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

Anyway, enjoy the read.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jaune had stayed back inside the room along with his mother. Captain Blanchard had just left the room along with his sister. The young man was thinking back about everything that had just happened only today and he still couldn't believe it. Just this morning, was when he received the raven from his father about the attack that had happened to his forces and the White Fang. If such an attack had come to his father while heading toward the Rock, then…

There is no way that the White Fang would work with a human since their entire organization was built upon their hatred of humans since they have fought against the rest of the Kingdom during the War in the North. And now, they were coming here in forces and Jaune was convinced that they were coming for a battle. Ever since they had attacked Mia some weeks ago now, he had concluded that the White Fang had somehow been monitoring them and searching them for their strength and weaknesses. Could they have been watching since when his father had been imprisoned in White Castle earlier this year and maybe they have been trying to fight a weak point to attack them from the inside?

The young man shook that thought from his head. If he starts to think like that, then it won't be long before he grew paranoid and start suspecting the very same people he was going to protect from the White Fang. The young man placed his hand upon the desk in front of him as he was seating down on his chair with his other hand upon his forehead.

"How are we going to do this?" he said softly, "2,550 soldiers can't stand against 40,000. They outnumbered us forty to one. The best plan we have right now is to hold the line as much as we can… and hope that our ravens would be answered by our allies and maybe they'll make it here in time."

"You can do it you know."

He looked up toward his mother who was looking at him.

"The men are already working on fortifying the walls of the Keep," Mirianne told him as she looked at him.

Jaune nodded at her.

"I know," he said looking down at the map of the Keep in front of him, "Come morning, most of the citizen will be pushed back into the center of the Keep, that way, they will be safe from attack if it came."

"The White Fang won't march an Army just to come to talk," Mirianne told him.

Jaune let out a sigh.

"You may be right," he said, "But even more, I don't want to be the one to draw first blood if there is to be conflict."

Jaune give her a glance, "Are all the food we have could only last us a month at best?"

"If there is rationing," Mirianne told him, "With how many people we're going to have to feed if this become a siege, the food isn't going to last much. I had given the orders for the people to bring in some food during the evacuation of Gryphon town, but even the added provision we have acquired, it still only last one month along with a few days at best."

"Then let's hope our allies can reach us first before that happens," Jaune answered, "I'll leave that to you mother. I'm going to see how the fortification are going."

Mirianne give him a light bow and a small smile before walking out of the room. Jaune placed his coat upon his body and went outside as well. As he was walking past some people, they stopped and greeted him with a light bow but Jaune hardly noticed them. His mind was still working that they were going to be attacked here in their ancestral home. While it had happened in the past, but during those times it was ancient history. No battle ever gotten close enough to their homes so that their Army wouldn't have taken care of them before they did so.

Jaune then blinked as he was now in the courtyard and it was crowded as they were many soldiers moving about with torches in their hands as they were conducting the citizens toward where they would be staying tonight. The young man looked at them pass, feeling a weight that he didn't realize was there earlier. These peoples live where in his hands, the people he promised his father that he will look after and now, they were all here inside Gryphonhall, so they could be protected.

Goddess I hope I know what I am doing.

Jaune then, turned his eyes away from the moving people making his way straight for the Wall of the Keep. The soldiers that were there stopped in their works and saluted as he was passing before returning to their jobs. From what he could see, things were progressing well despite it was already late into the night. There was no moon visible in the sky above them considering how cloudy it is during winter, however, the torches which were burning gave the men enough light to work with this crisis that the Vale had suddenly found itself in.

"Lord Arc,"

It was Blanchard and the man was looking over something in his hands.

"What is that?" he asked indicating the parchment that was in his hand.

"Just the hourly report about the progression of our fortification my lord," he answered, "I wanted the men to keep me updated on what was happening."

Jaune nodded at him, turning his attention toward the land that was stretched outside of the Keep. With Gryphonhall on a slight hill, Jaune knew that he could see the stretch of lands in the distance thought they'll see the army of the White Fang better.

"No words from our Scouts yet?" he asked.

Blanchard nodded.

"None yet my lord," he said.

Jaune let out a sigh.

"Then all we can do now is wait," he said.

Blanchard chuckled at him, "The wait before a battle is always worse my lord."

"Then you've fought in battles before Sir?"

"Aye," Blanchard spoke out, "I fought in the War in the North, but I had gotten injured and couldn't fight the rest of the battle. It took me months to get back to my feet and by the time I was, the war had come to an end. I fought side by side with Jelius Schnee himself when he was King on the Battlefield. It's a shame that he had passed so young. He would have been a great King. Your father believed it as well."

Jaune glanced at the man for a few moments before turning his attention toward the front.

