366Little Grimm Riding Hood
Chapter 30: True Words
This feeling, well, it wasn't something you could get used to.
It was at times like these, when you are on the verge of leaving something you love behind, that you appreciate it the most, that you realize just how much more you could have done in your time together.
Most people would not use the word 'pretty' to describe Ruby's home. But that does not change the fact that it was majestic in its own admittedly twisted way.
Yes, it might have a Grimm-infested forest surrounding it, yes it might be awfully quiet, and yes it would fill most people's hearts with dread.
But, to Ruby, it was home. Where Salem was, and where her family was.
She didn't expect that she'd be saying goodbye to them just a few months after returning from her last mission.
Or, she'd be saying that in a few hours, anyway.
At least Cinder was going to be with her to keep her company, that was the exciting part, their first official mission together.
A Grimm-summoning princess that happens to be a hybrid of silver power and dark power. Accompanied by the utterly terrifying Fall Maiden.
That Spring Maiden, whoever she is and no matter how much power she possesses, she won't even know what hit her.
Still, with all that said, in the end, this journey was bound to be a hard one, and in more ways than one. Ruby had to remind herself of that, it was one of the lessons Cinder would not rest until she knew Ruby understood carefully.
Being overconfident is naive, naivety leads to carelessness, and carelessness leads to many things, none of which are good.
So Ruby always found herself following Cinder's advice; know what you are capable of doing, then do it to the best of your ability. And if you cannot do it, don't die trying.
It's simple and it makes sense.
And despite the main goal of the trip being the spring maiden, the difficulty of the mission might mostly be centered around finding her, not bringing her down.
But, in truth. Ruby wasn't worried about finding the maiden. Not one bit, she knew they'd find her eventually, she can't hide forever. What she was afraid of is something else entirely.
Since she came back home, she had the time to think about this, but she avoided the thought altogether. Instead, opting to enjoy the moments of peace that she earned, the comfort of home that she needed more than she herself knew.
When Ruby hit her lowest point in Beacon, she managed to find something in her that helped her escape the deep hole she'd dug herself into. Something awakened in her, giving her the power to summon Grimm in numbers and strength even Salem would be proud of.
She could still remember it vividly, her journey through the stairs and halls of Beacon tower, surrounded by an overwhelming army of Grimm.
The way the Atleasian mercenary soldiers looked at her, the way they froze as soon as she came into their vision, she could see the turmoil and terror running across their faces even through their helmets.
She was the strongest she's ever been.
She was not Ruby, she was a living, breathing, and utterly terrifying queen of Grimm, just like her mother.
That was the problem, though, she was.
Her powers have been progressively waning since her return.
Even here and now in the seclusion of her own room, with nothing on her mind but summoning the very best Grimm, one that would even slightly rival the ones she had back then, she couldn't do it.
She couldn't stop herself from sighing in annoyance as she watched her exhaustingly vigorous attempt result in one normal, if not below-average Boarbatusk.
The thing ran up to her by her command, at the very least. She placed a hand on its head.
It was no good.
The ones she had back then could break through the sturdiest of walls, they were edging perfection itself, with skin as hard as steel and horns more resolute than Cinder's sense of pride.
But now? She was confident that if she'd told this one to charge the wall that it would break its horns and barely cause a dent.
"Ughhhh..." What was she missing? She wondered as she collapsed onto her bed. Maybe she just exhausted herself too much at that time?
Did her powers even work like that? She had no idea. Could she have run out of some sort of power reserve?
"No..." She chased the idea out of her mind, it was stupid to begin with. Her power was an extension of Salem's own, received directly from the queen herself, there's no way it has any limits.
She sighed once more as she lay calmly in the comfort of her bed before raising her hand upwards as if trying to reach the ceiling.
Damnit, she had no idea what was wrong, not even the slightest clue.
She wanted to just write it off as exhaustion or anything similar, but she couldn't bring herself to. This was something else because, with all simplicity, she wasn't tired, unfocused, or even afraid to use her power to any degree.
Many possible reasons were already considered, most of which she just wrote off as wrong or stupid. But there was one she couldn't keep out of her head, one she refused to believe.
That she could only reach that level of strength when she has no other choice but to.
No way she was ever going to give in to that notion. If she couldn't feel powerful or fulfill her potential except if she has to feel that sort of pain again, well...
