Chapter 12

The dragon that had been Yang lowered its head, bringing its nostrils close to Weiss as the princess pressed herself back in her chair. "Yang, I know you're still in there." Weiss said. "Come one, it's me, Weiss, your friend." The dragon sniffed her, tilted its head for a moment as if it were confused, then opened its gaping maw and let out a thunderous roar. "Oh gods Yang, please!" Lately Weiss had been forced to face her own mortality more and more often. She had imagined many ways in which she may die. Being eaten by a dragon that had once been her retainer was not one of them.

The dragon chomped its jaws and snarled but was seemingly confused about how to consume Weiss. The metal chair she was tied to was in the way. The dragon pulled back and tilted its head sideways, a much better angle at which to get at her. It slowly moved toward her, mouth open, teeth dripping with saliva. Weiss could feel its hot breath against her face and chest. She closed her eyes and waited for death.

It did not come. Weiss opened her eyes and they were met by a brilliant light. The amulet around her neck was glowing. After having just barely made contact with the stone, the dragon seemed frozen in place. A pulse of energy fired out and the dragon reared back with a roar. Blinding light and flames surrounded the dragon. The dazzling light and flames grew more brilliant until a shockwave blasted outward. When the light faded the dragon was gone. In it's place Yang was left lying on the floor in the fetal position, with not a shred of clothing on her.

Weiss realized that she had not been breathing. She took a deep breath and heaved a sigh of relief. "Of course." She whispered to herself. "A Dragonstone. I'll have to thank Taiyang when I get back." She was still left there, unable to free herself from the shackles. She would just have to wait until Yang woke up.

There was not long to wait. Yang groaned and slowly started to move. She uncurled herself and lie flat on her back. She had a sudden moment of clarity. She looked at Weiss, still affixed to her chair, then down at her own naked body. "Uh...what happened?" Yang asked. "I hope it was as fun as I'm imagining."

"Put some damn clothes on, and get me out of here." Weiss commanded.

"In that order or…" Yang started.

"Shut up and do it." Weiss snapped.

Before Yang could make another move the door exploded into splinters. "We're here to save you!" Nora exclaimed.

Pyrrha, Blake and Ruby burst into the room. "Wow, I was not expecting this." Blake laughed as she looked at the shackled princess and her naked retainer. "You know, if you wanted to fuck you could have just said so. No need to fake a kidnapping. I won't judge you for being into freaky stuff."

"I will." Ruby said, averting her eyes.

"We were kidnapped!" Weiss protested.

"Blake, as much as I like the way you think, Weiss is telling the truth." Yang said. "My mother kidnapped us, stripped us of our armor, and shackled us to these chairs. See the gash on Weiss' cheek?"

"That makes sense, but what happened to your underwear?" Blake said.

"Weiss never got around to telling me." Yang said. "I was unconscious."

"Yang turned into a dragon." Weiss said. Everyone, Yang included, stared at her in disbelief. "I'm telling the truth! She would have killed me but my necklace turned out to be a Dragonstone."

"So that's why dad always carried it." Yang said. "Huh."

"You can turn into a dragon?!" Nora yelled. "Awesome!"

"I'm going to go ahead and stay human from now on." Yang said.

"Uh...Yang...could you please put some clothes on?" Pyrrha asked, her back turned to Yang, her face red with embarrassment.

"Oh...yeah." Yang said. "I'll put my armor back on."

"And someone release me!" Weiss demanded.

"I vote we leave her tied up for a while." Blake said with a wicked grin.

"Whoever releases me gets a Duchy when the war's over." Weiss offered. Ren rushed into the room, sure to keep the still half-naked Yang out of his view, and hurriedly went about undoing Weiss' shackles.

"Yay, we get a Duchy!" Nora cheered.

"Why didn't Raven kill you?" Blake asked. "Judging by that cut and the bruises on your face and neck, she wasn't exactly gentle."

"She wanted me to kill her." Yang said. "She roughed up Weiss until I got pissed, then I don't remember anything else."

