"Alright. That's, uh, that's enough, Jaune," Yang said, slipping from his hold in a way she hoped had been only half as clumsy as she imagined. "I'll concede that you are a good dancer."
He grinned at her, one eyebrow rising slightly. It was a bit infuriating to see him acting so smugly, if only because he wasn't doing it on empty ground. "Just good?"
"Excellent, then," she grumbled under her breath, smoothing the sleeves of her dress. After a while, she shook her head and smiled at him. "But really, Jaune, this was nice. Thank you for sharing this moment with me… and helping me get warmed up."
"Warmed up?" He repeated, clueless as to what she meant.
Yang didn't clear his doubts, instead turning around and scanning the town square, finding her target in mere seconds. She had been acutely aware of where the queen had been since she had arrived at the celebration, as if they were connected somehow.
She realized the connection must go both ways, for as soon as she laid eyes on her, Weiss stopped her dance with her current partner and met her gaze. The queen immediately turned her face away, but Yang wouldn't let her off that easily, making her way to her. Sighing, Weiss bade her partner a good party and waited for Yang to get to her.
"So, princess," Yang said, stopping before her. "Here I am. Invited and all that."
"Yes. Here you are," Weiss joined her hands behind her back, eyes never leaving Yang's. "I suppose you have something to say to me?"
Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Weiss' gaze stopped her in her tracks. The confidence she had been building up for this moment had vanished all of a sudden, kidnapped by those two blue orbs. There was anger written in them, and behind them, a drop of hurt.
"I'm… I'm very sorry."
Weiss tilted her head to the side, her face betraying no emotion. "Sorry for what?"
No mercy. She really was going to make her say it all out loud. Yang supposed that was only fair. "I'm sorry for how I treated you the last time we met. And before that too, I guess," she forced herself to say. It wasn't that she didn't want to apologize, it was just hard to put her feelings into words. "I've been… going through some changes. I think you can imagine what those are. And I've been… terrified, to be honest. And it took you pushing me away for me to realize that."
Weiss' brow furrowed slightly. Finally, her cold attitude seemed to be thawing a little. "What do you mean by that?"
"I-I don't know," Yang bowed her head, too nervous to face Weiss anymore. "I thought with the whole, uhm, merging thing we did before you… understood what was happening to me? But I was obviously crossing some lines. So, yeah, I'm very sorry."
Weiss continued to stare at her as intently as ever. Despite the music and the hundreds of people dancing around them, Yang felt as if the world had suddenly gone silent. She found herself wishing it stayed that way, because she had a feeling whatever came next, she probably wouldn't like to hear.
"…Apology accepted."
Yang looked up, surprised. "Huh?"
"Oh, don't be daft, Xiao Long," Weiss scoffed. "You heard me. I accept your apology. That doesn't mean your previous behavior is excused, and I'm certainly not giving you the go ahead to make any advances on me, but," she looked away. It seemed it was her turn now to be coy. "I do understand what you're talking about. Not completely. But… the merging, or whatever you want to call it, did give me a deeper understanding of who you are. And…"
Weiss shut her mouth, cutting off her phrase unceremoniously. Yang leaned forward, resisting the urge to shake her by the shoulders. "And?"
Weiss sighed dramatically. "And I suppose I could help you deal with what you're going through. Provided you help me too."
"That sounds great! Yes, I'll help you!" Yang exclaimed cheerfully. "With what, though?" Weiss looked away again, her cheeks coloring. "Oh. I see. You just want my company, don't you?"
Weiss groaned audibly, then in a move which Yang would expect more from herself, and certainly not the queen, turned and grabbed her hand.
"Just shut up and dance with me."
The music had changed over the last half hour, from energetic tunes that carried the message of a well-earned victory and a bright future, to slower songs, accompanied by the sweet voices of local minstrels. They could be interpreted as mournful, but Blake chose to view them another way. She had been going fast for too long, she thought, and it wasn't just because of whom she had chosen to be with. Now was an opportunity to bask in the peace they'd earned…
It also helped that the slower pace meant that Ruby wasn't stomping on her toes every five seconds anymore. Blake hadn't complained, of course, having found the redhead's enthusiasm and her constant attempts to correct herself very endearing. But she was glad she would get to walk away mostly unharmed by the end of the celebration.
"Hey," she whispered in Ruby's ear. "I'm glad I'm with you. And that you… ignore the ugly in me."
She paused, hesitating to voice her next thought.
"I love you."
