A Loaf of Bread and a Bottle of Medicine

A/N: This one is for you Monty.

Mild language warning for this piece. Just a heads up.

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Disclaimer: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them.

Summary: A year and a half ago, Weiss was saved by the unlikeliest of saviours. Now, it is time to return the favour.

*** ~ A Favour Returned ~ ***

~ Forever Fall. Late Afternoon. ~

One year and six months.

That's how much time had passed since the Grimm first laid siege to the capital city of Vale, killing thousands of innocent people.

Slowly making her way through the thick underbrush of Forever Fall, that's all Princess Weiss Schnee could think about as she pushed on. That and trying not to get lost in the sea of unending red. Since the attack a year and a half ago, many things had changed in her life, most not for the better.

First was the murder of countless friends and extended family.

They had no warning. They had no time to prepare. One moment it was a day like any other. And in the next, Grimm were everywhere. Screams and shrieks quickly shattered the peaceful air, adults and children viciously torn asunder. Many people died a horrible, agonizing death that day, the Grimm neither merciful nor forgiving in their unrelenting slaughter.

Then came the abandonment of Vale.

With the city walls damaged beyond repair during the initial attack, it was no longer possible to protect the citizens from the beasts outside. Stone, flesh, it didn't matter what it was. Nothing could withstand those tainted claws and eviscerating fangs, the Grimm tearing through everything equally and without pause.

And then Weiss almost lost her left eye.

They were nearly to Atlas when it happened. An ambush in broad daylight, hundreds of displaced citizens, along with the royal family, caught in the fray. While the surviving royal knights valiantly fought off their Grimm attackers, they could only do so much, a Beowolf and Ursa duo slipping through the ranks and attacking Princess Schnee when her back was turned as she attended to a traumatized child.

For many, for the princess to have survived such horrific events, it was truly a miracle. But if you were to ask Weiss, she would tell you there were worse fates to be had. That was why she was out here in the first place, searching. For truly, what she survived paled in comparison to what she fought against now.

Silence.

When the city walls fell and there was nothing but terror, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they rose up and fought against the creeping darkness.

The Beacon Guild.

Working in unison with the Sanctum Guild and the Signal Guild, the all huntress guild fought against wave upon wave of Grimm, giving the citizens of the city those precious moments they needed to escape the madness. Like their namesake, the Beacon Guild was a guiding light in their darkest hour, always at the forefront of the fighting, Sanctum and Signal guarding their flanks.

While the royal family and the survivors fled north towards the neighbouring kingdom of Atlas, Beacon and the others pressed south, marching towards the heart of the Grimm infestation, where the beasts were most heavily concentrated. The battle which followed would rage on for well over a year, the guilds somehow holding their own against the almost infinite amount of Grimm flooding the continent. Yet no matter how hard they fought, there were always sacrifices.

A snort.

Weiss froze, the princess silently cursing herself for losing focus and allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts. With the underbrush as thick as it was, the heiress to the Vytal throne was forced to leave her horse behind a while back, Weiss journeying the rest of the way on foot. As a result, she found herself in this current predicament, the rapier wielder slowly raising her gaze from the leaves at her feet, only to spy a lone black form approximately fifteen feet in front of her. Two long, curved tusks extended from a hoggish body plated in bone, a pair of beady, red eyes glaring at her.

The Signal Guild was the first of the three to fall. Despite being the oldest guild by at least three years, Signal having trained many legendary hunters and huntresses since conception, even they could not stop the stampeding herd of Goliaths which trampled their base camp in the middle of the night, leaving only a handful of survivors.

Weiss somersaulted to the left, just narrowly evading the charging Boarbatusk hell bent on skewering her with its tusks. With Myrtenaster now in hand, she easily dodged the second stampede attempt, the princess slashing at the monster as it passed her by on the right. Myrtenaster uselessly screeched and sparked against bone plating when she did that, the heiress sneering as her weapon did little else. Immediately spinning on her heel to face her enemy again, blue eyes narrowed just as the Boarbatusk skidded to a halt fifteen feet away, grunting. Turning to charge at her again, Weiss couldn't but scowl at this disgusting abomination, Princess Schnee baring her teeth in impatience.

She didn't have time for this.

The Sanctum Guild was the next to falter. With a third of their alliance now gone, both Beacon and Sanctum scrambled to fill the hole left behind by their fallen allies and friends. And for a time they managed, quite well in fact, the two guilds even making a significant dent the Grimm's numbers. But, just like their allies before them, it was only a matter of time before they too fell. Just when it seemed like victory was at hand, the true source of the calamity reared its ugly head, one which scorched the earth black and set flesh and bone aflame with fires of onyx.

Hastily pushing to end this fight before it dragged out any longer, against her better judgement, Weiss charged at the Boarbatusk head first, Myrtenaster seeking to pierce the Grimm through the eye. The Boarbatusk must have anticipated this however, the monster turning its head at the last second, catching Myrtenaster's blade between its tusks. This left Weiss locked in an aggravating tug of war for her weapon, one she quickly lost, the Boarbatusk ripping her rapier out of her hands, flinging it aside, and knocking Weiss to the ground in less than five seconds.

Once Sanctum fell, everything just went silent. The Grimm attacks just stopped. The messengers just stopped. The replies to her letters just… stopped. And for days, while taking refuge under Atlas' banner, Weiss waited impatiently. She waited for something, anything which would let her know what happened to the Beacon Guild, but more importantly, what happened to her. She had to know.

And she did.

Weiss cursed under her breath as she was forced to somersault out of the way again, the Boarbatusk wasting no time in trying to trample her. As the beast of darkness skidded to a halt somewhere behind her, Weiss scrambled to her feet, making a beeline for her weapon. Affording all of a second to snatch her beloved rapier off the ground, the princess took another second to face her annoyance once more, her jaw clenched in anger.

Six days later, the remnants of the Beacon Guild showed up at Atlas' doorstep. Most were battered and bruised, some dying, some already dead as those with the more grievous wounds succumbed to their injuries during their escape. She was not amongst them however, and neither were her second-in-commands. And after two more days of not getting the answers she wanted, Weiss packed up as much supplies as she could on a horse without being noticed, the princess leaving in the dead of the night with no one the wiser.

Finally realizing its previous charging attacks had no effect, the Boarbatusk switched tactics, rolling itself into a ball before barrelling towards Weiss like a runaway train. Glaring at this stupidity, Weiss summoned a light blue, vertical Dust glyph in front of her with a flick of her wrist, her eyes narrowing as the Grimm remained unchanged in its course. As predicted, the Boarbatusk rammed into her glyph head first, the monstrosity squealing as it rebound off of it, crashing to the ground on its back helplessly.

Wasting no time, the heiress summoned another Dust glyph behind her, a black one, Weiss using her new glyph as a springboard, Myrtenaster skewering the Boarbatusk through its soft underbelly not even a second later. The moment the Grimm went limp, Myrtenaster was withdrawn, black blood flicked off of its blade before Weiss was off again. Not even waiting for the corpse to smoke, Princess Schnee travelled towards the looming monolith in the distance, soon the only signs she was even there in the first place being a few scuff marks in the dirt.

She was close.

~ Mountain Glenn. Day 10. Unknown Hour. ~

Xiuhcoatl.

An ancient name.

A forgotten name.

Said to be the origin of all Grimm, it was that which awoke that day a year and a half ago causing this current calamity. It was supposed to be a myth. It was supposed to be a legend. It was supposed to be the bogeyman under the bed which parents threatened their children with if they were bad. Yet here the thing was, in the flesh, and it was terrifying.

A reverberating roar sent chills down Yang's back, Beacon's leader trembling uncontrollably at that sound. With it came a rumbling from deep within the earth, prompting the three of them to hasten their pace through the darkened corridor they ran through with only Yang's flaming Aura to guide them, along with Blake's night vision.

How this monstrosity remained hidden all these years, Yang did not know. It was only discovered by chance after all. With humanity's growing advancements over the years, the consumption of Dust increased exponentially. Discovered to be one of the richest areas of Dust years ago, Mountain Glenn was humanity's number one provider of the much sought after resource, a recent expansion in the lower vestiges of the mountain the cause of all this madness.

"Get down!"

At that shout, Yang hit the ground with a grunt, the blonde narrowly dodging a flaming ball of onyx fire which scorched the upper half of the tunnel black. Only allowing herself a single, shaky breath, she was on her feet again, yanking Ruby to her feet also, Blake now taking the lead as they continued their mad dash down this particular path.

"Hurry!" Blake exclaimed after a quick glance behind them. "It's gaining on us!"

At that shout, Yang forced herself to run even faster, no easy feat considering her legs were already burning from fatigue, and had been for hours now. They had been at this for days, this game of cat and mouse, that is. Ever since they got separated from the rest of the guild who knows how long ago, it had been this way.

Hit and run.

Dodge and shoot.

All around fleeing for their lives.

