Chapter 4: The Queen and Her Mirror
Two whole weeks had went by since mother came back, and the mood in the household had improved somewhat. Father became a little more preoccupied with work, but at least his temper was in check when he was here… almost as if he had an outlet for that rage. She wasn't complaining by any means, it just meant less distractions for her.
Of course, that meant more time to study, and to train. She was going to start remedial lessons soon. They served as a way to teach control and keep an eye on them. The most early admissions to a combat school were eleven at the very least provided that they excel at the remedial lessons. She wasn't ever going to stop training and studying as long as she-
"Weiss, you got that serious look on your face again."
"So?" Weiss gave her sister the evil eye.
"So lighten up. You've been cooped up in your room nearly all day."
"Is that a problem?" Weiss asked annoyed.
"Well, yeah. It is a problem. Ever since you got back from the hospital, you're either in your room studying or training. The only time I see you is when you come out to eat. It's not healthy."
Weiss just looked away. "So?"
Winter gave a tired sigh. "I've given you space so you can recover. I know what you've been through wasn't exactly… pleasant."
"That's an understatement." Weiss muttered.
"But you've got to come out of your shell."
Weiss said nothing. She could tell Winter was getting infuriated at her.
"You know what? How about this. Since you're so keen on training, spar with me. If you win, I won't bring this up again. And if I win, we're going to go out and do something."
Weiss was unsure. "I… don't know..."
"Are you chicken?" Winter taunted her.
Weiss then stood up and declared, "You're on."
Winter gave a small smile. "Just don't complain when I kick your butt."
They made their way to the training room where they found mother waiting for them. Ever since Weiss's old teacher, Mr. Sabre disappeared, their mother took up the role as teacher. She was a certified reserve huntress who was more than qualified to teach them.
Winter loved having mother teaching them because she allowed them to train at their own pace. Weiss wouldn't admit it, but she enjoyed actually having her mother as their teacher. Her mother would actually help them to improve and talk to them. She tried not to let that distraction interfere with her studies and training, but she failed in that endeavor more than once.
"You're here early, girls."
"Mother, would you oversee our spar? Winter and I have made a little wager." Weiss said politely.
"Oh? What was the wager?" Their mother asked amused.
"If I win, we're going out and doing something." Their mother had a smile on her face.
"Alright. I'll oversee this spar." Their mother tossed them two metallic bracelets before she moved to the sideline. The two sisters put on the metallic bracelets and then went over to the weapon racks. They both favored the rapier as their weapon of choice. Once they had their weapon, they went to the separate sides and prepared themselves.
"You know how this goes. First one with their aura depleted loses."
Both of them gave a nod of acknowledgment to their mother. A small holographic screen was displayed on the wall, the bracelets began to emit a low hum and then the screen showcased their aura level. Both Winter and Weiss had their aura full. They turned their attention from the screen to each other. After a small bow, they raised their weapons.
"Begin!" Their mother declared.
Winter charged at her with ferocity. Her style of fighting was always focused on striking hard and fast. Weiss was slower and more methodical in her approach. She took notice of where Winter was going to swing. She was going to attack at her literal blind spot. With quick reflexes, she managed to block Winter's attack.
But Winter merely kept pushing as Weiss struggled to continue to stand her ground. Until Winter tripped Weiss off her feet with a leg sweep.
THUD!
Weiss landed on the ground, hard. Winter raised her foot to stomp on Weiss. A quick combat roll spared Weiss from stomped into the floor.
Weiss jumped back onto her feet and pointed her rapier at Winter. She looked over Winter's form. It appeared casual at first glance but there was hidden tension beneath it. Winter was deliberately leaving herself open, ready to counter any of Weiss's attacks.
Weiss wasn't going to fall for any her sister's tricks. So she merely circled her sister, waiting for her to make a move. Winter kept Weiss in her view as Weiss continued to circle around her. Winter seemed to get frustrated that Weiss was stalling until she smiled.
Weiss was nervous the moment her older sister had that smug smile on her face. There was a low hum behind her, Weiss barely had any time to notice it it, let alone avoid it. Winter was using her semblance! Weiss was flung toward Winter, who took the opportunity to deliver several blows at Weiss. Winter's strikes didn't stop Weiss's momentum and she flew past Winter.
And into another glyph, which propelled her back with frightening speeds. Winter continued with another series of strikes. The blows that had struck her body were getting progressively harder and harder. Her aura was going down at a break-neck pace and she needed to do something otherwise she would fail.
Another familiar hum of the glyph was heard. This time she was ready. As the glyph launched her forward she held out her weapon, ready to strike. She charged at Winter, who was unprepared for this unexpected turn of events. She landed a huge blow on Winter. Once she was flung past Winter, she skidded onto the floor.
In the corner of her one good eye, she saw Winter's aura. There was barely any damage to Winter's aura. She grimaced. And then she heard that damn hum beneath her. Then she was shot several feet in the air, panic setting in. Then she saw Winter shoot up from the ground and torpedo toward her, rapier first. A quick hard stab knocked her back as Winter barreled past her. Another damn hum sound and she felt a rapier strike her in the back.
THUD!
She fell to the floor. She knew she lost and that pissed her off. She started pounding her fists on the floor before she pointed at Winter.
"She cheated!"
Winter held out her hands mockingly. "Oh, I totally cheated, even if there was no rule about using my semblance."
"It wasn't fair!"
"Boo-hoo. Life isn't always fair." Winter retorted.
Weiss had to agree with her sister on that. Life wasn't fair. Look at her scars, her eye! Newly unlocked aura typically would have heal any and all wounds, with no scars or anything. But instead she had to use it on that traitor. And by the time she had forced herself to heal, it was too late. She had missed the time frame for fully healing herself and was paying the price for it. Her unnaturally pale skin and scars proved it.
"Still wasn't fair." Weiss repeated.
"You accepted anyway." Was Winter's reply.
She shouldn't have accepted. Her aura wasn't as developed as her sister's because Winter had her aura much longer than her. And her sister had much more experience than her. She had no chance of winning.
"Uugh. Fiiine. What are we doing?"
"We're going out for ice cream." Winter said with a smile.
"Ice cream." Weiss deadpanned.
In the background, their mother had a wide grin on her face.
"Why ice cream? We could do anything, literally anything yet ice cream?"
Winter shouted again, "Ice cream!"
"Come on and order something." She said to her younger sister.
"No." Her sister really needed to lighten up.
"It's not going to kill you."
"No."
She sighed loudly in the mostly empty ice cream parlor. Several of the guards glanced in their direction.
"How about you order..." She paused to look at the menu. "Neapolitan?"
"I don't like it."
"Will you lighten up Weiss? Father is actually letting us go out and do something!"
Granted he had bought out the entire ice cream parlor for the day and had several guards watching over them, but it was a huge improvement compared how to he used to be. Everything was looking up for the Schnee family, except for Weiss. Weiss gave a small huff in response. Winter slammed her head down onto the table in frustration.
