Ruby's day had begun the same way it always did.

She woke up looking at the same cold, dark room.

Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, she walked over to the window, looking out at the same view she always had.

She sighed, turning her back on the outside world and opened her door.

The tray was waiting, as it always was.

The food was the same, as always, bland but filling.

Ruby ate in silence, glanced out the window at the violet sky, wishing that just once, it might get a little brighter. Or the stationary wreckage of the moon would shift. Just something she hadn't seen before.

Ruby sighed as she left the tray on her bed and marched to her dresser, changing into the same outfit she had put on countless times.

The fitted leggings were black, as was her skirt, boots and shirt. The only colour at all was the rich violet cloak that she slipped over her shoulders.

She didn't bother brushing her unruly hair. I wasn't like anyone here cared how she looked. As long as it stayed out of her eyes she was fine with it.

She was almost ready, only missing one last item.

Turning to last piece of furniture in the otherwise featureless room, Ruby went to collect her weapon.

It was resting on a stand on her desk, alongside a few tools and cleaning supplies.

The scythe was a beautiful weapon. It's elegantly crafted handle was black, of course, ending in a pair of curved blades.

Violet Eclipse, the teenager had named it.

Ruby checked over the workings of her weapon, despite her work from the previous evening. Everything looked good.

Grabbing a few magazines of ammunition, Ruby made her way out of the room.

It was time to train.

Beowolves dissolved into nothing, sliced into chunks that flew in every direction.

Ruby stood in the center of the room, her scythe a blur as it whirled around her, downing any Grimm foolish enough to approach her.

Beowolves were easy to fight. They didn't have any more intellect then a common dog, leaping directly into Eclipse's deadly arcs.

Unknown to the teenager, she had an audience.

Ink black eyes watched her every move, every Grimm she downed.

"She's improved." The observer stated dryly.

"Let's see just how much."

Ruby downed the last of Beowolves on instinct, not sparing the dying creature a glance. Only then did she pause to take a breath.

A faint whistle was the only warning she was given.

Reacting as quick as her instinct would allow, Ruby brought Eclipse around.

The scythe collided with a pair of curved wrist blades.

Before the teen could react, a swift boot collided with her chest, sending her crashing into the wall. Despite her Aura taking the brunt of the strike, pain arced it's way across the brunette's body.

Cursing to herself, Ruby peeled herself off the ground.

"What's the matter, Princess? Can't take a hit?!" The taunt was followed by maniacal laughter.

Ruby gritted her teeth, bringing Eclipse up and grabbing it's trigger.

More laughter followed as the Dust-infused rounds failed to hit their mark, the teen's opponent disappearing in a blur of moment, rapidly closing the distance between the two.

Ruby triggered her Semblance, shooting to the side in a blur of purple with a trail of rose petals in her wake.

Her opponent raced after her, his gold eyes shining with a crazed delight.

Again they clashed, sparks dancing whenever metal crashed against metal.

Ruby hissed as a fist collided with her face, a metallic taste filling her mouth despite her Aura.

Then, she made her mistake.

Her opponent's hand snapped around the length of her weapon, roughly yanking her towards him.

His boot collided with her chest.

Ruby lost her grip on Eclipse as she recoiled, dazed.

Another punch to the side of her head sent her sprawling.

Then he was on top of her, raining down blow after blow on her face, her arms pinned under his weight.

Ruby had lost count to how many times she had been stuck before it ended.

"Enough, Tyrian."

The Faunus's fist stopped an inch from Ruby's face. He continued to giggle as he climbed off of Ruby's collapsed form. With reverent attention, he bowed to his Queen.

Salem stepped towards the defeated warrior, her expression unreadable. "Leave us."

As Tyrian stalked away, Ruby managed to find her feet, keeping a hand on the nearby wall to steady herself.

"What were you doing?" Salem asked, examining Ruby's condition. Her voice hadn't shown a drop of emotion since she had entered the arena.

Half of Ruby's face was covered in an almost black bruise, her left eye almost swollen completely shut. Her lip was split with a large cut, blood continuing to trickle freely.

"What were you doing?" Salam repeated, gabbing Ruby's chin and forcing the teen to look at her.

