Nora backstory time!

The first real memory Nora had was of being alone, and scared. She didn't remember her parents, nor her siblings, if she ever had any to begin with. She didn't remember being picked up by the people who found her on the side of the road. She didn't remember arriving at the orphanage that housed her for a few years

She learned how to talk by watching the older children at the orphanage. She hadn't been around people enough to learn before then, and the orphanage didn't offer any education to its residents.

Talking became her new favorite pastime. She could make her voice sound bright and happy even when she didn't feel that way. She could finally talk to other people, even if none of them really seemed to like her. Not that it mattered much to her, because as long as she could speak, she could talk away the monsters that lurked in the corners of her eyes. The shadows that loomed in the night shrank back whenever she whispered to herself. She talked about anything and everything; she made up fairy tales in the dead of night when she couldn't sleep.

It didn't take long for her to get tired of life at the orphanage. The other kids never grew to trust, like, or even play with the new girl.

"She never shuts up."

"I know, right? She's so annoying."

"She woke me up last night."

"She doesn't even know how to play ball."

"She's probably just dumb."

"She's definitely dumb, no one smart would laugh that much."

Nora got sick of it all. So, she hopped on the next cart that passed by, hiding behind the barrels. The driver didn't think to check, and so her grand escape was a success.

Soon though, she realized her error. She hadn't brought anything with her. Sure, she didn't really have anything that was hers, but she didn't even bring a scrap of food or water.

She got off the cart at the first town it stopped at, half delirious with hunger and thirst. Luckily, the town had a stable, full of water left out for the animals. Nora could still remember the horrible taste of that water, but at the time, it had tasted no less sweet than honey.

Then came the problem of food. This town didn't have an orphanage, and anyone she went up to only gave her a pitying look before promptly ignoring her.

So in the end, she had swiped an apple from one of the shop vendors. Thankfully, he didn't spot her, or didn't comment on it.

She took to stealing after that, it was the only way to survive after all. She got her water from the stream that ran throughout the town. She slept in the alleyways between the houses, and hid whenever people got too close. The town wasn't huge, and even at the young age of six, Nora hadn't wanted her face to be too well known to the residents.

The clothes she had gotten from the orphanage soon grew dirt stained and tattered. Sometimes she would stop and look at her reflection in the water, twirl a strand of her knotted hair in her fingertips, wondering if her eyes would look so empty if she had a home.

Then one day, when she had happened to stumble across a piece of bread someone had thrown out, saving her the energy of having to steal, three boys had shown up.

She tried to run, but they soon had her cornered.

"What are you doing with that bread, huh?"

"I bet she stole it, just look at her."

"Eww, that bread has mold all over it."

"You're right, she probably got it out of the trash."

"What kind of person eats garbage food?"

Then another boy had shown up, looking less aggressive, and more confused, more scared. Nora wanted to tell him just to leave her alone before the boys ganged up on him too, but even for someone who talked as much as she did, she couldn't find her voice.

Then the man had shown up, the boys had fled, and Nora was soon behind them. The man had looked intimidating, but he had also looked kind, far too kind for some scraggy orphan like her to face.

She hadn't though too much of the encounter, until the world started raining fire and blood, and her ears were ringing from the screams.

It attacked in the dead of night, when no one was expecting it. A swarm of weaker grimm followed in its footsteps. She had been sleeping in her usual spot when the smoke woke her.

Wide eyed, it was only luck that she managed to avoid the building that had been about to collapse on her. From then, she had ran, seeking the closest shelter she could find.

Under the bridge, she had watched the town burn with tearful eyes. All she could think about was when the grimm would find her. What would they do? Eat her in one bite? Piece by piece? She didn't want to think about it. But surrounded by death and demons, her mind refused to leave the topic. She was awaiting her death, delivered by the black claws of some soulless beast.

Then he had found her again, Lie Ren, as he introduced himself.

"We have to be brave." He said, then hugged her close. In all her short life, Nora couldn't remember ever feeling as secure, as safe, as she had wrapped up in Ren's arms.

After the Nevermore left, Ren tried to stand, but she grabbed his wrist so fast that he just fell to the ground.

"Don't go." She whispered.

"I won't leave," Ren stood up once more and held out his hand, smiling as Nora grabbed it. "see? We can go together."

Nora returned his smile, noticing a wooden hammer out of the corner of her eye. She wanted it, just in case, but she didn't want to dare the trip out from the bridge.

Ren noticed where she was staring though, and dragged her out into the open, heading straight towards it.

"Here." He said, picking up the hammer for her and placing it in her hands.

"Thank you." Nora replied, her smile now a bit wider.

Soon enough, her strongest memory went from being alone and outcast, to being with Ren. To fighting with Ren. To training with Ren. He accepted her in a way no one else never had. He listened to her nighttime rambles. He didn't mind when her voice got a little too cheery whenever she was feeling something unwelcome. He played along with her made up games. He explained the things she asked about, even when they were simply, mundane things that everyone should know.

He was her first friend, and her first love.

It hadn't surprised her though, her crush. She might have even seen it coming. But when she was 12 years old, having a crush on someone who thought sharing a bed was the most normal thing in the world wasn't the easiest thing to deal with.

Still, he had stayed with her. Through her horrible lies and stammering, to her sudden awkwardness that would spring up at the most inopportune times.

Then, about a year or two later, he had sat down and talked to her about how he just didn't feel romantic attraction. For a moment, Nora feared that he had realized her feelings and wanted to break off their friendship because of it.

When she asked why though, all he said was that he had tried a relationship. Only for a few days, but he simply hadn't been able to feel the same things his partner was feeling. He had tried again, just to see, but they had all ended up like the first. Eventually he just accepted it.

Nora knew what this meant for her, and shoved her crush down into a deep, dark hole, to let it rot. Ren didn't need her dragging him down with stupid things like that. Instead, she just enjoyed tormenting him on not telling her about his several relationships. She pretended she was fine, and she was. Because as long as Ren was happy, she was happy.

And somehow I manage to make half of it angst. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But on a lighter note, when they first showed the Nuckaleeve's footprint, my fist thought was that it was the symbol for Raven's tribe where Ren had been raised. Literally, I had an entire storyline planned out for that, and then all my theories were crushed into the dust. But they became the beautiful phoenix that is the canon backstory. I didn't tweak too much of it, because I don't believe in fixing what isn't broken.