When Xiuhcoatl awoke, the Beacon Guild was in the thick of things, the huntresses having followed the Grimm down into the under belly of Mountain Glenn where the tainted creatures seemingly spawned from. And what started off as only Grimm, quickly turned into madness.

Yang had never seen anything like it. Lesser Grimm went crazy. Abruptly, in the middle of battle, the creatures of darkness just froze, huntresses alike doing the same in confusion. Then out of nowhere, a blood curdling roar shook the very foundation of the mountain, and madness was just everywhere.

Grimm turned on Grimm and tore each other apart. Beowolf versus Ursa. Ursa versus Boarbatusk. King Taijitu versus all of them at once. And so it went. It was as if they hadn't been fighting huntresses before that, but instead it had been a mash up brawl between solely them all along. Huntresses caught between two Grimm were ripped to shreds, not unlike the Grimm trying to tear each other's heads off. Yang had just barely managed to call a retreat before the far wall of cavern they were in exploded into a million pieces, revealing their worst nightmares incarnate.

"W-Where is it…?" Ruby dared to whisper, the three of them now taking cover in a small alcove in the rock wall. They would have missed it had it not been for Blake's night vision.

"I think we lost it," Blake said, weariness clearly heard in the Faunus' voice.

"For now."

Ruby sighed in relief as she sunk to the floor, bringing up her legs to her chest. Blake soon followed, Beacon's other second-in-command sitting back on her heels instead. Yang remained standing.

They were in trouble. The moment Yang saw that bony head – one that was bigger than a Goliath – burst through the rock on the opposite side of the cavern, she knew they were in so much trouble. With scales as black as night and plates of bone masking its face, claws and spiked tail, Xiuhcoatl easily tore dozens of Grimm and huntresses alike with a simple swipe from its clawed arm. Yang watched many colleagues and friends die in that instant, but that was nothing compared to the armageddon which followed.

"Do you think everyone made it out?" Ruby asked, her sister's tiny, shaking voice making Yang frown.

This was not the first time they had this conversation. And it probably wouldn't be the last either. With no way to discern night from day, the underground caves just dark, dark, and more dark, it was hard to tell how much time had passed since they'd been down here.

Just running.

Just delaying the inevitable.

"Of course they did, Sis," Yang said, forcing the cheeriness into her voice. "With Pyrrha and Nora leading the retreat, they're probably all safe and sound now, figuring out a way to dig us out. We just need to give them time."

Sadly, time was not a luxury they had.

Mountain Glenn's underground passageways were full of Dust crystals. Every single type one could think of was here. Fire, Ice, Lightning, and so much more. While the lesser Grimm had some sense to steer clear of the bigger groupings of crystals, Xiuhcoatl had no restraint whatsoever, the mammoth Grimm crushing any and all crystals in its path. When that happened, the Dust ignited, a chain reaction of Dust explosions peppering the entire cavern. That's how Yang and her second-in-commands got separated from everyone else in the first place. When it was all said and done, most of the cavern had collapsed in on itself, leaving only Yang, Ruby and Blake.

And Xiuhcoatl.

"It's coming back!"

They were running on fumes. Not eating for almost three days did that to a person. Even though they were lucky enough to find a miners' cache a week ago, one which supplied them with a few water canteens and some dried jerky, food ran out three days ago, water drying up just yesterday. Now they were solely moving on pure force of will, and even that was rapidly fading.

Yang grunted as she spun around for a moment, firing a shot at the ceiling behind them. Not waiting for the red flare hit its mark, Yang was facing forward and dashing behind Blake and Ruby in less than a second, the boom of Ember Celica's shot sounding shortly afterwards, the shaft behind them quickly caving in.

The mountain's underground network was vast. Yet as vast as it was, humanity had yet to map the whole thing. Some speculated the total area of the tunnels rivalled the size of the City of Vale, though others claimed it was even bigger than that. Yet while no one knew the true magnitude of this natural wonder, one thing remained certain. The passageways leading deeper into the depths of the mountain were not as stable as the ones closer to the surface. And it was that fact which had saved Yang and her second-in-commands countless times over the past few days, the trio causing as many cave-ins as possible to hinder the monstrosity hunting them.

"Whatever you do!" Yang shouted over the roar of falling rocks. "Don't stop-"

The ground disappeared beneath Yang's feet.

"... running?" she finished lamely, mid air.

Oh right.

There was supposed to be a large chasm somewhere around here, one which connected to other tunnels under the mountain, including one with a hundred and fifty foot drop.

Huh.

Yang flailed wildly as she flipped heads over heels in the air, Ruby screaming the whole way down somewhere beside her on the left. Yang had no idea where Blake was right now, barely knowing up from down at the moment, but if the hissing on her other side meant anything, Yang guessed that's where her other second-in-command was, free falling like the rest of them.

Yang couldn't but be jealous of Blake right now. Being a cat Faunas, there was no doubt in Yang's mind that Blake would somehow pull off landing on her feet. Maybe even on all fours. Yang on the other hand, who lacked the poise and grace of a feline, was most definitely going to end up landing face first on-

WHOMPF!

- snow…?

Spitting out a mouthful of half melted ice flakes, Yang pushed herself upright in confusion.

"What in Remnant...?" she mumbled.

There were still in Mountain Glenn. Yang could tell that much. The darkness still lingered, though it was now slightly brighter here, the snowy patch she landed on reflecting some of the light from the small Dust crystal scattered around the area. Aside from the significant mound of snowy white, everything else looked the same as before. Except now they were at the bottom of the deep chasm which opened up into a larger cavern, instead of scurrying around in those small tunnels from above.

A loudly exhale to her left made Yang jump, dark locks tipped red suddenly popping up next to her.

"I'm alive!" Ruby exclaimed, shaking her hair free of loose snowflakes. "I thought I was going to die."

"You and me both," Yang chuckled, turning her gaze in the opposite direction in search of their third member.

"Blake?"

"Here," came a soft, yet disgruntled response to Yang's question on the right, just a bit behind her.

Yang breathed in relief upon spotting her other second-in-command, Blake already on her feet and dusting herself off just out of arms reach. About to ask her best friend if she was alright, it was then Yang noticed the very Blake looking imprint in the snow next to where the Faunas stood.

A face splitting grin.

"Awww, what's the matter Blakey?" Yang crooned, the blonde smirking. "Kitty cat didn't land on her feet?"

If looks could kill, Yang would have died a million times over.

"Shut up," Blake growled, her amber coloured eyes narrowed into slits. Scowling at her menacingly, Blake snatched Gambol Shroud up from the snow less than gently before anchoring it to her back again.

"Love you too kitten," Yang replied back, absolutely beaming.

Another growl from the Faunus had Beacon's leader guffawing.

"Hey," Ruby said, effectively killing Yang's laughter and drawing her sibling's attention back to her. "Who's that?"

Following her sister's gaze, a thin sound escaped Yang's throat when she finally noticed the fourth person with them.

"Princess...?" Yang said breathlessly.

Wrapped completely in white, nearly head to foot, blue eyes became visible from under the white hooded cloak the moment the wearer raised her head. Only now, having the opportunity to actually inspect her surroundings, did Yang notice a line of snow trailing from the white booted feet of their guest all the way up to the snow pile they landed on.

A wistful smile.

"I knew you couldn't be dead," Princess Schnee said softly.

Yang slowly rose to her feet as Ruby gasped beside her.

"The Princess?" the redhead said. "Here?"

Weiss smiled as she turned her gaze at the youngest of them. "Hello Ruby."

The sapphire gaze shifted left.

"Blake."

A nod.

"I'm glad you're all alright."

Getting her wits about her, Yang quickly stumbled her way off of the snow pile, Blake and Ruby following suit, the trio eventually ending up just a few feet away from their white cloaked savior.

"Princess," Yang repeated, the brawler still having difficulty processing what she was seeing. "How did you-"

An ear splitting roar cut Yang off, forcing them all to cover their ears with their hands lest they go deaf. With their ears still ringing, gazes turned skyward, four pairs of eyes widening at the sight of a massive form of black diving down towards them.

"Move!" Yang exclaimed.

Blake, Ruby and Princess Schnee scattered instantly, Yang racing back to the snowy mound she originally landed on, Beacon's leader inhaling sharply as she called forth the last dregs of her Aura. As another roar shook the cavern, Yang let out a roar of her own, smashing a now flaming fist into the snow at her feet. Ice crystals melted and vaporized in a split second, a fine mist immediately enveloping the area in a cloud of white. With her work done, Yang dashed away, deeper into the newly made fog, Xiuhcoatl cratering the ground where she previously stood a moment later.

Now off to the side and hopefully out of harm's way, for the time being at least, Yang allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. That little stint back there used up all of her remaining Aura, save for a sliver, Yang holding onto that bit for emergency purposes. Well, more emergency than going toe to toe with a mythical Grimm that is. And a good thing she did too, for the exact moment she got some semblance of her breath back, a large, bony head turned in her direction, forcing Yang to dart off into another part of the mist in the hopes of losing Xiuhcoatl's gaze. Her efforts were all in vain however, the Grimm having no problems tracking her. Halfway through her mad dash around the monstrosity, the ground at her feet exploded from a blast of black flames, and Yang was tossed airborne.

