Alright! Here's a not-so-small oneshot that finally centers around a pairing I've been kind of neglecting up to this point. A reviewer on Broken Wings described this pairing as the 'Holy Rose' pairing and you know what? That works. I'm gonna go with that! So hope you enjoy!

My Prince of Lions

It was official. Ruby hated being wheelchair bound even more than she hated professor Oobleck's surprise reports. And that was truly saying something. It had been a week or so since she had first awakened in this strange new land bursting full of possibilities for adventure and excitement, and she could not experience even the tiniest bit of it!

All she could do was stare longingly out at the deep orange of the evening sky, watching the townspeople of the city of Stormwind milling about below her, going about their daily lives. It was quiet. It was serene. It was so freaking boring!

These were her silent complaints as she pulled her cloak around her body like a blanket. She could not wear it like she normally did due to her inability to stand to put it on, and so it served as a makeshift blanket until she could walk again.

Of course that was easier said than done. The Prince of the castle had been more than helpful, and her leg was to the point that she could move it around once more. It still hurt like hell half the time, and it would flare up whenever she was stupid enough to start poking at the bits of hardened skin on her thigh that had not completely healed yet.

Still, she was thankful. At the rate the daily healing sessions were healing the leg, she would be able to walk within the week. What probably also helped matters was that the prince was an easy one to hold a conversation with, which alleviated a bit of the boredom of having your leg pumped with magical energies for 15 minutes every day.

Suddenly, as if by fate, a knock on the door tore the young reaper from her thoughts. Wheeling over and she opens it to reveal Anduin, flanked by a heavily armed guard who looked almost eerily similar to Yatsuhashi.

"Oh hey Anduin, er-... Prince Anduin!" Ruby happily called out with a smile, though part of her was a bit nervous. Anduin was nice enough, a great person to talk to, but for some reason she could not explain, whenever she saw him a strange feeling began to brew in the pit of her stomach. Kind of like she was hungry. Maybe that was it.

"Good evening. How do you feel Lady Xiao Long?" Anduin calmly asked with a small bow of courtesy, seemingly oblivious as to his guest's current inner turmoil. Maybe Ruby was just better at concealing her nervous state than she had previously thought.

"Lady Xiao Long?" She asked, a humored grin appearing on her face as she leaned back in her wheelchair, which was crudely constructed out of wood and fabric. Certainly not the most advanced or luxurious wheelchair that she had ever seen, but it certainly beat having to crawl on her face everywhere she went.

"It's a formality. You are a guest after a-..."

"No no! I mean my last name isn't the same as my sisters!" Ruby giggled at the surprised look she received from the prince at her statement, before giving a dismissive wave of her hand. "It's a long story."

Anduin visibly relaxed at that, thankful that he had not accidentally gone and offended the young woman who sat before him, who still wore a wide smile on her face. "Oh, then may I ask your last name miss?-..."

"Rose. Ruby Rose." Ruby exclaimed, making a poor attempt to imitate the voice of her favorite movie spy 'James Rond'. When her impression failed spectacularly though her face turned a light shade of pink before she gave a bashful shrug. "Just... Call me Ruby though. Please."

"Very well, but only on the condition that you call me Anduin." The blonde haired young man replied, earning a look of confusion from Ruby, who's head was tiled to the side. "Prince gets old after a while. And I'd rather not hear my friends call me that regardless."

Ruby had to smile at that comment. "Alright. So what's up?"

"Well, I know it's been a few days now, and I'm sure you've seen my father in the main throne room or the gardens" Anduin began, and when he received a nod of confirmation from Ruby he continued. "Well... He said that he would like to meet you formally tonight."

Ruby gasped loudly, clapped her hands together excitedly, and began to bounce around in her wheelchair.

"I get to meet a real king?! Oh this is awesome!" Ruby exclaimed pumping her fist into the air before bringing it back to her mouth to disguise the snicker she let pass her lips. "Weiss is gonna be so freakin' jealous when I tell her!"

"Weiss? I was under the impression your sisters name was Yang." Anduin asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Or at least that's what I thought I heard Wrath say anyway."

