We do not own RWBY or any other copyright content. All rights to it go to Monty Oum (God rest his soul), VIZ Media, and their original owners. All OCs are owned by us.
Writing credits go to Uzumaki Ricky, Monsterhuntergod, Sharad the hedgehog, and Traines.
Volume 1 Chapter 5: Willow's Don't Shake in the Breeze
"Klein, would you be a dear and bring me some cucumber sandwiches with my afternoon tea?" Willow asked as she got herself ready to head into the garden.
"Yes, Miss Willow. Right away." Klein replied with a bow before leaving to get her sandwiches.
"Thank you. Thank you." Willow replied, before looking down at a slightly trembling hand. Forcing her to grab it to control herself.
'Focus, Willow. Focus. You can't go back. No. You will not go back.' She thought to herself, steeling herself as she waited in the hall.
"Mother? Is everything okay?" A familiar voice asked her.
Willow turned around in a start and saw Weiss standing before her. She blinked once, then twice, until she finally focused on her daughter's body language. Her face had a subtle, but still noticeable look of worry and held her hands clasped in front of her.
"Why wouldn't everything be, dear?" Willow asked, trying to play it off.
"You are shaking. And you seem stressed out." Weiss pointed out, pointing to her hands.
Gulping slightly, Willow steeled herself. "I appreciate your concern, dear. But I am just fine." She answered politely.
"Do you want me to make you some Earl Grey tea?" Weiss offered, gently cupping her mother's hands to comfort her.
"I think Klein is already making some. But I do appreciate the offer." Willow replied with a faint smile.
Weiss nodded, giving a smile of her own. "Then let's get you somewhere where you can relax while you wait." She offered.
"Oh… I am fine waiting here, dear." Willow replied nervously, her eyes darting away briefly.
Weiss sighed at that and shook her head. "It isn't easy for you, is it? Having to hold yourself back from going back to the bottle." She said, gently rubbing Willow's hands.
Her mother stood there, her eyes unable to look at her. Her face contorted as if she was trying to find some way, any way out of this situation. Then, much to the shock of Weiss, Willow put her hand on the young Schnee's shoulder.
"Weiss. I am fine. I am not going back to what I was. You do not have to worry." Willow told her, as she tried her best to hold back the tremble in her throat.
Weiss smiled a bit. "I know you won't, Mother. I'm proud of you for doing this. But did you have to quit outright? That can't be good for your health." She replied, her voice growing concerned.
"I… I will manage. I made my choice, and I will stick to it." Willow firmly stated, though Weiss could still see painted on her face that she was not entirely sure.
"Just… Please try to take it easy, mother. I know that an alcoholic quitting outright rather than slowly stopping over time can cause a lot of health problems. I have even read of some dying from their hearts giving out due to the shock of the sudden lack of alcohol in their systems…" Weiss told her, her voice filled with concern.
This caused Willow to raise her left eyebrow at her daughter. "You've been doing research on this?" She asked.
Weiss looked away ashamedly. "We've… been talking for some time about trying to help you slow down instead of getting you to outright quit…" She told her mother.
The hallway fell silent as Willow's heart sank upon hearing that. To know she put her children through that over their concern for her. All while she did not know a thing. The feeling forming in the pit of her stomach forced her to turn her head in shame. Unable to bear to look at her daughter. Not over what she did, but over her own selfish actions. Before Weiss could speak up, Klein opened the door to the kitchen with a picnic basket and a large thermos.
"Milady. Your tea and cucumber sandwiches. I even packed some of those cupcakes I know you like. Oh, hello, Miss Weiss." Klein said, becoming surprised at seeing Weiss with her mother.
"Thank you so much, Klein. I am so sorry for having to ask this from you." Willow replied as she took them from the butler.
"Not at all, milady. As the butler, taking care of this family is all part of my job. Even if it were not, I would still do it gladly." Kelin replied with a bow.