"Yeeeawh!"

CLANK!

Yang groaned, rolling onto her stomach from her back. Holding her throbbing head as she shakily pushed herself to her hands and knees, she dizzily looked up to see Blake and Princess Schnee hacking away at Xiuhcoatl with strangely nearly synchronous coordination. Gambol Shroud screeched and clanked off of black scales multiple times, barely doing anything aside from aggravating the Grimm. That was the point however, for when Xiuhcoatl turned its attention on Blake to take a swipe at the Faunas, the princess leaped high into the air and stabbed the beast in the eye the moment she was level with its face.

Xiuhcoatl roared like nothing they had ever heard before, its head shaking wildly, bloodied claws swiping at the space in front of it. Desperate to evade what would no doubt be torso severing slashes, Blake and Princess Schnee frantically flipped backwards over and over again, the two girls just barely managing to dodge the majority of the frenzied flailing.

Not everything could be dodged however, the princess getting swatted out of the air after the fourth swipe. Thankfully Princess Schnee was hit by the back of Xiuhcoatl's scaly arm and not torn asunder on its claws. Even so, Yang couldn't but watch in frozen horror as the white haired girl went careening into the rock hard ground fifteen feet away with a shout. The rapier wielder had just missed a volatile cluster of Fire Dust crystals as she tumbled to a halt on her stomach.

"WEISS!"

Yang growled as she rose to her feet shaking, the very air around her starting to shimmer and burn. While Ruby and Blake effectively distracted Xiuhcoatl away from the downed princess, the duo zipping around the Grimm's legs taking pot shots whenever possible, Yang stomped her way towards the abomination, her hair alight with fire.

An infuriated cry.

The moment Xiuhcoatl's back was turned to her, Yang took off running. Three steps in and she was airborne. A moment later, her leather soles slammed into the back of the Grimm's scaly, black body. Not wasting a second more, she raced up the Grimm's spine between its massive wings. And the moment she reached its bone plated head, Yang wailed on it with both fists, Ember Celica blasting shot after shot anywhere Yang could reach. Xiuhcoatl screeched under the assault, that very sound making Yang's skin crawl, yet she never let up on the Grimm for even a moment.

It hurt another person.

It hurt another friend.

And Yang was going to make sure she hurt it even more.

Raising her right fist for the umpteenth time, Yang suddenly found herself weightless, Xuhcoatl rearing at the last moment before smashing her mercilessly back first against the nearest cavern wall with its mass.

"YANG!"

Shouts of surprise and horror sounded distorted in her ears, it taking all of a second for Yang's synapses to register the loudest scream of them all was her own. The sheer amount of pain fracturing across her entire body almost too much to compute for the exhausted brawler, at the back of her mind Yang surprised she was still conscious (far-a-less alive) after a hit like that. Too agonized to do anything else but go limp, Beacon's leader soon tipped forwards head first out of the crater she occupied, Yang hitting the ground with an audible thump, her flames snuffed out.

"How are we supposed to kill this thing!?"

Half hooded lavender coloured eyes stared but didn't see, Yang coughing weakly as the heavy taste of iron lingered in her mouth. Breathing was done so with great effort, any slight movement causing the worst agony to her battered frame, no matter how little breath she inhaled. Even so, Yang willed her body to move, for her hands to push herself up, for her legs to raise her to her feet. Her body didn't comply of course, in spite of her willing spirit, but Yang still tried anyways, the blonde paying little heed to Xiuhcoatl as the Grimm shrieked again.

"Watch out!"

It was no good. She was slipping too fast. She was spiralling faster and faster into oblivion.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

But all was not lost, not yet at least. For while Yang's sight failed her, her body rapidly going numb, the others were still alive, still fighting. She could hear them. And that in itself meant there was still hope yet.

"What is that thing!?" a familiar voice cried out, one which sounded like it came from the far end of a very long tunnel.

There was a whoosh of something large and the schwing of unsheathing metal. Xiuhcoatl roared in defiance.

"A year ago, all of you saved my life," another voice rang out, this one also familiar, even as the sounds of battle started to fade in Yang's ears.

A loud crash was trailed by a whirl of metal and the crack of bone. Everything shook.

"Now it is my turn to return the favor."

Finally losing the battle she so valiantly fought, Yang freely succumbed to the darkness just as something exploded nearby, the explosion followed by a ghastly squeal, and then…

And then there was nothing.

~ Forever Fall. Beacon Guild Main Camp. One Year Ago. ~

Inside of her tent, Yang paced.

Evening was upon them now, the hunters and huntress of all three guilds combined gearing down for a peaceful night of rest and relaxation. While her comrades in arms shared hearty laughter and hilarious stories around crackling campfires, Yang busied herself with drafting up new deployments and battle formations for their next advancement. That wouldn't be for another few days of course, but even so, Yang would not rest.

Far too many people had lost their lives to this meaningless war, both civilians and hunters and huntresses alike. While Beacon, Signal and Sanctum made some progress in pushing back the Grimm, they were unable to save Vale, the capital city falling to ruin just a month after the initial attack. The amount of families ripped apart during that time, figuratively and physically was staggering. Add on top of that the confusion, anger and pain which followed that bloodbath, it was amazing not more people fell victim to those monsters trying to get revenge for the lost.

Yang knew all too well what it was like to lose loved ones to those abominations. At a young age, both she and Ruby lost both of their parents to a Grimm attack on their village. She must have been what? Seven years old when that happened? Ruby didn't remember much of the attack, the trauma of it enough to leave a blank spot in her sister's memory. But Yang, she would always remember what happened that day, young Yang vowing to stop that needless slaughter one day. And here she was, nearly twelve years later, doing exactly that.

Turning to the large wooden table off to the left, the only other thing inside of her tent aside from her bedroll and personal belongings, Yang couldn't but sigh as she stared at the thing again, the brawler rubbing her face with her hand. On top of the table lay a large map of Vytal, the spot where the three Guilds set up base camp in Forever Fall highlighted in yellow.

On the map surrounding base camp, different notes and symbols marked various spots, some places scratched out, others circled. One particular spot was circled in red, a few times, that same spot also impaled with a small dagger, signifying its importance. Mountain Glenn. That's where the scouts reported the highest concentration of Grimm to date, a place all three Guilds currently marched towards to deal the final blow the Grimm once and for all.

While they wouldn't make it there for another few months, Yang couldn't stop worrying about it even if she wanted to. They were hard pressed as it was dealing with the present masses of Grimm, the pockets they currently fought nowhere near the estimated numbers Mountain Glenn was said to have. Even so, they pushed on full speed ahead. They had to, because if they didn't, all the lives lost up until now would have been for nothing. And Yang was not going to let that happen.

So she paced.

The crinkle of her tent flap opening.

"Heya Sis!" Yang said, turning around at that sound. Smiling at the shorter girl now entering her tent, Beacon's leader couldn't but beam at the other also following her sibling in.

"Heya Blakey! What's up?"

"We thought you could use a break," Ruby said, giving Yang a hug when she was close enough.

"Is that so?" Yang said, ruffling Ruby's hair much to her sister's chagrin.

"Yang! Stop it!" Ruby whined. "I just brushed it!"

The brawler chuckled.

"Still haven't made up your mind?" Blake said, the Faunus smiling as the redhead batted away Yang's hand with a pout.

"You have no idea," Yang said, her cheery demeanour quickly deflating. She ran a hand through her dishevelled locks of gold, lavender coloured eyes moving to the map again.

"I get the others want to end this quickly and all, but we can't just rush into this blindly. We've already lost too many to fool hardy impatience. I'm not about to send more off to die because of it."

Yang turned back when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll figure something out," Blake said smiling softly. Her amber coloured gaze was full of understanding. "I'm sure of it."

Yang returned the smile.

"I hope so," she said. "Too many good people have died already."

Looking down at the floor, the brawler missed Ruby and Blake's worried exchange. Distracted by her downtrodden thoughts, Yang also missed her sister's mischievous smirk seconds later, something she would pay for dearly.

A poke to the ribs.

Yang squeaked at the sudden intrusion, Beacon's leader jumping backwards, startled.

"R-Ruby!" Yang exclaimed red faced and horrified.

Ruby giggled, evidently very pleased with herself for garnering that reaction. Blake on the other hand looked at her in surprise, eyebrows raised.

"You're ticklish?" the Faunas second-in-command asked, an amused grin quickly stretching across her lips.

Yang scowled at Ruby, the redhead not the least bit affected by her glare.

"I am not," Yang stated firmly, causing Ruby to laugh more. Yang crossed her arms over her chest.

"I was just startled- GAH!"

Yang stumbled forwards, flailing, as another poke to the ribs caught her off guard. In spite of laughter threatening to burst from her willing lips, she somehow managed to keep it down, Beacon's leader spinning around to glower at her attacker. A few rose petals drifted down to the ground between them.

