The Hero with Silver Eyes
Sunset leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her knees. “A silver-eyed warrior? That’s what your mother called herself?”
“Yes,” Ruby said, having told her teammates all about what she had learned as soon as Jaune and Pyrrha returned from their training. “She talked about her eyes a couple of times without explaining why, and then she called herself a Silver-Eyed Warrior, and she said that, during her initiation, she… she did something with her eyes and it killed a whole bunch of grimm.”
“Could it be a semblance?” Pyrrha suggested, “a particularly powerful one, projected through the eyes?”
Ruby frowned. “Yang and I thought that as well, but it doesn’t seem that way. I mean, what kind of semblance tires you out if you use it just once? What kind of semblance gives you a name like Silver-Eyed Warrior?” She hesitated. “I’m not crazy, right? There’s something more to it? You agree with me, don’t you?”
She wanted them to believe her. She wanted her teammates - her friends - to agree with her that there was something more to it than just a semblance, that there were things that it being a semblance couldn’t explain.
She wanted them to believe her so that she could believe it herself.
The four members of team SAPR sat in their dorm room. Ruby was sitting on her bed, not far from the carving that Mom and Dad and their old team had made in the wall and the markings that her team had made just above it. Sunset and Jaune were sat on Pyrrha’s bed next to hers, while Pyrrha herself had taken a chair.
All their eyes were fixed on Ruby.
Sunset clenched and unclenched her fists. “Doesn’t your mother’s journal tell you anything more?”
Ruby hesitated. “Well… we’ve only read the first two entries.”
“You could read on.”
Ruby shook her head. “Not without Yang; it wouldn’t be right. And Yang… Yang wants to take it slow.”
“But you want answers?”
Ruby nodded.
“Then keep reading, don’t tell her, and act surprised when you go through it with her the second time.”
“Sunset!” Ruby exclaimed.
“What?”
“Not cool!”
“I think that Ruby is hoping for some advice that doesn’t involve lying to her sister,” Pyrrha pointed out gently. She smiled at Ruby, with equal gentleness and a measure of encouragement that Ruby needed.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “I see. You want to do this the hard way.”
“I am right, aren’t I?” Ruby asked. “This sounds like more than just a semblance.”
“It reminds me of something,” Pyrrha murmured. She put her fingers to her chin and looked away, her brow furrowing in thought. “I just can’t quite remember where.”
“You’ve got a point that most semblances don’t get you a proper noun,” Sunset mused. “Not to mention the fact that semblances are unique, so there wouldn’t be a plural anyway.”
“Aren’t some semblances hereditary?” Jaune asked. “I mean, Weiss-”
Sunset leaned just a little away from Jaune so that she could look at him sideways a little more effectively. “How do you know that?”
“I know things,” Jaune replied, a little defensively.
“I mean, you’re right, the Schnees have a hereditary semblance,” Sunset said. “But even so, we don’t go around calling them Glyph Warriors.”
“The way that Mom described it, the way that she talked about it, it sounded like it was something people would know,” Ruby said. “But I’ve never heard of it.”
“Your mom did grow up outside the kingdoms,” Jaune said. “She might not have had the best idea of what people in Vale would or wouldn’t know.”
“Maybe, I guess.”
“From what you’ve described, it sounds as though she was worried that she would be treated differently from others, put upon a pedestal once her possession of… whatever it was, was discovered,” Pyrrha said. “However, that could be… where do I remember that term?”
“Silver-eyed warriors,” Sunset murmured. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. But you know what it does remind me of? The Warrior in the Woods, the first story in the book of fairy tales we’re studying for Legends of Remnant.”
“‘I fell in love with her the moment I saw her silver eyes,'” Ruby murmured.
“Exactly,” Sunset said firmly. “I have never seen anyone with eyes of silver before. Even when I was living… outside the kingdoms myself, I never met another living soul with silver eyes. At the time, that line struck me as odd, as though it was hinting at something more significant, and now, I’m sure of it.”
“But the story didn’t say anything about the Warrior in the Woods killing grimm with her eyes,” Jaune said. He frowned. “Or did it, and I wasn’t paying attention?”
“No, you’re right,” Sunset conceded. “The means by which the warrior protects the community are left ambiguous.” She leaned forward, cupping her chin. “It’s entirely possible that at the time the story was… told, elaborated, created, whatever word you want to use, knowledge of silver-eyed… what it is that silver eyes can do was so commonplace that it wasn’t thought worth elaborating on. Once the audience heard ‘silver eyes,’ then it would all slot into place for them. Only now, we’ve lost the knowledge that would contextualise that detail. So we’re left with the impression that he fell in love with her because she had pretty eyes.”
“I think that’s still the impression, even if her eyes had powers,” Jaune said. “I mean… no one falls in love with someone because they have unique abilities, but beautiful eyes… yeah, I could see that.”
“Gag me,” Sunset muttered. “I don’t suppose anyone knows of any other fairy stories that talk about silver eyes?”
“Of course!” Pyrrha cried. “That’s it!”
Jaune looked up. “That’s what?”