Then she doesn't want to.
It's not worth it, it is simply not worth it. She can't and won't let herself feel that weak again, that angry or helpless... not again.
That moment when she finally realized that Yang betrayed her. That moment alone tore her heart apart a million times over.
And what's worse? She knew she was a hypocrite for it. As she was going to do the very same, if not worse.
Then, when she finally decided that she'd have her revenge. Well, If she had to write down how complicated everything was and felt, she'd write a whole novel and it still wouldn't be enough.
The feelings, the thoughts, they were drowning her very sanity. One moment she felt as if her only purpose is revenge, then she'd come up with some sort of vague and redundant motivation for herself to press on. None of it made sense, and it was not like her.
She didn't need any of that, all she needed was to complete her mission, not make excuses on why she was right or wrong.
She didn't want to feel anything similar to that again. No matter what she gains in return.
Knocks on the door managed to snap Ruby out of her lingering thoughts before the doorknob proceeded to turn.
Cinder's visage crept in. "Ruby, how'd-" An unusual surprised yelp forced its way out of her throat as the Boarbatusk in the room charged out the door. Cinder sidestepped, "stupid beast." The maiden said with a scowl.
"Hi, Cinder." Ruby greeted as she pushed herself up to a seating position.
"Hey..." The maiden replied in return, blinking twice. She didn't think it'd be this hard to get used to Ruby's new purple hair.
"Remind me to kill your hair stylist, Ruby."
"Oh please, you practically killed him when you paid for the haircut."
"Two-thousand Lien, Ruby. Two-thousand Lien on a haircut!"
"And sweets, don't forget the sweets." Ruby giggled. She watched as Cinder rolled her eyes before she spoke again. "I'm all set and ready, before you ask."
"I can see that." Cinder said as she took a look around the near-emptied room. She took a deep breath and made her way to Ruby's bed, sitting next to her. "But no, I'm here to ask how your day with Salem went."
"Salem?" Ruby spoke, closing her eyes for a moment and failing to contain her smile. "It was good."
"Oh, well. Tell me about it later?" Cinder grinned as she watched Ruby scratch the back of her head sheepishly. She already knew her answer.
"Yeah... maybe not this time."
"That's your answer every time." Cinder smiled, not disappointed in the slightest, in fact, quite amused. Whatever it is that Ruby and Salem ever come to do together, they never explain nor mention it. The only occasion where she could get some sort of explanation is when they were doing some sort of training, and it had been so long since Ruby's last training session with Salem.
Truly, what makes this amusing is that Cinder was positively certain that she already had her answer, it wasn't that hard to guess what they do most of the time.
What a truly eccentric woman Salem was. She still couldn't admit that she enjoys Ruby's company, even though she knew full well that everyone already knows it. Maybe it was a matter of professional pride?
Ruby's arrival to their group many, many years ago was most likely the strangest thing to ever happen. She shook the very foundations of their belief, all the way to their core. And while Salem's goal ultimately remains the same, she was sure that Ruby's mere existence changed the fate of their group.
How many things would have occurred differently if Ruby didn't exist? And how many things that could have happened were stopped?
Maybe this was all useless speculation, or Cinder's own bias was speaking because of the liking she took to Ruby over the years, but she felt like Ruby's arrival only changed things for the better.
At least in her case, she was sure of it.
Before Ruby, she could never have imagined how much she'd learn from... well, ironically enough, teaching someone else. She was selfish, believing that she needed all the power for herself, and to some extent, that's still true. She wants power, as much as she can get, and that wasn't likely to ever change.
However, session after session, day after day, she began seeing just how much she could learn from teaching Ruby, and if there was one thing to be sure of, she learned more with Ruby than she otherwise would have alone.
Over the years, Cinder taught Ruby how to fight, which actually only drove the maiden to better herself. To pay more attention to the little things. The high standards she set for Ruby also affected her. And as Ruby grew stronger, Cinder had to find new ways to better herself.
She would take nothing other than the utmost perfection. Anything else and she'd feel like she failed.
There were many bumps along the journey, and there will be more to come without a shadow of a doubt, but in the end. Cinder had to admit that she'd lost the ability to imagine a world without someone to teach and mentor, someone she'd willingly protect without standing to gain anything in return.