"Ruby!"

More laughing from the youngest one.

"Not a word," Yang growled when she looked at Blake, a wide smile on the Faunas' face now, Blake's eyes filled with mirth.

"As for you," Yang said, turning back to her treacherous sister. "You're gonna pay for that!"

Ruby squealed as Yang tackled her to the floor, Yang trapping her sister on top of her bedroll. Easily overpowering the scythe wielder due to her higher muscle per pound bulk, Yang mercilessly tickled her only sibling, very much intent on making Ruby squirm for her misdeeds. Ruby was no pushover however, the smaller of the two not making it easy for Yang to have her way. In the end however, it was Yang who won out, Ruby soon succumbing to Yang's many years of tickle fight experience.

"I give!" Ruby exclaimed, shrill peals bubbling from her throat. The little redhead helplessly slapped the ground signifying her defeat.

"I give Yang! I give!"

In spite of her sister's surrender, Yang continued her tickle onslaught for a few seconds longer, the brawler only stopping when she was satisfied she left Ruby red-faced and breathless enough for the next five minutes.

"Yang…" Ruby said, gasping for air after she relented. "You meanie…"

"Love you too, Sis," Yang crooned, giving her sister an affectionate and ruffling pat on the head before rising to her feet again. Ruby, too exhausted to fight back at this point, pouted, making Yang laugh some more.

"Are you two quite finished?" the other of the group spoke up, Yang's attention drawn back to her other second-in-command.

"For now," Yang answered, grinning at her friend and comrade. "But only just."

A wink.

"Riiiight…" Blake drew out, the Faunus shaking her head, chuckling.

"Well then. Now that that's over, I have something for you."

Lavender coloured eyes sparkled at those words, Yang rushing up to her best friend in an instant.

"A present?" she said, complete with the clasping of hands in front of her chest. "For lil' ol' me? Awww! You shouldn't have Blakey!"

Blake rolled her eyes, albeit playfully.

"Don't be so dramatic," the bow totting girl said. "It's nothing of the sort, and you know it."

"I can dream, can't I?" Yang said, batting her eyes at the Faunas. Her blatant teasing was rewarded with an envelope slapped to her face.

Stumbling backwards a step in surprise, Yang quickly snatched the letter off of her face before it could fall far. After giving her second-in-command a sour look, to which Blake merely shrugged, Yang turned the sealed parchment this way and that in her hands, her gaze immediately noting the fine cursive writing marking the front of it.

"Since when could you write like this, Blakey?" Yang asked, a golden eyebrow raised.

"I can't," was the black haired girl's reply, much to Yang's confusion.

"Then who-"

"Look at the back."

Doing as she was told, Yang flipped the envelope over, her eyes immediately widening at the red wax seal keeping the parchment sealed. While there was nothing unusual about the colour or the size of the wax seal itself, Yang couldn't but gasp when she realized what crest the wax bore.

"Oh my gosh!" Ruby exclaimed over her shoulder, making Yang jump. "Is that the Royal Family's Crest!?"

Unconsciously holding the envelope closer to her chest protectively, Yang glanced back at her now recovered sister before meeting Blake's curious gaze.

"Well?" the Faunus said.

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to open it?"

Yang glanced between her second-in-commands again, hesitant.

"Open it Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, the redhead practically vibrating with excitement. "Open it! Open it!"

Chuckling at her sister's enthusiasm, Yang raised her hands up in defeat.

"Alright! Alright!" Beacon's leader said. "Hold your horses! I'll open it, but you have to give me some space."

Ruby appeared next to Blake in an instant, a trail of rose petals left in her wake.

Rolling her eyes at that display, Yang looked back at the envelope in her hands for another minute before taking a deep breath and gingerly opening the expensive parchment. Extracting the letter from within with the utmost care, slightly trembling hands unfolded the parchment.

"It's from the Princess," Yang said, her voice trailing off in surprise.

Out Yang's line of sight, Blake and Ruby looked at each other for a moment before turning their gaze back to their leader.

"What does it say?"

Running a hand along the surface of the expensive paper, a smile stretched across Yang's lips as she read the text specifically hand written for her.

To the Leader of the Beacon Guild…

~ Forever Fall. Present Day. Early Evening. ~

It would be the crackling of a fire which dragged Yang back into the conscious world. Groaning softly, lavender coloured eyes fluttered open, the first thing Yang making out being a blur of colour and movement. Disoriented and confused when her vision sharpened enough for her to make out the starry sky overhead, Yang moved to sit up only to bite back a cry against the jarring pain which immediately wracked her body.

A flash of white.

"Easy now," a soft and soothing voice said.

Through the haze of pain, Yang barely registered two small hands pushing down on her shoulders, their touch as gentle as the voice which whispered to her. Once whomever the hands belonged to was certain she wouldn't try to sit up again, the hands disappeared and a clear vial of translucent liquid came into view.

"Drink this."

Yang could just make out pearl white hair and brilliant blue eyes as the vial hovered over her lips.

"It will help with the pain."

Wanting nothing more than to escape her current agony, Yang swallowed the syrupy concoction without hesitation. A bitter aftertaste quickly made itself known, to which Yang made a face. If she had to guess, she was probably given an elixir of some sort, the type which replenished Aura and in turn helped heal injuries faster. Nothing quite left the taste like an elixir did, Yang having swallowed a few of those over the course of her huntress career already.

A stifled giggle.

"Not the tastiest of delicacies, I know," the voice from before said. "But it will get you on your feet faster. So bear with it."

Swallowing again to rid herself of the sour remnant, Yang sighed as the elixir kicked in, her Aura flaring on its own, the heat of her semblance washing away most of the pain. After a few seconds, only a dull ache remained, but Yang knew better than to think she was healed completely. Serious injuries, like the ones she suspected she had, took weeks to heal, months sometimes, even with the help of elixirs and other remedies. So rather than bust a move like she usually did after waking up from a nice nap, Yang instead turned to the one sitting on her right, a few seconds passing before she realized who looked right back at her.

"P-Princess...?" Yang said in disbelief.

Princess Schnee smiled, a smile very few were privileged to see.

"Welcome back, Yang," the white haired girl said. "How do you feel?"

Yang's jaw worked up and down for a few seconds, no words coming out.

"How...? When?" she managed to say when her words came back to her.

At those questions, Princess Schnee frowned.

"Do you truly not remember?"

The princess' brows furled even more when Yang gave her a blank look.

"Remember what?"

Biting her lip looking clearly distressed, the white haired girl looked off to the side again before meeting Yang's confused gaze once more.

"Yang," Princess Schnee said hesitantly. "What do you remember? Before waking up here I mean."

Blinking at the princess for a few seconds, Yang turned her gaze to the starry sky again, searching her jumbled memories. Nothing made any sense at first, Yang sifting through flashes of images, discombobulated sounds and other fragments that just didn't seem to match. She pushed on however, in spite of her initial confusion, and soon things fit together in her head.

She remembered running from something. Something large.

There was panic. And fear. And terror.

Ruby and Blake with her, all of them worse for wear.

Then they were falling, snow was breaking their fall, blue eyes were staring into her soul and then there was that giant, gaping maw of what had started it all.

"Xiuhcoalt!" Yang exclaimed, bolting upright. At least, that's what she would have shouted had the jarring pain from before not returned tenfold the moment she moved.

Instead of that vile name leaving her lips, all that came out was a chocked gasp, Yang's muscles spasming, her joints locking up from the sudden movement. Thankfully she didn't get very far in sitting up, maybe an inch or two at most, a ripple of pain cascading through her body when she flopped back down again, instead of a concussed head when she keeled over frozen in agony.

"Yang!"

Her vision swam as the world around her spun, Yang's eyes fluttering against the darkness threatening to consume her whole. She wouldn't let it however, Yang fighting tooth and nail against the blackness spotting her vision, Beacon's leader forcing her eyes open again no matter how much pain she was in.

Paying no heed to the flitting blur of white hovering over her, Yang gritted her teeth as she agonizingly tried to roll over onto her side to right herself. She didn't very far of course, hands holding her shoulders down again, a voice sounding muffled in her ears. Yet even still, in spite of the pain threatening to overwhelm her completely, Yang still continued to fight against the thing holding her down.

She had to know.

She had to know what happened to Ruby and Blake.

And Xiuhcoalt.

"R-Ruby… Bla… ke…" she whimpered, almost feverishly so.

The hands holding her down stilled, Yang with them, Beacon's leader so utterly exhausted at this point.

"They're alright, Yang," a familiarly calming voice said. "They're safe."

"Sa… fe…?"

Yang's eyes fluttered closed again, only to open once more when a cool hand pressed against her forehead.

"Yes, safe," Princess Schnee said, the chill of shared Aura providing much needed relief from the burn of pain currently alighting almost every single nerve in the brawler's body on fire.

"See?"

