"And you're certain she'll be arriving today? On time?"

"Absolutely."

Weiss' father sighed, slumping in his throne. He pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, taking a breath. "Very well. See to it that she gets here. On. Time."

The envoy bowed low, his cloak brushing on the marble floor. A long blade stuck out from beneath, hung slanted on his lower back. Him and the king had been talking for a long time, in hushed tones that Weiss was unable to catch. He then stood straight and turned on his heel, leaving without a word. Weiss watched the meeting from a balcony high above overseeing the massive throne room, from front doors to the huge, stone throne her father sat in.

A feeling of nervousness swept through her stomach, and she leaned against a stone pillar. She's going to be here today. The thought was almost overwhelming.

Weiss was beyond eager; she'd spent all her life waiting for this date, a pivotal point in what would be her very own Schnee legacy. All of Atlas, nay, Remnant, would recognize her above everyone else, and this woman would be the foundation of it all.

She clutched an azure brooch pinned to the bosom of her white dress. It was royal, inlaid into a crest of white silver, snug and secure. It was a nervous habit, and she huffed in annoyance when she caught herself doing it.

The sound of heels clicking determinedly towards her caused Weiss to spin around, drawing herself together and putting on a face of calm, lethal composer. She didn't recognize the person coming, half shadowed by the lightless balcony. However, she did make out a long hilt sticking out from beneath a tattered cloak. A feeling of awe washed over as she realized it must be the envoy, whom she'd seen on multiple occasions but had never had a chance meeting with.

The opportunity to find out about her new "knight" was electrifyingly attractive for Weiss. "Excuse me, sir, but-"

The man came to an abrupt halt beneath a particularly long and thick shadow, only a few feet away from where Weiss currently stood. "Weiss Schnee, heiress, particularly gifted." He said, his voice dripping in honeyed sarcasm. Weiss was shocked and gaped for a moment, before catching herself.

She curtsied to him, forcing a smile. "Yes, indeed. And your name is?"

"Wonderfully irrelevant to yourself."

"Oh, well, yes. See, I was curious about what you told my father about the huntress, my soon-to-be-partner?"

"That's nice."

Weiss patiently waited for a moment, grimacing as her temper flared. This man was potentially the most insolent cretin she'd ever had to deal with. "Right. Well. I would be forever in your debt if you could maybe tell me something about, er, her."

The man laughed, as if there was some secrete joke. "Her name's Ruby. Have a good day, your highness." He bowed with a comical flourish, and Weiss started to take a step forward, deciding that if she wanted anything from him she'd have to be stern. She froze mid-step, blinking furiously. Where the man had been standing there was now an empty shadow, and the soundless departure left her shaken.

Disgruntled and thrown off, she quickly backtracked to a stairwell that lead down to the throne room floor, a more well lit area that put her in sight of the guards. She flattened out her expression when her father turned to look at her, his piercing blue eyes borrowing into her. There was a deep look of thought on his face, then a movement of his head she didn't quite understand.

Rather than ask questions, she smiled politely and came to stand next to him. "I hope your meeting went well, father."

He scoffed. "Do not pretend with me, Weiss. I knew you were there the entire time. It does not concern me, either."

Weiss shifted on her feet, grasping her hands in front of her. "I was just curious."

He chuckled, a dry mirthless sound, one almost like what she'd gotten from the envoy. "You'd do well to not act upon the curiosity so much, Weiss. This kingdom is full of people who don't wish to have ears of the crown listening in on their conversations."

Weiss bowed her head in shame. Of course, he was right. "I am deeply sorry, father."

When she looked back up after a lengthy quiet, she found him wearing a softer expression. "Child, you're not ready for this."

The statement was made with such an air of certainty that Weiss felt the blow like a punch to her gut. Fear and panic spread through her like wildfire."Father, please, don't send her away when she gets here." It was something he'd talked to her about on multiple occasions already.

He sighed, running a hand down his face and tugging on his miraculously well kempt moustache. "I have three quarters of a mind to do so. The other quarter sorrows at the thought of seeing your talent go to waste."

Weiss beamed at the compliment, standing straighter and raising her chin.

"However, if the lands are so dangerous that not even huntsmen and huntresses can walk them alone, what chance do you stand?"

"That's why I'll have her, father! She'll train me, and I'll become strong, stronger than any Schnee to have ever been!"

Her father laughed coldly. "Child, you do not know. But you shall."

The comment was so ominously chilling that Weiss fell silent, no longer willing to carry on the conversation.

"May I leave, then, father?"

"Go."

