"Your Majesty. Prince Vasilias of Atlas requests an audience."

"Let him in."

The doors of the throne room opened, and Neptune walked in. He had a guarded posture about him, looking at the various guards in the room with suspicion. He stopped before the throne, cast a lasting glance at Ruby, who was leaning on its side watchfully, then bowed his head to Weiss.

"Queen Weiss."

"Neptune," Weiss replied casually. She knew tensions were high between the two of them, but she still hoped they could go back to being good friends. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"I am making my departure on the break of dawn tomorrow," Neptune stated. "I've been away from home for far too long, and I believe I've seen enough of Vale for a decade."

"Yes. I cannot blame you for wanting to leave so soon," Weiss said. "But perhaps you could wait a week more? I would greatly appreciate your presence in the ball."

"To be honest, Your Majesty," he smiled bitterly. "I haven't been in a dancing mood lately," he bowed. "Now, if you'll excuse me… It was good seeing you. You should visit Atlas soon."

He turned and started to leave. Weiss bit her lip, then looked at Ruby and stood up. She walked quickly to catch up with Neptune, then grabbed him by the arm, stopping him.

"Neptune," she said. "I'm sorry you got hurt fighting my war."

"Don't worry about it. I don't blame you. Heck, I don't even blame Lady Goodwitch, may she rest well and all that," Neptune shrugged. "The problem is, it doesn't matter how I feel. I'm not king. And the king will no doubt have heard about everything that transpired here."

"Yes… that's true," Weiss frowned. "What does this mean for our kingdoms, then? Will I be forced to take arms again, so soon after my last battle?"

She looked away, realizing how her words sounded. The last thing she wanted was to escalate things, but it was hard to settle down after fighting for so long. She was lucky Neptune was – or used to be – her friend. Any other person would take what she said as a provocation of war.

"I hope not," Neptune answered. "I'll send letters to let you know what's happening. Until then, goodbye."

"Goodbye," Weiss said quietly. "Safe travels, prince."

She let go of his arm, and he walked out of the room. Weiss returned to her throne and sat down on it, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

"I am a terrible ruler."

"Oh, Weiss, you can't say that about yourself," Ruby said. "I think you're a pretty good ruler."

"I am not a child, Ruby. Don't patronize me," Weiss sighed. "Besides, you only say that because I let you eat on the job."

Ruby looked guiltily towards the cookie she held hidden under her cloak. "Not true," she pouted. "Not entirely," she devoured the rest of the cookie in a second, then walked around her liege to stand in front of her. "You know what you need, Your Majesty? You need to have fun!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at her. "I already have that covered with the ball," she said. "It was my idea, remember?"

"Well, yes, but you need to have some fun before the ball!" The redhead declared. "Preliminary fun. Something to prepare you… like dancing."

"Ruby Rose, are you asking me to dance with you?" Weiss crossed her arms. "That is so highly inappropriate, in so many ways, that the Council would throw a collective fit over it and likely exile me forever."

Ruby did not budge. Weiss smiled and got up.

"I've never heard a better idea."

Blake sipped her tea and looked over her book for a moment, inspecting the crowd that passed by them. She could feel people staring at her, the guardsmen holding their spears restlessly in her presence. No one was used to a faunus being in their midst, much less so casually and doing the things only humans were supposed to do.

It was a good feeling, to be out in the open at last, but at the same time it was incredibly scary. People don't like change, and some are likely to fight it when they see it right in front of their faces. But she wasn't about to let that ruin her day. And having Yang with her made her feel safer.

She wasn't doing this all for herself. In the end, the idea was to make Yang more comfortable with being around people. From the looks of it, that was working as well for her as it was for Blake.

"Yang?" Blake called calmly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Yang mumbled, shifting in her seat. "You?"

"Same."

Yang lowered her head and took the sweet she had bought from the bakery she used to work for. The owner hadn't been too happy with her months-long absence, so when she had showed her face there, he had make it rather clear she would never be anything more than a customer.

