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 Reprise
"And that ends the story of Vio Tsepesh, Gin Barker, Album Ceades III, and Aima Komissa. The Maiden Hunters," the old man concluded. As he peered around the dusty room, he saw that the men at the table had been listening intently. Their dinner sat cold and forgotten on the large, wooden table in front of them, and they didn't seem to realize that the story had ended.
The old man turned back to the bar to return to his drink, and found that the large, somber bartender had been engrossed in the story as well. He was leaning on the half-polished counter with an old rag hanging limply in his right hand. The old man lifted his drink, finished it, and set the empty glass back down on the counter. The noise seemed to echo throughout the hall, waking the enchanted men.
"That can't be the end!" the blonde exclaimed when his wits had fully returned. "What happened to Album?"
"He killed himself you dolt!" the red-headed man signaled for the bartender to get him another drink.
"No he didn't," the dark-haired storyteller stated softly, "He was too selfish for that. He probably lived out the rest of his days looking for answers."
"He probably died trying to catch another maiden!" the fourth man chimed in.
"What do you think happened?" the blonde asked the bartender as he brought over enough whiskey for everyone at the table.
The large man stopped for a moment to think, before replying, "I think he slipped out without paying his bill while you lot were arguing." He calmly walked back to the bar and began to polish the rest of the scarred countertop. The other men started and looked around for the old man, but he was no longer in the inn.
Outside, the old man stood silently in the field. An ocean of tall grass ebbed in the breeze around him and the fireflies rivaled the stars. The horizon was nowhere in sight; he was surrounded by twinkling fairy lights. This frightened him. He wanted to run, but in what direction? There was no landmark on the earth or sky to follow. He was frozen in place.
"Al!" the old man turned. "Al, I've been looking for you!"
"Aima?" he asked tentatively. He squinted into the field and thought he could make out the shape of a girl walking towards him through the fireflies.
"Vio and Gin are here, too. They're not very happy." The figure was coming closer, and the old man thought he saw a glimmer of crimson hair.
"Vio is never happy," he replied, remembering the conversation they shared in this field so many years ago. "What do you want?" he asked as the shadow crept even closer.
Aima grabbed him and held a needle to his throat. "I want to dissect you," she replied cheerfully. The old man shivered; her hands were colder than ice. He tried to turn away, but he could not break free of the young girl's grip. She smiled wickedly as she lowered the needle to his chest, forced it through the muscle and skin, and guided it all of the way down to his waist. The last thing he saw was the girl soaked in his own blood.
The old man woke up with a shiver in the middle of the field. He searched the tall grass, but there was no sign that the girl, or anyone, had been there with him. He sat for a long time thinking about what he saw. He decided that it must have been a dream. Finally, he waded back through the tall grass towards the inn. He had had enough of fireflies for one lifetime.
A/N: Did I leave it with no explanations and even more questions? Yes, yes I did. It's almost like the ending to Season 4..Sorry. I realized that I do have a Christmas special I wrote for a contest a while ago (before I even wrote this story) involving Aima. I can't decide if I should add it now, or wait until Christmas rolls around. I guess I'll just see what happens.
Best, RC