Weiss was no stranger to danger. As a member of the ruling dynasty of Atlas-Vale she'd grown up with her fair share of it, whether that be from the more immediate form of danger posed by assassins and the less immediate but not less dangerous form of treacherous allies, sycophants and friends. She'd grown used to peril, and perhaps that had been what had blinded her so completely to what was brewing right underneath her nose in her very own court in her very own home.

She should have known better. She should have known what would happen if the truth of what she'd done ever came out. She knew she deserved the hatred of her subjects, deserved their vilification of her character and the unreserved revulsion one should show to a monster who had killed hundreds, thousands and maybe even hundreds of thousands.

She had destroyed her own kingdom, one she'd sworn to protect. She had allowed foreign enemies to seep their influence into her court, allowed the snake that was Alexander Nikos to play his games, make his bribes and sweet promise-lies to those with swayable minds and frayed morals. She had allowed him to win, to take her throne from her and her home from her and the lives of the few remaining men who were loyal to her from her. He'd taken everything apart from the clothes she wore and the utter hatred she bore for him and herself.

She'd grown used to the danger of being a ruler. Used to the danger of court. She'd forgotten what would happen if she lost, if she allowed herself to be outwitted and outplayed at the games she thought she was an expert at.

But the danger she was in now was a very strange and very new sort of danger.

From atop the dragon's ridged back she could see every corner of her kingdom. The grey specks of castles and forts and the sprawling, organized chaos of towns to the distant dots of villages and hamlets, the Solitas Road cutting through the land and connecting the distant settlements together. She could see mountains that now looked like mere hills, some capped with snow and others bare of anything other than grey rock. She could see rivers and streams that cut through the endless white of snow and ice to the north and east and she could see the craggy cliffs and ocean-battered shingle beaches to the west. She had to squint when looking forwards to the south, the wind and cold piercing her eyes too greatly for anything else, but she could still make out the sprawling hills and murky green flatlands and flood plains that led to the southern coast, which was much more open compared to it's counterparts to the east and west, the east littered with icebergs and glaciers and the west to stubborn and littered with sheer faced cliffs that would smash apart any ship that was unlucky enough to get too close.

It was a beautiful and strange sight, to see the world splayed out for her to see as if she was a bird or a dragon herself, able to see from the skies and feel the cold wind against her skin and the lands of the world so clear and defined. Maps did not do the beauty of the world justice.

Once upon a time she had travelled to the top of a mountain whilst visiting a local lord with her father when he embarked on one of his few royal progresses through the realm. It was a distant memory from a time when she was too young to remember clearly, but she did remember the sight of the lords lands spread out for all too see from the summit of the mountain, Klein having carried her to the top after she got too tired a quarter of the way up. That was the only thing comparable to what she saw now, and although the view was better the present lacked the same warmth the past had when she had Klein at her side.

She clutched onto one of the many spikes littering the spine of the dragon's back, the texture firm but weird. It had strange lines running up and down it, and it felt like touching the top of her teeth, sharp and jagged and strange. She held on despite her aversion to the feel of the spike, needing something to keep her grounded and secured as they soared effortlessly through the air, the wind howling and the light of the world gradually fading as the sun descended into distant west, painting the sky orange. There were no clouds in sight, but the further south they flew the closer they drew to dark clouds she could see brewing in the distance.

The dragon made a huffing noise that made her try and peer at its head, though she could not see it due to the frill that jutted out from the back of it's head, one that had short, dagger-like spikes around the edges of it. Now more than ever she wished she could talk with dragons, understand them at least. She would have gladly sacrificed her Maiden powers for that wonderful gift that could at least make her less scared. She'd still be terrified if the dragon sought to devour her at its lair, but she could at least come to terms with knowing it was about to happen.

It was obvious dragon's could feel and think. They wanted gold to hoard, and often sought tributes from villages and hamlets at the hinterlands of civilization and therefore more vulnerable to their predations than fortress were. These tributes varied, from baubles and trinkets to food and wine to cloths to worship, but the dragons demanded them all the same, though they all differed in their demands. They were jealously protective of their hoards and their lairs and the domains they gained tribute from. They attacked rarely, and often fought amongst themselves for territories and to steal another's hoard.

Ancient legends told of dragons kidnapping maidens and princesses, though the dragon's taste had changed over the centuries if the old tales had any truth to them. It was men who went missing in the dark of night or were swooped from village or town squares, though it was always hard to tell in the more subtle cases whether the man had been stolen by a dragon or murdered by his fellow man and was dead in some dark alley, obscuring just how many were taken every year. The last notable case had been of Taiyang Xiao-Long, though that had been because of the daring rescue initiated by his betrothed at the time and his higher status.

