A/N: A short but essential chapter to the story. I didn't want to give too much away in this one as there is still a lot to be learned from others. But quite a few important things to grasp in this chapter about Ozpin and the huge role he's been playing. :)

Also! HUGE update on my profile! You should all check it out right after reading, especially if you're craving some more reading! My poll has officially been closed today as well with the winning story / information regarding it now on my profile! Take a look please!

Anyways, enjoy the chapter! The next one will be oh so exciting. Back to the action and adventure of our favorite group of girls. A hint though... I hope you guys remember the legends that roam this world... The ones that start with a G and end with an M... ;)

Not just the interior of the White Castle but even the district of the Kingdom. Everywhere within the walls were different. Not just because of the additional guardsmen patrolling the streets but even the overall atmosphere. It seemed as if since word had spread of the attack on the royal family; the failed assassination attempt on Weiss, people were now wary of what was happening on the outside. It seemed as if now people were starting to take this war seriously within the confines and safety of the kingdom.

But it mattered not to a certain head official of Vale. Even now as he enjoyed a hot cup of his favorite brand of coffee while looking out of the surrounding landscape of the city. No, there wasn't a trace of worry prevalent on his face at all. Despite the little hiccup concerning a certain assassin and General Weiss, all was looking well. Even though the eldest Schnee daughter was still alive, it mattered not in the grand scheme of things.

But thinking about Weiss a bit caused Ozpin to fall back into the past. Weiss Schnee; when she was younger and much more easily influenced, she was the perfect pawn. Someone he should have paid closer attention to when he initially began his plan to brainwash the younger girl. Too bad he never took into account how headstrong she was.

Back when she was becoming of age, he was the one to plant the idea of leading troops in the girl's mind. At the time though he only meant it as a way for the girl to see herself taking charge. To give her a false sense of being able to control her own destiny and what she wanted to do. But instead of the inner workings of his manipulation of the girl at the time, all he accomplished was creating a young rebellious teen that was now influenced by her grandiose dreams of becoming a General.

He wasn't sure where he went wrong then, but even when she was finally inducted as a full-fledged General, he was sure that he'd still be able to salvage something from that.

Again, he was wrong.

Chuckling to himself now, Ozpin went to take another sip of his coffee before realizing that he had indeed finished his mug. With a disappointed look, the elder man set the metallic cup aside and leaned his forearms up on the balcony ledge, still overlooking the city below. Snow was falling gently with a white sheen of haze clouding the landscape. The scenery was extremely dreary as it looked as if it was going to be a harsh winter this year, but the weather looked perfect for the action that would take place in the days to come.

Thinking of how finally the countless days of planning and waiting behind the scenes would pay off… Ozpin could barely contain his devious smirk.

Sure there were some little details he had to smooth out, but it was all underway already. He had planted the seeds long ago, back in the days of Cinder's father still ruling. But now… now deadline was almost upon him. He'd have what was rightfully his.

"Councilman Ozpin? Are you out here?"

Ozpin turned towards the door leading out to the balcony where he was standing and spotted elegant Princess Winter looking around the inside of his quarters.

'Speaking of plans…'

Standing up from the railing now, Ozpin turned towards the still open glass door and called out towards the white haired girl.

"Princess Winter, what a surprise!" He called out while feigning shock. "I'm out here."

He watched as the girl looked towards him while offering one of her rare smiles while he returned the gesture. She was dressed in her usual attire of a dress but this one seemed to be made of a heavier material and in a color not quite seen in the young Princess' wardrobe as it was of a crimson hue.

"By the Gods, what are you doing out there? It's snowing!" Winter replied as the girl walked towards the open door and immediately shivered while rubbing her arms with her hands. "It's freezing."

Ozpin however chuckled to himself before removing his heavy woolen green coat and delicately placing it on Winter's shoulders while offering a slight bow.

"My apologies my Princess."

He watched the girl's face turn slightly smug at the attention she received and it took every effort to not sneer towards her. He couldn't afford to break his ruse right now, not when he was so close.

He rose to full height and offered Winter a seat outside on the balcony, pulling it out for her before wiping it clean with a handkerchief he carried in his pocket.

The girl looked over at the chair then back at him as if contemplating complaining about the temperature again, but she smiled instead and took a seat. Ozpin however remained standing and leaned back against the edge of the railing. He took a long look at the sitting Princess Winter who returned his passing glance with a smile before looking up towards the sky.

"Unlike my sister or my parents, for some reason I'm susceptible to the cold."

