Hello, everyone! I would like to say a few things before we start, so bear with me for a minute. This fic is something that came to me about a week ago that I wasn't sure if I would write or not. In the end I decided to put it up and see how it goes. The geography I'm using of Remnant is partially from the maps on the wiki and the map Roman has on the wall in Volume One. But here's a quick rundown. Vale is on the eastern half of Vytal, to the north is the forest of Forever Fall, still infested with Grimm. To the east and south is the Emerald Forest. For the sake of this, the fighting will mostly occur in the east. As far as the south, Mountain Glen is the only place occupied by any forces, due to a direct connection to Vale. To the west is the harbor and the ocean, which has been blockaded by New Remnant. Vacuo is also on the Vytalian continent, the western side, to be specific. Atlas is on the continent to the north, Mistral is on a continent to the east, and Menagerie is an island in the south. Any questions? No? Good. Now, I am proud to present, Beacon's War!

P.S. I do not own RWBY. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.

Prologue

It was a time of peace. That was what they all said. And everyone believed it too, sleeping soundly at night, knowing that the Huntsmen and Huntresses would protect them from the coming storm. The Grimm War was, simply put, more of a formality than an actual conflict to these quiet citizens. None of them had ever come face to face with a creature of darkness. Then, the war became all too real. The White Fang had crashed a train into the heart of Vale, bringing hundreds of Grimm with it. While the Huntsmen and Huntresses had destroyed the majority of Grimm in the square, many had escaped into the city. Over the course of the following month, the citizens of Vale learned the true fear of dealing with Grimm, They no longer felt safe within the walls of the kingdom. And thus Phase One was, despite coming early, a success.

But Vytal was a thriving continent and would not be taken down so easily. The Vytal festival served to reunite the people, now reaffirmed in their security. They needed a reminder, then. Something to show that they were not clear of what threatened them. And so, the White Fang reminded them of fear.

It was in team RWBY's second year at Beacon when the bombings began. It was a bright day in August, when, all at once, ten separate explosions wracked the city of Vale. The students at Beacon watched in horror, as buildings began to fall. Combat schools, hospitals, the CCT tower, and City Hall were all burning. Then came the screaming. The cries of those trapped and those watching as the fire spread. Hunter teams were dispatched immediately alongside fire suppression teams to contain the damage, but it was too late. Vale was burning. All over the world, the capitals were breaking. A new banner arose over the White Fang. The were now New Remnant, a force to bring true rights and freedoms to the people of the world. Or, at least, these were the lies told by Cinder Fall, who had managed to secure the help of a kingdom to support her attacks. As the new flag rose over Vacuo, black smoke filled the sky. The War for Remnant had begun.

Two years later

General Jaune Arc strode through the halls of Beacon Academy. The high commander of Vale's military had called him back from Mountain Glen, and Jaune was not one to disobey his summons. No longer a scrawny teen, the twenty year old Huntsman was most certainly a sight to see. Still a gifted tactician, he had prospered under the continued tutelage of Pyrrha Nikos and the high commander himself. Jaune had become a formidable warrior. Gone were the hoodie and torn jeans, replaced now with a simple black shirt and combat pants. He still wore his white armor, even if it was a bit tarnished, and Crocea Mors still hung at his hip. His blue eyes now held a determination in them that few had seen, and they went well with the almost imperceptible frown he now wore.

He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor of Beacon's largest spire. Why did he call me in immediately after my return? I haven't even returned to my room yet. Hmm, I wonder if he has news. He more than likely wants to know from me personally about what happened back at Mountain Glen. All I want to do is rest. I wonder if Pyrrha's back, I haven't seen her in months. The doors opened and Jaune stepped into the large room. He approached the desk and stood at attention, saluting. "General Arc reporting as requested, sir."

High Commander Ozpin turned from the window and smiled at the young man. "Please, Mister Arc, you know how I feel about that."

The blond lowered his arm and relaxed. "I know, Professor, but it is the proper way to do things."

This elicited a chuckle from the man. "Since when have we ever gone about the 'proper' way to do things?"

Jaune nodded. "You have a point. Professor, not that I don't enjoy talking to you, or anything, but I really just want to rest. So if we can cut to the chase, that would be much appreciated."

The silver-haired man sat at his desk. "Of course. Please, take a seat. I have, of course, read the reports of what happened at Mountain Glen, but I would like to hear it from you."