With so much experience in dealing with Ruby, however, Cinder was always sure to notice when something was wrong.
"Have you been sleeping well?" Cinder asked out of the blue. It wasn't hard to notice Ruby's physical state, dark circles spread under her eyes, and she wasn't as chipper as usual.
"I'm fine, just a bit nervous, that's all." Came the reply.
"If you need an extra day before we head out-"
"No, Cinder. I'm fine. Just need a nap, that's all!" Ruby interrupted, giving her best shot at being her usual energetic self, despite her fatigue.
"Sure..." Cinder said, not quite buying it but deciding to let it go. "I'll leave you to it then, maybe read a book until you get bored, that might help." She added as she stepped out.
As the door clicked shut, her words resounded in Ruby's mind. A book, huh? Maybe that could actually get her mind off of her current predicament...
Yes, a book, that might-
Wait...
The gears in her mind started turning, and Ruby's eyes snapped open. "Yes, I got it!" She cheered as she jumped off of her bed. A surge of energy she didn't know she had traveled across her body as she jumped out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
...
"How couldn't I think of this earlier?" Ruby said as she slammed half a dozen books on the table.
There was nothing in the world that could fix her problem. No one ever had to summon Grimm before.
No one other than Salem.
And luckily, Salem is the kind of person to have a gigantic secret library. If there was any book in the world that could help her, it would be here.
"Alright, Ruby, time to learn!" Was a sentence Ruby never thought she'd say to herself.
"Learn what, exactly, child?"
Ruby shrieked at the sudden voice, she looked at the library's door. "Salem! I, uhh-"
"Let me spare you from this, Ruby," Salem said as she slowly found herself moving to the table. "None of these books will help you with your problem."
Ruby sighed, if there was ever a time she didn't want her mother to be all omnipresent and clairvoyant, it would be now. She just needed a few hours to figure out her issue. Maybe the books will give her at least a hint, just anything to work on.
"You wrote these yourself though, didn't you?" Ruby asked as Salem picked up one of the books and scanned through its pages.
The queen brought her fingers to a close, forcing the same on the book. "Of course, but not for the reasons you think, child." She smiled lightly. "At the time, I never would have guessed I'd need to teach another how to summon Grimm, it was a power exclusive to me."
"Then what did you write them for?"
"Sheer boredom," Salem answered honestly. "Most of these are works of fiction, by yours truly." Salem chuckled, oh the things she used to do to pass time.
"You wrote fiction stories?!" Ruby half-yelled.
"Is that so hard to believe, child? Have you so little regard for my creativity?" Salem feigned disappointment, an amused smile covered her face as she looked away from Ruby.
"N-no no! I just... I didn't think you'd be into that kind of stuff." Ruby explained, watching as Salem approached her, setting a chair next to hers and sitting down.
Salem turned her face to meet Ruby's, keeping the amused smile she had. "Of course you didn't, little one, there was no way for you to know." She explained. "I was just jesting with you."
Ruby chuckled. " 'Anatomy of a Beowulf' is a weird name to give to a fantasy book though."
"I didn't complain when you named your bed , so you don't complain about what I named my books, isn't that fair?"
Ruby couldn't defy that logic. She watched as Salem took the book they were talking about from her and set it aside.
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Does that say 'Reproductive edition'?"
Salem quickly brought a hand up and gently pinched Ruby's cheek. "You little Cretin, stop messing about."
"Ah- Ouch! Okay okay, I was joking. Please stop!" Ruby pleaded for mercy as she laughed until Salem released her pinch. The laughs trailed away after that.
She came to the room to find solutions, but all she got was to talk to Salem, it seems. Not that she'd complain, she wanted to enjoy her time here as much as possible before she had to go on her next mission.
Ruby finally sighed, resting her head on her mother's shoulder. "I'm stuck, I don't really know what to do," Ruby admitted.
"Stuck on what, child?" Salem replied.
"Well. It's strange, but it's basically about the Grimm I summon."
"Yes, I've noticed. They're rather lacking in terms of quality."
"You've noticed?" Ruby asked, shocked.
"I feel every creation you've ever made, Ruby. From the tiniest to the largest. I feel the dozens of Grimm you summon in the courtyard as practice every night." Salem explained. "You feel stuck because they don't match up with the strength of your summonings from before, correct?"
