Ember Legacy, Volume 2

Chapter 14: An Uncomfortable Reunion

City of Vale

"Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

~ unknown

Weiss quirked an infinitesimal smile to herself as she sat amongst the fellowship that Ruby had gathered around her. They were a very diverse group of people whom she'd begun to think of as more friends than companions.

Well, and perhaps a bit more than that for one in particular.

She snuck a quick glance at the radiant blonde sitting across from her as was her usual habit now. Yang had a broad smile on her face as she listened to Nora regale them with her latest bar brawl from the previous evening, while Ren would occasionally interject with a correction ("He was a half-Orc, Nora, not an Ogre") or simply nod in resigned agreement.

The alabaster-haired Elf suddenly found the blonde's gaze riveted on her, shooting her a quick wink, before rejoining the conversation at the table. Weiss couldn't help but blush slightly.

Son of an Ice Troll… How is it one woman can affect me so strongly?

The sex was certainly a highlight, but there had been plenty of attraction there first. Still, the Elven Mage would have been content with just gaining her experience in bed, as overwhelmingly delightful as it had been, and then walking away, except for the fact that she'd found herself head-over-heels in love with this boisterous Human.

And honestly, she'd never have believed it even remotely feasible. Granted, she was attracted to… buxom women. But this went far more deeply than the surface attractiveness, even the little things that the blonde did for her seemingly without thought, like how she'd sneak down for breakfast first and have her coffee and oatmeal ready for her. Or the offhand but sweet compliments she'd pay. Or the endearing and heartfelt way she called her gorgeous…

But what really drew Weiss in was the intense, arresting focus of the blonde. Yang made her feel like she was the center of her universe when she gazed at her, a variety of emotions playing across her brilliant lilac eyes. Warmth, lust, cheerfulness… And yes, even love, if she were not mistaken.

After two nights, Weiss had shyly asked if she could move her belongings into Yang's room, no longer caring about any sort of propriety. Though she'd worked very hard at keeping her… exclamations of ecstasy far more muted after their first night together.

Gods, the things that woman could do to her…

As if summoned once more by her thoughts, Yang's hand drifted across the table to brush up against her arm where it rested. Weiss gave another little smile as she pulled her own hand around to clasp the blonde's.

I went out into the world looking for adventure, and I found love. How did this happen to me?

She shook her head slowly, tuning back into the conversation as it seemed Nora was beginning to wind down.

"...And since Renny never lets me bring my hammer along…"

"Believe me, that's experience talking," Ren interjected quietly to the chuckles of the others.

"So I picked up a barstool," the orange-haired warrior declared, swinging her arms up and around, narrowly missing smacking an amused Ruby in the face. "And took a running leap into the air, bringing it down like the wrath of Oum…"

"That's actually a pretty accurate description," her lover smirked.

"And then BOOM, all three of them went flying across the bar, slamming into the rear wall!" Nora frowned briefly. "Unfortunately, they broke all the booze. That was a pity."

"And the main reason why we're banned from yet another pub," Ren finished with a sigh.

"So how many does that make?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes twinkling with mirth. "Three?"

"Yep, but not just me an' Ren!" Nora grinned widely as she glanced down the length of the table. "Let's not forget blondie!"

Yang chuckled as she shrugged unconcernedly. "Yeah, I joined them two nights ago, wanted to see this little hellion in action. Pretty damn impressive, actually." She leaned forward and sent a wink towards the Cat Faunus at the other end. "It beat even the brawl we were in, kitten."

"Somehow I find that terrifying," the raven-haired Rogue deadpanned as she cut into her lunch of haddock and vegetables.

As Nora launched into the tale of her adventures with the blonde bruiser, Weiss gave her lover an amused glance. "I don't recall you going out the night before."

"It was early," Yang replied with a smirk, taking a pull from her mug of mead. "Had to work off my excess energy, didn't want to burn you out."

Weiss groaned at the exaggerated eyebrow wag. "You are such an oaf," she sighed amusedly.

"So I've been told," Yang replied with another smirk. She turned back towards the end of the table as Nora finished her latest recitation. "So, Ruby. We got everything we need from town now, right? When do we head out?"

