The Beast And The Fairy (ch16)

Thanks for being patient for this chapter! And as always, thanks especially to all my patrons! A bit of an early release for you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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					    Chapter 16. A Different Kind Of Magic

Dead silence.

All of the violent writhing, shoving, and lunging came to an abrupt standstill within the course of a few seconds, every warrior on both sides alerted by the sound of a single, shrill scream.

The fighting paused in antebellum, arms and weapons lowering as all heads turned toward the source of the agonized wails.

It was almost unnerving how quickly such turbulence had skidded to a halt, but that only served to demonstrate just how awful the situation had become.

The crowds moved aside, some stepping and some flying, but neither side broke the ceasefire.

They could only listen.

Two girls lie crumpled in the center of the battlefield.

One wasn't moving.

Blake knew it should've been her.

That arrow had been aimed at her back, and had it hit her, she might've been strong enough to survive it.

But Weiss had charged forward at the last second, throwing herself against Blake's side to push her out of the arrow's path.

And as a consequence, she had taken the devastating blow upon herself.

It had struck the center of her back, right between the bases of her fragile wings.

So there she lie, motionless in Blake's lap, the glow of magics already leaving her wings, ebbing weakly away, bit by bit.

Blake continued to scream.

"NO!" she yowled. "Weiss... no-! W-Weiss... please, no..." The beast girl pleaded, her voice a strangled mess of choked sobs as the tears started dripping down relentlessly.

Weiss was face-down in her lap, the cruel wooden body of the arrow protruding from her spine, a line of blood staining her dress from where the sharp point was embedded.

Carefully, Blake balanced her trembling hands over Weiss' still shoulders, immediately concerned by the difference in movement between the two of them.

The fairy was limp, her lightweight body feeling heavier than it should, heavier than Blake had ever known it to. She was still easy to move, but that only worried Blake further.

She didn't care about the crowds gathering around them.

She didn't care about the war or Adam or any of that anymore.

The only thing she cared about was the only thing on her lips, mind, and heart.

"Weiss..."

She gingerly slipped her arms beneath Weiss', wrapping the girl in her embrace and pulling her slowly to her chest. She cradled Weiss' head and the small of her back, making an effort to stifle her own sobs so she could focus.

The fairy's chin now rested on Blake's shoulder, and the beast girl's ears flicked as she listened for breath. Her hands remained still, trying to feel if Weiss' lungs were expanding at all.

She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or pained when she detected a weak movement, an agonized pattern of shallow breaths a thousand times worse than her own sobs. There was a flicker of a heartbeat, fast and scared against Blake's chest.

Weiss was still alive.

Gently, Blake pulled away a few inches, just enough so she may see the girl's face.

Her white skin was still covered in little flecks of mud from their journey together, and tear trails from previous grievances where visible as well.

But her eyelids fluttered, the dark lashes brushing frantically against her pale cheeks as she struggled to keep them up. Her vision was hazy, blurring in and out of focus, and with each blink, another tear fell down her face.

Blake sobbed again, brushing their cheeks together affectionately, kissing the girl's temple.

"Weiss... you-"

"I did... what I had to," she rasped.

Blake shook her head.

"You didn't have to!" she wailed.

"Blake... I think you understand that I did... because I know you would've done the same for me."

Blake bit into her lip and ground her teeth together, stifling another scream. The fairy's wobbling words were only the truth, and she knew it.

"But, Weiss..." she whispered helplessly. "What can I-?"

Blake's soft question was cut off as a rush of motion sounded behind her.

Had she not had Weiss in her arms and crumpled to her knees like this, Blake would've whipped around and snarled at whomever it was. But as things were, she couldn't afford to move so much as an inch, lest she risk causing Weiss more pain.

So Blake gave out a loud, guttural growl, a furious sound that had only one clear meaning:

Don't come any closer.

The approacher seemed to understand her unspoken message.

Blake had noticed that by now a crowd mixed of beasts and fairies had surrounded them, their expressions horrified and helpless, much the same as how Blake was feeling.

Ears flat, she listened as the one behind her stepped around to the front slowly. She pulled Weiss closer protectively, snarling as she lifted her tear-stained face.

But her growl cut off with a gasp as she saw the man standing before her now.

"D-Dad...?"

Emile's large form seemed to block out all the others, keeping them at bay as he stared down at his daughter. His eyes were filled with confusion and grief; he couldn't even be relieved to have his daughter back if it was like this.

"Blake," he grunted. "What is this? Why do you hold the Fairy Princess in your arms?"

