"Ozma was the King of Vale!?" Ruby asked, blinking rapidly as she struggled to comprehend what she just heard. She had convinced Oscar to tell her more about Ozma's past lives to help distract her from the burning pain of her injuries, but she got more than she bargained for. "The Warrior King!? The King who fought here in Vacuo, ended the Great War and ushered in the modern era!? That King of Vale!?"
"Yeah," Oscar replied, rubbing the back of his head. "It was a shock for me, too. I grew up thinking the Warrior King was some kind of boogeyman, so it didn't really sit well with me when I found out that Oz was him."
"Boogeyman?" Ruby tilted her head. "He was a hero. Sure, he had to kill a lot of people, but he didn't allow any civilians to be hurt by his armies, and only joined the fight when he had no other choice."
"I know that," Oscar said, "at least, I do now. But Mistral has a different view of the Warrior King. They publicly acknowledge him as the victor of the Great War, but privately, everyone in Mistral hates him. They call him the "King of Widows" because of all the families who lost loved ones to his sword on that day."
"Huh," Ruby looked deep in thought. "I never thought of it that way. I always figured that since the King ended the war and brought about a time of peace, that everyone loved him."
"Let that be a lesson, Ruby," a voice said. "History is often open to interpretation."
Ruby and Oscar turned toward the doorway to see Glynda Goodwitch standing there, a slight smile on her normally stern face.
"Professor Goodwitch! Ow!" Ruby winced as she sat up too quickly and felt another wave of pain wash over her.
"I'm not your teacher anymore, Ruby," Glynda said, walking into the room. "You can call me Glynda."
"Okay... Glynda." Ruby giggled at how weird it felt calling her former teacher by her first name. "So what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were adjusting," Glynda answered. "Bartholomew told me that you were hurt after your first mission here."
Ruby winced again, but this time from something else. "He told my dad, didn't he?" Glynda nodded, and Ruby sighed. "I guess that means another month to my grounded time."
"From what I could tell, Tai's just glad you're okay. But I'd like to know what happened in that sandstorm. Bartholomew told me that you were trying to get General Blutstrom's Pepperbox, is that right?"
"Yeah, it's true," Ruby confirmed, and she and Oscar explained what happened when they found Nox, and the possible enchantment it had.
"I see," Glynda said, arms crossed. "So that pepperbox was enchanted in a way that made Blutstrom even more powerful and cruel than he already was. And it was likely Salem who gave him that power."
"Which means she had a hand in the Great War," Ruby said, nodding. "And that had me wondering, did she start the war in the first place?"
"I doubt that very much," Glynda assured her. "It's true that we have no idea who fired the first shot, but Ozpin was always certain that the war was inevitable, whether Salem interfered or not." She looked over at Ruby. "That was one of the many things Summer didn't buy."
Ruby immediately perked up at the mention of her mother's name. "What do you mean? Did Mom and Ozpin disagree a lot?"
"More times than I can count." Glynda admitted. "Summer always tried to see the best in everyone she met, and that clashed with Ozpin's more reserved attitude. In fact, I can still remember the last time he and I saw her." She looked down slightly. "It wasn't the kind of thing that you would want for a last memory."
"Tell me," Ruby said, leaning forward. "I need to know more about her."
Glynda looked Ruby in her eyes, then nodded.
Thirteen years ago...
The elevator doors slid open, and Summer Rose stomped into Ozpin's office, her face a mask of barely contained fury.
"Summer?" Qrow said, concerned. "You alright? You look like hammered-"
Summer shut Qrow up by beaning him between the eyes, then glared at Glynda, who took a step back. She then marched up to Ozpin's desk and slammed her hands down, staring daggers at the young headmaster.
"She sent another one after me," she growled. "I was ambushed on my way home! They were this close to finding out about my family!"
"Calm down, Summer," Ozpin said gently.
"I have no intention of calming down!" Summer shouted. "My daughters were in danger! I was almost exposed! How long are you going to sit at your desk while we do your dirty work!?"
"Summer!" Glynda snapped. "I understand that you're agitated, but-"
"Agitated? Agitated!? Glynda, I'm furious! I've been out there, fighting Salem's lackeys. I've been killing more people than Grimm these days! And I've been doing it all while trying to keep my spirits up for my little girls! I have to double check my hands before I play with Yang or hold Ruby, because I'm worried I might still have blood on them! Tai has to hold me while I sleep at night, because I'm always worried about the next assassin! And all this time, he's been doing nothing to prepare for the fight against Salem!"