"Was he that good?"

A small smile appeared upon his face.

"He was that good," Blanchard answered, "But now, he is long dead, and we are still living. It just shows you that the world doesn't care who you are. Death come for all."

"Does death come for us at the hand of the White Fang?" Jaune asked.

"That yet remains to be seen since we are still breathing my lord," Blanchard answered him.

Jaune stayed silent.

"We have a plan my lord," Blanchard told him, "And the plan is to hold the line. That's all we can do. It is foolish to try to meet the White Fang on open battlefield with so little of our forces here."

Jaune nodded, "Don't you find it odd that the White Fang managed to amass such a large Army right under our noses and we never suspected a thing?"

"The White Fang only became our priority when the Crown told us to take care of them," Blanchard spoke out, "Like many of Remnant, we believed them to be defeated completely and had disappeared. They could have used all the time we were lax about them to rebuild their strength to what it was back then."

Jaune frowned.

"Amastrial will have a lot to answer for," he said.

Blanchard let out a small sound from the back of his throat, but he didn't say anything at all. Jaune observed the empty lands in front of him, feeling the frigid air dancing through his blond locks. While he had been craving a battle ever since his father was taken and that he was going to fight against the Crown to make them pay for it and now, with his father yet again gone, and the war he was seeking was coming to his very doorsteps.

But was he ready for it?

Jaune didn't know that answer. He was good with a sword and shield, but he never actually fought with the intent to kill before and whether he was ready for it or not, that decision will be made for him tomorrow.

"I will retire for the night," Jaune told him, "Keep our men vigilant during their watch."

"As you command my lord," Blanchard told him.

Jaune give him a stern nod, before turning away and walking back to his chamber to try to get some rest. It didn't come easy for the young man at all since his mind was working throughout the night with his worries but when he had finally slept, Jaune had found himself awoken by the light of the sun streaming through his window.

It was still early morning, so he instantly made his way to his bath and was dressing himself when someone knocked upon the door.

"What is it?" he called out.

"They're here my lord," a soldier spoke out, from the other side, "The White Fang army has been sighted on the horizon."

Jaune quickly placed his sword upon his belt before making his way out of the room with the guard following behind him quickly. He didn't even bother to put on his cloak upon his body as he made his way out of the keep aiming straight for the Wall. When he climbed upon to the top of it, he stared out toward the horizon and sure enough, he can see flags dancing in the wind far from where they were. Jaune narrowed his eyes lightly at the sight of them and they were a lot of them.

"They'll be at our gate in half an hour at best," the soldier spoke, "We didn't receive anything from our scouts and can only mean that they either have been captured or killed."

Jaune nodded.

"Ring the bells," he said, "and send for Captain Blanchard."

"I have a man go to him," the soldier said, "But I will give out your order my lord."

Soon enough, the bells have started to ring again just like yesterday. Jaune had left the wall to get dressed in his Gryphon armor and by the time he was finished, and returned to the top of the wall, the Army was a whole lot closer than before and this time he had both his sister and Blanchard with him. Jaune stood there observing them as they were approaching toward him and the banners that they were flying. It was a sigil that he had only heard people talk about since the War happened before he was even born however, his father had described it enough for him not to instantly recognized it on sight.

The sight of the red wolf head with the three claw marks across it, cementing exactly who the approaching force was. Jaune stood there wiht a light frown upon his feature at the size of the army. Most of the wall was filled with their archers who stood in attention all around him, all of them staring at the massive force that was in front of them.

"The White Fang," Joan said softly looking at them all.

Then the Army came to a stop. Jaune was observing them taking in the armors that he could see. They were wearing bone white helmets upon their heads, that looked strangely like bones rather han actual helmet. Their armors were also simple as well and probably just as cheap looking as they seems, thought Jaune couldn't find it within himself to dismiss it completely giving that their soldiers had castle forged weaponery. It would mean that their equipment was on par with their own. It was quicker to assume tha their armors were of the same quality.

Then a single rider approached toward them, carrying a sack. Jaune found his eyes looking at this lone rider as the Faunus approached until he came to a stop a few yards away from the castle entrance. The rider opened the sack he was carrying and emptied it upon the ground in front of him. Several heads rolled down upon the ground and Jaune feel a chill ran across his body that has nothing to do with the cool winds blowing around him.

From beside him, he heard Joan sharp intake of breath and there was a stir among the men around him as the heads of the many Scouts fell upon the ground. The rider then threw the sack away before looking up straight toward them.

"You have until daybreak tomorrow to surrender to the great Khan," he said, his voice loud enough for Jaune to hear him quite clearly, "Or you will suffer the same faith as your men."

With those words, the rider turned around and rode off to join Army.