Also, she was fairly sure he had charged her double. Yang would have complained, except… she wasn't doing well with anger these days. It was better to stay quiet than to risk an accident she could never come back from.

"Blake, can I ask you a question?"

Blake lowered her book to look at her. "Go ahead."

"I… I know how Ruby feels about me. She doesn't think I'm any more dangerous than I used to be, and that if things got bad, I would be able to stop myself from turning into a complete monster," Yang said. "But she's my little sister. I've always protected her, and she's always protected me. We're blind when it comes to each other."

"Ruby likes to think the best of people, but yes, that's especially true when it comes to you." Blake said.

"I can't let myself believe what she thinks of me is true," Yang leaned forward. "So, Blake. Do you think I'm dangerous? Do you think I'm a monster?"

Blake looked away, pondering the question. She closed her book and put it down on the table. "Why do you think you're dangerous, Yang?"

. "I thought I made myself obvious the day I came back," Yang said impatiently. "Since I learned I'm a Fall, it's been getting harder and harder to keep myself in control. The monster is always here now, clawing at the surface. I can barely think straight, especially in the middle of so many people."

"I think being a Fall doesn't make you any more dangerous than you ever were," Blake said. "And, yes, I do think you are dangerous. But that doesn't have to mean anything unless you let it," her voice lowered. "I'm dangerous. But I'm still myself."

"That's different." Yang stated firmly.

"Is it?" Blake's eyes narrowed, and Yang flinched, realizing she had made a big mistake. "When Adam Taurus turned me into… whatever I am now, the first thing I did was slash Roman Torchwick's throat. Then I immediately went looking for Weiss, and when I did find her, I tried to kill her too," she paused. "Trust me, Yang, you're not the only person with a monster inside of them."

Yang stayed silent, lowering her eyes to the table. She trusted and respected Blake, but she wondered how reliable her words of wisdom were. Blake might be a fighter and she might have gone through similar experiences as her, but in the end, she still was a young woman tasting freedom for the first time. And she spent a lot of time with Ruby. Those things could warp one's view of the world, Yang thought.

"Can I ask you a question now?" Blake spoke up, setting her book to the side.

"What?" Yang steeled herself.

Blake pointed at her sweet. "Are you going to eat that?"

"Right foot, yes, now left – no – you just stepped on – again – my toes!"

Weiss released hold of Ruby, and the redhead went spinning away through the courtyard, nearly tripping on her cloak. The queen put her hands on her hips and just stared at her expectantly.

"S-sorry," Ruby said when she finally steadied herself. "I'm not a very good dancer."

"I noticed. You go too fast, Ruby, when you should be taking it slow," Weiss pointed out. "But don't fret. I was also a terrible dancer when I started learning."

"And when was that?" Ruby asked.

"Well, my mother started my tutelage, so it was a very long time ago," Weiss said. "Come back here. We're going to keep trying until you can repeat this sequence flawlessly."

Ruby groaned in protest, but followed the order. Weiss took her hand and started the sequence again, and for a few seconds, everything went well, Ruby letting herself being lead gently through every step. Then suddenly, Weiss felt her toes being smashed once again by a boot.

"Alright, alright!" She shouted, jumping away. "You know what, this is enough. You can dance however you want, as long as you don't damage people in the process."

"Sounds tough, but fun too!" Ruby exclaimed, relieved to be free of Weiss' rigorous teaching.

Weiss sat down on a bench. Ruby followed a moment later, but not before making a quick run around the courtyard to make sure there were no threats nearby.

"Will your sister attend the ball?" Weiss asked.

"Uh, I… I don't know," Ruby frowned. "I thought you didn't want her there."

"I want everyone there. That's the whole point of it," Weiss noted. "And I don't want to be the kind of person who holds grudges. Cinder Fall taught me that."

Ruby nodded. "You know Yang didn't want to upset you, right? It's just that her…"

"Ruby, it really doesn't matter anymore. As long as she's willing to apologize, I am willing to forgive," Weiss said. "But I swear, if she tries to seduce me one more time, I will-"

"Woah, woah, what did you just say?" Ruby blinked. "Seduce you? Yang?"

