Chapter 37: The Truth

"Clean the linens. Sweep the floors. Scrub the dishes. Shine the silver. Wash the clothes. Darn the socks. Draw my bath. Fetch my slippers. Fill my glass. Rub my feet.

I hope you know that your life is of no use, and the truth is that no one's ever loved you.

And no one ever, ever will."

Cinder sat silently, staring at the clouds. It was still, but cold. The sun had just barely made it over the horizon, turning the blackness into a grey morning, like so many before it. Cinder leaned harder on the short concrete wall that separated her from a three story plummet to the ground. The building she was on the roof of now was a few hundred feet from the house that they had been hiding out in. She had to just get away. To think. To understand.

Her thoughts could not help but travel to a time before all of this madness. Before Salem entirely. For fifteen years she was told she was unloved. Told she was useless. Told that, no matter what she did, no one would ever really care about her. Just how much of that was the truth?

Cinder felt a presence behind her. She soon could tell by the sound of the footsteps who it was, and she did not turn around to acknowledge them.

"Cinder?" Salem's voice said.

Cinder made no answer. She did not even move in Salem's direction.

"Cinder, please," Salem pleaded. "Please talk to me. You know you can always talk to me."

"Can I?" Cinder suddenly snapped, still not turning to face her. "It seems to me I'm not worth talking to."

Salem sighed, partially from annoyance and partially from regret. She moved over to Cinder's side, leaning against the stone wall with her. Cinder still would not turn to look at her.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to tell you," Salem said. "I hated keeping secrets from you. But I've seen too many Maidens be found by Ozma and have their lives ended. I… just could not bear it if you died too."

"To think," Cinder said, almost completely ignoring Salem's statement. "I was just one of many. That you didn't save me from that hotel because you saw a young girl suffering, but because I was just a means to your own end."

"Now hold on there just a moment, Cinder," Salem said, suddenly growing cross.

Cinder finally faced Salem, but did so by whirling around with an enraged expression and pointing her finger at Salem's face. "No! I want you to tell me! Was any of it real?"

Salem looked hurt and angry. "Was any of what real?" she said in frustration.

"Anything, from the moment you found me!" Cinder screamed. "The compliments, the affection, the kindness, any of it! Was it real? Or was it just because you needed to turn me into a fighter? Just because I was another fucking Maiden you had to deal with? Just because I was the reincarnation or host or whatever of your dead friend?!"

Salem's anger fell from her expression, replaced entirely by hurt and sadness. For the first time in her life, Cinder saw tears in Salem's eyes.

"You were the next Fall Maiden," Salem said quietly. "Yes, that's why I went looking for you. But what I found was so much more than 'just another Maiden'. More than just me trying to preserve my friends' legacy. I found someone who I truly believed was the future of Remnant. Someone that I could not fail, not this time. Yes, I've known many Maidens. Hundreds over the centuries, and I was close with a fair few of them. But none of them, none of them since the original four, have been family to me. I cared for almost every Maiden I came to know. But I had not loved until you."

Cinder lowered her finger, breathing heavily as she tried to calm down. She was still wearing an angry expression.

"You were never a burden," Salem continued. "I never viewed you as my responsibility just because of what power you had. I viewed you as my responsibility because you needed me, Maiden or not. I wanted to teach you what I knew not just because I thought it would keep you safe, but because I wanted to raise you right. And I kept the truth of your power from you so Ozma would not find you."

Cinder lowered her head, staring at the concrete beneath her boots.

"So you ask if any of it was real. Yes, all of it was real. Every hug, every compliment, every discipline, every worry, every story, every lie, and every truth was real. I viewed you as the daughter I never had. As the daughter I would have always wanted. But I failed you. I wasn't there when you needed me most. But I will always love you as my family…" Salem sighed and turned back the way she came. "…even if you don't feel the same." She began to walk away.

"Wait," Cinder said in a low voice. Salem paused, but did not turn back around. Cinder exhaled deeply. "I… I believe you. And… I'm sorry. This is just… so much to take in. So much that I still don't understand." Cinder began to tear up. Just as she wiped the tears from her eye, they came back stronger and she began to cry. She slowly sunk down and sat on the cold concrete, her back against the wall. She buried her head in her hands and wept quietly.

