Weiss.
She took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the ocean as the waves crashed into the cliffside, then nodded. "Obsidian. Was I the first to sleep tonight?"
No.
She blinked, and opened her mouth to ask a question.
The time has come to offer you a Dream, Weiss.
She watched the waves of the Dream Sea and considered that. "Like Ruby's Dream of Melchior, or Blake's Dream of Janus."
Yes.
"What made you offer now? Is it because of the mission to Atlas?"
No. To Dream, your connection to me must be deep. It is my Dream, and to understand it your mind must be close to my own.
"So, I had to accept you before this became possible, then?" She closed her eyes and considered that. "I suppose it makes sense that Blake and Ruby had their so long ago, then." Behind her eyes, she saw the empty vastness of space, as stars streaked across her vision. She imagined, once again, what it might be like to leave behind the world of your birth.
To know yourself to be the very last.
"Who would I be Dreaming of? I assume you have one in mind already."
Yes.
An image coalesced in the air before her. A young lady, dressed in white silk trimmed in gold, blonde hair in a loose ponytail. She smiled softly at whatever she was truly looking at.
Nadia. Princess of the Kingdom of Guardia, who fled her home and named herself Marle.
"Hm. A princess? Interesting choice." She considered it. "Ruby inherited the Guru's craftsmanship, and Blake inherited the prince's magical skill. What am I to inherit?"
Marle was a peerless healer. Of the heroes, Marle's skill with magic was surpassed only by Janus and Lucca. And, in her own element of ice, she surpassed even Janus.
Her eyebrows rose. "A healer? I thought spells were too advanced for our use, for now."
You have striven to improve your skill and control.
She took a deep breath...then nodded. "All right. What must I do, Obsidian?"
Close your eyes, and listen.
She did.
"I apologize, my lord. I lost sight of her for but a moment, and now she..." The wiry man wrung his hands, glancing through the doorway at the barracks.
"Be silent, Gareth. Let me speak to my daughter." The King heaved a sigh but once, then strode through the doorway with all the imperiousness he possessed.
There, in the barracks, his daughter flitted about the captain of the guard, questions flowing from her mouth without pause.
"So this is how it fires? Isn't it difficult to reload? You know, I heard one of the soldiers say this can punch through armor like its parchment! Is that true? Wow!"
"Nadia!" With long practice, he interrupted the flow of his daughter's questions.
"Father!" The little thing stood straight and spun to face him. "Why are you here?"
"You have distressed your tutor greatly, daughter."
"Nyeh..." She made a face. "But it's boring! I can't sit there all day and listen to -"
"Nadia, you are the princess of Guardia. These are things that you must learn."
"I know that..." She scuffed one of her feet against the floor. "But I just - I can't spend all day up in that room learning about old dead men, or my figures, or...my head feels as though it will explode! Please, father, let me do something fun! And, and, isn't it important that I know some martial skill? What if I'm one day accosted by ruffians, or, or-"
{Naturally, those things are important even for a princess.}
"Enough! Nadia, I know not where you've heard such tales, but..." At the look on his daughter's face, King Guardia the Twenty-Third sighed, his shoulders slumping. "...Nadia, I will permit you this one diversion." As she prepared to celebrate, he held up a hand. "If you devote yourself to your lessons and cease distressing your tutor, I will permit the guards to teach you about the crossbow for a short time each day. You will neither handle nor fire one until the captain has declared that it is safe, and if you come to harm..."
The captain cleared his throat, bowing his head. "I shall ensure her safety as if she were my own, my lord."
He nodded once. "Now, Nadia. Return to your studies so that the guard has time to prepare, and trouble your tutor no longer."
The small girl cheered, running over to hug him. He patted her shoulder once, then returned to his chambers.
The chancellor awaited him, after all, and there was much yet to do.
Much later...
Her eyes swept about, flicking from one colorful stall to the next with an insatiable curiosity. There were so many attractions, and games, and events at the Fair...she truly didn't know what to do first. She wanted to try everything, of course, but how was she to decide?
She should have plenty of time. The captain would assume her tutor had held her longer than usual, and her tutor would assume she was milking her time with the crossbow for all it was worth. By the time anyone realized she was gone, she'd already be back.