"Why, of course! Your sister is always trying to seduce me!" Weiss said angrily. "Every single time we see each other! She invades my personal space, she makes lewd suggestions, she calls me by those stupid, endearing names, and then she acts all coy like she's not doing all of that on purpose."

"But… she does that to everyone," Ruby said, then frowned. "Except me, I guess. And Blake. And Jaune, and Ozpin, and… everyone else, pretty much…" She crossed her arms. "Hmm…"

Weiss shook her head, choosing to stay silent and let Ruby come to her own conclusions, whatever they may be. She'd rather stay very far from that matter for now – or forever, if she had the choice.

Although… there might be one good thing that it might be good to talk about with Ruby. Perhaps she wasn't the best person to approach for the conversation, but at least Weiss could trust her to not speak a word of it with anybody else.

"Ruby, I have something I want to tell you. Something very important, but," she turned to stare down at Ruby. "If I learn you shared this with Blake or, heavens help me, Yang, I will personally bring you to the topmost floor of the castle and throw you out of a window."

"You know, you are always making those threats… they've kind of lost their impact." Ruby pointed out.

"Alright, then," Weiss got up and turned her back to her. "I won't tell you my secret."

Ruby whimpered, jumping off the bench at the queen, almost knocking her to the ground. "No! You can't say something like that then not tell me! That's cruel!"

"Fine," Weiss smiled knowingly, turning around. "Sit back down."

Ruby obeyed immediately, looking up at her with pleading eyes. Weiss put her hands on her hips, then breathed out.

"This will sound selfish, and ungrateful, and… all sorts of dumb…" She said. "But sometimes… especially lately… I wish I hadn't been born royalty. I mean, it's a great life, evil witches and extremist rebels aside, but I've been noticing more and more that it's deprived me of so many wonderful things…"

"Like what?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Friends. Real friends, not ones appointed to me, or who befriended me because of my position," Weiss said. "Struggle. Which sounds bad, but it's a part of life. I don't think you're you until you've had to struggle for something," she paused. "Romance. That's always been forbidden, which is why I used to be attracted to Neptune. He was the only boy I was allowed to see, but of course he didn't like me the same way…" She sighed. "I've never been with anyone. Not even in the slightest."

She stopped, looking down suddenly and clenching her fists.

"Actually, I suppose I have," she muttered. "Though I would rather forget it."

"Weiss," Ruby said firmly. "You haven't been with anyone. At all. Alright?"

The queen nodded mutely, then sat down again. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands.

"Yang told me how she felt when we merged. Supposedly, she liked it, therefore she insisted I must have liked it too," Weiss said. "She wasn't wrong, but of course I didn't tell her that. It felt… it felt like my wish had come true, if only for a moment. I was just a regular girl."

"Except for the fire witchery and being two people in one," Ruby blinked. "Has anyone said how weird that was?"

"Yes. I have. But it was pleasant, I suppose," Weiss blushed. "But it will never happen again."

"Sure," Ruby eyed suspiciously. "And that's your secret?"

"Yes, and you will never tell her!" Weiss shouted. "If you do, I will lock you inside a carriage and export you to a faraway land, never to find your way back home."

"And how is that bad?" Ruby asked. "I would make an amazing export product."

"A land with no cookies!"

"Y-you monster!"

When the day of the ball arrived, Ruby and Weiss met with Winter, and together, they left the castle and descended to the city. They were leaving earlier than the other nobles, as the festivities would officially start at dusk, and they didn't want to get caught in a crowd.

While the royals wore formal dresses, Ruby chose to remain in her work uniform and cloak, in case anything went awry and she needed to protect her liege and friends. Ozpin had made sure that the Guard's presence in the event was strong, but it didn't hurt to be safe.

The town square and the surroundings streets had been decorated and fitted to the purposes of the ball, with several cooks and entertainers mounting stalls by the closed storefronts. Many people were gathered there already, forming masses that made walking through the area frustratingly difficult.

