Chapter 11: Fear and Fairy Tales

The first rays of the morning sun fell on Raven's face, prodding her awake. She opened her eyes, still groggy with sleep. Her wits slowly returned to her, but as they did, she was confused by what she saw. She was looking at Team STRQ's dorm room like normal, but it was from the wrong perspective. That could only mean she hadn't spent the night in her own bed. However, that particular mystery quickly became irrelevant to her the moment she realized there was a pair of arms wrapped around her. Someone was holding her from behind.

For a second or two Raven made a real effort to remain calm and rational. Unfortunately, she failed. Panic hit her like a tidal wave. Someone was dangerously close to her, right where she couldn't see or reach them. She was trapped and at their mercy.

Not knowing what to do, Raven's eyes darted around the room as she desperately tried to find something, anything, that could get her out of this situation. She quickly spotted her sword which was leaning up against a wall over by her own bed, but unfortunately, that was on the other side of the room, far more than an arm's length away. If she tried to move she'd alert her captor. Her sword might as well have been on the moon for how useful it was to her at the moment. However, seeing the sword did send one coherent thought bubbling up through Raven's fear-soaked brain. The sword was the one that Summer had given her. It reminded her that the last thing she remembered about yesterday was getting into Summer's bed. Therefore, logically, it must be Summer who was holding her.

Ever so slowly, Raven turned her head so she could peer over her shoulder. She saw Summer behind her, still fast asleep and cuddled up close.

Raven lowered her head and desperately tried to get herself under control. She silently told herself over and over again that it was just Summer holding her. Summer wasn't a threat. Summer wasn't going to hurt her. Step by step Raven made herself believe that, and gradually, she did calm down.

Raven's breathing finally evened out, although her body was literally trembling. Unfortunately, she knew her calm wouldn't last long. She needed to act while she could. She steeled her nerves, then she forced herself to move. She swiftly pulled out of Summer's arms and practically leaped off the bed.

Summer let out a startled snort that Raven would've found cute if she'd been in a better frame of mind. Summer stirred and started to open her eyes. Raven, however, wasn't paying attention to Summer. She scrambled over to her sword and snatched it up, clutching it to her chest like a frightened child clinging to a stuffed animal.

Summer let out a sleepy yawn. Then she said, "Good morning, Raven."

Fortunately for Raven, her back was to Summer. That meant Summer couldn't see her holding her sword or see the frantic, frazzled look on her face. Raven focused every last bit of concentration she had on sounding calm when she responded, "Good morning to you too, Sunshine."

"I guess we spent the whole night together, huh?" Summer said.

Raven lowered her sword away from her chest and turned around. As she did so, she leaned her sword back up against the wall as casually and unnoticeably as she could. She said, "Yeah. We did."

"It was…nice," Summer said.

Now that Raven was looking at Summer, the source of her fear not one minute ago, she felt a great well of shame fill up inside of her. Summer, half-dressed with her hair a mess, looked nothing short of adorable. Raven had to wonder what it might have felt like to lay there in Summer's arms if she could've enjoyed the experience. It probably would've been wonderful. But she knew all too well that she couldn't put herself in such a vulnerable position. She had to be on her guard at all times. As sweet as Summer acted, Raven knew that everyone was only ever looking out for themselves. In the end, Summer wouldn't hesitate to betray her the moment it suited her purposes. It was just the way experience had taught Raven how people were.

Summer stretched. Then she got out of bed. She glanced around the room and said, "Hey! Where are Yang and Qrow?"

Raven hadn't even stopped to consider that there were supposed to be two more people in the room. She was retroactively grateful that neither Taiyang nor Qrow had been there to see her pathetic display.

Raven said to Summer, "I don't know. Where did they say they were going last night?"

"They didn't really," Summer said. "But Qrow mentioned…. Oh!"

"What?" Raven asked.

"Nothing," Summer said, blushing slightly. "Qrow just…. I guess those two are still out…experimenting."

Raven shook her head. She knew exactly what Summer was trying to say. She still couldn't believe that Qrow had finally found the gumption to actually act on his silly little crush.

Summer hastily said, "Maybe we shouldn't worry about them. It's time to start getting ready for class anyway!"

Summer started going about her morning routine, but Raven did not. Her eyes were following Summer as she flitted about the room. She felt lingering traces of her fear still echoing inside of her, and she began to wonder how she'd even ended up in such a situation in the first place. By necessity she was a light sleeper. She should've woken up the moment Summer had tried to hold her. This wasn't the first or even the second time Summer had managed to slip past her defenses. Raven knew she really needed to figure out how Summer was able to do that.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Both Raven's and Summer's heads turned to look.