She lifted her head and stared at Weiss. "What happened to my little sister that wanted bunkbeds?"
"Father and you didn't like the idea. It was… one of the few things that you two could agree on."
"It was… wasn't it?" Winter chuckled.
Weiss was forming a small smile. "Weiss, you don't have to be so serious all the time. You're not just the heiress to father's company, you're my sister."
Weiss's smile drooped a little. "But… it's a responsibility that I have to uphold. There shouldn't be anything else."
"Just please, please remember the good times. They don't have to stop. I know how you feel, burdened by the weight. And it will continue to weigh down on you until you snap. So please, don't make the same mistake I did. There is a life outside your duties. It won't hurt to indulge yourself every now and again."
"But..."
"If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me. I almost lost you once, and I won't lose you to this."
Weiss exhaled and looked at the menu. "I guess I'll have the… vanilla?"
"So boring! Be a little adventurous. Like me! I'm having the Ultra Mega Banana Split." Winter encouraged her little sister.
"Vanilla with whipped cream?"
"You're joking, right?" Weiss stared blankly at her.
"… Right?"
"… Nooo?"
Winter sighed. "Try again."
"The Quadruple Scoop Supreme?"
"No. I had that once and it was a mistake. Personally, they could have made it better. How about the Double Deluxe special?"
Weiss looked at the menu. "Ew. It comes in a cone. I hate the cones. Noo."
"What's wrong with cones? They're delicious."
"Everybody likes cones but I don't."
"You're missing out then, but waffle cones are tasty. How about you try ordering something big and expensive."
"Fine. Then I'll have the…" Weiss squinted at the menu. "The Eberle Sundae Delight?"
"Sounds good. We're ready to order!" Winter shouted.
After they gave their order, Weiss realized she wanted to ask Winter something. She always had speculated on the question, but she wanted to ask Winter herself. "Hey Winter…"
"Yeah?"
"Why… do you want to be a huntress?" Weiss asked.
She never really asked her older sister that question. Weiss had never had the chance to ask Winter that question before their family went back together, Winter preferred to spend their time together differently, less talking and more playing.
Winter sighed. "It was a way out." With a slight tone of shame. Weiss gave her a small confused look.
"I didn't want to run a company. I just… hated… hated how I was being groomed for it. So I left. It was tempting… being a huntress, traveling the world. But..." Her voice cracked slightly. "It was selfish. I didn't realize… I didn't think about you. Or about the fact that the responsibility would fall onto you. I'm sorry. I've been trying to make it up to you…. But… I feel like I failed as a big sister. I've made a huge mistake. I want to do anything to fix it. Hell, I'll even drop my ambition of being a huntress and become heiress again for you. I'm-"
"Winter… I could never hate you. You make your choices and I make mine. And look where it got us. We're together again. That's all that matters."
Winter smiled. "You're insightful for a ten year old."
"Runs in the family." They shared a small chuckle as their ice cream arrived. Winter couldn't help but feel hope as they ate. Her family was back together again, and was showing progress on improving.
Small steps, sure, but the fact that even her father was showing some degree of change spoke volumes. The man was stubborn as a bull and could be a bit of a prick sometimes. Still he was actually letting them out… somewhat. But still, before he would have gone ballistic at the thought of them leaving home… even for something as little as ice cream.
Hell, he even let up on training Weiss, and allowed mother to train them. It was… getting better. Maybe things were really looking up for them. She looked at Weiss. Her little sister started eating slow and polite before she started to loosen up. She was no longer focused on etiquette, but rather savoring the moment. Her sister deserved to have a happy childhood. Something she didn't have. Even if her sister wouldn't have a normal childhood, she wouldn't let it be an unhappy one. Weiss spent so much time being alone, with only patches of actual, meaningful interaction.
She wouldn't let Weiss be alone, ever again. After all, that's what big sisters are supposed to do. She looked at Weiss again. She was just a kid… a kid with several burdens. Despite it all, she just wanted Weiss to have some chances to be a normal kid. To have something she never got. Because, she isn't someone Weiss should be.
Defiant, reckless, and angry. With Weiss's future already determined, she couldn't afford to be like her, she needed to be the opposite of her.
Calm, cool, and collected. She may have hated the responsibility, but that didn't make it any less important. People would rely on her. And if she was anything like her… the consequences would be devastating.
Weiss shouldn't have Winter's childhood, constantly forced to train and study, never an opportunity to be happy. It was why she ran. So she could be happy. So she could be free. Yet it wasn't true happiness… with the guilt lurking behind that happiness.
But this… was true happiness. Weiss gave her a heart-warming smile.
The smile on her face… it gave her hope.
He was looking out the window. And he looked down at the cold land before him. The tower stood above everything else, and in its own way, it was a beacon. A beacon of stability and progress for most. But… for the rest, it is something that they feared, and for good reason. They threatened the stability of his company, and thus threatened the stability of the world.
There are several who would see this company burned to the ground on the basis of 'moral superiority'. But they never see the big picture. They can't imagine the consequences of their ideals. If his company was suddenly gone, then so would the world's largest Dust supplier be gone, too. Those idealistic fools and animals simply could not fathom the terror that would cause.
Kingdoms without power would fall into anarchistic riots, economies would fall, and peace would be utterly shattered. Everyone was reliant on Dust, it was the life-support for the kingdoms. Without the huge supply of Dust, communications between kingdoms would cease, travel would become supremely limited, and no one would be ready to protect themselves.
Just look at the past riots in Vale, they were equipped with Dust and the finest weapons, and it was still pure chaos. So a Dust shortage would leave the cops, the military, the huntsmen ill equipped to keep the peace, let alone protect the kingdoms from the Grimm.
So yes, he sacrificed his morals for this. History has been built upon the backs of lesser people. Throughout history, it has always been like this. From the poor, to the losers of a war, to humans to faunus, they were always lesser beings to be controlled by the strong. It will never change, ever. He was one of the few people that understood that fact of life.
So why couldn't they understand that? Instead, they continuously try to undermine his efforts to preserve the world the way it is. They kept on escalating, and he responded twice as hard.
They need to learn their place in the world. He had made examples of those who disobeyed. 'Dangerous mining incidents' to the press and the media, a reminder to the rest. They don't have any proof but they know. They understood that they were lesser people and they understood that they either worked to the bone for the good of society or just die.
Sure that may have spurred some to fight harder, but they would also die faster. Yet… there were some… troublesome matters. Everything was threatening to collapse on him. The White Fang may be in a slight decline, there were still some radicals out there. They were escalating harder and faster… and he feared that he might have to get some questionable business partners to say the least. He may not admit it, but at times… they were a serious… threat to his family.
Still things were on the up and up for him. His research team in Vale had survived the riots and their 'Ice Fine' project had shown significant progress despite their ninth attempt nearly destroying all life on… its better if nobody knew about that one.
