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Of all the princes or princesses Winter could have found, Ruby was...kind of a catch.  She was beautiful, cute, and had a way about her that shone brighter than anyone else in the room.  People noticed her in a way that they’d never noticed Weiss, which was both amazing and vaguely frustrating at the same time.  

Without trying, she commanded attention.  Not only that, but people liked her.  Genuinely liked her.  The way she conducted herself, with consideration and honesty, garnered respect from everyone she met.  From there, it wasn’t much of a leap to imagine what she would be capable of as a leader, because she was already a leader.  

Even Whitley, who was as patronizing as someone could be, had noticed and acknowledged Ruby’s strengths.  Unfortunately, that meant he’d doubled his efforts to smear Weiss’ image and put himself on a pedestal.  He knew what this was - a competition, not just for Ruby’s hand in marriage, but for the throne of Atlas.  And he meant to win, which meant he wanted Ruby for himself.

That last thought infuriated Weiss to no end, especially when she believed he was losing.  At least, she hoped he was losing, but some days she couldn’t tell.  In the moments when his true nature slipped through, Ruby hardly batted an eye.  If she noticed his tantrums or the dismissive tone he used with those he believed to be beneath him, which was everyone, she did an excellent job of hiding it.

Maybe she just didn’t want to rock the boat.  She was new here, and Whitley was the Prince of Atlas.  He could make her life miserable if he wanted to, and she was undoubtedly smart enough to realize that.  

Regardless of the reason, Weiss wished that Ruby wouldn’t spend quite as much time with him.  Or, more realistically, she wished that he wouldn’t demand so much of Ruby’s attention.  She wanted to spend time with Ruby - alone, so they could actually hold a conversation and get to know each other better - but often she settled for spending time with them both.  

While Ruby was a joy to be around, Whitley was grating in a way that made Weiss want to stand up and leave.  But she couldn’t.  She had to deal with him, if only for Ruby.

“You cheated.” 

Looking up from her book, Weiss narrowed her eyes at her brother, who made the accusation without considering who he spoke to.  

“I didn’t,” Ruby replied with a light laugh, although it sounded like there were some nerves in that laughter.  “You left your queen open and didn’t notice my rook.”

“That’s impossible.”  Whitley was angry now, as his status of ‘undefeatable chess master’ took a giant blow.  “No one beats me at chess.” 

Evidence pointed to the contrary, but Weiss lowered the book in her hands and waited for Ruby’s response.  Would she bend to his brewing anger?  Would she concede and pretend that he won like everyone else in the castle did?  Or would she stand up for herself?  Weiss hoped for the latter, especially when he essentially just called Ruby a liar.

After several tense seconds, Ruby smiled, reached across the table, and tipped over his king.  

“Next time, you can move your bishop to block.” 

Whitley probably didn’t hear the advice, as he was too busy stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind him.  Once silence returned to the room, Weiss shook her head.

“Well, that’s one way to get rid of him.”  Closing her book and leaving it on the table, she walked over and looked at the chessboard.  “Who taught you to play?” she asked while mapping out the moves that led them to this place. 

“A lot of people.  My sister played with me until I got ‘too good,’ then my uncle and I played a lot.  When he was busy, I’d play against myself.”

A private tutor taught Whitley how to play, so the fact that Ruby won by effectively teaching herself was doubly impressive.  When Weiss turned to the side to say so, however, she realized how close they were right now, with hardly more than a breath between them.

With gorgeous silver eyes and a small smile, Ruby held Weiss’ gaze without hesitation.  There might even be some curiosity in those eyes - curiosity as to what Weiss would do next.

And she felt extraordinarily generous in that moment.  Maybe because Ruby just pissed Whitley off.  Maybe because Ruby just proved, yet again, what an accomplished princess she was.  Maybe because Weiss just felt like it, for whatever reason.  So, after a second of hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of Ruby’s nose.

Though the moment was short and fleeting, it filled her heart with butterflies.  And, when she leaned away, she found silver eyes searching hers intently, as if looking for an answer to some unspoken question.

She didn’t know what the question was, otherwise she might have answered it.  Instead, she smiled and tried not to dwell too much on the warmth and appeal emanating from Ruby right now.

“Thank you for putting him in his place,” she whispered before taking Whitley’s recently-vacated seat.  “But I think you’ll find your next opponent a little more difficult,” she added while setting up the board and willing her blush away.  

“Is she ornery and beautiful?”

By the time Weiss looked up - her thoughts filled with surprise - Ruby was focused on the chess pieces and refused to meet her gaze.  Beautiful, though.  Ruby just called her beautiful.  Ruby thought she was beautiful?

But also - 

“Ornery?” she asked as if she’d never been called such a term before.  “What makes you say that?” 