"Well, I had best be off. You two have a good day." Willow said with a hint of nervousness, before hastily making her exit.
"Is everything all right with her, young Miss Weiss?" Klein asked confusedly.
"She's struggling, Klein. She's struggling and she won't come to us for help…" Weiss sighed, going into a nearby room to sit down.
"Does anyone know why she made such a drastic lifestyle change like that?" Klein asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.
"We can only assume, but we do have a theory…" Weiss replied with another sigh, sitting down in a chair and slumping down into it in exhaustion.
Klein sat down next to her and put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Do not be afraid. You can tell me." He calmly said.
"We believe that she might have seen Silfrdrengr during the… 'incident' with Father's second room." Weiss explained, concern ringing in her voice.
"Young Silfrdrengr left quite the mess. The maids are still grumbling about it." Klein sighed, leaning back in his chair a bit.
Weiss nodded. "Exactly. If she saw him while she was drinking, it would explain her sudden change in lifestyle choices." She replied with exhaustion peeking out into her voice again.
"I hate to say this, but your plan of trying to get her to slowly go clean will not work. It has been nearly two weeks since the incident. Making her go back on the bottle now could cause a catastrophic renewal of her addiction." Klein explained in a somber tone.
"Then all we can do is help her to ride it out and keep her from experiencing too much stress." Weiss replied, determination sinking in to help her mother.
"Miss Weiss. May I ask but a simple request of you?" Klein asked, catching Weiss off guard.
Looking at the family butler, Weiss nodded. "Of course, Klein. What is it?" She replied, wondering where this was going.
"All I ask is that you let her come to you and your siblings at her own pace. She has not been in the family's lives for years. She is adjusting to that alongside breaking her addiction. It would be best if we just give her some time and space for herself for now." Klein explained, talking slowly as to choose his words carefully.
Weiss thought about it for a moment, then nodded in response. "That's more than fair. We'll all be here when she's ready to ask for our help." She replied, sitting up straight.
Klein smiled warmly at her after hearing that. "Would you like some tea of your own, Miss Weiss?" Klein asked warmly.
Weiss smiled and nodded. "Yes please, Klein. Chamomile would be preferable. I could use a nap after this…" She replied, trying not to sound too tired.
"Coming right up!" Klein said chipperly as he shot up from the chair, before heading off to the kitchen.
Meanwhile: With Willow
The normally quiet halls of the vast manor soon came to life with the sound of hurried heels on tile floors. Willow hurried through the halls at a pace approaching a slow jog. Her heart pounded as she went. As she rounded a corner, she had to catch herself on an ornate railing. Looking down, she saw her hand trembling again. Forcing herself to clench the hand, she continued on her hurried way. However, she stopped as she heard the rhythmic sound of garden tools coming from the garden.
'Who could possibly be in the garden at this time?' Willow thought to herself before peaking around the corner.
To her shock, she saw a sight before her that she never thought she would see. She saw Winter in a white sun hat, a pair of hedge trimmers in hand and a pair of white overalls on. Trimming one of the hedges into the shape of an adorable cartoonish dragon. Willow's eyes locked on the tree, and she felt her chest tighten up. Looking it over, Winter frowned and shook her head as she began altering the shape of the hedge with her trimming. Soon, a cartoonish tyrannosaurus stood where the dragon had once been.
"W-Winter. What a l-lovely surprise to see you here." Willow said as she stepped from behind the corner.
Winter jumped a bit and nearly dropped her shears in shock as she turned to look. "M-Mother!? I-I did not expect you to be in the gardens at this time!" She stammered out, trying to be careful with the trimmers.
"It is all right, dear. There is no need for panic. It is just me." Willow nervously but warmly said as she walked into the garden. "I didn't know you had taken up topiary."
Winter nodded. "Y-yes. For some reason, trimming hedges and trees into delightful shapes relaxes me. I believe it is due to being able to create something by shaping it rather than destroying something." She nervously replied.