She had expected Ruby to make some cute noise in response, or maybe, in the best case, repeat her words back, but instead, there was only silence. Ruby didn't much as stir.
"Ruby?" Blake took careful hold of her partner and pulled her off her shoulder. Her eyes were forced shut, head lolling slightly to the side. "Damnit. Not now…"
Upset as she was, Blake didn't let the surprise get to her too bad. Making sure not to draw too much attention, she lifted Ruby up in her arms and made her way through the crowd until she found a quiet place between two houses. She sat down with her back against a wall and laid Ruby down, letting her lean on her.
It was inconvenient, yes, but looking at how calm and cute Ruby was now, Blake couldn't stay angry anymore. Smiling, she ran a hand through the bodyguard's hair and just waited quietly for her to wake up.
"What the-"
Ruby didn't have time to finish, a wave of cold and hot air mixed together sending her reeling back, almost falling off her feet. She flailed her arms desperately, trying to find something to hold onto, but she could see only the white of a terrible snowstorm and the black of all-consuming smoke.
A hand closed around her wrist and pulled her away. Slowly, Ruby got back on her feet and regained her balance. She looked up and met eyes with Raven.
"Raven?!" She screamed over the noise of the blizzard. "What's happening? I was just dancing with Blake! How is this fair?!"
Raven turned her around, protecting her from the violent weather with her own body. "Ruby, you've been brought back here several times for a reason. All that's happened, it can't have been just an unfortunate side-effect of the curse!" She concentrated, creating a thin layer of fire around them. "I think I know why. You needed to be here, to find out and come back and warn everyone that-"
Ruby cut her off with a scream, seeing a Shade suddenly appear behind her, but it was no regular Shade. It was monstrous, it's form growing and shrinking and reshaping itself ununiformly, and with two eyes glowing where there should be none, one red, one white, both with unfathomable depths behind them.
It closed a hand around Raven's shoulder and tossed her away. Ruby froze as she watched her friend and mentor disappear in the bleak white, then flinched when the Shade turned to her and roared in her face, the sound deafening her temporarily.
Then the red eye seemed to twinkle with some emotion, and suddenly, she was looking at Winter Schnee… and Cinder Fall, in her original body.
"You…" Cinder stumbled back, eyes fixed on her. "Why won't you let me be?!"
She lunged towards Ruby, but just before impact, Winter regained her bearings and flicked a wrist, blasting her away with a dose of frost magic. Panting, the royal turned to look at Ruby.
"Rose! You need to get away from here!" She shouted. "You need to find some way to warn my sister that I'm not-"
"ROYAL BRAT!"
Cinder appeared again, colliding against Winter and dragging her to the ground. She locked her hands around Winter's throat, and then their bodies began to merge, the Shade from before slowly taking form again in a way Ruby's mind couldn't even comprehend.
Not hesitating another second, Ruby turned and ran through the blizzard, shouting for Raven.
If before the world had gone silent, now it had disappeared. It was she, and her. Royal and peasant. Fire and ice. Violet and blue and red and white. One and the same.
I'm sorry.
You've already apologized.
But I'm not forgiven. I shouldn't be.
Why would you say that?
I'm just like her.
You are not.
She hurt you. Just like I did.
You never hurt me. Thank you.
Thank you?
You don't treat me like I'm above everyone else. And you don't despise me either. In your eyes, I'm just me.
Annoying and arrogant and lacking in humor.
All of that. But I'm trying to get better. You're helping.
Do you think we could do it- Nevermind, forget that. I shouldn't-
Yes. Let's do it. Right now.
They stopped their dance, locking in position. Yang's arm wrapped around Weiss and supported her as she slowly, carefully lowered her close to the ground, leaning down to accompany her. Violent on blue, violent on blue, they were growing closer and closer, cold and warm breaths joining together…
And then a shrill scream broke them from their trance. Yang and Weiss blinked, took in each other's expressions, then stood up without mentioning what had been about to happen.
"What was that scream?" Weiss asked, throwing away the awkwardness with ease.
"I don't recognize the voice, so there's that," Yang said. "Maybe someone got hurt by accident, or maybe someone tried to be sneaky with the food?"
"It's free food," Weiss reminded. "Why would anyone be sneaky with-"
More screams. Suddenly, the crowd was running in all directions, people fleeing the square as if their lives depended on it. Weiss almost got shoved to the ground and trampled, but Yang pulled her close and kept them both protected from the careless masses.
And then Winter's voice rang through.
"Fine. Run, then, ungrateful rats. I will be dealing with each one of you eventually anyway."