“Other fairy stories,” Pyrrha said. “That’s where I remember hearing about silver eyes.” She twisted around in her chair, rocking it back on its hind legs as she reached for one of the books on her shelf. She grabbed an old volume, well cared for but starting to show its age nonetheless. As Pyrrha opened the book, and just before she put it down on her lap, Ruby caught a look at the cover – an illustration of a princess in a beautiful gown – and a look at the title: Fairy Tales for All Seasons.
“Never took you for a fan of fairy stories,” Sunset observed. “I thought heroic epics were more your thing.”
“I’ve had this book since I was a child,” Pyrrha replied. She didn’t look up; she kept leafing through the pages of the book. She was silent for a moment or two, her eyes scanning the pages as she flicked from one to the other. “Here we are: the story of the Dragon and the Two Sons.” She glanced up at them. “Do you mind if I read it to you? It’s probably better than me trying to summarise it.”
Sunset shrugged. Jaune looked at Ruby. Ruby nodded. “Sure, go ahead Pyrrha.”
“Very well,” Pyrrha said. She cleared her throat softly, paused, and then began. “Once upon a time, in a kingdom now forgotten, there lived an old man who had two sons. The elder son was a strong young man, irresistible in a contest of strength or speed; the younger son did not seem particularly strong, nor particularly wise, but he had a good and humble heart, and he was always ready to help any soul in need. He had also been blessed at birth with eyes of silver, and many remarked on how unusual this was, and it was even said by some that this young man had been marked by fate to do great things.”
“This sounds promising,” Sunset said. “It sounds like even in the days when this story originated, people weren’t sure anymore what it was that having silver eyes meant. This must be a more recent story than the Warrior in the Woods – which might be one reason why it isn’t on the curriculum; it’s not old enough to make the cut – and hopefully, it will go into some detail, since silver eyes have passed out of the realm of cultural currency.”
“We can hope,” Pyrrha said softly. “May I continue?”
“Sorry,” Sunset said. “Be my guest.”
Pyrrha nodded. “His brother, hearing this, was consumed with jealousy at the very idea that his humble brother might outshine him. And so he mocked his younger brother and laughed at the idea that he would ever achieve anything of note, and while he amused himself, he forced his brother to clean and cook and tend his house.”
“He sounds like me,” Sunset muttered.
Ruby tried to imagine Yang treating her that way, forcing Ruby to become her servant. Ruby! Wash my dress, I’m going clubbing tonight! Nah, she just couldn’t see it.
“Meanwhile,” Pyrrha continued, “a dragon had come to the kingdom and begun to lay waste to everything that lay in its path. It burned whole villages, devoured whole farms worth of livestock, and the people cried out to their king for protection, but all the King’s knights could not stand before the dragon and its wrath.
Desperate, the King sent out word throughout his realm: that whosoever should kill the dragon would receive not only the hand in marriage of either his son or his daughter, as they should choose, but that they should succeed him as ruler of the entire kingdom when his time came.”
Pyrrha went on, “When the brothers heard this news, the eldest was filled with excitement and declared that he would surely be the one to slay the dragon and win both the princess and the kingdom for himself. And so, his father sold all his belongings to buy a horse and armour for his son, who set out full of pride, confident in his strength and his skill.
“The elder son rode away, passing through a dark forest, along a winding trail up a steep mountainside, until he came to a deep, dark cave. And in that cave, he met the dragon.
“’So,’ the dragon said. ‘You have come to kill me? What makes you think you will succeed where all others have failed?’
“‘I will surely triumph,’ replied the eldest son. ‘For you will not withstand my strength.’
“’Is that so?’ said the dragon, and he smiled before he attacked. Though the elder son was strong and swift, and though the battle between them was long and hard, the first brother was no match for the power and ferocity of the dragon. The beast devoured him and turned his remains to ashes.”
“I thought this was a kids’ book,” Sunset mumbled.
Ruby shushed her.
“The father of the two sons fell into despair, for he had lost not only his precious son, but also all that he owned providing for his doomed venture. And so, when the younger son declared that now he would seek out the dragon, his father begged him not to go. But the younger brother was determined. He could no longer stand by while people were killed and forced from their homes. He had to do something, no matter the risk.
“And so, with only a simple wooden staff to lean upon and a faithful dog to keep him company along the road, the younger son walked through the dark forest and along the winding trail up the steep mountainside until he came to a deep, dark cave. And in that cave, he found the dragon.
“’So,” the dragon said. ‘You have come to kill me? What makes you think you will succeed where all others have failed?’
“’I have no weapons,’ the younger son said. ‘I am not great in strength. But my heart is pure, and my intent is noble, and my virtue will be my sword and armour against your evil.’
“When he heard this, the dragon laughed, for he did not believe that a simple soul could stand before his strength, his malice, his will to destroy and to devour all things. And so, he leapt upon the young man and opened his mouth to swallow him whole. But as the dragon attacked, the younger son’s silver eyes began to glow brightly. Ever brighter they glowed, until they outshone the moon itself, and the light from his silver eyes could be seen all across the unhappy kingdom. The dragon screamed, and for the first time, it knew fear, but it was too late.
