Disclaimer: This story has been previously published as The Hunters of the Maidens on RWBY Amino. The cover art was done by I3blacksun, who has given me permission to post it here and can be found on RWBY Amino. I do not own anything borrowed from RWBY, such as the Winter Maiden or the concept of semblances. If I did, this wouldn't be 'fanfiction' but a real sideplot.
The Maiden Hunters: Fireflies
The girl stood in the center of a large field; an ocean of tall grass ebbing in the breeze. The stars twinkling in the sky reflected the firefly's glow. She could not tell where the earth ended and the sky began. This frightened her and made her want to run. But in what direction? There was no moon, no North Star for her to follow. This dilemma kept her frozen in the tide. If she ran, she would surely loose the earth and be set adrift in the starlight forever.
"Aima!" The girl turned and the spell was broken. A boy ran through the field to meet her, "Aima, we've been looking for you!"
"Al," she stated flatly, "I've been here the whole time. Relax."
"Vio and Gin are in the woods. Vio is not very happy," the young man replied, unfazed by her coldness. He was not very tall, nor very broad. While his peers tested their strength on the battle field, he stayed behind to read his books. This was evident in his pasty complexion and slender build, but his most striking feature was the shining, white hair that grazed his shoulders. The vivid cascade contrasted harshly with his stony, black eyes.
"Vio is never happy," the girl replied, turning back to the fireflies. "Let them wait."
Album answered by grabbing her around the waist and holding his scalpel to her throat. "If you don't want to go back, perhaps you'd prefer I dissect you here." His cold fingers grazed her jaw line, "A pretty face like yours, I wonder if you're pretty on the inside as well…"
She turned in his arms, allowing the scalpel to graze her pale neck. "Now that would make Vio very unhappy." She produced a needle and, faster than the frail boy could respond, thrusted it upward, stopping just a millimeter from his right eye. The girl smiled, "If you ever put your hands on me again, I'll take both eyes."
"That would make it rather hard to read, I suppose," Album responded, releasing her and raising his hands in surrender.
The girl rolled her eyes. And with that, she waded back through the tall grass towards the inn. She had had enough of fireflies for one evening.
A/N: I had a review from 'key' who was concerned that I didn't understand that the maidens are the 'good guys'. I do understand this, but I have a lot more fun writing from the perspective of the 'bad guys'. In fact, the four main characters of this story were inspired by historical/fictional villains. From this chapter, Album was inspired by Jack the Ripper and Aima was inspired by Elizabeth Bathory. Please feel free to leave a review with any comments and concerns you may have! I have pretty tough skin, so bring it on.
Best, RC