And Immersion Labs… where does he even start with them? They were definitely going to change the future with their project. While they weren't exactly PR-friendly, they were almost guaranteed to secure the military contract.
It also serves as an excellent fuck-you to SneBier Incorporated. They were barely scraping by… even if they may be the second largest Dust supplier but there was no comparison between the two. So they were looking to expand, and so was he.
The military was the best option for both of them, but after the attack on his daughter… he would crush them. For too long, he had tolerated them but anyone who even dared threaten his family didn't deserve to live. And especially now. His family had finally gotten back together. Then again with the rock bottom they hit before, anything is progress.
Still, he didn't want to lose them again… or possibly forever. So he agreed to his wife's terms, as long as he was able to keep an eye on them, it will be fine. One could never be too safe, too many friends and family were killed. It didn't matter how powerful or how strong they were, they were overwhelmed. And everyone wondered why he and his family were so isolated outside of work.
Except him. He needed to be a powerful, influential and occasionally charismatic public figure. However that may change… maybe he over-reacted.
Maybe his wife was right. He just bought out an entire ice cream parlor and had it filled with guards just because his daughters wanted to go out for ice cream. It was a trial run of sorts, and nothing happened. Maybe his family was right, he was just paranoid.
Perhaps… those animals had learned their place… and the White Fang was on the decline. The only problem was SneBier but she was on her way out. Her one good thing keeping her afloat was the good PR she had, and the lies and slander were slowly destroying that too. People turned away from her… and went to him. Maybe it was time to end this insane isolation. His daughters were no longer small children.
Hell, Winter was a skilled combat student, even if he didn't initially condone her desire to become a huntress, he could see she will be an excellent huntress. And Weiss was already showing promise, a bit heavy-handed with her studies but she was certainly driven. Still, he knew that the isolation wasn't healthy for her. Sure she knew how to be polite and courteous, but she hadn't learned how to deal with people, to extend her will over others.
She had to be like him if she was going to inherit this company… this responsibility. She needed to learn how to be in control, to dominate, to lead. This company was in a delicate balance, where everyone knew who was in charge and could be trusted not to stab him in the back. Before SneBier escalated, any and all transgressions resulted in them being blacklisted everywhere. Now? If they tried anything, they simply… disappeared.
They knew. They all knew. From the board of the directors to the janitors, they knew who is in charge. But… things will change. The best kind of change was slow, like how he was dealing with his family issues. Things were improving slowly, and maybe in a year's time, they could actually have some semblance of normality. However the worst type of change was fast. It destroyed entire stable foundations in an instant, and left nothing but ruin in its wake. It's the same reason why he hated those who go against him and his company.
So, when his family came back, he knew that he wouldn't be welcomed with open arms and they were doing it for the sake of the family. He had to earn his place at that family. So he sacrificed some control over them to ensure they would stay, but as long as they stayed he could ensure they were protected. And it wasn't just for him, it was for Weiss too. He knew that he wasn't the best father around, as he drove Winter away in the first place. He couldn't be the warm loving father… no… he was the cold, controlling authority figure. Even if it was a horrendous action, it always served a greater purpose. Yet, isolating Weiss was both a good and bad decision.
Weiss was strong and determined, two invaluable traits for thriving in this world but she grew up in isolation. Unlike Winter who was born before he decided to… withdraw his family away, she was effectively born in isolation. Weiss doesn't know how to deal with other people. And his whole company was built on dealing with people. None of his company would be possible if he didn't know how to deal with people.
Occasionally a facade of charisma and understanding would be required to impress people like the shareholders. Of course, there were always people who could see through the facade. The ones who could always had to be dealt with force… and there was his problem. He could never pretend with his family, so he never did. All they ever got was the cold, seething anger. It wasn't his fault, he was carrying an entire company on his shoulders, besides at least it was real. His anger, his rage, that was real. He couldn't bear to be fake around them even if he had hurt them through his ill-tempered words, but he would never let anything physically hurt them and that included everything from those damn radicals to even himself.
At least for the time being, he had an outlet for that rage. He had vision, always looked at the bigger picture. Eventually, he would revert to the same person who drove them away. Better if he kept his distance. He already instilled Weiss with all the values and teachings he could give. Yet force only got one so far in the world.
Sure, Weiss was a polite and courteous, but would that hold up when she had to deal with shareholders… or the board of directors? They respected and feared him, for good reason. But… Weiss?
All she knew was strength, not subtlety nor did she understand how to weave through social graces properly. Weiss confided in his wife that she probably caused that animal go berserk on her, because she told the animal who she was.
Isolation was not a good place to breed social skills. She wasn't like Winter, and it worried him how Weiss was going to cope with going to a primary combat school. She only had a year of private remedial lessons before she started. She needed something other than… his particular brand of guidance. Perhaps it was for the best to let his wife handle Weiss for now.
His wife was always more of a diplomat than a fighter.
Despite his… 'over-bearing' nature, he cared. He was just horrible at showing at it and even more horrible at applying it. When she looked at Weiss, she knew. It was not just his fault, but hers also. She ran away from this family. While it was not for herself but for Winter, she still abandoned the family. A mother should never do that.
So whenever she looked at Weiss and her scars, she always felt a twinge of guilt. And it wasn't just her scars, but how Weiss was raised. Winter never did like how her father raised her, but she let him raise Weiss. And he did a horrible job, no other way to say it. The only time she was even remotely happy before was when she visited them. Still, at least he knew he made a mistake with Weiss, didn't acknowledge it though. She had a chance to fix this family, and that's why she came back. She had to be a parent, a mother to Weiss.
Her husband wasn't great at showing his love, and look how Weiss turned out. But he was smart enough to let her raise Weiss now. But Weiss hadn't been the same since the incident… she was more isolated than usual. Before she would have been ecstatic to spend time with her family, yet she was more interested in studying and training.
She knew it was probably because of the incident. She wore a constant reminder on her face. Weiss was needlessly stubborn, like her father, at times. But when she finally got Weiss to even talk about the incident, is how she felt weak and powerless the moments leading up to her getting her aura. She knew it wasn't to be taken lightly.
Aura unlocking during a traumatic event was a horrible experience. If she had to guess it was because Weiss was raised to be strong and here she was at her weakest moment… about to die.
She closed her eyes, she didn't want to think about that. What she needed to think about was helping Weiss. Weiss was too focused on strength and power. She had to break Weiss out of her shell. Winter… and hell even her husband in his own way… were already helping on that front, even managing to get Weiss to go out for ice cream.
But even after Weiss came home happy, all it took was one look in the mirror to shatter that. And then the cycle began anew. Weiss needed to change. Her husband was dropping less-than-subtle hints that he has been considering dropping the whole isolation thing altogether.
Introduce the whole media fucking circus act onto their family, taking a page out of his competition's book. Even though the public reception of the competition is failing, and she has her suspicions, they had remarkable PR before. It was because they had focused on the family dynamics with them.