"Fighting." Ruby replied, swallowing another mouthful of blood.

"You were much too defensive." Salam chastised her. "A scythe is designed for offense, and should be used as such. Tyrian offered more than adequate opportunities to strike, but you did not use those openings."

Ruby's gaze sank to the floor in shame. "I'll do better next time."

"See that you do." Salem paused, studying Ruby's face again. "Perhaps you have not progressed as far as I had hoped."

Ruby flinched visibly. Those words felt as if the woman before her had plunged a dagger into the teen's chest.

"Return to your quarters." Salem spared the teen one last glance before turning and walking away. "I will send for you later."

Ruby blinked back a tear as the taller woman departed. Her voice was little more than a whimper.

"Yes, mother…."

Ruby hissed, dabbing at her split lip.

It had been several hours since the teen had returned to her room. In that time the, her face had stopped swelling and had returned to it's normal shape, despite the dark bruises that now covered the teens features. Hopefully, her Aura would heal them quickly.

A sharp pounding on her door caught her attention moments before her door sung open.

Tyrian stood in the threshold, his usual disturbing grin plastered across his face.

"The Queen needs her Princess."

Setting her cloth aside, Ruby followed the Faunus from the room.

Salem's Fortress could never be called comfortable, but it was the only place the silver-eyed teen had ever called home.

Tyrian led her down one of the many identical corridors, giggling to himself.

A shiver of unease creeped down Ruby's back as they continued, far from the few areas she was allowed to walk freely and into a place her mother had ordered her to stay away from.

The halls seemed to grow colder with each step the teen took, the shadows growing more and more unwelcoming. The teen shivered involuntarily.

Tyrian's giggling intensified as pushed open a heavy wooden door.

Ruby glanced around, her silver eyes darting to every corner of the chamber.

It was long, with much less lighting then would have been necessary to make it comfortable. Set at regular intervals were large indents, sealed with thick metal bars.

Something about the spaces made Ruby uncomfortable, as if something inside her was physically fighting to get away from them.

Tearing her eyes away from the cells, Ruby glanced past Tyrian.

Her mother was waiting at the end of the room, her intense gaze locked on whatever was contained within.

As they drew nearer, Tyrian stepped aside, allowing Ruby to approach her mother.

"Ruby." Salem began without glancing in the teen's direction. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Because you wanted to see me?" The teen replied, uncertainly.

"Indeed." The older woman gestured to the cell and for the first time, Ruby saw that, unlike the others, this cell was occupied.

The teen had never seen the man before. His torso was covered in dozens of wounds, some shallow, others very deep, making his olive skin almost indecipherable. His bald head was slumped onto his chest, letting his impressive beard become slick with blood.

Both of his arms were restrained behind him, metal rings preventing them from falling to his side.

Were it not for his raspy breathing, Ruby would have thought he was dead.

"Mother, who…" Ruby stammered, her eyes wide in shock.

"A Huntsman." Salem stated with distain. "One of Ozpin's pawns."

Ozpin. That was a name Ruby was very familiar with.

Headmaster of Beacon academy and one of the few people that she was certain her mother truly hated.

"This man is of no further use to us." Salem gestured to the table next to her, particularly the metallic shape resting on it.

A gun.

"Mother?" Ruby asked, hoping her racing thoughts were incorrect.

"You know what to do." Salam stated flatly, locking eyes with the younger woman, ink black meeting silver.

Shakily, Ruby picked up the gun.

It was heavier then she had expected for such a small weapon, the cold metal chilling her fingers.

The instant Ruby entered the cell, she had to place a hand on the wall to steady herself. The cell was affecting her as well, her aura seemed to be unable to manifest.

Letting the disorientation pass, Ruby checked the weapon in her hand.

One bullet. All she needed for this.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby raised the fire arm and took aim at the Huntsmen's head.

It should have been easy. The movement would have been so simple, to pull her finger back a half inch and it would be over.

But the teen paused, just for an instant, but long enough.

The captive Huntsman raised his head looking up at the teen with a weary acceptance in his eyes.

The gun trembled in the teen's hand, sweat beading down her brow.

"What are you waiting for?" Salam's voice filled the almost silence.