“When the light from the young man’s eyes died down, the dragon had been turned to stone.
“The King rejoiced that the threat to his kingdom had been ended, but the younger son refused any reward, saying that he had done only what was right and just, for which he deserved no special praise or honour. He asked only that his aged father be cared for, having lost all that he had.
“But the King recognised that here was a young man of especial promise, not only powerful but good and brave. He insisted that he should marry the princess and take his place at court as heir to the throne. The princess was beautiful and kind, and the young man was so good-natured that they were very happy together, and with the power of his eyes, the young man, who became known throughout the kingdom as the Hero with Silver Eyes, protected his realm from all evils for as long as he lived.” Pyrrha shut the book, to indicate that the story was over.
“So, Ruby’s mom could turn grimm into stone?” Jaune asked.
“Not necessarily,” Pyrrha said. “It’s a nice story, but it’s still just a fairy-tale.”
“But something’s real,” Ruby said. “My mom talks about it, a silver-eyed warrior? You agreed that it meant something.”
“Some fairytales have a basis in fact,” Sunset said softly. “Maybe… maybe there’s something to it.”
The four of them were silent for a moment.
It was Jaune who said what Ruby was thinking, and probably what Sunset and Pyrrha were thinking as well. “Do you think that Ruby could do that too? I mean, you’ve got silver eyes.”
Ruby didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what she could possibly say in response to that. If her mom could do it, and it really did have something do with silver eyes, then maybe… she imagined herself briefly standing in front of a whole army of grimm, turning them to stone just by looking at them, while Yang and Pyrrha and Sunset and Jaune and Dad and Uncle Qrow and everybody just stood back and watched in awe. That would be pretty awesome. But then…
If Mom was that awesome, then why didn’t she come home?
Ruby looked around the room. Jaune looked as overwhelmed as Ruby felt right about now, Pyrrha was looking at Ruby as though she was more concerned with her than with anything to do with silver eyed warriors or the like, and Sunset… Sunset looked intrigued, and a little bit greedy too. To be honest, there was a look in Sunset’s eyes that kind of put Ruby in mind of the dragon in Pyrrha’s story, smiling at the arrogance of the elder brother who thought he would kill it.
“Sunset?” Ruby asked.
Sunset’s gaze flickered up to meet Ruby’s eyes. Ruby’s silver eyes.
“You have silver eyes.”
There had to be something in it. Professor Ozpin had mentioned her eyes specifically, the same way that he’d taken an interest in Mom. It occurred to Ruby that maybe Professor Ozpin had left the diary for Sunset to find, trusting that they would follow the clues to solve the mystery. She couldn’t exactly think why he would do such a thing, but it made a kind of sense in her head, although she didn’t mention it out loud for fear that it would stop making so much sense once she actually told someone about it.
“How far,” Sunset said, her voice surprisingly mild, “do you want to take this?”
“I want to find out the truth about my mom,” Ruby replied.
“That’s not what I asked,” Sunset pressed. “If we find out what it means to be a Silver-Eyed Warrior, that will tell you everything you need to know about your mother, but is that it? If it turns out that you have this power too, do you want to know? Do you want to learn how to use it? Are you prepared to work to master it? How far do you want to take this?”
“Sunset, ease off,” Jaune said. “You can’t expect Ruby to make all of these decisions straight away. You sound like you’re asking her to commit everything to… to whatever this is!”
“And if I am?” Sunset asked. “I committed everything to mastering my power when I was a lot younger than Ruby.”
“So did I,” Pyrrha said, with a voice touched by a sudden chill, “but it doesn’t mean that Ruby has to repeat our mistake.”
Sunset scowled, and then she looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean to… I suppose I’d like to get something out of all this and to know that you’re prepared to work towards that end.”
“If it will help, I am.”
“Ruby,” Pyrrha said gently, “you don’t have to commit to anything you don’t want to.”
“Maybe Mom didn’t have a kind of power like the one in the fairytale,” Ruby said. “Maybe being a silver-eyed warrior isn’t all that big of a deal. But what if it is? What if… what if I could really help people, save them, like the younger son in the story? Then… then I should do it, shouldn’t I? I mean… I kind of have to, don’t I?”
Mom… I promise that I’ll make you proud.
Sunset smiled and raised one hand into the air. “Who’s up for a research project? All in favour of discovering the truth about silver-eyed warriors, helping Ruby answer her questions about her mother and unlocking a power able to defeat the grimm say ‘aye.’”
Jaune raised his hand. “Uh, sure, yeah. I’ll help you. I don’t know how much I’ll actually be able to help, but, sure, I’ll do what I can, Ruby.”
“Thanks, Jaune,” Ruby said, favouring him a warm smile. “I really appreciate it.”
“And me,” Pyrrha said. “Count me in.”
“Okay!” Ruby said, leaping up from her bed. “Let’s do it!”
Sunset scowled. “None of you said ‘aye.’”