Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.

Now here is the next chapter so enjoy...

Chapter Twenty-One

Ozpin walked with Glynda by his side. The two made their way through the courtyard of Beacon leaving Weiss behind with the horses. It made him wonder exactly what had changed for Qrow to return this quickly. Qrow usually go months without contacting them, but if the situation has changed, then it made him think about the situation in the Frozen North…but what could have changed? Ozpin didn't know but if Qrow was here…then he would know quickly.

"How long has Qrow been here?" he asked Glynda as they approached his office.

"Two nights ago, he arrived," Glynda answered him, "He didn't tell me what was going on, only saying that he needed to talk to you. What I can assume is that the situation has changed from what we predicted."

"I thought so as well," Ozpin answered, "The question is…how much it has changed?"

They reached the room and Ozpin entered inside. Qrow was there as well, the man holding a bottle in his hand. As he entered, the man noticed that Ross was inside the room too, with both of his arms crossed above his chest as he glared at the latter man, probably for the drinking he was doing right now. When he entered however, the two men turned toward him both standing in attention.

"Qrow, I hadn't expected you to return this quickly," he told the man.

"Me neither," Qrow answered him with a light shrug, "But you told me to keep an eye upon the Faunus so that's what I have been doing these past weeks."

Ozpin approached the liquor cabinet, taking a bottle and pouring one as well. The crackling of the fire in the chimney was doing it's best to warm the room against the winter chill that was in the air, but a good alcohol always keeps the chill away as well. Ozpin took a sip from his cup before turning toward the man in front of him.

"You said that you wanted to speak with me?" he asked.

"Something's changed in the Frozen North," Qrow said, "I don't really know what had happened to cause it, but the Faunus have started to mobilize the fort…like they are waiting for an attack."

"Could the Grimm had found them?" Ross asked.

Qrow shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe," he said, "But the way they were reacting with how they have been forming up, it was like something had spooked them."

A silence settled within the room, as everyone stared at the man. Ozpin can feel his eyebrows rising toward his hairline at the thought. From what Weiss had told him, the Faunus had been battling the Grimm for many years, long before the Hunt was even aware of them, so they shouldn't really be afraid of them at all. If they know the enemy, then what could have frightened them.

"Spooked them?" Ross repeated, "Are you certain of what you saw?"

Qrow glanced at him.

"Trust me, I know when someone is afraid Winchester," he said simply, "However what could have frightened them…I haven't got a clue. I heard there was an attack on the camp and some of them got killed by something…what it could be however, I couldn't hear much except of the rumor mill going on about."

Ozpin let out a soft hum.

"This is indeed troubling," he said, "If the Faunus who had been fighting the Grimm for years are afraid…it makes one wonder what they could be afraid of?"

"It's what I was thinking of as well," Qrow told him, "I thought that it would be best if you knew what was going on in the North before I head back out there. While I don't know much about the Grimm, if people who had been fighting against them are afraid, then we should be worried as well."

Glynda looked at them all.

"Then we still have time before they march, don't we?" she asked.

"We are in the middle of Winter," Qrow told them with a glance, "Weiss may have brought us some time, but unless the Nikos don't grant them access, the Faunus could overwhelm us here at the Gate when Winter is over and if they are really as afraid as they have seemed to be, they might start to march even before it is over…how are you coming up on that front by the way?"

Ozpin crossed his arms.

"As well as you might expect," he answered, "Argus still remember all too well the devastation of the War in the North caused Haven. He wasn't willing to let the Faunus through despite the time we have, but at least he will be speaking with the other Lords about our situation here at the Gate. I left Raze at Braveheart to convince them for us, as one who has actually seeing the Grimm and know what's coming."

"Will Raze be enough?" Ross asked.

"He is from the North," Ozpin told him, "He know them better than I could, and he can understand where they are coming from. We might have our faith placed unto him."

He then looked at Qrow.

"With what you said about what's happening in the Frozen North, however," Ozpin continued, "We're going to have to change our things here…Glynda, did you do what I asked you to before I left?"

The woman nodded.

"With two of our stewards, I have been searching the old archives room for any type of knowledge about Aura and its practices," she said, "But so far, nothing yet. I have them still searching for any type of knowledge that previous Lord Commanders may have noted down during their time."

Ozpin nodded.

"Let me know when you found something," he told her, "Qrow, you can stay for a few days and recuperate before you leave again, Ross I want you to send ravens to the Watchtowers, so that they could sent their progress back to us, if they found anything worth noting…Glynda bring Weiss to me, there is something I wish to speak with her."

With their orders, the trio give him light nods before walking out of the room. Ozpin let out a sigh before returning toward his office and removing the large coat he was wearing. He had almost forgotten he had it on with how the situation was evolving for them all. What Qrow had brought to him was concerning. Just what could have frightened the Faunus about the Grimm they have been fighting?