"I assumed as much. Well, there's not much else to say than what's in the reports. New Remnant forces had been gathering just out of range of our defensive turrets for two weeks. We had tried to send out strike groups, but they were always prepared and we had to retreat over and over again. I was very nearly ready to call for the evacuation of the city, just so we wouldn't lose anyone. Then, two days ago, something amazing happened."

"The Goliaths."

The general nodded. "Yes, sir, the Goliaths. They just appeared overnight. I assume they were attracted to the hate emanating from the other side. I had woken to the sounds of gunfire, and I feared the worst. I ran to the observation platform just in time to see the Grimm attack the camp. I've never actually felt bad for the New Remnant soldiers before. Fortunately, once the Goliaths were finished with the camp, they moved on. I don't think we could've stopped them. At least the threat for Mountain Glen was dealt with. I assume that's part of the reason you called me back."

"Indeed, Mister Arc. Who, may I ask, did you leave in command of the forces when you left?"

"Commander Winchester."

Ozpin sent him a look. "Are you sure that's wise?"

Jaune returned his look with ease. "Yes, sir. Cardin has worked hard to prove himself to us. Despite the things that happened before the war, he is a valuable asset. The loss of Dove Bronzewing has cemented him, and the rest of his team, in the reality that New Remnant is the enemy. I believe he will fight for us in the end."

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, a small smile on his face. "I see. I trust your judgement, Mister Arc, I hope it is not misguided."

"Sir, I'm sure you had something more important than a report in mind when you called me here."

"I do. Ironwood, sent us a message. It cost the lives of five men to get this to us. I miss the days that the CCT was functioning, when these sacrifices weren't necessary. I thought you should see what he had to say."

Ozpin activated a holoscreen on the desk, and an image of High Commander James Ironwood appeared. From the looks of it, he was aboard the bridge of an airship. "Oz, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we still can't send any reinforcements. If I had known that they would cut you off so effectively, I would never have taken those Hunter teams from you. As for them, team CFVY is doing excellent, they are leading the other teams in regular strikes." He shook his head. "To be honest, Oz, I'm not sure they're really making a difference. New Remnant forces seem to get larger every day, no matter how much we throw at them, I've been forced to pull out of Menagerie, and we are currently trying to stave off nearly constant attacks on Atlas. Mistral has not contacted us in nearly five months, and none of my communiques have been responded to. I can only assume that they have fallen. As for Vacuo, the kingdom is far too well defended for a land attack to be of any effect. I've lost more than two thousand drones against their walls. I am afraid I can no longer afford the resources to attempt to break the naval blockade around your ports. I'm sorry, you're on your own." The image rocked. "Shit, New Remnant's attacking, I have to go. Be safe Oz, see you around."

Jaune sighed as the image cleared. "That's… not good."

Ozpin nodded. "Have you read the reports from the Emerald Forest?"

"Yeah, without those reinforcements there's no hope of holding the line. Not even Mountain Glen will matter if we lose the forest. And we can't afford to send anyone from Forever Fall, the Grimm are just too damn aggressive."

"Mister Arc, in your opinion, how is the war going?"

Jaune looked at Ozpin. Had this been any of the men under his command, he would've launched into some kind of inspirational speech about determination and success. But Ozpin wouldn't want to hear it, so he sighed and answered, "Sir, in my opinion, we are losing this war. With the blockade at the ports and the enemy in the forest, we're running low on supplies. Our soldiers are mostly frightened citizens and trainees. If we don't do something soon, Vale will fall, and all of this, all of the sacrifices, will be meaningless."

"Then I imagine you understand why I brought you back."

Jaune nodded slowly, "You want me to go to the forest."

The high commander simply hummed in agreement. "I'm sending you, Commander Nikos, and Lieutenant Rose out there tomorrow. You will meet up with General Schnee and Commander Belladonna. I've held all of you back here for far too long. In order to hold the line, we are going to have to pull out all the stops. You're a good leader, Mister Arc, so I'm putting you in joint command of the forward post, much to the chagrin of Miss Schnee, hopefully you two will be able to coordinate the effort together."