Ozpin raised his eyebrows a bit at her words but said nothing. He was glad that she was the first to talk; it showed that she was now comfortable around him enough to initiate conversation. That and she came to his room unattended by her usual group of ladies-in-waiting.

"It's just another small thing to make me feel even more detached to this family…" She whispered out before exhaling.

He quickly noted that she looked saddened by something but he wasn't sure what. In fact ever since Weiss had set off to Atlas about five days ago, the Princess had been slightly more irritable and solemn. Could it be that she actually missed her elder sister? Now of all times? It made him wonder what had transpired that made her just now feel this way.

Slowly making his way to the chair opposite to her now, Ozpin sat down and offered the girl a gentle apologetic smile.

"Now why would you ever feel that way, Winter?" He asked, keeping his tone of voice soft and understanding.

He watched the girl look conflicted before blushing a bit. She took in another breath before shaking her head and adopting her usual hardened glare.

"Nothing." She replied roughly before she glanced at him and softening her face a bit. "Never mind, it's something I'll deal with on my own. I'll just show them that I can be just as much a leader as Weiss can."

Internally, Ozpin laughed. It took all the amount of willpower and strength for him to not break out laughing right then and there! This… this is what he needed right now!

He nodded his head slowly while staring right back into those cold ice blue eyes belonging to Winter. Her expression was fierce suddenly as her gaze was filled with anger and unfell tears. He could only gauge what had brought forth this kind of reaction from the girl but he figured it had something to do with jealousy of her elder sister and with the recent talks concerning her and her parents that they'd been having.

Offering the Princess a different handkerchief for her moist eyes, Ozpin reached over without saying a word and Winter took the cloth while dabbing at her eyes. The table fell into silence and once again Ozpin fell into his thoughts.

Deciding not to pressure the girl for answers in fear of having her shut down emotionally, he ran through his guesses in his head. It was no secret as of late that the King has been under a lot of emotional stress. That and the sudden announcement of a council meeting in the upcoming days has him thinking that this would actually involve the wonderings of if Winter was ready to lead or not in the event that something happened to the King or Queen.

A majority of Ozpin's… counterparts on the council have voiced their opinions on the matter time and time again strictly stating that Winter is nowhere ready to lead a kingdom. The girl was brash, rude, egotistical, loved to flaunt, and abrasive. Not that he could blame her for it though, she grew up and was burdened with becoming the next ruler of Vale so suddenly when Weiss mucked up everything and went ahead with becoming a General; thus invalidating her own claim to the throne.

There were even talks of certain councilmen pleading a case to the king to reverse the rule and allow Weiss to step back into the fold after her campaign against Haven was over. It had been kicked back multiple times though; thanks in no small part to himself and his old choice of a pair of little bounty hunters he used to hire out, but those days were long gone.

In any case, even if he personally knew that Winter was an awful choice for a Queen, he'd do everything in his power to make sure that she'd remain the top and only choice for the position. He indeed lucked out with her, though she is nowhere near Weiss' intellectual or leadership level, the girl was a lot more impressionable than Weiss ever was. Feeling inferior to her sister and family must have played a huge part in that, and thus the seeds that he had planted long ago were now bearing fruit.

Winter would become the next ruler of Vale. This he would make sure of. It would be the last and final act of his plan. After that hurdle, getting her to become a puppet in power would be child's play. Sadly it'd be required for his vision of ruling to come true. He couldn't directly do it as Vale's citizens would never allow anyone other than a Schnee to lead them. It'd create a civil war, which was something that that imbecile Cinder didn't understand yet.

This is why Winter is so essential to him. She already seemed to listen to almost everything he advised to her, plus with him teaching her a few basic sword techniques as well, it looked as if she placed her trust in him. Maybe even enough for something else…

It was no secret that Winter was attractive in looks, and even if he didn't really feel any kind of attachment to the girl other than what her heritage and influence could do for him in the long run, once his plan was in place… would it be too much to hope that he could rule Vale not from the shadows but alongside his puppet?

'Granted it'd take some work to woo the young Princess once her parents were out of the way… but it might just work.'

Deciding that now was as good a time to start, Ozpin once again turned his eyes to the still slightly shivering Winter.

"My lady, if I may be so bold…" He started, thus earning Winter's attention with a curious glance. "You look absolutely stunning this afternoon. As you usually do of course."

He watched as her eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected compliment, but not soon after her lips turned upwards in a wide smile.

"T- Thank you, Ozpin. I do take great pains to appear ever beautiful to those around me. It's nice to hear that it is appreciated by a select few." She replied happily.

