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“3… 2… 1! Ready or not, here I come!” Weiss opened her eyes and scanned the area around her, looking for her best friend in this little game of hide and seek they were playing. Of course she wouldn’t be in the direct vicinity, but it wouldn’t hurt to try! Letting out a giggle of childish glee, Weiss ran throughout the palace, weaving through the palace staff and checking every single nook and cranny of the castle.
She wasn’t in the kitchen, where she normally ate through the castle’s entire supply of cookies. She wasn’t in the throne room (she saw her father and the king discussing something with indignant gestures but moved on). She wasn’t even in the garden next to her favorite, fresh strawberry plants! Where could she be hiding?
An idea struck her as the little ivory-haired girl raced through the halls, pushing past some of the other nobles as she ran towards the princess’ bedroom. Opening the door quietly, she slowly shut it before looking around the bedroom. Some maids were still making the princess’ bed, though they didn’t have much work to do considering that the princess herself made the bed mostly clean. Her bathroom door was wide open, and her wardrobe showed nobody inside. That left…
A slight giggle only proved her theory, Weiss looking underneath the bed to see bright silver eyes staring back at her. “I found you, Ruby!”
With more giggles of laughter escaping her, the Princess of Vale crawled out of her hiding space and squealed in delight. Ruby immediately hugged her best friend with all the happiness she could muster. “You found me!”
Weiss ignored the chuckles from the maids still in the room as she hugged back, a fond smile tugging on her face despite her father’s warnings not to get too close to the princess. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?
“I found you, alright. How long did it take for you to think of this hiding spot?”
“Not long! I was planning for it all along!”
Weiss scoffed. “Don’t lie.”
“I’m not!” Ruby started to pout now. “I don’t lie!”
Weiss let out a giggle. “No, you don’t.”
The two girls left the princess’ bedroom and made their way around to the palace gardens, Ruby immediately going over to pick two strawberries from the bushes they grew on and offering one to Weiss. Of course, she happily accepted it, and the two of them sat on one of the benches while munching on Ruby’s favorite fruit.
After they finished the fruits, Ruby immediately jumped up and smiled at Weiss. “Time for your reward!”
“Huh?” The noble dumbly asked, her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t need a reward. And wasn’t the strawberry my reward?”
“No silly,” Ruby giggled. “That was a snack! This is your reward!”
“What could possibly be my reward for winning a game of hide and see-”
Weiss had immediately stopped functioning as soon as she felt the kiss on her cheek, blue eyes going wide as the princess pulled away just as briefly as she closed in, giggling lightly at her expression. Ruby’s silver eyes sparkled with glee as her red-tipped brunette hair swayed with the wind that blew through the garden.
“R-Ruby?” Weiss meekly asked in a shy tone, her mind still reeling. Girls weren’t supposed to kiss each other, were they not? “Wh-what?”
“There’s your reward, my subject!” Ruby declared dramatically, holding an outstretched hand towards the noble with a bright smile. “I expect even greater things from you here on out! Serve me well!”
Weiss rolled her eyes but dropped to one knee, deciding to play along as she held one hand to her heart. “Yes, my Queen! I shall serve you until the day I die! For your cause, I give my sworn word.”
Ruby giggled and Weiss smiled, happy that she entertained her best friend.
“Weiss!” Both girls simultaneously flinched as Weiss’ father, Jacques Schnee, stood at the doorway leading back inside. “We’re leaving!”
Weiss glanced at Ruby as she got up, hesitantly walking back to her father’s side. She looked longingly at her best friend who simply stared back at her with an unreadable expression. The moment was gone too soon as she was pulled out of the castle with harsh pulling. That was the last day in a long set of years that she was able to see her best friend again.
~~~
In the years growing up, Ruby always thought about Weiss. Her smile, her laugh, When she would see her again. She could never forget the day that she was forcibly dragged out of the castle by her father, Ruby running into the throne room in tears and begging her own dad, the king, to bring Weiss back. All the king could do was smile sadly and apologize, causing Ruby to burst into another round of tears.
Ever since then, Ruby had nobody to play with. Nobody to have fun with. Some of the other kids tried to play with her, but she felt their intentions. They only wanted her status and her money, not who she was. Not like Weiss, never like Weiss. Weiss always cared for her wellbeing, Weiss always held concern for her. Because to Weiss, she was Ruby Rose. She was not just simply the Princess of Vale in her eyes.