Ozpin remained as calm as he could, given the circumstances. "What would you have me do?" He asked. "Even if I were to go along with your rash thinking, Salem's Palace is surrounded by more Grimm than you could possibly imagine. There's no reaching her without an army."
"Then we should be assembling one!" Summer replied.
"Right," Qrow said sarcastically, having recovered from her punch. "'Cause nothing says 'time of peace' like all four kingdoms building a gigantic army."
"Peace!? We're not in a time of peace, we're in a quiet time! Remnant's never gonna know real peace as long as Salem's in it, and the kingdoms need to learn that!"
"I've told you time and time again why we can't tell the truth to the world," Ozpin reminded her.
"And I still don't buy it!" Summer retorted. "Why do you think people are like that? People are smarter than that! People will listen!"
"You barely listened when he told you the truth," Glynda pointed out. "I understand that you're worried about your daughters' safety, but rushing headfirst into war with Salem won't make them any safer."
"Besides," Qrow added, "Tai's with them. Give the guy some credit, he can take care of them if anything happens."
"Qrow's right," Ozpin said. "And if the worst comes to pass and she finds out about your situation, we'll do everything in our power to protect your daughters. You have my-"
WHAM!!
Ozpin went silent when Summer buried her axe into his desk, jamming the mechanism held inside. The blade was still covered in blood from her recent fight.
"Salem won't stop unless we stop her," she growled. "I won't be able to sleep at night knowing I share this tiny, blue world with that monster."
"Yes, she needs to be stopped," Ozpin agreed. "But I can't risk innocent lives anymore than you can risk the lives of your children. I'm sorry."
For a moment, it seemed like that was enough to calm Summer down. But then she snarled angrily and wrenched her axe free.
"My daughters are at risk no matter what, Ozpin. Just like every child on Remnant as long as she's around. You were a parent in some of your lives, so I thought you'd understand that."
With that, she stormed out of the office, leaving Glynda bewildered and Qrow speechless.
"I do, Summer," Ozpin said to himself. "More than you could ever imagine."
Present day...
"The truth is, that was the last time I saw Summer," Glynda said sadly.
Ruby looked deep in thought after that story. She knew from what she saw in the Tree that her mother felt the weight of others' expectations on her shoulders, but she never realized just how much she felt it.
"I wish I knew where she went after that, Ruby, but-"
"I know where she went," Ruby interrupted, catching Glynda's attention. "She must have gone to Salem's Palace to face her down. When I met Salem, she told me that Mom had said the same things I told her. And after that..." she took a deep breath, then looked at Oscar. "You told her about the Hound, right."
Oscar nodded, then paused. His and Glynda's eyes both widened in realization.
"I still need to find out a few more things," Ruby continued, "but I think that Mom was the first person to become like the Hound."
Glynda sighed sadly. She had guessed that herself, but she didn't want to believe it.
"Hey, Ruby!"
Ruby jumped from the shout that came with a sudden knock on her door, then winced again from her wounds.
"Who's there?" She asked.
"It's Sun!" The voice answered. "Look, I know you're kinda hurt and all, but you gotta get to the amphitheater! Theodore just challenged Blake and Yang to a fight!"
"What!?" Ruby looked over at Glynda, who had her face in her hand.
"I should have seen that coming," Glynda sighed, then looked back at Ruby. "We'll talk more about Summer later. Right now, you need to get to the amphitheater and make sure your sister doesn't do anything stupid."
"Yeah, you're right. Oscar, do you think you can help me get there? I can walk, but it really hurts."
The Amphitheater of Shade was completely packed full of students, with all eyes locked on the combat floor. There, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long were standing side by side while staring down Theodore. The lanky yet muscular Headmaster was grinning like a madman, clearly eager for a chance to fight.
Ruby and Oscar carefully made their way through the crowd, with Ruby leaning on the boy for support. Sun Wukong was standing by the railing of one of the balconies, waving to get their attention. Once they made it to Sun's side, Ruby put her hands on the railing to support herself the best she could without putting too much strain on her wounds.
"Yikes!" Sun blurted out.
"I know, I know," Ruby replied irritably. "It's not bad, but it really hurts."
"I bet it does," Sun said, nodding. He then turned his attention to the three fighters in the arena.
"So, what do you think the odds are?" Ruby asked Oscar.
"None," Oscar answered honestly. "Theodore has honed his body, mind and Aura to near perfection. He could mop the floor with both Leo and James, and he was nearly equal to Ozpin. I've sparred with him myself, and I was barely able to land a hit on him. Those two don't stand a chance."