"Then Yang turned into a dragon." Weiss said. "Like I said, she would have killed me if not for the Dragonstone."

Yang was once again fully clothed, outfitted in her suit of armor. If it was not for the built-in padding, the chaffing would have been terrible. She walked up to Weiss and wrapped her in a crushing embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright." Yang said. "If I hurt you...I never could have forgiven myself. I love you so much."

"Uh...Yang...did you just say what I think you said?" Blake gasped.

"Aw...cute!" Nora exclaimed.

"Yang...you…" Weiss started. "Uh...well…"

Yang recoiled and pulled back from Weiss. "Oh...no...I...sorry!" She stammered. "I was just caught up in the emotion of the whole thing. It's nothing. Just me speaking before thinking, like usual."

"Yang...do you?" Weiss asked.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Do you love me?" Weiss asked.

"You are my beloved liege, Princess Weiss of Valm, Duchess of Chon'sin." Yang said. "All the land loves you."

"Cut the crap." Weiss demanded.

"Okay, so I kind of have a thing for you." Yang admitted. "Awesome fighter, great leader, incredibly sexy, how could I not? I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Weiss said. "There's no reason to be sorry. You just gave me three compliments, even if one of them was rather vulgar."

"You're not mad?" Yang asked.

"Of course not." Weiss said. "The truth is...I...I...kind of have a thing for you too." There were gasps all around.

"This is so romantic!" Nora squealed.

"Weiss...you do realize you're still bleeding…" Pyrrha said.

"Oh, am I?" Weiss asked. She raised her hand to her cheek and touched the wound. When she drew her hand away it was covered in blood. "I guess I'm going to have another scar."

"I don't care." Yang said. "Scars are sexy."

"I'd rather not have it all the same." Weiss sighed.

"I'll take care of it." Pyrrha said. She rushed out of the room.

"So, you're a Manakete." Blake said to Yang.

"I guess." Yang said, scratching her head. "Partially at least."

"I thought Manaketes aged really slowly." Ruby said. "That's what the stories you used to read me said. They could be thousands of years old and still look young."

"I guess the whole dragon blood thing is really diluted in me." Yang shrugged. "I had no idea. Dad never told me. Even Uncle Qrow never told me. I wish I could have found out in a way that was a little less...terrifying."

"You and me both." Weiss agreed. She took off her necklace. "I guess you should hold onto this now. If you transformed without it you might go on a rampage."

Yang took the Dragonstone necklace and held it in her hands, staring at the subtly glowing stone. She draped it around her neck. "I don't think I'll be transforming anymore." Yang said. "Even if this lets me have some control, I don't want to take the risk."

"We probably shouldn't tell anyone about this either." Ren suggested. "Some people don't look very favorably on Manaketes."

"Or any other shape-shifters for that matter." Blake added. "It's entirely understandable. People fear what they don't understand."

"I wish I could have seen you in dragon form." Ruby said. "You probably looked really awesome."

"She did." Weiss confirmed. "And terrifying. Very terrifying."

"Sorry I turned into a dragon and tried to eat you?" Yang said.

"It worked out in the end." Weiss said. "The whole thing got you to admit how you feel after all. That's a positive."

"Yeah." Yang said with a smile. "What do you think of me now Ruby? Not only do I have a girlfriend, she's a freakin' princess!"

"So, is this why you always get mad at Yang for flirting?" Ruby asked, ignoring Yang. "You're secretly jealous?"

"I guess that's part of it." Weiss admitted. "But it would also be nice if my retainer acted in a way in keeping with her station."

"Never gonna' happen." Yang said.

"I know." Weiss sighed.

Pyrrha returned carrying a staff. "Let me see that wound." She said. Weiss stepped toward her. Pyrrha focused on the wound, spoke a spell and waved the staff. The gash closed instantly. When Weiss wiped away the remaining blood there was no remaining sign of the injury.

"That's incredible." Yang gasped. "You're an amazing healer!"

