AN: Hello again! Here is the newest story in the Team Ozpin series. This one is more focused on Glynda to give her some proper character development and to flesh her out a bit more. The next story is when things will really begin to pick up and it won't be smooth sailing for these characters starting then. Read on and find out!
Three Years Ago…
*Glynda covered her eyes so that she couldn't see, but she didn't have two extra hands to drown out the terrible, nauseating noise. Her parents were being ripped apart by creatures of Grimm, and her sister Theodora was clinging tightly to her watching the whole thing unfold.
"Don't look Glynda, just keep your eyes covered," she cried out. Glynda did what she was told, though she was tempted to take a peek. The agonizing screams of her parents had been cut out of the rotting air instantly after just a few seconds, replaced by just the sounds of tearing flesh.
"Run with me Glynda, run!" Theodora urged, turning Glynda around and pushing her along. Glynda tried to keep her feet going as fast as she could but at the pace that Theodora was going, her bare feet ended up getting dragged from time to time. Needles of pain pierced through her feet at every drag. She grunted and wept, trying desperately to shake away the visuals in her head of her parents being torn apart.
"They're coming! Hurry!" Theodora shouted. Glynda felt her heart hammering out of her chest so hard it hurt and her hands trembled in terror. She could hear the howls of Beowolves close behind them. They really were coming in close.
Just then, Glynda heard a plasma bolt being fired, and a Beowolf yelped in pain. Glynda heard a body crash to the ground.
"Theodora, what's going on?" Glynda cried out.
"It's alright Glynda, you're safe now just keep holding onto me," Theodora replied. Glynda obeyed, clinging to Theodora as if she was her lifeline and letting go meant severing that line. There were more shouts and noises of gunfire and Beowolves howling. Finally, the noise died out and everything was still.
"It's okay now Glynda, uncover your eyes," Theodora whispered. Glynda uncovered her eyes and saw a young man coming towards her. Despite his young age, he had graying hair. He wore a green scarf around his neck with a little cross pinned to the front.
"Are you alright?" The young man asked. He held his hand out for Glynda to take. She took it. It felt warm and comforting. The warmth of his hand spread to her own hand and through her arm.
"She'll be fine. How can we ever repay you for saving our lives?" Theodora asked. The young man smirked.
"You don't have to repay me at all. Where are your parents?" He asked. Glynda's gaze fell, remembering the horrible fate of her parents. They were gone. There was nothing she can do about it now.
"They're gone. Creatures of Grimm got them," Theodora said. The young man frowned and cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry. Come with me back to my home, my parents can decide what to do with you," he said.
"You don't have to do that," Theodora replied. The young man smiled.
"Oh but I do. How else are you two going to survive?"
Theodora made it clear in her expression that she knew the young man made a good point. Where else were they supposed to go now? Without the proper resources to take care of themselves, they wouldn't survive for long.
"Can you at least tell me your name?" Glynda finally asked.
The young man looked down at her. "My name is Ozpin, and you are…?"
"Glynda," Glynda replied.
"Follow me, both of you," Ozpin said. When he turned to start heading back to his home, Theodora turned Glynda around so that she was facing her.
"I think we can trust this man, but whatever happens, stay with me okay?" She asked.
"Of course," Glynda replied.
"And why am I telling you this?" Theodora asked.
"Because we're sisters."
"And sisters…"
"Stay together," Glynda finished. It was a line that their parents had taught them to use if they ever ended up alone together without them. Theodora smiled in satisfaction.
"That's right. Now let's go."**
Present Day…
*Glynda opened her eyes to see Ozpin staring down at her. She blinked several times, testing if it was just an aftereffect from waking up from a dream. The image of Oz didn't go away.
"What? Is everything alright?" Glynda asked.
"Um," Oz stammered, "wanna go to the happy place?"
Glynda blinked again. "I thought I was normally the one that made that call."
Oz half-smiled. "I guess I'm changing the rules tonight."
Glynda chuckled and kicked the covers off of her. She normally kept the covers far over her while Oz kept them completely off of him. Oz's feelings of security were so easy going he didn't even consider having any blankets over him in bed.
"Why tonight?" Glynda asked.
"I can't sleep. Besides, I think tonight is an excellent opportunity for you to finally discover your Semblance," Oz replied with a winning grin at the end.**
*When Glynda and Oz got to the abandoned temple, Glynda noticed that James's stuff was no longer there in the main auditorium.
"Where's James's equipment?" She asked. She noticed Oz's expression darken.
"He's moving to Atlas soon to continue his work there," he said. Glynda felt her heart droop and her hand reached up and adjusted the glasses James had given her.
"What? He never told me this," she said.
"He probably didn't want to upset you," Oz replied with a dismissing shrug. Glynda decided she would talk to James later. Right now, she was on her way to discovering her Semblance.