Willow's face turned into a more somber frown. "Do I make you nervous dear? I can leave if you…" She tried to say, before being cut off.
Winter took a deep breath. "No. It is quite fine, Mother. I was just trimming the hedges into some new shapes for you in hopes of helping you to relax. Something calming and soothing, perhaps even a little silly, in an attempt to make you smile…" She replied, looking over her tyrannosaurus-shaped hedge.
"It is lovely, dear. But you do not need to be concerned. I have gotten this far. I can make it the whole way." Willow answered, her voice was as calm as she could make it.
Winter nodded. "Fair enough. Do you mind if I continue my trimming while you enjoy your lunch? It is such a wonderful day to be out in the gardens." She said, looking around at the sun shining in the sky.
Willow then began to set up her picnic cloth. "You and Weiss do not need to be concerned for little old me. I will be fine." She explained as she slowly smoothed the cloth out.
"I know. It is more for my own sake now that I know I do not have to worry. It would not do for me to leave only one hedge trimmed into a shape." Winter replied with a smile.
"What in all the hells is going on in here!?" A sharp male voice asked viciously.
The two turned to face the source of the voice, and in an instant Winter froze up, her eyes locked open in a stare full of disdain and fear. Before them was a medium heighted man with slicked back white hair and a bushy white mustache, with two icy blue eyes staring at the women before him. A crisp white suit covered him as he walked towards them wearing a light blue undershirt and puffy tie. It caught Willow a bit off guard, as she had not seen him wear those in decades.
"While I'm pleased you aren't drinking, Willow, why are you letting our daughter do commoner work like hedge trimming?" Jacques asked, looking at his daughter's outfit in disdain.
"It is called 'topiary,' Father. It is a very respectable pastime and a form of art." Winter replied, trying to put on a brave face.
"What is so 'artistic' about trimming hedges into pointless, silly shapes? Its glorified help work!" Jacques snapped, making Winter flinch and back up a bit.
'If I keep quiet… no. I left them to this for years. I am not going to go back to that.' Willow thought, steeling her nerves.
"Put down those shears and get out of that ridiculous outfit immediately, Winter! You may have walked away, but you are still a Schnee! You should carry yourself as such!" Jacques told her, beginning to lecture his eldest child as Winter began to turn to leave.
Willow stood up fully before turning to look at her husband. "When did you become the authority on what it means to bear the Schnee name? The last time I checked, all you cared about was the company." She replied with a glare.
Jacques glared at his wife. "Well, someone here has to care about the only thing keeping us in this manor so that Winter can trim her silly, little hedges." He shot back.
"Those hedges were planted by my mother on her fifth anniversary. I think she would like what our daughter has done to give them some new life." Willow replied, catching her husband and daughter off guard that she was not backing down.
Winter looked at Willow in shock. "M-Mother, what are you-" She began to say only for Willow to cut her off.
"Hush, dear. Your father and I are talking. Please go back to your splendid topiary." Willow said in a stern, but caring tone.
Shaking a bit, Winter nodded and walked over to the other side of the garden to continue her trimming. As she did, husband and wife met each other with stern gazes. Jacques was the first one to speak up.
"Why are you encouraging this, Willow? If Winter is going to be into any type of artwork, it should be real artwork. Not glorified drudge work." Jacques told her, trying to get her to back down.
"Art is the act of expression through a medium. It is a way for us to express what we feel in a way that comes more naturally than words. I would have thought you had come to understand that, considering how much you spend around the Kaiser's men. After all, all those hard-working military men love topiary. It is all the rage today, darling." Willow answered wryly.
Jacques' eyes widened before he grunted dismissively and gave a small smirk. "It appears that the White Wolf of Atlas has finally found her fangs again." He remarked, a hint of respect in his voice.
"I know how to bite outside of a boardroom, darling. That is what being born into money allows you to do." Willow said with a smirk.
