Sting Eucliffe yelped as he was sent flying across a courtyard. He landed face-first in a snowdrift, and he groaned as he pushed himself up and onto his hands and knees, shaking his head. Behind him, Winter Schnee gave a small smirk as she sheathed her silver blade, the spinning glyph behind her vanishing.

"Not bad, for your first day of training with aura." Winter noted as Sting stood and brushed himself off, the boy looking over at the older girl with a frown. There wasn't a scratch or bruise on his body. "You have a long way to go, but you seem to be picking these new skills up rather quickly. It's only been a few weeks, but I've seen significant improvement in you."

"Thank you, Miss Schnee." Sting bowed his head, and Winter gave a small smile as she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sting looked up at her, and she gave a nod of approval.

"For one so young, you possess great strength." She told him, and he blinked. "Once you have competed your training, you will make a fine bodyguard for my sister." Winter removed her hand and stood up straight. "That is all, for today." Sting bowed his head again, then he turned and ran off into the gardens. Winter watched him go in silence, then she looked back as little Weiss left the mansion and crossed the courtyard to meet her.

"... I'm ready." Weiss announced, giving a small smile as she drew a training-rapier from her belt. Winter smiled deviously as she placed a hand on her blade.

"We'll see."

/\

Sting arrived at the center of a maze of hedges, grinning as he came to a small gazebo. Willow Schnee set a wine glass down on a metal table, giving a small smile and raising an eyebrow as Sting ran up to the table and quickly bowed.

"You told me to come and see you after training, Mrs. Schnee!"

"Yes, I did." Willow agreed, gesturing to a chair, and Sting quickly sat down, smiling up at her. "Did your lesson go well?"

"Yeah! Winter unlocked my aura, and she showed me her semblance! It was so cool!"

"Hm." Willow gave a light grin at that. "My family's semblance is rather exciting, isn't it?" Sting nodded eagerly, and Willow gestured to a small thermos sitting on the table. "I asked Klein to make you some hot-chocolate. I know that you are still not accustomed to the cold of Atlas."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Sting grinned, taking the thermos. "You're the best!" Willow hummed softly, smiling fondly at the boy.

"If you say so... How was the rest of your day?"

"I felt a little sick, this morning." Sting admitted, smiling sheepishly. "A little weak, too. But I felt better after Winter unlocked my aura." Willow nodded in understanding.

"Aura has many abilities, once it is unlocked. Healing is one of them, though it doesn't typically help with sickness as muchas physical injury." She informed him. "Let me know if your symptoms return. I wouldn't want you becoming ill." Sting beamed and nodded.

"I will! Thanks, Mrs. Schnee!" He replied, then he opened a thermos and took a sip of his hot chocolate. "Mm!"

"Hm." Willow hummed again, then she took another sip of her wine before setting her glass down. "Your other lessons will begin, soon. Each of my children have a separate tutor to account for skill, speed, and need, and you shall be no different. You will be as intelligent as you are powerful."

"Wow." Sting found himself in awe of the woman. "Why are you being so nice to me? I-I haven't done anything to deserve it, and Mr. Schnee-"

"He may believe that kindness must be earned, but I don't and you shouldn't." Willow told him, her eyes narrowed. "You'll find, in time, that my husband does not see the worth in the lives of those around him, only the worth of what those lives can bring to his own. It's best to not dwell on him."

"Alright." Sting nodded, frowning. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Schnee. I can tell you don't like talking about this."

"... You can call me Willow, when it's just us." Willow told him, and Sting blinked. "Or just ma'am, if that makes you more comfortable... Just not Mrs. Schnee." Though he was confused, Sting smiled and nodded again.

"Okay, ma'am!"

After they finished their drinks, Sting and Willow wandered the gardens. Sting noticed how Willow seemed to shamble, her eyes glazed over, and he frowned as he reached out and took her hand. Willow blinked, then she looked down at Sting. Her eyes, which always seemed so grey, suddenly had a small spark.

"... Thank you." Willow sighed, the spark dying again. "Your father raised you well." Sting blinked, then he looked down. "... You truly do not have any other family, Sting?"

"No, ma'am. It was just my father and I." Sting answered quietly. "And, to be honest... I was adopted." Willow blinked, seeming surprised even in her dazed state. "He took me in when I had no one, taught me everything he could... Why do all of the best folks have to die, ma'am?"

"Well..." Willow looked up thoughtfully, then she looked at Sting. The spark was in her eyes again, weak and fading but there. "Look around you." Sting blinked, then he looked around at the garden. Flowers were growing, even in the cold. "When you are in a garden, what flowers do you pick?"

"... The beautiful ones." Sting looked at Willow again, his expression forlorn. Willow smiled sadly down at him, and they kept walking.