The general laughed. "I can imagine she was more than a little miffed," His expression darkened. "Are you sure about Ruby? I mean, after what happened at the hunting camp…"

"We discussed it in length," Ozpin said. "and I believe that she is capable of handling herself in the conflict. I wish that I could preserve her innocence in this war, but I'm afraid there's no more room for it. She said that she can handle it, and I trust her."

"Alright, then. so we head out tomorrow?"

"Yes, a Bullhead will pick you up at ten."

Jaune nodded. "Okay, we'll be ready. Who's the pilot?"

Ozpin smiled. "I'll let that be a surprise. I'm sure you want to shower and sleep, so you're dismissed."

The blond stood and saluted again. "Yes, sir."

Ozpin shook his head. "Please, Arc leave it be."

Jaune smiled sheepishly. "Yes, si- I mean, yes, Professor." He turned and began walking out of the room.

"Mister Arc." Jaune stopped and turned. "Have I ever told you, that Miss Goodwitch and I knew that you had forged your transcripts all those years ago?" The blond shook his head. "She said I was making a terrible mistake, that you would inevitably die during initiation. I told her that you had drive, that you were stronger than you even knew. She refused to back down, repeatedly telling me I was making a mistake for putting my faith in you." Ozpin smiled. "I'm proud to say, Jaune, that I did not make a mistake."

Jaune stared at the man's genuine smile in wonder. "Thank you, sir. That… that means a lot." He turned and left the office, smiling to himself all the while.

Walking back to team JNPR's old dorm room, Jaune was hit with a heavy feeling of nostalgia. For two years this had been a safe place, a place where he learned and grew. He met friends and made connections to last a lifetime. He subconsciously smiled as he remembered the fun times he had been through. That's what we're fighting for, He thought to himself. For all of those memories, so that we can have them again. He lifted his scroll up to the lock on the door, and walked in.

The room was quiet, he looked around to find that not much had changed since he was last here. Ren's bed was made neatly, and the box that he kept Storm Flower in was open on his nightstand. He must be out training, Nora's probably with him. He looked over to see her bed in shambles. He had been surprised to hear that they were back at Beacon. Last he had heard they were deployed out to Forever Fall to deal with the Grimm threat. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were a powerful team, one of the few that could work alone out in the forest. The two of them respectively had the highest Grimm kill counts of any Huntsman or Huntress in fifty years.

Jaune turned to his own bed, almost drooling at the thought of sleeping in it. The accommodations at Mountain Glen had been mediocre at best. Not that he had complained, comfort wasn't really necessary when you were up eighteen hours a day worrying about the troops amassing just outside your door. Jaune was removing his armor when the bathroom door opened and his partner stepped out.

"Jaune?!"

He smiled. "Hey Pyr, I'm back!."

Pyrrha's smile lit up the room as walked forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're here! I'm so happy you're safe! Ozpin said you were coming, but I wasn't sure if you'd make it."

"Pyrrha, it's going to take more than a few Grimm and some hapless soldiers to kill me."

She chuckled lightly. "Of course, but you know very well that I always worry about everyone., you mostly, but everyone."

They pulled away from each other as Jaune said, "Well, I'm back now, and I don't think we'll be separated any time soon."

"I'm happy to hear it. Did you talk to Ozpin yet?"

"Yeah," the blond said,moving to the window. "The Emerald Forest. It's been more than six months since I've been in a real fight. Of course, my assignments haven't necessarily been peaceful affairs, but I haven't seen real conflict since the battle at the ancient temple."

Pyrrha shuddered at the memory. That particular battle had been one of the worst of the war. Many of the first year students had to participate simply because the older ones were deployed to other areas and could not be called back in time. At the end of it all the Hunters had won, but the cost was too much. So many students killed, if it hadn't been for Ozpin, no one would've survived.

"How long do you think we'll be out there?" she asked.

Jaune shrugged. "I honestly don't know. If we're going to turn the tides of this war, it's going to be a long while." He sat down on his bed. "I'm worried, Pyrrha. We know that Cinder has been concentrating her forces on taking Vale. If she has all of Vytal, then it'll only be a matter of time until the rest of Remnant falls. Mistral has already fallen, at least, that's the assumption, considering the lack of contact."

"Maybe they haven't. It's difficult to get messages anywhere on Remnant these days. The Mistralis are a tough people, I should know. I've fought enough of them in my years on the tournament circuit."

"I hope you're right, Pyrrha, I really do."

