Glynda Goodwitch

"-It is strange, I think. I find myself unsure if I should trust in this decision. I have devoted my life to his work, as well as this cause. But now he asks something of me that I am unsure I can give. For the past century, all the effort I've put in, all that work... Yet I am simply a step along the road? A pawn, a footnote in someone else's efforts. I have to give my decision, and soon. But... I already know it does not matter. Whatever decision I make, it will be the one I'm expected to make. Whatever choice, whatever destiny... The World has already worked out what I will do. Glynda. If you are reading this... I wonder if you think I made the right decision."

Glynda often found herself reading this. It was the last of its kind, a note, an entry in a journal of sorts. One made by Scoria Goodwitch, her mentor, and her predecessor in both her position as Platinum High Wizard, and Ozma's right hand. Despite their shared name, they weren't related. 'Goodwitch' was just the name they took on when in this role, the one closest to Ozma. That day... Glynda still remembered it well. Hearing about her teacher's death... Feeling the Title brand onto her Soul... It was still painful to think about.

Everything that Scoria had done in her life, all the effort, it had only served to make Glynda who she was. That was what came with being so loyal to Ozma. You would do things based on The World's will, it would direct you, send you down a path to steer Remnant towards an ideal future. Glynda too, no doubt she had been influenced that way. Ever since Ozpin died, these twelve years without him, Glynda was forced to think about her life, about all the things she had done.

The people she loved, the foes she defeated, the memories she had of the people that were no longer with her... What was it all for? Would this truly be worth it, come the end? Was Summer's death part of the plan? Her daughter, the woman she raised... Her daughter, who she foolishly let help in their goal. How many of their lives had Glynda ruined just because Ozma told her to, even without her realising?

Summer, Tai, Raven, Qrow... The four of them, it was them that had been influenced the most. Even without realising, those four, they had such a large presence on the future. Without Glynda, would Ozma have even been able to influence them so? Would their lives be better? On some level, she knew that Raven and Qrow both despised her. Even if they knew that her actions hadn't been the fault of her own, even if they knew firsthand how convincing Ozma could be.

And now, without him, without his guidance... She felt lost. Like a dog waiting patiently for its master. Glynda was embarrassed with herself, ashamed. She was the Platinum High Wizard, she was the Platinum Dragon, yet here she sat... Waiting for him to come back and tell her what to do.

Surely, before that... There was something she could do? Some work, some goal she could strive for? She had already been influenced enough, The World had personally treated her through Ozpin; Glynda was primed and set on her ideal path. So, no matter what she did, it would be correct. Yet, even knowing that, it didn't alleviate any of the burden. Glynda hadn't been chosen as Scoria's successor because of her ability to make decisions, nor her strength... Scoria had been stronger than her by far. Only now that she was a Dragon would Glynda even think she could win against her mentor.

Placing the note aside, Glynda opened her own book. Her own notes.

"The current Dragons should prove more than enough to handle Salem's forces. The Rose Dragon especially is incredibly potent, leagues further than even the last one. Other standouts are The Dust Dragon, the Glass Dragon, and the Juggernaut Dragon. Those three possess hybrid Affinities, though it is unlikely that the Juggernaut Dragon will prove helpful to us. Her loyalty is to Atlas, and they are still a selfish kingdom.

I have high hopes for the Solar and Shade Dragons, their training in Reaper Mana is progressing steadily." Pausing her writing, Glynda took a moment to think. "It is unfortunate, but the Frost Dragon will likely be the weakest at our disposal. Her position as Queen takes priority, she scarcely trains in Ice Magic or Summoning. At the very least, her skill with a rapier is still unmatched. Her daughter... Another I have high hopes for. Her Title, it has only appeared once in history, so the details are scarce - though that is still more than most other Dragon Titles - but the Abyss Dragon is incredibly potent. Given time, she will no doubt be keeping up with her elder brother."

Ruby and Weiss had done well on that front, both of their children would be incredibly strong; Argus already was. Thinking about them like this, all of them... It was disheartening. Glynda needed to organise their power, keep track of it all, but talking about the people she cared about like they were simply numbers left a bad taste in her mouth. No doubt this was what Ozma had done, a trap he had fallen into as he chased that goal of his... In the thousands of years since he was with Salem, had he ever made a proper connection with anyone?

Glynda had tried, she had tried to talk to him, to become his friend... But it was all a moot effort. He didn't care, not really. When had it happened? A thousand years ago, a couple hundred? When did he stop trying to care? It was a terrifying thought, one made worse by the fact that Glynda knew it would be easy for she herself to become like that. She had only survived through what few friends she had, then, when they were gone, it was Summer. After Summer, she had no one... Not properly, anyway.