SneBier focused the media's attention on her daughter, rather than the boring mundane business politics unlike the Schnee Dust Company. Which was a smart if not deplorable tactic to use. The media always did prefer to focus on the lighter side, and an heiress being adorable and attending popular events brought good PR. Obviously she knew what her husband was going to do. God, it's going to be a fucking media circus. Keeping his family isolated made it seem like an intriguing mystery. Business-wise it was a smart move, and introduces the heiress of the SDC to the world.
Nobody had seen the heiress… her daughter… before. Even when she was hospitalized, throw enough money at the doctors and the police and they keep their mouths shut. At this point, she wanted to strangle her husband. But she took a deep breath. She may not be able to change where Weiss was going to end up, but she can sure as hell make sure she will be there to help and support her. She left her once, but she won't make that mistake again.
Mothers should be there to support their children. She didn't nearly die through childbirth two times to abandoned her children. She found herself standing in front of their room. Winter was out training and Weiss… she should be cooped up studying. She knocked on the door.
"Weiss?" No response.
"Weiss? Can I come in?"
"Fine."
A quiet mumble from her young daughter. She opened the door and found Weiss reading a book on her bed. The History of Remnant. She looked at Weiss. She wasn't covering her damaged eye. Her eye… it was never going to heal. The scars were the hardest to look at. She could eventually get some laser surgery to remove those scars.
Yet Weiss objected to that idea. It was probably one of the few times Weiss actually objected to something. It saddened her greatly seeing her daughter like this. Four scars across her eye, and every time she will see her daughter, she will be reminded of her past failures as a mother. Yet that was why she is here. She sat down next to Weiss on the bed.
"Hello, Weiss." It was a simple greeting, to test the waters with Weiss.
"Mother." Weiss responded.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Weiss snapped. She then closed the book, seemly ashamed of her outburst. "I apologize mother, that was unruly of me."
"It's fine, Weiss. But your father wanted me to-"
"Help me get better at 'courtesy' and 'politeness'. I pay attention, mother." She looked down. "Out of line. I apologize again, mother."
"Weiss, it's fine-"
"It's not fine!" She got up from the bed. "It's not fine! This," she gestured to her face, no, her scars. "Is not fine! I have to be better! And I can't even get common courtesy down!"
She got up and hugged her daughter.
"Shhhh. It's all right. You're just a kid. You don't have to bear the burdens of the world right now. And I'll be here to help you, Weiss." Weiss hugged her mother back, as a lone tear fell down her face.
Sturm watched the drunk faunus before her. Truthfully, she would never chose Gale. But she was running out of options. She needed some faunus with aura. Most of the mercenaries she hired, both those 'freelancers' and 'drop-outs', had failed.
This would only work with someone with aura. And in order to achieve maximum effect on her attack on the Schnees, they would have to be a faunus. It would make it seem justified, if everything went right. Still, Gale's chances of surviving the process were slim. If hardened mercenaries couldn't survive, then why her? But, she was getting desperate.
Hell, she would do it herself if she had aura. Everything was falling apart, everything she built from nothing, was all about to come crashing down because of the damned Schnees.
She couldn't go back to nothing. She won't let her daughter experience that hell ever. She won't let her daughter experience the hell of not knowing if she was going to eat or not. She looked at Gale. She would never stoop that low again.
Gale was thinking heavily about the question she just posed. True, the whole thing was unreal, but ultimately… it was true.
"You're kidding." Gale was skeptic like the rest of them, no one initially believed it at first.
"No, I'm not."
"So, am I going to get a wand or something?" Gale asked condescendingly. She could do without the attitude. For all her lies about needing Gale, if Gale became a problem, then she would may have to find another faunus with aura, but… she will do it.
"Have you heard of the fairy tale, 'The Reflections in the Mirror'?"
Gale laughed. It was a sad laugh. "I didn't have the luxury of having fairy tales read to me when I was a kid. So what are you telling me? That fairies and giants are really real?"
"I don't know about any other fairy tales, but it would be pretty ridiculous if fairy tales like 'The Story of the Seasons' or 'The Four Knights of Grimm' were real."
"Then, what is so special about this one?"
"We found the mirror. It's real." Sturm stated.
"And what does that exactly entail?" Sturm let out an audible sigh. Should she even bother explaining? She explained this particular fairy tale nearly a half of a dozen times, why should you repeat it again?
"Basically, there is a mirror. Inside it, lays a guardian. If you defeat the guardian, you get power." Sturm explained in a monotone voice. There was more to it, but… she could tell Gale was already going to fail.
"That's all?" Gale asked.
"Yes."
"Just waltz up to a magic mirror and defeat a presumably ancient guardian. Yeah… I call bullshit. I'm not stupid." Well, Gale was smarter than she gave her credit for.
"All that bullshit about 'needing' me… pffft. A fucking ten year old beat me. Granted she had aura and training, but the principle still applies. I'm bottom of the barrel. You're desperate. Admit it."
"Well, you're not wrong. But I wasn't lying about..." "I'll do it," Gale interrupted. "Well, there is a high chance you won't make it." Sturm decided to be truthful this time. She knew Gale wouldn't back down, but she'd rather not get her hopes up.
"Do I look like I got something to come back to? I mean you picked me up while I was passed out on the street."
"You've made your point."
"Then let's get this over with." She tapped on the driver's window, signaling him to take them to the warehouse. Gale merely looked outside the window, while she kept extending and sheathing her claws.
How did Sturm end up here? This whole magic mirror business was desperate, even for her. She spent nearly three whole weeks trying to get the power after she found the mirror in a Dust mine. She wouldn't be in this situation if Oglasa Sabre actually did his job. Schnee kept his family hidden away from everyone, he was notorious for it.
But, there was a pattern to be found. Every now and again, the heiress would be sent somewhere, probably a vacation resort or summer home. It was a ripe opportunity to break Schnee.
Hell, even Oglasa kept his mouth shut about them until she managed to get some private investigator to find out his dirty little secret that would destroy his status as a reserve huntsman. He was still a bit unwilling even then, perhaps maybe he didn't sabotage the airship completely. She wanted the heiress out of the way.
She had to break the man on top so she could survive. She saw her company becoming more obsolete, and it was a matter of survival.
Yet, her attempt backfired horrendously. And now, it was a desperate fight just to survive. If he wanted to escalate, then she would have to escalate as well. When the car stopped, she knew they arrived.
"Come," she instructed Gale.
The driver opened the door and they stepped out in the middle of nowhere, except for a small warehouse.
"Thank you, Rusty." The driver responded with a nod. He went up to the warehouse door and held it open. All three of them entered the empty warehouse. Much to her pleasure, Gale kept her mouth shut while Sturm went up to one of the walls. She opened up a hidden panel and revealed a hand scanner.
She put her hand on the scanner while saying, "Authorization, Sturm SneBier. Two visitors. Code: Pride before the fall."