The crimson-haired girl smiled softly. "Jaune, there's no use in worrying about this right now. You've just come back from a rough few months, and you deserve to rest. So go take a shower and get some sleep."

Jaune sighed. "I will, but I want to go talk to Ruby first. I need to make sure she's alright with this."

"Alright, go take care of it. I'll be here when you get back."

Jaune moved to leave the room when Pyrrha spoke again. "Jaune, I missed you, a lot. I'm glad you're home."

He smiled. "Me too, Pyr. I'll be back soon, don't wait up."

Jaune stepped out of the room and across the hall to knock on team RWBY's door.

"Come in!" a female voice called from the other side.

He opened the door, "Hey, Ruby. Just wanted to see- woah!" Jaune found himself struggling to stand beneath the hugging onslaught that he was being subjected to.

Ruby Rose was still an excitable ball of energy, and it always surprised the blond how strong she was. Supposedly it came from swinging around a massive scythe all day long. However, whenever she was hugging someone, that strength, much like her sister's, increased tenfold.

"Jaune! You're back!" she almost yelled as she almost squeezed the aura right out of Jaune.

"Ugh, yes Ruby. I missed you too. Can't. Breathe."

The brunette released him from her death grip and stepped back. "Sorry, Jaune! I just haven't seen you in so long. How have you been? What've you been doing?"

He laughed. "Well, I've been out in Mountain Glen, so you can guess how I've been. But don't worry about it. I'm more concerned about you."

Ruby eyes cast downwards. "You heard what happened?" Jaune nodded. "It wasn't much, I was at the forward hunting camp in Forever Fall. Ren, Nora, and I had just come back from a Deathstalker nest, when we were attacked by the White Fang."

The general was shocked. "The White Fang? I thought they were absorbed into New Remnant."

"Me too," Ruby said, shrugging. "But they were wearing the white tunics and Grimm masks. And all of them were clearly faunus. I don't know if they were a radical cell that refused to join, but they were certainly spouting that old White Fang propaganda. You know, 'We'll take back what you stole!' or 'Humans are not the masters of our fate!'"

"So what did you do?"

"They had us pretty much surrounded, there were ten of us and about fifty of them. I tried to talk with them, tried to tell them that we weren't the enemy. I told them we as Hunters had faunus in our ranks, but they didn't care. Then I heard someone cry out, and I turned and saw Jason Rouge with a crossbow bolt through his heart. He was one of the newest recruits we had. Dumbass didn't even have his aura up." Ruby's eyes misted over for a second, then her expression steeled. "I watched him fall, and I don't know what came over me. I was just so angry. Angry at the war, the White Fang, the Grimm. But most of all, I was angry because it didn't have to happen. His death was so, so pointless. We easily could have disarmed all of them without any bloodshed, but they struck first. It was my mistake, I should've just attacked them."

"Ruby," Jaune spoke softly. "You did the right thing. You tried diplomacy, it didn't work, but you tried. No one can fault you for that."

She scoffed. "Yeah, well what happened next is definitely all on me then. I gave the order to attack. By the end of it all, we had eight prisoners. All the rest were dead." Ruby shuddered for a moment before adding quietly, "I wasn't the one who captured them, Jaune."

The blond took a breath before asking the important question. "How many?"

Ruby was silent for over a minute, then, "Fifteen. I killed fifteen people."

Jaune couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness as he heard her admission. He had also killed, such was inevitable in war. In his first major battle he had been responsible for more than thirty deaths on his own. Jaune had long since lost track of the total number, but he knew that he had killed more people than Grimm in his time, and it still unsettled him. He knew that Ruby had never killed anyone before. Because of her own circumstances she held all life, human or otherwise, to be sacred. This is why she had requested to fight the Grimm, and why Ozpin had allowed it without a second thought.

"Ruby, I… I don't know what to-"

"I can still see them," she interrupted. "At night, I can still see all of them. Is that normal?"

The blond wished he had any other answer. "Yes, yes it is. You'll see them for a while, Ruby. I wish it wasn't like that, but it is."

"Do you still see yours?"

Truth be told, Jaune had stopped seeing the faces of those he had killed a long time ago. It had just become too much, there were too many faces. "No, I don't. But it took time to get there. You will too, just, don't lose yourself on the way there. It's a dark road."

"Who am I then? I heard some people calling me 'The Reaper' after it happened. I guess it's an apt description, but is that who I really am, someone who sends souls to their end?"

