Chapter One Title: The Set Up
Summary: Framed for the killing of Roman Torchwick, kept out of Beacon and distrusted by her family, Ruby Rose wants nothing to do with mysterious huntress Cinder Fall. It's too late - she's caught her interest and Cinder sees potential in her little Rose greater than Salem or Ozpin could imagine. A darker Ruby is dragged into a game of power, lies, and bloody vengeance. Huntress!Cinder AU
I couldn’t help it - Cinder’s backstory was too good and I love me a plot bunny on a silver platter. Check out the excerpt below and catch the fic on AO3 or FFN:
"What's your name?" the huntress demanded.
Stunned into compliance, Ruby answered. "R-Ruby. Ruby Rose."
"Rose. Rose. How do I know a Rose?" The huntress frowned to herself, utterly unconcerned by her recent murder, then shook it off. "It doesn't matter. I'll be watching you, Ruby Rose. Learn to strike first and talk later and you'll make a decent huntress. Now be a good girl and explain this to the police, won't you? I have somewhere else to be."
As the huntress made for the edge of the roof, Ruby shouted, "Wait!"
She turned, giving Ruby an annoyed look. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the dark; her dress was dust-infused, and golden threads glowed against the red fabric.
Ruby mustered her bravery once more, taking every shred of authority she possessed and forcing it into her voice. "You're not going anywhere," she said. "Show me your license."
"Why should I?" the huntress asked, lips twitching in amusement.
"Because I don't believe you're a huntress," Ruby declared, hefting Crescent Rose and taking a bold step forward. "A real huntress would have taken Torchwick in for questioning and let him be taken to justice. And if you're not a huntress then- then I'm putting you under arrest for murder."
For a second, Ruby was afraid the huntress would attack her. A brief flicker of something dangerous- psychotic- not right- flickered through the huntress' eyes, but then she laughed under her breath and drew a scroll from her pouch, tossing it to Ruby. Ruby caught it and looked at the display: Cinder Fall, 22, Atlesian Huntress. A picture of the huntress – Cinder – smirked back at her. Clenching her fist around the scroll, Ruby grit her teeth and tossed it back.
The evaluative gleam was back in Cinder's eyes. "Naïve, aren't we?" she cooed, approaching Ruby. Ruby flinched back, but Cinder wasn't out to attack her – rather, she reached out and placed an almost affectionate hand on Ruby's head, ruffling her hair. Ruby froze, her mind short-circuiting. What-
Read The Maiden’s Apprentice: FFN | AO3