"Registered. Welcome Miss SneBier and guests." A robotic voice answered back. A small round tube ascended from the floor.
Gale whistled. "Fancy underground elevators. Now I've seen everything."
"If you would, Miss Soot." Rusty gestured for her to enter the elevator. Gale entered with the two of them joining her.
"Could have used some elevator music." Gale muttered when the doors opened. She entered the familiar room. In the very middle of the room, behind a layer of reinforced glass with a door, was an old and dusty mirror adorned with a black frame.
"I do have to warn you, Miss Soot. It's not just a fight of the body, it is a fight of the soul according to the tale." Rusty warned Gale.
"So, do I just hop in?" Gale asked.
"When we first found it, one of the guards accidentally used his aura and got dragged into it. His dead body was tossed out with the fairy tale carved onto his chest. As far we could tell, you just need to activate your aura nearby for it to work."
Gale nodded and went inside the confined space. She unsheathed her claws and the mirror shimmered before Gale was sucked into it.
"And now we wait." Sturm told her loyal servant… her friend. Her silver watch began beeping. Sturm started to panic. She needed to take her Dust infusion now! Rusty put his hand on her shoulder, holding out a small syringe for her.
"It's alright, ma'am."
"Thank… thank you, Rusty." He merely nodded in response. She took out a tourniquet and wrapped around her left arm. Rusty injected the white Dust into her. She clenched her teeth. She hated this price for power, for protection.
Without aura, she had no good means of protecting herself. Even with Rusty watching over her, she still felt vulnerable. So she started injecting Dust into herself. But without any aura to regulate it, she started needing to take injections of Dust more and more frequently. Her body couldn't handle the Dust without aura.
Unlike those with aura, her body couldn't hold Dust indefinitely nor did she had the immunity to the addiction to it. It was sad and pathetic when it came time to inject the Dust. But… if she wanted to protect all that she had, then it was a small price to pay.
Gale was thrown out of the mirror. She took started hyperventilating.
"Holy shit, holy shit." Was all she could mutter. Never… that… she couldn't experience that again. She was drained… yet… at the same time, she could feel the mirror's magic coursing through her. But the toll that was taken on her was too high.
The pain had struck her deeply in the soul. The physical pain she could take, hell even dying was something she could… did take. But the mind games…? That bastard mirror tried tainting her happy memories… her memories of Zephyr. She reached up and rubbed her throat. She still felt the sensation of her cutting her own throat.
The bastard mirror didn't expect that when it started to absorb her.
"Miss Soot? Are you alright?" The butler asked, helping her get up. He tried to lead her outside the room, but she pushed him off.
"I just needed to do one thing." She went up to the mirror and summoned that newly founded power. The magic amped up her aura to new levels. She could probably match several huntsmen in terms of raw power. She would hit them harder than they every could, and she could shrug off their attacks like they never could. She smashed the mirror before her. She could swear the mirror cried in anguish. She gave a smile. Nobody would suffer because of that damn mirror.
"What are you doing?!" Sturm cried out. Rusty drew a small golden revolver.
"Just making sure this power dies with me."
"Why?!"
"The mirror was a dick." That was a massive understatement. She despised the mirror.
"I'm still going to help you." She summoned that power and completely transformed into a small whirlwind of glass shards vaguely resembling a human figure. She willed herself to fly and reform behind the two and it happened in an instant. Sturm held out her hand as it glew white briefly while Rusty aimed his revolver at her. She gave a cocky smile. While the suffering caused by that dick mirror was not worth it, this power was still exhilarating none the less. Semblances could do any number of things, but she was just handed a shortcut. It was like a fully trained semblance. She just wished that she could have her semblance on top of this magic.
Using this magic was liberating… she felt free and unrestrained. And with the knowledge of those that were absorbed by the mirror, she should be more than enough to take on those bastards.
"So, are you going to armor me up or what?" Sturm put down her hand and nodded toward the butler to do the same.
"I would very much like to wait… and just… document the effects. Just out of curiosity."
"Sorry, but not sorry. I signed up to deliver justice on those Schnees. Either we do this now or..." She had turned a small part of her hand turn into glass shards.
"Fine. Fine. I just assumed that you would want to strategize a plan with this power."
"Just give me an airship and a gun, and I'm golden." She wanted to end the Schnees as quickly as possible. "Or else."
With this power, she was finally going to get her way and make things better. Sturm sighed. The three of them entered back into the elevator. Sturm took put her scroll and began talking.
"I need you to bring an airship to the 'location'. Yes, location alpha. That one. Bring the new combat kit. The one not in production. And a spare airship, unmarked. It's for an individual. A very special individual." She closed her scroll and they entered the empty warehouse. Rusty stood by the limo with Sturm.
After nearly thirty minutes, two airships flew in. One of the pilots hopped on out and walked toward Gale.
"Are you this 'special' individual?" She turned into a swirl of glass shards for a moment. The pilot stepped back in fear.
"So, yeah. Special. Now give me the keys."
"Can you even pilot an airship?" he asked.
One of the mercenaries had been a pilot, and that knowledge was now hers. It was incomplete knowledge, but she probably knew enough to fly. She shouldn't have any trouble.
"Yes, I can." In the corner of her eye, she saw Sturm raise an eyebrow. She snatched the keys out of the pilot's hands. Entering the airship, she found a crate inside waiting for her. She unlocked it and found a pile of body armor. It looked advanced and fancy. She grinned as she put it out on. Then she found a huge assault gun. She grabbed it and admired it. She put it onto her back.
"Gale!" Sturm's voice grabbed her attention. "If you're going to do this, you'd better not fail. You may have this 'magic' but you're not invincible."
"Don't worry, I'll get the job done." Sturm glared at her. Gale went into the pilot's seat and flew off. She had no plan other than kill them all. But she didn't need a plan, when she had the mirror's magic. The pain she felt nearly ages ago felt renewed after that 'fight' with the mirror. With that pain came a sense of recklessness and vengeance. No longer would she do nothing!
The ship soared through the cold midday sky. She made a beeline to the Schnee's household.
No matter their defenses, no matter their weapons or warriors, she would have her justice. After a long time, piloting this airship, she approached the castle. The damn bloated castle that stood above all of them. Profiting off their suffering! Thinking that they can gloss over the deaths that they caused! She could tell that someone was trying to radio in.
She ignored them. After a whole minute, something began beeping. Then she saw the missiles. She grinned as the missiles hit the airship. She directed the airship to crash into the courtyard. Her aura managed to protect her from the crash. She took out her gun and went to the side of the ship. She slammed the side door opened. Several guards clad in SDC armor all pointed their weapons toward her.
"Hands in the air!" One of them shouted. She smiled as she activated her magic.
She would have her vengeance.
"Isn't this nice?" Her mother asked her.