The brunette leader of their group nodded her head. "Yep, me an' Blakey got the directions to where we need to go last night. Let's get a good night's rest… meaning no brawls," she stated with a warning glance at the orange-haired warrior, "and we'll leave in the morning."

Weiss and Yang shared a humorous look. "Blakey?" the blonde whispered.

"Is there something going on there?" the white-haired Elf whispered back.

"No," the Cat Faunus in question stated very clearly from the other end of the table. She shot the pair of them a quick glare before returning to her lunch, the black furred ears atop her head twitching irritably in tune with the prickly flicks of her tail behind her.

While the two of them shared a quiet giggle, the others at the table simply shrugged as they were not privy to the conversation. Except, perhaps, for Ruby, who had a light blush across her cheeks and neck.

"Right!" the brunette exclaimed a bit too loudly. "So we got enough provisions?"

"That we do, sis," Yang replied genially. "Enough horses including spares, supplies, we're good. Didn't think you'd want a wagon, so we're limited to what our mounts can carry."

"Yeah, good thinking, Yang. We're heading into pretty mountainous territory…"

Ruby trailed off as the door to the tavern opened to reveal a quartet of familiar Knights.

"Hey, aren't those Knights of Artemis, like Pyrrha?" the blonde murmured.

Weiss nodded slightly as the four looked around, immediately moving towards them as soon as they had spotted the group. "They were outside the walls when we entered, and I do believe Pyrrha and Jeanne have been sparring with them. They look decidedly unfriendly right now, however…"

"Lady Nikos, Novitiate D'Arc," the indigo Elf in front greeted the other members of her Order tersely. "I am searching for two individuals from your party. Blake Belladonna and one known as Ruby."

"You found them," the brunette declared softly as she rose, keeping her hands at her sides. "I'm Ruby. What's this about?"

The Knight dipped her head briefly. "Lady Violetta, at your service, m'lady. Your presence, as well as that of the entirety of your party, is requested for an audience with King Ozpin."

"I see." Ruby rested her hands on her hips, glancing over at Blake who was studiously observing her lunch plate. Weiss could tell, however, that the Faunus Rogue was tautly strung, poised to leap into action and with one hand subtly concealed from the Knights currently arrayed between them and the exit.

The brunette looked over at Pyrrha next, who nodded worriedly in return.

"So by request, I imagine that means, like, a very polite order," Ruby clarified quietly as she turned back to regard the head of their escort, her head titled slightly to the side in consideration.

"You imagine correctly," Lady Violette replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Hmm." Ruby gave the woman a quick smirk before gesturing towards the table. She succinctly introduced the others to the Knights, even going so far as to identify Yang as her sister. She introduced Pyrrha and Jeanne last, mentioning offhandedly how she was sure they already knew each other.

The indigo-haired armored woman nodded to each in turn before sweeping her hand behind her. "Lady Dew Gayl, Lady Gwen Darcy, Lady Octavia Ember. And I am Lady Nebula Violette, ranking Knight of the Order of Artemis here in Vale. A pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Okay, then!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully. "Now that we've all been introduced, let's go see the King! Oh," she interjected, still keeping her voice casual, "I hope there's no problem with our retaining our arms, is there?"

"No, no problem," Nebula answered wryly. "But we should be off soon, if you please."

"Of course, of course," Ruby nodded. "Would you mind waiting outside? We'll be out in just a moment."

The Knight's olive-colored gaze flickered over towards the redhead seated in the middle of the table. Pyrrha gave another nod, this one more firm and reassuring.

"Very well," she replied. With a quick bow of her head, indigo tresses briefly swaying, she turned and left with the others.

"Okay," Ruby began intently. "Gear up. But I want to make this very clear… I want no, and I mean absolutely no violence in there, not even if provoked, unless I give the go-ahead. Am I understood?"

She was met by a chorus of affirmatives from around the table, but her gaze rested over at the other end.

Weiss just nodded slowly. "You know I'll follow your lead, Ruby," she stated softly.

"Yang?" the brunette questioned.

The blonde in question let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yeah, okay sis. You got it."

"Okay, thanks guys. So let's go, no need to keep our escorts waiting…"

"Hold on," Yang interjected, reaching into her pouch and signaling to the barmaid. "Lemme settle for the meal… Is this enough?"