Weiss froze. At the eastern edge of the square stood Winter, hair disheveled and the lower half of her legs exposed where her dress had been torn. In front of her, on the ground, was a body. Mangled, head cracked, skin charred in several places…
Ozpin.
Weiss' horror only grew when she looked up again and saw fire burning in her sister's eyes.
"No," she muttered, then repeated it. "No. No! No!"
Something snapped inside her. Enough things had been taken from her. She had not fought to get it all back only to lose it all again. Especially not her own sister. Mustering her magic, Weiss stepped forward.
"Weiss, no!" Yang shouted, grabbing her arm. "Not now! We need to find Ruby and Blake first!"
"There's no time!" Weiss shoved her away. "You go find them! I am not going to watch helplessly as she ruins everything again!"
She raised her arm with her palm open and fired off a bolt of ice towards Cinder. Just before it made impact, the witch lifted her hand, almost casually, and blocked the attack with a white glyph.
Her eyes turned over to Weiss and Yang. She smiled.
"Hello, sisters."
She spread her arms. Her left hand was surrounded by a fiery aura, the right by an icy one. She lowered them, but still kept the magic active, and slowly walked towards them.
"I have to thank you two, insufferable as you are," Cinder said. Her voice was strange, a mix of Winter's with a stranger's – her original one, most likely – and that last one seemed to be louder than the former. "You see, I spent years of my life convinced I had to work my way to using a royal's body. Fall magic, Schnee magic, they don't mix well. Or so I believed…"
Suddenly, she turned into a fiery blur and moved too fast for them to track. She reappeared right in front of Yang, holding her chin delicately.
"And then you came along and forced your way into her," Cinder chuckled. "Oh, if only I had been so bold. But I suppose I didn't get this far taking risks at every turn. Sometimes it's best to study another's success before you try to replicate it for yourself."
"Now," she raised her hand, trailing a finger across Yang's cheek. "I've said this enough times already. You are on the wrong side of this, little one, but it's not your fault. You're lost. You had no one to guide you. But I'm here now. Join me, blood of my blood, and we'll raze this city to the ground together," she took a step back. "Just say the word, my sister Fall."
Yang didn't speak, didn't move, didn't breathe. Her eyes were on Cinder and nowhere at the same time. Blood of my blood. The fire inside of her, she could feel it stronger than ever, screaming for freedom. She just had to give in, and all her troubles would be over…
And then she felt another hand, a colder, gentler one, close around her own. She looked back and met eyes with Weiss. They nodded.
Without a word, Yang burst into flames and swirled around the queen, not harming her at all. Weiss closed her eyes, letting the transformation take place. Now that she was prepared for it, she realized how soothing it was. As if it was meant to be.
She opened Her eyes. They were a whitish shade of red now. Her body flowed with power. She flexed her hands and felt sparks arc through Her fingers.
She faced the witch and spoke, Her voice a perfect union of Weiss' and Yang's.
"I am not your blood. I am not a Fall, or a Schnee, or a Xiao Long, or a Rose. I am of Vale blood."
Cinder's expression went through so many emotions, it was hard to tell each apart. For a moment, she faltered, then stood tall again. "This is your last day on Remnant."
In the blink of an eye, Cinder crossed the distance between them, the air rippling behind her, and crashed into Her. Like a comet they moved through the town square, the ground beneath them giving and shattering. They broke through the fountain at the center, at which point She managed to grab hold of Cinder and spun them around, then shoved her away.
Moving instinctively, She thrust an arm out and released a fiery blast that would have struck Cinder directly, had she not ducked just in time. The blast instead landed on a building at the edge of the square, which stood no chance, crumbling to pieces immediately. Cinder looked back at the destruction, then at Her, her eyes wide with rage – how dare anyone but her wield such terrible power?!
Screaming, Cinder rocketed at Her again, this time scoring a powerful blow to the face with her elbow. Rolling with the blow, She let herself be knocked away, but still kept firm on Her feet. As Cinder went to strike again, She raised her arms together, surrounding herself with a solid block of ice. Cinder's fist connected with it with a deafening sound. A crack appeared in the ice, but no more damage was wrought.
"Hiding? Is that what you're going to do with all that power?" Cinder screamed. "Do not mock me!"
Composing herself briefly, the witch stepped away and joined her hands in front of her. After a moment of concentration, she spread them apart in a sudden movement, and the ice parted swiftly, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces until there was nothing left of it to be seen.