'This may be easier than I thought. What a transparent girl…'

But it seemed as if the experiment was going to be short lived for today as a horn sounded off in the distance, signaling the opening of the city gates. This only meant one thing…

"Oh, it seems as if General Cardin has returned!"

Ozpin nodded his head towards the Princess before pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. He had heard all about the entire Cardin catastrophe that had been happening in the field from the scouts. The man was nothing more than a bloodthirsty dog; sacrificing his own men for victory. And even then... failing in that endeavor. Ozpin knew the boy's grandfather, and if the now deceased man could see his grandson, he'd turnover in his grave.

Cardin Winchester was the very definition of a power hungry leader. He berated his troops, was a staunch alcoholic, a womanizer, and a bit of an idiot. With him now returning at the behest of the King to end his campaign for the time being; Ozpin knew that Cardin would be angry. But an angry imbecile might be of use to his plans, especially if said imbecile would be remaining in the castle during the upcoming coup about to take place.

'I may yet have a use for the brute.'

Deciding to excuse himself for now, Ozpin stood up from his seat and offered a polite bow towards the Princess Winter.

"I believe I will retire to the council chambers for now, my Princess." Ozpin stated as he offered the girl his hand which she took daintily. "You should hurry back inside so you don't get a cold; that would be most unfortunate."

He watched as Winter nodded and returned his coat before leaving the room. All in all though, as uneventful as their meeting went today, it showed him a lot about what was plaguing the girl's mind. And how he could continue manipulating it.

Smirking to himself in his room, Ozpin donned his coat once more and prepared himself to leave his chambers. He'd walk the halls and show his face as a few nobles welcomed Cardin back to Vale. Then he'd wait until Cardin's meeting with the King was over which is when he'd make his move. He didn't want to wait too long; he needed to plant the seeds of doubt in the General's mind while his anger was controlling him.

'How do the blacksmiths say? Strike while the iron's hot?'

He already had Adam Belladonna convinced that the White Fang were trying to help not just his clan but all Faunus by establishing their own country with the help of Haven. The young man was already questioning the King's decisions on this war and it wasn't but yesterday that Adam came to see him on his own accord once more concerning the doubt he now saw in the royal family.

Next he had Winter feeling inadequate in the eyes of her family and inferior to her sister, Weiss. As everyone around her voiced their opinions about her inability to lead, Ozpin made sure to praise the girl and tell her that he believed in her. She ate up his lies without hesitation as the girl seemed to crave a true friend. He'd continue filling this role until he got all he needed from her. Not to mention his next plan for her… to marry into the Schnee family.

Once the King and Queen were disposed of and out of the way, preferably while Weiss and her Order were away, things would be smooth sailing from there. On the terms that were agreed upon by him and Empress Cinder, there'd be no time for an uproar or questions concerning the deaths of the King and Queen as Cinder would have dispatched Commander Emerald to the Kingdom to help with the coup.

With the main three Vale armies hiding spies from Haven in their midst, it was all too easy for their movements to be stopped. Although Weiss' army has proven themselves to be formidable to an extent, all in all the other two main armies have suffered great casualties because of so. Especially with Cardin's own army withdrawing from the battlefield. The King was doing Haven and himself a huge favor.

Although the sudden trip he sent Weiss on to Atlas was an unforeseen hiccup, Ozpin hoped that General Ironwood of Atlas would refuse to aid Vale in fear of Haven's retribution.

Though he didn't agree with Cinder's methods, the woman proved herself to be a shrewd tactician. Maybe her father really did raise her correctly for this mission. They were nearly upon the final act, and even in this very moment, he knew that there would be Haven troops preparing for their straight march deep into Vale territory to the Kingdom.

There was no stopping the inevitable, and with the added help from Cinder's assassin Neo… The coming days ahead would be the final ones for a certain ruling King and Queen.

There were only a select few who would stand in his way afterwards, with most of his opposition already having been dealt with by his earlier dealings with the sisters Yang and Ruby. As much as he wanted to silence those two loose ends as well, their time under his employment had been extremely worthwhile. A shame that they now served Weiss… Maybe if he wasn't so quick to cast them aside he could have turned them to his cause. A pity…

"Oh well, they will be dealt with in due time… But for now…"

Not even bothering to suppress his smirk now, Ozpin left his room in search of Cardin. He could always use a few more pawns in his power play.

Especially with the final days of the Vale that everyone knew of would be coming to an end by month's end.