RWBY Through Worlds (End)

BC47: New (Flower Power, Arkos, and Cinder--2)

After a pause, Cinder said, "Aren't you going to say anything about what I did?"

"What do I need to say? You told it pretty well." Royal gave her an odd look.

"There it is again." Cinder sat back. She'd finally gone from just freaking out to having more of a wry and yet annoyed attitude about it. "I just don't get it. Any normal person would be disgusted."

"Are you?"

That hit right between the eyes.

"I--well, if I was normal, I would be," Cinder said. "I...I don't know."

"Sounds like it," Royal observed. "Sounds like you always knew it was wrong. But that didn't stop you."

"I was off in the head even as a kid," Cinder said. "What child is willing to do things like that?"

"I'm not so sure it's that unusual, actually. Kids don't handle injustice so well," Royal mused. "It's usually teens who are the worst punk vandals and who join those rioting groups, the White Fang in part. I think older people are a little more cautious. And didn't Mercury...well, with his dad?"

"Marcus Black had that coming," Cinder said. "He was a monster."

"I'm not arguing," Royal said. "I'd say he deserved to die, just that it's messed up for family--still, someone had to. I can't even say if I think it's murder when it's someone who deserved it that much--and let's be real, we all were thinking he probably started the fight."

"I've suspected as much, but it's not something I cared to ask," Cinder said.

"I wouldn't ask either," Royal said. "As for your...uh...mistress and her kids...I'm not going to say I think revenge is a good thing...but, over years, I'm not sure anyone wouldn't have snapped. I know I would have."

"To that point?" Cinder was skeptical.

"I don't know." Royal lowered his voice. "To be honest, Cinder, I've wondered what we're all really capable of. I don't think I've ever hated anyone enough to want that, but if I did? I can't say I had a really huge moral compass when I was that age. I was also probably a pretty selfish kid, just didn't have anyone to compare myself too. I'm not sure I've been tested that much, actually...and you saw, with Watts, it's not like it's not...tempting to resort to violence. So I don't know. Maybe I'd have done that.... I've never been treated that way long enough to hit a breaking point. But I saw what that pressure did to people like Ironwood, people who did know better...so, who's to say?"

Cinder was stunned.

"Also people who torture kids deserve hell. Even your super forgiving mentors admitted that," Royal said. "If they were there, do you think they would have taken a stick to those women?"

"I'm sure Shine would have," Cinder said. "But not killed them."

"Good, they can control themselves," Royal said. "But even good people have a hard time when people are cruel, not retaliating. It can't be easy. If I saw it now, I think I'd get pretty angry. What would you do?"

"If I saw someone hurting a child, you mean?" Cinder asked.

"Sure."

Cinder had to try to think of it.

"I suppose I would do something," she said. "I don't know if I would kill them now. But they might wish I did." With an odd look that was either smugness or just determination.

"See, that right there, I'm not sure that's such a bad instinct," Royal said. "If more people had it, less people would be at the mercy of cruel tyrants. And...what if you'd just left? Wouldn't they have found someone else? I don't mean I think murder is all right--I think that huntsman should have done something else. Just leaving doesn't fix anything. They're still doing evil.... That's why I think you shouldn't just let evil people walk away. But there are good reasons to stop them, and there are bad ones. I'm not an expert on either, but I know there's a difference between revenge and justice."