She had watched Ruby from afar, kept track of her, made sure she survived. Glynda wasn't stupid, she knew she wasn't the only one doing that, but it made her feel better to know firsthand that Summer's daughter was ok. Well... Mostly. Summer's death had hit Ruby hard; she had been so young then. Not long after, as well, she began her search for the Dragon Formula. It was necessary, Ozpin had told Glynda. That's why, no matter how much it looked like she was wasting away like that... Glynda hadn't interfered. In fact, she had done worse than that.

When someone else tried to interfere, she stopped it. At Ozpin's orders.

That had truly been the day that Raven began to hate her. Qrow at least kept his feelings hidden - or his own self-loathing overpowered his anger at her - Raven, on the other hand, kept herself from killing Glynda if only to prevent wasted effort. Even then, Glynda was sure that Raven never stopped watching Ruby. Never stopped looking for a chance to save her. No doubt that would have made Summer happy.

Maybe Glynda had done the right thing in stopping Raven, in making sure that Ruby kept on that path. After all, it led to her meeting Weiss, it led to the birth of her two children. But... It also led to her current fate. To what she was now. Glynda hadn't known it would happen, Ozma had never told her about Rose... But... She was terrified that if he had, she wouldn't have stopped it.

She didn't know herself enough, it was a horrifying thought. That cursed fate that her granddaughter had been subjected to, the fact that she wasn't sure if she would have stopped it given the chance kept her up at night. What would Weiss think? Or their kids? Or Ruby herself?

Or her daughter? What would Summer have thought about Glynda, knowing what her daughter was being subjected to.

Maybe this was why Ozma had stopped caring, why he had let himself continue on without connections with others... It was too difficult, trying to do what had to be done, while also loving those same people you had to manipulate.

Standing from her seat, Glynda glanced out the window of her study. She didn't often use her workshop, the workshop of the Royal Wizard... It wasn't really hers, to everyone, it was still Ruby's. Twelve years was a long time, but the signs of her influence were still all over that room. Glynda's own ability with Technical Magic was laughable anyway, there wasn't much point in going there. It was only really Argus that went in there to work. He had a double Silver Affinity, like Ruby, what he couldn't understand of her work was something he could learn given time.

Weiss no doubt went there too sometimes. Glynda herself had caught the queen drinking herself to sleep in there once. Before Ruby had left, Weiss had never been too much of a drinker... Nowadays, it was rare to not see her with a bottle at least once a day. On multiple occasions she had expressed her hate for that fact, after all, it made the queen feel like her mother. No doubt she didn't want to look like either of her parents. Still, they all needed their ways to cope. If denial and wine was Weiss' way, Glynda wouldn't stop her. Even if it wasn't healthy.

Walking to the window, her eyes gazed over the city blanketed by night. It was a calm evening, no clouds, a cool breeze flowing throughout the land. "I wonder... Can you feel this breeze too... Ruby...?" The answer was no, of course. Ruby didn't exist anymore; it was just Rose now.

"How many more people will I fail...?" Her whisper was carried away into the night by that same gentle breeze. "What would you have done in my position... Scoria...?" Glynda didn't know, she couldn't recall her mentor that well anymore. Even the last time they spoke, the last moments they shared, she couldn't summon those memories to her thoughts. It was a sad truth, but it didn't surprise her.

She could remember the last time she'd seen someone else, though. Someone more important than her mentor. In fact, the most important person in her life.


It had been a strange day, that one. Watching her go about her business, packing things up. All of it was rather... Strange. She didn't want to use a different word, knowing what her emotions would do to her if she began down that rabbit hole.

Still, the time came, and her precious daughter came back inside with a bright smile. "All done." Summer gave her that same sweet smile she always did. To everyone outside of both of them, Summer seemed to be the kindest person in all of Remnant. An innocent flower that had nothing to hide. Glynda knew better, of course, but even despite all of that, Summer was still as sweet as could be.

"Are you sure about this?" Nervous didn't even begin to describe how she felt. "I don't know if Patch is a good idea... Especially since-"

Shaking her head, Summer cut her off. "It's been long enough. Tai's been back in Patch for... what, twenty years now?" She smirked. "Forgive me if I want to go see him again." Despite being a human, Summer didn't age the same as everyone else. Even Glynda didn't fully understand it... It was something that Ozpin had shown her how to do directly, no doubt. Still, that had to be kept secret, which was why Summer had to remain in Vale when everyone else left for Patch. Tai and Raven's child, Yang, it would be better if she didn't know about any of this.

