The mid winter's snow fell heavily on the mountain path, painting the world in white. The wind screamed and threatened to tear apart anything, man or beast. In a small cave on the edge of the treacherous pass, a small group of eight were surrounding a weak, flickering fire, taking shelter from the violent storm that raged outside. They were in the midst of a long pilgrimage, cursed and forced away from their home for their loyalty to the blonde warrior who led the party. She stood as tall as any normal man, and had the strength of a thousand. While most warriors fought with swords or spears, she fought almost exclusively with bladed gauntlets, battered and scratched from battle, but still glinting proudly in the dim light. She didn't wear a cape like the rest of her followers. As a matter of fact, she dressed as though it was the height of summer, and simply used her own internal strength to keep her warm instead of depending on the fire like the rest of her friends.

Her name was Yang Xiao Long, and she was the true heir to the throne of Remnant.

She stood guard at the cave's entrance. Though it was unlikely anyone would be tracking her during the storm, she wasn't taking any chances. She was mislabelled an enemy of the kingdom, and had been hunted ever since. She didn't care much for her own fate, but she wasn't about to let her friends die on her behalf. As the small band slept around a small fire, the youngest of the group – a small girl of fifteen called Ruby - found struggled restlessly in her sleep. While the majority of the party were battle hardened veterans, or lived long enough to brave many winters, she had always survived the harshest winters from the sheltered confines of castle keeps. In fact, she spent the majority of her life locked away in safety, though back then, she had longed to go out and see the world and all it had to offer. However, a well protected home was a luxury that she lost when she swore to stand by Yang, no matter what.

Being her beloved half sister and best friend, she felt it was her duty to be there for her, even at the cost of a comfy bed.

Yang turned and noticed the little one shivering uncontrollably, making her heart drop slightly. Though she was given the majority of the skins and blankets the group had, Ruby was still clearly suffering from the cold. Yang loved every one of the men and women who had sworn their lives to follow her against all odds, but her younger sister held a special place in her heart. Even when their parents were alive and the pair had seen better days, Yang had made a promise to herself to look after her sister, now more than ever since she was the only remaining family she had left. Without a second of hesitation, she abandoned her guard duty and crouched by her sister, wrapping her up in her protective embrace. The sudden change in positon stirred Ruby from her light sleep

"Yang-"

"Shhh, just let me do this,"

Shifting so that they both were more comfortable, Yang used her semblance and heated herself to a temperature that would've warmed Ruby quickly but comfortably. Yang would've went as hot as she could go, but that would have risked burning Ruby, so she heated her core slowly, testing Ruby's reaction. Feeling her little sister finally relax and shiver less, she smiled softly and kissed the top of her sister's scalp.

"Better?"

Ruby looked up at her sister, amethyst eyes meeting platinum. She smiled softly, and give a single nod of her head.

"Better,"

A third set of eyes flickered open and noticed the display of affection, and while he was slightly envious of the fact that Ruby had her own personal source of heat, he decided to use this to lighten the mood slightly.

"Can we have some of those skins if you're comfy enough? Or you got cuddles for all us, Yang?" It seemed to work as Ruby chuckled softly and his fearless leader rolled her eyes at him but smiled anyway.

"Sorry, Jaune, only cuddles for this one," However, she quickly tossed the skins and blankets to each and every one of her sleeping followers, saving Jaune for last. She finally threw him a large bear skin, and though the black fur almost engulfed him at first, his head popped out from underneath it and he flashed her a quick thumbs up before trying to finding a spot he could be comfortable in on the rocky floor. Yang smiled at the young man. Though he was a barely experienced solider and at times could be an idiot, Yang appreciated the boy for standing by her when not many would. She looked around the cavern, thinking about her comrades who condemned themselves to being outcasts because of her.

The first of her companions she noticed was Pyrhha Nikos, a general who served under Yang's father. She was a brilliant strategist and nigh unbeatable in combat. Yang and Pyrhha were roughly the same age and had spent the majority of their lives together. Though their personalities seemed to differ vastly, the auburn haired woman and blonde haired brawler had always been the best of friends. Currently, she lay next to Jaune, besides various pieces of her armour, all set up in a neat pile and settled down, snuggled in with the blonde. Yang smirked at the sight.