Jacques simply grunted and looked at their eldest child. "Winter. Trim that into something at least pleasant to look at. Like a wolf." He told her as he saw her lingering at a large hedge.
"Of course, Father." Winter answered with a nod.
Giving a nod, Jacques took his leave. As soon as he was out of sight, Winter dropped the shears. Her eyes fixed on her mother in sheer awe.
"M-Mother… h-how did you…?" Winter stammered out in disbelief.
"Because I did not start drinking because I was afraid of him. Something it appears he has forgotten." Willow answered cryptically. "Now then. Your father asked for you to turn that hedge into a wolf."
"R-Right!" Winter replied before picking up her shears and slowly going back to trimming.
Willow watched her daughter as she worked. "Are you okay, dear?" She asked curiously.
Winter gave a small smile as she trimmed the hedge. "I just… have not seen you stand up to Father like that in years. I have not seen anyone stand up to him like that in years…" She replied with a hint of admiration.
"You should have seen how he was around your Grandfather, then. He looked like he would shake himself to pieces." Willow answered with a smile before taking a sip from her thermos.
Winter giggled a bit at the mental image before refocusing on her trimming. As she worked, Willow watched her. It felt nice to relax. Nearly as Winter was done, Willow spoke up.
"Of the three of you, I think you are most like your Grandfather Nicholas, Winter." Willow said unexpectedly, catching Winter off guard.
Winter stopped trimming at that to look at her in shock, then shook her head. "You flatter me too much, mother. Grandfather was an incredible man, a once in a generation type of person. I could only hope to reach a fraction of his greatness…" She replied as she slowly went back to trimming, making her snips more precise now with a smaller pair of shears.
Willow shook her head at her daughter upon hearing that. "You speak of him as a myth, a legend of a bygone age. You forget that he was there when you were born. He held you in his arms." She continued calmly.
Winter smiled a bit as she continued trimming. "I remember you showing me an old video of that moment. I looked so small in his arms that day…" She recalled fondly as she began tidying up the hedge wolf.
"The day you were born, it was the happiest I had seen him in years. Not since his divorce with your grandmother…" Willow said, her voice saddening at that.
Winter frowned sadly. "I remember him speaking of that, once. He never stopped loving grandmother, even if she refused to visit after you married father. I cannot help but wonder how she is doing…" She replied as she carefully trimmed a few loose leaves.
"I… I will check up on her." Willow answered as she looked at her tea.
Winter looked at her in surprise but soon smiled. "Thank you, mother. I would appreciate that." She replied before refocusing on her trimming. "Just one last leaf…"
With the last snip, Winter stepped back to observe her work. Before them was a proud, large wolf standing in defiance at an uncaring world. Or at least that is what Winter thought it looked like.
"It's beautiful, darling." Willow said with a small smile.
Winter smiled back. "Thank you, mother. Honestly, I have had to make do with bonsai trees in my apartment ever since I moved out. But it is good to know that I have not lost my touch with hedges." She replied proudly.
Soon Winter packed up her tools to give her mother some room for herself. After giving herself some time to sip her tea and calm down after the argument, she began to relax. Reaching into the picnic to grab a sandwich, she stopped before she could bite into it when she heard a rustling in the bushes. Out from one of the hedges came a small, fluffy teacup Pomeranian puppy, with as much floof on it as there was dog. This caused the Schnee matriarch to cock her head in confusion.
'When did we get a dog…?' Willow thought to herself, before trying to ignore it. However, her concentration was broken.
The puppy began to growl a little puppy growl at the topiary wolf that Winter had trimmed. Willow giggled a bit at the sight.
'How cute. He thinks it is a real wolf.' Willow thought in amusement.
'Grr. Grr. Back off! This is my turf! My place!' Came a growling beast-like voice, shocking Willow as she looked around.
Looking down at her thermos, Willow sniffed it. "What did Klein put in this tea? It smells normal…" She wondered aloud.