/\/\/\/\

A few weeks later, Sting let out a small shout as he was knocked back, and he cringed before taking a deep breath and pushing himself onto his hands and knees. Evidently, there was a difference between fighting Winter when she was going easy on him and fighting Weiss when she was giving the fight her all were two different things.

"Ugh... Wow!" Sting looked up, grinning and holding a thumb up. "Nice one!" Weiss blinked, then she scoffed and lowered her blade.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "You better run along, now. My mother will be expecting you." Sting blinked, surprised, then he frowned.

"Weiss?" He asked, but the girl turned and walked away. Winter watched her sister go, then she sighed and looked down at Sting.

"Forgive her." She said, and Sting could not tell if it was an order or a plea. "This is a... Difficult time."

"Huh?"

"... Let's just say that, a month or so before you showed up, something happened." Winter was being cardul wiyh her words, and she was not making eye-contact. "Something... Destructive, and it happened on Weiss' birthday. Our mother lost her grip on many things, and we were unable to help find it - our father did his best to divide us, and even if we could reach out to her, we wouldn't know how." Winter looked back at Sting. "Then, you came along." Sting's face fell. "And suddenly, it was like she had new life... She has been more-involved in your upbringing in these last few months than she has been with any of her own children in their entire lives. You're not part-him, and I think that's why she has become attached." Winter's eyes narrowed. "She believes she can make a difference, in who you become. Your blood is not poisoned."

"I..." Sting stared at Winter, then his eyes teared up. "You're not poisoned. And I-I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Winter's expression softened, and she closed her eyes and sighed.

"It's not your fault, or hers... That's enough training, for today."

"But-"

"Enough." Winter turned and walked away, leaving Sting alone.

/\

That afternoon, Willow and Sting roamed the halls of the mansion.

"I don't think I've been in this part of the house, before." Sting admitted, looking around. Willow gave a small hum.

"It's one of my favorite places." She told him, walking over to a door and opening it. "This is the music room." Sting blinked, surprised, peering into the room. He could see shelves of books, and there were instruments everywhere. "Weiss comes here to practice before concerts, but it's typically empty otherwise."

"Oh." Sting nodded, then he noticed... "Another piano?"

"For my private use." Willow spoke, stepping into the room and approaching the piano. Sting followed her. "I do not play for my husband, anymore." Sting blinked, then he looked down awkwardly... And he noticed something on a table.

"Huh... What's this?" Sting asked, raising an eyebrow as he picked the object up. Willow looked back, and she blinked as the object registered in her mind.

"Why, that's a violin."

"What does it do?"

"It's an instrument." Willow sat down on the piano-bench, and Sting sat next to her. "That-" She pointed to a stick with a bundle of strings tightly held to it. "Is called a bow. You pull it across the strings of the violin, and it produces sound."

"Whoa." Sting looked down at the instrument, fascinated. Willow was even more surprised as he managed to get it into the right position to play it, and he raised the bow and slowly pulled it across, making the violin give out a low note. It wasn't an impressive feat, but Sting was immediately smiling. "Cool!"

Willow found herself smiling despite herself. None of her own children had ever been filled with such liveliness and spirit, focused more on pleasing their father than finding joy in the simple things such as this. It brought her back to her own childhood, back when things were simpler. Back when there was love in her life...

"I could teach you how to play, if you like." She suggested, and Sting looked up with wide eyes. "I could teach you how to play all of these instruments, whenever you aren't training in combat or receiving schooling."

"Really?" Sting asked, his eyes wide, then he nodded and smiled. "That would be awesome! Thank you, ma'am!"

"Hm." Willow smiled fondly down at the child. "You're very welcome."

/\/\/\/\

The next day, in the courtyard, Sting charged his hands with white aura just in time to catch a dulled practice-rapier. Weiss blinked, surprised, and Winter seemed impressed.

"Well done, Mr. Eucliffe." The young woman crossed her arms. "Now, what do you intend to do?"

"... Cry?" Sting offered, smiling awkwardly at Weiss. "This was a really bad move, in hindsight... Please, don't kill me?" Weiss blinked again, then she gave a small smirk.

"No promises!" She jeered, pulling her blade away. Sting did a back-handspring to avoid the heiress' rapier, the boy grinning as he landed on his feet.

"Alright, then!"

"Whoa!" Weiss' eyes widened. "How did you do that?!"

"I didn't train with a weapon, m'lady!" Sting teased, charging forward. Weiss barely dodged a punch before ducking a kick. "I had to learn how to use myself as a weapon!" Weiss raised her blade to block one of Sting's kicks, and his aura protected him as he smirked. "A weapon can always be taken, so you need to learn how to survive without one."

"That's what my semblance is for." Weiss stated, then she pushed him away and stepped back, raising her blade. A white shape formed beneath Sting's feet, and his eyes widened as it suddenly moved him across the courtyard with the speed of a comet and tossed him into a rose-bush.