Dragon's were enigmatic but a fact of life. Most of what Weiss knew, of what anyone knew, was from conjecture, assumptions and guesswork. They just had no idea what dragons where and why they did the things they did.

So with Weiss knowing absolutely nothing about dragons, she had had absolutely no clue as to why it had saved her. Because for whatever reason, it had saved her. It had swooped in from the Snow Mountains and taken her away from the burning remains of Nördliche Burg. It had burned those that had tried to apprehend her and it had even tried killing Nikos, which was more than enough to make Weiss like the dragon by that one act alone.

But she had no clue why it did those things. She was utterly confused and lost, something that was not helped at all by the gaping hole in her chest that reminded her she had lost her home, her kingdom, her everything. The place she'd been raised in? Taken by Nikos. The home of her ancestors? Taken by Nikos. Her kingdom? Nikos. Her subjects? Nikos.

Nikos. Nikos. Nikos.

It all went back to him didn't it?

"Cinder!" Nikos cheered happily as he exited the tunnel alone. "It's been far too long, I take it Arc's been dealt with?"

A dragon attacked Nördliche Burg the night of the ball celebrating her eventual marriage to Nikos. A dragon had swooped in to save her from Nikos, a dragon that Nikos knew by name and had seemed to something to do with an Arc, presumably Jaune judging from the way Nikos had persecuted the boy she'd been raised with.

"Cinder." She murmured, and she yelped as the dragon stuttered in the air, quickly flapping its wings to stabilise its flight before it reared its head towards her, reptilian golden eyes wide with shock and swimming with curiosity. "That's your name isn't it? It's what Nikos called you."

The dragon growled, though whether that was because of the mention of Nikos or Weiss' familiarity with it she didn't know. It lurched suddenly and started to descend, the air whistling as the dragon glided lower and lower, the distant green and white becoming more defined and clear in the forms of trees and bushes and hills and boulders. It landed with a thud and Weiss gasped as she lurched forward from the momentum of it, slamming into the spike she'd been clinging to for dear life.

The dragon chuffed and jerked its head at her, the message clear. Her hands were clammy and her knees weak and her arms shook with fear and excitement and adrenaline as she slowly extricated herself from the dragons back carefully, not wanting to fall and hurt herself. The dragon huffed and nearly knocked her off in the process, making her give it a quick glare before speeding up the process so that she could touch firm, solid ground.

As soon as her foot brushed against the wet grass as dropped to her knees bonelessly as her legs gave out, give the ground a kiss before wiping her mouth after realising what she'd done. The dragon made another huffing noise, watching the entire time, and she realised with a start that it was laughing at her. She scrubbed away the last of the mud from her lips as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, a feel of pure mortification overwhelming everything else she felt up until that point.

If the dragon intended to kill her she would have died with dignity at least, but not anymore, not after what she just did.

A panicked sound startled her and she turned around as the dragon stalked past her on its four...legs? Or was it two arms it was crawling on as well as two legs? She didn't know, but the ground shook as it plodded past her and it's head disaperaed into the trees. Weiss pulled herself to her feet and hide behind it's hind leg, peering underneath it and through the trees and realising there was sheepfold on the other side of the trees. Her heart lurched as she heard the sheep baa in fear and the dragon opened it's maw with a low hissing sound, her eyes widening as flame suddenly gushed from its maw and into the sheepfold. She closed her eyes and dove behind it's hind leg as heat washed over her, the dying sounds of the terrified sheep ringing in her ears alongside the sound of rushing flame before she heard crunching noises that made her feel sick.

Eventually it turned around, knocking over a tree as well as Weiss onto the ground in the process. It had something in its jaws that it dropped onto her lap, and she balked at the sight of charred flesh on her lap. The dragon stared at her before nodding its head towards the burned meat on her lap, and she stared back at the dragon before her eyes fell back down to what was on her lap.

Then she curled over and her breakfast lurched out of her stomach and splattered against the ground.

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Her throat burned and her back was sore.

Those were the first things Weiss noticed when she woke up on the damp forest floor. That was the second thing she noticed. She wasn't in her bedroom at Nördliche Burg and she wasn't anywhere specific, no home or place. Just a forest somewhere in Atlas.

She rubbed her tired eyes and froze at the sight of the charred remains still on her lap. It was cool to touch now, the heat from the dragon fire having faded as the night progressed. She pushed the remains of the former sheep off of her and pushed herself to her feet, trying to avoid the patch of her own vomit and stepping away from the grisly sight that made her empty stomach churn.

