The Lost Princess

-Beacon, Night of the Fall-

Pyrrha placed Destiny on the ground as she went to throw her shield just as Cinder fired her arrow. As the two collided, the arrow broke itself apart, before putting itself back together just as the shield passed. The arrow soon hit Pyrrha in the ankle causing her to cry out and Cristal to jump at her scream. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her ankle had been too great; the flower in her hair glowed a violent red as Cinder stepped towards her.

"It's unfortunate, you were promised a power that was never truly yours…" Cinder said as she circled her.

She soon kneeled before putting her hand underneath her chin to get her to look at her, "But take comfort in knowing…" Cinder said, "... That I will use in ways… You cannot imagine."

Pyrrha removed her head from her hand as she looked Cinder in the eye, asking only one thing.

"...Do you believe in destiny…?"

"... Yes."

Despite the amount of pain the child had been in, Destiny rolled over on her stomach, before she made her way towards Pyrrha. She managed to get behind her as she reached out to her, taking her hand.

"...P… y… ra…?" She groaned as she felt Pyrrha's hand shake a little, "... P… y… ra…?"

She felt Pyrrha tighten her grip just as Cinder materialized her bow and another arrow. "No!" Cristal exclaimed as she desperately tried to create another barrier to appear in front of Pyrrha, "No! No! No! No!"

"Destiny…" Pyrrha soon whispered, "... Thank you…"

And just like that, she let go of the string and let the arrow fly hitting Pyrrha in the chest, and Cristal froze at the sight. Pyrrha only gasped as she reached for the arrow and within a matter of a few moments, Destiny felt her hand go limp. Cinder tossed her bow down as she put her hand onto Pyrrha's head, just as her eyes lost its color before her entire body glowed a bright orange.

Before Cristal's very eyes, her body turned to ash, and blew away in the wind.

The only thing that had been left of her, was her crown, the flower that started to flicker red, and the bracelet to which had laid in Destiny's hand.

Cristal had been left stunned as she went over to where Pyrrha once was, with Cinder watching her do so. With her hands shaking she picked up the crown, looking at it for only a few moments before tears began to fall onto the ground and crown, just as she saw her sister's tears fall despite the fact she couldn't change her expression at the moment.

"No…!" She cried as she hugged the crown, "... No…!... Pyrrha…!"

Cinder only watched as Cristal continued to sob, completely forgetting the fact that she had been in front of them. It hadn't been long before she noticed the flower on the floor, as it still flickered like that of a light bulb. She picked it up off the floor, taking a closer look at it before she smiled.

"Now this is a surprise." She said to herself, "To think one would be here in a place like this."

She chuckled as she turned to the two girls in front of her, "Looks like I get to kill two birds… With one stone."

Cinder soon reached out to Cristal, though just before she could do anything--

"PYRRHA!!"

The whole world soon turned to white, as a scream from Cristal was soon heard.

***

Destiny felt the breeze blow in her face as she slowly started to come too. She didn't find herself back on the rooftop of Beacon with Pyrrha nor her sister. Instead she found herself in a place where the sun was at its highest point. She sat herself up as she found herself in what looked to be a golden field.

In the very center she had a fountain the size of a lake, with a tree that sat at the center of it.

She stood up, surveying the area around her as she walked through the golden field, towards a stone walkway.

"Where… Am I?"

She soon noticed that there wasn't any pain in her body, not even in her chest or abdomen, as she felt herself. She should've been relieved, but she felt the opposite. Instead she couldn't help but panic at this.

"Where's--"

She ran onto the stone pathway as she looked around, "Cristal! Pyra!? Ruby!? Is anyone here!?"

"There's no need to be a frightened child. You are in a safe place."

Destiny flinched slightly at a voice she wasn't familiar with. She turned to see a man sitting at the edge of the fountain. A man, dressed in nothing but purple, as even his short disheveled hair had been in that particular shade. She noticed a set of horns growing from his forehead that looked to be segmented, as he turned to her, deducing that he was a Fanus, but she noticed the state of his eyes as she gasped.

The man reached out to her, as he smiled, "Come my child."

Destiny hesitantly approached the man, finding herself within only a few moments in front of the man which surprised her as she suddenly found her hand in his own.

She had gotten a closer look, noticing that the man's eyes were discolored and grey.

"You're… Blind…" She said softly.

"That I maybe my child…" The man said, "... But I can see the world more clearly then you and others have."

The man motioned her to sit, to which she did, though she was still hesitant in doing so. "There's no need to be frightened." He told her, "You are safe here."

"Who--" She started to say, "--Who are you?"

The man chuckled softly as he picked up the child, setting her on his lap, "You do not know me by name, but I do know you. I've been watching over you, since the day you were given life. So… Why don't you call me your Guardian Angel?"

Destiny looked a little shocked, before she nodded in understanding as she couldn't help but look around again as she seemed to have come to a realization, as she seemed to have calmed down.

"I'm not dreaming… Am I?" She asked him.

The man raised an eyebrow at this, as he appeared to look amused, "What makes you say that?"

"This place…" She replied, "... I feel like I've been here before. But I just can't figure out where."