Following her companion's gaze, Yang breathed in relief the moment her eyes landed on two familiar forms off to the side. Just a few feet away from them, on the other side of the crackling fire, lay Ruby and Blake, dozing away peacefully. Enveloped by the Faunus, Ruby was cuddled against Blake's chest, Ruby's head tucked under the sword wielder's chin. Aside from the two of them looking a bit ruffled (Blake was missing her bow and had a few bandages peeking out from under her clothes while Ruby had a healing scratch on her cheek, her sister sporting a few bruises), they looked to be in great health.

"Safe…" Yang murmured, the tension in her body disappearing.

Sighing, her eyes snapped open (when had she closed them?) the moment the hand left her forehead. Yang blinked.

"Princess?"

No response.

Yang tried again.

"Princess Schnee…?"

She frowned when the white haired girl refused to meet her gaze.

"S-Sorry," Princess Schnee said, clutching at the hem of her jacket. "I'm still a little bit shaken by this all I guess."

The white haired girl swallowed thickly.

"To think I almost didn't make it in time…"

Yang's frown deepened when the princess' lips trembled, the girl's fists going knuckle white. Without thinking, she reached out to the shivering girl with her right hand only to bite back a yelp when a fresh spike of pain ran up her arm. Only then did Yang realize that she too was covered in various bandages, her right arm tied up in a sling. Gritting her teeth as she let her arm drop, Princess Schnee unaware of her pain, Yang reached over to the rapier wielder with her left hand, and rested her hand on one of princess'. It was a bit of a stretch given the girl sat down on her right side, but Yang made do.

"Hey."

Watery blue eyes snapped to hers in an instant.

"You made it," Yang said, her voice warm. "And we're all safe. That's all that matters. Alright?"

Giving her present company a small smile, Yang's smile widened when the white haired girl smiled back.

A shuddering breath.

"You're right," Princess Schnee said, her free hand wiping away her unshed tears. Her other hand remained in Yang's on the princess' lap.

"All of you are alive. The Grimm have been dealt with. And the cities should be safe again. At least for now. There's no use in thinking about what would have happened."

"That's the spirit," Yang said, absolutely beaming. Without realizing, she had begun stroking the back of the princess' hand with her thumb, a fact she only realized when the rapier wielder let out an adorable noise, the heiress' cheeks flushing as she looked down at their joined limbs.

"Ah, sorry," Yang quickly apologized, immediately pulling back her hand in embarrassment. Her cheeks burned.

"N-No," Princess Schnee said quickly. She wrung her hands together tightly in her lap. "You don't need to apologize. It wasn't… unpleasant…"

"It… wasn't…?" Yang asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

Her face sporting an adorable pink, Princess Schnee shook her head shyly, her gaze focused on the patch of ground between them.

With her eyes wide, Yang continued to stare at her companion for the better part of thirty seconds, only then Beacon leader's getting her wits about her and looking elsewhere. Frowning as her eyes fell upon the princess' intertwined hands, Yang clenched her less injured hand as tight as she could bear, the desire to reach over and hold the other girl again very strong. Not letting her desires to get the better of her, Yang resorted to stifled silence instead, something that would have to make do even when it didn't.

This was how things had to be. Princess Schnee was Vale's beloved princess after all. As for Yang, well, she was just a nobody. Princesses didn't mingle with nobodies.

"S-So…" Yang murmured, hoping a change of topic would dispel the sudden awkwardness surrounding them. She looked up at the princess again.

"Why are you here?"

The moment those words left her mouth, Yang wanted to kick herself.

"I… I beg your pardon?" Princess Schnee said, shock clearly heard in her voice.

Brilliant Yang. Absolutely brilliant.

"N-Not that I'm ungrateful or anything," Yang quickly amended, before she sounded like even more of an ass.

"It's just that…"

Yang looked away for a moment, scrambling for words. Now how to say this without sounding offensive?

"It's just… We were buried under a mountain of rock and Dust," Yang said, meeting the princess' gaze once more. "With the mammoth of all Grimm chasing us. Most people would have run away from that place, not towards it. You know?"

Princess Schnee smiled weakly at that comment, the rapier wielder looking at Yang tiredly.

"I do. But, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm not like most people."

A smirk.

Yang smirked back. "So it seems."

Revelling in her companion's presence for a moment, Yang stayed quiet for a few more seconds before asking the question that had been on her mind since she remembered what happened.

"So how did you find us?"

Evidently an expected question, Princess Schnee's shoulders slumped forward as she took a moment to rub her face.

"It wasn't easy," the white garbed girl said, the princess sounding even more tired than before. "After the survivors started showing up at Atlas, including your lieutenants, it took us a few days to get the whole story from them."

A weary sigh.

"And when we learned what really happened, my father and Atlas' monarchy decided it was for the best to fortify Atlas' borders first before taking any further action. If that monster were to escape its rocky prison, there would no doubt it would head for Atlas first."

Yang listened to the princess as she recounted her tale, Beacon's leader pursing her lips more and more as the white haired girl's posture sagged further and further the longer she spoke. Now that Yang had the chance to look at her, to really look at her, it shocked Yang to see how absolutely wretched the girl looked. Princess Schnee was on the verge of passing out, the princess' usually perfect appearance now one of dishevelled exhaustion, hairs awry from the girl's side ponytail, the princess' garb now dusty and wrinkled.

"So what changed?" Yang said, choosing to keep her observations to herself.

For the moment at least.

If push came to shove, Yang was certain she'd be able to figure out a way to get the princess to lie down when the time came. As fragile as she currently appeared, Yang knew the princess was much stronger than she looked.

"Changed?" Princess Schnee echoed, clearly confused.

"Yeah," Yang said. "You're here now, aren't you? I haven't seen your contingent of guards yet, but I'm guessing they're somewhere around here. Scoping out the perimeter mayhaps?"

It took a moment for the princess to respond, and when she did, Yang couldn't but raise an eyebrow at how sheepish the girl was as she played with the tail end of her hair.

"About that…" the rapier wielder mumbled, looking away.

Yang watched her companion unblinkingly.

"There are no guards," the princess said quietly.

A blink.

"No guards?" Yang said, feeling very much like a parrot. "When you say no guards, you mean like not a contingent of guards or-"

"No guards," Princess Schnee repeated.

Blue eyes reluctantly met Yang's gaze.

"Just me…"

Yang gawked at the white haired girl for a few seconds before her eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"And the King allowed that?" she almost screeched.

Mouth, meet foot.

"Not that you aren't capable on your own or anything," Yang quickly added, the brawler scrambling to recover from yet another blunder. "But-"

The way her companion was looking at her now stopped Yang's ramblings dead.

"No one knows you're here, do they?"

Princess Schnee shook her head.

"Oh," was all Yang said.

"Yes," the princess said. "Oh."

Silence.

"You're going to be in so much trouble when you get back, aren't you?"

"You have no idea," the white cloaked girl replied, a hand on her head. She rubbed her face again, this time Princess Schnee closing her eyes for a moment.

"For what it's worth," Yang said after a few seconds. "I'm sorry."

Blue eyes cracked open, the princess frowning.

"Sorry? For what?"

It was Yang's turn to sigh.

"Well," she said, turning to gaze at the stars again. "It's my fault you're out here in the first place. And-"

"Nonsense," Princess Schnee said, cutting her off. "It was my choice to come and find you without telling anyone. If there is anyone to blame, it's me."

"But-"

"Ah-pup-pup-pup! I don't want to hear it," the rapier wielder said, complete with a dismissive hand wave.

"Contrary to what many believe, my father included, I am not some child to be coddled. I know the world is a dangerous place. But if I were to hide and cower every time something even came up, no matter how small it was, I wouldn't be living. I would be surviving. And no person should have to live like that."

A fair jaw clenched.

"I refuse to live like that," Vale's princess said, her voice firm and unwavering. Staring Yang dead in the eye, blue eyes sharpened.

"Wouldn't you?"

Yang blinked in surprise, having not expected quite that reaction. Surprise soon turned to amusement however, a smile stretching across her face.

"Well," she began. "When you put it that way, how could I argue against that?"

Being the smug little bastard she was, the princess merely smirked.

"You can't," Princess Schnee stated. "Because you know I'm right."

Gods, this woman was something else.

"Even so," Beacon's leader said chuckling. Yang's smile lessened. "I'm still sorry. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"Yang-"

"Thanks for saving me, Princess," the brawler said, absolutely beaming. "There was a time I thought I would never see the sky again. But thanks to you, I still can."

Much to Yang's delight, she watched as a nice pink quickly decorated the princess' cheeks, the white haired girl crossing her arms over her chest as she tried and failed to glare pointedly at Yang.

"Princess?" the Schnee successor pouted. "Really Yang? It's bad enough everyone else calls me that. I don't need you calling me that too."

Another pout.

"Sorry," Yang said, her smile never faltering. "But I think it suits you. It's cute, just like you."

Open mouth. Insert foot.