"D-Dad, I-"

But her attempt at explanation was stopped as another sound interrupted now. It wasn't the pattering of feet, but the fluttering of wings.

Two fairies harboring familiar silver hair descended. She recognized them as Weiss' father and sister.

The two landed without regard for Emile, their distraught eyes only on Weiss.

Blake swallowed her growl this time, turning her helpless gaze onto them.

Winter was supporting her father as he threatened to sway, his exhausted gray eyes locked on his motionless daughter.

"Weiss..." he uttered. "So the beasts did have you all this time."

He knelt down and reached out for her, with every intention of collecting Weiss into his arms. Blake's ears shot back, her tail lashing out fretfully as the Fairy King neared them.

"No, p-please!" she cried, tightening her own hold on Weiss. "If you move her, i-it could cause her more pain."

The old fairy paused, his hand hovering just inches away from Weiss.

Then, he recoiled, his solemn eyes now fixated on Blake's scared ones.

"And why," he asked. "Should a beast such as yourself care so deeply for my daughter?"

It hadn't been a hostile question. He'd asked her with only curiosity, clearly confused as to why Blake was behaving this way.

Winter helped her father to his feet again, taking him a pace back until he stood beside Emile. They weren't enemies in this moment, simply fathers.

Blake swallowed another sob as her gaze flashed between the two of them, occasionally going back to Winter as well. They deserved an explanation.

"I-I-"

But again, she was thwarted, this time much more violently than the previous times.

Rather than the sounds of slow footsteps or cautious wings, it was a trampling stomp that silenced her now.

"Blake!"

Adam's voice shouted loudly enough to have her ears ringing and flattening. She looked up to see the masked face shoving through the crowd, shouting at her without any regard for who else was gathered there.

"Blake, you traitor!" he accused. "Why are you siding with them? Why is that fairy even here? I sent her over the waterfall myself! She should be dead! Don't tell me you saved her, you double-crosser!"

He continued to advance, steam snorting past his nostrils as his feet scraped up dust at the ground. "My plan was going perfectly, Blake. We were going to win."

He was so focused on her, so enraged by his plans being foiled, that his tunnel vision hadn't considered the two powerful men who stood in his path. He only halted when his view of Blake was cut off, replaced by none other than her father.

"How dare you speak to my daughter that way, you cur?" he snarled. "You knew all along, didn't you, Adam? You knew the fairies didn't have Blake captive."

It was Winter who cut in next.

"And what is this about you pushing my sister over a waterfall?" she demanded.

Her father put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back, then took her place.

"Boy," he said in a dangerous tone. "You'd told me your people had my daughter hostage. You'd told me you'd been keeping her safe, while all along you'd been taking pride in the thought of having killed her?"

Only now did Adam seem to realize what kind of trouble he was in. He stepped back, but the intermingled crowds behind him weren't happy either.

"You lied!"

"You did this so it would pit us against each other!"

"We nearly had a war because of you! People might have died!"

Adam was trapped with nowhere to run. As the yelling rose in volume, the beasts who had teamed up with him and gone along with spreading his lies were detained by the others. Emile himself grabbed Adam's arm.

"What you've done is unspeakable," he growled ferociously. "You and whomever assisted you with this plot will be persecuted and punished back at camp. You can be certain of that. But for now, you'd best get out of my sight."

He handed Adam over to several other beasts who dragged the thrashing boy off. Winter needed to restrain herself from casting a spell that would rot his horns.

The Fairy King kept a hard glare on Adam until he was out of sight. Then, he turned back to Emile.

"I cannot believe I was fooled by that boy."

"He's always been a cunning little bastard. But we'll see to it that we put an end to his ways. None of this was ever worth such violence."

The King nodded, then lifted his gaze to the fairies who still hovered above, shocked and uncertain.

"We have no reason to fight," he called to them.

He watched as his people descended to now stand amongst the beasts. The fairies sobbed for their princess, and even the beasts were dismayed by what had occurred here.

The horrors of seeing an injured child with an arrow in her back was a misery that conquered all borders.

None were immune to such terror, not even enemies.

A pacified silence swept through the crowd as the beasts and fairies looked on, not knowing what more they could do. At the very least, they put down their weapons and ceased their magic-usage in a display of peace.

Winter kept close to her father's side as she observed those who had gathered around, all warriors surrendering for the sake of ending the needless bloodshed.

"This war is over," she murmured. "But at what price?"

Her eyes traveled back down towards where her younger sister lie almost motionless within the arms of a beast.