"She's an amazing everything!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Stop, I'm not that great." Pyrrha said. "Any decent cleric could have done the same thing."

"Maybe, but there's not a cleric in the world who can heal and fight the way you do." Blake said.

"And the best clerics in Chon'sin couldn't prevent this scar." Weiss said as she pointed to the scar over her eye. "You really are something else."

"And she's spoken for!" Ruby declared, tightly wrapping her arms around Pyrrha's arm.

"Chill out sis, we're not trying to steal your girlfriend." Yang laughed.

"I wish I could heal like that." Ren said. "Perhaps you could give me a few lessons."

"But you're a mage." Pyrrha said. "You can't heal?"

"Not in the traditional sense." Ren replied. "I can steal the lifeforce from one person and transfer it into another, effectively healing them or myself for that matter. That sort of thing is generally frowned upon though."

"The next time we have a break I'll see what I can teach you." Pyrrha said.

"Hey, I forgot to ask earlier, but where are we?" Yang asked.

"Oh, we're in those riverside ruins we were headed for." Blake replied. "This is the one castle tower still pretty much intact."

"You know, this wouldn't be a terrible place to spend the night." Yang suggested.

"It could work." Weiss agreed. "I don't think we'll be making much progress today anyway. We all need a rest."

"What if your mom comes back?" Ruby asked. There was a hint of fear in her voice.

"I don't think she will." Yang said. "Besides, there's seven of us and only one of her. Now we're ready for her tricks. We can take her."

"I'd crush her!" Nora shouted.

"If anyone's taking her down it's me." Yang said. "She's going to pay for what she did to Weiss, and for what she tried to do."

"I guess we should start setting up camp." Pyrrha said. "If we work together we can be ready in time for a good dinner."

"That sounds great." Nora said. "The crap we've been eating lately makes me nauseous." Pyrrha and Nora headed outside where Zwei and Pyrrha's Pegasus were carrying their supplies. Ren and Blake followed.

"Yang...can I ask you something?" Ruby asked. She was almost shaking, clearly nervous.

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"Um...did your mom say...uh…" Ruby struggled. "Did you ask her...if she...uh...killed my mom?"

"I asked her." Yang replied. "She said she wasn't responsible. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean."

Ruby sighed and looked relieved. "Did she say who was?" She asked.

"Sort of." Yang replied. "She said it was 'the one who had the most to gain.'"

"Who was that?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know." Yang sighed. "Any idea Weiss?"

"No." Weiss answered. "Sorry."

"The next time we see Qrow we should ask him." Ruby suggested. "I bet he knows more than we do."

The evening was spent relaxing. After days without anything comparable, bathing in the nearby river was something they all appreciated. The layout of the ruins also allowed the group to build a fire knowing the partially collapsed buildings would disperse and hide the smoke. The group's first hot meal in days was a welcome bonus. Best of all they would not be sleeping in a tent, their sleeping bags on uneven ground. They would get to sleep inside, still on a hard floor, but at least a flat one.

"So princess, now that we're together, how about we try Ruby's method of bodyguarding?" Yang suggested as they settled down to sleep. The pair actually had a room to themselves in the mostly-intact tower.

"Not only would that be impossibly improper, I don't think I'm quite ready for something so...intimate." Weiss replied.

"You saw me naked today." Yang reminded her. "I'm not sure it gets much more intimate."

"I wasn't comfortable with that either." Weiss said.

"Did you not like what you saw?" Yang asked with a sigh.

"That's not it at all." Weiss said. "I'll admit, you are a bit...demoralizing."

"Oh princess, you don't need to have breasts like this to be hot." Yang assured her.

"Stop." Weiss groaned. "Casual nudity is just something I'm not at all accustomed to."

"I was kidnapped, stripped, and had the last remnants of my clothes burned off when I turned into a dragon." Yang laughed. "I'd hardly call that casual nudity."