"Yang's all grown up now. To her, I'm sure I'll be like a little sister." Summer's eyes gleamed with a joyous entertainment at that fact. "I still remember seeing her the day she was born..." Her mood quickly changed to a calm melancholy. Yang's birth had made things... Difficult... Between Summer and the others. Things had always been strange, that was for sure, but now they were even weirder. "I hope I'll get to see Raven..."

"You know she can't stay with them." As painful as it was, it was easier for Yang this way. Raven had abandoned her, that was the story Tai and Qrow had told her. No doubt it killed them both to say it... Qrow especially; he must have felt so guilty. "Though, I'm sure she'll make time for you."

Summer and Raven had always been... Close. Well, those two and Tai. Glynda tried her best to not judge her daughter's decisions, but the first time she had met those two, Glynda knew immediately that they were both chasing Summer's affection... None of them had really expected her to return both of their feelings. It wasn't that Summer was a player... Rather... It was like she simply had too much love to share.

Maybe that was just Glynda trying to justify it to herself.

"Promise me you'll be safe." There likely wouldn't be a safer person on Remnant. Glynda couldn't imagine anything happening to Summer, not with two Harbingers always looking out for her. "I won't be there to protect you." Even if she aged weird, she was still a human.

Giving that same sweet smile again, Summer nodded. "Of course, I'll be safe. I promise, mother."


If she could go back, would she have made her stay? Even knowing all that would change, knowing Ruby would never be born, or her children... It didn't really matter, she supposed. If she tried to make her stay, Summer would want to know why... And Glynda wouldn't be able to make her stay if Summer knew about her future daughter.

Maybe it had been inevitable at that point, maybe nothing she could have done would have changed things. In the end, it didn't matter, Glynda still felt like she had failed her. But it wasn't just her, was it? The more she thought about Summer, about those days, the more she realised how much she had failed to tell Ruby and Yang. The both of them deserved the truth... The whole truth. But was there a point anymore? Ruby was gone... and Yang was doing her best to move on from all of it.

It would just be cruel of her to tell Yang now. After all, what would she even do with that information? Glynda wouldn't be telling her to make Yang feel better, she would be telling her to make herself feel better; so she could tell herself she did something right after all this time. But it was Raven and Qrow's decision at the end of the day. If they wanted to tell her, they would. "As if Qrow ever would..." The years burned by, and the more and more time passed, the more and more the Harbinger of Death lost himself to his guilt and self-loathing.

Now that she thought about it, none of them had responded to any of it well. Qrow was drowning himself in his despair and whatever drink he could get his hands on. Tai had run away to Patch, secluding himself and not wanting anything to do with The World anymore. And Raven... Well, Raven was the only one of them that still had a job to do, still had a task to uphold. It was just one she never wanted. One no one ever wanted to give to her.

One that was supposed to be Qrow's.

It was that day when everything began to go so wrong for all of them, that day when Ozpin proved that he was fine with lying to them despite their loyalty. He had lost three of them at once, only Qrow remained by his side. His loyal Harbinger of Death, desperately trying to chase that happy ending alongside him in order to right his wrongs.

Shaking her head, Glynda made her way back to her desk. Taking her seat once more, she glanced over the page before flicking to a new one.


Qrow Branwen

"Another..." His voice slurred as he raised his empty glass. The bartender looked on in annoyance, Qrow was laying his head on the bar, no doubt drooling over it as he awaited anther drink. Still, like clockwork, another drink was placed in front of the Harbinger. That was probably his favourite part of being the Harbinger of Death, no one ever refused to give him a drink. Well, no one smart, anyway.

"Not that I would hurt em anyway..." Qrow was still much to sober for his liking. As the seconds passed on, he started to actually get more and more sober. A sudden realisation struck him and he shot up in his stool, turning to his right with a scowl. "Really!?"

"Really." The woman now sitting next to him pulled her hand away, the Green light it had been flowing over his body vanishing. "You look like shit." She was being as straight with him as ever. "Hello Qrow."

Grumbling, he took a swig of his drink. "Hello Raven." Glancing over the bar, the man tending it had backed away from them both. No doubt her Magic had scared him. Not the healing, of course, but the Spell she had used to get here. "What are you doing in Vale?" He didn't look at her as he spoke, instead choosing to concentrate on one of the ice cubes in his drink.