It was no secret how Yang felt about the white haired princess. To her second-in-commands, that is. No one else knew about her humongously large crush on Vale's favorite princess. Not even the princess herself. Sure, some people suspected things, like a certain redheaded lieutenant of hers, but aside from that, Yang's secret was relatively safe. Then she just had to go on and blurt out something like that, to her secret crush no less, the two of them now staring at each other in shock, cheeks rosy and red.

"Weiss, I… What I meant to say was… Uhh…"

When Yang first received that letter over a year ago, she didn't know what to expect. While it wasn't uncommon for the royal family to send correspondences to regular folk (she did save their lives after all, along with Blake and Ruby), Yang never expected to get a personal letter from the princess herself.

Written in impeccable prose, each word flawlessly scripted onto high quality parchment, Beacon's leader quickly found herself enraptured with the text that night, even though it was a simple thank you letter for saving the princess' life. Yang would later learn Ruby and Blake also received their own personal thank you letters, the two of them getting theirs just a day later. But, unlike her two second-in-commands, Princess Schnee continued writing to Yang after that, whenever she could, Yang reciprocating. And before the year was over, the two of them had become very close friends, something some would say bordered on more.

"Yang-"

"What happened to Xiuhcoatl?"

Tonight was just not her night.

In her panic to change the subject yet again, because really, Yang was so not ready to talk about her one sided affections right now (maybe not ever), she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, that being the current location of the thing which nearly killed them.

"Xiuhcoatl?" Weiss repeated, the princess not making the connection.

"The giant Grimm that tried to eat us."

"Right," the heiress said. "I already knew that."

Yang grimaced at the disappointment in Weiss' tone, the girl's sorrowful expression feeling like a stab to the heart. The rapier wielder didn't remain that way for long thankfully, the princess quickly schooling her expression to one most people knew her for.

Dead seriousness.

"After it smashed you into the wall," Weiss began, the princess wringing her hands together in front of her. "I knew I had to end things quickly."

"Considering how the three of you looked when I found you, I knew the longer we drew that fight out, the more likely one of us, if not all of us, wouldn't make it."

"You got that right," Yang said, suppressing a shudder. "Had you not found us when you did… Well, let's just say I don't want to think about it."

Lowering her gaze, Yang's eyes went unfocused, her thoughts drifting back to the many dark days of hell they just barely survived. She still didn't know how many days in total they spent down there, buried under Mountain Glenn, fleeing for their lives. But if you were to ask her, Yang would say too many.

A cool hand on her uninjured one drew Yang's eyes upwards again.

"You're safe, Yang," Princess Schnee said, rubbing her hand gently. "As is everyone else. Do not fret about what could have been. Was that not what you told me just a moment ago?"

Realizing the conversation had come full circle, Yang chuckled tiredly, giving her companion a small smile.

"I guess I need to follow my own advice, huh?"

Weiss smiled back, that smile making Yang's heart beat a little bit faster.

"Well," the princess said. "You do say some wise things from time to time."

"Hey!" Yang pouted. "What's that supposed to mean? I say wise things all the time!"

Removing her hand from Yang's, Weiss covered her mouth as she giggled, that small yet wondrous sound making the blonde smile even more.

"I'm sorry," Princess Schnee said, still giggling.

"No you're not," Yang said, feigning scepticism.

"You're right," the white haired girl readily admitted. "I'm not."

More giggling.

Yang rolled her eyes at the princess, smirking all the while.

"Alright, alright," she began, drawing the other girl's attention back to her. "You can stop laughing now."

After a few seconds Weiss quieted, the rapier wielder raising her gaze again to meet Yang's. When she did that however, fresh laughter rolled off of Princess Schnee's lips, the other girl desperately trying to smother her laughter with her hand.

"You know," Yang said with a sigh. "I'm not sure who's worse. You or Xiuhcoatl."

"Don't be absurd," Weiss said, her giggles now gone but her smile remaining. "There is no way you can compare me to that beast."

"Speaking of which," Yang said. "You never did tell me what happened afterwards. You know, after I got bashed into a wall and all."

At that comment, Weiss' lips pursed together into a fine line.

"Didn't I?" the smaller girl said, obviously stalling. For what, Yang didn't know.

Beacon's leader shook her head, but quickly stopped that motion the moment her vision swam and her head pounded more.

"The moment you were thrown into the cavern wall, I knew..."

Weiss inhaled shakily, a fist clenching in her lap.

"I knew I couldn't play it safe anymore. So I used this."

Reaching into the small pouch strapped to her belt, the princess held up what appeared to be a palm sized, burnt out Dust crystal of some sort. While the crystal itself was as black as onyx, if Yang squinted at it, she could just make out something sharp and shiny trapped inside of it.

"Weiss, that is...?"

Reluctantly meeting her gaze, the heiress gave her a half smile.

"Have you ever heard of the Arma Sine Anima?"

"You have a Dust Armor!" Yang exclaimed, looking at her the princess incredulously.

A grunt and a soft whimper.

"Will you keep your voice down?" Weiss all but hissed, gesturing off to the side. The blackened Dust crystal was clenched in her free hand.

"You will wake them up you Dunce!"

Yang cringed as she watched Blake and Ruby shift, her two second-in-commands cuddling even further against each other. Thankfully, they settled after a few seconds, Ruby's face now nuzzling against Blake's collar.

"Sorry," Yang murmured, chuckling to herself. "Didn't mean to be so loud. Not that it was my fault in the first place."

Blue eyes narrowed some.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked, the rapier wielder's eyebrow raised.

"C'mon Weissy," Yang said. "You can't just go and say you have a Dust Armor and not expect me to react. Those things are like rarer than white Dust crystals!"

"You do realize you're talking to someone who literally lived above one of the largest white Dust crystal deposits in all of Vale, don't you?"

Yang's jaw went slack, her eyes wide.

"You... You what now...?"

Weiss blinked. "Didn't I tell you?"

Yang gawked at the princess for the better part of thirty seconds.

"Oh right," Princess Schnee muttered to herself, looking to the side. "No one is supposed to know that."

Looking back at her, the princess just smiled.

"Let's just say that's our little secret," Weiss said, the heiress giving Yang a wink.

Well that's not something you see every day.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?"

Weiss just laughed. It was one of the most beautiful things Yang had ever heard in her entire life.

"I could say the same about you," Princess Schnee said.

Reaching over and gently squeezing Yang's hand, Weiss smiled. It was the type of smile many would kill for, one only Yang got to see from time to time. But as quickly as it came it was gone, Weiss pulling away a few seconds, Yang already missing the warmth as her companion turned to peek at the other two on the other side of the campfire again.

"What?"

"Hmm?" the princess murmured distractedly.

Yang frowned a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Weiss asked, the heiress turning back to Yang.

"You're staring," Yang said, nodding to her second-in-commands.

Princess Schnee looked back at Blake and Ruby again.

"Oh, nothing is wrong," Weiss said, smiling at the slumbering duo. "I just never realized they were so close."

"They're really not," Yang said, earning her a raised eyebrow. "I mean they are, but not in the way you think."

Weiss remained silent, Yang taking that as a sign to continue.

"Ruby was always a clingy sleeper," she explained. "Even as a child. As for Blake... well, she was never one to turn down a warm, cuddly body when it came to sleeping at night. It must be a cat thing."

Turning her head to look at her sister and best friend again, Yang couldn't but smile at the sight of them. They'd been through a lot, the three of them, and now that one of the biggest threats to mankind had been dealt with (Yang hoped it had been dealt with at least), Beacon's leader was hoping for some much needed rest. But first...

Lavender coloured eyes drifted downwards to the burnt crystal in Princess Schnee's hand.

"So how did you get yourself a Dust Armor, Weissy?" Yang questioned, the brawler genuinely curious. "Aren't they like... very hard to come by?"

Looking at the burnt crystal in her hand again, the heiress chuckled, Weiss pushing her off centre ponytail over her shoulder.

"It's really not all that hard," Princess Schnee said, playing with the tail of her hair. "Especially when you and your father were the ones who designed them in the first place."

A bashful smile.

If Yang wasn't surprised before, she certainly was now.

"It was you who made them!?" she exclaimed in utter disbelief. Just when Yang thought she'd figured the princess out, the white haired girl goes and drops this on her.

Weiss was on her in an instant, one hand to the right of Yang's head propping the girl up while the other clamped down over Yang's mouth.

"What did I tell you about keeping your voice down you Dunce!?" the rapier wielder hissed, Weiss less than two inches from Yang's face.

A soft mewl had both of them holding their breaths, the white and yellow duo reluctantly looking at the slumbering pair not too far away. Blake's cat ears twitched and flicked a few times as the seconds ticked by, the ravenette's face marred with furled brows and tightly pressed lips. That quickly faded however, as no further shouting occurred, the Faunas soon nuzzling her face into Ruby's hair again before stilling once more.

Sighing in relief after dodging that bullet, because really, Blake could be quite the grumpy cat when her sleep was interrupted, Yang nearly choked on her breath when sapphire and violet met again, both her and Weiss quickly realizing what position they were in. At the slight bobbing of Weiss' throat as the princess swallowed, Yang's gaze flicked downwards, Yang swallowing herself.