Blake had watched everything through tearful eyes, and her gaze met Winter's now. The same silent emotions swirled in both of their gazes.

They were amazed at how the two groups had been united so swiftly once the problems had been weeded out.

But they were also disgusted that it had taken something as dire as this to prompt it.

Winter dropped to her knees, and Blake almost growled at her, too. But the fairy didn't make a move to touch Weiss, knowing it would only upset Blake further.

"Weiss...?" Winter said. "Can you hear me? We're here now, father and I."

Blake used her head to nudge Weiss' a little.

All this time, the princess had been breathing shallowly, her body entirely limp, save from the feeble rise and fall of her chest. But when she heard her sister's voice, she seemed to get her bearings back a little.

"Winter?" She rasped. "P...Papa...?" She tried to turn around to seek them out, but found she couldn't move her body.

It wasn't that Blake was restraining her to keep her from moving.

Weiss simply couldn't move.

Her entire body was numb.

She could still feel Blake's warmth enveloping her, and she felt the sting of her own tears, but that was the extent of it.

With a whimper, Weiss managed to turn her face to one side. She saw her sister kneeling not very far away, fear teeming in her eyes.

Blake kept the princess close, helping Weiss turn her head by nudging her slowly.

But her eyes couldn't tear from the fairy's wings.

The glow that had surrounded them back at the river and all the while since then had faded from the tips, leaving Weiss' wings grey again, as they had been for the past few days. The magics were leaking out, until her wings were entirely colorless and transparent again.

Only a faint glow gathered at the base of her wings where the arrow was lodged.

Blood was still oozing out, staining her pure white skin, dress, and hair.

Blake murmured her name over and over, reminding Weiss that she was there.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Just breathe, Weiss. Y-You're gonna be okay..." The beast girl flashed her gaze up to Winter, her eyes screaming a silent question:

/Won't she?/

Winter's eyes were sorrowful as she was forced to speak the awful response.

"The arrow hit her spine..." she said thinly. Her father and Emile were listening as well. "She'll live... but her wings..."

They could all see that Weiss' wings were no longer glowing.

The Fairy King swallowed dryly.

"She'll be paralyzed," he rasped.

Winter nodded.

"She'll never be able to fly again..."

Blake tensed at the verdict, but before she could protest, she felt Weiss gasp sharply. Weiss had heard their hushed voices and cried out defiantly.

"No! It can't-" Her breath hitched suddenly, and her voice faded into a flurry of hiccups.

Blake comforted her as best she could, patting her back and nuzzling into her hair. The beast girl continued her lover's desperate denial.

"That can't be it," she cried. "Weiss only just got her ability to fly back! When I found her, she couldn't even use her wings. She had no magic left at all," Blake wailed. "She just got her flight back before we got here! Down by the river..." Blake choked on her words and bowed her head into Weiss' shoulder helplessly. "No..."

The two fairies before her shared a pained yet puzzled look with one another.

"She lost her magics when she ventured out of fairy territory," Winter recounted.

"But you said..." the King mumbled to himself. "You said she got her ability to fly back down at the river? Over the cliff? That's not a part of our territory. There are no magics there. How did she manage to fly?"

For that response, Weiss answered for herself.

"Because..." she wheezed. "It's because... I love Blake."

A stunned silence followed her words, but Weiss didn't let it continue. She went on.

"My love for her... was its own magic. It granted me flight again. I... truly love her..."

This was it.

If they hadn't figured it out by now, Blake's and Weiss' relationship had been unmistakably announced to everyone present here, their fathers included.

A few of the other fairies and beasts were surprised by the revelation, some were confused or unable to comprehend it.

But the confusion didn't last in their fathers' eyes. It had been clear to them from the instant they'd seen their daughters wrapped in one another's arms in the center of the battlefield.

Winter was among the baffled, her eyes darting between her sister and her father.

"Love?" she repeated. "My sister – our princess – in love with a beast?"

Her father was silent for a moment before giving a nod.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "It makes perfect sense what your sister said. Love is its own magic. Loving this girl is what gave her the ability to fly-"

"And in the end," Emile finished. "That's what took it away."

Blake realized what her father said was true.

Weiss had sacrificed so much for her. First her mother's hair band, and now her wings. The two things Weiss had held most dearly. Their worth to her was so deep, it couldn't be properly explained.

She'd given them both up for Blake's sake.

She'd saved Blake's life twice over now.

Weiss truly loved her.

Blake wasn't sure if her own feelings could ever be that strong.