{She simply...left the castle? Their guards must be quite complacent...}
Smiling to herself, she turned the corner with a skip -
- and crashed into someone else, both of them tumbling to the ground with startled shouts. She scrambled for a moment, sliding slightly in the dusty courtyard, but eventually got to her knees and turned to the man (boy?) she'd accidentally collided with.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going at all!"
He merely shook his head, shaggy red hair sweeping from side to side. He smiled at her, reaching out with a hand to help her up. "I wasn't either. Too distracted by the Fair, I guess." She took his hand and he heaved her back to her feet. She reached down to brush the dirt from her clothing - "So, what's your name? I haven't seen you around before." - and momentarily froze.
Uh. Oh, crap, I didn't prepare for this at all! Er, okay, don't panic. Just gotta...give him a name, right?
"Uh, my name is...er, Marle! What's yours?"
Marle? I mean, uh, I guess it'll work.
"I'm Crono. Nice to meet you, Marle."
It actually sounds kind of nice when he says it. Huh.
She smiled at him. "So, I, uh..." Something tickled at her awareness, and she reached for her neck...and found something missing.
Specifically, the extremely-important pendant of the Guardian line that had been passed down for as long as anyone could remember. The pendant that she brought with her because she didn't have time to stash it anywhere and still sneak out of the castle. The pendant that was, probably, more valuable than her life. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no - "Oh no! I can't have lost it! No, no no no!" She dashed around the courtyard, zigzagging back and forth as she searched for it.
"Uh, hey, you okay...?" Crono's voice sounded behind her but she couldn't spare the time to answer him. Where is it where is it where is it? Oh, this is bad. This is so incredibly bad. I'm gonna have to cover for this somehow, aren't I? How am I going to explain - "Hey, is this yours? Doesn't really look like it belongs here." Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she nearly shrieked, spinning in place.
And there he was, holding out a shimmering gem on a thin silver chain. Her eyes widened and she reached out gingerly to take it from him, slipping the chain over her neck and tucking the pendant back into her shirt. She held a hand over it, almost afraid it would fall off again.
"Uh...I, um, thanks. It's...really important to me."
"No problem. You might want to be careful with it, though." He chuckled once. "Anyway, I'm gonna go see the sights. I know my friend has a display around here somewhere, although she told me I 'absolutely wasn't allowed to show up and crowd her until it was ready' so I guess I need to find something else to do..."
"I'll come with you!" The words were out before she thought about them, and he glanced at her curiously. "Uh, that is, if you'd be willing to show me around...I was having trouble deciding where to go first, so I'd appreciate having the decision out of my hands...?"
"Heh. I understand. I can see how the Fair might be kind of overwhelming...sure, come on. There's at least a couple events I wanted to see..."
He scratched the back of his neck and led her off into the crowds, and she couldn't help but smile.
Success! Nadi - er, Marle 1, world 0!
When they finally made their way to his friend Lucca's show and they explained the purpose of it, she was ecstatic. A teleporter? She, of course, was skeptical at first, but...watching Crono vanish and reappear a dozen feet away was... well, really cool! So of course she'd had to try it. She might never get an opportunity like that again, right?
As she stood there, and it powered up, she felt something warm on her chest. As she reached up to touch the spot of heat, she realized it was her pendant. It glowed faintly with a deep blue light, something that it had never done before, as far as she knew. Before she could say anything, though, they flipped the switch, and she felt something scraping across her body. It was like squeezing through a tunnel of rough fabric, every part of her body being ground by some force she couldn't identify. She couldn't see, couldn't smell, couldn't feel anything except the overwhelming sensation across her body -
- and then she tumbled to the ground for the second time in a day. This time, she found herself on a grassy hill, surrounded by trees. Uh, I don't recognize this place. Did something go wrong with the teleporter...?
Then she heard something growling, and something shuffled out of the brush nearby. Small, blue, and ugly, fangs bared and claws out...an imp? Wait, a blueimp? But there aren't any of those left on the continent anymore. Okay, Nadia, don't worry. You've got this...!