However, she then looked up towards the pup. As it growled and barked, its visage began to shimmer and shift. Her eyes widened as it morphed into a long, serpentine dragon four feet long. Its ridge-like sail flared, standing like a battle standard. Willow's hand trembled and shook, causing her to drop her thermos, spilling tea into the grass. That… that was what she saw that day. She… she was not seeing things. Hearing her drop the thermos, the dragon turned to look at her, only for it to be gripped in its own state of shock.
'Um… bark…?' The voice in her head thought.
Meanwhile: With Winter and Weiss
"Mother stood up to Father!?" Weiss asked in shock, nearly spilling her cup of tea as Winter sat down at the table with her. "You must have been daydreaming, sister!"
Picking up her own cup of tea, Winter shook her head. "I guarantee you I was not, Weiss. It seems our mother, the White Wolf of Atlas, has found her courage once more." She replied with a bright smile.
"She has a famous title too!?" Weiss asked in disbelief.
Winter giggled. "Oh, yes. Mother was quite the warrior before she married father. The envy of any Zodiac outside of the elites." She recounted to her little sister.
"WINTER!! WEISS!!! GET OVER HERE NOW!!!" Came the thunderous roar of their mother's voice echoing through the halls.
The two flinched and nearly dropped their scalding hot tea on themselves in shock. "I think the White Wolf just howled…" Weiss replied in fear.
"I think I'm beginning to fear her temper over Father's already…" Winter gulped a bit.
The two immediately put down their teacups and saucers before getting up and dashing off for the gardens. The two made their way as quickly as they could, mentally going over what could have possibly gotten such a reaction from her. As soon as they reached the gardens, their eyes widened at what they saw before them. A scared, trembling Silfrdrengr, and a stern, most fuming visage of their mother.
"What is THAT!?" Willow sternly asked, pointing at the small dragon.
"N-Now, mother! I know what this looks like, but-" Weiss began to say only to be cut off.
"Weiss Isolde Schnee, are you hiding a beast inside this manor!?" Willow sternly demanded.
Weiss flinched and hid behind Winter as the elder sister gulped nervously. "M-Mother, we can explain this…!" She began to say.
"You had better start. Or you will experience the old Schnee method of child discipline." Willow sternly said, her gaze cutting through their souls like knives.
"W-well… you see… Weiss, get the book!" Winter frantically told her.
"On it!" Weiss shrieked, before disappearing in a burst of speed.
"There is a book involved too? Honestly, what has your Father been letting you children indulge in?" Willow indignantly said, putting her hands on her hips.
"N-Not him. Whitley…" Winter began to explain.
"Whitley is behind this!?" Willow shrieked.
"P-Please wait until Weiss gets back with the book, Mother! We will explain everything then!" Winter frantically pleaded.
'Can I explain?" Silfrdrengr asked meekly.
"No." Willow coldly shot back, glaring at the dragon.
The contentious scene was interrupted by the pitter patter of frantic running coming down the hall. A book held firmly in her arms like a schoolgirl, Weiss burst back onto the scene. Panting heavily and sweating profusely from the pressured run she put herself through. She then extended her tired, shaky arms out to show her mother the book.
Willow raised an eyebrow. "On the Wings of Dreams? You must be joking…!" She said, looking at her children sternly.
"Mother, please." Winter begged. "Weiss, continue please."
Weiss immediately flipped the book open to the page on Dragonstones before holding it out to Willow. Taking it, Willow began to silently read. As she read it, her eyes widened. After she finished reading, she shut the book and looked at Weiss and Winter sternly.
"How did you get a dragon egg? And what does Whitley have to do with this?" Willow demanded coldly.
"He found it during an inspection of a Dust Mine in Solitas. He thought it was just a pretty rock and wanted to get it for Weiss's birthday. To be fair, it was quite a pretty thing." Winter explained, trying to hide her fear.
"Winter. Focus. Now." Willow sternly told her eldest.