She felt a presence next to her, and glanced from between her fingers to see Salem sit down next to her. In that moment, Cinder forgot her frustrations and leaned on Salem's shoulder, crying into her dress.

"I know you're confused," Salem said. "I know you're upset, and I know you don't understand. So ask me. I may have kept secrets before, but now that I know what kind of hurt they can do, I won't keep any more. Ask me what you want to know. Ask me what to do. Because as long as I'm still breathing, I'll be here to help you."

Cinder sniffled, then rose her head up. She wiped away the salty tears from her red eye, and adjusted her eyepatch. She began taking deep breaths, calming down. Salem stayed quiet as she did so. They sat in silence for a few moments. Finally Cinder decided to speak.

"You said that the power of the Maidens is transferred," she said.

"Yes. Should a Maiden die, the power will transfer to the last eligible female in their memories."

"So…" Cinder asked, "Who gave their power to me?"

"Your mother, if I had to guess," Salem answered. "Your real mother, I mean. I did not know who the Fall Maiden was before you, I never met her. I don't think Ozma knew either. There was a point where the power of the Maidens was so dormant that even he and I could not sense it unless we were extremely close by. Whoever your mother was, she was thinking about you when she died. She must have really cared about you."

Cinder sat silent for another moment, reflecting.

Salem cocked her head. "Remember, you can ask me anything."

Cinder nodded. "I know. And I will. There's still so much I need to know. But right now…" Cinder finally felt comfortable with Salem again. She leaned back. "I just want to calm down."

"Of course," Salem replied.

"So much has happened," Cinder said. "I've seen so many horrible things. And my friends… I've lost them. Not just Roman and Neo. I'm not the leader you are, Salem. I thought I was doing the right thing. But it turns out that my big plan… all it did was help Ozpin. I've killed us all."

"No," Salem replied. "Ozma has not won yet. If he had everything he needed for his spell, he would have done it by now. Something is still holding him back. And that means we still have time. We can still stop him."

"How?" Cinder asked despondently.

"Well, for one thing," Salem said with a slight smile. "We have a Maiden on our side."

Cinder shrugged. "It's not like I know how to use my powers. Up until a few hours ago, I didn't even know I had powers."

"That's why I'll have to teach you," Salem replied. "Show you how to become a Fall Maiden." Her smile faded. "But I'll warn you that as soon as you start mastering your power, Ozma will be able to sense you. There's a good likelihood he'll come for you."

Cinder sighed and gazed up into the sky. "Well…" she began. She hesitated. "…I guess… I'll just have to be strong enough to kill him by the time he figures me out."

Salem's smile returned. "That's my girl."

Cinder could not help but smile back. "I'm sorry for saying those things to you. But the truth is… I really missed you… Mom."

Salem leaned in. "I missed you too, Cinder." Cinder wrapped her arms around Salem and hugged her, and Salem returned it. They sat on the cold concrete roof holding each other for what felt like hours. Neither of them wanted to let go.

Mercury lay on his back, hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. Cinder had run out on them and Salem had followed not long after. He wondered if they would ever come back.

Emerald was sat in a chair opposite him, contemplating. She thought of where she was, as her mind dwelled on her journey so far. She finally decided to speak.

"Hey, Merc?" she said.

"Yeah?" Mercury replied.

"You ever wonder why we're here?" Emerald asked.

Mercury sighed. "It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or are there really gods watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff? I don't know, Em, but it keeps me up at night."

There was silence. Emerald stared at him with confusion.

"What?" Emerald questioned. "I mean why we're here. In Vale. What led us here."

It was Mercury's turn to pause. "Oh," he finally muttered, "Uh… yeah."

Emerald cocked her head. "What was all that stuff about the gods?"

Mercury squirmed uncomfortably. "Uh… hmm? Nothing."