Blake was sweating frantically. She heard stories from Sun and Velvet about Theodore and how he fought. From what they told her, he didn't hold back at all, even when going up against students. She figured she and Yang were better than most of the students in Shade, but she didn't have high hopes against Theodore.
Yang, however, was feeling more confident. After everything she had been through, she didn't see how this lanky man could be any more difficult to handle than the Ace Ops. She was going to have him take back what he said about them and admit in public that he underestimated them.
Theodore scanned the crowd with his eyes, before settling on Ruby. "Good, she made it!" He chuckled. "Glad to see a little sandstorm won't keep her down!"
Yang blinked, then followed his gaze to see her sister, who was looking worried.
"What's she doing up?" Yang thought aloud. "She should be resting and healing right now!"
A sudden rush of air caused her to turn back, only to find Theodore's fist a mere inch away from her face.
"Distracted much?" The headmaster chuckled. He then pulled his hand away and jumped back to his previous position and beckoned the two forward.
Yang hesitated, now starting to understand why Theodore was the head of Shade Academy. But she remembered everything she accomplished up until now: driving off Hazel and the others at Haven, defeating Adam Taurus, besting the Ace Ops, surviving Salem and beating the Curious Cat. If they could do all that, they should be able to at least hold their own against Theodore.
Hold our own? I thought we could beat him! Don't let him get to you, Yang!
Shaking her thoughts out of her head, Yang launched herself at Theodore, opening up with a right hook aimed directly at his left cheek. But the youthful headmaster was far sharper than her, and all he had to do to avoid her fist was tilt his head ever so slightly backward. Undeterred, Yang pressed forward, throwing punch after punch. Theodore evaded every single one, before countering with a punch of his own to her stomach. The force of the punch felt like a freight train just hit Yang, knocking the air out of her lungs and throwing her back into a wall, impacting with enough force to crack the sandstone.
"What's the matter?" Theodore taunted. "Don't tell me that's your best! 'Cause if it is, then you're in WAY over your head!"
Yang jackknifed to her feet and forced herself to breathe again. Of course it wasn't her best—she was just trying to figure out just how strong Theodore really was. Now that she had something of a better idea, she got into a more defensive stance and looked over at Blake, who nodded.
"Right then," Theodore said, "my turn!" He moved faster than either of them could follow, appearing in front of Yang in less than a half second. Yang's eyes widened, and she instinctively ducked under his opening punch. His next uppercut barely grazed her chin, but it still caused her Aura to flare up in response. Yang then slipped past his third punch and countered with a left cross. Unfortunately, Theodore caught the punch with his free hand and threw the blonde over his shoulder. She landed hard next to Blake, who used the opening to rush the headmaster and slash at him with the sheath of Gambol Shroud. Theodore merely brought his right arm up to block the blade, then threw a left jab at her jaw. Blake slipped away from his fist with a Shadow clone, and rushed past him and yanked her right arm forward, which was holding her weapon's ribbon. This sent Yang—who was holding the other end of the ribbon—surging straight toward Theodore with her right arm cocked back and ready. She sent her fist forward at full strength, hoping to connect and send the headmaster flying. Instead, he countered with a punch of his own that sent shockwaves throughout the amphitheater, halting Yang's momentum entirely.
Ruby became more and more worried as the fight went on. She had already figured that those two didn't stand a chance, but it didn't even look like Theodore was trying. At that point, nothing should have pulled her attention away from the fight. But something—either a familiar feeling or an act of fate—caused her to look up at the rafters near the roof of the amphitheater. Her eyes widened at the familiar dark shape she saw.
"Come on!" Theodore shouted as he knocked Yang away with a haymaker to her left cheek. "Show me something better!" He then surged back at Blake and threw another punch at her. But this time, when Blake tried to evade with another clone, he ignored the image and hit her in her bridge of the nose, sending her flying as well. "You actually beat back Salem's forces at Haven?"
Yang got back up and rushed Theodore again, but when he threw another punch her way, she ducked and moved around him, circling the headmaster as if she was trying to tire him out. After several laps around him, she tanked a hit from him and used the momentum to jump away, grinning. Theodore blinked, then looked down to see multiple flashing sticky bombs that Yang had laid around him. Yang then detonated the bombs in an explosion that shook the ground.
"Whaddaya think of that, stringbean!?" Yang taunted proudly.
"Clever!" She heard above her, and she looked up to see Theodore hovering near the ceiling, the purple crystals on his gloves glowing. Pivoting in the air, he threw his fists backwards and unleashed a burst of gravity that propelled him directly at Yang, forcing her to bring her arms up in defense. "Clever won't be enough!" He shouted as he threw punch after punch at the blonde, who was desperately trying to block them.
