I couldn't figure out how I wanted to end this chapter, so I put it off until I completely forgot about it. Then Volume 3 happened. This came out a lot longer than anticipated. Aren't you guys lucky?

I'm so sorry. I'm really bad at this.

The dance was going perfectly. It was actually a pretty cunning plan, actually. All the maidens would come to such a social occasion, and she would be able to deal with those that surpass her swiftly and perfectly. Surpass? She actually meant 'become a threat the throne', of course. It was her duty, and she always completed her duties. The queen held up her mirror, pretending to fix her hair.

"Mirror, mirror in my hand. Is the fairest here as planned?" she secretly consulted her mirror.

"With skin of porcelain and locks of snow, her current presence proceeds to grow," the hand mirror replied. The queen's nostrils flared. Did that mean she was getting more popular? Wait a minute, locks of snow? She abruptly scanned the crowd to see the girl with the obscure hairstyle. So that was Weiss Schnee.

Her majesty had no idea why the Weiss girl was considered the fairest. It looked obvious to her that she was a small child playing dress up (the corset strings weren't even properly tied - it was way too loose). And that dress. The familiarity of it tugged at her mind. She was sure she had seen it somewhere before. It was a beautiful ice blue, adorned with frost colored crystals and lined with intricately placed laced. What probably surprised the queen was the little tramp's ability to properly dance. She had some form of training, either that or she had been spying on social gatherings for the entirety of her life.

The queen knew what she had to do. Her majesty was the most talented of the land, with no one close to near her abilities. She knew how to humiliate this girl, and when she is at her weakest, the queen would strike. With grace, the queen stood up. All eyes and attention turned to her. The queen smirked. She loved it when people did that.

"I declare, a competition," the queen said. Noises rippled through the crowd. "This competition, will be legible to all the maidens in the room." Some groans were emitted from the crowd, mostly from the males. "The winner of this competition will receive one wish from me." The queen placed a hand against her chest. She empathized on the wish part. Surely a tramp such as this Weiss girl would truly want something so much to enter a contest for it. The queen knew she herself would if given the chance - and you know, if she was in such a less fortunate position of status in the first place. "Whoever can surpass me in the theme of my choosing will be declared the winner."

She had everyone's interest piqued now. Her smirk turned into a wide smile. "May the singing competition begin!"

As expected, the Weiss girl was also in the line to go. But not before the queen had her turn, first impressions are crucial for any type of social interaction - and competitions for that matter. After the queen finished her piece, the crowd applauded enthusiastically. Seeing her majesty perform was a treat in itself.

To amuse herself, the queen looked at the contestants. A few absolutely looked like they were about to faint. But that frost-like girl had her eyes closed. For some reason, this made the queen unbearably irritated. One after another the girls that lined up sang and failed. It was finally the Weiss girl's turn. Some disapproving whispers developed the crowd.

"Unorthodox hairstyle."

"Disfiguring scar."

"Odd."

But the girl ignored all these comments, as if she was used to such words. She probably has, considering she most likely grew up on the streets. The girl took in a deep breath before beginning to sing.

"Mirror, tell me something..."

The queen's jaw dropped.

"I'm the loneliest of...all..." Weiss finished. She took a curtsey and soon the ballroom erupted into an applause. People started to chant her name. Almost her name.

"Schneewittchen! Schneewittchen!" she was about to be swarmed by the crowd of people when a hand suddenly grabbed at hers and pulled her to safety.

"David!" Weiss gasped when she saw the face of her captor. But David didn't stop and they continued to run. He didn't slow down until they reached an opened balcony, where they could hide behind some pillars away from the frantic crowd that was looking for the winning girl. The night air bit at her skin, and Weiss couldn't help but noticed that this was probably the first time she was not in the prison garb on such a night as this one.

"You didn't tell me you can sing, Schneewittchen," he said with a crooked smile.

Weiss frowned, "Why are people calling me that?"

"Well, considering your name literally translates to 'white snow', people probably reiterated it into a name befitting of that voice of yours."

This sagged Weiss's frown even more, "I don't see what is wrong with my name."

David lost his grin, "Nothing is wrong with it. Folks around here like to spontaneously make up nicknames for talents." David let go of his grip on Weiss's hand when he noticed he was still doing so. If Weiss could see in the dark, she would have seen a visible blush on his face. "It means that they like you."

"Oh," Weiss said. She was about to say something else when a guard appeared next to them, scaring the lights out of the two teens.

"Miss Schneewittchen, the queen would like your attendance," he said.

"Of course, I will be right over," Weiss said. She couldn't help but notice her new nickname sounded more like White Witch than anything else.

Her wish was simple, and the heiress didn't feel intimidated by the queen at all. When asked, Weiss simply said, "Access to all the knowledge of the kingdom."

What a strange wish, everyone thought at once. The queen automatically frowned. She couldn't be a spy, could she? A thought struck her, it was possible. She was not detected by her mirror until recently. The queen gave a coy smile. Now she knew what this little wench was after.

"Very well, but it will take several hours to give you proper documentation to access...these very crucial documents. I assure you that if you return this afternoon, everything will be set for you."

Weiss gave the queen a curtsy. This was going off without a hitch. Which meant something was going to go very wrong.

"Mother!" prince Terrence practically crawled back to the smaller throne beside the queen's.

"Yes, what is it, darling?" the queen replied. She had completely forgotten about her darling boy. That Weiss girl was way too distracting.

"Mother, I know who I want to marry," he said. Marry? The prince had hardly ever taken a liking to a lady. The queen was sure whoever it was, she would give her blessing to the couple.

"Who is it, my dear?" she cooed to her son. Not like she would allow her son to marry so soon. The queen had all intentions to reign far past her prime. Prince Terrence eagerly pointed to the girl with porcelain skin and locks of snow. The queen' jaw dropped for the second time that night.