"M-My apologies," Princess Schnee stuttered, the white haired girl quickly retreating. "I-"

Yang grabbed the princess' arm with her unbound hand before Weiss could get too far.

"Don't," she said, halting the now blushing heiress. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

Stroking Weiss' forearm with her thumb, Yang did not miss the slight shiver which ran through the other girl's frame.

A smile.

"You know," Yang said, focusing solely on her present company. "We have to stop meeting like this."

Once fond blue eyes quickly widened in alarm, Princess Schnee going as stiff as a board.

"Not that it's a bad thing," Yang said quickly, in a hasty attempt to soothe her distressed companion. "Not really."

Yang's thumb continued to rub circles on the white haired girl's arm.

"What I mean is... the first time we met, you helped me save Ruby's life. And the second time, well, I was saving yours."

Catching on to her line of thought, the tension in Weiss' body quickly dissipated, the princess' shoulders slumping again.

"And here we are again," Yang said. "This time you saving me."

A light chuckle.

"Can't we... you know, say meet at the pub for a drink like normal people? Not that I'm complaining about you saving my life or the lives of my sister and best friend or anything. But, you know what I mean?"

It was Weiss' turn to chuckle, the white haired girl smiling as she shook her head.

"You of all people know that would never happen."

Yang's heart sunk at those words, her smile quickly fading as the harsh reality of the world they lived in reared its ugly head again. Of course things couldn't be like that between them. Weiss was the freaking princess, of the largest kingdom in all of the continent. How could Yang ever be good enough for her?

"Because," Princess Schnee continued on, oblivious to Yang's inner turmoil. "We're not normal. So how could that ever happen?"

Yang blinked in confusion.

"Huh what?"

"Just think about it for a moment," Weiss said, her smile widening. "What kind of normal person willingly runs into a castle, completely overrun with hordes of Grimm, to save someone they don't really know?"

Oh…

Oh!

Yang's smile was brilliant, a giddiness filling Beacon's leader as the twinkle of amusement was seen sparkling in Princess Schnee's eyes.

"And what kind of normal person willingly charges into a mountain full of Grimm, just to save a person she once met years ago?" Yang asked, though both of them already knew the answer.

"Crazy, isn't it?" Weiss said, her smile absolutely stunning.

"Well, maybe not," the white haired girl muttered to herself as an aside.

Yang still heard it anyhow.

"I did just level Mountain Glenn nearly burying the lot of us not too long ago after all," Weiss murmured, her eyes focusing ground side.

"That is pretty crazy," Yang said, almost laughing. "I mean, levelling Mountain Glenn? That's pretty-"

Yang's brain caught up to her ears.

"Wait what?" Beacon's leader said gaping. "What are you talking about?"

Sheepishly twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, Weiss smiled thinly.

"About that," the princess said. "Maybe it's faster to just show you. Look over there."

Following her companion's gaze and looking to her left, Yang quickly realized their camp was located near the edge of a cliff, a steep one at that. And beyond the cliff's edge and the forest of trees which covered the ground below, was what looked to be a decent sized crater. It was hard to tell just how large the crater was from distance, but even Yang could tell it was significant.

"And I'm looking at what exactly?"

Tiredly running a hand through her dishevelled hair, Princess Schnee sighed.

"You're looking at what's left of Mountain Glenn," the rapier wielder explained.

Yang stared.

And stared.

And stared.

"Say what!?" she exclaimed, making Weiss flinch. By some miracle, neither Blake nor Ruby roused from that shout.

"How did you manage that?!"

Glancing back to the slumbering pair on the opposite side of the campfire, the princess leaned in closer to Yang, her voice soft.

"Well," Weiss began. "I already told you I had the Arma Sine Anima-"

"Dust Armor," Yang interrupted.

"Yes, yes," the white haired girl said with a tinge of annoyance. "What you didn't know was the one I carried was not the same as the ones currently in full force protecting Atlas. This one was different. It was a prototype that my father and I were working on."

Yang stared blankly. Clearly Weiss was speaking English. That said, Beacon's leader still didn't have a clue about what the princess was going on and on about.

"And that means what exactly?"

"It means," Weiss said in exasperation. "That unlike the Dust Armors which defend Atlas, this one was three times larger and had four Dust cores instead of one. This was a Giant Dust Armor, for lack of a better name, the only one of its kind."

Lavender coloured eyes widened in awe, the dots finally connecting in Yang's head.

"That sounds pretty amazing," the brawler said. "I wish I could have seen that."

"You will," Weiss said not skipping a beat. "After some more modifications are made, that is."

The white haired girl stared at the blackened crystal in her hand.

"We still haven't found out a way to stabilize the quad core yet, which is why it exploded in the middle of the fight," the princess explained. "That explosion ignited a Dust vein which ignited another Dust vein, which ignited another Dust vein and so on, leading to many more Dust explosions which levelled the mountain. We were lucky to get out of there when we did."

A whistle.

"Sounds intense," Yang said, the brawler grimacing at the images conjured up by her imagination. "Do I even want to know how you managed to get us all out of there alive?"

Weiss chuckled tiredly.

"It wasn't pretty," the white haired girl said. "Not one of my finer moments, I assure you, but it could have been a lot worse."

Turning back to the remnants of Mountain Glenn, Yang couldn't but wonder what would have happened had things turned out differently. Right now, the natural monolith was a sliver of its former self, Yang in her time having come across anthills taller than the mountain was now. Those were Grimm Titanomyrma anthills of course, but that didn't make the severity of what could have happened any less.

"You know," the princess said, drawing Yang's attention back to her. "You never did give me your answer."

Yang looked at Weiss in confusion.

"Answer?" she queried. "Answer about what?"

"You know what I'm speaking of."

Turning to the starry sky again, Yang sighed softly. She'd almost forgotten about that, some part of her also hoping Weiss had too. While she could have used the excuse that she didn't get that last correspondence due to a Grimm something or the other, both she and the princess knew that wasn't the truth. Yang was stalling, and had been since reading Weiss' last letter months ago. And despite sitting on it all this time (not literally, she actually had it in her jacket pocket right now, unbeknownst to her present company), she still didn't know what to say.

"What would you have me say?" Yang asked, reluctantly turning back to her white haired companion.

"It's not about what I want you to say, Yang," Weiss said, frowning slightly. "It's about how you feel."

A thick swallow.

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to feel what I'm feeling right now," Yang openly admitted, her voice hesitant.

Weiss' frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple really," Beacon's leader said, her half smile one of sadness.

"You're the Princess of Vale. Daughter to one of the greatest rulers in history. The next in line for the throne. But me… well… I'm just a girl who's crazy enough to fight the Grimm. And if I didn't do that, I would be no more special than the rest of us commoners. Do you get it now?"

Yang clenched her jaw, a bitter taste in her mouth.

"No matter what I feel for you, nothing I do would be good enough."

With her piece said, Yang waited agonizingly as the other girl stared at her in silent contemplation.

"You're right," the princess said after a few seconds, Yang's heart dropping.

"You are a girl crazy enough to fight the Grimm," Weiss continued, before Yang's thoughts could spiral any further.

"But that is what you are, not who you are. If I was really only concerned with such frivolities, I would have not sent all those correspondences, nor would I be out here, by myself, with nothing but my blade."

A pause.

"But I did send you all those correspondences," Weiss said. "And I am out here now. With you."

Yang's mouth hung open in surprise.

"Do you get it now, Yang Xiao Long?" Princess Schnee said, her head tilting to the side. Smiling, Weiss put her hand down on Yang's uninjured one and squeezed gently.

"So let me ask you again, in person this time," the rapier wielder said. "Will you, Yang Xiao Long, join me in Atlas for dinner some time?"

Staring at the princess for the better part of who knows how long, very much imitating a fish out of water, Yang quickly got her wits about her and closed her mouth. With her heart hammering away in her chest, she swallowed against the dryness in her mouth, Yang doing her best to ignore that same pulsing beat which sounded like thunder in her ears.

"I…"

Had someone told her as a child that she'd end up fighting against the beginning of all Grimm, Yang would have rolled her eyes. For the same person to say she would be saved, by the Princess of Vale no less, someone she'd eventually fall madly and deeply in love with, Yang would have burst out laughing, likely ending up on the floor in a fit. Yet here she was many years later, Xiuhcoatl defeated, Yang now being asked out by the girl she'd been crushing on for months.

And this was real.

"I'd like nothing better," Yang said after finding her voice. Flaming heat crept up her neck to her ears, the brawler swearing she was on fire. Her face at least. Thankfully she wasn't alone in this, Weiss also donning her own lovely colour of fuchsia.

"I'm glad," Princess Schnee said, the rapier wielder squeezing Yang's hand again.

Turning her hand around so her palm faced upwards, Yang intertwined their fingers together, shooting Weiss a shy look.

"You know," Yang said, drawing brilliant ice blue eyes to her. "When I was a kid, I didn't believe in fairytales."

A sad smile.

