Spoiler: WOE EP4: Frozen x RWBY fanfic better than either properties
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Episode 4: Ruby and the Frozen Heart
We open on our brave heroes returning from the beanstalk... to discover that Edgewall, the town they'd been operating out of, has been stricken by the Wicked Slumber something fierce. The number of people asleep is nigh uncountable. This is uh... concerning. It also elicits conversation about what it actually means to be a hero, triggered by Ruby warning Kellan to avoid touching one of the spirally threads of magic wafting up from the sleepers.
The long and short of it, is that neither of our heroes really feel like one. Ruby doesn't think she's a hero at all, despite all she's done, because people like Kellan and Peter are the real heroes. There's an unstated feeling that she considers herself... unimportant, or cowardly in her pragmatism that invalidates herself as a hero. Kellan and Peter do what they do because it's the right thing to do, while she acts purely in self interest. Kellan meanwhile feels he hasn't properly become a hero yet- he can't use his swords, he doesn't know if he can fight even if he COULD, he doesn't feel like he's done much of anything. A hero, to him, is someone who always strives to help everyone the best they can and does no wrong, which he doesn't feel he meets the match of just yet. He hopes to, one day.
Peter, for his part, thinks they're just kids, and warns them as such. Imodane has been to the ice castle on the Loch Laurent, and according to her she couldn't manage more than fourty paces across the drawbridge, comparing it to being far worse than even surviving within the Wilds... and given she has fire magic, that's concerning. He is fully against them going to do this, unless they're fully and properly prepared and follow his rules. A big bear-fur cloak for Ruby, and the demand that if she loses feeling in her nose she is to return and let him do this, and a great wool coat/cloak for Kellan... which makes him groan as he recognizes it as wool from his home town, seemingly inescapable.
The next morning, before they go, however... they're treated to a gift.
All the kids left awake are gathered about outside, in front of a puppet show. A puppet show depicting a brave wool-coat wearing hero and his ruby-hooded partner, taking down the horrid witch Agatha. The crowd is full of people in similar coats and hoods- an equal mixture across gender lines too, which was a fun thing for the story to note. This fills Kellan's heart... but more so fills Ruby's, who sees this and is unquestionably made aware of the fact that she is an honest to gods Hero. It's enheartening, heart-warming... and something they'll need in the journey to come.
Said journey starts off okay enough. The cold is harsh but they can joke around about it. They even tease the idea of maybe Troyan, their beanstalk guide, popping out of a snowbank to encourage them to do more climbing. Kellan kinda hopes he does, he'd love to learn more about this Ravnica place he's from. Ruby thinks he was just lying though- it tricked the mirror well enough, but she's not fooled. After all, who the **** ever heard of a PAIN CIRCUS before??
However, as the march towards the ice castle (which is rather esoteric and incomplete in design, stairways leading to nowhere and stuff), the voice of Hylda, the Not-Elsa, carries towards them on the wind, warning them. Their age will not save them from the fate all who approach her suffer. And suffer they do, as the snowstorm grows stronger with each step... eventually culminating in two soldiers of ice appearing before them. When all hope is lost, Kellan begs for help from his dad... and the basket hilt swords come to life, and he makes short work of the ice-knights.
Only to then fall asleep exhausted after activating his shikai for the first time. Poor lad.
The rest of the story becomes Ruby's, as she carries the fragile little half-fae on her back. As she marches, Hyla bombards her with taunts... taunts that turn to questions, of why she carries such a weigh on her back, and why she's willing to sacrifice herself for others. Ruby has a response for each- that it is the right thing to do. She also returns a few barbs of her own, namely that Hylda, for someone so powerful... hasn't just outright killed her yet, despite how easy it would be. Which can only mean one thing; she's LONELY.
Hyla pushes her over with a gust of wind for that... but that's also ALL she does.
Eventually, Ruby reaches the drawbridge... and it is BRUTAL. Eventually she collapses, and has to crawl. She is certain she will die, but believes that if her warmth sticks with Kellan, when he awakes he'll be so close to the end, he'll be able to reach it. Just, a little... more.
Then she finds herself holding a hand, and passing out, as Hylda admits Ruby was right, makes the snow storm stop, and gives 'em both a little mwah on the forehead to bless them with protection against ice. Ruby then passes out.
When they both next awake, Hylda explains the situation. No she's not going to eat them- that's an Agatha thing, she's just like that- but her other sisters are also kinda, ****ty. She figures Eriette must be manipulating the Slumber some way to cause all the bad stuff happening, hunting for power. Her dead sister was going to eat some children of hers for immortality but she got pushed down a well and stabbed to death so it's fine. all Hylda wanted though was... to be left alone.
As it turns out, solitude has its down sides. The awkward, a-social way Hylda is depicted makes me want to give her the biggest hug, the poor girl.
Ruby is hesitant to believe any of this, but Kellan is chill about it. To prove it, Hylda gives them two rewards- her crown, proof of her 'defeat'. Ruby protests this, since she's still AROUND, she's not, defeated, she could still be evil, and Hylda contests that naw, she just won't be. It's fine. The second piece of information is something we the audience already knew- the Wicked Slumber was a joint operation, made by the three witches and the fae lords. Had it been just the four of the sisters, they could hve done it alone... but without the Kenrith's birth mother, they were doomed. Talion, meanwhile, couldn't do anything themself to stop this... but knew how to make bargains.
So together, the four caused the Wicked Slumber.
This... strikes Kellan HARD, the poor lad. This means Talion lied by omission. This means Talion could have been lying about other things. It could mean this is all some ruse on him. When they bring the crown to Talion... he confronts the so called Kindly Lord.
Talion, for their part, is very open about this. Yeah, they neglected to mention their own part in this curse, but who cares? Heroes want to be used, why should he care? Does a sword question whence the blood flows? And if you're so upset about it, are you going to do the objectively wrong thing and STOP saving the realm?
This... frustrates, poor Kellan. Talion just kinda smirks and figures their point has been made. They tell them the next and final witch is in Ardenvale ruins, good luck, please be quick about it, and when the fey court crumbles back to the melting remains of Hylda's castle, Kellan breaks down sobbing.
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