When Weiss woke up the next morning, she felt a lot better. She had to admit that she was well rest and well fed. She wished she could say the same to her hair. Weiss debated on asking the Kethersons for a bath. If she were to guess she would have assumed baths were not commonplace in this world, evident by the frequent bodily odor masked with intense perfume that made Weiss gag if she got too close to someone. She was even told to air the ball gown in the closet instead of washing it. But a girl can only deal with an itchy scalp and oily hair for so long before she goes bonkers.

"Sure, you can even to be the first one in if you want," David told her when she asked.

Weiss's face paled at the implication, "Does that mean...you reuse the bath water?"

David looked at her oddly, as if she just questioned something so obvious and logical. Well, that certainly made her cautious of her actions. It probably meant she couldn't be too excessive with her time in the bath. Pity, it was a long time since she had a good soak and a read. She couldn't even read the words in this world.

With a cleanly body along with finally washed hair, Weiss exited the bath with content. It felt weird not draining the water, but the rest of the family had to reuse it at least for the next two persons to not waste water. It was a strange ritual, but it was probably a traditional custom and courtesy.

In the dining room, she noticed how all the brothers had this look their face. This I-know-something-that-you-don't smile. Except for David, who looked horrendously nervous. But Weiss did not notice much, thinking it must have been an inside joke within the family.

"Don't mess it up, brother dearest. She's the first girl that actually liked your presence since cousin Susan," Sebastian giggled into his hand.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want her to hate you because you can't properly speak to a girl," Benjamin snickered. David wanted to kick the twins so badly, but that would have only provoked them even more. Even from the head of the table, Duncan could be seen smiling into his tea cup.

As delicious as the meal might have been, Weiss's mind was preoccupied somewhere else. The queen had ordered Weiss to not come until the afternoon to retrieve her license or documentation that allowed her to research and find a way home. As much as nice the Kethersons were, this was not her home. It was not her world, she did not belong here. She was an outsider. Would it even succeed? How would she depart? What was she going to tell them when the time comes?

When breakfast was over, David Ketherson invited Weiss on a garden promenade, and since she had nothing to do for the time being, she accepted. The garden was beautiful, with bushes of roses and arcs formed with the budding flowers. They were tended with the utmost care, in varying shades of pink and red. Even oranges and yellows. Weiss quietly wondered who was taking care of them now, if the staff had quitted the family. Who the heck was making them food?

They eventually stop to sit down at a bench, comfortably in the shade out of the sun. David was fidgeting, but this time Weiss did notice.

"David? Is something wrong?" she asked with genuine worry.

"Nothing, Weiss," he said unconvincingly. "It's just...there is something I want to give you."

A present? David took out a velvet box. Oh god, please no. He opened it up, but Weiss closed her eyes. This is not happening, could it? They've only known each other for a day.

"Um...Weiss?" David's voice made Weiss open one eye. She sighed a giant breath with relief. It was just a necklace. It was gorgeous, though. The gem was brighter than anything she's ever seen. It was in a shape of a snowflake, looking actually like a preserved version of the real thing.

"It's gorgeous," Weiss admired. She wanted to reach out to feel the stone in her fingers.

"It's a moissanite," David explained. "Clearer and prettier than any diamond out there." He put the box in a more comfortable position in his palm to take the necklace out. The small interlocking links of silver trailing to the centerpiece completed the gemstone immensely. If they were in direct sunlight, Weiss was sure it would be sparkling. Holding it by the ends, David looked at Weiss with bright eyes, seeming to silently expect something.

Weiss shifted in her seat so that her back was facing David. She moved her hair out of the way to expose her neck, soon feeling the cold metal against her skin.

"How does it look?" she smiled as she turned to face David once again.

"Beautiful," David said before clearing his throat. "It looks great. Great look on you-for you...It...it looks great on you."

Weiss massaged the moissanite between her fingers, admiring the simplicity and beauty of such a gem. She flushed a little, recalling her initial foolish thought of what was happening before. But another thought lingered in her brain.

"Why are you giving me this?"

David shrugged, "It felt so right for you. I mean, I designed it with snowflakes in mind, but since I met you, I feel like I created it for you. Even though it was made before we've met. What I mean is, that it felt so right to give it to you. As if it was made for you."

"You made this?" Weiss gaped in awe.

"I designed it," David corrected. "I would be a poor heir to the Ketherson name if I can't properly contribute to the jewelry side of the family business. Although this necklace is one of kind."

"Right," she nodded, pretending to understand what he was saying. She knew nothing about him, or his family. Weiss clasped on the gem, well that would have to change, doesn't it? "Do you always give girls pieces of jewelry like this?"

"No," David admitted. "You're actually the first person I've given a gift like this to."

"Well, that makes me certainly feel special," she laughed.

"I'm glad you like it," David smiled back. There was a chime from a giant clock tower, indicating an hour has gone by. "Goodness, it looks it's time for you to meet the queen." He stood up and held out his hand.

"How lucky of me," Weiss said sarcastically. She accepted David's hand into hers. The eldest Ketherson son escorted her to the front of the mansion, where the carriage was waiting. Because only Weiss's presence was welcomed back to the castle, they had to part ways at the entrance of the Ketherson front gates. The carriage ride was stifling, unlike what it was like on the night before.