Yang, in all her sisterly glory, managed to save some time for Ruby to curb her loneliness. In her free time, she played with Ruby. When Ruby went with her for her queenly lessons, nobody objected because they assumed that their sisterly bond made them join at the hip.
As it turned out, Ruby was a sponge for information, soaking up each of the lessons that were taught to Yang. The instructors had noticed it right away and offered to have her join them in the lessons. As it turned out, Ruby was a natural prodigy. Anything she did, she executed perfectly within minutes. Any mistake she made, she fixed it up in a flash.
Yang was so impressed with Ruby that she joked about stepping down from the line of succession in favor of her sister, which caused the young princess to swat at the blonde’s head and pout. However, Ruby saw something in Yang’s lilac eyes as she attended the lessons. Almost like she would rather be somewhere else. For the life of her, Ruby couldn’t figure out why her sister was acting like this. Maybe she was sick? But she couldn’t be sick every day right? Ruby kept pondering this each day as she and her sister attended the lessons.
Then came Blake Belladonna. The Princess of Menagerie. And Yang’s girlfriend . Ruby’s heart almost stopped when Yang bounded over to the princess right as they reached the courtyard and picked her up in a massive hug. Yang started laughing while Blake smiled, the two of them immediately starting to kiss in front of everybody else without a care in the entire world.
Ruby watched with wide silver eyes and an expression of pure disbelief. Suddenly, everything made sense. Yang’s longing glances towards the letters she received, the sighs as she daydreamed during lessons. The hints of heartache in her lilac eyes as she stared out the window at a random cat on a tree. Yang was in love. Yang Xiao Long was in love with a Princess.
Ruby felt sick. She knew what this all implicated, what everyone’s sympathetic glances meant for her. Vale had two princesses that could succeed the throne. Yang was in a loving relationship with a princess of another nation. That only meant one thing. Yang was leaving Vale to get married. She was leaving Ruby alone. Ruby would be alone. Again.
Ruby’s breath quickened, her chest ached and burned. Everything else started to blur. She didn’t hear the worried voices of her future subjects, of Yang calling out. All she knew was that she had to run. Run where? She didn’t know where. But she just had to run .
Tearing away from the courtyard, away from Yang, Ruby ran. She ran, ran, ran. She weaved through palace staff, apologized quickly for knocking over a servant or two. It wasn’t until she reached the gardens did she stop and catch her breath. A sob took over her, Ruby collapsing on the nearest bench. The same bench that Ruby and Weiss both sat at. The same bench she sat at as Weiss was dragged away never to be seen by her again.
Ruby continued to sob, only stifling her cries as she heard someone appear close by. Hearing their footsteps getting closer, Ruby kept her gaze trained on the grass in front of her. She felt their presence pass by her and felt them sit beside her. Yet, they said nothing. The two just sat there in silence, Ruby unable to look up at who was sitting beside her as she silently sobbed and sniffled. Finally, after a few minutes, she was able to compose herself and sit up.
“I apologize that you had to see me like this,” Ruby muttered.
“Quite alright. I’ve seen you do worse things anyways.”
Ruby’s eyes widened, stiffening up as her mind started reeling. No, it can’t be. She’s gone. Weiss is gone. She was taken from her to never be seen again. Why would she be back in the palace? Why would she be right beside her? It can’t be true, no it can’t!
“Come on, Ruby. I can’t be that bad, can I? Why won’t you look at me at least?” Weiss asked softly, causing Ruby to slowly turn towards her best friend with silver eyes that glistened with unshed tears.
Weiss smiled, her blue eyes radiating a light that Ruby couldn’t even comprehend. The girl was wearing the traditional silver knight armor with her helmet at her side. A rapier was sheathed at her hip and shined with the familiar magic of enhancement. Ruby stared at Weiss in awe, swooning at her new confident look. That is, until she found something amiss.
“Weiss!” Ruby cried out, jumping towards her and cupping her cheeks to get a better look of her face. “Your eye! What happened!?”