The second was Nora Valkyrie. If there was anyone who could rival Yang based on brute strength alone, it was her spunky ginger friend. She too served under her father and grew up alongside Yang. However, while Pyrhha was famous for being an intelligent and calculating warrior, Nora was known throughout the land for her strength and brutality. Nora never lost a battle. However, that wasn't to say she was psychotic. When it came to war, she was merely a solider who followed orders. When it came to the matter of friends and allies, she was a loving and caring human, fiercely loyal to anybody who showed her even an ounce of kindness.

She was fidgeting and moving as she laid next the next of Yang's companions, Lie Ren. At first glance, people would assume Nora and Ren were lovers. If anyone knew them on a personal basis, they would actually know they were the best of friends. Both scenarios seemed confusing to everyone though, as Nora and Lie couldn't have been more different. While Nora was loud and bombastic, Ren was quiet and methodical. While Nora made her living off war, Ren earned his keep by ending wars before they had even begun. He was an assassin and a personal bodyguard to Taiyang, Yang's father. Nobody – save the people close to him – knew about him being an assassin. Though he had no reputation throughout the land, people deep within the Vale's military recognized him as one of the most lethal humans alive.

The final two were wrapped up in each other's arms, under multiple deer skins. The first was a young woman, Blake Belladonna. She slept with her cloak on and only a single deer skin, hiding her jet black hair, cat ears and pale skin. Much like Ren, she too was an assassin, but instead of carrying out missions essential for the kingdom's survival, she only had one purpose in life: defend Yang at all costs. But that wasn't to say that their relationship was strictly professional. As soon as Blake was tasked with Yang's protection, the blonde brawler found it quick and easy to befriend the usually shy girl.

Her companion on the other hand was a different story. With hair as white as snow, and her skin nearly the same shade as Blake's, she was also one of Yang's bodyguards. A "gift" from one of the royal families closest to the Xiao Longs. It took almost a year of patience and kindness for Yang to break through the girl's hard emotional shield, but it was worth all the time and energy. Despite butting heads occasionally, Weiss and Yang were as close as friends could possibly get. Blake found it a lot more easier to get through to the girl. In the same time that it took Yang to get Weiss' friendship, it took Blake the same amount of time to get Weiss' love and affection. When news fled through the kingdom that Princess' Yang's bodyguards, the majority didn't care, but the smaller minority thought it "unprofessional" and even smaller minority laughed at the idea of the youngest Schnee daughter and a faunus sharing the same bed. However, Yang didn't care for them. They were still her friends and she loved them dearly.

Turning away from her resting friends, she looked back out towards the mouth of the cave, slipping deeper into thought. This was not the life she wanted for her friends. This was not the life she wanted for Ruby. And Yang certainly didn't picture herself being in this situation. But all thanks to the betrayal of one man close to her family, here they were.

But it wouldn't last forever.

Ever since her exile, Yang had been plotting on to retake her family's home and reclaim her place on the throne. The plan sounded simple in theory: recruit the help of the surrounding clans. However, in practice, it was easier said than done. Some of the clans were hostile towards the Xiao Long family, and convincing them to fight for her cause would be a monumental task. Even the clans friendly to the Xiao Longs would take some amount of persuasion to risk their lives for her. And even once that was done, it was going to be another trial altogether to train multiple clans into one giant army. The whole thing would take months at minimum, but more realistically taking years and even decades.

But Yang had faith. It would be done.

If it was the last thing she did.

(Notes: And let it be known that a fanfiction writer somewhere in the cold tundras of Scotlandgot fed up with studying, and thus, a new story was born! *insert epic music*. Ok, so this was a random little idea I have been thinking up for a while, and I decided to take a little break from my shiter of a course to work on some writing. I didn't exactly know how to write this chapter, and this is what I finally settled with. I know it isn't brilliant, but I hope the upcoming story will be better. Let me know what you think! Take care guys, and ADIOS!)