"That explain why no words came from the Scouts," Blanchard said looking at the severed heads that were all on the ground in front of them.

Joan didn't say anything, but her face was devoid of any emotions as she was looking at the heads. Jaune let out a sigh before turning around, moving away from the severed heads. Blanchard along with his sister followed him.

"Till daybreak tomorrow to surrender Gryphonhall to them," he said, "And what the hell is the Khan?"

"Could be their leader," Blanchard said, "Or a title…but now we know what their leader is…just not who it is?"

"So, this will come to a battle after all," Jaune said, "Blanchard, have our men prepare for the conflict and to fight to hold the line."

"My Lord," the man said before walking away leaving the two siblings together.

Jaune had turned his attention toward his sister, "Have Mia told you anything about this Khan title?"

Joan give him a confused look.

"No," she said, "I never asked her for that stuff at all. Why are you asking because she is a Faunus?"

Jaune looked at her.

"Our home is being threatened by enemies that she shares features with," he said, "Any information could be useful to us."

"Mia is not even part of the White Fang," Joan told him, "How would she know anything about them?"

"Just try to find if she knows anything," he told her, "Tell her I told you to ask about it if she wonders why you were asking her. I'm going to ask mother to take control of the safety of the people and have our men ready our catapults if we are to defend our ancestral home."

And for the rest of the day, Jaune worked with the men he had to prepare for the battle that had come to their doorsteps. There was a nervous energy in the air as the soldiers worked on the orders of both him and Blanchard, the two of them taking control of the regiment that had stayed behind before his father had left Gryphonhall some weeks ago now. Jaune wished that his father was here to help them during this battle, but the young man simply focused upon working with his men so that they could work on defending Gryphonhall from their attackers.

Since they didn't give any sign of surrender to the White Fang and to their Khan, the attack came at dawn as they had predicted. A regiment of the White Fang army attacked swiftly through the area in front of Gryphonhall and Jaune was there along with Blanchard dictating the archers as the arrows rained upon the approaching enemy felling a lot of them in the process while their own archers killed some of their soldiers. This was Jaune's first time seeing a real battle take place and he was completely terrified most of the time, but he pushed the feeling down as he was directing the men at where to attack which lasted the entire morning before the White Fang had retreated the first wave of soldiers that had attacked them.

Lot of bodies riddled the ground in front of Gryphonhall and many of them were dead Faunus. They had lost some men as well, but Blanchard had given the order to take care of the injured and replaced those who were dead with new soldiers.

And the attacks continued like this. In waves and each time, they come they took down more and more soldiers from Jaune's men and it was noticeable that they had lost for their numbers already few they were had become even fewer. The enemy, however, always seems to have more soldiers than them and even more of Jaune men seems to die than the Faunus enemy.

"They're tiring us out my lord," Blanchard told him after the sixth wave with the few soldiers around them, "And we're almost out of arrows. Barely fifty left and most of our archers have already fallen in this battle. We still have five hundred swordsmen strong and we might have killed maybe a thousand of them…if they continue on like this…"

Jaune nodded feeling grim.

"Should we surrender?" a soldier asked.

"And ends up like the Scouts?" Blanchard asked him.

Jaune looked up at the men in front of him for a few moments. He already knew they were going to lose this fight. They have been no sighting of any reinforcement yet and he knew that it will take them some days to arrive and yet, it had only been the second day of the battle.

"Can't we make more?" Jaune asked.

"We'll be out of them quicker than we can make them even if we have the blacksmith working tirelessly," Blanchard answered him.

Jaune let out a breath, "Send for my sister and my mother. I need to speak with them and Blanchard, gather the men in the courtyard. I have made my decision."

The man gives him a stare for a few moments before nodding. Jaune walked away from where he was standing for a few moments, and approached a servant telling him to bring him the Arc family ancestral blade. As he was standing there in his thoughts, his sister and mother approached toward him.

"What is the matter Jaune?" Joan asked.

The young man looked at the two in front of him for a long moment as he was quiet. He was taking in their features before he spoke out.

"Joan, can you lead our people through the catacombs?" he asked, "I know there is an old path that leads to the side of the Frost Mountains there."

Joan stared at him, "I think I can…but why are you asking me of this?"

"Because I need you to do this," he said, "We don't have enough soldiers to push them back again if the Faunus attack. There isn't much we can do other than surrender, but I fear we might end up losing our lives if we do. I want you to lead our people to safety while me and my men hold the ground here in Gryphonhall."

Joan's eyes widened at what he was saying and Marianne had a shocked look upon her features.

"Jaune…no," she said taking hold of him.

"It's my duty to protect the people," Jaune said, "And that's exactly what I am going to do and I need someone I trust to do this."