After many minutes of searching through the crowd, they found Blake waiting near the corner of a street. She stood to attention when she spotted them walking to her and smiled.

"I thought you would never show up," she said, then bowed her head slightly. "It's good to see you walking about, Lady Winter. You are feeling well again?"

"At last, I would say," Winter replied. "I'm pleased to see you, Lady Belladonna, was it? When I first met you, I never would have guessed you were a faunus."

"Yes," Blake said guardedly. "I hid it well. With good reasons."

"Don't misunderstand me. This only makes you more admirable in my eyes," the former queen stated. "I believe it's past time this kingdom sees change, and you are working to bring that at an alarming pace. I commend you for that."

Blake stared at her dubiously for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you," she turned to Weiss. "This ball was a great idea, Your Highness. I expected people to be reluctant to it, but most are actually very accepting of it. Perhaps it's due to the free food, but that's no reason not to be proud, right?"

"Why, that was by design." Weiss smirked, tapping her temple twice.

Ruby stopped ogling a passing food cart to look at Blake. "Is Yang not coming? She said she would come."

"Don't worry, she's just taking her time," Blake assured. "She was tearing through the house looking for something when I left."

"Figures she would leave preparations for the last second," Weiss muttered. She looked up at the sky, which was swiftly turning dark. "The celebrations should be starting soon. Winter, would you like to go to the town square and find some entertainment, perhaps dance a little?"

"That would be splendid." Winter agreed.

They started to go, and Ruby made to follow them, but Weiss spun around and pointed a finger at her. Ruby flinched, looking her up and down confusedly.

"You are dismissed for the rest of the night," Weiss said. "That's an order."

"But! I wore this to protect you! I even brought Crescent Rose with me!" Ruby protested, gesturing to the scythe on her back.

"I never asked you to do any of that. In fact, I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen," Weiss shook her head. "No. You're going to spend tonight with Blake. She deserves it. Besides, it's also a precaution in case she's getting jealous of your hanging around me so often."

"What?" Ruby crossed her arms indignantly. "That's ridiculous!"

"It is rather sensible, actually." Blake said, not betraying any emotion.

Ruby turned to face her, bewildered. Weiss took the opportunity to slip away with her sister, leaving the odd couple by themselves.

Blake tilted her head slightly, finding Ruby's continued staring very amusing. "Am I really such bad company, Ruby?"

"What?" Ruby blinked. "No! Blake, no! It's just…" she looked down awkwardly. "I don't know how to spend time with you in public."

"So? Remember, we are in the same boat when it comes to romance. I'm just as clueless as you are," Blake noted. "Let's figure this out, then. We could study how other couples are behaving in such a setting. Or we could improvise."

Ruby looked around, finding no other couples in the near vicinity. She turned back to Blake and stepped forward, taking her hand.

"Remember the last ball we attended?" She asked. "We didn't get to dance together."

"Right. We didn't," Blake said. "What are you suggesting?"

"Let's make up for that," Ruby smiled. "Fair warning, though… Protect your toes."

Under the snow, her foot hit something solid.

Raven looked up, her eyes widening as she realized that finally, after weeks of tortuous marching, she had arrived at her destination. She reached out, laying a hand against the frozen sphere, Cinder's prison.

The ice was vibrating, sometimes barely noticeably, sometimes so intensely her entire body shook in response. It was as if two forces were clashing at the other side, two voices carrying a conversation, or a shouting match. One was weak, under attack. The other one was stronger, the one making the attack.

Raven grit her teeth and raised a fist, enveloping it in flames.

Yang closed her eyes, slowly adjusting to the sensation of being in a crowd once again. Flames called to her from every direction, but she steeled herself and ignored them. She couldn't afford to slip now, not after fighting for so long.

She looked around, searching for familiar faces in the crowd. Nora and Ren were getting food from a faraway stall, and near them was Sun, although he was sitting on the edge of a rooftop, eating a banana. Yang raised a hand in greeting, and he did the same before getting up and jumping away and out of her sight.

"You better not get into trouble." She muttered, all the while knowing she was hoping for too much.