Maybe I should have someone look up old stories about the Dark Ages, he thought, However, they happen so long ago that most of the stories are believed to be a myth. But if the Grimm are real, then how many events in those stories we dismissed as myth could be real as well?

Ozpin, like many people in Remnant, have heard many tales about the Dark Ages. They were even folklore built around that time, almost like it was a myth, a fairy tale that had never happened. Just like everyone else, he had dismissed them as nothing but fairy tales, nothing more and nothing less…

But now, these same creatures of tales of legends have been breathed into reality and that same reality was soon coming with a war following. However, unlike the last Dark Ages, Remnant wasn't a united front with the civil war happening between Mistral and Atlas and they were now rumors of similar conflicts taking place in the Vale. With all these wars taking place, will Remnant be ready for another that could very well be at their door just as quickly?

He had tried to warn Queen Cariel about it before he had proof of the Grimm's existence. It had been a strange sickening feeling in his stomach had had told him that the strange things that were happening in the North were the prelude to something much terrible than they could predict, but Cariel had simply casted his warning asides like they were meaningless….

But now with the proof he had from five of his men…would the new Queen on the Throne of Jewels will be just like Cariel, refusing to believe him at all? He truly hoped that Raze would be able to turn to Lords of the North to his side about the warning of the Grimm…

His thoughts were interrupted when his door opened, drawing his eyes toward Glynda and following her was Weiss. The two women approached toward him and Ozpin placed the cup he was holding in his hand upon the table as they approached him.

"You wanted to see me Lord Commander?" Weiss spoke out.

"Yes," Ozpin said, "They have been a new development in the situation with the Faunus."

Weiss was instantly interested as her blue eyes shone with curiosity.

"One of my men, Qrow," he continued, now that he has the girl's attention, "have come up with new information and it would seems that something had happened at Silas that spooked the Faunus, the people you said have been fighting against the Grimm for years."

"Did he learn what had happened?"

Ozpin shook his head.

"No, he told me just that the Faunus were mobilizing," he said, "With Winter in full spring, they won't march yet but if something had managed to frighten them, then there is a chance they would start the march before Winter is over. If the Lord Nikos doesn't grant us the access to allow the Faunus to enter Haven, then we might have a war here at the Gate."

"A pointless one," Weiss said.

"I agree," Ozpin told her with a small nod, "However, pointless it may be, the Faunus do have the numbers to overwhelm us here if they do attack, for we don't have the numbers here at the Gate to stop them."

Weiss looked at him.

"I'm simply telling you how the situation is here for us at the Gate," Ozpin told her, "So that you can understand that as Lord Commander, I am bound to obey the Lord Paramount's decision and hold the line here if he refuses…but, nevertheless we still have time till such a decision come and maybe our friend, Raze might be able to gain us an advantage."

"I understand," Weiss said, her voice soft as she was probably thinking about the situation they would find themselves in if the Faunus do attack.

Ozpin nodded.

"So, you do," he said, "However, that's not the reason I summoned you here Weiss, for there is something I must ask you."

Weiss looked at him, the confusion returning to her eyes.

"Tell me," Ozpin started, "Can you use Aura like the Faunus do in the Frozen North?"

Weiss blinked. It was probably not the question she had been expecting.

"I…what?"

Ozpin let out a small chuckle at the puzzlement in her voice. From where she stood, Glynda had a surprised look upon her face as well and she was also curious.

"From what you told us," the man continued, "You have spent some time among the Faunus. You might have seen them use their Aura in some way."

"I…I did actually," Weiss told them, "One of the Faunus that took me in their protection, Lady Ashla, taught me about it. I won't call myself an expert, but I can use it."

"Will you show me?"

Weiss nodded and drew out her sword. The blade had a curious shade of blue instead of the silver he was accustomed with. Ozpin wonder just where she had gotten it, but his thought was interrupted yet again when a soft bluish glow completely overtakes the blade of the weapon. The man instantly stood in attention as he observed the pattern upon the weapon almost like they were waves.

"My weapon can resonate with my Aura," Weiss told him, "I think Blake called it Dust steel…I'm not really sure of what it is actually however she told me that dust was used in the making of the weapon."

"Dust steel?" Glynda repeated surprised, "Are you certain that's what she told you?"

Both Weiss and Ozpin turned their attention toward the blonde woman as the glow from the sword disappeared. The Lord Commander looked at his second in command with a curious look upon his face.

"Something the matter Glynda?" he asked.

The blonde woman looked at the sword that Weiss was holding with a light frown.