She reached for her crossbow, only to be interrupted as several men in armor burst from the trees and fell upon the imps. She blinked in confusion, and the moment of delay was enough for a man in a gilded helmet to close the distance to her, standing before her protectively.
"Your highness! You're safe! I cannot express how gladdened I am by this fortune...but, how came you to the mountains? Never mind; we shall speak of it once we've seen you safely back to the castle."
She licked her lips, confused. She recognized none of these knights, yet it seemed they recognized her... Okay. For now, we'll keep quiet and see where this goes...
It was impossible. Completely so. Yet, she couldn't find any other explanation for it.
The knights, the chancellor, even the king called her Leene. And she'd overheard him being introduced to someone as King Guardia...the Twenty-First. A man who'd ruled alongside Queen Leene...four hundred years ago. Her ancestors.
Either she was tangled up in the largest and most consistent crowd of lunatics she'd ever heard of...or, somehow, she'd ended up in the past. To top it off, she'd lost her pendant again.
Sure, that seemed like a minor point considering her current predicament, but...well...it was the last memento she had of her mother. It was important, damn it!
But, now she awaited the 'young red-haired lad' that had been recently spotted. And, if her suspicions were correct...the door opened, confirming it. Of course she recognized him.
"Hello, young sir," she tried to pitch her voice down slightly to play up the role. "I've heard much of your valor, and I...snrk...oh, I can't anymore. Crono, how did you get here?" She turned, smiling and trying not to burst into laughter or tears.
He blinked. "Marle? What did...?"
She explained, and he listened. When she was done, he nodded. "I see. Well, if I know Lucca at all, she'll find a way to get us back. Our best bet is probably to head to where we landed and see if she shows up. Uh...I'm not sure they're going to let me take the queen with me for a walk, though..."
She smiled, stepping forward and opening her mouth. Then, she froze.
Something was wrong. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, a deep anxiety that swept out of nowhere and consumed her. "I...Crono, something's wrong. I don't - I can't...!"
"Marle? Hey, what's going on?" He stepped forward, mouth still moving as he spoke, but she couldn't hear him anymore. The world was...fuzzy, like there were pieces of it missing or that she couldn't see.
{Wait, what is this? This doesn't feel right.}
Just before he reached her, she felt something shatter, and the world was gone. Or, maybe it was her that was gone?
It felt...cold. But, rather than the air around her being cold, it was like her bones had turned to ice beneath her skin. Like her heart poured frozen water through her veins, but wouldn't stop beating. She couldn't see - no, there was her hand. So she could see, but there was nothing around her but a dark, empty expanse.
Was this what death was like? Is this where her mother had gone, after...?
She tried everything she could. She ran, she screamed, she cried. Nothing changed. Finally she simply sat, knees hooked under her chin, and waited.
She was scared. And alone, and cold, and...and...
And yet, she knew that someone would come for her. Had it been the look in his eyes, as he watched her disappear? She wasn't sure, but some part of her couldn't even imagine him not coming for her.
Time passed, and she waited.
Time passed, and she waited.
Time (maybe) passed, and she waited.
(Maybe) time passed, and she (endlessly) waited.
{This is...horrifying...}
Finally, something changed. It was subtle, at first.
She was warm. Or, less cold, maybe. Her heart beat loudly in her ears, and she took a deep breath. How long had it been since she last breathed?
Then, between one blink and the next, she was back. The room was just as she'd left it, and he was just where she'd left him. She rushed forward, draping her arms around his neck and sobbing joyfully. "Crono...Crono, you saved me...! I was - it was dark, and, and cold, and I...I was so scared...!" She sniffled, rubbing her face against the collar of his tunic as he gently patted her on the back. "But I - I knew you'd save me. You really are...you really are a knight or something, you know?"
He chuckled. "Not much of one, I'm afraid. I met a knight today, and if I turn out anything like him...well, I'll be happy. But, Lucca deserves a lot of the credit here."
She blinked, looking to the side at the girl wearing large spectacles and a helmet covered in...somethings. The purple-headed girl smiled at her, then bowed deeply. "We're glad to see you safe, Princess Nadia."