She took another look of her surroundings. The people who weren't busy eating and drinking were instead dancing to the sound of the crown's contracted musicians and traveling bards. Among them, Yang spotted her sister and Blake. To her surprise, they seemed to be doing rather well. Blake didn't look to be in any pain, at least.

"Hey, Yang."

She nearly yelled, spinning around and raising a fist before realizing it Jaune who had approached her. He was in Guard uniform, with sword and pistol at his hip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said sheepishly. "Hey. You look beautiful."

"Huh?" Yang looked down at herself and her beaten white dress. It had been hidden for months under a pile of clothes and other things, and she hadn't had the time to make it more presentable. "Thanks. I… like your uniform."

"Uh, yeah, I'm working," Jaune shrugged. "General Ozpin put me in charge of a squad, actually. We're supposed to watch over the town square."

"That's great, Jaune! You're finally getting the promotion you deserve!" She paused. "Well, you deserve it now. You were… undeserving before," she flashed him a big smile. "Come on, let's celebrate with a dance!"

"What?" Jaune flinched. "I just told you I'm working."

"I wasn't asking."

Yang dragged him into the crowd, then took his hand and guided it to her hip. Jaune looked very confused, and more than that, guilty. Yang sighed.

"Look, Jaune. If you don't want to do this, it's fine. I get it," she said. "But lately, I've been too stressed about far too many things. I'm screwed up. And depending on how my plans for tonight go, I might end up even more screwed up by the end of it. So… I just want to enjoy a dance with a friend. If you'll help me…"

"Alright," Jaune nodded. "Let's dance, then."

Suddenly, they were locked into a dance, him spinning her in a circle around him before letting her fall for a moment, only to catch her with an arm around her back. Yang looked up at him, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"What?" He smiled. "You thought you were going to mesmerize me with your dance moves?"

"I… I thought you didn't know how to dance." Yang gulped.

"My sisters made sure I was a dance master," Jaune said. "Shall I mesmerize you now, Lady Xiao Long?"

"Did you just call me Lady?" She grinned, standing up and taking hold of his arm. "Oh, you're in for it now, boy."

Away from the town square and the surroundings streets, the city was rather quiet. Nearly everyone had left their homes to take part in the festivities. It was both a blessing and a curse, as it made it easier to see any dangerous individuals coming, but at the same time, those same individuals might be emboldened by the emptiness.

Ozpin cast Winter a sideways glance, noting that she was once again rubbing her forehead. She had mentioned a headache before, a slight one, but by the way she was acting, it seemed worse than her words implied.

"We could head back to the castle," he suggested. "Your sister can handle the event on her own. She will understand."

"No, no. I'm fine. I promise," Winter shook her head. "It'll pass."

"You don't know that," Ozpin said. "The aftereffects of Fall's curse… Nobody truly knows."

"General. I want to see the breach for myself," she stated, her voice cutting like a knife. "After that, I will follow your wishes."

Ozpin frowned, not liking the idea, but he didn't object further.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived before the east wall, where the first Grimm breach had occurred. It was being rebuilt fast after months of neglect during Cinder's reign. Half of it was covered now, and there were many more guards standing watch on top of the wall and on the ground.

"They are hard at work," Winter said. "Good. Another breach would be disastrous. The people's trust in the crown is already faltering… I don't like to imagine what would happen if we broke their trust one more time."

"Yes. It was with that in mind that I increased work on the breaches," Ozpin said. "The northwest watchtower is also being rebuilt. It should be finished in a week or two."

"And the Grimm?" Winter asked.

"Agitated. They always are at the changes of seasons, but recent happenings inside the city have tempted them greatly too," the general answered. "It's fortunate we ended Fall's reign when it did. She was so careless, I fear a large-scale invasion would have happened soon if she remained in charge."

"Yes," Winter nodded. "Very fortunate, indeed."

She gasped, clutching her forehead once again. Her knees buckled, and she doubled over, groaning. Ozpin made to touch her, but she slapped his hand away.