A second knock quickly followed. Summer said, "Uh, I guess I'll get that."

Raven watched as Summer walked over to the door and opened it up. A scowl crossed Raven's face when she saw who was on the other side.

Summer said, "Oh! Hello."

Glynda Goodwitch was standing just outside in the hallway. She said, "Hello, Miss Rose. I'm here to deliver a message to Miss Branwen."

"Raven?" Summer said, turning to her partner. "It's for you."

Raven walked over to the door, still scowling.

"Miss Branwen," Glynda said with a respectful but somewhat forced nod.

"What do you want?" Raven tersely asked.

"Charming as always," Glynda said. "Miss Branwen, I'm here to inform you that Headmaster Ozpin would like to speak with you in his office after you finish with your classes today."

Raven's eyes narrowed suspiciously. She asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me," Glynda said. She couldn't quite disguise the disappointment in her voice.

"Maybe you haven't brownnosed him hard enough then," Raven said.

Summer sighed. She said, "Raven…."

Glynda pressed the bridge of her glasses up. She calmly said, "I've delivered my message. What you do with it now is up to you. Do have a pleasant day."

"Sure will," Raven said sarcastically. Then she shut the door in Glynda's face.

"Raven," Summer said. "If you keep treating Miss Goodwitch like that you two will never learn to tolerate each other."

"Probably not," Raven said. "Good thing I don't want to tolerate her."

"Getting along with her would be a lot easier than trying to antagonize her all the time," Summer said.

Raven didn't respond. She also didn't like how she felt a small pang of guilt at the disappointment in Summer's voice.

Summer asked, "So what do you think Ozpin wants?"

"I don't know," Raven said.

"I guess you're going to find out," Summer said.

"If I decide to show," Raven said.

"What? But why wouldn't you?" Summer asked.

"Why would I?" Raven countered.

"Because…" Summer said. Raven saw several reasons silently parade across Summer's face, but she didn't voice any of them. Raven wondered if Summer simply didn't want to argue with her, or if she'd finally figured out that the two of them had very different views on authority.

Raven said, "That creep has been stalking me since the moment I set foot on campus. I'm not going to just waltz into his office."

"Raven, that's ridiculous. The headmaster's not…. Uh…" Summer said. She sounded like she'd suddenly remembered something.

"He's not what?" Raven asked.

"Actually, Ozpin asked to see me a few weeks ago," Summer said.

"You? Why?" Raven asked.

"He warned me that someone might be after me," Summer said. "Although he didn't say anything about who, what, or why."

"Hmm," Raven said. She recalled the thug she'd spotted in the clothing store that Summer had taken her to. At the time she'd assumed he'd been after her, not Summer. Now she began to wonder if she'd been wrong.

Summer said, "Yeah. It's silly. But while I was there, he asked me about you. And Qrow too."

"What did he want to know?" Raven asked, her wariness growing.

"Not much," Summer said. "He just wanted to know what I thought about you."

That had not been what Raven had expected Summer to say. Almost reflexively, she asked, "What'd you tell him?"

"That you're strong. Competent," Summer said.

There was a pause. Then Raven said, "Keep going."

Summer's head bobbed up. She looked at Raven with a curious smile. Then her smile turned into a grin. She said, "Cunning. Beautiful."

Raven knew her conversation with Summer had veered wildly off course, but she couldn't help herself. She took a step closer to Summer and asked, "Beautiful how?"

Summer drifted closer to Raven as well. She said, "Captivating eyes. Gorgeous hair. Soft…lips."

Suddenly, Summer kissed Raven. It actually caught Raven by surprise, but she quickly kissed Summer back. Her eyes closed, and a fire started burning in her belly. Her hands clutched at Summer's arms and she held on tight. The thought entered her head that Qrow and Taiyang weren't around. She and Summer were alone.

Raven quickly made up her mind that she'd waited long enough. Today was the day she'd finally show Summer what it really meant to be with her. She'd finally get the satisfaction she'd been craving. However, no sooner had Raven made her decision then Summer pulled away.

Raven's hands were suddenly empty, and her lips were suddenly cold. She opened her eyes.

Summer was still standing there, smiling at Raven. She reached out and playfully tapped the tip of Raven's nose. She said, "And that's why you're going to go see Ozpin after class today. Because I think you're right. He is interested in you. And you're going to find out why."

Raven frowned and crossed her arms. She tapped her foot as she tried to figure out how to tell Summer no. But the only thing she ended up saying was an exasperated, "Fine."