"Where is she?" Ah, his favourite, they were playing the guessing game.

Raising an eyebrow, but still not looking away from the ice cube, Qrow began. "You finally gonna kill Glynda?" She had wanted to for years. While he loved pointing that out, Qrow knew his sister wouldn't actually do it. So, before she could answer, he guessed again. "Maybe you mean the queen. Well, she's in the castle."

"Qrow." Before she could say anymore, he kept going.

"Celica, maybe? Finally wanna meet your granddaughter?" No, not that either. Raven had given up on even trying to stay connected with her family long before Yang had been old enough to even know her. "Maybe you wanna see Yang-"

Finally snapping, she turned to him with a glare; her Red eyes gently glowing. "You and I both know why I made the decision I did." That shut him up plenty fast, and rather than spew any more snark, he simply kept staring at his slowly melting ice cube. Turning away from him, Raven stared straight ahead too. "... You think I didn't want to know her...?" Her voice was soft now, and Qrow at least knew when to stop the jokes when it came to this.

"No... I know you did." He still remembered how excited she had been the first time she felt Yang kick. Those nine months, that was the happiest he had ever seen her... Despite how annoying being pregnant apparently was. "It's my fault-"

"Shut up." She cut in, her voice quick and clean like her blade. "You know I don't blame you... Not anymore." She might not, but he still did.

Hanging his head further, Qrow's eyes watered as he watched that ice cube; nearly fully melted away. "I tried... I really tried, Raven... I..." He could barely speak, his voice hitched and was ready to break.

"I know you did." She whispered peacefully. "But I've told you before and I'll tell you again. I'll keep doing this job... And in exchange... You keep yourself together. Don't break, don't lose. Keep fighting, Death." Having her comfort him... It only made him feel more guilty.

Rubbing his eyes gently, Qrow did his best to keep himself together. "Thanks-"

"Here." Reaching over, she poked the side of his glass and froze his drink solid. "Now we're even." For a moment, it felt like she had ruined the moment... But, after a second, he couldn't help but chuckle. Sure, he easily could have used some Magic to unfreeze it... But he preferred to wait for it.

For a minute, they just enjoyed the quiet. Raven ordered a drink, Qrow tried his best to slurp up whatever had thawed of his. It was nice, peaceful even. But they were working with limited time. After the minute passed, he asked her, "So, who are you looking for?"

Downing most of her drink, her answer was simply, "Rose."

"You never managed to track her down?" He asked.

"I did. Eleven years ago." That annoyed him; she never told him about that. Though, when was the last time they spoke? "I want to check in."

Qrow thought that was ironic, but he decided to keep that to himself. "Haven't seen her since... Actually, never. Last time I saw her, she was still Ruby." Only Weiss, Blake, and both sets of kids had seen her. Not that Summer remembered. "I've tried tracking her down, but she's too fast for me... You could probably catch up."

"When she's sleeping maybe..." Raven mumbled as she too began to watch her drink. "I'm not actually very fast."

Letting out a single laugh, Qrow teased, "Not getting much out of that triple Spatial Affinity then, huh?" It had been standard in the Branwen family for generations to be born with a double Wind Affinity, one from yourself, and one from being a Roc. Raven had broken that pattern, instead being born with a single Wind Affinity from being a Roc, and a Spatial Affinity from herself. Luckily, when she became War, it decided to enhance her Spatial Affinity. The stronger of the two.

"Just because I can open portals doesn't mean I can move any faster." They had this argument often. Well, 'often' was a loose term when it was over the span of a century. "Yes, Qrow. I know more Spells than that." She decided to answer his question before he asked it.

Going silent for another minute once again, Raven eventually broke it with a sigh. "You know how to contact me if you need to... If you find Rose-"

"I'll let you know." He raised his still-frozen drink, offering it to a toast of sorts. Raising an eyebrow, she tapped her own glass against his. "To the Branwen Harbingers. Reunited again after so long."

Giving him a gentle smile, she finished her drink before standing. Without even waving her hand, a Magenta slit opened up and formed a doorway of sorts. "See you later, Qrow." Stepping through, it was less than a second before it closed. Spatial Affinities were some of the rarest in Remnant, it was no surprise that the Vale barrier couldn't stop her from opening a gateway through. Still, Qrow knew that fact would likely give Ruby an aneurysm.

Having made the mistake of thinking about Ruby again, Qrow put his frozen drink in front of him on the bar again. He sat in silence for a while as he just watched it melt.