"I'm…" She grunted. "Damnit… Just give me a moment. I'll be better."

Ozpin frowned, taking a step back and grasping his cane with more force.

The last layer of ice shattered under her punch. Raven stumbled through to the other side, sighing in wonder as she was suddenly out of the blizzard. The silence was almost unsettling.

It didn't last for long, as now she could hear the two voices clearly.

"Leave me… You won't… use me…"

"I will. Stop fighting! You are only making this more painful for yourself!"

"N-never…"

Raven looked up, noticing what looked to be a Shade kneeling on the ground, shimmering and squirming, its back turned to her. She approached, holding her breath in suspense. There weren't two voices, but one, coming from the same entity.

She stopped behind the Shade, reaching a hand towards its shoulder… but suddenly, a heat wave struck her, the air rippling like flames and pushing her back. The snow melted under her feet, and the grass beneath caught fire.

The Shade stopped squirming. Its head turned, revealing a pale face and two eyes, one blue, one amber.

"You…" it voiced hauntingly. "Why must you always interfere?!"

The Shade shimmered, and flames poured out of it, before spinning around themselves and forming a vague outline. Suddenly, Raven was facing Cinder Fall.

"I've had enough of you," the witch growled. "Leave!"

She thrust an arm, and Raven went flying backwards, almost back into the blizzard, but she dug a hand into the ground and pulled herself forward. She raised her head, only to see Cinder had turned to face the Shade.

Except it wasn't a Shade anymore.

"Give up," Cinder said. "Let go of your pride, and become one with me, as it always should have been."

Winter Schnee looked up at her, rebellion sparking in her eyes.

"Over my dead body."

After what felt like an eternity, Winter stopped heaving, as if suddenly she were completely fine. Ozpin offered a hand, looking down at her worriedly.

"We must go back now," he said. "Do not argue. You aren't Queen anymore, you have not authority over me."

"Indeed," Winter laughed lightly, standing up with his help. "I am not Queen anymore."

She let go of his hand and stepped back, looking up at the sky with a smile on her face. Ozpin stared at her, disturbed by her sudden change in demeanor.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Winter said. "No. Actually, I am glad you did. It's forced me into a tough position, and given me some much-needed clarity…" She tilted her head sideways, looking at him as if his soul were exposed. "I'm tired of playing games. I'm tired of being fair to you rats. You are below me, and I will take what's mine."

She walked forward, closing a hand around his throat. Her blue eyes changed to a terrifying red, two flames, like gateways to Hell.

"It could have been great for everyone. I would have lead this kingdom to greatness. Vale, capital of the world… But you and your little soldier girls have deprived me of my generosity. You poked the dragon until it awakened, and now you're caught in its maw."

She slammed him down on the floor, head-first. Blood splattered, but he didn't slip away. Ozpin grunted, closing his hands around her wrist and trying to push her off.

"I will raze your city with my own hands. I will turn it all to ashes, along with anyone who stands in my way. Those who are left, those who haven't tested my patience, they will have the privilege of rebuilding Vale in my image."

She brought him up, lifting him off his feet with her hand around his throat. Her other hand rose, pointing towards the unfinished wall. A barrage of flames launched from her palm, blasting the stone and bricks and sending them flying everywhere, revealing the defrosting fields beyond.

"Don't be sad, General. Your time is over, but in your death, you will serve your kingdom honorably, one last time."

Ozpin shouted hoarsely, swinging an arm towards her face. She blocked with her free hand, not even flinching from the blow.

"Congratulations," Cinder smiled. "You will be the spark that lights it up."

Because things can never be good for too long.

I hope that twist landed well with everyone. I made a deliberate effort to not hint it ahead of time, at least not in the same ways I hinted Summer was not Summer. One way you could predict that twist, however, is by looking back at some elements of the story (like Ruby's awakening, or everything about Raven) and notice something's not adding up. But I'll leave that for you guys to figure out, I don't wanna pat myself on the back for too long.

Anyways. Next chapter should be huge. We're very close to the end. Until then! Thanks for reading!

-Zeroan