The day's classes came and went, and soon Raven found herself riding up the elevator in Beacon's central clock tower on her way to Ozpin's office. However, she wasn't thinking about Ozpin at the moment; she was thinking about Summer.

Raven was starting to wonder if her decision to pursue Summer had been a mistake. It wasn't that she didn't want to be with Summer. To the contrary, she wanted to be with Summer far too much. The fact that she was actually going to see Ozpin was proof enough that Summer already had a disquieting amount of power over her. She wasn't even sure when or how that had happened. She had always been the one in control in a relationship. How had soft and mild-mannered Summer Rose managed to be anything other than her plaything? The worst part was that even if she'd wanted to walk away from Summer, she wasn't sure that she could at this point.

The elevator slowed, and Raven forced her concerns aside. She told herself that she was worrying over nothing. It would be silly for her to run from Summer at this point anyway. She was so close to getting what she wanted. Maybe once she and Summer had been together physically her feelings would finally sort themselves out.

The elevator's doors opened, and Raven stepped out into Ozpin's office. She was a little taken aback at how large the space was, but she tried not to show it.

Ozpin was sitting at his desk on the far side of the room, and Professor Port was standing there as well. Raven's suspicions grew. She wondered why Ozpin had felt the need to have the professor there with him. Was he going to be Ozpin's muscle if and when things went wrong?

"Ah! Miss Branwen," Ozpin said. He turned to Professor Port. "You'll have to excuse us, Peter. I have something I need to discuss with your student in private."

"Of course!" Professor Port said. "I trust my young charge isn't in trouble."

"No. Quite the opposite in fact," Ozpin said.

"Excellent! Then I shall take my leave," Professor Port said. He started walking away, nodding to Raven as he did so.

Raven's eyes briefly drifted over to the professor as he passed by. She was surprised that Ozpin had dismissed him. She had to wonder what kind of tricks Ozpin must have up his sleeve if he was comfortable being alone with her.

Raven stopped in front of Ozpin's desk. Ozpin sat there in silence until Professor Port had stepped into the elevator on the far side of the room.

Once the elevator's doors had closed, Ozpin said, "Now that we're alone. How has the day been treating you, Miss Branwen?"

"Cut to the chase," Raven said. "You've had your eye on me since day one. What do you want?"

"Straight to business then," Ozpin said, seemingly unfazed. "But I'm afraid you'll have to indulge me a moment longer. I have a question for you. And although it won't seem like it, I assure you it's relevant to why you're here."

"Go on," Raven said.

"Which would you rather believe is true?" Ozpin asked. "That the world is orderly, controlled, but by malevolent forces that only have their own interests at heart. Or that the world is callously random. That no one is in control except the vagaries of chance and probability."

"I don't have to believe anything," Raven said. "I already know how the world works. No one's in control, no matter how badly some people wish they were. That's why all that really matters is how much power you can carve out for yourself."

"Interesting," Ozpin said. "Perhaps you are ready to accept what I have to say."

"And what's that?" Raven asked.

"Quite simply that magic is real," Ozpin said.

Raven scoffed and rolled her eyes. She said, "I may not come from a fancy city, but I know how Dust works."

"I'm not referring to Dust," Ozpin said.

"I know how semblances work too," Raven said.

"I'm not referring to semblances either," Ozpin said. He leaned forward. His expression remained placid, and yet it seemed to take on a sinister edge. "I'm talking about magic."

Raven ordinarily would've dismissed what Ozpin was saying out of hand. However, Ozpin's presence had suddenly seemed to fill the cavernous room, and his words hung heavy in the air with the weight of truth. For just a second or two, Raven believed him.

Ozpin leaned back, and the tense atmosphere relaxed around him. He said, "Have you ever wondered why semblances are called such? It's a rather descriptive name. They are indeed mere semblances of what magic once was. Dust as well. It's the last remaining ashes from the crucible of magic that once suffused the entire world. Our world. Our remnant of what once was."

"Okay…" Raven cautiously said. She was starting to worry that she was standing in a room with a madman. But she had to admit that her curiosity was piqued. She didn't see how Ozpin could convince her that the nonsense he was spewing was true, but maybe it would be best to humor him for now.

Raven said, "Magic is real then. So what?"

Ozpin smiled. He asked, "So what if it could be yours?"

Raven's only response was to shuffle her feet. She simultaneously did and didn't like where this was going.

Ozpin continued, "I asked to see you today because I wish to offer you power. Power that you will never be able to 'carve out' for yourself, no matter how hard you try. Power that cannot be bought, borrowed, or stolen. It can only be given. By me."

Raven was dead silent. Ozpin couldn't be serious, but if this was a joke she couldn't see how.