What Weiss didn't expect when they said she were to receive proper documentation, was being given a royal rapier. They were one of a kind and all guardians of the kingdom's deepest darkest secrets were trained to determine a real one from a fake one. Each one was intricately and individually crafted, so that one couldn't access information they weren't suppose to access without proper identification. So not only were they impossible to plagiarize, no one could pretend to be her either. It was a needlessly complicated procedure. Weiss didn't realize how much she missed Myrtenaster until she felt the hilt on her fingers.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a presence of a feeling all too familiar. There was a boy, similar in age to hers. With royal garb and a cheesy smile, the young man waved at her as she gave him a glance. If she recalled, it was the crowned prince, Teddy or something of that variation.

The queen noticed how careful she was in handling the weapon. This Weiss girl was getting more and more suspicious. She was obviously dangerous and needed to be taken care of. When Weiss was dismissed, the girl practically bounded in the direction of the library.

The prince followed the girl like a lost puppy. The queen ordered one of her guards to keep a close eye on the girl, to make sure she was not doing anything...suspicious. She also didn't want that wretched girl to harm a hair on her darling boy. The girl would be dealt with soon enough, and her son would be set free from whatever enchantments the girl held on him. No prince of this kingdom would fall in love with a temptress such as her on his own accord, the queen was sure of it.

Weiss felt like she was being watched. Sure enough, the prince was staring at her with half lidded smile a goofy grin.

"Do you mind?" she asked him.

"Sorry, Lady Schneewittchen," he coughed awkwardly. "I did not mind to stare. I am just curious on what you're reading about."

To be honest, Weiss did not really know. It was a language she could not recognize. "I'm unsure," she told him the truth. "For the moment I am trying to decipher your scripture into my own."

The prince's eyes and smile widened. "May I be of assistance in this endeavor?"

Weiss gave the suggestion a thought. It would surely be faster if she had help. And he was the prince of the country, so he must be educated and perhaps even competent to teach her the basics. She gave him a smile, "I would be honored."

They finally properly introduced themselves to each other. Terrence was his name, Weiss found out. And she told him that she would preferred to be called Weiss Schnee instead of...whatever they called her. After some time of rigorous tutoring, Weiss was able to decode some root words that were similar to her own language, much to her enjoyment. Terrence fortunately was not the prying type, happy to only answer questions and tell Weiss about the basic history of the kingdom instead of interrogating her despite her obvious foreign origins.

It was obvious that Prince Terrence was becoming tired, so Weiss suggested a break.

"What a brilliant idea," the prince practically lit up. "I must ask Miss Schnee, do you like animals?

Yes. "I do find them charming." And super freaking adorable!

"Oh! Wait right here, please," the prince said as he rushed into a corner of the library. A minute later he returned with a large book in hand.

"I thought you wanted to take a brief moment of leisure," she asked with a small upturn of her lips.

"This is our break! It's my favorite tome in our collection," he hoisted the large book down. Various beasts that Weiss had never seen before were drawn on the cover underneath a heavy but elegant script of the title. "It's an encyclopedia," he explained. "It includes all known creatures of our realm."

The prince opened the book to a random creature that started at Weiss. The amount of detail that was put into the illustration was extraordinary. There were some writing on the pages, but they were in simple words in comparisons to the other textbooks she and the prince and been poring over.

Weiss found herself flipping through the pages, becoming more and more engrossed in the beasts with each turn of the leathery paper. One caught her attention however as she studied it. It was not like the others, for one most of its body was hidden in a cloud of red smoke. From what she could tell, the body was red too, camouflaging itself within the page. Its blank white eyes glared at Weiss, and something black dripped from its snarling maw.

"The Beast of Red Smoke," the prince interrupted her thoughts.

"That's it? No official name?"

Terrence shook his head, "To give it a name would suggest we respect the beast to some extent. It is simply a monster that takes what it wants and vanishes like a coward." His eyes gave the impression of yearning as he stared at the creature. " It's the beast that slayed my father."

"You have my condolences, Prince Terrence," she said softly to the prince. He returned her smile and gave her his thanks.

A few agonizingly long hours later, the guard that had looked over the two retreated back into the throne room, despite the queen's lack of orders to do so. The queen dismissed a citizen that was currently pleading her to punish a neighbor that kept releasing his animals into his backyard. 'It smells like a zoo back there!'

"Guard! You better have a good reason for leaving your post," the queen demanded. The guard's initial reaction was Ma'am, my name is Richard and I've been working next to you for ten years, at least learn my name, but Richard gave it a second thought, and decided it was a much wiser option to not speak his initial thoughts. He instead stated why he had left Weiss alone with the documents, "Your majesty, Miss Schneewittchen is simply looking through the books, scrolls, and papers. Works on witchcraft, myths, legends and history. She has yet to touch anything that is a danger to the throne. But..."

The queen noticed the guard's hesitation, "But, what?"

"She's been...writing," Richard answered, "Notes, if I were to gather. In a script similar to our own, but obviously a different language."

The queen stood up with a tightened grasp on her hand mirror. I knew it! The Weiss girl must have been a spy for those good for nothing-

The queen heard approaching footsteps, two sets. The Weiss girl soon appeared back into the throne room, with ink stains all over her face and dress. Her majesty inwardly smiled at this, for this meant that the girl had some evidential flaws after all. A girl who can not hold a pen as good as a sword is no match for the queen.

"Are you done with your research?" the queen asked as sweetly as she could.

Weis in turn inwardly grimaced, knowing all too well what that overly tender voice is a mask for something sinister. "No, your majesty. I am simply taking a break to stretch my muscles. I am also here to procure a reading lamp for when the sun comes down."

The queen eyes the girl's arm that was close to her chest. It was clutching a notebook, most likely including documents that would aid in the invasion of her kingdom. "If you wish to have a stretch, perhaps you would like to have a small fencing battle with my son?"

Prince Terrence's eyes widened at this, "Mother!" He was a great fencer and all, having been trained under the greatest masters in the country. But she was a guest, not a challenger. Terrence was about to deny such a ridiculous suggestion when his snow angel replied before him.

