A/N
Little note just to say that this is the last chapter. Full explanation at the bottom.
"It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know." ― Lemony Snicket, Horseradish
Chapter 24-
"Do you need help getting ready?" Raven asked, inside Ruby's hospital room as she laid out the dress for Ruby.
"Do you mind?" Ruby asked weakly, her body feeling weaker than the day before.
"Of course not. Qrow's meant to arrive shortly." Raven said, helping Ruby to sit up.
"I know, I spoke to him this morning. He seemed rather calm despite everything." Ruby noted.
"I don't think he'll be calm today. Do you know what's happening?" Raven asked, moving Ruby's bedsheet away but stopped at removing the gown she was in.
"Neo asked Qrow to walk her down the aisle, I know that much and Ozpin will be officiating. Also Winter and Weiss will be standing with me, while Blake and Naomi will stand with Neo. Aria is also going to be by my side." Ruby informed her.
Raven was about to answer when a knock on the door interrupted them, a few seconds later Mizu walked into the room. "Hello Raven, Ruby." Mizu said.
"Mizu." Raven said, keeping it neutral as she hid her own feelings.
"Ruby, I have a request." Mizu asked the woman in the bed.
"Could I ask something first?" Ruby asked weakly.
"Of course." Mizu asked, worried about how Ruby sounded.
"I've been debating who I want to walk me down the aisle. Both Neo and I are going to be walked down and well I'm not sure. But I would like for you to walk me down. Raven is my aunt and willing to stand at my side instead of walking me down in place of you as my…father. Walking me down." Ruby asked, unsure on using the word father.
Mizu was speechless that Ruby would ask her that, so much so that she didn't answer immediately which caused Ruby to speak up again.
"If you don't, I understand. It is a lot to ask…" Ruby begun explaining until Mizu interrupted her.
"No, it'll be my honour to walk you down the aisle Ruby." Mizu quickly said.
"Thank you." Ruby replied back softly.
Mizu only smiled in return, her face lighting up at the offer extended to her by Ruby, as she forgot her question she wanted to ask.
Shortly afterwards Winter and surprisingly Weiss came into the room to help Ruby get ready as she did for the dance. This time instead of the dark red, she had used a lighter shade that matched the red roses on her wrists but for the part underneath her bottom lip was pink and above her top line was white. While the eyeliner she had kept the same.
The dress was a little harder for Ruby to put on because Ruby couldn't use her legs very well but between the three other women they were able to do it.
The last thing to do was Ruby's hair which Mizu happily did while the other two women got ready themselves. Leaving the father and daughter alone.
"I take it you haven't seen Neo today." Mizu said, making idle conversation.
"No I haven't. I saw her this morning when we awoke together but I haven't seen her since." Ruby stated.
"I see. Ozpin's officiating isn't he?" Mizu asked.
"He is." Ruby replied.
"Have a look." Mizu said, taking a step back from Ruby to allow her to see her hair in a mirror.
Mizu had styled her hair down for the most part, flowing down her back while she had taken a handful of strands on either side of Ruby's face. These seemed to have her natural red tips in large amounts as the pieces looked to be more red than black.
"It's lovely, thank you." Ruby said, looking at the mirror in her hands.
"I'm glad you like it, are you ready?" Mizu asked as she pushed her wheelchair next to the bed.
"Almost. Underneath the bed I have a box, Neo made me put them in there. Could you get it for me please?" Ruby asked.
Mizu nodded as she carefully bent down in her dress, it was a dark blue colour with a small red snowflake just above her heart. She was also wearing her heels as well to make her just taller than Ruby.
Reaching underneath the bed she pulled out a long cardboard, placing it beside Ruby on the bed who just opened it up.
Inside was a short sword with a white blade but wooden handle with a small metal rose on the end of the handle. The second weapon inside was her dagger, which was quickly attached to her waist beside the short sword.
"My original weapons were broken, except for my dagger. Naomi retrieved this and my other weapons last night for me. My belief, as with my mothers and aunts is that of warriors. Even at weddings we should be armed, you'll see more during the ceremony." Ruby said, stating it briefly as she pulled out something wrapped in paper.