There was a new scar that Weiss sported, one that ran down her left eye. Ruby kept fussing over it, trying to take off Weiss’ armor to check for more scars. That is, until she heard Weiss laughing.
“Your highness, I’m fine,” Weiss said affectionately. “How I got this scar doesn’t matter, it just shows that I’m stronger than I seem.”
“Y-yeah, you definitely are.” Ruby was in a daze. This wasn’t real, right? Was this a dream? If this was a dream, she definitely did not want to wake up to find out it’s a dream. She doesn’t want to find out that she’s imagining Weiss right in front of her. “Th-this is real right? I-I’m not imagining you or anything? B-because if this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up.”
Weiss sighed. “You were all over me too. How is that not enough proof that I’m real? Fine. How about we play hide and seek like we used to in the castle? If you find me, that means I’m real. How about it?”
“B-but…” Ruby hesitated.
“I’m not going to magically disappear, Ruby.”
“R-right,” Ruby stammered, standing and closing her eyes. “A-alright… I’m counting now.”
Ruby heard Weiss stand up, her footsteps fading away as she hurried into the palace to hide. With each step, Ruby trembled and wanted to call out. She wanted to tell her not to leave. To not leave her again. Each step only fueled her desperate heart to open her eyes and chase after her best friend. Yet, despite herself, she controlled her voice and continued counting down.
~~~
If Weiss knew that her last day at the castle would be the last day that she saw Ruby for her entire childhood, she would’ve fought tooth and nail to stay by her best friend’s side. Yet, to her misfortune, her father would have none of it, immediately dragging Weiss out of the castle and away from Ruby’s warmth. From then on, her life had been a frozen hell.
She was used as a sort of trophy for her father to show off. All the nobles watched her, judged her. All the deceitful faces leering at her, all the lies and trickery that was sought out among the elites. It was sickening and she hated every second of the experience.
Once upon a time, Weiss used to love singing. Mainly because Ruby was her main audience. The princess constantly clapped and cheered every time that Weiss sang for her, and it made her heart swell with pride. It meant that her best friend loved her talent!
However, like all things, her father had found out about her talent of singing and proceeded to ruin it forever. She began to sing in concerts, operas, even going so far as to sing in public events for her father. Every time she sang, the nobles would clap and cheer. Yet it all felt fake. None of it felt genuine like Ruby always had. She knew that they were only watching her for their own benefit, not for her own. And just like that, Weiss began to hate singing as she associated it with the fake smiles and deceitful cheers of her new audience. The talent that she loved and cherished as a memory of her best friend poisoned by the greed of her own flesh and blood.
As her life moved on, Weiss constantly tried to find ways to escape her father’s influence. However, she knew she couldn’t just leave her family just like that. While her sister, Winter, was able to escape due to the fact that she enlisted in Vale’s military, Weiss had fewer options as her name was far more known throughout the nobility. Not only that, but she would have nothing to her name if she simply ran. Where would she even go? She wasn’t sure if she was still welcome in the castle without her father, and she certainly couldn’t go to any random person’s home to ask if she could stay the night. She had much more dignity than that!
Just as Weiss began to give up all hope of ever escaping her father, she caught wind of gossip from one of the nobles at one of her father’s parties. Rumor had it that King Taiyang was going to give the hand of Princess Yang to Princess Blake of Menagerie for a treaty because they had fallen in love! Because of this, he now needed someone to be a personal royal guardsman of Princess Ruby. Weiss’ heart pounded as she adopted a neutral expression to hide her excitement. This was her chance! She could escape her father’s cold influence and have a chance to see Ruby again!
However… Weiss frowned at another implication. Wouldn’t she have to be a knight first? The noble turned to her bed, taking out a case she kept hidden very well from her father. Opening it, she held up the rapier that shined silver in the moonlight, the last gift from her grandfather before his passing.
“If you ever need anything, Weiss,” Winter said as she picked up her suitcases. “Write and I will answer.”
Picking up a paper and pen, Weiss sat down before writing to her beloved sister. If she was to train for knighthood, who could be a better mentor than the Captain of Vale’s Royal Force herself?
To Weiss’ delight, Winter answered back within a few days, saying that she would be delighted to train her for knighthood. Winter came back to her old home under the pretense that she wanted to hang out with her sister, the reasoning which managed to successfully fool her father at least for a few days.