As Cinder began to smile in victory, She burst out of her hiding place, fist outstretched. The attack had all the strength of a Fall, coupled with a Schnee's magic – Cinder couldn't remember ever suffering something like that. She was sent flying away to collide against a building and bring it to collapse too.
Raising her chin in a very Weiss-like manner, She walked over slowly. "Have you had enough yet?"
Before She made it all the way to Cinder, something stopped Her in Her tracks. A shift in the air, a foreboding feeling. A distant sound, growing louder and louder. And then She realized.
"You didn't," She looked at Cinder rising out of the rubble. "Why?! Have you lost your mind?"
"No. Just the contrary, I'd say," Cinder said. "I spent sixteen years of my life conquering this city. Piece by piece, move by move, I wrapped my fingers around Vale… only to be opposed by a bunch of ungrateful, righteous brats and have it all taken away from me," she spread her arms and started to float off the ground, the air currents around her becoming visible because of the cold. "So I've decided I don't need any of this. I don't need this city, and I certainly don't need its miserable populace. And when everything and everyone you love lays in ruins, you will come to the same conclusion. I. Am. Fall!"
Just as she finished speaking, as if responding to her voice, the Grimm came pouring in from the streets, a horde even bigger than the first Breach's. Summoning all Her power, She slowly rose from the ground and started to take aim – and was viciously struck down, Cinder pressing Her against the concrete, her body giving off waves of heat and cold that would have ended anyone else immediately.
"This is the end of your reign, sister."
Cursing under his breath, Jaune pressed himself to a wall, barely in time to avoid having his head lobbed of by a Beowolf's lunge. Quick as he could with his shaking fingers, he reloaded his pistol, then took aim.
The first round landed at the center of the creature's armored back, doing nothing but annoy it. The second and third missed completely. As the Grimm turned to cut him down, Jaune focused and fired his last shot directly at its roaring mouth. The Beowolf fell down and shortly turned to smoke.
He nearly dropped his pistol in relief, but the screams surrounding him stopped him from doing so. No, he couldn't be weak right now. He had to be strong, as Pyrrha and Ozpin had believed he could be. And if there was one thing Jaune meant to do before he went, it was to prove them right.
Reloading again, he stepped out into the street and looked around. Everywhere he looked were townsfolk running from the Grimm, while the few Guardsmen and fighters that remained made up a stand to protect them. But separated and uncoordinated, it was only a matter of time before the resistance was overwhelmed and the city was doomed forever.
He saw Coco and Velvet fending off a trio of Boarbatusks that were advancing on a corner family. Thinking fast, he ran to her, shooting one of the Grimm as he went. The distraction was just what Coco needed to finish the job, cutting them down with her short sword.
"Coco! Velvet!" He yelled. "I need your help!"
"No shit, really?" Coco rolled her eyes. "What's it, twerp?"
"We can't afford to keep going like this. We won't last fighting in the streets, killing the Grimm as we find them," Jaune said, assuming a commanding tone of voice he didn't know he was capable of. "Velvet!"
The faunus jumped a little, startled by his sudden outburst. "Y-yes?"
"I want you to run up to Vale Castle and get the guards to open the gates. I don't care what they say, that's happening! Knock them out if you need to!"
Velvet nodded and ran away.
"Coco! I want you to find every fighter down here, group up, then head up to the castle! That's where we'll make a stand. Spread the word – everyone is to run there if they want to be safe!"
"Yes, boss." Coco replied. She blinked, as if realizing she had just said, then shook her head and walked away, repeating his words to anyone who could hear.
"As for me…"
Jaune looked up at the sky. It was like a storm brewing, a storm of fire and frost. Two streaks of light, like falling stars, colliding again and again. They would stop for the briefest of moments, during which he could see the Queen and her sister.
Or, more aptly put, Cinder Fall, back in another victim's flesh.
"…nothing good, I'm sure."
"Raven!"
Ruby jumped over a mount of snow, her cloak fluttering behind her. As soon as her feet were on the ground again, she broke into a run, knowing a second's delay could spell her doom. She had felt danger before in the dreamscape, but this time it felt more real than ever before. Why would Cinder pursue her with such fervor if not to enact her ultimate vengeance?
"Raven!"
She had gone in the right direction, right? This was the way Raven had gone. Or not. Was there even a right direction? This was Cinder's realm, her playground where reality was her favorite toy. If she wanted Raven out of the way, what was to say she hadn't done something about that already?
"Raven – eep!"