"Its been a little while now and I still haven't found it, what makes you think I'll discover it tonight?" She asked.
"I just have a good feeling. It's hard for me to explain," Oz replied.
"Do you know something that I don't?" Glynda asked.
"I really don't Glynda, I'm just being optimistic," Ozpin admitted. Glynda appreciated Oz's enthusiasm. She wanted him to be confident in her and have faith in her. That was how she was going to get through these training sessions with faith. To her, if Oz couldn't believe in her, then neither could she.
"Do you remember what I told you the first night I taught you about Semblance?" Ozpin asked. Glynda thought back to that time, which wasn't very long ago.
"You told me it was a way to project my Aura in a more tangible form. It's an ability I have that almost personifies my Aura in a manner of speaking," Glynda said. Oz nodded with a smile.
"That's right. By training you in combat and using your Aura in battle, it's bringing you closer to discovering your Semblance. I have a feeling that you are going to use your Semblance without even knowing it at first," he said.
Glynda felt a bubbling sense of excitement rise up through her throat. Ozpin sounded genuinely confident that she was going to discover her Semblance tonight.
"Now, I think I know what you have to do. You've danced with me before, now fight me," Oz challenged, moving his foot across the ground to transition his posture into a defensive pose.
"You—you want me to fight you?" Glynda asked.
"You're making your first move, Glynda Goodwitch," Oz replied with a wide grin. Glynda flinched and set herself up into a pose of her own, with one foot behind the other and both of her fists raised in a defensive stance.
Glynda decided it was pointless to give Ozpin any heads-up. This was her moment to bring out her Semblance and impress Oz. With one last breath, she bolted after Ozpin and went for a side kick at Oz's face. Oz had both arms raised up to block her move. He grinned again. Not wanting to be ridiculed, Glynda dropped her leg and went for a spin kick when Ozpin let his arms down. Her foot crashed into Oz's throat and he stumbled backwards but made sure to quickly regain his balance. Glynda didn't waste a second to let Oz catch his breath. He would've wanted her to keep pushing. She ran after Ozpin and threw several punches, aiming for his torso, his shoulder, and his neck. Oz dodged them all, sometimes using his hands to push her fists aside and sometimes jolting his head back to avoid a punch in the nose. He was trying hard not to laugh the entire time, but Glynda noticed and it drove her harder and harder to keep trying to land another hit. Finally, Glynda threw another punch and Oz grabbed Glynda's wrist. Glynda gasped and tried to yank herself out of Oz's grip, but he managed to pull her along in a circle, let go of her, then leap and kick her in the head, knocking her off her feet. Glynda felt a bolt of pain rattle through her head, but it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would.
Glynda sat up and looked down at her arms. White light radiated through them, almost to the point of being blinding.
"Not as pleasant as dancing now is it?" Oz teased. Glynda smiled and pressed her hands together.
"I prefer dancing, yes," she replied. She could feel Oz's smile without even having to look at him behind her. She leaped up and whirled around, aiming three kicks at Ozpin's stomach, the third of which made its mark when Oz's arms got worn down from the first two kicks. Oz attempted to get closer to Glynda, but Glynda raised her hand and a purple circle of energy erupted from her palm. Oz bashed into it and was propelled backwards across the stage with a yelp.
Glynda watched in shock when Oz was tossed away like a discarded towel. She looked at her hand, turning it so that she can examine the back as well. Oz struggled to get back onto his feet. He looked at Glynda with something shiny in his eyes.
"I didn't tell you to stop," Oz said. Without any thought first, Glynda raised her hand again, and with her mind she summoned Ozpin's body to get thrusted towards her. Oz had no choice but to submit. His body was flung forward by an unseen force until he was hovering in front of Glynda at her mercy. With a fierce smile that even made Oz flinch, Glynda allowed Oz to fall into her grip so that her face was just several inches from his. She then turned completely in a one-eighty and slammed Ozpin into the ground, cracking the floor beneath him.
After a couple seconds, Ozpin got up and dusted himself off, wiping his legs and his shoulders as if what just happened was just a minor inconvenience.
"Sorry," Glynda said with an embarrassed grin. Oz smiled in return and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Well done, Glynda. I think you may have discovered your Semblance," he said. Glynda looked down at her hands, feeling excitement rushing up and down her throat like a running motor.
"Telekinesis," she said.
"Yes," Oz replied.
"You never told me what your Semblance is Ozpin," Glynda pointed out. Before Ozpin could respond, they both heard someone clapping from the other side of the room. They looked to see Theodora standing at the large doorway into the room.
"Well done sister! Well done!" Theodora shouted. Out of the corner of her eye, Glynda noticed Oz's face redden a little, not from anger, but from shyness.