Jaune's expression hardened. "No, Ruby. You are not that. You are many things, but never that. I know you, you're happy, fun-loving, easy going, and strong. You see the best in others when they can't see it in themselves, and you lead them to it. You don't end souls, you save them. Those people, they made their decision. They wanted to fight, to potentially die, for what they thought was right. We are doing nothing more than that ourselves. You are not a bad person, and neither were they. It may not make it easier, but it is important that you understand."

Silence filled the room as Ruby took all of this in. It was rough, Jaune understood that. This is war, but to say that they were the good guys and the New Remnant soldiers were bad guys was fundamentally wrong. They were fighting for their own reasons just as New Remnant's army was. Granted, the side they were fighting on probably had the best interests of the people in mind, but everyone thought that way. Right and wrong are important off of the battlefield, but on it, you were just one person fighting another person because bigger people said you had to. Jaune didn't want to hurt these soldiers, he wanted to hurt their leaders.

The brunette finally spoke up. "I think I understand. I just don't like it is all. The whole thing, the fight, the nickname, any of it."

The blond smiled softly. "Yeah, I know. I can't help much with the fight, but as far as the nickname goes, I think you should stick with it." Ruby sent him a look. "Well, first of all, it's terrifying. No enemy wants to willingly engage someone knows as 'The Reaper'. And I know you have the skills to back it up. I've seen you take down Grimm five times your size. Heck, I've seen you beat Pyrrha in a sparring match! Secondly, people are going to call you that no matter what you do. It's just your look, the cape and hood with the massive scythe, especially since you stopped wearing combat skirts. I'd say it's just better to own it, so that way you can control it."

Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think I get what you're saying, but how do I do that? Control it, I mean."

"You have to look at it like this, that nickname was given to you partially out of fear, and partially out of respect. So, you take the fear, and push it away from your allies, and towards your enemies. 'The Reaper' is a name meant to create fear, fear of death, in this case. You don't want your friends and your allies to be afraid of death from you, so you adopt another version of 'The Reaper' for them. This is the kind version, the one that doesn't take souls, but leads them home. The one that gives them strength and courage. You want them to want to have 'The Reaper' on their side. The best part is, you don't even have to work all that hard to make it happen! People know you, Ruby. People like you, and they trust you to lead them. So just accept the name, own it, and turn it into something you're proud of."

She looked up at him with an inquisitive glare. "How do you know all this?"

Jaune chuckled. "Ruby, do you know what my nickname is?" She shook her head. "I am known as 'The Pale Knight'. Sounds cool, but the origin of it is far from happy. I got that name in the first battle of Mountain Glen, a year and a half ago. That was my first conflict on any major scale. There were about two hundred on each side, and Oobleck was wounded in first few minutes and had to be carried away from the battlefield. We were in complete disarray, fighting separate battles and losing ground minute by minute. So I took charge. I fought my way through and manage to collect a few soldiers to fight alongside me, and together we were able to collect more men. I couldn't save everyone, but I was able to rally the troops and lead the final charge that broke their ranks and won the battle. The cost, though, was a lot. I personally killed thirty five enemy soldiers in that battle. The most of anyone fighting. They called me 'The Pale Knight' because of my armor and skin tone in the fading daylight. They said that while everything else burned orange with sunset, I was colorless. Just a white figure cutting through enemy after enemy. It really bothered me that people saw me like that. But after talking to Ozpin, I learned that I could control the fear. I could turn it around, and so I did. I'm proud of my name, because it brings hope and courage to the people I lead."

The Reaper looked into the eyes of The Pale Knight and smiled. "Thanks, Jaune. That helps, that really helps."

He ruffled her hair. "Good to hear it. Now, get some rest, we have a mission tomorrow."

Ruby straightened up and saluted smartly. "Yes, sir!"

Jaune laughed as he left for his room, finally feeling a little more confident of what tomorrow might bring.

Okay, whew! That was a thing. Please don't crucify me! I hope you enjoyed. As always, follows are appreciated. But one thing I would like to see is reviews. I'm not going to hold chapters hostage for them or anything like that, but I would really like some feedback. Only one reader has regularly given me feedback on my other story. So please, drop a line. I'll also be happy to answer any questions you may have, except spoilers. As always, This one's for Monty.