Suddenly she was yanked back, the fabric of her cloak pressing against her neck painfully. Ruby was turned around violently, her eyes widening as she came face to face with the Shade. Silent, the manifestation leaned close. If it had had any sort of breath, Ruby would have felt it, but as it was, she felt only a sense of dread that chilled her to the bone.
"N-now, uh, Cinder…" She spoke, trying to keep herself from shaking as much as she could. "I mean, Winter… You don't want to hurt me. Y-you said it yourself! I need to warn Weiss and-"
The Shade let her go, lunging backwards and releasing an inhuman sound. Anger, and… anguish? It hunched over, eyes shining brightly.
Ruby looked back. She could take this opportunity to escape and look for Raven again, but she had a feeling the Shade would return to chasing her down as soon as she turned away. Gathering all her courage, she took a couple steps closer to it.
"Y-yes, that's right. Weiss. She's your sister, remember, and you love her. That's why you c-can't give in… You have to fight for Weiss."
The Shade roared again, somehow even more horribly than the last time. It threw itself to the ground and started to trash around. Its form started to waver, sometimes resembling Winter, then Cinder, but never for more than an instant.
Carefully, Ruby stepped back, keeping her eyes glued to the creature. She almost felt sad for it. But she couldn't help it, not now.
Silent, she turned and disappeared in the snowstorm.
Breathing hard, She stabilized, bringing Herself to a halt in midair. She looked down and saw Cinder building up another attack. Bringing Her arms in a cross-shape in front of Her, She conjured a protection glyph, deflecting away the barrage of fire and ice.
We need to fight back.
No. She's getting tired. Just wait.
You're wrong, she's not getting tired. Neither are we. But we are more powerful than her. You can't hesitate anymore.
I'm not hesitating!
Right, we are hesitating. But it's your fault.
Oh, I see, so when we're beating her it's because we're cooperating, and when we're losing, it's my fault?!
It's not like that. Come on, Weiss. I know it's hard, but we have to – wait, what's happening?
She blinked, looking down again. Cinder had stopped floating and was now falling down fast. She made impact with the ground, knocking away slabs of concrete, then got on her knees and clutched her head in her hands.
Frowning, She floated down to ground and stood in front of Her enemy. She opened Her mouth to say something, but then She heard something – a soft whisper, repeated again and again, like a desperate plea.
…get out get out get out get out get out get out…
"You were wrong, after all," She said, putting her hands on her hips. "You can't just force Fall and Schnee magic to mix. Obviously Winter wanted none of that, and now you're paying the price for ignoring her."
Cinder looked up. Her eyes flashed blue for an instant, then returned to red. "Quiet, you vermin…" She forced through gritted teeth. "You delude yourself with this so-called unity. You cannot agree on anything. If you could, you would have killed me already, but here I am," she spat. "I know power, and only power, is the key. When I subjugate Winter, I will destroy-"
Cinder choked, holding her stomach. Her eyes turned blue again and stayed that way.
"Weiss," Winter said, looking up pleadingly. "Do it."
They stared at each other, the chaos around them forgotten completely in the moment. She started to raise her fist… then lowered it again.
The world went black and white. Weiss stumbled to the side, covering her mouth with her hands. Yang fell to the ground, shaking her head as if in a daze. They looked at each other, utterly confused.
Winter stood up, her eyes red again.
"As I said," Cinder said. "You delude yourselves."
She pointed one hand at each of them. Yang jumped and tackled Weiss, protecting her from the magical attack with her body. They fell down, facing each other.
"I'm sorry," Weiss said, tearing up. "I couldn't…"
"I know. I understand," Yang grunted. "But what do we do now?"
Instead of giving an answer, Weiss stood up and conjured a glyph, protecting them both from a barrage of fire from Cinder. It held for a while, but the attack only got stronger, until finally the barrier broke and the blast struck Weiss, sending her flying back several meters.
"Now, you…" Cinder froze, her eyes shifting again. "Get out," she shook her head violently. "No! Will you be quiet?!"
Yang got up, punching with all her might while Cinder was distracted. The witch reeled back, surprised but not hurt. She blinked, eyes blue then red then blue then red…
Grimacing, Cinder yelled at the top of her lungs and lifted off the ground, then flew away, tearing through buildings indiscriminately.
Weiss walked back to Yang, limping a little. "She's not in control."
"Neither is Winter," Yang said. "We need to regroup. Maybe we can figure out a plan to take her down for good, since she's so unstable."
"For good?" Weiss sighed. "I… Yes. Let's do that."
