

Weiss braced her hands against the glass and pushed carefully. Stale air brushed against her face, making her cough and look away. Without the glass in the way, Winter looked even paler than before.

She reached forward with a hand, then immediately drew it back. Weiss bit her lip, drawing blood, and forced herself to go on. Gently, as if she feared her touch would break her skin, Weiss covered her sister's mouth and nose with her hand.

"I'm sorry," she closed her eyes. "But you're going to rest now. Finally. T-thank you for everything."

She pressed more forcefully, not wanting to draw this out any longer than it needed to be.

This was going to be a tough explanation. She was sure Ozpin and everyone else would understand her decision, and they certainly hadn't the right to protest it, but that didn't change the fact that she hadn't consulted anyone beforehand. The Queen wasn't supposed to act on a whim.

But, for one last time, Weiss wanted to act first for herself, and not her throne.

She had no clue how long she needed to hold on. Would she know when to stop? Would she feel something? She had heard stories about siblings having an uncanny connection to each other, but that was stuff out of fairytales... yet lately, she realized, most of her life could be treated with that same dismissal.

Weiss opened her eyes grudgingly. It wasn't over. She grit her teeth in her frustration. Even now, Winter was being stubborn. Why couldn't she just-

Winter's eyes snapped open, and her right hand shot up to wrap around Weiss' wrist. The Queen looked at her older sister in fright and stumbled back, holding a scream in her throat.

Winter sat up and looked around, breathing in and out forcefully. She lowered her head, then lifted it to look her sister in the eyes.

"…Weiss?"

Oh snap. And that's why you consult a doctor before resorting to euthanasia, Weiss. Shameful, simply shameful.

Sorry for the delay on this chapter! There was a particular part of it (that Yang and Weiss scene) which I needed to make sure was exactly as I wanted it. I don't think I need to explain why, the subtext is rather... uh, text. It's a touchy subject, one that I think I've handled with... less consideration, in the past, so this time around, I wanted to be more careful.

Anyways. Let's not linger on that. Let me know what you thought of the chapter, and, as always, thank you for reading! See ya'll next time!

-Zeroan