"I saw everything. It was amazing!" Theodora ranted as she crossed the room. She climbed up onto the stage and bumped Ozpin aside to hug Glynda.
"I'm so proud of you, Glynda!" Theodora glowed. Glynda felt pride snag her and cling on. She did it. She now knew what she was capable of.
It had to be one of the happiest moments of her life. The only thing that was missing in this moment was James.**
*Early the next morning, Glynda found James loading up a ship with crates full of his own supplies.
"You're leaving?" Glynda asked. James stopped walking up the landing ramp and turned to look at her. His eyes were riddled with grief.
"It's for the best my dear. I'm so sorry," he said. Glynda could tell that he wanted to end the conversation right then and there, but Glynda wasn't done. She ran up the ramp and stopped him with her hand on his shoulder.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked.
"I'm moving to Atlas to set up shop there. Atlas has the resources I need in order to build an army. I can build an army that can be used to protect the rest of the kingdoms from invasion by evil forces," James explained.
"Military bravado? I thought you wanted to be a huntsman," Glynda pointed out.
"I do. And I promise I will become one, but my place isn't here," James replied. He looked down and shut his eyes. More pain eased into his facial features, making him look more like a young man quickly turning into an old one.
"Listen, I was going to ask you if you would like to come along, but Ozpin made it very clear he didn't want me to," he said. Glynda's hand slid off of James's shoulder as she heard this.
"What? Why would Ozpin not allow it?"
"He's attached to you Glynda. He can't bear the thought of letting you go."
"He's not my father. He has no authority over me," Glynda said.
"But who else do you consider to be your authority figure then?"
Glynda didn't even have to think about it. She already knew that there was no other. Ozpin did have authority over her, because she allowed that to happen. She did whatever he told her to do. But at the same time, even though that was so, Glynda knew Ozpin always made sure to do what was best for her, and of course there was the fact that he had helped her discover her Semblance.
"I discovered my Semblance last night," Glynda said instead of answering the question. James raised an eyebrow and a half-smile broke out.
"Really? Well done, Glynda. I knew you could do it," he said.
"I knew you had faith in me," Glynda commented. There was a short pause, followed by a huge sigh from James.
"You're staying here then," he said, not even having to ask. Glynda gravely nodded.
"Yes. I'm needed here. If you feel you have to go, then go, but I would love it if you stayed," Glynda said. James reached out and took Glynda's hand. Even with the gloves on, they felt warm and sent a tingling feeling through Glynda's chest.
"My place is in Atlas. Don't worry, you'll see me again," James promised.
"You're not gone forever, you just won't be here right now," Glynda assured him, though she was trying to assure herself more.
"That's right," James said. That was then it. James looked like he wanted to say more, but let go of Glynda's hand and continued up the ramp with his last crate.
"Everything all set, Darcy?" James asked the computer which was clipped on him as an earpiece.
"We're all set and ready to go sir," Darcy replied in a chipper tone.
"Excellent," James said. The door to the ship then closed and sealed itself up, leaving Glynda standing alone to watch the ship take off and disappear into the sky.
She adjusted her glasses, remembering that James had given them to her. Her glasses was the only thing from James that was left behind with her to remember him. She knew that James would come back to visit, but her thoughts acted as if he was gone forever. That made one of three people she cared about gone. She didn't know how she felt about the way Ozpin reacted to the idea of her leaving Vale, and Theodora was rarely seen at home anymore, making it difficult for Glynda to be able to reconnect with her. Somehow, James leaving made her feel alone.**
*Glynda looked Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck up and down as if they needed her opinion on their physique to make it into the team Ozpin was trying to form. They stood side by side in the large room with the stage in the abandoned temple. The temple was starting to feel a little more crowded, and less like the "happy place" that was reserved just for Oz and Glynda.
"Have you given any more thought to my offer, Peter?" Oz asked. Peter's posture nervously shifted as he slightly shook his head.
"My grandfather still needs a lot of work done with my help. I might be able to assist you when I have the time, but I can't be a full-time team player," he admitted. Oz nodded in understanding.
"Any time you're able to provide is fine. I understand that you're busy," he said. He turned to face Oobleck.
"And what about you Oobleck? Are you in, or out?" Oz asked.
"Well I typically spend most of my time hiking and studying as it is so I believe I can certainly have a little more action in my life. You're offering me an opportunity, an opportunity I cannot refuse," Oobleck replied. He adjusted his glasses with an approving grin.
"Wonderful. If we are to work together, our first task will be simple but important," Oz said. Glynda's ears pricked up to listen closer. This was obviously important, since she was agreeing to be a part of it.
"Once we feel ready and capable, we're going to take down Collus Torchwick," Oz explained. It was then at that moment that Glynda somewhat wished she had agreed to go with James to Atlas.**