"I'm sorry," Yang looked around. Grimm were starting to surround them, as if their separation had given them courage to attack finally. "Where's my sister?"
Blake yelled, falling shoulder-first on the ground. She rolled over Ruby and straddled her, then raised her dagger above her head. The Grimm fell directly on it and turned to smoke.
She stood up again and started to drag Ruby away, ignoring her aching shoulder. She looked over her shoulder, only to see two Ursai waiting at the end of the alleyway. Blake let go of Ruby and drew her other dagger, then leaped at the monsters.
She slashed at the first's eyes, disorientating it, then passed through it as a shadow. The other towered over her, already bringing its arm down. Blake had no time to dodge, the blow catching her arm and slamming her against the wall. She grit her teeth and kicked against the wall, sending herself back. She buried her daggers on the Ursa's neck, then pulled back as it turned to smoke.
The first one recovered and clawed her in the small of her back, catching her off-guard. Blake wobbled forward, pain racing up her spine. She steeled herself, turning as the beast closed in on her, jaw open wide… She turned into a shadow, passed through, then spun, slashing the Ursa's head off.
Breathing hard, Blake returned to Ruby and kneed beside her. She checked her quickly for injuries. Ruby was fine, at least physically, as far as she could tell. It would help a lot if she woke up, but with no hint of that happening anytime soon, Blake just had to deal with protecting her as she was.
This is not how she had imagined this night would go.
The moment of peace was quickly interrupted by a screech from above. Blake looked up and saw a Griffon sticking its head into the alley, opening and closing its beak, trying to grab at them. Her blood ran cold.
She couldn't run out of the alleyway, not while carrying Ruby with her. The Griffon would catch them in no time. But if she stayed where she was, it would eventually find a way to get to them, and the ruckus it was causing would soon attract other Grimm.
"Alright," Blake whispered, looking at Ruby. "This would be a really great time for you to wake up."
She heard a familiar yell up above. The Griffon fell off the roof and crashed on the floor, shaking its head. Sun landed on top of it, smacking it over and over again with his staff, until finally, it laid still and died.
"Hey, Blake!" He said, waving cheerfully. "What a coincidence meeting you here!"
"Sun! Behind you!" Blake got up and threw a dagger, hitting a Beowolf just as it was about to bite into his shoulder.
Sun looked at the dissipating smoke with wide eyes for a moment, then shrugged and ran to her. "Blake, we have to get to the Castle! Jaune's making a stand there!" He looked at Ruby. "Uh, what's up with Ruby?"
"Trust me, you don't want me to explain," she said seriously. "Can you cover me on the way to the castle? I can only do so much to protect her."
"Sure. Follow me!"
She was inside her head. Talking. All the time. Talking talking talking. She found her body moving of its own accord – of her accord. Her magic failing, even the one that had always been her own.
It hadn't been like that before. She had always been in control. Always. Even when doubts had started to creep in, when foreign thoughts and emotions reared their ugly little heads… She had been quick to snuff them out. And always she had regained control.
This was not different, this should not be different. What did she care the body was a Schnee's? She was stronger than any Schnee. Her bloodline had always been stronger.
Unity was a delusion. Resistance was overcome by her own power, and from that she assumed full control. So, no, she did not need Winter for anything but her body.
Why was her world falling apart, then?
Why was…
For a second, her heart stopped beating. Her eyes went red, but faintly so, like the last embers of a fireplace. Because she saw her. Her.
Cinder's hands burst into flames, and she marched towards Belladonna. Her stomping drew the faunus' attention. Shouting, she began to run, but Cinder caught up to her in the blink of an eye.
She hit Belladonna with the back of her hand, sending her tumbling away. Ruby Rose fell to the ground, her cloak splayed around her like a pool of blood. Her eyes were shut, her chest rising and falling. Still asleep, still away.
"Now…" she said, voice raspy. "Now you're done, Reaper."
Cinder thrust her hand to the side, making a fiery blade…
The dreamscape around her had changed. There was no more snowstorm. Instead, she was surrounded by Shades. Not like the monstrous amalgamation that was chasing her, but the regular ones. They were watching. Waiting. Unmoving, silent. Ruby slowed down despite the danger she was in. Their stares… it was difficult to ignore them.
"Ruby."
Raven's hand fell on her shoulder. Ruby turned to look at her, startled. "Raven! Where were you?"
"Who knows," the older woman said dismissively. "I need to get you back fast. It might be too late, but you need to be there."
"I can't just leave you here!" Ruby protested. "That thing is going to kill you!"