"Princess...Na-oh. Um. You figured it out, I guess...? Hehe..." She stepped back, blushing as she rubbed her hair and turning away a moment later. "I...um, I'm sorry about lying. I just..."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him shrug. "I understand, I think." He smiled. "Would you prefer I kept calling you Marle?"
She blinked. "Um...yeah. Yeah, I think I would."
Lucca rolled her eyes.
Their return to the castle should have been a joyous occasion.
"Seize this cretin immediately! My boy, for kidnapping the princess I'll see you hang!" The chancellor was spitting angry, his white beard twitching with every word.
"What? No, no no no! He didn't kidnap me at all, he -"
"Nadia, I'm certain you were forced to act politely while in his custody, but do not fear. The court shall see justice done." Her father nodded sternly, eyeing Crono with scorn. "Now, come. You'll be kept safe from now on." As the guards gently guided her towards her room, she struggled.
To no avail.
{...A gilded cage, huh.}
Well, he'd been found not guilty. No surprise. What evidence would there be for a fabricated crime?
She was glad he'd be all right, but...her heart ached. The way things were going, she'd never see him again. She certainly wasn't going to get another chance to sneak out of the castle, not with the way the guards watched her like a hawk.
Let alone father...He barely can stand to look at me these days, it seems.
She heard a commotion and, puzzled, descended the stairs to the source of the shouting.
"Seize the criminal immediately!"
"He was found innocent, you waste of air!" Wait, that's Lucca's voice!
"Bribery and blackmail do not fool me, witch!" Wait, what the hell is the chancellor talking about? "Now seize them both!"
She turned the corner to find the guards swarming her two closest friends as the chancellor egged them on. As it looked for a moment that a fight would break out in the entrance hall of the castle, she couldn't take it anymore.
She took a deep breath -
"STOP THIS INSTANT!"
- And screamed. Immediately, the guards turned to her, some of them reflexively bowing. It took her a moment to get her breath back as she glared furiously at the men. "These are my friends! They were found innocent! What on earth is going on here!?"
"Your highness, I am simply concerned for your -"
"Don't! Don't be concerned for me! I don't need your concern now, and I never have! I'll have you -"
"Nadia!" Her father's voice cracked like a whip as he entered the hall. "What on earth on you doing? You cannot behave this way. You are Princess of the Kingdom of Guardia! If these are the manners you learned outside of the castle, then perhaps there is a good reason for you to remain here!"
Her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. "Father? What are you talking about? They're going to -"
"I have no doubt that the chancellor and the guards are doing exactly as they should. If there is doubts about the evidence, then they should certainly investigate, especially for so serious a crime."
"What!?" Lucca burst out, almost stepping forward until Crono grasped her shoulder. "They weren't investigating, they were going to-"
"Be silent, girl!" The chancellor's eyes were nearly bulging from his head.
"You-"
The guards stepped forward again, and she inhaled once again. "I told you to stop! In the name of the princess, you will -"
Her father gripped her hand tightly and yanked at her hand. "Enough! Belay that command! Guardsmen, take these two into custody. Nadia, you must cease this. I implore you to act with the decorum befitting your station!"
For a moment, her eyes flicked between her father and her two friends.
The moment stretched.
And snapped.
"No!" Before she could think, her hand whipped out across her father's face. He stepped back, eyes wide and a hand on his cheek.
She stepped back, almost tripping over the ridiculous dress she was wearing. With a snarl, she grabbed it near the clasp and pulled, feeling it tear as she whipped it from her body and tossed it to the ground. She'd always been more comfortable in the undersuit, regardless.
"Nadia, what -" Her father starded, his eyes confused.
"No! Call me Marle! What's the point of that name, of being princess, if it can't even help the people I care about!? Why won't you ever listen to me!?" She shook her head, blinking away the wetness of her eyes. "I can't - you..." She stomped her foot. "I hate it here! I hate this family, and I hate you!"
{...}
Her father reeled back as though struck, and she couldn't bear to look into his eyes any longer. She turned and raced down the steps.
The men crowding Crono and Lucca looked back and forth between her, the king, and the chancellor, as though unsure what they were meant to do. The captain stepped forward, his mouth opening to say something.