"Quite." She set down her teacup. This was a practice in etiquette. Boring, boring etiquette. She'd rather be studying or training right now. Maybe because that was what she was good at. And she didn't struggle with this. But she knew that she couldn't just focus on that. She had to be the best, so she could carry the burden on her shoulders.
Even if she broke two teacups beforehand. When she accidentally dropped the first one, she flinched. But mother smiled and told me it was alright. The second time, she still didn't get any reprimands. Wasn't this supposed to be a lesson? She picked up the tea cup and sipped quietly. Personally, she'd rather have coffee. Distracted by that thought, she set down the cup too fast and the tea spilled onto the table.
"Shi..." She held her tongue. "I'm sorry for my clumsiness."
"Weiss, it's alright. Just enjoy the company and the surroundings." She then started to wipe up the spilled tea with a napkin. Weiss had to move her head all the way to the life to see the surrounding mountains.
Drinking tea on the balcony was… peaceful. There was no blizzard, just light snow fall gently falling down as the mountains stood there. It was… nice. Weiss understood what her mother was trying to get at. This wasn't a lesson. She couldn't just plow through trying to learn proper etiquette. This was just mother and her having tea.
No harsh lessons, no reprimands for her failures, just her spending time with mother. It was nice having some recognition with no pressure, unlike before under her father's tutelage. She couldn't just force herself to be like mother; calm, polite, and proper. She had to take this slow and enjoy this moment with her mother.
She poured herself another cup and sipped it quietly. She thought this to be a test of sorts, but it wasn't. There was no need to force herself for this. She just had to be slow and methodical about this, yet there was no pressure. She set her cup this time without spilling it or accidentally slamming it down. A triumph in it's own right.
Yet, this may not be a test, but she needed to be better. "Weiss, just relax." But… maybe for now, she could hold out on improving herself. She relaxed and they both remain quiet while they both drank the tea. Weiss hated to admit it, but the peace was nice. The quiet breeze was soothing and calming. She could barely feel the patch covering her eye. It was nice, not being reminded of it. Something
"Mother… how do you do it?"
"How do I do what?"
"Remain so calm. How do you do it?" Her mother seemed amused then a little saddened.
"I wasn't always like this."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked with curiosity.
"For a lack for better words, I wasn't a very nice person. I may have gotten my way more often than not. But the world doesn't… always work that way. Eventually, I didn't get my way. And I lost my way… and I fell hard, almost too hard. But I learned something. Sometimes you've got to be kind. And other times you've got to fake kindness when others fake that kindness to you."
She nearly didn't finish the next sentences but she managed to.
"And other times… during the worst times… you've got to be… cruel. Yet… you should always start off being ki..."
She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed it.
"Mother? What's wrong?" Her youngest daughter asked.
"Get inside Weiss." She stood up and grabbed Weiss's hand.
"Mother?" Then Weiss finally saw it. She ran with her daughter inside as the airship crashed into the courtyard.
"Mother, what's going on?" Gunfire answered that for her.
"We've got to find your sister! Where is she?"
"She… she should be in the ballroom training." Both of them ran downstairs and to the ballroom. Winter was in a battle-stance, with her saber in hand pointed to the entrance. She lowered her weapon when she realized it was them.
"Mother, what's going on?!" Winter asked worriedly.
"Winter, we've got to go." Winter nodded, clearly grasping the situation albeit she had a worried look on her face. She handed Weiss to Winter. Weiss grabbed Winter's free hand while she went over to the weapons rack. She grabbed a simple training saber. Her weapon was on the other side of the household, but she needed to protect her daughters. The sound of gunfire was steadily becoming less and less, but she took that as a bad sign.
If the intruder or intruders was taken care off, then the gunfire would stop all at once. She needed to get her daughters to safety.
"C'mon!" She grabbed Winter's hand just as the sound of gunfire finally died off. She went toward one of the ballroom exit, only to be blocked.
The intruder was a fox faunus covered in blood soaked white armor. She looked like she was equipped with several grenades and assault rifle, but they looked different some how. It seemed like a weird combination of a personalized weapon and a mass produced weapon. The was body armor… a bit too advanced… whatever the case, she needed to stop here. She heard Weiss let out a gasp. She connected the dots… this faunus was the one… the one who hurt her daughter. She may not know how this 'Gale' got her, but she would certainly end her.
"Winter, take Weiss and run."
"But-" they both exclaimed.
"Now." Winter dragged Weiss toward the exit behind them.
"I won't let you hurt them." She drew her weapon. It wasn't her familiar weapon, it was a foreign conduit for her aura; but that didn't matter. What matter was stopping her.
"But, you would let them all hurt others, just because they were born different. It's a cycle that I intend to end. You live in this damn castle, profiting off others suffering, my suffering. Well, no more!"
Gale raised her weapon and started to fire. She dodged through the hail of bullets and jumped up to strike down this monster that would hurt her daughters.
The woman was weaving through the gunfire almost like a graceful ballerina dancer but with deep righteous anger in her movement. She was different from the guards. Clearly she had aura, but she moved unlike the guards. The guards had no grace or movement to them, allowing her to gut them and gun them down. She didn't have a gun either, but rather a saber of some sorts. The woman leapt into the air and dove down to strike her.
She was a skilled aura user, able to bridge the gap between her superior firepower. Gale willed herself to turn into a hailstorm of shards and shot herself in every direction. The women blocked with her saber and was pushed back several feet. She had strong aura more than a mere awakened like those guards.
While she didn't have a physical body, she frowned never the less. Someone else's out-dated information was leaking out. She might deteriorate later, but as long as she can finish this then it won't matter. But the information was still useful. She was facing a skilled and experienced aura user, not an awakened. She could use her aura better than any awakened… and she'd have to watch out for the woman's semblance.
The woman held her ground as Gale continued to swirl around, formless. She willed herself to pierce the accursed woman standing between her vengeance, her justice. The woman kept moving, never stopping for Gale to hit the woman.
She had to change tactics. She had herself reform a few feet away from the woman and began to open fire on the woman. From what she understood, this gun was top of the line and fired faster than any normal gun and hit a whole lot harder.
The woman kept up her dodging but Gale quickly stopped firing and as a whirlwind of shards kept changing places and firing. This added an element of unpredictability and kept the woman from using her semblance, whatever it may be.
It could be a minor thing or a game changer, but she couldn't allow her to use it. No matter how much power she had, the woman's semblance might be able to bridge that gap and the woman's experience and skill could spell the end for her. And she could tell the woman was getting slower and more tired. Getting more close-calls, and she was unable to fight back against something she can't hit. She eventually managed to hit the woman with a shard of glass.
Her aura stopped it from going through, but the force knocked her back. Gale reformed and charged the woman while firing the gun. The woman's aura managed to withstand the many rounds of bullets for a good five seconds before it her aura shattered. The woman cried out in pain as the bullets ripped her apart. She fell onto her knees, as the blood began seeping out.
She was crying.