The man--Her Guardian Angel looked to be interested in this before he asked, "What is the last thing you remember?"

Destiny thought about it for a moment, her head ache slightly as she did her best to recall. "Beacon." She soon said, "I was at Beacon, with Cristal. The Grimm came into the school and in the city. I left to go and calm the Wyvern, but something happened before I could and then--"

Destiny's words trailed off, as her eyes widened in shock and horror.

"Cristal! Pyra! My dad! Everyone!" She exclaimed pushing herself away from the man, "Where--Where are they!? Are they alright!?"

"Your father and sister are alright, your friends as well." He told her, "They survived the Grimm invasion. The same however… Can't be said about Pyrrha Nikos."

At this, tears began to form as she looked at the man with disbelief. "N--No…" She choked, "She--She can't be--! That can't be true--!" She gripped the man's shirt as she looked up to him, "Sh--She can't be gone! She and the others! She promised, so she can't be… Can't be…"

Her words trailed off, as she leaned against the man's chest as she started to sob softly. Her Guardian Angel gave her a pat on the back as to comfort her.

"It's alright to cry little one…" He told her, "... You're only human after all."

She picked up her head to look at the man before her, despite that he couldn't look back at her. "I'm never going to see her again, aren't I?"

"That's… Not entirely true." Her Guardian Angel soon responded with.

Destiny had been taken back as she looked up to him surprised again, she tilted her head, before she felt the man's hand on her cheek, his thumb had been underneath her Grimm eye.

"There's a reason why you haven't been able to see me, until now." Her Guardian Angel said, "And the reason is because of what you and your sister were forced to become."

"What do you mean?" Destiny asked.

"Your bodies, the extension of your magic, were not the only things that changed…" Her Guardian Angel replied, "... You were both infected with a curse, or to be more precise, you're both under her curse"

"... Her… Curse?" She said shocked.

"You and your sister are both linked back to the one that changed you." He explained, "She will not allow you to die by normal means. Everytime you and her are on the brink, she will bring you back, no matter how impossible it may seem."

Her looked softened as she placed her hand on her chest as she came to realize.

"Daddy and Cristal…" She said, "They told me… When I was shot… The bullet had gotten stuck in my heart. Back then… It SHOULD'VE killed me."

"You were in constant pain, not because of any normal illness." Her Guardian Angel told her, "It was because you kept on dying and coming back because of the curse."

"That's why I kept having those attacks…" She said softly, "... And even after, I was stuck in the Wyvern, when I felt myself fade when I was free, I felt something grab a hold of me… You mean she did that too?"

This time, the man didn't answer, instead he only pulled her back into a hug which took the child back, but she leaned into his embrace. It wasn't long before she realized something, "Wa--Wait…" She said, "... If she could bring me back whenever I'm on the brink of death… Then how am I here…? Shouldn't I be… Awake now?"

"Because there is one thing she can't bring you back from." He told her, "Only one thing can bring you here, and that is the True Light."

"True… Light…?" She said.

An image passed her by, as she recalled the last thing she saw before everything went dark and the last thing she heard was her sister screaming.

"You mean… That White Light?" She asked, "I--I don't understand…"

Her Guardian Angel soon lifted her up off the ground as he stood; despite him being blind, she could plainly see that he was able to get around well as he never set foot into the water.

"What happens now Little One, is up to you." He told her, as he paced, "As of right now, the curse has no power over you here."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"I'm offering you a choice." He explained, "Your friend, I can take you to her, and you can be with her again. And… You'll finally be with your mother."

Destiny gasped as she looked at the man with wide eyes. It looked as though she was about to cry at this. "I can… Meet my mom…? I can… See Pyra…?" She said, rubbing her eyes, "... But… That would mean--I would--"

He only nodded his head.

"... Everyone has to let go my child." He told her gently, wiping away her tears, "It's only a matter of when."

"You said I had a choice…" She said, "... What would be the other…?"

Her Guardian Angel set her on the ground as he helped her to stand, "I can put you back where you were before. You'll have a chance to be with your loved ones and you will still have your magic. However, in order to do so, I need something from you."

"... What would that be…?"

"In exchange for going back…"

The Guardian Angel soon gestured to her lower half of her body, particularly her left side.

"... All I ask for is your leg."

Destiny looked down to her left leg as she was just surprised, "But why would you need it?" She asked, "You don't really need my leg."

The Guardian Angel chuckled, "It's about the need for it dear child. In order to gain something one must first lose something. For you to go back, you must pay with your leg. But know this… Even with my power, I cannot lift the curse you were bestowed. That is something, you, your sister and her must break on your own."

Destiny started to go over her choices, as she looked at her hands. When she thought about it, she realized she never did have the chance to meet her mother. She went to the other place when she was a baby, and she only knew her mother through the stories her father and sister told. She wanted to see her, she wanted to be able to talk to herself, and she would do anything to make it so.

But then…

… She thought of her father and Cristal.

She thought back to all the times she spent, and how she and her were separated from him. She missed him, and it was more then she could bear. The whole time she and Cristal were held hostage her father was the only thing she thought about the whole time. She thought of how it pained him to be away from them for so long, and how lonely he must've felt.