"Ah!" Sting shouted, then he cringed as he crawled out of the plant on his hands and knees. "Ack... Motion... Evil!" Winter raised an eyebrow.

"Do you get motion sickness?"

"Ugh..." Sting placed a hand on his stomach. "Yeah... This sucks..." Weiss snorted with laughter, smiling.

"Some bodyguard."

"Everyone has their weaknesses." Winter chided, and Sting looked up at her as she approached. "But this is something we will have to work on."

"Alright." Sting nodded shakily. "Sorry..."

"... Father has requested that you start covering your scar." Winter told him, frowning. Sting's face fell. "He finds it... Unpleasant."

"But..." Sting raised a hand to his scar. "My scar... It helps me remember my dad, and my training. I don't think it's bad, it helped me grow and I'm proud of it." Winter blinked, then she sighed quietly.

"That's all well and good, but you are an employee of the Schnee family."

"... Alright." Sting looked up. "Klein said he'd teach me how to hide it. I'll talk to him." Winter nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Mr. Eucliffe." She said, then she turned away. "Also, you may want to remove your earring and start placing effort into your apparel and hair. Give him no reason to criticize you." Sting looked down as Winter walked away, then he blinked and looked up again as a hand was extended. Weiss looked down at him, her expression forlorn.

"I'm sorry." She told him quietly, and Sting slowly reached up and took her hand. Weiss helped him to his feet, and he looked down at her. "Just so you know... I don't think that there's anything wrong with your scar."

"Really?"

"Yes." Weiss nodded, frowning. "My father... He believes that things should be symmetrical and perfect, orderly. He wants you to be that way, too." Sting looked down, then he looked back at Weiss with a smile.

"But we're not like that, are we?" He asked, and Weiss' expression flashed with surprise. "You, me, Winter, Whitley, Klein, your mom... We might have to follow his orders when he can see us, but we can be who we really are when he can't." Weiss released his hand and turned away. "'Cause y'know what?" Weiss looked back, her eyes narrowed, and Sting grinned. "He's wrong. What he wants isn't what's perfect... We're awesome, just the way we are."

"I..." Weiss' face fell, her eyes widening, then she quickly turned and walked away. Sting remained for a moment, then he closed his eyes and sighed.

/\

Later that day, after his daily lessons in math, science, history, and literature from the tutor and his music lesson with Willow, Sting wandered down the hallway. His earring was gone and his scar was covered, and despite knowing for sure that he had a friend in Willow, he had never felt so alone.

Jacques was honestly terrifying, to Sting - and knowing he hurt his family made the White Dragon-Slayer eager to avoid him. Klein was kind, but they were not very close. Winter was encouraging at times, but she was also strict, stern, and aloof. Weiss seemed to have mixed-feelings about Sting, almost like she was angry and scared but she still wanted to reach out. And Whitley? Sting hardly ever saw him...

"So, he really did it?" A voice asked quietly. Sting blinked, then he looked back. It was Whitley, and the eight year-old walked up to him. "Your scar got covered." Sting blinked again, then he nodded. "... Winter fought with Father, you know? He wanted you to have a surgery to have the scar removed, but she fought him on it. He's quite mad at her, but she doesn't seem to care."

"He-..?" Sting stared at Whitley, stunned. "A-and she-..?" Whitley gave a small smile.

"This place seems lonely sometimes, but it isn't always that way." He told Sting at a whisper. "We try to look out for each other, when we can. Winter's really brave, so we'll be okay as long as she's around." Sting slowly smiled and nodded.

"Okay... Thanks, for telling me."

"Hm!" Whitley grinned, then he walked over and grabbed Sting's hand. "Come on!" Sting raised an eyebrow, but he followed the eight year-old's lead.

It was better than being alone.

Sting was surprised to find himself in Whitley's room. There were toys, games, and a television, and Whitley smiled as he crossed his arms.

"Our personal rooms are usually the safest places to speak freely. Father hardly comes to them." He explained, and Sting nodded in understanding. "Then again, he hardly goes anywhere beside his office - but Winter says he probably has not placed any sort of surveillance in any of the bedrooms, so they are the most private."

"Okay..." Sting watched Whitley go over to his toy-chest and begin looking through it. "So... Why are you telling me this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Whitley asked, and Sting blinked as the boy turned around and hid something behind his back. "I have two older sisters, a near-always drunk or absent mother, a father who works and fights all of the time, tutors, and Klein. I want something that doesn't drive me crazy, a friend." Whitley walked over to face Sting. "And... I think you want one, too."

"I..." Sting was stunned, but he managed a small grin. "You'd really want me as a friend?"

"Let's see how things go... We won't always be free to talk like this." Whitley said, then he held the toy up. "So... You probably need him more than I do." Sting blinked, then he slowly smiled and took the red, stuffed cat.