"Mom!" A sad look appeared on the woman's face as she collapsed onto her side. The big bad man himself was there, with his two daughters. The two girls had a look of pure hatred on their faces and looked ready to attack her.
But… the one was the cause of all this had a blank look on his face, probably unable to process what happened. His two daughters stepped forward only to be held back by their father. This rich man probably never experienced loss before, and probably had an arrogance that his sins would come back to haunt him.
She unloaded the empty clip and popped in a new one. It was time to begin a new age, a better age without bigots like him to cause pain and suffering.
She heard a hum beneath her feet.
He was on his way to a meeting. An important meeting regarding the military contract. It was probably going to be one of the final blows to SneBier. He knew how much SneBier was failing and was relying on the contract to reinvigorate itself. And not only would this most likely be the death blow to SneBier Incorporated, it would signal a dawn of the new age for his company.
Expanding past Dust, and forming a connection with the military… and by extension the government of Atlas. His scroll began ringing, he contemplated not answering it, but he was in a good mood today. He checked it and it was coming from his home. He answered the call.
"Yes?" He heard a heavy coughing. This set off some flags for him… something was wrong.
"Sir… I'm sorry." Oh no. "Someone managed to break through the defenses and crashed… an airship into the courtyard. She managed to slaughter most of the security detail… Sorry… I couldn't..."
"My family, are they safe?"
"Don't know sir. S...sorry… sir." He slammed his scroll shut and rushed to the elevator. The elevator was going way too slow. He had to get home! That took priority over everything else. When he finally reached the ground floor, he sped past everyone and everything. Several of his employees questioned where he was going, but he ignored them. He took off in his airship and flew like hell to get back home.
He didn't bother waiting for his driver, he needed to be fast, damn everything else. When he finally arrived… he entered the courtyard and found a bloody massacre. Splatters of blood covered the small patches of snow. Bodies of the security detail was torn to shreds.
Panic and worry filled him. Despite not appearing to be a warm and loving father and husband, he wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to them. He rushed inside and found his daughters running. He was relived that they were safe… but she was missing.
"Girls, where's your mother?" Weiss tried to speak but she couldn't get the words out. And so Winter spoke for her.
"She's in the ballroom, fighting the intruder."
Intruder, singular. Whoever this person was… they were good. Hopefully his wife could beat them or hold them off long enough for him to get there. He ran off to the ballroom with his daughters close behind. He arrived to see his wife collapsed, bleeding heavily. He heard his daughters cry out while he said nothing. No… not her. Why… her? He… it wasn't supposed to be this way. He was supposed to protect her. He failed.
He finally got her back… after so long, things were getting better… and now she was gone… forever. Both of his daughters started to charge forward but he stopped them. They looked angry at him… at this intruder… that animal. Whatever anger was directed toward him… he could take. They wanted to avenge their mother and he was preventing that… but… he wouldn't lose them too. They stepped back slowly.
He held out his hand and summoned a glyph underneath that animal's feet. The glyph shot the animal up into the air and it hit the ceiling. He quickly summoned another glyph and pointed down. A glyph appeared on the ceiling and forced the animal crashing down into the floor. He summoned another two glyphs to both side's of the animal.
The animal turned into a wind of glass pieces and sped towards him. He put up both of his hands and a giant glyph formed in front of him. It began spinning and spinning. It pushed the whirlwind of glass to the back wall. The pieces of glass slammed against the wall and returned to the form of that animal once more. The animal took out an assault rifle and pointed it at him. He had a small glyph appear on the barrel of the gun.
He felt a surge of energy inside him. He had the Dust within him combine with that glyph. The entire gun became a frozen block alongside most of the animal's hand. The animal cried out in shock while he formed another glyph behind it. The glyph shot the degenerate toward him like a missile. He caught the animal by the throat and slammed it down onto the floor.
He got on top of it and began choking it. He felt it trying to shift into it's other form. But he had a small glyph appear beneath its head and had the glyph slam its head several times to disorientate it. This animal… this monster deserved hell.
"It… can't end here… I had the… power to make things bet…" He choked the animal tighter. As the animal laid there dying, he had a small glyph form underneath the two of them, where Weiss and Winter would be unable to see it. The glyph sucked whatever dying essence the animal had and into him. He didn't have the glyph absorb the body, his daughters didn't need to see that. Another small piece of his soul withered in the cold.
This animal was going to suffer, he was going tol make sure of that. He got up slowly, his hands still shaking. His two daughters ran up to their mother, she was still hanging on. He rushed over to her and held her in his arms.
"Willow… I'm so… so… sorry." He didn't know why he was apologizing, but he felt like he needed to. She tried speaking, only to cough up some blood. He wanted so hard for her to be alright. He wished that he was younger, so that he could heal her with his aura. But one could only heal someone with an aura for so long… and even then… after a certain age, they could no longer share aura to heal someone. He remained silent and hugged her.
"I… can… save you." Turning her into a summon might work… but… he could tell that the idea horrified her.
"D...don't. Just make sure they are safe… please."
"Always." "Thank… you dear… I wanted to say… I love you." She then turned her dying gaze to their two daughters.
"Weiss…. Winter… please watch over each other... I will always love you… please remember that..." Weiss looked on at her dying mother with a face of grief and horror as her mother faded away.
"Its… its all my fault." Weiss cried out. Winter merely hugged her younger sister. She started to cry. "All my fault. If… if only… I killed her… before… mom… she'd… still be..." She broke out into a sob.
Her father gently laid his wife to the ground and closed her eyes. He got up and went up to his crying daughters.
Something dark inside of him wanted to blame Weiss for this… to even hit her. He hated that thought, hated himself for even remotely thinking about that… he wouldn't lay a hand on her ever. He looked around the empty ballroom. Despite the bullet holes, it was relatively intact. He remembered the night he danced with Willow in this very room.
The slow music echoed through the halls, and it was just the two of them and nobody else. He comforted his two daughters as they sadly embraced in the silent, empty ballroom.
Weiss stood in front of the mirror. Today was the day of the funeral. Mother's funeral. She was gone forever. It seemed like a foreign concept to her… but when she roamed the empty house… it was all too familiar. She was gone and she wasn't coming back, ever. The emptiness was a concept she was familiar with. But she hated it.
She despised it. And she'd rather feel the hate and the loathing than this unbearable sadness, the guilt. Father and Winter didn't blame her for mother, but that didn't mean she didn't. She was strong and in control when she made that decision, to spare Gale.
And then that monster stole her mother away. She was strong and in control, and she made the wrong decision. Her kindness taken advantaged of by that animal. She should have heeded her father's warnings, but instead she showed that animal empathy… and she… all her fault. It may not matter that they don't blame her, but the blame she had put on herself was too much.