"No, but it was casual nudity when you were just hanging out in the river with the others." Weiss said. "At least everyone else except Nora had the decency to keep their privates submerged. I'm pretty sure she would have too if she wasn't so excitable."

"It really made you that uncomfortable?" Yang asked. "So that's why you stayed so far away from the rest of us. I thought you were self-conscious."

"I guess I am a little self-conscious." Weiss admitted.

"There's no reason for you to be." Yang said. "You're incredibly beautiful. Your skin is so pale and clear, it's stunning. There's not a blemish on you except your scar. You've got some other great features too." Yang said with a wink.

"You and the other girls just look so...impressive." Weiss said. "Even Ren has a remarkable...physique."

"I can see why Nora likes him so much, that's for sure." Yang laughed. Weiss rolled her eyes "It's a shame he's too dense to see it and she's too scared to say it."

"They'll figure it out eventually." Weiss said. "You and your sister did after all, and you're both just as neurotic."

"I would be insulted...but I tend to agree." Yang said. "We're not the most well-adjusted group, are we?"

"Are you talking about you and your sister, or our group as a whole?" Weiss asked.

"Why not both?" Yang laughed.

"You're not wrong." Weiss said. There was a brief silence. "What do you think about Blake?"

"Blake?" Yang said. "I'm not sure." She knew a bit but had promised not to tell Weiss. "She probably doesn't hate you as much as she seems to." Yang hoped the word 'probably' would save her. "We're on the same side and committed to the same thing, so what does it matter?"

"What if...what if she's just using me in a bid to reclaim Chon'sin?" Weiss asked. "What if we get to a point where she turns on us?"

"I don't think she's so devious." Yang replied. "She seems more concerned with justice and peace than with her claims to the duchy. She definitely doesn't strike me as a murderer."

"What if the time comes when our interests diverge and...I have to turn on her?" Weiss asked.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Yang said. "I can't imagine you ever turning on someone like that. You're not that kind of person. You're not like your father."

"My father wasn't always like he is now." Weiss sighed. "When he first came to the throne, before Chon'sin, even before his first war with Plegia, he was said to have been a kind and just ruler. He went to war with Plegia when they attacked, and the conquest of Chon'sin was a response to a border incident they started. As that war dragged on he got more and more desperate, and more and more brutal. After the war, as he got more powerful, he started to crack down on all desent. Every little rebellion was met with brutal repression. Some peasants came to the capital to peacefully protest the tax rate and he had them executed. There are rumors he started executing anyone he felt threatened by. He was a good person, but power corrupted him. What if it corrupts me too?"

"Don't be stupid." Yang said.

"Excuse me?!" Weiss gasped.

"Sorry, bad phrasing." Yang apologized. "Speaking before I think and all that. The point is you're not going to turn into your father. You're too good a person. You didn't know your father when he was young. He might not have been that nice. There were probably at least signs he could turn bad. In all the years I've known you, you've never done anything to even imply that you have an evil bone in your body. You're probably the kindest person I know."

"I really hope you're right." Weiss sighed. "If I start turning into my father...kill me."

"I'll agree to that because I know I won't have to." Yang said with a gentle smile. "You're always going to be Weiss, the just benevolent ruler, friend of noble and commoner alike. Most of all you're a friend of mine, and I know my friend would never, ever turn evil."

"Yang…" Weiss started. "Thank you."

Blake stood outside the door as Yang and Weiss talked. Hearing Weiss say those things filled Blake with hope. Maybe the world could be saved after all. Maybe Weiss would be a different sort of ruler. Blake wanted to admit to Weiss that she admired her but she could not bring herself to do it. She had been conditioned that Schnees were evil. All her life it had been an unquestioned fact. Now here was a Schnee who was nothing at all like the ones in the stories she had been told. It was a shock, a pleasant shock, but a shock all the same. Maybe one day she could get over her pride, her stubbornness, and admit that she was wrong about Weiss and maybe even about Schnees in general. Maybe one day she would be strong enough, but that day had yet to arrive.