Beyond The Stables (ch6)

EARLY RELEASE FOR HIGH-PLEDGING PATRONS! AND A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROBYN!

Time is running out for Zuri day by day, but Weiss still needs to recover!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 6. Proceeding With Caution

After Ruby had left her, it was rather difficult for Weiss to relax and make an effort to rest.

Her mind was plagued by thoughts of what her father had said, of what was going to happen to her beloved stallion in just two weeks' time.

In retrospect, it really was her own fault for waiting for so long to take action. Had she taken interest in Zuri just a few days earlier and started her private lessons with Ruby a week in advance from when she had, Weiss would've had a much better chance at saving the horse.

But as things were now...

It seemed pretty hopeless.

As she had explained to Ruby previously, Weiss' father was a man who wanted results quickly and efficiently. To put it another way, he was a person who only cared for the destination, not the journey. In his eyes, Zuri had overstayed his welcome at this ranch, and had done next to nothing by means of earning his keep.

As far as her father knew, no one could ride that horse, no one could handle him, and anyone who tried to ended up being chased away or charged at.

She wanted to show him the work she'd done. She wanted to show him her results.

But she knew that Ruby's cautionary words had been right; if Weiss didn't get some rest now, she wouldn't get better as quickly as she might've been able to, which would be more time wasted practicing with the stallion.

So she did her best to calm herself down, trying not to think of the potential chaos looming on the horizon.

Instead, she focused on thoughts of Ruby, of her childish grin and her eyes that sparkled with innocence. She was only one year shy of Weiss' age, but although she had the pure heart of a child, she had the perseverance of an entire team of horses.

Even as Weiss lay there in her bed, she knew Ruby was doing all she could to familiarize Zuri with herself, so that as soon as their private training lessons could start up again, he wouldn't get flustered around Ruby or Weiss.

But until then, Weiss could only wait.

She brought the little wildflowers to her lips and breathed in their scent – grass, soil, freedom.

Weiss closed her eyes, imagining a life she'd only ever dreamed of, riding horses without a care in the world, feeling the wind combing through her hair, running so carefree it could almost be classified as reckless.

She wanted it all so badly, and there was only one horse she'd ever want to be riding when she did it.

With a sigh, she reminded herself there was little more she could do right now – bedridden as she was – other than regain her strength.

It was the memory of Ruby's warm embrace and the soft lips on hers that eventually coaxed Weiss into slumber.

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She didn't go out to see Ruby that night, as expected, but the following morning, Weiss was feeling much better.

She was able to get out of bed and stand on her own, without the assistance of her maid. She got changed, although that was a bit more of a lengthy process that it usually was, considering the slight headaches that still pestered her.

But once she was ready, she made her way downstairs – again, very slowly – and found her father and sister at the breakfast table, surprised to see her up by herself so soon.

Weiss insisted she was better and asked her father to re-schedule her home-schooling lessons that he had previously canceled for the next two days. Weiss knew that missing more than one day of her lessons would only mean much more work would pile up on hers later.

Therefore, she couldn't afford to miss more than one day, not when she had other lessons to attend afterward.

Seeing she was well enough to walk on her own as well as eat, her father agreed to reschedule her lessons.

Weiss worked diligently throughout the day to catch up on missed work, being as attentive as possible as her instructors went about teaching their lectures. When lunchtime struck, Weiss didn't go outside like she so often did, but rather used that time to complete her homework from the first half of the day. She used the evening time to finish the second batch of work she was given in the afternoon, and by eleven at night, she had nothing left to do in terms of assignments.

There was one issue, however; her father had forbade her from going out on any more "midnight walks" since it was clearly jeopardizing her health.

So Weiss needed to be very cautious as she moved through the mansion that night. When a maid caught her on the staircase, Weiss assured her she was merely going to the kitchen to get some water. Which wasn't a lie, but Weiss simply didn't tell her the entire truth.

She did pick up a bottle of water, and then after checking to ensure no one else would see her, she slipped out the back door.

The night was warm, much warmer than any previous one, and Weiss paused for a moment to take in her first breath of fresh air in two days.