She shoved him bodily. "Out of my way!" She grabbed Crono and Lucca by the hands and kept running through the castle's gates. Behind her, the chancellor's yells echoed through the castle, and the guards began streaming forth from the gates, chasing after them.
It wasn't long until they found themselves deep in the forest, the terrain growing more and more difficult and the guards growing closer and closer. Then, something appeared.
A shimmering light, hovering in nowhere. It made her skin tingle.
"A Gate...? Here...?" Lucca adjusted her glasses.
Crono glanced behind them. "Can you open it?"
"What? We don't even know where - or when - it goes!"
Marle shook her head. "I don't care! Anywhere is better than this! Please, can we just..." She shook her head, unable to say more.
Lucca looked at her, then at Crono. "Grr...Fine, but if we end up somewhere we can't come back from..." She raised the Gate Key once more.
And, once more, they tunneled to another place.
"A working terminal...this is perfect." Lucca strode confidently up to the shining console and began tapping buttons.
Marle strode up next to her, watching with interest. "Huh, you can work this stuff...? So, what's the plan?"
Lucca adjusted her glasses while her other hand continued typing. "This place has all kinds of sensors, and most of them are still operational. If I calibrate them correctly, I should be able to run a search for temporal distortions...and then we'll hopefully have another way home. Aha!" The screen lit up with a bunch of symbols, then showed a map. "Proto Dome, huh? Looks like we found our Gate."
One of the buttons flashed. In fact, it had been flashing since they'd entered the room. She reached out towards it. "Huh. Hey, Lucca, what's this button...?"
She brushed against it, and even without being pressed something happened. The screen flickered, new symbols appearing.
"...1999 A.D? Almost a thousand years in our future..." Lucca mumbled. "'Visual Record of the Day of Lavos'...? What the hell..." Her eyes widened as the video began to play.
Marle stood and stared in rapt attention.
The earth cracked, and erupted. Fire spewed forth, spilling out onto the continent.
From the crater rose...something. An enormous shell, covered in spikes that ranged from thin to immense.
The front of the shell opened, revealing a single burning eye, and the creature screamed.
As Marle found herself stepping back in reflex, the spines began to detach and fly forth into the sky. Several seconds passed, and the thing screamed once more.
Then, the spines rained down from the heavens, and the world was awash in flame. A moment later and the screen flickered, first once and then a second time...and then it cut off, static lingering on the screen for several seconds before it stopped.
{That...was Lavos? Gods above...}
"No way...this is what happened to the world...?" Lucca looked pale, and her hands clutched at the terminal before her tightly.
"This can't...this can't be how the world ends, right? So...so sudden and-and pointless..." Marle felt weak, sinking to her knees as she stared at the blank screen before her. Crono stepped up next to her silently, laying one hand on her shoulder and one on Lucca's.
"What a future...hah." Lucca's laugh was empty and silent. Yet...
That's right. "That's right! We, we could-we could change it! This hasn't really happened yet, you know!?" She leapt back to her feet, grabbing Crono's wrist. "We can change this just like you did when you saved the real Leene! If we stop what happened there, then this future...it won't have ever happened!"
{Her very first instinct...}
Crono looked at her blankly for a moment, and then she could see the moment his determination settled. He took a deep breath and nodded at her.
As they turned to Lucca, she glanced between them. "So now we're going to fight against that?" She adjusted her glasses. "...I'll need to work on my weapon designs a bit, I suppose. I have some unfinished ones lying around somewhere..." She shook her head. "Well, I guess our first task is to find our way home. Then...we'll figure out how to get there."
Each of them nodded, and Marle felt her heart stop fluttering.
We can do this. No, we haveto do this. I can't let the world end this way.
"I'd like to...um, I know it's been a while, so I'm hoping things have calmed down. I'd like to visit the castle, if that's...okay with everyone?" Crono nodded, of course, and the others agreed.
But what she found wasn't what she'd expected.
"My father is on trial...!?"
The chancellor nodded sadly. "Yes. There was an ancient heirloom in the castle, and your ancestors wanted it exhibited in the Millennial Fair. Yet, we've seen not a trace of it. All the evidence...points to your father having sold it. While I understand his love for the kingdom and his need to fund it, such a thing is prohibited by law."