They were the only things that had left from the love of his life after all. They were basically living proof that the time he spent with their mother was real.

It became clear to her, of what choice she had to make.

"Well Little One?" Her Guardian Angel asked, "Have you made your choice?"

Destiny took a deep breath, as she looked to her feet, "Pyrrha… Or Pyra as I've known her… Was among the few to accept me for who I was and what the Witch turned me into. If she hadn't been killed, I know she would've made a great mom for those that would live in the future. And my mom… I've only known the kind of person she was through stories my dad and sister told me. How she was like Cristal and I, how she met my dad, even her faults I grew to love her anyway. I would do anything if it meant I could see her and talk to her, even if it's only once. But--"

She picked up her head, despite the tears in her eyes she had a bright smile on her face, "--I can't do that, without hurting Cristal, my dad, and the others. My mom and Pyra, wouldn't that of me either."

Her Guardian Angel seemed pleased with this, as he smiled back, "... Is that your final decision child?"

Destiny wiped away her tears before she gave her reply, "... Yes."

"Then allow me to put you back where you were." The Guardian Angel said, holding out his hand to her.

Destiny reached out to take his hand, and though there was a slight hesitation she felt her fingers touch the man's large palm. His hand soon trapped her own, as she soon saw a purple light overtake her veins, reaching all over her body wrapping. Her left leg from up above her knee began to disappear into ash, as she was surprised there was no pain. The whole plain she was in seemed to have evaporated leaving behind only a white plain as her body glowed a familiar white glow.

The Guardian Angel soon leaned in, as her vision became more consumed by the white void as she heard him say with but a whisper.

"If you wish to control your gifts… You need only ask for Jin."

And thus… Even the Guardian Angel too, had vanished.

***

The sound of a rooster went from one ear and out the other as she opened her eyes. She found herself staring upon a wooden ceiling as the sun rose through the windows. She heard the sound of animals just outside, ranging from that of horses, chickens and sheep.

She let out a groan as she sat up, rubbing her eyes, not surprised to find that her eyepatch wasn't there. Though she had been curious as to what had surrounded her. The sounds of the animals became more clear, and as she looked out the window, she saw no buildings in sight. Instead, she saw the clear blue sky without anything blocking it in view.

"Where… Where am I…?"

Destiny soon realized that she had been laying on a bed in clothes different to ones she had one originally, as she had been wearing a simple t-shirt with a set of brown pants. She removed the covers and she could see her right leg was there, but as for the left it was gone. All that was left was that of a nub where her knee should've connected.

Her Guardian Angel took it, is what she ended up reminding herself of.

But then she noticed something else quite odd.

She knew she wasn't connected to her medicine like she normally was. He would feel that familiar burning intense pain right about now.

Though much to her surprise… The pain wasn't there. In fact… It was like it wasn't there at all.

"Huh?"

She tugged her shirt slightly as she had a small and peculiar scar to where the needle puncture should be.

"Wha--What? When did--"

CLICK.

She jumped when she heard the door in front of her unlock. Panicking, she placed her hand over her left eye to hide the infected from whoever came in.

She saw it had been a boy who stepped into the room, as he possessed tanned skin, short black hair and hazel eyes with the iris of his eyes being a forest green. He had on a white shirt with laces across the chest with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows with a set of orange suspenders to hold up his olive pants. On it had a single patch, and quilted cloth that she noticed hung loosely from his left pocket and had on a set of brown boots.

He looked to be caring a side bag of bandages and medicine.

The moment his eyes looked to her, he looked relieved.

"You're awake!" He said, "We were starting to get worried."

Destiny looked on edge as she put both of her hands over her eye; now realizing that her entire right arm, and only up to the elbow of her left arm had been bandaged. The boy approached her slowly, as he had his hands raised.

"It's okay." He reassured her, sitting on the bedside, "I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."

Destiny still had been on guard as she hit the wall behind her. He soon took out a bottle of medicine and the bandages from the side bag. He reached out slowly, taking her bandaged hands, though he could feel her fight it.

He saw her shake her head, as if she had been protesting.

"Don't be afraid." He said to her gently, as she had been taken back by this tone of voice, "I just want to help you."

Destiny looked at the young boy, noting the look in his eyes. It had been genuine, sincere.

It reminded her of those familiar silver eyes she had met back at Vale.

She hadn't realized she let her guard down as the boy gently pried her hands from her face, showing off her Grimm infected eye.

She expected him to cower, but had been surprised that he didn't as he started to change her bandages.

Finally she spoke, "... You're not… Scared?"

"You mean your eye?" He asked casually, not taking his eyes off, "I mean, it was a shock when I first saw it, but… I don't see anything wrong with it."

She was surprised at his words, and to be honest she actually felt touched. No one has ever said anything like that before. The only ones that did, were her first real friends the day she showed them.

"Do you have a name?" The boy asked as he finished as he started to apply the medicine on her arms, making a mental note for the child that the wounds she had looked to be fresh burns.

She was hesitant, but she soon found herself replying, "... De-Destiny. What about you?"

The boy soon answered, giving her a comforting smile, "My name is Oscar."