"Weiss..." She whimpered, watching the last of the magical glow fade from the bases of Weiss' wings. "I'm so sorry..." Blake clung to her gently, but as tightly as she dared, feeling more wretched than ever before.

To her surprise, Weiss managed to move her arms, until Blake could feel thin fingers wrapping around her sides.

"Blake..." she breathed. "Do not be sorry for loving me. I don't regret this one bit. I don't care what our fathers or our people think of us. I love you."

With a trembling breath, Weiss moved back until she could see Blake's golden eyes, swelling and overflowing with tears. Weiss blinked away tears of her own and released a withering sigh.

"My wings... are a small price to pay if it means you are safe."

Weiss closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to Blake's, leaving no room for misinterpretation from the others about how the Fairy Princess felt towards the beast girl.

Blake cried softly and kissed her in return, keeping her close.

She almost expected the crowds to start shouting in outrage at them or demand to have them exiled.

But nothing like that ever happened.

The onlookers were shrouded in solemn silence. They seemed to regret their ways and their opposition to one another, realizing that their petty squabbles had cut off such relationships before they could even get the chance to blossom.

Their fathers shared a quiet glance.

Though the beasts had no set leader, Emile was a highly respected figure in their clan, and should he and the Fairy King come to a truce, they were certain their respective people would honor it.

They'd already shed enough blood for lesser reasons.

They came to the silent agreement that they would put an official end to the war between their species.

Enough had be lost already.

Those gathered were already starting to make peace, fairies and beasts alike grieving together for the princess' lost magics. The beasts were even going through the trouble of collecting whatever magical stones had been stolen or dropped and were returning them to the fairies.

Likewise, the fairies were using their magics to heal the wounds of the beasts.

It was an honorable sight in wake of such tragedy.

When Blake and Weiss parted, they appreciated the actions of their people, the mutual kinship that was already beginning to form. Weiss leaned in to kiss away some of Blake's tears.

"If... If this is the result of losing my wings – peace between our people, and having you safe – then I'll gladly accept it."

Blake nodded sadly, kissing the fairy's temple, brushing the backs of her knuckles over Weiss' cheeks to wipe her tears as well.

"Your selflessness very well may have saved us all, Weiss." Then, the beast girl looked to Winter, her eyes narrowing. "We should remove the arrow while she's still numb and can't feel the pain."

Winter nodded.

"I'll us my magic to heal her as I extract it. That way, she won't bleed as much."

Blake swallowed as Winter moved closer. Weiss tensed in her arms, clinging to Blake more tightly. Blake did the same.

"It's alright. I've got you." Blake kissed her once more, trying to distract Weiss and keep her mind off of what was going on behind her. "I love you, Weiss."

The princess nodded and bumped her small nose lightly against Blake's wet one.

"I love you too, Blake."

Winter had reached for the arrow, already emitting her own magics onto her fingertips so she may share them with Weiss.

But before she could make contact, she stopped. Blake peered curiously at her over Weiss' shoulder.

"What is it?"

She looked up to find their fathers both looking startled as well.

Panicked that something else was wrong, Blake flashed her gaze down to Weiss' back. She used a hand to brush the girl's long hair aside, fully revealing her wings and the arrow impaled between them.

Though Weiss' wings had lost their glow, the spot at her back where the weapon was embedded was now highlighted with a bluish hue. It was as though the magic had drained from her wings only to gather at the point where she'd been struck.

The blood-flow from the deep wound wasn't fast or heavy at all, but rather it had been slow all the while. Now, it seemed to stop altogether.

Blake held to Weiss firmly, not sure what to expect, not sure what was happening. Weiss clung to her with frightened hands.

"Blake? Wh-What's going on?"

"I-"

The dark-haired girl couldn't finish her reply.

Winter hadn't even touched Weiss-

-and yet the arrow was being removed.

The glow at the base of Weiss' wings seemed to be pushing it out on its own.

Her clothes, her skin, even her hair tie – the one Blake had remade for her – started to glow.

Blake watched as the arrow slid out inch by inch, until at last the bloodied tip had been entirely extracted.

Winter jumped, reaching out quickly to grab it and put it aside. But no rush of blood followed behind the sharp tip.

The magics swirled around at the center of Weiss' back, healing the wound almost instantly.

And then, something even more incredible happened.

The glow started to creep back into her wings. It followed the little trails of the membrane, filling the once-grey veins with a bright white all over again.

Blake's eyes followed the little bluish lines, a dusty glow already surrounding Weiss' body once more.