With Winter’s training and guidance, Weiss’ level of skill rose exponentially. Every drill that was taught to her had been practiced diligently, ensuring that there were no errors in stance or execution. Despite Winter constantly winning their spars, Weiss improved at an exponential rate. Her improvement accelerated so fast that at some point, Winter was the one who was barely keeping up in their spars.
Then, in their final spar, Weiss managed to disarm Winter at the last possible second of the fight. The younger sister reveled in her triumph as Winter stood stunned with the rapier blade pointed at her throat, her sword somewhere across the room as Weiss smiled in satisfaction. Then the captain nodded with a faint smile on her lips.
“You’re ready for the exams, dear sister.”
With that, Weiss was headed off to the Knightly Trials, a set of tests and endeavors created by the Palace Royalty themselves (though Weiss was convinced that the Princesses were a mere 10% of the trials created) to test commoners and nobles alike for the chance to become a part of the Valean Knight Force. If you succeeded the top 1% of the aspiring trainees who participated in the trials, you’d become a part of the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard only has a select few in their ranks, all of them tasked with protecting the rulers and their families.
Weiss was determined to get into the ranks of the Royal Guard. If only to get to Ruby. Of course, her father was definitely displeased with her decision to join the ranks of the “lowly servants of royalty”, but she could care less about his opinion. Her life had been under his shadow for far too long, it was time that she took control of the direction she wanted to go in for once.
All her training with Winter had paid off once she made it to the trials. She was able to beat several instructors, win against the entirety of her fellow aspiring knights-in-training during mock battles, and even manage to get the chance to cross swords with the king himself. Of course, she lost against King Taiyang. But who else could say that they sparred with one of the most experienced sword fighters in the nation? Not only that, but the king even recognized her and commended her for her skills!
Soon enough, the results for the rankings of the aspiring knights were posted on the board, Weiss squeezing in with the rest of her fellow knights-in-training to see her results.
#1 Weiss Schnee, #2 Cardin Winchester, #3- Wait, what!?
Weiss did a double take, her eyes flitting back up to the number one spot with shock written on her face. She was always taught that no matter how good you were, there was always someone better. How did she even get the top ranking from the entire participation unit?
“Once you have looked at your rank, please move to your assigned area as shown!” Weiss turned towards the one overseeing the trials, watching as they directed the crowd as shown. “And if you’re Weiss Schnee, please come see me!”
Weiss snapped her head over the instant her name was spoken, staring at the announcer as her heart pounded. Why was she being called out? Was it because they suspected that she cheated and used her father’s influence somehow? Or maybe her father was calling her back using them, once again destroying her hopes and dreams in a single sitting.
However, she couldn’t just ignore the call, it was specifically for her after all. So, quietly swallowing her fear, she went over and tapped them on the shoulder.
“Excuse me?” Weiss asked politely, getting slightly startled as the girl whirled towards her with cheerful green eyes and a bright smile on her face. “You told me to come see you?”
“Ah, yes!” The girl nodded instantly, holding out a hand. “Salutations! My name is Penny Polendina, the leader of the Royal Guard!”
“Nice to meet you, Penny,” Weiss immediately responded, shaking Penny’s hand with a smile on her face. “My name is Weiss Schnee.”
“That you are!” Penny smiled brightly. “King Taiyang wanted to inform you about your new position within the Royal Guard! You’re gonna be Princess Ruby’s personal bodyguard!”
Weiss blinked. Then blinked again. She stared blankly in shock as her mind processed the information. What was her starting position in the Royal Guard?
“I-I’m sorry,” Weiss stammered. “I may have misheard you. What am I going to be?”
“Princess Ruby’s bodyguard,” Penny responded immediately, tilting her head in confusion. “Why do you ask? Is there something wrong with your new position?”
“No, it’s not that! It’s just. Why put me in such an important position in the first place when I’m just starting in the Royal Guard?”
“King Taiyang remembers you from long ago, how you and Princess Ruby were the best of friends until your father forced a falling out between you two,” Penny responded. “He also remembered how Ruby used to beg for you to come back in the past when you first left.”
“I see,” Weiss muttered. Ruby missed me that much?