The young brunette woman started to nod, but then stopped with a frown. "What is this?" she asked skeptically, pointing towards one odd-looking coin.

"Whoops!" the blonde exclaimed, quickly scooping it up and switching it with another lien piece with the familiar Valesian crest on it. "Sorry, that was an older one, heh heh…"

"Really, Yang?" Ruby deadpanned.

Weiss, though, leaned across towards the blonde woman. "What was that? It looked Elven, and positively ancient…"

"Oh, no, not at all," Yang chuckled. "Just a… replica. Yeah. So let's go, then!"

"Somehow they found out," Blake interjected worriedly as she rose with the others. "About our activity last night. We shouldn't just be walking back in there, even armed."

"Relax, Blakey," Ruby smiled reassuringly. "If we were in trouble, then they'd have just arrested us. You know, like if we'd actually stolen anything?"

The Faunus Rogue blushed at that. "Yes, well… That was a really valuable manuscript…"

"Never thought I'd see the day," Yang chuckled as she slung an arm around the raven-haired girl's shoulders. "Our little kitten tamed so easily by a pretty pair of silver eyes…"

"Yang," the Cat Faunus growled, shrugging the arm off. "I will eviscerate you."

"I'll hold her down for you," Ruby interjected darkly, walking rapidly ahead as she visibly fought down a blush.

Well now, that's an interesting reaction, Weiss grinned to herself as she rested her hand on the hilt of Myrtenaster at her side. Perhaps there really is something there?

The party was soon assembled outside where the Knights were waiting for them. The dozen humanoids then headed out, walking up the slight hill towards the center of Vale and the large castle that loomed there.

"Got your back, gorgeous," Yang murmured in her pointed ear.

"And I you, love," she replied softly.

While it certainly felt like a casual outing, the procession had a decidedly martial air about it. The Knights Violetta and Gayl strode at the head of the column, while the other pair brought up the rear. Both Pyrrha and Jeanne hung back to walk with the other two, chatting quietly.

Weiss could easily detect the undercurrent of tension in everyone, but she felt herself eminently prepared for whatever this encounter would entail. She'd spent a year in King Ozpin's court under the tutelage of his High Mage, Glynda Goodwitch. And before that, well…

Suffice to say, she knew how to convey herself with aplomb in a court setting.

She could feel the change come over her the closer they approached to Vale Keep, the large castle dominating the skyline ahead. Her posture drew more erect, chin uplifted, and a regal air of indifference formed on the Elf's pale face.

She shouldn't have been surprised, really, when Yang picked up on it immediately.

"You okay, gorgeous?" the blonde whispered just at the edge of her hearing over the bustle of the surrounding crowds.

Weiss inclined her head once. "Just preparing myself."

"Right…" Yang hummed to herself softly as they walked. "No need to get so uptight, princess. I thought we worked that outta you last night."

And there went her composure as she blushed furiously. "Not helping," she hissed irritably.

"Wasn't trying to," her lover smirked in reply.

The Elven Mage rolled her eyes, though she couldn't keep the small smile off of her face.

Soon enough they reached the castle gates. No guard impeded their progress through the castle grounds or the grand hallway, lined with large, majestic paintings depicting various events of Valesian history.

Nora had been chattering away, quietly for her, when she let out an indignant squawk and came to an abrupt halt. The platinum-haired Elf almost ran into her back but managed to pull up short.

"What is it?" she asked cautiously, peering around Ren's shoulder.

Up ahead, Ruby had stopped their progress, gazing up at one of the paintings on the wall.

"Yang, what is she…?" Weiss trailed off as she turned to view the blonde also riveted in place, peering intently at the same painting. She was startled to note her lilac eyes were now an unwavering crimson.

Curious, the Elf turned to regard the painting herself. It was one she'd admired often, depicting the end of the Dragon War. King Ozpin stood in the foreground, bloodied and battered but with his greatsword held aloft victoriously. Behind him lay the corpse of the mighty Red Dragon, Ember, along with several other Dragon and humanoid corpses.