"How could I when people died, my parents died, at the hands of the Grimm."

"Yang..." Weiss said, not knowing what to say.

"That's why I became a Huntress," the brawler continued. "To do what those fabled heroes in the fairytales couldn't do. Actually stop the Grimm. And now that I have, that we have…"

Yang stroked the back of the princess' hand with her thumb.

"I can't but think how silly I was for not believing in those fairytales. Because now, I am one."

The rapier wielder blinked a few times.

"You're... a fairytale?" Weiss said.

"Uh..." Yang said, suddenly realizing what she said. "What I meant to say was-"

At the sound of bubbling laughter, the blush on Yang's cheeks return in full force.

"Gods, I'm so sorry," Yang said, unable to look at Weiss in the eye. "I swear that sounded so much cooler in my head."

A hand covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, the heiress managed to recompose herself after a few seconds.

"It's alright, Yang," Weiss said, still giggling. "I understand what you meant. And it's cute. Just like you."

Not expecting that compliment, Yang's blush darkened even more, Weiss's smile making her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

"You think I'm cute?"

Patting Yang's uninjured hand with her free hand, the princess' smile widened.

"I think you're more than that," Weiss said, her eyes so full of warmth. "But that is a conversation for another time. For now, you should get more rest. You've had a long few days. I'll keep watch."

"Aww," Yang pouted. "You're no fun."

Princess Schnee laughed again. "Get some rest, Yang. I'll still be here when you wake up next."

A gentle squeeze of her hand.

"I promise," Weiss said.

Gazing at her white haired companion fondly, Yang couldn't but smile, a soft yawn soon escaping her lips.

"Welp, when you put things that way, how could I possibly refuse?"

"You can't," Princess Schnee said with a small giggle.

Yang chuckled to herself.

"Oh Weissy," the brawler said. "Don't you know? There's nothing Yang Xiao Long can't do."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campfire...

"Blake, what are they saying?" Ruby whispered, Beacon's second-in-command and co-leader currently lying on her side, feigning sleep.

"The Princess is just saying how she found us," Blake said, the other of Beacon's second-in-commands curled up next to her younger counterpart, also faking sleep.

For some time now, the two of them had been awake. Too tired to move, not to mention, aching in places they never knew could hurt, the black and red pair opted to lie there, next to the crackling fire, eavesdropping on their leader and friend.

"She came by herself," Blake said quietly, surprise in her voice. "No guards or anything."

"Oh wow," Ruby whispered back, equally surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's crazy."

"Tell me about it."

Contrary to popular belief, Yang was a rather private person. Very rarely would she share personal details, especially with people she didn't know. One such detail, something only Ruby and Blake were privy to however, was just how much she had fallen for a certain white haired princess of all of Vale.

Even though they were all friends, family practically, Yang was still embarrassed by what she thought to be an unrequited crush. Ruby and Blake knew otherwise of course, and that was why they pretend to sleep. Not only to allow Yang to be herself in this situation (because really, Yang would never be caught dead like this if she knew they were awake and listening), but also to get in on some juicy details themselves.

The only problem was the white and yellow duo were speaking in hushed tones, leaving Ruby practically deaf to the conversation. With the crackling fire at her back overpowering much of the sounds in the area, the scythe wielder could barely hear talking far-a-less anything else. Thankfully for her, Blake could still hear perfectly fine, the Faunus acting as telegrapher of the conversation happening just a few feet behind her.

"Oh," Blake commented.

"What?"

"Oh wow. Yang just... wow..."

"What?" Ruby repeated, trying so hard not to break the facade she was still sleeping. It was so hard for her to keep still like this, especially considering her more hyper active nature when compared to her sister and friend, but somehow Ruby made do.

"Yang did what?" she whispered again, Ruby trying her darnedest not to move.

"Your sister," Blake murmured, keeping her voice low. "She just-"

"You have a Dust Armor!?"

At that shout, a whimper escaped Ruby's throat, the scythe wielder flinching thinking they'd been caught. Ready with a thousand apologies for eavesdropping, the hiss which sounded soon afterwards quickly put Ruby's mind at ease, the little Rose relieved like no other that they hadn't actually been found out.

Yet.

"That was close," Ruby muttered, happily snuggled even closer to her Faunus friend.

"You could say that again," Blake answered in kind, her arms wrapped around her sleeping companion just a bit tighter.

"Wait a minute," the little red said, her mind finally catching up to her ears. "Did Yang just say the princess had a Dust Armor?"

"She did," Blake replied after a second, the Faunus' pause no doubt a means of ensuring their conversation went unnoticed by the pair opposite the campfire.

"What of it?"

Ruby wanted to squeal.

"Can we get one?"

Blake sighed quietly, resisting the urge to face palm. Despite having spent years around the two sisters, it never ceased to amaze the Faunus just how utterly outlandish the two of them could be. If they weren't battling Grimm, Yang was off chasing Vale's princess. If Yang wasn't off chasing royalty, Ruby was wanting a giant Dust powered automaton for who knows what purposes. Not that there was anything wrong with either of those things, not really. But would it kill them to choose something normal to be interested in for a change?

"Can we Blake?" Ruby pleaded again, the scythe wielder as quiet as a mouse. That was quite the feat considering Blake knew what Ruby really was like. Whenever Dust and weaponry were involved, Ruby was akin to an exploding volcano in terms of excitement.

"Ruby-" Blake began.

"I promise to take care of it," the cloak wearing second-in-command said pitifully.

Blake sighed again, the Faunus utterly hating the princess of Vale right now. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Blake could never hate Weiss, not after they became acquainted and the Faunus saw firsthand how the royal family helped their people in any way they could, Weiss especially. The white haired girl just made things a bit more difficult for her tonight, Ruby quite hard to calm down once she got excited about something. She'd figure something out though. She was Beacon's second-in-command for a reason after all. Now, if only she could make it through the night without something else setting Ruby off-

"It was you who made them!?" came Yang's shout seconds later, making Blake cringe.

Pulling Ruby towards her, feigning unconscious snuggling to keep up their farce, Blake muttered curses under her breath in Faunus tongue.

It was going to be a long night.

END

A/N: When I first wrote this story, itwas only meant to be a one shot. It was a spur of the moment thing for me, one which I thought I'd never repeat. Then Monty passed away, and I knew I couldn't leave this as it was. Hence this (part 2) was written. This was originally what I intended to write in memory of Monty's passing, but in the end, I chose to post up something else. Back then (February 2015) I sadly didn't have the time I felt was needed to do this piece justice, especially in memory of such a great man. So I opted to take as much time as was required to properly write this out, and now a year later, it's finally done. Please note, as the majority of the initial draft for part 2 was written back in February (2015), there are no references from Volume 3 to be found here.

Rest in Peace Monty. You are missed.

June 22, 1981 – February 1, 2015

Weiss' fight with the Boarbatusk is based on her fight with it in Volume 2 during Prof Port's class.

Xiuhcoatl is a mythological serpent with dragon like qualities from the Aztec religion. It was regarded as the spirit form of Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec fire deity, and hence was said to also breathe fire. For this story, I've tweaked a lot of details pertaining to this creature to fit in the story world (because really, what's more badass than a dragon Grimm?).

The name "Xiuhcoatl" was chosen for its cool sounding name after I did a google search for mythical dragons.

If you want more information on this mythical beast, you can find it here (replace commas with periods): en,wikipedia,org/wiki/Xiuhcoatl

I realize landing on snow is not the most ideal of air bags, but after seeing that mechanic used many a time in various movies and what not, I decided to use it. And, well, if that's not a satisfactory explanation, let's say their Auras also helped take the edge off their fall.

Monty fought for 10 days while in a coma before he passed away. Yang and the gang's own fight for life was a nod to that.

The fight with Xiuhcoatl was based on the fight Team RWBY had with Roman Torchwick in the Atlesian Paladin (Volume 2, Episode 4). Unlike the fight in the show, the girls here are not invincible, nor impervious to getting hurt. They are human, no matter what Semblances they have.

The Giant Dust Armor that Weiss and Yang were referring to is the based on the giant armor Weiss fought in the White trailer. The ones protecting Atlas are actually the Atlesian Knight-200 as seen in Volume 2, Episode 3.

"arma sine anima" is latin for "armor without soul". That is what I called the Dust Armor for lack of a cooler name. At first I was going to give it three Dust cores, but in the end changed my mind and gave it four. In RWBY, teams are comprised of four members, and in spite of blow ups between members at times (you see what I did there? lol), in the end, they always come back together to support each other.

Yep, I'm such a sap. XD

Titanomyrma giganteum is the largest species of ant (fossil) currently known to date. One queen was recorded to be 6 centimetres (2.4 inches) long with a wingspan of 15 centimetres. For my story, I have made them into a type of Grimm which is roughly the size of a horse. For more information on ants, you can find it here (replace commas with periods): en,wikipedia,org/wiki/Ant

Finally, please check out my profile page for important updates concerning future stories and what I have planned from here on out.