"I…I…" Ruby stammered, trying to steady her aim, squeezing her eyes shut. Her finger clenched around the trigger.

A single shot echoed through the chamber.

Ruby felt the firearm kick in her hand.

Ruby's eye shot open.

The Huntsman was slumped forwards, a tiny stream of crimson slowly dripping from the hole that had appeared in his head. He was no longer rasping, instead hanging limply in the short chains.

The teen's arm sank back to her side as she realized what she had just done. A thousand butterflies had taken refuge in her stomach, incensing the morning meal enough to attempt to escape.

A slow clapping broke Ruby's internal struggle.

Tyrian's presence did nothing to improve the teen's distressed mind. A sick grin spread across the Faunus's face as he gazed at the newly created corpse. His tongue swiped across his lips in delight.

But it was her mother's expression that froze Ruby in place. There was something approaching…satisfaction in her eyes.

Ruby's stomach lurched again. How could her mother be so cold? She had just-

"Well done, Ruby."

The teen didn't respond, only gazing wide eyed at her mother as the older woman turned and began to stride away.

"Tyrian, escort Ruby back to her quarters."

"Of course, My Queen."

Ruby numbly followed after the Faunus. She didn't notice the harsh shadows or cold stone under her feet anymore.

The only thing she could picture was that Huntsman's face before she had shut her eyes.

"It's exhilarating, isn't it?"

The teen's head snapped up.

"Your first kill." Tyrian giggled, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. "The little Princess is growing up!"

'Princess.' Ruby thought to herself. She was certain Tyrian only called her that to mock her, but he wasn't wrong. Her mother was the queen, after all.

"Oh, it will be so good to finally take you out of here!" Tyrian ranted, "To finally have you hunting our Lady's enemies at my side!"

Ruby's feet seemed to freeze to the flour, her silver eyes widening.

"W-What?!" She stammered in horror. "S-She wants me do that again?!"

"Oh yes, Princess." The unstable Faunus continued his manic laughter. "It will be glorious. The Queen's little girl, bringing death and destruction to her enemies. Vale, Beacon, maybe even Ozpin himself!"

Ruby couldn't stay for another second. She pushed past Tyrian, dashed into her room and slammed the door behind her, barring it with her weight.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic!" Tyrian sang from the far side of the door. "After all, what else are you but our Lady's weapon?"

The teen heard the Faunus's footsteps slowly fade away, but she didn't move away from the door. Furious tears were streaking down her face as the reality of her situation truly sank in.

Tyrian had called her a weapon, and that was all she was.

The teen glanced at the few books she had in her possession, remembering the stories they contained.

Mothers were supposed to love their children, to guide and protect them while giving them the unconditional love any parent should.

But Salem had never done that.

Ruby cried harder as she recalled every moment of her life she could with her mother. Not once could she recall a moment of true bonding or affection. The older woman had only shown interest in her combat prowess, but even then, never a word of praise.

Ruby sank down to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Again, the image of the dying Huntsman's face flickered across her mind.

The teen didn't know how long she sat there, but by the time she stopped she had long run out of tears, her cheeks dry and sticky.

Taking shaky breaths, Ruby cast her gaze outside, to the shattered moon so far away.

In that moment, the teen had made her decision.

She slowly staggered to her feet, wiping her arm across her eyes one last time before she set to work, collecting everything she could carry on her person.

Slipping Violet Eclipse into it's usual place on her hip, the teen glanced at the mirror on her desk, meeting her own gaze.

Ruby didn't recognize the person she saw. Things were similar, the red-tipped hair, the pale skin and silver eyes, for example, but the being she saw for foreign to the teen, far different from the girl she had seen that morning.

Ruby marched to her window, pulling it open as quietly as she could. She half turned, taking in her room for what she hoped would be the last time.

Triggering her semblance, Ruby dashed off, rose petals trailing behind her.

She would be Salem's weapon no more.

A/N: Before anyone says anything, Yes, I am going to continue working on The Vengeful One. The next chapter is almost ready, but I recently binge watched the first four seasons of RWBY and this worked it's way into my head.

So, I will be working on this alongside my other story.

Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome.

Flamers need not apply.