She then hurried down the familiar path, crouching low and moving more secretively whenever she neared a guard's post.

She managed to reach the stables without incident, and hurried to the pen Ruby often called her bedroom. She knocked on the wall three times to indicate her arrival. There was a flurry of motion as Ruby scrambled up, clearly shocked at her appearance.

"Weiss?!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Despite her surprised words, Ruby stood and hurried over to her, throwing her arms around the girl with fervor.

"What, didn't you miss me?" Weiss asked, feigning offense.

"What? No, I mean yeah, of course I did!" Ruby insisted. "It's just..." She took a step back and released Weiss so she may look her over. "Are you really feeling better already? You were really sick, you know! You said it yourself that you were even throwing up and stuff! I think you should rest at least one more night..."

"So you mean to tell me that you want me to hike all the way back to the mansion and back to bed, even after venturing all the way here?"

"I... well, when you put it like that..." Ruby trailed off mumbling. Weiss chuckled softly, then stepped forward, cupping the girl's cheeks and pulling her into a soft kiss. When they parted, Ruby's voice was calm and curious. "You're really feeling better?"

"I really am."

"Okay." Ruby walked with her down to Zuri's stall. "I didn't expect you to be coming tonight, so I already groomed and washed and fed him. So there really isn't much else for you to do-"

"There's plenty more," Weiss stopped her. "You can teach me how to saddle him."

Ruby froze in her tracks.

"H-Hold on a second, Weiss. I know we... don't exactly have a lot of time left for this, but you can't ride him right now."

"I didn't say ride. I said saddle," Weiss repeated calmly. "Ruby, I'm going to have to ride him to prove to my father that he can be handled and treated just as well as any other horse can."

"But..." Ruby sighed wretchedly, trailing off for a moment before going on. "I'm... really not sure if he can be ridden. Not on such short notice. You've seen him behaving pretty well because we've only been petting and washing and feeding him.

"But I've seen how he acts the second he gets a saddle put on him, Weiss. He's like a totally different horse. Not even your dad's most trained and professional handlers could get a saddle on him and keep it on for longer than two minutes, let alone ride him with it."

"Ruby." Weiss' voice was firm and unwavering, her piercing blue eyes equally so. "This is a matter of life and death. It really is. If we don't do this... if I don't do this, he's going to be put down for no good reason! I won't stand for that, and I know you won't either, Ruby."

"I know!" the brunette cried. "I know, but..." Her voice tapered off for a moment, and she looked away, down to the floor, then back up to Weiss. Her silver eyes were glistening with water, threatening tears.

"Weiss... I'm just worried you could get hurt, that's all. Seeing you c-collapse like that the other night was really scary. I don't know if I can handle that kind of thing again..."

Weiss was touched to say the very least. Ruby was only being so hesitant about all of this because she was worried about Weiss. It made her heart flutter a bit, and was actually rather flattering in a way.

Weiss could understand; she'd imagine she'd be no different if their positions were reversed.

But she simply couldn't afford to mess this up. If she did, an innocent horse would be killed.

Weiss opened her arms and pulled Ruby in to her, letting her weep freely into her shoulder.

"Ruby, I'll be fine. I won't get sick again – I promise. I know now how to manage my time and my work better. I know that if I put my health at risk again, I'll only delay what we're trying to do here. I refuse to let that happen again." She pressed her lips to Ruby's hair and squeezed her shoulders. "So please, Ruby. Help me do this. Help me save him."

The stablehand sniffled a few more times into Weiss' shoulder until she got her bearings back. She lifted her face, wiped her eyes, and gave a small nod.

"Okay... Just..." Ruby reached a hand up, extending her pinkie. "Just promise me...?"

Weiss' lips curled into a small smile. She slipped one hand around and hooked her pinkie with Ruby's.

"I promise."

Those two words were what convinced Ruby she was serious about this. Weiss wouldn't break a promise, and especially not one she made to her.

Ruby pulled hers and Weiss' hands close to her face, then kissed the older girl's knuckles.