Ruby didn't talk, she didn't really know what to say to that. But her doubts were at least confirmed, the Grimm she'd been summoning recently were, in fact, of lesser quality than normal.
"Why are they so weak, Salem?" Ruby asked. "Why do I feel like I could barely control them? Like I could barely rely on them to do basic actions? You've taught me so much but it feels like whenever I apply those teachings they just suddenly refuse to work."
"I know, Ruby. I know." Salem answered.
"So what is it? What's the secret? How can I regain the strength of my Grimm?" Ruby pleaded for an answer.
Salem sighed. "I do not know, child."
Ruby blinked.
She must have misheard that. There's no one else in the world that could help her, Salem must know the answer!
"But you must have been through something similar at some point? Maybe it's in the technique, did you change your technique in any-"
"Child," Salem interjected. "I have never." Was the simple answer.
Salem watched as a look devoid of any hope formed on Ruby's face. The little girl just stayed silent afterwards.
Salem pulled the girl closer, moving her hair away so she could feel the aura of her beautiful eyes better. "I made an oversight, child," Salem admitted. "I taught you what I knew, but I never considered the hardships you'd have to go through eventually."
"What do you mean, what oversight?" The young one queried.
"You're human, Ruby. You're not like me. You are a human blessed with two impossible gifts. Two gifts that should reject each other in all realms of possibility." Salem pulled the little girl just a little bit closer. "You're the only one that could ever do such a thing. Your talents have made you so unique, so rare, that even I struggle to find meaning behind your powers."
Ruby relaxed her body further. So that was it, she was a mismatched blend of powers, a stupid chimera that doesn't know its head from its tail.
"But I also know that the very fact that you have so much control, so much talent, means that you'll be the only one who can figure out a solution for your problem."
Ruby closed her eyes, maybe Salem was right, maybe she was supposed to figure this out as she went along, maybe this is her next challenge to face.
Still... such comforting words coming from the Grimm Queen herself are not common, even to Ruby.
Ruby couldn't help but smile. "Thanks for the pep talk, mom."
Salem gave Ruby a light but prompt slap to the back of the head at that comment. "Do not tease me when I am being nice to you, child." She chuckled. "It is hard enough as it is to speak like this."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thank you, Salem. I'll do my best to figure this out."
"I know you will child, I know." She said, finally letting go of Ruby as she stood up. "Now help me put these mediocre books away."
"Mediocre?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
Salem sighed. "I wrote them, yes. I never said I was any good."
"Holy crap this dude isn't dead in some gutter." -Someone reading this, probably.
In all seriousness, I decided to spare you from the comically large author notes I used to write at the beginning of each chapter (Instead, I give you this comically large author note at the END of the chapter. And speaking of chapters, this one is 3.3k words long.
Now, I know I've been gone a while, and, well, according to my calculations, I'm only about 2 years and a half late with this update, which is just fashionably late, all things considered.
That's a bad joke, to be honest, I don't know why I haven't been writing for the last 2 years, probably the worst block I ever had. But now I'm raging to write, I can't stop myself from writing. And that's good... I think?
Little Grimm Riding Hood will be receiving an update every 2-3 weeks, and so will my other story, memories of a future.
I originally planned to take a longer time before writing LGRH but I feel like I've waited long enough, and I feel like I am not TOO rusty.
It might take a few chapters for the quality to really pick up, but I hope that any new reader or old reader coming back enjoys this journey with me.
Another thing: Little Grimm Riding Hood, for the most part, has largely been written and uploaded by me and me only, there are exceptions to this, but I won't mention names in case they aren't comfortable with it.
Essentially, I am saying that I'm accepting potential beta-readers, both to make the story better and to keep me from becoming a lazy idiot again.
I am also considering writing a non-cannon bonus chapter. So drop any good ideas you have in a review if you plan on leaving one.
ONE LAST THING I PROMISE: I might take a bit longer to release the next chapter (Chapter 31 specifically.) and that is solely because I plan on going back and editing older chapters to make them less obnoxious, and also tone down those RIDICULOUS author notes I used to write, like, sheesh. (Expect all chapters to be up to date in about 3 weeks.)
Much Love! Stay hopeful! Zilverhope out!