What drew her eye this time, however, was the presence of two spots of light she'd not really paid attention to before. Clustered near each other, but in the distant background, were another pair of Dragon bodies huddled on the ground. One silver-colored, the other golden. Each one looked almost peaceful, as if they were sleeping rather than having been felled in battle as the other Dragons seemed.

Conversations with Ruby flitted across her memories regarding the War, and how other Dragons stood in opposition to the ancient Red. But she also knew from her history that Ozpin was the only one to walk away from the battlefield, inferring that those Dragons who had helped the humanoid races had perished as well. She supposed those must be two of them, if her memory of Silver and Gold Dragon tendencies served.

"We need to move on," Lady Violette called out, not impatiently but with an undeniable firmness.

"Right," Ruby whispered. She gave herself a shake, the stormy grey in her eyes fading back to silver again. "Lead on." She glanced over her shoulder. "Yang?"

"Yeah," the blonde whispered hoarsely. "Coming."

Weiss looked over at her lover in concern, going so far as to grasp her hand as they walked. "Are you alright?" she whispered.

Yang just nodded wordlessly, nameless emotions swirling in her once-more lilac eyes. The Elf made a note to follow up at a later time, as she couldn't see why the painting would have had such a profound affect on the two girls. Perhaps it was because of their parents? Ruby had mentioned that hers had both died in the War, meaning Yang's father as well had perished.

Perhaps it was indeed as simple as that, but she would bring it up at some other opportunity.

Now, though, they were in front of the grand doors leading to the audience chamber. Without preamble the heavily armored members of the Royal Guard stepped aside, opening the door for the procession.

The hall was as grand as the first time she'd been there, with the colorful banners of the various families that made up the initial coalition of the Kingdom of Vale, interspersed with the dark green Valesian banner, lining the walls and balconies along each side. At the end of the hall was a raised dais where King Ozpin sat, clad in his dark green robes. Behind him was the royal banner of Vale, and at his shoulder as usual was Mage Glynda.

She noted idly that the sides of the hall had more Royal Guardsmen than usual, likely as a precaution from the heavily-armed visitors, even as vetted by the Knights of Artemis as they were.

"Lady Violette," Ozpin called out as they approached, his voice as unruffled and level as always. "I thank you for bringing these good people before me."

"It was my pleasure, Your Majesty," the purple-haired Elf replied with a bow. "Can the Knights be of any further assistance?"

"I would appreciate your presence during these proceedings, yes," Ozpin replied.

The four Knights bowed and stepped aside, while the other eight all gave appropriate bows themselves. Even Nora, Weiss humorously noted, though the orange-haired fiery warrior looked incredibly awkward doing so.

"I'm sure you all know who I am," Ozpin began with a regal nod of his head, his eyes focused on Ruby. "Behind me is my Royal Mage, Glynda Goodwitch. I appreciate your meeting with me on such short notice."

"It was not an imposition, Your Majesty," Ruby stated softly.

Ozpin opened his mouth to continue, but closed it at a commotion from the side.

"I do apologize for the interruption, Ozpin," a male voice called out. "But our ship departs on the tide, and I wanted to offer my thanks one more time for your hospitality."

"Of course, James," the King smiled at the tall and imposing man who strode forward. He had dark hair, greying at the temples, and walked with a military manner as he approached Ozpin with his arm outstretched.

Weiss watched the grey-suited man with a mixture of shock and dread. She knew him all too well.

King Ironwood of Atlas.

And where the King of Atlas went, inevitably followed…

She couldn't duck behind Yang quite fast enough to avoid the notice of the white-haired Elf who followed in Ironwood's wake. She had her hair up in a bun save for her bangs which swept across the right side of her face and with a single strand tucked behind her pointed left ear. Her pale blue eyes widened as she caught sight of Weiss, and she immediately turned and strode over towards the group, white robes swishing around her feet.

"Weiss?" she barked out accusingly.

Yang glanced over her shoulder at her cowering lover. "Um, y'know, she kinda looks like you."

"Yes, Yang," she sighed resignedly. "Yes, she does." With a resolute shake of her head she stepped out from behind the blonde brawler, squaring her shoulders and trying to conceal the nervous tremble in her limbs. "Hello Winter, it's been awhile."