Mizu just nodded and then seeing Ruby attempt to move towards the wheelchair immediately went help her climb into the chair and proceed to push her out of the room and towards the hall that was being used for them.
When they arrived at the hall, they were waiting just outside while Ruby was given a chance to look inside. At the front she spotted Winter, Weiss, Raven and Aria to the right of where Ozpin was standing. While to the left was Blake and Naomi. All of which were dressed in their outfits from the dance or in Raven's case her normal outfit, with her weapon at her side and a hand resting on its handle. Also Aria had a dress on as well that mirrored Ruby's but was a light pink instead of red.
In Naomi's case she was dressed in her dress blues as she stood proudly next to Blake, talking with the feline Faunus.
Outside of this she saw in the front rows were team JNPR, CFVY and Yang all dressed up in their suits or dresses alongside the teachers in the front rows. But what surprised Ruby the most was the fact that the whole school was also there although in their combat attire instead of dresses but they filled up the entire hall.
As music started playing around the hall Ruby and Mizu watched as Neo appeared, dressed similarly to the dance as well however she wore a mix of white and red roses around her head as a halo instead of the pure red ones she wore before.
Mizu looked down to see Ruby's normally dull, silver eyes full of emotion. Full of love and adoration towards Neo as she watched her walk down the aisle.
Once Qrow had handed her off to the middle he took an item from Raven before standing next to Blake and Naomi who were standing with Neo.
Now as the music changed again it signalled Ruby's turn to go down but as Mizu went to push her through the doors she was stopped.
"I want to walk." Ruby said firmly. Determination filling her body and eyes.
Mizu didn't debate it with Ruby, seeing how determined she was to walk down there she knew she wouldn't stop her so instead helped her up, on weak legs to stand up and she supported Ruby as she took her slow steps forward.
It took much longer than Neo's entrance but Ruby slowly walked forward, making sure to take each step she could. Feeling herself get stronger with each step, by the time she reached Neo she was walking with little support from Mizu.
Smiling widely Neo accepted her from Mizu, holding her hands as they faced each other. "You look amazing." Neo whispered.
"Thank you, you look amazing as well and they all helped me get ready." Ruby said, referring to the women behind her.
"Well I'm glad they did, and thank you." Neo said.
Mizu watched the pair talk softly as Raven got her attention handing her something that when looking down she saw it was a dagger with a white blade and handle alongside a snowflake on the bottom.
"What's this for?" Mizu asked.
"You'll see, just wait for Qrow to move." Raven said briefly as Ozpin started to speak.
"Welcome everyone. It is not often we can celebrate the good things in our lives, with our jobs as Huntsmen or women taking us away to fight against the Grimm it is a dark world we live in. It is hard to sometimes find someone to cherish, but even harder to keep it growing strong throughout all the hardships our lives have." Ozpin started saying, his voice loud enough the whole hall heard.
"These two women here before us, Ruby Rose and Neopolitan have been able to do this dispute everything getting in their way, even death. We are here today to honour this beautiful bond between these two women." Ozpin said, the whole hall listening with rapt attention.
Ozpin paused for a moment as he looked between the two women in front of him and then those with the two women.
"Who stands with Neopolitan?" Ozpin asked.
Blake, Naomi and Qrow all stepped forward as one and spoke as one as well, "I do." Each of them said, their voices blending into one.
"And who stands with Ruby Rose." Ozpin asked after nodding towards Neo.
Winter, Weiss, Raven, Aria and Mizu all stepped forward and spoke as one, although Mizu was a little out as they said, "I do."
Nodding towards the group again Ozpin than turned to Neo again as he asked, "What family stands for Neopolitan?" Ozpin asked.
Qrow stepped forward, the item Raven had given him on display. A pure black dagger with a metal crow on the end of the handle.
"I stand in the place of her family. The Branwen linage." Qrow stated as he stepped forward, presenting the dagger in his hand.
"What family stands for Ruby Rose?" Ozpin asked, turning his attention from Qrow who had moved to stand directly next to Neo.
"I stand for Ruby as her father. The Schnee linage." Mizu said, getting a prompt by Raven on what to do when she was called upon. Than following Qrow's example she displayed the dagger she was given.
