Snowflake Sisters

RWBY

Told from the perspective of Weiss Schnee

Summary : Winter Schnee has a warm personality despite a cold name. She loves to play games, especially with her sister Weiss. But the reality of the world comes to them and their childhood happiness may never have meant to be.

Author's notes: All expectations of Winter break, ye who enter here.

"Good morning sis!"

Winter was pushing on my leg, trying to wake me up. She had a warm personality, despite the cold name. She's easy to get along with and not afraid but her voice is soft. Her little hands were pushing on my leg through the blanket. As hard as she tries, she never moves pass my leg. She can't reach that far.

Winter's stuck in a wheelchair.

The White Fang, for all their fanaticism and madness, did not just take from us our father's sanity and kindness but also my sister's ability to walk. Her legs riddled with metal shards from an explosive placed in our car. The ironic kicker, they had hoped, was that the bomb was filled with Schnee Company dust.

But we lived, but not unscathed.

"Weiss! Weiss! Let's build a snowman," she smiled. "It's finally snowing, we should build a snowman!"

"Okay, okay," I said. I do spoil her a lot.

I ran out, pulling her as we slide down the ramp to the first floor of the mansion. The air was cold, since I was still in my sleeping gown but Winter was still small. I made sure she had a jacket on so she wouldn't get cold.

We played. We laughed. Winter was smiling.

Winter would push and push through the snow. Even if a wheel got caught in the slush, she wouldn't give up. She's stronger than me, and I wouldn't help her. I knew she wanted me to watch her be strong. So that the only person in the entire world whose opinion mattered to her knew she was strong.

Winter was going to inherit the company.

When playtime was over, I plucked her up and carried her. She was light and I laid her back into bed and told the maids to prepare some warm soup for her when she awoke. It'd be her favorite, a white soup that looked almost clear with the emblem of the Schnee family drawn into the creaminess.

Tucking her away, a maid told me father had summoned me. I left for his study.

It would probably be the usual conversation. I was coddling Winter too much or I was playing around with her too roughly. What if she got hurt? What if she hurt her head? Winter was smarter than me, I knew that. That's why she's the best choice for the future of the family business.

But family and business... never mix well.

Walking out of my father's study, I felt like vomiting. My father made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

Wandering the halls of our mansion, I never realized how large it was. The stone walls and armored knights scattered throughout. It all felt so empty as the thought crept into my mind and wouldn't go away. It chewed and nagged, like scavenging beast upon a dying corpse.

Me? Inherit the company?

Was I really worthy?

Yesterday, my father told me, the White Fang had successfully disrupted one of our largest mining operations in the north. A full blown riot of several thousand workers backed by White Fang weapons, training, and propaganda. It was nothing short of war.

My father would be leading a joint operation between the Vale Kingdom's armies and Schnee private security forces. He had to leave one of his daughters in command of business back home while he away. The Schnee Family couldn't afford to look weak, especially after losing so much.

The people think the Schnee sit upon an icy throne, cold and alone. Untouchable. The truth is, we suffer more than the rest. I eat well and I have many luxuries. But I trust no one.

I can only trust power...

Most of the maids and servants and workers had been dismissed for the day. A bare skeletal crew was running the first floor. The upper levels of the mansion, where the family rooms were held, would not be disturbed.

My father said it would look best if we had everyone stay at home and rest, so it appeared the Schnee were cutting expenses and luxuries in the coming war.

What a load of...

I crept into Winter's room. My heart beating. I walked over to her. She was reading a book.

"Weiss! Dad got me the new 'Ninjas of Love'! It's great isn't it?" Winter was always an avid reader. She's book-smart and knows people well. "Weiss? What's wrong? You're not smiling."

"Nothing, did you eat your favorite soup?"

"Yup! And it's 'drink' not 'eat'! You drink soup, Weiss," she puffed. I laughed and ruffled her hair. "Hey!"

"Come on, it's almost time for bed," I told her. I sat beside her. "Mind if we read it together?"

"Okay, but I get to read it aloud first, okay?" I nodded. "'And so she snuck past the guards and into the castle, a castle she knew all too well. Here was she alone with no one but herself and her target...'"

"'...her one true love,'" I finished.

"Hey! I was reading!" I ruffled her hair again.

"Alright, time for bed." I turned to leave but Winter held my hand. "What is it, Winter?"

"Weiss... will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" She smiled sadly. "I don't want to be alone tonight. The nights have been dark and colder lately."

"Okay."

So I sat with her and held her hand. Before long, Winter's breathing became soft and low. She was in deep sleep and nothing would awaken her.

I pulled a pillow from her bed.

"Winter. I love you." I definitely said that. But what I heard next, I wish I didn't hear.

"I love you too, Weiss," said Winter softly in her sleep. "Don't be sad."

Shut up.

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

My father's image flooded my mind. His instructions, what he told me, what was best. Do not forget, he said, of the sacrifices we all must make. Don't you want to be happy? This will make you happy. This. This... Doing this will make me proud, he said.

I'm a monster.

I knew it when I walked into Winter's room. I'm a monster with strength. With no backbone. A little freak of nature who can't say no to her father. My hands had no strength. The pillow slide off Winter's face. Winter's breathing was no longer soft. It was gone.

Looking out the window, I saw the fullness of the moon. Was it judging me?

Bottles of fuel with burning rags tucked through the neck broke through them. The stuffed animals and toys Winter and I played with began to burn. Winter wanted to keep all our toys together in her room. That way I'd always have a reason to come visit her.

The only thing I wanted to take from the room was dead.

Everything was burning. I walked out. A servant found me and a maid ran to check in on Winter. That maid died in the fire.

My father's popularity soared from sympathy and the loss of his daughter. It was from an attack that occurred precisely when security was most lax and with a deliberate aim. The White Fang's rebellion was crushed as thousands defected when news of a despicable assassination of a child had occurred.

I stood by him at the funeral. I just had to say nothing now, he promised. He gave his speeches and took pictures with the cameras. It was him and me, father and daughter, just a pair of monsters. My sister was a true Schnee, a real snowflake that stood out from the rest.

Snowflake Sisters Fin