"Awhile?" the other woman repeated incredulously. "Awhile?!"

"Mage Winter, do you know this girl?" King Ironwood asked curiously once his handshake with the other King was complete. "Is she kin?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Winter gritted out. "She is my sister."

Don't say it, please Winter in the name of everything we once held dear, please don't…

"And she is a runaway," Winter finished with an angry glint in her eyes.

Oh, fuck me sideways with a broadsword…

"Weiss?" Yang questioned softly.

She could only hang her head dejected for a brief moment before bringing it up again, her jaw set. "I am of majority age now, sister, and what I am involved in now-"

"Matters not," Winter interrupted firmly. "You broke with the Elders, and are to be returned to them forthwith."

"But-"

"Come along now," her older sister ordered. "Do not make a scene."

"No, she's not going anywhere."

Weiss turned in shock at the voice. Ruby calmly walked forward and interposed herself in between Weiss and Winter.

"Excuse me?" the elder Mage asked incredulously. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yep."

Winter had a moment where her composure left her completely, and she could only stand there, in the middle of a foreign nation's court, with her mouth agape. It was then that Weiss noticed the others in the fellowship close around her supportively. Yang took a step forward, clasping her hand while pulling her slightly behind her once more.

"Ozpin, I realize these may be your subjects, but I cannot allow this affront to stand," Ironwood interjected mildly. "If this Elven girl is a runaway, she must be returned."

"She can't leave," Ruby declared adamantly, following up with a belated, "...Your Majesties. Her assistance is invaluable in our current quest, which is of the utmost concern to the Kingdom of Vale."

Glynda, who had been quiet up to that point, raised a blonde eyebrow skeptically. "That is quite the claim."

"It is the truth," the brunette maintained.

King Ozpin cleared his throat, his gaze still focused on the brash girl with red-tipped hair. "James, Mage Winter… A word, please?"

Winter finally snapped her mouth shut and whirled on her heel, following her liege over and into a side chamber where Ozpin had requested.

Choking back a sob, Weiss looked about her wildly. "Please… You can't all get in trouble over this, I should… I should just go with them."

"Nope," Ruby replied softly as she turned to regard her with a smile. "Though, I think you maybe owe us the truth about this, since we're all sticking up for you. Which we're gonna do anyways, but still."

Weiss nodded hesitantly, though the reassuring hand squeeze by Yang gave her a little more confidence as she took a deep, steadying breath.

"What she said is correct," the platinum-haired Elf stated quietly, her eyes riveted on the floor. "I should have remained in Evereska, the Elders had expected me to stay there due to my skill and potential… Even though I had not yet reached majority, the thought of spending a lifetime not being able to explore the world and…" She glanced up shyly at Yang. "...And meet other peoples… So, yes, I ran away from the hinterlands, forged my papers to study under Mage Glynda for a year's time…" She sighed, looking up at her first real friend she'd ever made. "And then met you, Ruby."

The brunette girl grinned at her, grabbing her free hand and giving it a squeeze. "And I'm very glad we did meet. You're part of this fellowship, and nobody's taking you away. We're in this til the end, right?"

"Right," Weiss replied with an answering though tremulous smile.

Just then the side chambers opened, and a visibly seething Winter stalked out. Without another glance at the party, she strode from the hall ahead of a rather bemused-looking King Ironwood.

"M'lady," King Ozpin called out next, still standing in the doorway to the chambers but with his gaze once again firmly affixed on Ruby. "Might I have a word with you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the brunette replied, but she paused after only a single step. "Um… Should my sister join us?"

"Sister?" Ozpin queried. He nodded when Yang raised a hesitant hand. "Yes, I see… Please do join us as well."

Glynda exited the side chamber, closing the door behind her on the King of Vale and the two sisters. She walked briskly over, giving Weiss a stern glance. "At a later date we will discuss the curious state of your letter of referral, Miss Schnee," she stated, causing the Elf to cringe slightly. "But for now, please do have a seat, all of you. Refreshments can be brought out."

"No, thank you, we are fine," Pyrrha assured her as they settled onto several benches across the way.

Once Glynda had departed, Nora leaned over with a grin. "Wow, Weiss, I had no idea you were such a bad girl. Sneaking away from home? Gotta say, I'm impressed."