Fortunately, Ruby caught on to the joke and laughed, and her laughter made Weiss smile.  She knew she could be ornery, but she often thought she had good reason to be.  Whether dealing with Whitley, her father, or archaic customs that loved nothing more than to place restrictions on her, she had many, many reasons to be ornery.  Beautiful, though...

“Observation, maybe,” Ruby replied with a shrug and smile.  “You can learn a lot about a person if you watch them long enough.” 

This time it was Weiss who shied away from Ruby’s gaze, and cleared her throat but said nothing while nudging her rook to the center of its square.  Ruby had that look again - the one she couldn’t place but still gave her butterflies.  The one that was alternatively too strong yet made her crave more and more.

“Does that mean you’ve been watching me?” she asked the chessboard rather than Ruby.  

“Yes.”

She should have expected an honest answer - Ruby was nothing if not honest - but why did it make her feel so...uncertain? 

“And?” she eventually asked, feeling her breath catch in her throat while waiting for an answer.

“And what?” Ruby asked, although the smile pulling at her lips implied that she understood the question.  She just wanted to see if Weiss was daring enough to express it in full.

Now that they’d broached the topic, Weiss had to know, which meant she had to swallow her uncertainty and ask.

“And...what have you learned about me?”

“That you can be ornery,” Ruby answered while casually righting one of her pawns and returning it to the board.  “And beautiful,” she added as another pawn slid into place.  “But you’re also...different.”

Weiss flinched at the term, which had haunted her for her entire life.  In a life of royalty, ‘different’ wasn’t a good thing.  Different meant she didn’t conform to what her father wanted.  Different meant she never did as expected.  Different meant that fundamentally, deep down, she didn’t belong.  

“It’s not a bad thing.” 

Pulled from those thoughts, Weiss looked across the table at Ruby, who smiled back at her.  Not a forced smile, not a pitying smile, but a real, honest-to-goodness smile.  And, for the first time in her life, she didn’t mind being called different.  If it earned her that smile, then...maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.  

“I hope not,” she mumbled towards her pieces.  The desire to learn more swelled in her chest, but she didn’t have the courage to pursue the conversation any further.  “Would you like to go first?” she asked instead, only to feel a strange happiness in her heart when Ruby’s smile grew.

“Giving me an advantage?” Ruby asked while resituating in her chair.  “Are you sure you want to do that?” 

“I wouldn’t be too overconfident if I were you.”

“Whitley just claimed that no one has ever beaten him - wouldn’t that include you?”

Ruby was smart, beautiful, and capable, but she still had a lot to learn about the palace, and Whitley in particular.  Determined to help her along, at least in this regard, Weiss leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper.

“You assume I’ve ever had an interest in playing him.” 

When Weiss sat back in her chair, Ruby blinked in surprise.  That expression didn’t last for long though, as a slow smile grew, then a light laugh slipped out.

“A new challenger appears,” she said to herself before giving Weiss a thoughtful, excited look that made her heart cartwheel in her chest.  “And I love a challenge.”

Weiss loved a good challenge too but didn’t say as much while Ruby looked at the board and planned her first move.  The concentrated furrow of her brow and her slightly pursed lips made her even cuter than before, and Weiss couldn’t help feeling excited in return.  

Maybe she would let Ruby win because she wanted Ruby to be happy.  Or maybe she would try her best and see how good Ruby was.  She had a sneaky suspicion that Ruby was better than she let on.  Then again...she seemed to go out of her way to surprise Weiss in the best of ways - why would this be any different?

After coming to a conclusion, Ruby moved a pawn forward and met Weiss’ gaze with a small smile still in place.  In that moment, faced with that warm smile, Weiss realized that she didn’t care about the outcome.  Win or lose, she was just happy to spend this time together.  

When she looked at the board to consider her options, however, she couldn’t escape the feeling that it was still Ruby’s turn.  She was doing everything Winter asked of her - including the casual affection expected of her - but Ruby had yet to respond.  Maybe she didn’t see Weiss in that way?  Maybe she didn’t view Weiss as a romantic option?

That was a disappointing thought, and one that made her wish Ruby would offer a bit of assurance or security that this attempt at romance wasn’t going to waste.  The last thing she wanted was to continue the one-sided affection if Ruby didn’t even enjoy it…

That was an even more disappointing thought - one that Weiss refused to dwell upon right now.  Instead, she pushed a pawn forward and looked up, only to catch Ruby staring at her rather than following the game.  The look alone was enough to make her excited and hopeful, but in the absence of any certainty...she didn’t know what to think.

So she cleared her throat, tried not to blush when she saw the pink on Ruby’s cheeks, and said a soft, “Your move.”  Hopefully, Ruby understood that she meant in more ways than just this game of chess.

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