"Okay." She released Weiss' pinkie finger and then clapped once. "All right! Let's do this!"

Ruby ushered Weiss over to the storage room, but they weren't here to retrieve brushes and buckets this time. Ruby led the way to a wall where various saddles, reins, and crops were hung up on hooks or stacked in piles. She selected one of the bigger saddles and handed it to Weiss and took a bridle for herself before they headed back toward the stallion's pen.

Ruby unlocked the door and slid it open, beckoning Weiss to follow her inside. Their presence roused the horse, and he snorted with a shake of his head. The instant he saw the saddle in Weiss' hands, he grunted and took a few steps back.

Ruby threw her hand out in front of Weiss to stop her.

"He knows we're gonna try to put it on him. And he knows from past experience that he doesn't like it. Maybe we shouldn't..."

But Weiss shook her head.

"We've got to try." She moved around Ruby's outstretched hand and approached the stallion, keeping the saddle behind her back. "Good boy," she cooed. "I just want to try something, that's all."

Weiss stepped cautiously forward, but Zuri stepped back until he was against the wall. Weiss paused and moved away, not wanting to corner him, lest he lash out in fear. She waited patiently, and Ruby tried to keep her anxiety levels to a minimum as she watched the two of them.

Once Zuri had stepped away from the wall, Weiss tried to move close again, but he immediately cornered himself once more. Weiss retreated again and dropped the saddle.

"Let's put the bridle on first," she suggested.

Ruby nodded.

The next time the stallion stepped forward, Weiss reached out to pet his neck by means of soothing him, and Ruby then handed her the bridle. She instructed Weiss on how to go about putting it over his head and nose, warning her to be careful.

The horse snorted distastefully when the bit went into his mouth, but aside from a few tosses of his head, his reaction to this wasn't as bad as his reaction to the saddle. Weiss secured the bridle without much incident, then patted his head and scratched his ears.

"Good boy. Now let's try this again."

She handed Ruby the reins and then picked the saddle up again. With the bridle and reins now keeping him still in Ruby's grasp, Weiss managed to drape the saddle over his back.

But the horse stepped sideways, bumping his flank against the wall to dislodge it and it rolled off his back, landing beneath his belly. Weiss knew better than to duck down beneath the legs of an agitated horse, so she waited until he moved himself away before retrieving it.

She tried again, once more slipping it onto his back. Ruby instructed her how to fasten the clips underneath.

But just as Weiss was about to kneel down to get to work, a cry from Ruby had her reeling backward. The stallion used one of his front legs to paw the air, aiming his hoof for Weiss. He missed her by just a few inches, but there was no doubt in her mind that had it not been for Ruby, he would've struck her in the face.

"Weiss!" Ruby gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she sighed, getting to her feet. "But I've seen quite enough."

"Huh? What do you-?"

Ruby didn't finish her question, puzzled as she watched the other girl.

Weiss dusted herself off and removed the saddle, then purposefully let it drop to the floor with a thud. Zuri watched her do this, feeling the uncomfortable pressure being lifted off his spine. Weiss stepped close to him, confident rather than cautious now as she ran her hands all up and down his back and sides.

"I understand," she murmured to him. "If you don't want a saddle, then I won't make you wear one."

"Weiss...?" Ruby gulped, fearing she knew where this was going.

Weiss looked up to meet her eyes, an eager smile on her face.

"If he won't use a saddle, then I'll just have to learn to ride him bareback."

There was a beat of silence, then another, and another.

Then, Ruby audibly whimpered, shaking her head vigorously as she let go of the reins.

"Weiss, nonononooo! You can't ride him of all horses bareback!"

"Well, it doesn't seem like anyone's able to ride him with a saddle, right? So I'd think bareback would be a logical option. He clearly doesn't like the feeling of a saddle on him."

"But! ...Okay, even if you're right about that, you've never even ridden with a saddle before! Do you know how difficult it'll be to try and ride for the first time in your life and have it be bareback?"

"It's the only way, Ruby. You've said it yourself how unruly he gets whenever someone puts a saddle on him to try and mount him. So why not try it without a saddle? He allows the reins, so I'll have plenty of control."