"Oh it is! Weiss is my partner at Beacon!" The reaper replied giving another lighthearted giggle. Anduin seemed to feel his lips curving into a smile on their own upon hearing Ruby's almost hypnotizing laughter. "She can kinda be a butt sometimes but she's usually pretty cool!"

"I see. Well, shall we go see my father now? I'm sure he's quite hungry." Anduin said, jabbing his thumb back in the direction he had no doubt come from, though Ruby appeared perplexed by his request.

"Hungry?"

"Yes, we'll be eating dinner with him privately." The Prince replied, leaning against the wooden doorframe casually, though somehow he still retained his air of dignity. Probably the years of training. "Usually he would eat later than the rest of us, but he is taking a small vacation of sorts from diplomacy for a week or so."

"Is it really that hard of a job?" Ruby asked, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. "Just seems like a lot of talking to me."

"I wish it were so easy miss Rose-... Ruby." Anduin corrected himself quickly. He was not entirely used to addressing people on a first name basis lately either.

Ever since his adventure in Pandaria the only person who he was on a first name basis besides his father was Wrath, and so his ability to hold a casual conversation had diminished somewhat, replaced by the rigid and rehearsed dialogue of a diplomat. Yet with Ruby around, he could not help but to notice how that ability was slowly returning.

"Oh." Ruby said in a deadpan, breaking Anduin out of his trance. She seemed somber for only but a moment before her cheery mood returned along with the usual bright smile which accompanied it so well. "Well I guess it's good he's taking a break then!"

"As am I. A perfect time too since a new shipment of fresh strawberries have just arrived from-..." Anduin cut himself off as he dodged a sudden rush of red rose petals flying by him, nearly jumping into the guard, who appeared just as astonished as Anduin.

Of course that astonishment only lasted until a loud thump was heard from behind the two of them, and when they turned to face the source found Ruby crumpled unceremoniously in a red and black heapon the floor clutching at her bandaged leg. "Ow! Ow! Okay! No semblance!"

Ruby glanced over at Anduin and the guard a moment lwteer at the sound of one of them clearing their throat just in time to see the guard wheeling her wheelchair back out of her room. Her only response was an embarrassed chuckle.

"Well Ruby I must say, I think that you've impressed my father." Anduin complimented as he gently guided the girl in question's wheelchair through the castle's royal gardens. After dinner was over he had taken it upon himself to give her grand tour of the massive castle, and after nearly an hour of wandering finally found themselves in the gardens.

"You think he liked my trick?" Ruby asked with a childlike grin, tilting her head backwards in an attempt to acquire a better view of the prince.

"While... Impressive... I think it was more down to your kindness and sense of humor." Anduin replied with a lighthearted chuckle. "Not your ability to stuff 10 whole strawberries in your mouth at once."

"Yang always says it's a good trick." Ruby explained, touching a single finger against her chin as she seemed to be attempting to recall something. "Something about me 'making a lucky guy happy' but I usually just tune her out whenever she starts talking about boys."

"Your sister sounds like a Uh-... Wonderfully unique person." Anduin muttered, softly shaking his head. From the stories that Ruby had told him of her elder sister so far, unique was probably one of the most charitable ways one could describe the whirlwind of destruction and strawberry sunrises that was Yang Xiao Long.

"You don't have to tell me she's nuts!" Ruby countered, easily catching the hidden meaning behind his words, though she was clearly not offended by said meaning. After a moment however her smile vanished. "But she's my sister. I love her, crazy parts and all."

"Do you miss her?" Anduin asked as they wheeled into a small clearing,his own smile vanishing in turn. When they came to a stop he walked out from behind the chair, kneeling in front of Ruby to examine the bandages wrapped around her leg.

"...Yeah... Guess I'm just worried. I've never been away from her for more than a few days..." Ruby explained as she watched as Anduin unwrapped the bandages, exposing her skin, still charred from it's direct exposure to felfire. "Are you sure Wrath will be able to get her help?"

"If Wrath can't do it then I'm honestly not to sure who can." Anduin replied, his hands beginning to glow with soft rays of Light, which the young prince soon began to direct into Ruby's wounds.