"W-Weiss. D-Do continue." Winter nervously said.
Looking fearfully at her mother, Weiss continued where Winter left off. "W-Well, one day I was reading this book and came across the page I showed you. When I looked at the image of the Dragonstone in the book, it looked just like the stone Whitley got me for my birthday. I honestly didn't believe it was possible myself. At least, not until it… well… hatched…" She sheepishly explained.
"It hatched? Just, randomly hatched?" Willow asked skeptically, crossing her arms.
"Well, th-that is how eggs work, Mother…" Winter nervously said.
Willow glared at her eldest. "Do not be smart with me, child, lest you learn why I was once called 'The White Wolf of Atlas.'" She replied coldly.
"Y-Yes, Mother…" Winter nervously squeaked out.
Closing her eyes, Willow took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. Opening her eyes, she glared at her daughters. "How long…?" She asked coldly.
Weiss gulped and nervously leaned back on her heels. "O-Over a m-month…" She nervously stated.
"YOU TWO HAVE BEEN HIDING THIS THING IN MY HOUSE FOR OVER A MONTH NOW!? WITHOUT ME KNOWING!?!?!" Willow roared in fury.
"Well… look on the bright side… At least he helped get you off the bottle?" Weiss nervously offered, trying to calm the situation down.
Closing her eyes, Willow took a long, slow, deep breath. Opening her eyes, she glared at her daughters coldly and sternly. "Who else knows?" She demanded.
"Whitley and Klein." The two swiftly answered, fear still radiating from their voices.
Willow's eye began to twitch at that. "Klein knows? Klein! KNOWS!?" She coldly asked before nearly roaring out again.
"Um… Yes?" Weiss nervously said, not entirely sure how to respond in such a situation.
Taking another long, slow, deep breath, Willow bellowed out. "KLEIN!!!!!" She roared in fury.
As if by some form of magic, his voice soon came from behind her. "Yes, milady?" Klein asked in his usual tone.
"How. Long. Have. You. Known?" Willow asked "calmly."
"Since he hatched, milady. No more, no less." Klein simply answered.
"... And you didn't think to tell me why, exactly?" Willow asked, her eye twitching in frustration.
"You never asked." Klein retorted.
Sighing, Willow began to rub her temples. "I need to call Whitley. Immediately." She replied coldly.
"Of course, milady." Klein answered, heading off to get her scroll.
Meanwhile: Tenrō Castle Courtyard
"Boy, I say Boy, you better pick up the pace with those pushups. Or so help me by Fenrir, I'm gonna get the old man's bullwhip and crack it on that ass." Sylver scolded as he observed his student.
"I…! Am…! Trying…! You…! Are…! Heavy…!" Whitley replied as he kept doing pushups.
Whitley and Sylver were out in the middle of the frozen tundra of Solitas, outside of the artificial warmth of the castle. Whitley was wearing only his underwear, a pair of icy blue briefs, as Sylver sat on his back, forcing Whitley to do pushups with him sitting up there. Whitley's arms trembled from exhaustion as he kept trying to do pushups.
"Heavy? Boy, you haven't begun to understand the definition of that word. Maybe, after next week's training you'll start to, though." Sylver answered with a wry smile.
As Whitley continued his tortuous training, Sylver felt a scroll vibrate in one of his coat pockets. To his surprise, it was not his scroll, but his student's. However, he simply shrugged and flipped it open to take the call.
"Whitley's scroll, Sylver speaking. Oh, hey, Mrs. S. Uh-huh. Uh-huuhh. I see. Hang on a sec." Sylver said into the scroll. "Hey, Snowflake! It's for you."
"I already told you, don't call me a snowflake!" Whitley grunted out as he kept doing pushups.
"I'm going to let that slide, Snowball, 'cause it's not good to keep one's mother hanging." Sylver answered with a smirk.
Whitley nearly dropped to the ground at that. "Mother!? Let me speak to her, please!" He replied, going back to his pushups.
"Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll hold it to your ear for you." Sylver answered sarcastically.
Reaching down, Sylver put the scroll to the young man's ear. As Sylver's eyes widened a bit at the barrage Whitley got from a clearly pissed off Willow.
"M-Mother, calm down! I can explain!" Whitley replied as he kept doing pushups. "... Okay, you are right. I cannot…" He sighed.
'And I thought my mom had a mouth on her. I almost feel bad for him. Almost.' Sylver thought as he kept the scroll to his ear.
"L-Look, Mother. I am in the middle of training. Can we talk about this after I am done?" Whitley replied nervously as he kept up his pushups. "Right. Talking about it now."
"M-Mother, I thought it was just a pretty rock! I did not know it was a-Okay, okay! I know! I am sorry! Please just stop yelling…" Whitley replied nervously as he continued to force himself through the pushups.
"Do you two need a room?" Sylver teased.
"Shut up! Oh, no, sorry, mother! That was not to you, that was meant for Sylver. Yes. I understand. I will await my punishment after my training is over…" Whitley replied as he kept struggling to do pushups. "I know. I love you too. Goodbye for now, Mother."
As soon as Sylver hung up the scroll, he felt Whitley collapse from under him. Hearing the painful groan coming from his student, he looked down. Sure enough, Whitley lay in a heap in the snow. This got a sigh out of the Zodiac prince before the wolf Faunus boy got off him.
"All right. You can have a short break. After that, we pick out your weapons and start weapon training." Sylver sighed, reluctantly relenting.
"Thank you…!" Whitley groaned in muffled frustration into the snow.
"You're welcome." Sylver answered politely.
After Whitley lay in the snow for a bit, he then stood up and drank from a thermos of hot chocolate beside his things. The warm liquid hit just the right spot, sending its vital heat through his veins. Shaking off his woes, he then followed behind the Zodiac under a balcony. Before him there was a table full of melee and ranged weapons of nearly every shape and size.
"There's no rush on picking out a weapon. After all, it took me ten years to acquire the materials to craft Wolf's Bane. Take all the time you need and don't be afraid to try them out." Sylver explained, putting his hands behind his back to prove a point.
Nodding, Whitley picked up and tried several of the weapons to see what felt right in his hands. However, most of them did not feel right. An ax, crossbow, pistols. Nothing felt right. It was not until he grasped a sword in hand and looked down at it that something felt right.
Before him there was a double-sided sword with a deep channel down the center of the blade reaching out several feet. The hilt was simple and durable, big enough to fit only one of his hands. At the top of the grip was a sturdy guard, giving it the appearance of a cross if looked at from afar. Behind it was a large pommel that looked almost like a small hammer head. It seemed odd to only hold a sword in one hand, but as he moved it around with his wrist, he found the short handle gave him a shocking level of control. And that was further backed up as he tried a few test swipes.
"Am I able to take multiple weapons?" asked Whitley.
"Yeah. Take as many as you think you can handle." Sylver replied, waving off his question.
Sheathing the sword, Whitley then looked some more. This went on for several minutes of trial and error, and a few nearly harmful mistakes. Until, finally, he gripped a spear made of a dark, yet sturdy wood. The spearhead itself was simple, yet broad and sturdy, held onto the pole by a pin. Getting into a stance, he tried both one and two hand thrusts. As he hopped back and forth, side to side with it as he thrusted, he liked the feeling it gave him of being able to reach so far. To be able to strike where he normally could not. It was… for a lack of a better term, empowering.
"I think I'll take this sword and spear to train with for now." Whitley said, grabbing them and slinging them over his shoulders.
Sylver gave a feral grin in reply. "Good choices. Welcome to your next stage of hell." He replied.
"Of course, sir." Whitley said with resignation in his voice.
"Also, question, Snowflake. Why was your mom so angry about a wagon?" Sylver said in confusion.
To Be Continued…