"It would be an honor," Weiss curtsied.

"Point!" the referee declared. "The winner of the match is Schneewittchen." Prince Terrence was on his posterior on the floor, having fallen moments before being utterly defeated. Although the prince had lost the battle, his heart was still aflutter. The beauty before him was beautiful, graceful, vocally talented, and powerful. His heart was beating rapidly, but not because of the lingering excitement of the match, but the definite signs of true love.

Weiss took off her mask, feeling the cooler air on her face with relief. She hasn't trained in actual fencing for a while, let alone in the training garb. She wanted to change out of it as soon as possible. With her helmet and rapier in one hand, she held out the other to help the prince up. He smiled as he accepted the aid as he regained his footing from the ground. His grasp against her hand stayed for far too much for her liking, and Weiss had to clear her throat for the prince to release her hand.

"Never in my life have I met a creature as talented as you," he smiled.

"Why thank you," Weiss said with a hint of questioning. A creature? It's a compliment, right?

Deeming that it was time to return to her research, Weiss thanked the prince for the match and returned to the library. A servant of the castle gave her an oil lamp as she had requested. As she was working, Weiss soon noticed a sweet aroma wafting through the library. The source was from the oil lamp, Weiss figured as she spent an ungodly amount of time sniffing around. Although as sweet as the scent was, it was too distracting. She didn't need to relax right now, but to kick her brain into gear. And the smell coming from the oil lamp was making her dreadfully sleepy. Weiss called for a servant to exchange the lamps. When given the news, the queen cursed under her breath. The toxins from the oil would have lulled the girl into a comatose-like sleep, making it easy for quick execution.

Soon, a tray of apple slices were given to Weiss to feed her as she researched. Weiss admitted that she was more than hungry, so she gladly accepted the fruit. This was when prince Terrence had finished his evening studies that he decided to pay his future wife a visit. Seeing that the few slices of apples in the tray - which were his favorite fruit, prince Terrence asked if he could have a slice. Weiss allowed him the piece, content with the slice she had in her hand. Unfortunately for the prince, the piece got stuck on his throat, making him gag. Weiss immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving the prince from an embarrassing death. The queen almost cracked her hand mirror, as that piece was meant for the girl! It had a fast acting poison that would have made her death seem like an untimely accident. Who knew the girl had such a strange technique to deal with choking. Desperate times call for desperate measures, the queen scowled as she began to write an angry letter.

Weiss was scuffling through parchments she couldn't read until there was an emblem that caught her eye. looking closely, she recognized it as the Ketherson's family crest. Hey, she might not have stole the handkerchief, but she got a good look at the crest itself. Curious, she got out her notebook where she had columns of words she had deciphered. The language was very similar to her own, but there was still some grey areas. There were some keywords like 'gems' and 'mining' that caught her ears, making Weiss smiled. The Kethersons were also a mining company? No wonder why she liked them so much, they basically had the same background! Except her company wasn't losing a whole bunch of money. There were documents of the current living members, as well as a few for the deceased ancestors. One member was marked with a red script, and after a few moments, Weiss deciphered the label as 'EXECUTED'. Strange.

She called for the tomekeeper, who was a wrinkly old man that had been helping Weiss translate the documents she needed or the last few hours.

"Why, that is the late Lady Margaret Ketherson," the tomekeeper said sagely. "A nice beautiful lady she was, the personal seamstress for the queen. Her dresses were as beautiful as sunsets and oceans."

"What happened to her?" Weiss wondered. What did the good lady do to deserve execution?

The tomekeeper looked nervous, looking back and forth before whispering, "The queen is the jealous type. Anyone that's better than her in anyway, shape or form. well," he mimed a knife cutting through his throat. Weiss gulped, her mind was flashing back to all the moments she had just escaped death.

Richard didn't know why he was listening to such an insane order, but the queen had threatened to quarter him, and honestly that was not the best way to go. So there he was, scaling the vines of the Ketherson family mansion into the room of a seventeen year old maiden. Previously, he attempted to climb the tree, but soon the branches couldn't handle his weight, making him fall unceremoniously. Which hurt. Rose bushes were not comfortable to land on. In the least. Richard the guard made it to the small balcony, where he rolled over the ledge as gracefully as a platypus, almost falling face first on the floor.

There was nothing but the sound of his harsh breathing for a good 72 seconds as he caught his breath. Slowly and painfully, he got up, only to rest again against the balcony ledge as the rush of oxygen made him woozy. He made his way to the doors, surprised to find that it was unlocked. Opening it cautiously, he was grateful that the hinges weren't squeaky.

Taking out a dagger, he stepped lightly to the bed of the girl's. This was so wrong, and everything in his body was yelling at him to turn back and give a rude gesture to the queen and take his family and leave. By the time he snapped back to reality, his hand was already on the blanket of the bed. With trembling hands, he knew how long it would take for the next steps to happen. Around one second to rip off the covers, and around two to aim for the neck and steal her life. Around ten to open up her skin, around five seconds for each rib so to avoid the sternum. Around four to completely remove the still beating heart.

And with that last though, Richard sheathed the dagger and walked away.

"Seems like you have a conscience" a figure before him noted, making the guard take out his dagger again. His eyes adjusted to the moonlight shrouded person, only to realize it was Schneewittchen herself. He turn around to rip the covers of her bed, in the place of where the girl was suppose to be were pillows.

"How did you-" he squinted, doing an otherwise comical double take to the girl and the empty bed.

"You were not as stealthy as you thought you were," Weiss hummed. One hand was behind her back, probably holding onto her rapier. And then the unexpected happened. Richard the guard dropped his dagger and fell to his knees.