Weiss left, going back to where she had come, wearily glancing from side to side for signs of the envoy. Thankfully, he had seemed to vanish, traceless. It made her breathe a little easier, if not unnerve her. Are all of them like that?

She traveled to a set of stone stairs, following them downwards at a spiral until she came to an open rampart. The wind up here was fierce, so there were plenty of handholds for her to grasp along the way. It was a secluded part of the castle, rarely used by the guards due to the inability to access it from the outside. It posed to be a weak point in the castle's defences that was irrelevant due to the sheer difficulty to access it unless from within the throne room.

She pushed through another set of doors into a room that blasted her with warm air, her own quarters. A fire in a massive, stone hearth illuminated it in a red orange glow, giving it a cozy atmosphere when compared to the steel grey sky outside.

With a sigh, Weiss undressed herself down to her bare skin. She needed to take an hour or two to gather herself and be prepared for the fierce warrior she was preparing to meet. If the envoy had given off such an awe-demanding aura, she could only imagine what the woman would be like.

She settled down into a soft feather bed mattress, plush wolf fur blankets silky smooth against her skin. Weiss took a deep breath, stretching out as far as her body would allow her and in short time, fell into a slumber.

She came to sometime later, a small but easily ignored headache behind her eyes. The visibility had gone down, the fire reduced to a few smouldering logs that still gave off enough heat to keep her warm while atop the blankets.

Outside the wind seemed to howl, as if calling for someone. Weiss sat up, her sleepiness forgotten by a small realization. Reaching for a grey pair of robes threaded with silver designs draped on her bedpost, she pulled them close around her slim form, tying them together by a thin cloth braid and moving for the rampart door. Anticipation quickened her step and she flung the door open, stepping out into a cold, rainy night barefoot. The stone was cold and rough beneath her, but she hardly cared.

Two braziers on either side of the stone portcullis at the end of the open walkway illuminated the doorway, outlining the form of a figure about her height. Unconsciously, Weiss tensed, alarmed by the stillness of the person before her.

"Princess, I was just coming looking for you. The huntress arrived a few hours ago and-"

"Lead me to her!" Weiss demanded, immediately forgetting her worries and forgoing any pleasantries. Excitement overtook her and she stepped forward.

"You may consider dressing for the occasion-"

"Needless formalities. This is the woman whom will be my mentor, then partner." Weiss explained impatiently, the woman moving aside before Weiss had even made it to the opening.

"Very well, princess." She said, a small hint of amusement on her voice. Weiss was curious, not used to hearing such undertones with the palace staff, but let it go, pre-occupied as it was. Her mind was racing with ideas of the person she was going to meet, ranging from images of a battle hardened war maiden in steel and leather to a more elegant fighter, similar in posture to the envoy she'd seen earlier. In fact, that seemed for likely, as they had been traveling together.

Weiss paused at the balcony, looking down into the throne room. No one but a red hooded woman stood there, alone in the middle of the room. She looked legendary; standing draped in a long, scarlet cloak, alone in the middle of a room so important to the history of all of Remnant that not many people saw it unless born into the castle itself. She looked like a conqueror. Weiss' heart pounded, and she had to fight down the urge to call out to this warrior. Her feet made nary a sound, gliding her down the polished stones to the bottom floor in utter silence.

Weiss emerged from behind the throne, hands clasped in front of her as she put on her most royal of expressions, jaw set and eyes burning with the passion of an upcoming lifetime.

The woman turned to face her, just barely a few inches shorter than Weiss, whom was already short of height.

From somewhere above there came an amused titter.

"Greetings," Weiss said, curtsying to the huntress, "And welcome to Coldfort. I'm Weiss Schnee and I am very pleased to finally meet you."

The woman stepped forward, face shadowed by her deep hood. She raised two pale hands up to the hem and pushed it back.

A gasp escaped from between Weiss' lips, who gawked in utter disbelief.

A pair of dazzling silver eyes looked into her own, a brilliant smile splitting her face.

"Hiya! I'm Ruby Rose and I am really, totally pleased to meet you... Too!"

Hi! The story is set for a long, slowburn fantasy White Rose AU full of nice plot and great fluff/angst. I'm coining this as the Legend!AU and that's final. Please, enjoy and look forward to more. I may be splitting up my time in order to write this story and another White Rose modern AU. The first chapter to that can be found as the fifth chapter for Once Upon a Oneshot, if you're curious. If it does become its own story, that chapter will be removed and it shall get it's own story.

Please note: cover art for this would be DEEPLY appreciated. I'd do it myself but my tablet pen seems to have quite vanished.