"Then allow me to do it," Joan said, "Jaune you're the heir of Gryphonhall. You're more valuable and I am the seventh's sister…."

"But I am still your big brother," Jaune countered looking at her, "It's my choice."

Mirianne had tears in her eyes.

"Please my son…there must be another way…you can come with us," she was starting to argue.

"There is no other way," Jaune answered, "If I come with you then the Faunus Army will follow after us and we have too few soldiers to give a fight on an open battlefield. They will surely defeat us. Here, the walls of Gryphonhall give us an advantage…if only just."

"My lord," the servant spoke out with the Arc ancestral blade.

Jaune took hold of the weapon drawing both his sister and his mother's eyes toward it. It was a beautifully crafted long sword with the gryphon wing's in the handle as well as the feathers of one decorating the sheath.

"Arc's Song," Joan said recognizing the weapon.

"When I came of age," Jaune spoke out, "My father made me his heir using this sword and he told me that whichever Arc carries this weapon, carry our future. It stayed in Gryphonhall because that's our home and where our future lies…but if we all die here, then the Arc will have no future."

He looked at them and extended the weapon toward Joan.

"Carry our people's future Joan," he said.

Joan looked at him, her eyes filled with tears, "Jaune…I…"

He placed his hand upon her shoulder, "Always remember, Our blood will Soar."

Joan nodded, tears falling from her eyes, but she didn't break down remaining strong.

"Our Blood will soar, brother," she said, "I promise you."

He nodded, "Take Brawnz Ni with you. His men should be enough to give the people some protection."

A horn sounded in the distance, one that Jaune had become increasingly familiar with these past attacks against the White Fang. He turned toward his sister and mother and without saying anything, he simply turned away walking back toward his men and he didn't need to look back to know that they were going to do as he had asked but deep down, Jaune knew that if he did look back, he wouldn't have the strength to do what he was about to do.

He climbed backup upon the wall with his men as he glanced at them all.

"I don't need to remind you of your duty," he called out his voice loud in the silence that was over the wall despite the rumbling of the approaching Army, "We have sworn an oath to protect everyone from Gryphonhall and the White Fang is coming to take that away from us. We won't allow a single of them inside this place. We will hold this line till we return to the embrace of the Goddess and let history remember us as the people who gave their lives to protect their homes."

A roaring cheer answered his words as the men raised their swords in the air and Jaune pulled out his own blade.

"Ready our arrows," he shouted, "And let these fuckers feel the wrath of the Gryphon."

And the battle resumed anew but this time Jaune noticed something different. They were far more Faunus attacking than the times they were coming in waves and he knew that the Faunus were coming at them in forces now as their arrows were too few to stop them in their tracks as they were doing before and then ladders were being raised up.

"Swords," he yelled out as he stabbed straight to a Faunus who was coming on top fo the wall.

Jaune continued to fight as each time he killed one, two more seems to appear and it wasn't long before the top of the Wall was completely overwhelmed by the numbers of the Faunus that were attacking them. Jaune fought like a man possessed, cutting down Faunus after Faunus with precise skill as both Faunus and Arc soldiers were falling and dying in this bloody battle that was taking place in his ancestral home as the fighting had moved from the top of the wall to the courtyard and Jaune continued to fight until he was brought down by multiple stabs wounds upon his body forcing him down to his knees, thought his hand was still upon the handle of his sword.

Blood dripped down from his wounds as he was held by his arms with the sound of horses approaching toward him. He looked up finding three people descending from their horses before approaching toward him. Two of them were hooded and one had hears sticking out the top of the hood as they were obviously Faunus as the third one, a woman came to stand right in front of him. It was unusually quiet save for the chatter in that strange language around him and his own labored breathing. The woman then kneeled to his level, her golden eyes staring straight into his own. She had dark hair falling upon her shoulders with golden eyes, with a red jewel on her forehead. Her skin was dark with stripes upon it, thought something about her thug familiarity to Jaune thought he couldn't think of where…

"You have defeated more than a thousand of my men," she spoke, "you Arc of Gryphonhall have earned your reputation…but alas, every great dynasty must come to an end."

Her eyes were cold…empty of feelings. She then stood back up before turning away from him.

"Fennec kill him and burn this place to the ground," she said, "let's leave a message to the Vale as to the might of the White Fang."

"As you wish, Khan," one of the hooded figure spoke and the one with the large ears approached and a flash of steel was the last thing Jaune Arc saw in his life before darkness came, however his last thoughts were with his mother and sister praying that his sacrifice managed to help them get to safety.


Yeah...that just happened.

Hope you have enjoyed the read.

Jacques0 out.

R&R