Richard the guard appeared before the queen, in his hand a bag that was dabbled with a red liquid. The queen smiled. The high collared cape she had adorned for this very moment outlined her sharp smale, sending a shiver down Richard's spine. It looked like she didn't have to quarter another guard this week after all. She gestured for the guard to bring the heart to the kitchens, where it would be prepared for her consumption. She didn't care that it was past midnight, she could wake up the whole damn kingdom at this hour if she so chooses. She could have all the human hearts she wants at any given time of day. The heart is where the power comes from, and the more hearts she consumed from her enemies, the more powerful she became. The power of Lady Ketherson's heart was already starting to wither away inside her, and it was as if the Gods had sent her this Weiss spy/girl as a gift to keep up her health.

It took all of the queen's resistance to not jump in glee as the heart was served to her on a silver platter. When she gorged herself with the delicacy, her smile faltered. The heart was not at all powerful as the queen expected. It was nothing compared to Margaret Ketherson's. Perhaps the girl wasn't that much of a threat after all. The whole illusion of triumph was shattered instantly when her son showed up with his new bride to be. Or so he claimed.

In the darkness of the room, the light of the lamp prince Terrence was holding was all that was needed for the queen to notice the white hair.

"You're alive," the queen said automatically in surprise. She didn't realize her mistake until it was too late, hardening her son's expression.

"You were trying to kill her!" the prince exclaimed. The queen refused to reply, too shocked to even move. The prince took this silence as confirmation. "Mother! You can't just go around killing people you don't like!"

The queen simply sniffed, as if she wasn't being berated by her beloved darling son. Then she began to laugh, "Sweetie, you're not actually going to marry that creature, are you?"

The prince sighed, "She made it clear that she has no intention of wedding me. However, she also made it clear that she would gladly do so if it meant for you to step down from your throne! She wishes for us to only be wed in the diplomatic sense, a wish that I will gladly grant her. After all, my own mother tried to kill her."

"You can't just do that," the queen hissed. She stood up from her chair, knocking some of the silverware around. The glass of wine fell over, staining the white table a dark mauve color.

Before the prince could counter her words, Weiss stepped in, "How about a duel then, your majesty?"

"I beg your pardon?" the queen asked.

"A duel. And since you are obviously so interested in the dark arts, I'll even let you use your powers."

"Lady Schnee! You can't, mother is a terribly powerful-" the prince tried to convince the white haired heiress into taking back her invitation, but Wess's resolve only hardened. The witchy queen wasn't the only one that had tricks up her sleeves.

"Why would I even want to duel with you?" the queen keenly smiled. If they were to go through with this, her majesty would have a terrible advantage. One she doesn't mind stooping too low to take.

"Well, for one, we'll put a wager on the duel. My banishment for your resignation."

The queen thought about it, cupping her chin with her pointer finger. "How about...your heart?"

Weiss didn't even flinch, "That is hardly fair."

"How about leaving it up to the townspeople?" the prince interjected. Both the queen and Weiss turned to him, equally as shocked as the other. Terrance was looking down, obviously shocked at his sudden outburst as well. "Mother, if you really are as benevolent and kind of a queen as you believe to be, I'm sure that you have nothing to worry about. If you truly are a heartless monster...I'm sure the townsfolk will bring a swift justice."

"T-terrance!" the queen gasped. Her son would never say this to her. Her real son. She turned her head to glare at the Weiss girl. Of course! She was putting her dear sweet boy under some sort of charming spell. One that would make him disobedient towards his mother! "Fine, state your time and place."

"Right now," Weiss declared, her shoulders straight and chest puffed out. "In the throne room."

"My dear, I hope you will be more humble after your defeat. Arrogance is such a poor color on you," the queen smirked at the teen."

"If you're lucky, maybe you'll learn a lesson or two about manners," Weiss said, tightening her grip on the royal rapier. Was she always gripping her weapon since the very beginning? She couldn't be nervous, could she? Weiss put the thought into the back of her mind, there was no time to doubt herself now, "Because the last time I checked, abusing your position of power is pretty damn rude." The queen's eyes narrowed as she glared daggers at Weiss, to which the snow heiress ignored with ease.

The female combatants positioned themselves in their proper dueling posts. The queen finally took off the gaudy oversized cape, revealing a low cut dark silk dress, exposing her shoulders and the top of her breasts. The sleeves covered her arms elegantly in a transparent black fabric that cascaded softly to the helm of the dress. In a fluid motion of her arms, all the candles in the room became aflamed, basking the room in its soft orange glow.

Weiss took out her rapier from its holster. She didn't have a cape to tear off dramatically before the battle, not like she wanted one. Mostly. Okay, she really thought the cape looked cool as heck but she wasn't going to tell the queen that! Especially since she was going to beat her majesty to the ground.

The match began with the referee's command (who was forcibly summoned from his slumber, evident by the nightgown he still sported). Weiss started the match by gliding straight towards the queen, using her glyphs to increase her velocity. The queen's eyes widened in surprise at her display of "magic".

In an attempt to subdue her adversary, the queen casted a spell that formed a wall from the stone floor below them. This should have blocked Weiss's way and made her crash into the wall like a fool, but the young heiress reacted calmly, jumping gracefully above the blockade.

Weiss held the rapier professionally, aiming at the queen dead on as she started to land. Her majesty summoned the help of nearby vines that scaled the outside castle walls. The plants crashed into the room through the windows, shattering glass that frightened the few spectators watching the match. The vines wrapped themselves around Weiss, constricting her limbs.

With a wave of the queen's hands, the vines grew thorns, piercing Weiss through her clothing and into her skin. The pain riddled her entire body, like a hundred tiny needles pricking her at once. Weiss lets out a small gasp, but her grip on the royal rapier remains tight. With careful concentration, Weiss managed to form a glyph right under the queen.