She surveyed the area around her, noting the amber colouring of the leaves on the trees around her. It was well into autumn now, and soon they would fall. Winter would fall shortly after them.

Weiss tried to coax the powers of the Winter Maiden towards her, but they remained hidden and shrouded in the Abyss. She would need a potion and somewhere quiet to meditate if she was to find them and coax them back to her again. She sighed at the thought, staring at the morning sun that lazily peek through the treeline.

Where was the dragon?

Her eyes frantically darted around the forest as she tried to spot the dragon, but all she could see were the large prints left behind by its large, scaly feet and broken tree branches dangling from trees. Had it left her? Was it hungry? Had it eaten the shepherd who presumably cared for the sheep it had devoured last night?

As her panicked breathing quickened and she started to feel the gaping whole of utter loneliness start to overwhelm her she heard a gentle humming sound echoing through the trees. She swallowed her fear and panic and collected herself as best as she could, following the sound through the trees until it brought her to a small stream that trickled into a large pond. A woman was sat perched on a rock, humming to herself as she braided her dark hair.

"H-Hello?" Weiss asked, hating how weak and frightened she sounded. She was...had been a Queen, she should have had some backbone.

"Hello dear." The woman smiled, lowering her braid and turning to look at her. She had a heart-shaped face and pale skin that only brought out the golden colouring of her eyes. Her braided raven tresses fell to the top of her crimson dress that had golden trimmings and a short skirt. It looked both comfortable and warm, something Weiss envied along with the woman's beauty in that moment. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did." Weiss replied, before blinking. "You knew I was just sleeping on the forest floor?"

"If it was any consolation so did I." The woman shrugged, easy smile still on her face. "Did you not notice the markings on the ground? I saved you from Nikos and I kept you warm last night, so do not start to get snippy with me girl."

"Girl?!" Weiss blurted, frown on her face as she registered the woman's words. "What do you mean you kept me warm? And how do you about what happened at Nördliche Burg? The dragon flew far and I would not think the news of my usurpation would spread that quickly."

"Because I am the dragon." The woman replied, rolling her eyes as Weiss dropped her jaw in shock. "And you are a queen? Perfect. I need your help."

"I...I was." Weiss admitted reluctantly, her mind numb and not fully registering the woman's words. "Nikos deposed me when you saved me from Nördliche Burg. Wait...did you just say you're a dragon?"

"Yes." The woman replied, though her smile was gone and replaced with a frown. "You were overthrown by Nikos?"

"Yes." Weiss retorted. "What do you mean you're a dragon?"

"I don't have enough energy to both prove my words to be true and continue this conversation with you girl." The woman said with a shrug. "My name is Cinder, what is yours?"

"Weiss." Weiss said numbly.

"I would say it is nice to meet you but that would be a lie." Cinder said bluntly. "I needed you to protect my family, but you cannot do that with your magic alone."

"Your family?"

"Yes. Nikos has them hostage. That is why I obeyed when he ordered me to raze those human settlements. I apologise if any belonged to you."

"You...You attacked Nördliche Burg didn't you? The place you took me from, you were the dragon that attacked a few months ago."

"I was. Nikos wanted to boost his standing at your court by seeing me off. A silver-eyed demon saw to that however, so I was ordered to continue razing human settlements to destabilise your human kingdoms until he tasked me with hunting down some boy. Your magic saved the boy, I saw how powerful you were. You blanketed the land in snow and storms for as far as I could see. I returned to see to your...Nördliche Burg was it?"

"My home...my former home, yes." Weiss nodded, listening with rapt attention.

"I returned to Nördliche Burg to see if there was some way to ally you. But then Nikos returned and I held back out of fear he would see me and kill my family with that talisman of his. You froze it, do you remember?"

"I..." Weiss paused, thinking back to the hectic events that had occured yesterday. "Yes, I remember. The one with the purple smoke?"

"That was vile magic, likely lent to him by a far greater being." Cinder said. "Can you keep it frozen?"

"I can try." Weiss said, trying to focus on her Maiden powers. They remained shrouded and untouchable, but she could feel that they were still active. "It should be yes, but he could always toss it into a fire to melt the ice."

"Then I need to go." Cinder said, standing suddenly and brushing her skirt. "My family could be killed by that talisman. He has them guarded by mercenaries, and if I disobey him he will give them the order to kill them. Nikos...he doesn't intend for them to die quickly. I will not allow that."