She looked upon the mirror again, so clean and pristine. She gingerly undid the eye patch that covered her eye and those scars. Through her one good eye, she saw her scarred face. Initially she thought of the scars as a reminder to be stronger. Strength didn't matter if she couldn't make the right decisions with it. She now looked upon these scars as a form of penance. But… in a weird way… she viewed them as a way to remember mother. Maybe she would remember the bad times without her, but she would also remember the good times with her mother.
She traced one of the four scars she received. It healed, but the scars remained. She would have to be strong for the coming days. Father was no longer, in his words, 'hiding'. Both Winter and her will be in the spotlight. Winter may not have completely agreed with the sentiment, but she did not do so out of malice. There was an understanding between her sister and her father. They couldn't afford to fight, didn't want to fight.
Winter's teenaged rebellion had been quenched and in its place was an emphasis on becoming the best huntress she could be. She accepted father's offer of training and, in a sense, bonded through that. Weiss was still focused on being the best. Yet instead of the headstrong approach, she took a more slow, careful approach.
Since, father announced that they were no longer 'hiding', she was going to be approached by people faking their sympathies, not that she needed any. She needed to be able to take it slow and be able to fake a smile and pretend everything that was okay.
She remembered mother's words, that she had to fake kindness and be cruel when she needed to. She was strong. Even if, she wasn't always wise with that power, she will be now. Nobody will ever take advantage of her ever again. Gale was able to fake that empathy to her, then no doubt everyone was going to fake that to her.
Father had always warned her that people were jealous of them and would lie and cheat to take advantage of her. She finally learned that lesson… at too great a cost. The scars will make sure she never forgets that lesson.
"Weiss?" Winter entered her room quietly. "It's almost time."
"I know." That was all she could managed to say. Winter walked up to Weiss and gave her her a small hug from behind.
"It's okay." It was a statement to reassure the both of them. Eventually Winter broke away the hug and left Weiss all alone once more. She didn't deserve that. She clenched her fist. Maybe… one day… she can have another nice, quiet day drinking tea on the balcony.
But not today, not for a long time. She had a duty to uphold. She held out her fist and opened it. A small glyph formed in the palm of her hand, rotating slowly.
Maybe one day…
He sat there in the empty ballroom. He took out a small photo and looked at it fondly. It was a picture of a happy time. It was when he shared his first dance with Willow. They had many rough bumps in their relationship, some worse than others, but he loved her. Even if they sort of hated each other's guts when they first met.
But after that, they had many happy memories together. But… there won't be any more happy memories with her. He felt a small tear fall off his face and onto the picture. He quickly put the picture back into his pocket, he couldn't appear weak in front of everyone. He walked slowly out of the ballroom and into the empty halls. The funeral was starting soon. He couldn't appear like a sobbing mess, no matter how much he wanted to.
He had to lock away those emotions… for now. He had to be strong… not just for him… but for the rest of his family. He had to be strong. Especially for the coming days, his plan of retribution would be swift. He had to strike as soon as possible… even if it's just under a week, he would be hosting a fundraiser here, pretending everything was okay.
And it won't just be him, it would be his daughters undergoing a facade of peace and happiness. He had to uphold Willow's final words. He would be strong enough to protect his daughters. No one would dare strike against his family again after his plan at the fundraiser he had set up. He would protect his family and strike down his enemies.
The funeral went by relatively quick. She just sat there, as time seemed to speed on by. People left her alone as she sat there in silence. It all seemed so unreal. Mother was gone forever. And she was alone with father and her sister.
While, she wasn't completely alone, there was still a certain sense of emptiness that came… after mother's death. She spent most of her time with mother rather than father. Yet the wound hurts equally for all of them.
She originally didn't like mother moving back in with father, even though before it was just 'giving each other space'. But she got to see her little sister again, and father kept his boundaries, it was nice. Yet… now it was gone and now she found herself going to father. They both loved mother, and it hurt all the same.
Father was no longer someone she despised, but someone she found herself going to. She may not agree with his decisions, but she now followed them again. Deep down, she didn't want to lose him too, she didn't want to lose anyone else.
She glanced over to her sister. She had an emotionless look on her face. It was eerie enough that half of her face was covered because of the scars, but the uncovered half had an empty look on her face. Her little sister shouldn't be like that, yet… that was just how it is. She wished she could be like her little sister, able to lock it all away.
Or be like her father and just radiate a cold sense of hatred. But her? She wanted to punch, to destroy something.
Ever since… mother… she found herself training more and more and having father's help in training her, it was all she could do to cope. She just wanted to lash out and hurt the monster who took mother away.
She sat there stewing in her hatred. She desperately wanted to remember the happy times, but this cold rage was all she could feel. Eventually the funeral was over and the very few people that came to attend went back inside the house.
Weiss stayed for a while with her, before even she left. It was just her in the back. She got up from her seat and went up to the grave.
'Willow Schnee' it read. And with the inscription, 'Loving mother and wife'. That couldn't even begin to describe how she was.
"Hey, mom." Talking to the empty grave gave her some comfort. She couldn't explain it. It was… just a stone… but what it was to her was indescribable.
"I want to you know that… we're coping the best way we can. We all miss you." She sat herself down next to the grave.
"It's funny, you know? We were doing so well with you… and then… you're gone. Yet… we're still trying to do good, in honor of you. We all want to make you proud. Hell, I'm trying to be better with father. And father is helping me train with my semblance… you know... to help me become the best huntress I can. But… I wish you were here. We all wish you were here, to see how well we're doing. Weiss even unlocked her semblance, so early too. You'd be proud of her."
She felt some tears coming out. "I… I… want you here. I wish I didn't feel so angry. I know you taught me to be better. But I feel so angry. I… I don't want to feel this way. I want to be happy. I want to be happy with my family, with you, with Weiss, even dad. But… that… animal took that away from us… from you… from Weiss… from dad. And… I'm scared… I don't know what to do! The only thing I can do is train. And when that's over, I can't hide the fact that you're gone. I wish… I had to the strength to handle this."
She rested her head on the tombstone and cried. There was a cold, gentle breeze passing by.
"Remember how…" She choked up on her words. "Remember how… you used to read fairy tales to me? And Weiss? Remember my favorite story? 'The First Huntsman'. How he was a hero that everyone aspired to be? How he led the charge against the forces of Grimm? I wanted to be like him. I wanted to be a legend like him. Remember how I promised to be like him? That 'Winter Schnee' would be as legendary a name as Monty Oum, the first huntsman himself."
Winter let out a sad chuckle. "Of course, that was a long time ago. But you never stopped me from chasing that dream. Even now, when I'm no longer a child with that sense of naivety, you still supported and encouraged me. Yet, fairy tales never prepared me for this. This… loss… But… I will still make you proud. I may not reach the level of the first huntsman himself, but..."
She got up and faced the grave. "I will do my best to make you proud."
She placed a hand on the grave.
"And don't worry about Weiss, I'll watch over her. I love you mom. And I miss you."
Next Chapter: Beauty and the Beast. Edited/Beta'd by /u/Spartacus400