The queen noticed the glyph, and unable to decipher the nature of the attack was thrown off guard as she moved away from the symbol in an attempt to avoid any damage - but as a result ends up releasing her hold on the vines. Weiss used this opportunity to free herself, taking quick, careful and precise slices with the rapier. Hey, the weapon was used for thrusting, not slashing.

This angered the queen, being tricked by a mere child! Before she can act however, she felt her body being pulled backwards. It couldn't be...she glanced behind her.

Sure enough, there was a black glyph, pulsating menacingly at her. In a frantic panic, the queen turned her attention back to Weiss, which only earned her a kick in the gut as she flew backwards. The queen ends up landing on top of her throne, with her back hurt and soon after colorful spots invaded her vision.

The queen slowly stood back up, staggering slightly. This brat was going to die, she would make sure of it. Once she got to the leveled ground at the feet of the throne's staircase, the queen immediately began to form a spell in the palm of her hand. She raised the fireball above her head, prepared to strike at a moment's notice. But there was nothing before her aside from the spectators. The queen's eyes scanned the entire room, but the brat was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a white blur slips past her, and her poised arm started to sting. This caused her focus to waver and the fireball dispersed, the wisps of fire began to fade away into harmless embers. She looked at the pained area in horror. It was a shallow cut, but it was bleeding.

Another blur slips through her view of vision, resulting in another cut. Another blur. Another cut. The queen cried out in anger as the blows kept raining upon her. She wrapped her arms around her body as if to keep the wounds from bleeding, only to let out a large amount of energy, forming an iridescent dome around her.

The queen's breathing staggered as she struggled to level it back to normal. Nonetheless, she smirked despite the great amount of pain she was in. Trapped in the area of effect, Weiss floats motionless, her body still posed in a manner that was ready to strike another blow. Not anymore, the queen thought to herself. The queen confidently approached the meddling girl, smile broadening.

The queen traced the edge of Weiss's jaw with her finger. She flicked at the skin with her sharp nails, light enough to not nick the skin but enough to instill any fear into Weiss. The queen couldn't tell what emotions Weiss currently felt, but whatever the queen was going to do to her, Weiss would have no choice but to endure it.

Or so she thought.

The queen heard ticking, like the hands of a clock. It seemed to echo throughout the throne room's walls. She was not imagining it, for prince Terrence and the referee also noticed the sound, searching for the source as well. From the corner of the queen's eye, she noticed Weiss started to move.

Impossible, thought the queen as she stepped back, avoiding the slow attack. The dome drained a lot of her power, and required a lot of concentration, so the moment she lowered the dome's effectiveness, Weiss began to move faster. Knowing fully well the spell would be her end if she continued to use it, the queen lowered it completely to focus her energy in more offensive spells.

The ticking grew louder as soon as the dome disappeared. Weiss was faster than before, avoiding the fireballs that came her way without batting an eye. The projectiles kept coming, but Weiss dodged and deflected them with such easiness only fueled the queen's anger. This caused her to not gauge her powers appropriately as she increased the strength of her attacks with wild abandon. Her fireballs became larger, more destructive. The heat from them alone began to melt the candles in the room faster. Tapestries began to lit afire but the queen didn't care. She just wanted to hit the damn girl. But the queen also began to tire out. She was bleeding, out of breath, and out of powers. The queen was losing, and everyone knew it.

"You're going to pass out from exhaustion before you can land another hit on me," Weiss taunted. Another fire attack came her way. Expecting a ball, Weiss flipped aside to dodge, only to feel an intense burning sensation in her lower leg. A fire whip was coiled around her leg, and with a tug by the queen, Weiss's balance is gone as she began to be pulled closer to the queen.

"You will know better than to underestimate me, girlie," The queen hissed. Her power reserves were low, but they were enough to finish the girl. Weiss waited for the perfect opportunity, and once she was close enough to the queen, Weiss used all her strength in sweeping her legs to trip the queen.

It worked as the queen fell over. The last thing she saw was Weiss's face as she knocked the back of head against the stone staircase.. The queen lied there motionless in front of her throne. Weiss breathed cautiously. Was it over?

"Lady Schnee!" the prince called out as he ran towards the girl. Weiss tried to get up but the burn in her leg caused her to sit back down as she hissed in pain.

"Uh! "The winner of the match is Schneewittchen!" the referee awkwardly exclaims. He looked around before excusing himself.

The prince lowered himself to examine the injury his mother caused. He settled the lamp down next to Weiss's leg to further examine the burn in detail. Terrence then hovered his hands above the injury and Weiss was actually afraid he was going to do something insane like actually touching it. Instead, his hands glowed a soothing green as Weiss's skin began to to have a static sensation. Before her very eyes, Weiss's skin began to heal.

"You are also-?" she started.

"Yes, but I've only learned healing and defensive spells," Terrance gave her a shy smile. "And I'm nowhere as powerful as mother."

"Now is that a good or bad thing, I wonder?" Weiss asked the prince. He silently continued to smile in his dorkish manner as he continued to mend Weiss's wound. They remain in silence like that with only a few comments here and there.

"You are the most extraordinary lady I've ever met," the prince told her. Weiss's cheeks started to burn. This again? "I mean it. You fight as beautiful as you sing, and you are as powerful as you are breathtaking."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Weiss asked. The prince's eyes locked onto hers.

"Will you marry me?" he asked her. "For real this time, even if my mother somehow remains on the throne and we have to run away."

Weiss stared at him in shock. She was only seventeen. He was probably only a few years older than her too. They were young! Way too young to be thinking about marriage. And she barely even knew him. An image of David flashed through her mind and she broke eye contact from Terrance. Absentmindedly, she grasped at the snowflake pendant.