Ruby silently nodded in response and watched in amazement as Anduin's fingers ran along the surface of her leg, which seemed to almost wipe away the wound like an old rag washing away the dirt from a countertop,

"Hey..." Ruby meekly began after nearly a full minute of silence between the two, waiting for Anduin to glance up from his self imposed task before she continued. "How'd you and Wrath meet anyways?"

"Oh well that's quite a story..." Anduin chuckled, turning both his gaze and attention back to the job of healing the reapers leg, but not before muttering, "Lets just say it involves an orc, a bell, and a little bit of faith..."

"Ooh, did it have explosions?!"

"Yes, yes it had one rather large explosion of sorts." Anduin replied as he pulled himself to his feet and grinned proudly at his work. "I'll tell you the full story some other time, but for now we should get you back-..."

"Wait!" Anduin froze just as he was about to grab the handles of the wheelchair and glanced down at the black haired girl, who turned in her chair to face the prince. "Can we visit my friend first? I heard the guards talking about how Jaune is going to become a knight!"

"A knight? With that sword and shield I was under the impression he was already one." Anduin asked confused. After all, it seemed like a logical conclusion to come to. Then again he was currently talking a girl who was apparently able to wield a transforming scythe about two times her size, so he supposed logic was up in the air with this particular group of people.

"Well I mean they didn't actually use the word knight but I kinda forgot what they called it and when I asked what they meant by the word they said they explained it was a word meaning holy knight." Ruby explained as she repositioned herself correctly on the chair.

"Do you mean paladin?" Anduin asked, leaning over Ruby's shoulder slightly.

"Yes! Yeah, that's the one!" She confirmed, bouncing around in the wheelchair. Even injured this girl seemed to possess the energy of a small army. Part of him loved the idea of seeing this little ball of energy at peak health. The other half was fearful for the same reason.

"Very well. I'll take you there, but then I must attend to something..." Anduin explained, suddenly growing somber, though he attempted to hide his sudden dip in feelings. "Something important..."

"Anduin? Are you okay?" Ruby asked, easily sensing the distress that was clear in Anduin's voice, despite his best attempts to try to hide it.

"What? Yes! Yes I'm fine. Sorry." With that the two set on the task of finding Jaune.

For the what seemed like the hundredth that night Corcea Mors clattered bodily against the ground, launched away from it's wielders hand, who cursed loudly at the blade.

"Patience Jaune..." A greying old man slumped in a cushioned chair patronized a blonde young man, watching as he ground his teeth, glaring at the training dummy before him with hatred. "The sword in your hands is not merely a tool to be used against your enemies."

"What do you mean Tirion?" Jaune asked with a loud tired sigh, his shoulders slumping exaggeratedly as he exited his fighting stance, though the power of the glare directed at the training dummy had not diminished in the slightest.

"That sword, and the Light you attempt to call upon, will not fight for you if you do not believe in what you fight for." Tirion explained, watching as Jaune retrieved his old family sword.

"But... What am I fighting for?" Jaune asked, turning to face the old paladin, who chuckled at the younger warriors words.

"That is for you alone to decide..."

Just as Jaune was about to resume his training a knock at the door echoed throughout the room. Only a moment later the door swung open, and behind it was a giddy Ruby, with Stormwind's prince standing beside her, holding the door open. "Hey Jaune!"

"Oh, hey Ruby!" Jaune replied with a small wave as he watched Ruby wheel herself into the small training room. He quickly noticed the fresh bandages that adorned her leg. "How's the leg?"

"Eh, it's getting there." Ruby answered with a shrug.

"How's your training coming along?" Anduin asked with a calm smile. Jaune always got a friendly vibe from Anduin. Despite his high birth the young man was even more humble than a begged, and kinder than a priest.

"Great! I've almost got some of the basics down already." At those words, eqch and every pair of eyes all focused on Jaune, who was covered in black and blue bruises, and then the training dummy which was completely immaculate, not a scratch on it's surface. "Like I said... Almost..."

"Well keep at it!" Ruby proudly ordered, giving the young man the salute she had seen the guards using which he returned in kind.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Thanks for taking me around today Anduin." Ruby chirped as the young man in question gently pushed her wheelchair up to the entrance of the guest room where the young reaper had taken residence. "I know it must be a pain to push me around everywhere-..."