Emerald raised an eyebrow. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No," Mercury put bluntly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"But seriously though," Emerald said, trying to get back on subject, "Have you ever stopped to think of how we ended up here? How we got involved in all this?"

"All the time," Mercury said.

Emerald glanced at his legs. "You've never really gone into detail about your legs."

"I don't really like to," Mercury said. "But if you must know, I'll tell you. My dad was scum. Sent me to rob and mug while he stayed home drinking. It didn't matter that I was six. All that mattered was that I did what I was told. And when I was eighteen, I stopped doing what I was told. Turned my dagger on the old man instead of using it to rob families in alleyways. He didn't like that. He overpowered and beat me within an inch of my life, then took that dagger and mutilated my legs. Broke bones and cut them up so much that they were unusable, and tried to stab that dagger into my lower spine for good measure. When he was all finished, he dumped me onto the street and left me to bleed out.

"But I didn't die. I dragged myself, paralyzed in both my legs, down the streets of Vale begging for scraps. That is, until Salem found me. She took pity on me. She made sure I got the care I needed. They had to amputate both my legs, but she made sure the best prosthetics were used, and she added her own touches. Techniques that astounded the doctors." He chuckled slightly. "I guess now I know it was stuff she picked up over the centuries." He shook his head, still finding it hard to believe. "I stuck with her ever since. Honestly I didn't know or care what her cause was, I just know I owed her a debt. I met Cinder and Roman and Neo. Then you came along, and that was the group before everything went to shit." He turned his head and glanced at Emerald. "That's about it. You got a sob story too?"

Emerald nodded slowly. She glanced at the wall. "I was a thief too. In Mistral. My mother never wanted me, always tried to avoid me. My father loved me though. Tried to support me. Tried to provide. He taught me how to shoot; would take me to ranges to practice. Until one day, when I found out that members of the Wave Gang killed him for his wallet. I was left alone with my mother. She never did a thing for me. For all she cared, I could starve. So I was essentially on my own. I had to steal just to survive. Always stay one jump ahead. Either steal the food and clothes I needed, or steal what I could sell for enough money to get me food and shelter. I lived in homeless shelters and under bridges for years.

"Then one day, I tried stealing a shiny sword off of a young woman traveling with an older woman. They caught me. I figured they'd see to it my hands were chopped off with that shiny sword, but that's not what happened. They introduced themselves as Cinder and Salem. They brought me to a restaurant and paid for a meal. They asked me where I was staying and how I was living; questions no one had ever asked me before. When they heard I was sleeping in a cardboard box under an overpass, they asked if I would like to come with them to Vale until I found a way to support myself. I accepted."

"What made you stay?" Mercury asked.

Emerald chuckled. "Actually, you did."

Mercury sat up, supporting himself with one arm. "Huh?" he asked.

Emerald looked back at him. "Well, everyone contributed to the decision, but it was mostly seeing you healing. I don't think anyone aside from Salem and I knew how extensive your prosthetics were, but seeing you not only walking, but running and kicking and sparring, made me realize that, even though I wasn't physically hurt, I was emotionally. Mentally. And I guess seeing that you were able to heal with these people made me think maybe I could heal with them too. When I found out Salem was looking for fighters, and I already had some experience with guns, I jumped at the change to help. I wanted to do some good after sneaking away with other peoples' things for so long. And it just so happened I was with people who finally cared about me."

"Well," Mercury sighed, laying back down. "Sorry I led you into this mess."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Please. I'd be dealing with it anyway. And besides…" She blushed a little. "… there's no one I'd rather be going through all this with than you guys."

Mercury could not help but smile. The basement felt a bit less cold, but perhaps that was just the sudden warmth both of them were feeling. A strange kind of warmth.

There were footsteps. Mercury sat up and Emerald stood alert, but both settled when they saw Adam walking in with Cinder and Salem close behind.

"Found them," Adam stated.

"You get all that out of your system?" Mercury said to Cinder, ribbing her slightly.

Cinder took it well. "Yeah, I did, actually," she said. She clapped her hands together. "Now pay attention, people," she announced to the room. "We've got a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it."