“He also needed you here because Princess Yang is due to leave for Menagerie with Princess Blake after the Human-Faunus celebration tomorrow. Princess Ruby has been joined with Princess Yang at the hip after you left, she might need another friend now that her sister is leaving for marriage.”
“I see,” Weiss nodded and steeled herself, her expression molding into one of pure seriousness. “I’ll do my best to ensure the princess is protected. Even if it costs me my life.”
“Excellent!” Penny smiled. “Follow me, please, I’ll lead you to your personal armory for your armor and weapon.”
Within the span of a few days, Weiss was caught up to speed on her duties, her bed chambers (Weiss went red when she realized that her chambers were literally right beside Ruby’s to ensure that she was the first one on the scene in the event that the princess was in danger), her personal armory, and even her pledge to King Taiyang. She could barely even believe the events that happened in the last few days as it all felt so unreal to her. One day, she was sitting in her bedroom in her father’s mansion, looking out the window and wishing that she could be free from this cage that was enforced by her own flesh and blood. Now, she was sitting in her own room in the palace, the closest she had ever gotten to Ruby ever since that fateful day.
As she was reminiscing, she was startled by several knocks on her door. Knowing that not answering would probably be bad, the new princess bodyguard got up and opened the door to see Penny standing outside.
“Salutations!” The cheerful girl greeted her cheerfully. “The Royal Family of Menagerie is almost here, you should be present in case Princess Ruby needs you.”
“Alright,” Weiss said in an even tone, hiding just how excited she was to see Ruby again. Her heart pounded out of anticipation, Weiss wondering what the princess looks like now all grown up (In her defense, she wasn’t exactly allowed to have any information regarding the princess due to her father’s influence). “I’ll be there.”
“Splendid! Be sure to put on the Royal Guardsman armor outfitted to you for the occasion, this is a special event!”
“I will.”
With a smile, Penny saluted and turned to walk back down the hall, leaving Weiss alone with her thoughts. The newly minted knight sat back down on her bed to calm her frantic heart, scolding herself for getting excited at the mere thought of Ruby.
Ruby. The girl she constantly thought about day and night ever since she last saw her. Her laugh, her smile. The way her silver eyes sparkled with joy and her messy, brunette hair that Weiss insisted on brushing each time they met. Ruby was only two years younger than her, so would she still have that child-like mirth? Would she still have that level of innocence Weiss sought to protect from her father?
She didn’t know, and that’s what scared her the most. What if Ruby had changed? What if she forgot Weiss? What if they couldn’t repair the friendship they once had together?
Weiss shook her head, now was not the time to be dwelling on what ifs! The fact was that she was now the bodyguard for Princess Ruby, and she is determined to prove that it wasn’t a mistake to place her in this position. Weiss went over and donned on her royal armor, ensuring that Myrtenaster was placed in its sheath for easy access. She then left the room and went for the palace courtyard, knowing that’s where all the guests arrive due to her past visits to the castle.
However, she would never make it to the palace courtyard. On her way there, a blur of red ran right past her which caused the new Royal Guardsman to turn out of curiosity. Silver eyes. Weiss’ own blue eyes widened in shock at the slight glimpse of silver eyes amidst the red and black tearing down the hallways.
“Ruby,” Weiss breathed out, opting to give chase to the young princess to see what was wrong. Her chase led her to a familiar garden, Weiss recognizing it as the same garden that she and Ruby saw each other for the last time in years. The exact same garden where she got her “reward” from the princess. Weiss flushed at that memory, but she composed herself as she watched Ruby wracked with sobs and cries. It broke her heart to see her best friend in this state, but she could only watch in silence from a distance. No, she could do more. Weiss wasn’t caged by her father any longer, she was free to do what she wished. And what she wished right now was to comfort her long lost friend.
So, gathering her courage, she stepped forward to reunite with her friend.
~~~
“3… 2… 1… Ready or not, here I come.”
Ruby’s eyes opened, already scanning the garden despite knowing full well that Weiss would not hide in the exact same spot that they started at. Actually, where would she even look? In all their childhood playdates, Ruby had never once found Weiss of her own accord, it was always Weiss coming out of her hiding spot out of boredom and finding her instead. Where could she even hide in this castle now that they were older?