There were some gasps of shock in the audience as while they knew who Mizu was, were unsure what the link to Ruby was but upon the declaration that she was Ruby's father shocked more than a fair few.
"These two lines, the Branwen and the Schnee both mix with the marriage of Neopolitan Branwen and Ruby Rose-Schnee. The two families join as one with the blood on which there lines originate from." Ozpin stated.
Immediately Qrow drew the blade of his dagger gently across his palm into a shallow and small cut before holding his hand out.
"A small cut on the finger will be sufficient." Raven whispered to Mizu who only nodded.
She did a small cut on her palm, enough that a little blood came through as she took a hold of Qrow's hand.
"This symbolises the two families joining together in blood. As the two families join, so do the two brides." Ozpin said, nodding towards Qrow and Mizu, signalling that they could remove their hands.
Their Aura's were able to heal the cuts as they moved to stand with the others leaving Ruby and Neo's side.
"Neopolitan Branwen, do you take Ruby Rose-Schnee to be your wife?" Ozpin asked.
"I do." Neo said, looking directly at Ruby.
"And do you, Ruby Rose-Schnee take Neopolitan Branwen to be your wife?" Ozpin asked to Ruby.
"I do." Ruby said, locking eyes with Neo.
"Present your gift." Ozpin asked her.
Ruby removed the small package she had taken down with her as she unwrapped it from the paper to present it to Neo.
The present itself was another dagger, similar to Ruby's but instead of the black and red colours it was pink, white and brown. All of the colours mixed all along the blade and handle while it held a metal rose.
"I present this to you, Neo as a sign of my love. I love you and will always protect you, through this life and the next. While I cannot promise a long life together as your wife, I can promise you will have my love until the end of days and this dagger is a sign of that and my will to protect you. Carry it with you and remember me as I protect you even after I'm gone." Ruby whispered to Neo, but her words carried to those around them and in the front row as they all heard her words.
Neo had tears gathering in her eyes as she listened to Ruby's words, her hands shakily taking the dagger into her hands, not knowing that Ruby had crafted this for her.
Ruby smiled at Neo as they both took the daggers to their hands, cutting the palm slightly as they joined them together.
"The blood has mixed, and the vows given. I present to you Ruby and Neopolitan Rose. You two may kiss." Ozpin said, as Neo immediately pulled Ruby into a deep kiss.
The two sharing the same height with Neo in heels, wrapping their arms around each other they didn't break until they were breathless once more.
The crowd clapped or in some cases banged their weapons against the ground or their side in response to the pair.
It took a little time for the students to leave the large hall, while those standing with the two women and their friends and teachers had all moved to the smaller hall where the dance was held for the party after the wedding. Where there was food for all of them alongside music done by the two DJ's up on a small stage.
Ruby and Neo had gotten something to eat, speaking to a few of the people who had come to the party afterwards, namely JNPR and CFVY who were easy to talk to and were easily able to avert the issue of anything wrong with Ruby.
They spoke more about the ceremony itself and asked about the part with the daggers and the blood which Ruby gladly explained with WWBY listening in as well.
"Our tradition shows that blood is extremely important alongside our weapons. If we make a vow upon our blood than we can't break it, if we do than we lose any honour we had and are known as not to be trusted. We share blood during the ceremony to symbolise uniting together." Ruby explained weakly.
"What about the dagger you gave to Neo?" Weiss asked.
Ruby smiled faintly towards Weiss as she said, "We all carry one, my mother did, my aunt does and so do I. It is customary for the Groom of whoever's last name is being taken on to present a weapon of some kind with the family crest. In this case I presented a dagger I made myself to Neo holding my families crest on the bottom as is our tradition." Ruby explained weakly.
"That's sounds romantic in a way." Winter added.
"Well I believe it is time for our first dance." Neo said, pulling Ruby away from the group as she signalled the DJ's to change the song announcing to everyone what was happening.
Clearing a space Neo pulled Ruby into the middle, supporting her weight as she felt Ruby growing weaker as the night wore on.
"Thank you." Ruby whispered, her voice hinting at the pain she was in.
"I noticed you were looking weak and tired so I thought it would be better to get you away, we do this than we can relax for the rest of the night." Neo told Ruby.