Weiss blushed lightly over the snickers of the others.

"I suppose we'll need to keep an eye on her now," Jeanne commented lightly.

"Very true," Pyrrha conceded. "Now that we know what a troublemaker she is."

"Just so long as you do not engage in bar brawls with Nora," Ren stated, a small smirk on his face.

"Oh, hush, all of you," Weiss grumbled lightly, though she wore an uncharacteristically broad smile on her face. "And… thank you all for standing with me."

"Well of course we would, silly," the orange-haired warrior giggled, bringing her into a one-armed hug. "You're our friend."

And isn't this just completely unexpected in my life… A group of friends willing to stand up for me, against a King, no less. Weiss sighed softly, still wearing her smile as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, worn out from the earlier tension. How did I get so lucky?

"What do you suppose they're discussing in there?" Jeanne asked quietly after a few moments. Weiss opened her eyes to see the blonde warrior glance aside at Pyrrha, but the redheaded Knight was conversing softly with Lady Violetta on the far end of their bench.

"Likely the ramifications of keeping Weiss with us," Ren opined. "We might owe a favor."

"Ooooh, maybe we get to kill some more beasties," Nora giggled excitedly.

Weiss, though, frowned at the notion. "I don't want to be responsible for… Wait. Where's Blake? Hasn't she been with us this whole time?"

"I'm here," a soft voice called from the shadows behind them. The other four turned to regard the Faunus Rogue, who gave them a bashful shrug from where she stood among the concealing darkness. "I don't do well in these sorts of settings."

"Oh," the platinum-haired Elf replied, perplexed. "Er… How long have you been back there?"

"Since we arrived."

"I see."

"I didn't jump out to support you when the others did," Blake continued, staring down at the floor with a slight grimace. "But, I was ready to toss a knife at your sister if she'd started anything. Er, so long as Ruby said it was okay, of course."

"Um… Thank you?" Weiss truly didn't know what to say to that.

"You're welcome," Blake replied with a small smile, ducking her head slightly. Her Faunus ears picked up, swiveling towards the other side of the hall. "I think they're about to return."

The fellowship, sans Blake, stood up and moved back towards the center of the room as the door to the side chamber opened once more. Ruby and Yang walked out, preceding the King. The sisters paused and gave him a deep bow, seemingly of gratitude, before heading over to rejoin their companions.

Weiss opened her mouth to question the two, but before she could King Ozpin began to speak.

"Lady Violetta, I know you have tasks within the city, but the Kingdom would be eternally grateful if you and your Knights would join with these good people on their journey to the west."

Just about everybody in the room, save for Ruby and Yang, stared at each other in surprise.

"Er, of course, Your Majesty," Nebula finally managed. She turned towards a rather smug-looking Ruby. "When do we depart?"

"In the morning," Ruby replied with a grin. "Can you meet us at the tavern by sunrise?"

"Yes, certainly. Until then." She and her three sister Knights bowed first to King Ozpin and then to Ruby before striding from the castle to make their own preparations.

"What just happened?" Weiss whispered. "How did…?"

"Not right now," the brunette whispered back. In a louder tone of voice, she turned back to the King. "Was there anything else, Your Majesty?"

"No indeed. Gods be with you all on your journey."

The group made another bow before turning and following in the Knights footsteps. Yang hung back to capture Weiss' hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, before she tossed out over her shoulder, "Coming, kitten? Or do you still feel like lurking about?"

Blake strode from the shadows at the edge of the hall, startling several of the Royal Guardsmen stationed there. "You live to irritate me, don't you, Yang?" she muttered. "And I don't lurk."

"Whatever you say, kitty cat," the blonde chortled good-naturedly.

As they departed, none of the group noticed a set of burning orange orbs that stared down from the darkness of one of the encircling balconies.

o o o

Cinder stalked worriedly through the hallway, irritably fingering the bracelet that encircled her left wrist. It was an ancient talisman, one that she had found to be immeasurably useful in concealing herself from others of her kind. Right now, however, her mind was awhirl with what she'd overheard.

She slammed open the door to her chambers, smiling widely as she noted exactly who she needed to see standing there in the center of the room.