"You can't leave me!" Weiss protested, standing with to face Cinder and feeling a flushed of shame at how desperate she sounded and felt. "I have no money, no food, nothing. My magic is still working, I know that much."

"Prove it." Cinder retorted, and Weiss crossed her arms.

"Prove you are really a dragon first." Weiss replied, earning growl from the woman. "I don't mean to insult you but you are asking me to trust you to believe what you say. I'm asking you to return the favour."

"Very well." Cinder conceded reluctantly. "But I do not know what you would suggest. I need to ensure the safety of my family from Nikos and his goons. If they die, I will have nothing, and it will be the world that will suffer for that, as would Nikos."

"That's perfectly understandable." Weiss soothed, though inside she was trembling at the thought of a grief-stricken, no, a grief-maddened dragon unleashing its fury on the world. Even if dragons weren't invulnerable nor immortal, it took a lot of damage to kill them unless there was a silver-eyed warrior on hand. Since that likely wouldn't be the case due to the rarity of said warriors, Cinder would probably be able to kill thousands of people before finally being taken down, whether that be at the hands of a dragon slayer of the Order of Drachentöter or one of those new ballista contraptions that were supposedly excellent at killing dragons, providing you aimed and struck true of course. "However it does not need to come to that. My magic remains active and Nikos cannot use his amulet. We cannot go back to Nördliche Burg as Nikos has an army protecting him and I remember those crossbow bolts hurting you yesterday."

"It was the silver-eyed witch." Cinder growled. "I'm still healing from her attack on me at your Nördliche Burg place."

"In Ruby's defense you were attacking us first." Weiss pointed out, earning a glare from the amber eyed woman.

"Not willingly." Cinder retorted, eyes narrowing at Weiss and frustration entering her tone. "We are getting off track. I want to see my family again and kill those bastards waiting to kill them. Why should I bring you along?"

"I don't want you to." Weiss replied, earning a sceptical eyebrow being raised from the woman. "I imagine you'd rather keep the location of your home and family more secret after what Nikos has done."

"You imagine correctly." Cinder admitted, shoulders relaxing as she realised Weiss didn't want to be adopted or anything like that. "What do you want from me then?"

"I want you to take me to Emerald Vale." Weiss replied after a moment's thought. She was tired, hungry and cold, but she was still sharp, and her mind had been slowly planning her next moves in the quiet moments where she kept herself busy so she didn't drown in reflecting on her constant failures. "My sister and her husband live there as the de facto rulers of Vale in my stead. They can take me in and help restore me to power. If you wish you could send your family to live with me at court. I would provide for them and have an army to protect them from anything attempted by Nikos. In the meantime you can hunt down Nikos and end him on both of our behalf. I could assist where I could, and whenever you want to see your family you would need to just stop by Emerald Vale in your travels. Would you say we could reach an accord on this?"

"Not now." Cinder said, after a moment of hesitation. "It sounds like a good offer, but I am hesitant to put so much trust in someone who currently has no power to fulfil her promises. What if your sister decides to push ahead with her own ambitions or that of her husband? I am also loath to the idea of leaving my family at the mercy of someone I do not know so soon after another human threatened them in order to gain my servitude."

"I know my sister and I know Ironwood, her husband." Weiss retorted calmly, projecting a certainty in her voice she did not know she truly had. "Take me to Emerald Vale, I can help you and you can kill Nikos so neither of us have to worry about him hurting us or those we care about anymore."

Cinder said nothing, and in the silence that stretched out between them the sound of the little streams constant trickling filled the air.

"Emerald Vale is the settlement with the numerous walls correct?" Cinder asked finally, and Weiss nodded earnestly, her hope shining through in the motion.

"Yes, three tiers and three walls protect the city." Weiss answered quickly. "You know of it?"

"I have seen it on occasion." Cinder admitted, before sighing heavily. "I do not know about the rest of your offer, but I will at least take you to Emerald Vale. I will decide there whether to accept the rest of your proposal depending on whether you can actually regain a semblance of your power. It will also be a good way of knowing whether your magic is truly working. If it isn't and I return to my lair to see my family butchered I will make sure you watch your sister burn in front you. Are we clear?"

"C-Crystal." Weiss replied, swallowing nervously. Cinder smirked and held her hand forward. It took Weiss a moment to realise what she was doing before she startled with realisation and shook the other woman's hand, sealing the deal and grateful it didn't involve some sort of blood pact.

"Perfect." Cinder purred, and for some reason Weiss felt like she'd just made a deal with the devil herself.