"Alright... Thanks, Whitley."

"You're welcome." The younger boy beamed, then he raised an eyebrow. "What are you going to call him?" Sting looked down at the toy thoughtfully.

"I'm thinking... Lector."

/\

A dark-haired little girl wandered through a dark forest. Her clothes were tattered, aher skin was covered in cuts and bruises. She was alone and scared, and she seemed to jump at every sound.

"I-I..." The girl fell to her knees, her eyes tearing up, then she hung her head. A pair of crimson eyes opened in the shadows, and the girl gasped and looked up as a growl rang out.

"Hey!" A voice shouted, and the girl shouted in surprise as a red tail wrapped around her and she was lifted into a tree. Whatever had been coming for the girl departed into the trees, and she watched it go with wide eyes before looking to her rescuer.

"A... Cat?"

"Hiya!" The red cat smiled brightly. He was wearing a red vest, and the girl just stared at him. "Mind pointin' me to the nearest city, lady? I'm kinda lost, here."

"I-..." The girl looked down, then she placed her face in her hands and began to cry. The cat blinked, surprised, then he raised his paws and cringed.

"Uh... Sorry for botherin' you! I didn't mean to make you cry, honest!" He explained, but the girl kept crying. A few moments passed, then the cat grew worried. "Um... You okay?"

"No!" The girl cried, shaking her head. "My father left m-me here, told me that I h-had to become stronger just because I-I wouldn't-..!" The girl continued to sob, and the cat hesitated before slowly reaching out and resting a paw on her shoulder. The girl froze, then she looked down at the cat with wide and tear-filled eyes.

"You don't have to stay someplace that's bad for you." The red cat frowned, and the little girl blinked. "You should do what you've gotta to make yourself happy... If your dad's not lettin' you do that, you shouldn't listen to him. You shouldn't even be with him, anymore." The girl blinked again, then she managed to give a small smile.

"M-my name is Minerva. What's yours?"

"Um..."

"Don't you have one?"

"No." The red cat admitted, smiling sheepishly. Minerva blinked, then she grinned.

"I'll call you... Lector." She said, and the cat's eyes lit up. "And you're right. I should make myself happy..." Her smile became devious. "Do you want to go on an adventure?"

"Sure!" Lector replied, and Minerva picked him up and dropped down from the tree, landing on her feet. "Where to, m'lady?"

"... Wherever the wind takes us." Minerva answered, beaming. A monster snarled and lunged out from the trees, but the girl raised one hand. Colorful energy blasted the creature back into the forest, and Lector gazed at the girl with an awed smile as she looked down at him again. "We'll keep each other safe."

So... That was fun.

*strained smile*

I'm trying to convey Sting's life with the Schnee as well as I can, in light of what we know of them from what we have been shown in the show, Weiss' words, and Weiss' songs.

Jacques is an asshole who manipulates people, Willow is a broken woman who has turned to alcohol and seclusion, Winter is a disciplined and stern mentor-figure, Weiss does not know who she can trust and is struggling to find her own identity, and Whitley is clever - but at this point in his life, he has not yet turned on his sisters or the paths that they have chosen. And poor Sting is caught up in the middle.

But hey, there were some light-hearted moments in this bit. Minerva and Lector made me smile, so that's a plus.

The time lines will now be going a bit out of sync. I'm still going with the same pattern for a while, but the chapters won't really be happening at the same time. I'm hoping to catch up with the start of canon soon, since that's where a lot of the stuff I have done so far is located and I want my updates to be more consistent.

I only own my OCs. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)

...

P.S.: Keep in mind what Sting said about being sick until his aura was unlocked.

Someone asked me about how I was going to address the whole Ethernano issue, and I had this planned ahead of time. I'm going to explain it now so that it's understood.

Since magic is possible on Remnant but not possible for natives without intervention by Salem or Ozpin, I've decided to make a rule regarding Earthland magic on Remnant. There is Ethernano on Remnant, left behind by the gods but made unaccessable to the average person by the Younger Brother.

Ethernano can be found in larger amounts in the Relics and the Vaults. Salem and Ozpin, the only beings left from the Original Era of Remnant, never had their ability to access the Ethernano in the air taken away. They can grant other natives to Remnant from the New Era of Remnant, such as the Maidens and the Branwen twins, limited access to Ethernano by giving them a small portion of their own power.

For a wizard from Earthland to completely access Remnant's Ethernano long-term, their aura must be unlocked to sort of sync them up with Remnant - sort of like how they needed X-Balls from Mystogan to use magic in Edolas. Short-term, the wizards will be able to access Ethernano without aura since they come from a world where Ethernano is necessary for life, but they will eventually become sick in the unfamiliar environment as the curse of the God of Darkness sets in and strips them of magic. Unlocking aura cures the sickness.

It's not perfect, but it's the system I've decided to go with.