"You fought the Ace Ops and won?" Theodore laughed as he whittled down Yang's defenses and pushed her to her knees. "You faced Salem and lived?"
Yang gritted her teeth as she put everything she had into just staying upright. Every single punch was like being hit by a speeding bullet train.
With a final blow, Theodore knocked Yang's arms aside and rammed his right fist into her left cheek. The blonde saw stars and her head was driven hard into the ground, digging a crater.
The headmaster scoffed. "I'm not impressed." He then turned to Blake, who glaring at him with all the courage she could muster. "Did you all make it this far on dumb luck and miracles? Do you think you can survive like that out in the desert? It doesn't work like that! Dumb luck only gets you so far, and miracles only happen once!"
He launched himself at Blake, appearing in front of the Huntress in a split second and ramming his left fist into her midriff before she could even react. The force of the punch sent the air rushing out of her lungs, and catapulted her towards the nearest wall. Before she could hit it, though, Theodore rushed to intercept and grabbed her by the throat, slamming her into the ground.
"This is what your luck and miracles get you out here," he said menacingly, cocking his free arm backwards to deliver one last punch.
"No... stop..." Yang muttered, her head spinning. She was too dazed to think clearly, and she began to think that the punch would kill Blake. "Please... don't..."
Theodore ignored Yang's pleas, and tensed the muscles in his arm as Blake struggled to break out of his grip. A memory suddenly flashed through Yang's head, when Blake had been stabbed by Adam, and her desperation boiled over.
"I SAID DON'T!!!"
Yang exploded in fury, her Semblance activating as her hair became alight with golden flames. She surged forward, blinded by anger, and put all her strength into a single titanic haymaker directly into Theodore's face.
It was the sloppiest punch she threw throughout the whole fight. It was predictable, telegraphed and should have been easily avoided by most competent fighters. But this time, Theodore didn't dodge—he stood up and let it hit him. The sheer force of the impact shook the entire amphitheater and pushed him back several yards, but he managed to keep his footing and righted himself to look back at Yang and grin.
"Now we're talking!" He shouted as Yang charged him again with an attack rush, causing Theodore to bring his arms up to guard against her. Blake seized the opportunity as her partner's last punch forced him back again and slashed at his back with both of her blades. Even in Yang's rage, she was able to coordinate with Blake and finally put Theodore on the defensive.
But it didn't last long. Right before the two could deliver their most powerful team attack, Theodore raised his right hand up high and brought it crashing into the ground, activating the gravity Dust in his glove to release a wave of force that threw them off balance. Taking advantage, he threw one last punch at Blake's cheek, depleting her Aura and knocking her down, before push kicking Yang onto her back.
"Heh, not bad," Theodore admitted. "I'd give you a six on a scale of ten. Not great, but not terrible either." He then cocked a hand back and hunched down as Yang got up, spent. "But against someone like me, at the rate you're going, you're gonna need another decade!"
Yang panted from exhaustion, completely beaten. She could tell that the next punch would knock her into next week, but she didn't have the strength to avoid it. Resigned to her fate, she put her hands in front of her head to block the attack as best she could.
Theodore grinned in admiration. "Gonna take it? You got guts." And he surged forward and sent his fist forward as hard as he could, aiming to bring her down beyond any shadow of a doubt.
THOOMM!!
The impact kicked up a large cloud of dust, obscuring what happened. For several seconds, Ruby dreaded what she thought she was going to see. She imagined her sister's face, bruised and bleeding and swollen beyond recognition, and her hair a complete mess. But when the dust cleared, everyone gasped in shock.
Yang was completely unharmed, but was just as stunned as everyone else, if not more so.
"You!" She breathed, her voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and anger.
Standing in front of her, holding Theodore's fist at bay with a long curved blade, was a woman who looked almost exactly like Yang, but with black hair and beet red eyes that were emitting a fire-like energy.
"Finally come outta hiding, huh?" Theodore chuckled, surprisingly unfazed. "I guess even you can't run forever, Raven."
A/N
Sorry the update took so long, everyone. I've been bogged down with work and decided to use a different method of writing that better suits my needs. I'm basically now writing whatever paragraphs pop into my head. I already know how the story is going to go, but because I have ADD and ASD, it's kinda hard to focus on one chapter at a time.
Also, I want everyone to know that I haven't abandoned any of my other fics. Now that I know this new method works, I'm going to work on them as well. So if you came here from some of my other works, rest assured that I'll get to them in time. Thank you all for your patience and support.