As the soft music started playing, slowly picking up as time went on there wasn't any words in the song until it reached halfway through the song, and even than it was only soft and the majority of people could barely hear them but it wasn't lost on Ruby or Neo.
They danced slowly, enjoying the simple embrace and time together with Neo leading Ruby as the woman was too growing weaker the more she stood up.
As the song reached its end they bowed to the clapping before retreating to a small table set up for them as Ruby almost collapsed into the chair.
The night slowly wore on as the different guests enjoyed themselves, while also taking a little time to speak to Ruby and Neo, however as the night started coming to a close a few people came over to Ruby.
"Ruby, Neo told us about your broken weapons and well we wanted to repair them for you." Weiss said briefly, handing over the belt of throwing knives she had repaired with Yang's help.
"We know what the tradition is and Neo helped with that." Winter explained as she handed over Ruby's longer sword.
"I hope it's to the standard it was before." Blake said gently as she placed the short sword next to her long sword.
"I know this doesn't repair everything between us, I doubt anything really will but I hope this is a step in the right direction." Mizu finished off as she placed Crescent Rose onto the table.
Ruby spotted Raven place her two pistols onto the table as well with just a simple nod in her direction, both knowing the emotion behind the gesture.
Ruby smiled warmly at the group as she pulled Neo down into another kiss before turning back to the others, "Thank you for this. More than you ever know." Ruby said back weakly, and with their help she attached the weapons back onto her person, even though she was in a dress.
As each of them attached the weapon they repaired onto Ruby, said woman gave them a hug and a kiss on the cheek but she hugged Mizu longer as she whispered in her ear, "I love you. Even though I haven't known you for long I love you as my father and I know how hard it was for you to leave my mother, but please don't blame yourself for anything." Ruby whispered, kissing her father's cheek before pulling away.
Once they had all finished they left Ruby and Neo along as Neo had gotten Ruby's wheelchair to return them to their own room, instead of the hospital bed Ruby had been occupying.
The pair were silent as the returned to their room, Neo helping Ruby into the bed as neither cared about wearing their dresses to bed nor did Neo mention about the weapons attached to Ruby's person as the woman made no move to remove them.
"Thank you. For everything." Ruby whispered into Neo's ear as she hugged her from behind in the bed.
"You're welcome. I know how important your traditions are and well, your weapons as well." Neo replied back.
"Thank you all the same. Not many people would have done that for me." Ruby said.
"You'll be surprised once you tell them. But how about we rest? The day has been hard for you today, I don't want you to stress yourself too much. We still have one more day together." Neo said.
"I love you. Always remember that." Ruby whispered, kissing Neo's neck softly.
"I love you too." Neo replied.
"Goodnight, I'll see you later." Ruby whispered the last part softly, making sure that Neo couldn't really hear her as both women drifted off to sleep.
In the hall, Qrow, Ozpin, Mizu, Glynda alongside the other teachers and Raven were all gathered around a table. The students had all left leaving them all alone as they shared a drink together.
However it was Raven that seemed to change the mood as she seemed to become more alert before standing up, with her glass raised before her as she spoke in a sombre tone.
She said, raising her glass again before downing the drink in one, "When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home." the others following suit quickly after as they realised the meaning behind it.
A/N
So I'm actually close to tears at the moment, not for the chapter but just a, I was reading through Sheena's journal about her relationship and history with Monty and well, I was pretty close to crying at it.
As said above this is the last chapter for a while, I've finished Surfing Blues so I'll be posting that once a week instead, this gives me time to finish Valetown Tales and to get ahead with this story.
My plan is to have Legends as my main story with a drabble story set up for me to post drabbles or ideas I get if I so chose, they'll vary in length but Legends is nowhere near finished quite yet, I promise that but I just need to take a little break. So I apologise for that.
Not much else to say, I've got a couple drabbles planned to write out which shouldn't take too long but I'll explain everything when I post the first one.
Other than that thank you for reading and please review any thoughts or prompts you would like me to write and we can have a chat about it.
A side note, something I've noticed that I do is I don't really say goodbye anymore, like at all but instead I say stuff like see you later and things like that. Just a little thing I've noticed I do.
Until next time. ^_^