"Neo," she purred in satisfaction. "I have a task for you."

The small, multicolored girl tilted her head to the side consideringly. She blinked her eyes, the heterochromatic pink and brown switching sides.

"Yes, there should be plenty of killing for you," the raven-haired woman reassured her, waving away the unspoken question as she sat on the edge of her bed. "There is a party of humanoids, led by two of our kind. One is a Gold by the name of Yang, while the other is an unknown Silver. I have reason to believe they're on the way to plunder my hoard." She allowed the smile to turn into a cruel smirk. "Meet them there and eliminate every last one, beginning with the Silver and Gold. Will that be enough of a slaughter for you, those two plus perhaps another ten others?"

Neo tilted her head in the other direction, regarding her solemnly for a moment before her face split into a too-wide grin. She then bowed, somehow conveying a sense of sarcasm to it as she did so, and turned to leave.

"Is that a yes?" Cinder called out, halting the small woman in her tracks. "I need to hear it from you, Neo."

The multicolored woman sighed in exasperation before turning back. A voice issued from her delicate-looking throat, low as rocks rumbling but with an overtone of a melodic girl's voice, like two people speaking at once.

Cinder smirked at her once again. "Still won't deign to speak the common tongue? Fine, I thank you for taking care of this."

Shrugging unconcernedly, Neo turned and finally left the Royal Councilor's chambers, closing the door behind her.

It opened once more soon thereafter to reveal Emerald and Mercury, the former now fully healed up. The pair of them shuddered briefly as they entered the room.

"Ugh, what did you need her for?" Mercury complained, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"She's taking care of something for me," Cinder replied evenly. "Consider it a last resort in case you fail me."

"We wouldn't," the mint-haired girl hastened to assure her.

Mercury just nodded, still unsettled after brushing past Neo. "You can smell the crazy coming off of her," he muttered, glancing back at the doorway. "I mean, there's a reason her kind were hunted down."

"She is useful to me," the raven-haired woman replied, brushing off his concern. "You just need to know how to deal with her and keep her interest."

"What did you need us for, My Lady?" Emerald interjected excitedly. "You mentioned a task for us?"

"Yes," Cinder responded, her smirk widening as her voice dropped into a throaty growl. "I need for the two of you to gather up some allies for a… surprise party, of sorts. Here is what I require…"

A/N: I wonder if y'all pay attention to the Dragon quotes I put up at the top… I have an entire sheet of them, enough for the whole story. Sometimes they're relevant to the chapter itself, other times not.

So I think by now folks have figured out who Cinder is, yes? Now, whatever could Neo be… Also, now we have Weiss' secret revealed. Let's see, that gives us Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Jeanne with their secrets revealed. Four down, four to go. Oh, and if you're thinking you already know Ruby and Yang's… Well, not quite. That isn't their secret. And only one of them knows what both secrets are. (Oooh, how mysterious…)

Credit to kaiju62 for the idea with the coin, I love the idea of someone like Yang forgetting which coins should be used…

So far as updates go, I very likely will be skipping next week while at the beach vacationing. Fear not, much writing will be done on this story and my other two main ones, as well as another project I'm working on (which I will be posting the first chapter for by the end of the week, hopefully tonight, kind of a sneak peek). Yet again something new for me to try. I like broadening my horizons...

Mad props to my very gracious Betas, KellyConnely and PandaAnimeLover, and thank you all so much for reading so far. I do love hearing from you, so please do take a second and drop a review if the have the time. Oddly enough, though, I don't seem to be getting email notifications for each and every person who posts a review. I went through out of curiosity, and saw lots of names there I hadn't seen! Really strange. Guess I need to go off of the actual review list on FF rather than the emails I get. Sigh. Well, lemme see if I can correct that oversight. Massive thanks and love for those who have reviewed lately (and if you don't see your name, yes I do still love you): RatedRSuperStar87, ExKage, AntonSlavik020, Anime Review's, kaiju62, Reaper Whisper, FoxyFoxation, DeamonHunter, RedWing36, SOUTHMENACE90, AndJrew76, and PotatoesTheWonderfulMan. At the very least the last three I've been missing out on, so extra hugs for you!

Stay shiny!