"That thing is Winter Schnee, and I am going to save her," Raven said firmly. "Now, let's get you-"
From behind them came a roar.
Ruby rolled away, her cloak tearing apart. She looked up and saw the Shade lifting Raven from the ground, eyes examining her hatefully.
Forgetting all her fears, Ruby stood and ran, her scythe appearing in her hands. She jumped and spun, slicing through the Shade's wispy arms. Raven landed back on the ground and drew her sword, then stepped away.
"Lady Winter!" Ruby yelled, ducking under the Shade's grab and circling around her. "Wake up! Vale needs you!"
She put Crescent Rose around the Shade's waist and pulled. Its body quickly reformed, but it was angry, angrier than it had ever been before. It turned and made to grab Ruby, but she swung her scythe, keeping its hands at bay.
"Lady Winter! Weiss needs you!"
The Shade's form shifted, and suddenly, Winter and Cinder were separated.
Raven strut in, passing an arm around Winter's waist and dragging her away. She spoke in a low, hurried tone, and the royal nodded, listening in a daze. Raven put her hands on her shoulders, and both closed their eyes.
And then Winter was gone.
Blake tackled her, sending Cinder reeling back. She stood over Ruby and drew her daggers, prepared to give her life to protect her.
Cinder fell to her knees, her blade of fire faded. Suddenly, her head snapped upwards and she opened her mouth, from wherein came a hundred thousand flames, red and golden. They floated in the air, swirling around each other, then went up to the sky and disappeared.
Winter fell on her side, eyes barely open.
"Sister!"
Weiss appeared, sliding to a halt beside Winter. She conjured a glyph, fending off the approaching Grimm. Her expression was a mixture of relief and suspicion, as if she didn't want to believe what was happening.
"Blake," Yang stopped beside Blake. "Is Ruby alright?"
Slowly, Blake lowered her daggers. She watched Winter for a while more before letting her eyes drop to Ruby. She would wake up now.
She would.
Ruby watched Cinder carefully, keeping Crescent Rose raised in-between them. The witch was standing still, her head bowed low. Whatever she was feeling, Ruby couldn't tell.
The Shades were getting agitated. There was a quiet humming coming from them, all around, as if they were… speaking?
Raven walked by, making a wide berth around Cinder. She looked at Ruby with a silent message in her eyes. They needed to get her out of there fast.
Silently, Ruby raised a foot…
Cinder lunged at her, flames dancing on her fingers. Ruby yelled and swung Crescent Rose, but it slashed through thin air. The redhead blinked confusedly. Cinder was nowhere to be seen.
Her back suddenly exploded with pain, and she was forced to her knees. Cinder bent down behind her, speaking in her ear. "You think you've stopped me?!"
She hit Ruby in the side of the neck with a chopping motion, knocking her on her side. Her voice was different now. She had given completely into madness. Whatever little patience Cinder had had left, they had just taken it from her, and she was furious.
"You can't stop me! You will never stop me!"
Raven closed in, swinging her sword. Cinder gripped her wrist and twisted her arm, then kneed her repeatedly in the stomach, each time more viciously than the last.
"You – can't – hurt – me!" She shouted, marking every word with a knee. "This is my realm!"
Ruby stood and turned, swinging again. Crescent Rose buried into Cinder's shoulder, but the witch didn't as much as wince. Letting go of Raven, she broke the scythe from Ruby's grasp and tossed it away. Her eyes blazing, she stepped up to Ruby and wrapped a hand around her throat.
"I will keep coming back. Again. And again. And again. No matter how many bodies you destroy, no matter how many of my victims you save. I will always return," she pressed her forehead to Ruby's. "I do admire your resolve. You will keep fighting me, will you not? And so I see two options ahead of me. I can let you go right now, so I can torture you where it really hurts later… or…" she paused. "I can honor the family tradition and possess you next. Ah, I can already imagine the horrors I could carry out in your skin… That would be the ultimate torture."
Cinder smiled, forcing her back to her knees.
"I've made my mind."
She raised a finger and slowly reached to touch Ruby's forehead, as if she were savoring the moment. Ruby looked up at her, defiant. If there was any way she could resist this, she was prepared to do it. Cinder would never use her to hurt her friends.
It was in that moment, when she made her mind, that she noticed someone else had joined them. Or something else. A single Shade, broken off from the rest. Its body wisped alluringly behind it as it walked, like a pure white cloak. It stopped behind Cinder and put a hand on her shoulder.