She shook her head. "No...there's no way my father would..."
He gently patted her shoulder. "Your father has always placed the kingdom first. I know you've suffered for it, same as your mother."
"My...my mother?" She blinked down at him.
"I shouldn't have spoken. Forgive me, your highness."
"No, tell me! What about my mother?"
The elderly man sighed. "When Queen Aliza fell ill after your birth...she begged to see the king. Just once more, before the end took her, you understand. But he...he was so busy, all the time. He just could never find the time." He shook his head sadly. "In the end...he never did make it there until it was too late."
She stepped back, hand over her mouth. "No...I..."
"I'm afraid the laws must be upheld, even for the royals, your highness. If only your father could prove his innocence...but the evidence is quite solid. Unless the Rainbow Shell remained in the castle, I can't see how anything could convince the court."
Marle glanced at Crono, and he simply nodded at her.
In the end, the rainbow shell had been hidden away, guarded by monsters. Marle was beginning to suspect that this was yet another attempt on the kingdom by one of its many enemies.
Yet, after overcoming one hurdle...
"What do you mean, I am barred from the court!?"
The guards looked at each other. "I'm sorry, your highness, but they are about to render the verdict and the Chancellor has ordered that none be allowed entry."
"But we have evidence proving my father's innocence!"
"I'm sorry, your highness, but...well, it being your father's trial, allowing you entry could be seen as a conflict of interest. So says the chancellor, and he knows the law far better than you or I."
She stomped her foot, she screamed and yelled, but nothing she did could convince them.
But as she stormed off, she considered something. You know...we didn't have this wing before we changed the timeline, but I remember a passage in this area. I wonder if it's still there...?
She took a breath, and motioned for Crono and Lucca. "Come on. I have an idea."
She'd had to secure her crossbow to her back, and they climbed up and up. The passage was a bit more...vertical than she remembered. It must have been expanded when they were constructing the window for the courtroom...aha!
There, halfway up the window, was a platform just large enough to stand on. They gathered there, and she gazed down through the stained glass.
"It appears that the votes are four guilty to one not guilty. As such, it is my deepest displeasure that I must render this verdict unto you, my liege. King Guardia the Twenty-Third, I find you -"
"STOP!" She leaped forward, crashing through the glass and tumbling to the courtroom floor, Crono landing just behind her and catching Lucca only a second later. "Stop this farce at once!"
"Nadia!?" Her father's face was filled with worry as she fell, replaced with concern and...something else as she landed.
"Your highness! How could you damage the kingdom's property so recklessly!? Not to mention disrupting such procedures! I -"
"Look! Look here!" She pulled a shard of the Shell from her pocket. "This is a piece of the Rainbow Shell! It's here, hidden away in the castle! Someone was hiding it!"
The judge looked startled, but leaned forth to examine it. "Hmhm. This does seem to match the description of the heirloom...I assume you could lead others to the Shell to prove your claim, princess?"
"Of course. It's not far. We could go right now!"
"...Hah. So close, and yet still so far." The chancellor's chuckle rung through the room like a hollow bell. As everyone turned to him, he sneered. "Will you accursed royals ever stop getting in my way!? Very well!" Marle felt a wave of magic as the form of the chancellor melted away, along with several of the guards. As panic began to fill the hall, she simply pulled forth her crossbow.
"I am Yakra, thirteenth of my name! I shall have my vengeance for the death of my ancestor! I'd hoped to hang you by your own, but if force is the only option...!" As the newly-revealed monstrous chancellor rushed towards the King, Marle snapped out.
Her hand rose, and with it rose a wall of ice. As the beast crashed against it, bouncing backwards, Crono surged forth with blade in hand. Marle stepped before her father, dissolving the wall and raising her crossbow.
"Nadia...?" His stunned voice gave her pause, and she glanced over her shoulder.
"Father, this is our specialty. We'll keep you safe; please, let us handle this."
Their gazes held for a long second, before her father shakily nodded, his eyes flicking back to the beast before them.
Marle sighted, and pulled the lever.
In the throne room, the King listened to their story with interest. Finally, he shook his head.