"But still!" Ruby cried. "The saddle is mainly for the rider's protection to prevent you from falling off. Without it, you're much more likely to get hurt!"

"I don't intend to run or jump with him on the first night, Ruby," Weiss explained. "I'll just walk him for a while. Nothing more."

"B-But you can't be sure he won't-"

"Ruby, please..." Weiss gazed earnestly into her eyes, then reached down to squeeze her hands. "This is the only feasible way we can do this. Just let me try it once. Let me walk him around the abandoned corral. If I can't do it, then I'll try the saddle again, all right?"

Ruby flashed her eyes from Weiss to the horse and back again. She bit her lip, still uncertain beyond words about all of this.

But as Weiss had said earlier, this was a matter of life and death.

This was their last chance...

She swallowed hard, but nodded in the end.

"Okay..." she sighed. "But not tonight, Weiss. Please. You're still recovering from being sick and I don't want you to get dizzy or something. Please just wait until tomorrow night, okay?"

Weiss was silent as she considered the suggestion, and nodded.

"All right. I'll wait until tomorrow, then."

Ruby visibly relaxed, releasing a sigh as her shoulders loosened up.

"Thank you, Weiss."

"No. Thank you, Ruby. I never could've hoped to do any of this without you."

Weiss cupped her cheeks once more and kissed her. Ruby hummed a little, content to let her hands roam up Weiss' waist, over her ribs, rubbing her sides slowly.

There was a surety in that kiss, a reassurance that this could be possible if they worked hard enough for it. They were in this together, and whether they failed or succeeded, they'd face the results side by side.

There was a comfort in that knowledge, in the fact that they could rely on one another no matter what happened.

Even if her father caught them and fired Ruby for meddling, Weiss still intended to date her, even if it meant meeting her off the property on weekends or something like that.

And Ruby didn't intend to stop seeing her, either.

It was just a matter of saving an innocent horse from a premature and senseless death.

Once the two girls parted, Weiss removed the bridle from Zuri's muzzle and head, gave him a few more pats and scratches, and then the pair took their leave.

As they walked back to the storage room to put the saddle and bridle away, Ruby tossed around a few ideas.

"Maybe I'll try to ride with you," she offered. "Not on Zuri, but I mean I'll take another horse and try to help you out and lead you guys around. I've seen people do it enough times, so I'm sure I can mount and ride a horse like Ebony no problem! Plus, I think the presence of another horse there would calm Zuri down a bit."

"Ebony's a good choice," Weiss agreed. "She's very mellow, and you're right. I think she could help him relax."

Once they had finished discussing plans and putting things away, the two girls shared one last kiss for the night.

"Get some rest," Ruby murmured, kissing her scarred cheek. Weiss nodded and kissed the bridge of her nose.

"I will. You do the same."

Their lips bumped again briefly before they parted.

"Goodnight, Weiss."

"Sleep well, Ruby."

Weiss turned away and headed back toward the mansion.

Ruby watched her for as long as she could to ensure the girl didn't collapse again, but was satisfied when she saw Weiss reach the door of the mansion several minutes later.

She then retreated to her empty stall and flopped down onto the hay bail she called her bed, wrapping her red blanket around her shoulders and cushioning her head with a corner of it.

She didn't know how things would work out tomorrow night, but she knew she'd have to be on high alert if Weiss really intended to ride bareback for the first time in her life. And Ruby was going to ride for the first time too, even if it would be under the cloak of night and in an abandoned old corral.

A lot would be put to risk tomorrow, a lot more than they'd been putting to risk until now.

But their days were dwindling, and the final stretch was upon them. They needed to show results that would blow Mr. Schnee away, or else innocent blood would be on their hands.

Ruby gulped and curled in on herself, imagining Weiss was much the same way right now.

/We won't let that happen,/ Ruby vowed. /We're gonna save him./

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A/N: Ruby and Weiss decide to set their plan in motion for real. Of course riding bareback for her first time is a risky choice for Weiss.