It spoke, the sound of its voice broken, barely understandable, but something about it was familiar to Ruby.
"No. More."
Cinder froze, her face a mask of fear. "No. Not you," she whispered. "You're gone. You're gone!"
"Enough. Hurting. Good. Bye."
The Shade glided forward – or Cinder was dragged back – or both – and before Ruby's eyes, they started to become one. Cinder screamed, kicked and cried, reaching out, but it was useless.
In time, only the Shade remained, its silver eyes contemplating Ruby silently.
"Little. Rose."
It shifted. Ruby couldn't comprehend how, not fully, but she thought it seemed pleased, or happy.
The Shade hovered back to the others, disappearing in their midst. And so, all at once… they scattered.
From atop the Castle walls, Jaune let fire the last round he had at his disposal. He tossed his pistol away and sat down, wiping his brow. It seemed like the Grimm would never stop coming. He had lost count of how many he had taken down, and then there were the other fifty people working just as hard as him.
He went to pick up another gun, but then changed his mind. He would be no good defending in such a poor state. He would rest for a bit, then resume his duty.
Jaune climbed down to ground level and saw Nora running around, delivering flasks and ammunition to anyone who needed it. Ren was nearby too, helping herd in the few people who were just making their way to the castle.
"Ren!" Jaune exclaimed, running to him. "How many people is that?"
"A lot. Not the whole city, obviously, but a good part," Ren said. "I don't think there will be many more. Anyone who isn't here by now… well…"
"Yeah. I know," Jaune shook his head sadly. "What about our friends? The Queen, and Ruby?"
"I don't know," Ren looked up at the sky. "Have you noticed there's been no sign of Cinder?"
Jaune followed his gaze. Ren was right. Where had Cinder gone?
An uproar started from up the wall, the defenders shouting and shooting even more rounds. Jaune looked through the gates and saw a small group coming. A light glow surrounded them, which meant…
"Oh, finally!" He exclaimed, relieved.
The group came through. Weiss stopped a little ways into the courtyard, laying her sister down on the ground.
Nora stopped whatever she was in the middle of to stare. "Is that…?" She shouted suddenly, throwing everything she had up the air. "Witch! Witch!"
"Nora! Calm down!" Yang grabbed her by the shoulders. "Cinder's gone. That's Winter."
Nora glared at her suspiciously. "That's what everyone said before, and look what happened."
"It's the truth now," Yang insisted. "We all watched it happen. And according to Ruby, Cinder's gone for good."
Jaune looked at Ruby, who was currently clinging to Blake to stay standing. She looked sad, and not just because of what was going on in the city.
"Listen!" Weiss yelled, drawing everyone's attention. "I have neither the time nor the patience to stand around explaining things I don't even understand yet! My sister needs a bed and medical attention. I'm taking her to my quarters, and anyone who wants to be useful may feel free to help me carry her."
"I don't think it would be smart for you to go inside right now." Ren said cautiously.
"Oh, really? And why, pray tell, can't I enter my own castle?" Weiss asked impatiently.
"Your Highness, people are furious," Jaune explained quietly. "I mean, furious doesn't do them justice. They are saying a lot of stuff in there, stuff about you and your sister and the throne… And it's not just words."
Weiss frowned. "So you're afraid for my safety."
"I'm afraid for everyone's safety."
Weiss looked at the castle. They could all hear voices coming from there. Shouting, chanting. It wasn't like last time, when everyone had been too afraid of the Grimm to do anything but hide and wait. There was something more on the people's minds this time, bigger even than their fear.
Ruby parted from Blake and took Weiss' hand. "I'm always with you."
Yang followed suit, taking her other hand. "Same."
Blake stepped up, giving her a firm nod.
Weiss took a deep breath.
"I will lead the way, then."
...
So, it took a few months, but here it is finally. The kinda-final chapter to Of Vale Blood. This finishes the main narrative, but there's one more chapter to go - an Epilogue, which hopefully I won't take quite so long to get to.
I do hope the Weiss/Yang/Her part was not too confusing to read. I tried to do something different there. I don't think the final chapter is a smart time to try out that kind of stuff, but oh well! I liked it.
I don't have that much to say about the chapter itself. It was very action-oriented, so it kinda speaks for itself. But to everyone who was hoping Summer would be a thing... you're welcome! Hehe.
Anyway, thanks everyone for sticking through this long, long journey. I'll go more in-depth with the sappy author stuff in the Epilogue, but until then, just know I truly appreciate you all for reading.
-Zeroan