"My family has an ancestral sword," she said, "My father had only ever used it for execution and ceremonial purposes and it always had this strange red tin upon the blade. I always found it strange that it wasn't the color of steel. I knew it wasn't rust for the sword was just as sharp despite never being sharpened. They are incredibly rare and such weapons will worth millions."

"Dust steel weapons," Ozpin murmured, "Where did you come upon such a weapon Weiss?"

"It was a gift from my father," Weiss told him, "It was the last time we spoke to one another. He wanted to talk to me about my decision to join the Hunt and if I was sure about it. He gifted me with the weapon…thought I don't think he really knew what the weapon was made of. He said that it was part of the Schnee family for centuries since the end of the Dragon Age."

Ozpin found this odd. Weiss was a bastard, so why give the girl such a well refined weapon? It was the type of weapon that he would have expected Jarus to give his own son, not the bastard of the family. He stared at the white-haired girl in front of him, curious about her. Like everyone, Ozpin had heard of the stories about the bastard child Jarus had.

"He must have loved you deeply," he said simply.

Weiss gave a light smile as she was looking at the weapon in her hand.

"I loved him as well," she said softly.

Ozpin noticed the look Glynda was giving him over Weiss's shoulder. The woman must have noticed something on his face as he was thinking before. The man returned his gaze toward the girl in front of him, bringing the idea he had been brewing in the back of his mind several weeks ago.

"Do you think you can teach the people here to use Aura like you have?"

Weiss was shocked.

"What?"

"Lord Commander?" Glynda said surprised.

Ozpin stared into those blue eyes.

"You said so yourself that we may need this power in order to fight against the Grimm," he told Weiss, "I had Glynda do research about Aura and see if we could find a way to use it in combat but so far the Archives has no records we can find. However, you have learned a way to use Aura in battle against the Grimm. For centuries the Hunt has utilized the Dragon Seed in our Initiation rituals to unlock our Aura. Like many before me, I had believed it to be a tradition to become a Huntsman…however, with what you have revealed to me about Aura and Semblances, it had me thinking maybe there is another purpose to it."

"Maybe…like you said, they are our weapons against the Grimm," he said, "And if the Grimm has indeed returned to the world, then, the Hunt who has been created ages ago in the Dark Ages to fight against them must also be able to fight as well. Because of our ignorance of the situation, we have lost two of our Forts in the Frozen North as well as over seven hundred men. I will not allow something like that to happen again, if we have the power to prevent it, so I am asking you Weiss, will you teach the Hunt how to fight against the Grimm?"

Weiss was shocked at his request, that much he can tell but then the uncertainty in her gaze disappeared and replaced by such determination that it left Ozpin surprised. The girl's blue eyes shone with purpose just like the time he had officially made her part of the Rangers, and it made him strangely proud of her.

"I don't know how much a teacher I will be," Weiss told him, "But…I will do what I can."

Ozpin smiled.

"Then we will start in the coming days," he told her, "I will speak with Gnis about it later today."

Weiss nodded at him again before walking out of the room when she was dismissed. Ozpin returned his attention toward his desk as he was going to start his work and he heard Glynda approach toward him.

"So what was that earlier?" she asked.

He gave her a glance.

"You had that look upon your face when Weiss told us how she gained the sword," the blonde woman continued, her eyes sharp, "And I have seen that look enough to know when you have something in your mind."

Ozpin chuckled.

"I really can't hide my thoughts from you, can I?"

"I know you long enough Oz that you can't really hide anything from me," the woman told him with a raised eyebrow, "Then, what was hidden in your mind?"

Ozpin stayed silent for moment, thinking about what had crossed his mind when Weiss had revealed where she had gotten the dust steel weapon.

"I found it odd that Jarus would give his bastard such a weapon instead of his own son," he said, "Most people see bastards as nothing but an embarrassment to the family they're from, barely give them any type of mind at all. Many looks like they can't wait to get rid of them and sending them to the Hunt to serve."

Ozpin thought about it.

"Maybe I'm simply overthinking it," he said.

"Jarus was not a typical King either," Glynda told him, "He was a second son who became King instead of the chosen heir. Maybe he related to his bastard daughter more than most nobles."

"That could be it," Ozpin laughed, "Like I said, I may be overthinking it."

Glynda nodded at him.

"Then, I'll leave you to it," she said.

The man nodded as she walked out the room leaving him alone. Ozpin picked up the cup he was drinking from before and returned to his work. He had much to do before he speaks to Gnis later about his idea with Weiss training them to use Aura.

A Schnee helped us out during the Dark Ages, he thought, Time to make use of the Schnee we have here and maybe like that, she will help us survive in this new war.

So ends this chapter.

Hope you have enjoyed the read.

Jacques0 out.

R&R