"Think nothing of it Ruby. I'm happy to help." Anduin interrupted with a kindhearted smile, though behind that smile Ruby could sense the slight hint of sadness. Just what was Anduin sad about? Was it just her imagination perhaps? "You should get to sleep though."

"Aww... But I'm not tired!" She protested with a childish whine at Anduin's directive, earning a small poke on the top of her head from the prince, causing to puff her cheeks out.

"My apologies, but there is a matter I must attend to elsewhere." Anduin explained, obviously attempting to keep his reason for the departure vague. "Other than possibly the library the castle lacks much for one to do in leisure time while wheelchair bound and I doubt that you would be much of one for reading."

"Dang... Alright." Ruby sighed as Anduin guided her wheelchair through her bedroom door, leaving her there with a small yet formal bow.

"Goodnight Ruby." With that he turned his back to the reaper, plodding down the hall, his shoulders visably lower than they had been before. Something was definitely wrong, Ruby was sure of it now.

"Night Anduin!" Ruby called out to Anduin's retreating form. Once she was sure that the Prince had disappeared down the hall she fished in her pocked for but a moment before pulling out a small brown sack the size of her fist, before she turned towards the guard who stood by her door. "Hey buddy."

"Yes m'lady? How may I be of assistance?" The guard asked as he glanced down at the tiny warrior who held out the sack she had fished from her pocket in front of her. When given a shake, the bag jingled. There was money in that pouch.

"I'll give you this bag of gold if you bring me to wherever Prince Anduin is going."

Ruby sighed as she wheeled through the graveyard. The guard had lost his nerve at it's entrance, worried about getting caught away from his post for too long. Ruby ended up giving him the gold anyway, she did not want to go back on her word, even if the guard was a scaredy-cat.

When she finally was able to locate Anduin she was surprised to find him standing next to a large monumet, clenching his fist tightly against his chest, while attempting to steady his shaking shoulders, which only seemed to shake harder the more he tried.

"Anduin? What're you doing?" Ruby called out in a worried tone, causing Anduin to freeze for a moment before he turned to face his friend, who's concern only grew when she got a good look at the Prince's face. It clearly looked like he had been crying.

"I should've known you'd find me somehow." He replied with a bitter chuckle. He was not mad at her, not at all. But damn the luck that she should find him in such a pitiful state.

"Yeah sorry, I couldn't resist." Ruby said as she propelled her wheelchair forwards until she was only a scarce few feet from the prince of Stormwind, who's gaze had not broken from the red hooded girl since her arrival. "So why're you out here?"

"I had to visit someone's grave..." Anduin finally explained after a few moments of silence, gently laying his gloved hand against the surface of the smooth white marble stone. "Someone important..."

Ruby gave Anduin no response, instead wheeling herself over to the monument and silently read the inscription to herself, her eyes widening in realization with each word.

'Her majesty Tiffin Ellerian Wrynn, the Queen of Stormwind. Fair and just. A wit as quick as her smile. May the Light inherit your warmth, for our world grows cold in your absence.'

"This is... Your mothers grave... Isn't it?..."

"Yes... I come here whenever I need to take a break from it all. Whenever the chaos of the world just becomes too much." Anduin's face was suddenly overcome with a guilty expression that dominated his features. "Honestly, it's been... Harder to visit her lately."

"How come?" Ruby asked.

"...I'm honestly not too sure." Anduin replied with a dismissive shrug, his voice quiet, subdued even. "It used to be so easy to stop by, but recently... I don't know... It just feels like coming here compounds my sadness instead of eliminating it."

"Do you feel like... You never got the chance to do something with her before she died?" The reaper inquired as she carefully slid off of her wheelchair and onto the ground, giving a silent sigh of pleasure as she felt the soft grass between her fingers.

"Try anything..." Anduin gave another bitter laugh, sitting down on the ground next to Ruby. Neither noticed just how close the two of them were to each other. "I never knew my mother... At least... Not to any great degree..."

"I understand."

"What?"