Terrance noticed this and sighed sadly, "I understand."

"No wait, I-" Weiss began to explain herself before she noticed the glint of a dagger. "Watch out!"

Prince Terrence quickly put an arm around Weiss's head and held it protectively against his chest as his other hand stretched outward. A strong gust of wind blows from his hand and knocked the queen backwards.

"Stay away from her, mother. You lost."

The queen regained her balance quickly and started to circle the two. The sleeves of her dressed had burned away, leaving her arms bare to expose the many bloodied cuts Weiss had inflicted upon her.

"Don't you see, Terrence? She's using you."

"She's doing no such thing, mother."

"My poor boy, you just need to trust me. Your mother, like you have been. You need to trust me,"she insisted. Her hair was a mess, which added to the disarray of her wide eyes. They were spastic and wild, darting from place to place but at the same time remaining focused on her son.

"I did trust you," Terrence bit his lip. "And you're scaring me, mother. Back away." He was standing now, blocking Weiss from his mother's view. He hadn't finished healing her yet.

"If you can't trust me on your own will, Terrence. You leave me no choice but to make you trust me again." the queen snarled. Her body lurched forward as an animalistic growl emitted from her throat. Her head stooped low as her body twitched, the veins in her body glowed vibrantly from underneath her skin. Suddenly, her head snapped back up as she gives them a low chuckle, her eyes now stark white. They stare at nothing but at the same time seeming to stare right into the teens' very souls.

The cuts on the queen starts to evaporate from her skin, forming clouds of red smoke. Weiss's eyes widened. Red smoke?

"The Beast," she whispered under her breath. The prince flinched at her words, coming to the same conclusion. It was then that the anger bursts out of the prince all at once.

"You filthy liar!" the prince shouted, sending violent gusts of wind around the throne room. All of the candles are promptly extinguished. The air almost stung Weiss's face, and she can barely open her eyes to see what was going on.

Terrence looked above him and with the palm of his hand, mimed a slicing motion. A few seconds later, the violent sound of a chandelier crashing could be heard. After the wind died down, only silence could be heard.

A puff of red smoke appeared before them as a violent clawed hand takes Terrence by the throat and began to lift him high into the air. The smoke faded away to reveal the creature from the book Weiss had read with the prince.

The Beast was terrifying. It was twice the height of a beowolf and about a five times more menacing. And a hundred times more dangerous. The skin on the back of Weiss's neck stood up as all she could do was watch the prince kick his feet in vain, trying to break free.

The queen Beast was entirely a crimson red, her fur matted in such a way that made it looked like it was soaked in blood. A long tail swished back and forth playfully, as if she was enjoying what was happening. The choking prince was held high above her head as she stood on her hind legs.

Weiss tried to move but her attempted action was quickly noticed by the queen. The queen Beast's toes clawed itself into the half healed injury of her leg, holding Weiss in place. This caused the girl to cry out in pain as her eyes begin to tear up. Blood started to pour from her leg, and she attempted to pry the claws away from her. This was a bad decision as the queen gave her a menacing grin before adding a sudden force to her foot.

The young heiress's vision turned to white as it became hard to breath. The pain was silencing, making it impossible for Weiss to even scream as the bone in her shin broke. All she could do was grab at her leg with her blood soaked hands and level her breathing through silent tears.

The queen's focus returned to her son. She began to speak in an omniscient like voice, her maw unmoving but the words came out all the same. "Listen to me, boy. You will do as I say, and all will return to normal. Forget the girl."

"How can you...believe...that can possibly...ever happen...after all you've done," the prince managed to choke out.

"Because," she purred. "You are my son. And you will be a good little boy and listen to mommy."

"I won't do...what you say...foul creature." He spat in her face, making the queen growl once more.

"Silly boy," she bellowed before she slammed the prince to the ground. The prince coughed up blood on impact. "You are too far gone, the witch has corrupted you beyond redemption. And now you will join her to your graves. You can die a fool, Terrence. Just like your father." In the palm of her hand lit a fire, dancing menacingly.

There was a barely noticeable pain in the queen's thigh. She looked down, taking notice of the royal rapier imbedded into her body. Weiss held the rapier in place with her right hand, despite visibly shaking violently. The queen let out a loud and ugly a free hand, the queen grabbed Weiss's hand as she removed the rapier from her thigh. She removed her the claws she had used to pin Weiss down, causing more blood to flow from the wound.

"You don't get it, do you foolish girl?" the queen asked rhetorically as she lifted Weiss into the air. The heiress let out a small squeak at the strain her arm is suddenly experiencing. The queen cleanly snapped the rapier in two with barely a movement of her claws. "You have already lost. And since you enjoy playing with fire so much, you can be burnt to a crisp first."

"I don't think so," Weiss whispered under her breath. The sound of glass breaking exploded in the queen Beast's ear. The familiar smell of oil filled the Beast's nostrils. The smell of burning hair. The Beast let go of Weiss, who landed painfully on the ground below. All the energy Weiss and the prince had left was to stare at the event unfold before them.

The queen attempted to put out the fire that invaded her face, only to fuel it with the fireball that remained in her paw. She screeched and slammed herself onto the ground. Nothing worked as she continued to flail frantically to get rid of the fire. Her fur had burned away and the flames were eating into her skin. The pain, the unbearable pain.

Suddenly, the queen Beast felt something against her shins and she began to fall. But the floor wasn't below her as she expected. She continued to fall and fall.

The queen Beast had tripped herself out of the window.

"Well, that was a thing," Richard coughed awkwardly as he poked his head from behind the throne. Weiss didn't have time or the strength to retort as her vision faded to black.