Everyone watched in bewilderment as the tips of the Fairy Princess' wings became sparkling white again, and remained as such.

Those gathered in the clearing were speechless, and even the crickets and breeze had seemed to stop in order to stare in awe.

A gasp from Weiss was what broke the silence and had Blake snapping out of her trance.

"Weiss?!" She pulled away as quickly as she dared, holding the girl's shoulders and waist to keep her steady. "Weiss, a-are you okay?"

"Blake..." she mumbled. "I can... I can feel them. My wings..."

Weiss gave an experimental flap as the last of the numbness subsided and vanished. Her wings obeyed and moved from side to side, as strongly and healthily as ever before.

Blake's eyes lit up, and the pain in her heart melted away like frost in summer sunlight.

"Weiss!"

With a joyful cry of her name, Blake squeezed Weiss into a vigorous embrace. The princess giggled between little sobs and kissed her again.

A unanimous disbelief filled the clearing, a feeling that soon transformed into elation. Cheers erupted, and the warriors embraced those around them without discrimination.

Winter got to her feet, sighing in shaky relief as she hugged her father, who needed to wipe his eyes. Emile stood beside them proudly as he watched his daughter smile genuinely for the first time he could remember in a long while.

But as relieved as he was, he was still confused about what he'd just seen, and naturally looked to the Fairy King for answers.

"What would you reckon that was, now?" Emile asked.

Winter wiped her eyes and provided her educated answer first.

"Weiss' defensive magics saved them. She was trying to protect your daughter, therefore her magic must've made a barrier of sorts. But there wasn't time to make one big enough to protect both of them entirely. So it focused at the point where the arrow struck," she guessed, trying to make sense of things as the thoughts came together in her mind.

"Which is why she didn't bleed as much... and why she can use her wings again. The magics must have stopped the arrow from reaching her spine, so her wings weren't paralyzed. It just took a while for her body to draw in all the magic it needed to push the arrow out, which was why her wings lost their glow..."

She smiled affectionately at her sister and the beast girl now, sitting in each other's laps and refusing to let one another go. "But now, her magics have returned."

"That," said her father proudly. "Is the power of love. It is a magic like no other." Here, he turned to Emile and smiled. "And it knows no boundaries."

The beast man nodded, comprehending exactly what this meant.

It didn't matter that one of them had darker skin that absorbed the shadows, and one had lighter skin that absorbed the light.

It didn't matter if one had animal-like ears and a tail, and the other had bird-like wings and magics.

None of it had ever mattered, or ever would.

Love didn't discriminate because of appearances.

Their souls had been drawn together.

It had been inevitable ever since their hearts had opened up to accept the other for all she was worth, and in turn had allowed herself to be accepted.

Their love would see to a new era – one of peace and cooperation.

Slowly, Blake helped Weiss to her feet, supporting the fairy until she'd found her balance once more.

It was only a few seconds before Weiss had looped her arms around Blake's shoulders and lifted them both up into the air again, twirling her and hovering high above the ground for all to see.

Blake let out a surprised yelp, which in turn had Weiss giggling and brushing their noses together once more. The dark-haired girl soon smiled, locking her arms in place around Weiss' waist, tearfully relieved to be able to both see and feel Weiss flying comfortably again.

Then, they kissed again, their tears now only for joy.

Those tears caught in the first rays of dawn as it shed its milky yellow light throughout the forest, granting color and warmth to the cold, dark night that was now behind them.

The forest was aglow in a jovial display of relief, magic and laughter filling the air along with the birdsong of a new day – a day that promised better things for them all.

The two girls parted briefly to rest their foreheads together.

"I love you, Blake."

"I love you, Weiss."

A familiar tail swished and coiled around the fairy's waist.

Weiss could feel Blake's purr tickling the back of her throat as they kissed once more.

Blake's keen ears picked up on the sounds of Weiss' wings, whispering as they waved slowly from side to side, supporting them both.

Weiss twirled them again as the crowds cheered, and the fairies and beasts started to dance in celebration.

This was the power of love – the magic of it.

And now it was a magic that would continue to fill their forest for many, many lifetimes to come.

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A/N: I'm sorry I've always been a sucker for cliche endings ;~; Be sure to stick around for the epilogue!

I'm glad we've seen more of Winter in the show by now and that my interpretation of her personality in this fic wasn't far off from the canon! (Though of course not the same can be said for their father, but I'm just so happy Weiss and Winter have a loving relationship with one another).