"I see. It seems you've become embroiled in something significant, my daughter." He sighed. "For your part in defending me and my daughter from harm, Crono, I shall declare you a knight of the realm from this day onward. If you require anything of me, I shall do all I can to aid you. As for you, dame Lucca -"
She shook her head, waving her hands before her, and the king paused. "No, no, thank you. I don't need any titles or anything."
The king considered that. "Well, if my understanding of your profession is correct, you may find yourself in need of supplies. Should that be the case, I implore you to speak to the royal quartermaster. I'm certain he can supply you with many useful items." Lucca pursed her lips, until Crono nudged her. Then she nodded.
"And, Nadia...no. Marle." Her father smiled at her, and for a moment her heart froze. "I...am sorry. I allowed many things to get in between us. There are too many things I must apologize for...so instead, I will say this.
"I am so very proud of the woman you've become. You remind me of your mother, when we were young." He inhaled deeply, then breathed out, his eyes far away. "Please, my daughter. If you must go, then go, but remember. You and yours will always be welcome here in your home, when you are ready to return."
She sniffled once. Then she rushed forward to bury her face in her father's shoulder.
He gently patted her back as he held her like he'd done many years ago.
Weiss' eyes opened to the bottom of the bed above her, blinking rapidly. Something was...oh.
She sniffed quietly and wiped her eyes.
I'm so very proud of you.
For a moment, she imagined Jacques Schnee saying those words, looking at her with those eyes.
She choked back a sob laugh.
And Ruby's head poked down, her hair dangling towards the floor. "Weiss?" Her partner blinked down at her. "You, uh...you okay?"
She sniffed as haughtily as she could manage. "Of course, Ruby. Just a dream."
"A bad dream? Or...an interesting one?"
She looked into those silver eyes, considering what to say. Finally, she shook her head. "The latter."
"Ah. Yeah, those can be kind of...intense." Her partner carefully swung down, landing on the mattress next to her with a soft thump. "You...want to talk about it?"
"Not particularly, Ruby. But thank you." She was content to leave it at that.
"Hey, Weiss?"
"Hmm?"
Ruby kicked her legs. "I wanted to say...um, well. I know that, for a while, I wasn't the best team leader. I didn't do a very good job of keeping us all together after, um...after Blake. And I, well." She licked her lips nervously, looking away. "I just wanted to say that...I noticed all the stuff you did. And, um, I appreciate it. So, thanks. You're a really great partner, and you would have made a great team leader. I wouldn't pick anyone else in Beacon."
Weiss glanced towards the window, biting her lip slightly. She...wasn't accustomed to things like this. What was she supposed to say to that? How was she supposed to...
...oh. Of course. How simple. "Thank you, Ruby. I...I've been meaning to tell you something, as well, but never found the time." She took a deep breath. "You have...improved a great deal, since we first met. I - no, what I meant to say is that you've become an excellent example of a leader. I cannot fathom being on a different team."
In the reflection of the window, she could see Ruby's shy smile. It wasn't the normal one when she was complimented, the one where she didn't think she deserved it.
It was...simpler. More genuine.
...
Maybe Jacques would never say those words. But, Jacques was not her only family.
She was more than just a Schnee.
Dream acquired! Lost & Found [Synergy Bonus: Weiss Schnee] - A princess from an ancient line, cast adrift through time by happenstance. Her disappearance began a chain of events that led to the death of your Progenitor, and indeed that girl was at the heart of those events. A heart unlimited, and a simple desire to spare others from suffering...those things together hold much power. [Increases Weiss' magical abilities and allows her to learn spells with reduced effort. Both you and Weiss have gained increased ability to communicate with others.]
Weiss has increased a skill! Ice Magic: C = B- - The ability to manipulate energy by will alone. At this level, can perform multiple simultaneous basic manipulations. Advanced elemental manipulations have become simpler in practice, and spells, once learned, are now viable for use in combat.
Weiss has acquired a trait! True Royal - Increases Weiss' ability to communicate with others, whether mortal or otherwise, and her ability to understand her own feelings. Wielding her magic causes less mental strain, allowing for more to be used without recharging. Additionally, all of Weiss' beneficial abilities are significantly more effective when used on allies, whether from her Semblance or her magic.