"I said I understand." Ruby clarified when Anduin glanced over at her with curiosity in his gaze, though it took her nearly half a minute to mutter her next few words. "Not knowing your mother..."

"What? How would-..." Anduin's eyes widened as he realized exactly what Ruby was insinuating. "...Oh..."

"So I mean... I get'cha." Ruby gave the prince a soft smile as her own happy go lucky nature took a backseat to the situation at hand. "It's... Not easy sometimes."

"No, its not..." Anduin sighed sadly, his eyes finding the bottom of the monument, intently staring at the smooth surface of the stone longingly. "I often wonder what sort of woman she was like, how she-... How my life may be so much different were she alive."

"Well, I dunno how exactly things would be different..." Ruby reasoned, glancing up at the star filled night sky and the Azerothian moon, which was whole, and not shattered like Remnant's. It was strange to her. "But she was your mother, and if she was anything like you, then she must've been awesome."

"Thank you Ruby..." The two smiled at each other, before Anduin stole a glance over at his mothers grave. A thought occurred to him as he did this, starting as a niggle at first, but eventually he could not resist asking. "May I ask... What was her name?"

"Wha?"

"Your mothers name."

"Oh! Summer Rose."

"Summer Rose..." Anduin repeated, mentally engraving the name in the back of his mind. Glancing over at the reaper once more he gave her a comforting smirk. "What do you remember about her?"

"Well she made awesome cookies according to Yang." Ruby sighed sadly as she wracked her mind for even the slightest sherds of memory of her mother, but it seemed with each and every day that passed the memories grew fainter and fainter. "But.. Other than that not too much... I mean... I was like you... I was so young..."

Anduin laid his hand on Ruby's shoulder as her composure began to crumble.

And crumble it did. Soon her shoulders were shaking like a leaf and her voice barely resembled the hyper and fun loving tone it usually held, perfectly mirroring her glass-eyed expression. "She died on a mission, caught by a pack of Grimm... They wouldn't... They never even searched for her body..."

"You don't have to continue... It's alright..."

"It's fine..." Ruby seems to grow more somber with each word. It was no longer just her shoulders that shook now. Now her entire body seemed to be shaking as she attempted to contain what was obviously years of pent up emotion. "I know that she loved Yang and I with all her heart... I remember her smiling face and how she used to sing to me to put me to sleep... But... I... I can't-..."

"Ruby..." Anduin muttered as he watched tears begin to fall from Ruby's eyes, running down her cheeks in bitter streams and it absolutely broke his heart. At first he had no idea what to do. Should he have been diplomatic? Given her some consoling words before sending her back to the castle? Maybe. He would never know, because instead he did what he knew in his heart was right.

"I just... I just-..." Ruby's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened as she felt arms wrap around her lithe frame, and when she finally registered that Anduin was hugging her the tears had stopped flowing, replaced instead byba comforting warmth that the reaper felt she could melt right into.

"Ruby... I can promise you this..." Anduin whispered into Ruby's shoulder, giving her small form a light squeeze. "The memories of your mother may have faded... But she will never be forgotten..."

"Thank you..." Ruby whispered quetly, closing her eyes to just enjoy the warmth she felt. After they sat there for a while longer Ruby let her eyes open, giving the prince a guilty smile. "I'm sorry... I kinda put a downer on visiting your mom huh?"

"No... You didn't. In fact... I think I may have just found a new reason to keep coming here." Anduin replied, before pulling himself to his feet. "Come on, I think we should get back to the castle. Or rather, we should get You back to the castle."

"Wha?"

"I still have a few errands to run. You, however, should be resting." He explained as he carefully assisted Ruby back into her wheelchair, making sure to not accidentally drop her and irritate the injuries further.

"Ohhh no! Don't go trying that one again!" She snapped in an attempt to sound demanding. Judging by the humored grin on Anduin's face though, it was a failure. Just how exactly was Weiss able to pull it off all the time?

"Just trust me... I think you'll find it'll all be worth it tomorrow." He explained, to which Ruby could only give a grin.

"Alright fine! But you better take me with you next time!"

Anduin shook his head as he let out a chuckle. "Deal."

And that's the oneshot! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!