Ozpin said, "Come now, Miss Branwen. Don't be coy. We both know you're ultimately going to accept my proposition."

"You don't know me," Raven snapped.

"Very true. I don't know you," Ozpin admitted, which pleasantly surprised Raven. However, Ozpin immediately threw away any esteem he'd just earned when he said, "But I've been around for a very long time, and people aren't nearly as unique as most would like to think. Broad patterns are easy to observe and predict. Which is a very long-winded way of saying, I know your type."

Raven sneered, and her teeth ground together in anger. Unfortunately, Ozpin hadn't been wrong about one thing. If his offer was genuine—and that was a big if—Raven couldn't afford to let it pass her by. But that didn't mean she was going to be a fool about it. She asked, "What's the catch?"

"The catch," Ozpin echoed. "First of all, you should know that if I were to give you this power I would require you to perform missions for me from time to time. They will not be safe. But your newfound ability will avail you well for what I have in mind. I'm confident you'll be able to handle yourself."

"Funny," Raven said. "That sounds an awful lot like this power of yours can be bought after all."

"Hmm!" Ozpin said in an amused tone. "That is a valid way to look at it."

Raven sighed. She was still convinced this was some kind of elaborate prank. But if it was, she didn't see what Ozpin got out of it. Conversely, if he really did have power to grant her then his motives were clear. He wanted a mercenary to do his dirty work for him. But more importantly for Raven, if his offer was real then it was the key to her entire future. There was no way her father would be able to stop her from seizing control of the Branwen Tribe if she had literal magic on her side, and no one else would be able to challenge her either.

"Fine," Raven said to Ozpin. "I—"

"Before you make an uninformed decision," Ozpin interrupted. "We haven't discussed the catch yet."

"Yes we have," Raven said. "You want me to be your little errand girl."

"That is the price, as you put it, not the catch," Ozpin said, "The catch is that I must give this power to both you and your brother."

Ozpin might as well have thrown a bucket of cold water in Raven's face. Her dreams of unrivaled dominance over the Branwen Tribe practically evaporated before her eyes. If Qrow was just as powerful as her then the threat that he might try to challenge her one day would always be lingering over her head. It was true that he was feckless and spineless. But that might change someday. Raven couldn't think of a more humiliating fate than to achieve everything she'd ever wanted, only to be knocked off her throne by Qrow of all people.

Raven's doubts echoed inside of her, but they suddenly hardened into resolve. She didn't know what kind of sick game Ozpin was playing, but she'd had enough of it. Today might turn out to be the most important day of her entire life, and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure it went her way. She said, "Forget my brother. He'll just be a liability anyway. I can handle your missions on my own."

"You misunderstand," Ozpin said. "I don't have a choice in this matter. Even if you begged, bribed, or threatened me, I can only give this power to both of you or neither of you."

"Why?" Raven asked.

"For the same reason I can even give you the power in the first place," Ozpin said. "Because of your names."

Raven was absolutely speechless. The words Ozpin had just uttered might have been the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.

Ozpin said, "And now we circle around to the question I asked you at the beginning of our conversation. Magic is unthinkably powerful, but it is capricious, maliciously so at times. Like physics, it follows certain rules, but unlike physics, those rules can change at any time for any reason according to nothing more than magic's own whims. The only consistency is inconsistency."

"Are you saying that magic is alive?" Raven asked.

"Certainly not," Ozpin said. "But, like fire, it exhibits properties that humans find easy to anthropomorphize."

Raven's head was spinning. She didn't know what to think or what to believe anymore. At this point Ozpin could have told her that up was down and she might have gone along with it if she thought it would get her what she wanted. But that was just it. She knew what she wanted. All she had to do, like always, was take it. Incontrovertible leverage over her father was worth the possibility that she'd have to deal with Qrow someday.

"Fine. I accept," Raven said bitterly. "I assume you need Qrow to be here when you wave your magic wand."

"You both must be present, yes," Ozpin said.

"Then I'll be back with my brother," Raven said. "And you'd better deliver. Or you'll find out the hard way why you don't want to cross me."

"Miss Branwen…" Ozpin said. "Threats are unnecessary and unbecoming of you."

Raven had already stopped listening to Ozpin. She was stomping toward the elevator. The only thought in her head was that she needed to find Qrow. Her future was sitting right in front of her, tantalizingly close, and she intended to seize it with both hands.

Author's Note: Raven's sure taking to being in a genuine relationship like a vampire takes to sunlight. I think you're underestimating Summer, Raven. The longer you do that the worse/better it will get for you.

Boy, Ozpin is saying some crazy things, huh? I'm sure none of it is true.

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.