Weiss groaned as she came to. She didn't want to get up, however, for the bed she currently was in was quite comfortable. Wait a minute? Bed? What happened to the queen Beast? Terrence! She abruptly sat up, shocking a nearby maid that dropped her tray.

"I'm sorry Lady Schneewittchen," the poor maid curtsied before cleaning up the mess. It was then Weiss recognized the bedroom she was currently in. It was her room in the Ketherson mansion.

"How long have I been out?"

"A little over three months, Lady Schneewittchen," the maid stammered.

"Three mo-. What happened to the prince?" Weiss snapped. She didn't mean to be aggressive, but anything could happen in three months.

"He's the king now, Lady Schneewittchen. After multiple witness accounts of the queen being the Beast of Red Smoke, the new king ordered an extensive research on all his mother did during her reign. He has paid compensation to all the families the former queen had wronged and is building the kingdom anew," the maid blurted. So he's okay. Weiss let out a sigh of relief.

Her legs started to itch. She really needed to go for a walk.

"L-lady Schneewittchen!" the maid gasped. "Please, you need to lay in bed rest until you are fully healed." But it was too late, Weiss was already up and looking through the closet for appropriate clothing to wear on a garden walk.

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine," Weiss commented. She must admit, it was miraculous that she could even walk at this time. Her bone broke, after all. But then again, a large extent of her aura must have kicked in while she laid unconscious. Or maybe it was this realm's magic that healed her. Maybe both.

"O-of course, Lady Schneewittchen. There is a letter to you from the king that is on the vanity,"

"Thank you," she told the maid, "You are excused,"

Not daring to offend the teen, the maid hurriedly left the room with the tray in tow. After dressing herself in one of Margaret's other dresses, Weiss picked up the letter on her way out the door.

In the gardens of the mansion, Weiss promenaded slowly as she began to read king Terrence's letter. It was written simply enough for Weiss to read, but wasn't offensively juvenile in the least bit.

From what she could tell from the letter, Terrence explained that his mother did a lot of terrible things. That was obvious. But one of the most horrendous of acts was killing the king herself, and lying about it to the court and kingdom for years.

He recounted how lucky they both were Weiss had reacted so quickly with the oil lamp. The irony of the situation was not lost on him. The queen had died from her fall (obviously) which automatically crowned him the king (obviously). His life had gotten a lot more busy ever since his coronation (which was two months ago). He also personally apologized for the grief his mother had caused to the Ketherson household.

It turns out that the source of the Beast's powers lies in the hearts of its enemies. The stronger the foe that was slain, the more power it supplied to the Beast. Like he said, the Beast took what it wanted and ran away like a coward. Or in this case, hid.

Weiss quietly wondered just how powerful of a woman Margaret Ketherson was to invoke the wrath of the queen. There was a postscript saying that he wished that she and David were happy together. Wait, what?

"Weiss!" a panicked David ran towards her. With little warning, he hugged her tightly, "You're alive."

"Yes, I am," her voice was muffled against his chest.

"Weiss, I thought you were never going to wake up," he said quietly as he loosened his grip.

"It was only three months," she nervously played it off.

"It felt like an eternity," David whispered. "Weiss, I want you to know. That I think I developed strong feelings for you."

This can't be happening, Weiss thought. They barely knew each other. She would be lying if she said she wasn't interested. Very interested.

"Weiss, will you grant me permission to give you a kiss?"

"Yes."

David leaned closer to her face. Weiss in turn closed her eyes expectantly, her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. Their lips brushed slightly before David's embrace was suddenly torn from her body as her mind faded to black once more.

If she was conscious, Weiss would surely be cursing like a sailor.

Weiss was falling, surrounded by wisps of color she never knew existed. The colored tendrils were beautiful...and terrifying. What was happening to her? Where was David? The iridescence of the colors slowly became less intricate - less vivid and frequent. Soon, Weiss was falling in a white void before she came to a sudden stop, landing painfully on her posterior.

"You're back!" Weiss heard a familiar voice. It couldn't be...but her thoughts were cut short as she was soon covered with a smaller red figure, having her breath almost manually squeezed out of her lungs in a tight hug. "Weiss," Ruby called out her name again.

Weiss kept blinking periodically as her mind tried to adjust to the situation. What? How? "I'm back," she finally whispered under her breath. She felt her arms returning Ruby's hug. Weiss soon noticed that her shoulder was wet. She stared at the girl embracing her, her voice full of tiny hiccups and whimpers. Ruby was crying?

The snow teen stared around the room, immediately locking eyes with Yang. She gave the blonde a pointed look, as if asking What's going on? Yang in reply shook her head and put her index finger above pursed lips. Ruby eventually stopped sniffling before letting go of the older teenager.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, wiping a tear away with a sleeve. The two sisters began to explain the situation to Weiss, who soaked up the information like a sponge. Yang would often sneak a glance to Ruby at the red hooded girl behind her back when she spoke of her story. There were times Ruby would stop during her explanation during certain topics, to which the other two girls gave her the patience she needed. Weiss absentmindedly grasped at the moissanite snowflake hanging from her neck, mildly surprised it was still there. The teen couldn't help but start to stare off into space, blocking out the sisters' voices. David...

"Weiss, you okay?" Yang interrupted her thoughts.

"I'm fine..." she replied.

"Weiss, your leg! Are you okay?" Ruby asked. Weiss on reflex moved her leg closer, as if she was trying to hide the violent scars.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm healed. See?" As if to prove a point, Weiss jumped from the bed and began to do squats.

"Okay, good," Yang threw the storybook at her. Weiss barely managed to catch it without falling over. "You're a faster reader than the both of us."

"If I must," Weiss sighed, opening the book to the final story.