Ruby began her search inside the castle, checking all the old spots where she would always hide. Weiss was not in the kitchen. Nor was she in the dining room, the royal armory, the training mats, or the throne room! Ruby was beginning to doubt that Weiss was really here after she scoured the palace from top to bottom. Where could she even hide at this point? She checked everywhere!
Beginning to give into frustration, Ruby stopped in her tracks as she caught a faint sound. Who was singing? Who would be singing?
“Mirror, tell me something. Tell me, who’s the loneliest of all?~”
Wait. Ruby recognized this song. She was always captivated by it whenever Weiss sang it for her. Afterward, Ruby would hug the ivory-haired girl and say, “How could you be lonely when you have me at your side?”
“Mirror, tell me something. Tell me who’s loneliest of all?~” Ruby followed the source of the singing, her heart thumping in anticipation as the voice only got louder the closer she got. “Fear of what’s inside me. Tell me, can a heart be turned to stone?”
The princess got to her room, pressing an ear to the door as Weiss sang out her heart and soul. Ruby knew that Weiss had held concerts for other nobles back in the day, but she never had the time to go. Instead, she opted to listen to the recordings of her best friend singing. One thing that she noticed was that Weiss never sang like she did around her. Her singing lost the beautiful soul it held when the noble sang for her.
“Mirror, mirror, what’s behind you? Save me from the things I see!” Ruby chose this moment to open the door slowly, finding the noble sitting on the princess’ bed. Moonlit silver eyes immediately met ice blue as Weiss continued to sing. “I can keep it from the world, why won’t you let me hide from me?”
“Mirror, mirror,” Ruby sang softly, taking Weiss’ hand in hers as she kept eye contact. “Tell me something. Who’s the loneliest of all?”
Ruby lowered her gaze to the floor as she quietly finished the song, squeezing her best friend’s hand softly. “I’m the loneliest of all…”
The princess let go of Weiss’ hand in that instant, her own hands trembling in anticipation. Weiss was here. She was really here. What would she say? What could she say? It’s been so long, it was like they were practically strangers. Would Weiss still consider Ruby her friend? Or is she just a princess that she had to bow to?
“I can hear you overthinking, Ruby,” Weiss called out softly, taking Ruby’s hand in hers. The princess slowly looked back up at her, Weiss’ eyes shining with mirth. “None of your silly thoughts. I’m here, I’m real. You’re not going to be alone anymore.”
“But… Yang’s leaving,” Ruby quietly said, silver eyes turning down towards the mattress. “I’m going to be Queen once my father steps down. How will I know that I’ll be a good queen?”
“You won’t know that you’ll be a good queen before you become queen, Ruby,” Weiss said in a soft tone, sifting her fingers through the crimson brunette’s hair. “All you can do is become queen and do everything you can to be a good queen.”
“Right,” Ruby muttered, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of Weiss running her fingers through her hair. It was a nice feeling. A soothing feeling.
“I didn’t give you a reward for finding me, did I?”
Right then, her eyes shot back open, and she sat up quickly. “What?”
Laughter. That melodious laughter made Ruby’s heart do somersaults. It was then that she knew, she didn’t just miss Weiss. She was in love with Weiss.
“You won’t leave again, right?” Ruby whispered desperately. She couldn’t help it, she wanted confirmation. She didn’t want to go through the pain of being lonely ever again.
“Considering that I’m now your new bodyguard,” Weiss tilted Ruby’s head up with a small grin. “You’ll have a harder time getting rid of me instead of me leaving you.”
Ruby couldn’t believe it. Weiss was her new bodyguard ? “But I thought Royal Guards could only be the bodyguards of the royal family.”
“Considering I am one, I am inclined to agree.”
“You got into the Royal Guard!?”
“You didn’t doubt me this much back then.”
“Well it’s just-” Ruby couldn’t even wrap her head around it. “How?”
“It’s a long story, Ruby. I haven’t even given you the reward you deserve yet,” Weiss chuckled and leaned in. “Here it is. A reward fit for a princess as beautiful as you.
Weiss kissed her. Weiss kissed her.
Ruby’s world faded as she leaned into the kiss, her arms wrapping around the knight’s neck as the kiss deepened.
“My knight.”
“My queen.”
They were here. They were together. And nothing can take them away from each other ever again.