Jaune looked to his friends and looked to the table with the layout of Arktown on it.
"We can't beat them in a straight fight," Jaune told them
"So, what can we do?" Neo asked him
"The Dark Brother made them all. They follow his lead. If he falls getting to him may be our best chance"
"If that's true, he'll never expose himself," Winter told him "He knows he needs to stay alive if he wants to see whatever he wants till the end"
"So, how will we find him?" Yang asked
"Simple, Let him come for these" came a voice
they turned to see Maria, holding three of the four Relics. She drops them on the table.
"He wants to destroy everything his brother created, what better way to do that then to destroy Humanity's greatest weapon, one's that can summon his brother"
"We'll put them in a middle of Arktown," Jaune told her "but we need people guarding them," Jaune said
"I'll wait there, I may be old but I still know how to use a dust gun," Maria said
"We can't leave you alone out there" Ruby cried
"She won't be," Flynt told her "I'll stay with her," Flynt told them
"So will I," Neon said "we'll take a couple of soldiers and surround all the roads leading to the middle of town"
Cinder nodded "We'll hold off the rest of them for as long as we can"
"When the time comes, Sage and I will be on the walls, to give you the signal to light the trench," Qrow told Cinder
Winter looked worried for Qrow. She was going to confront him tonight.
"The Dragons should be able to give us an edge," Kali said "If they're in the field, they're not protecting the Relics. We need to be near them. Not too close, or The Dark Brother won't come. But close enough to pursue him when he does"
"Will Dragonfire stop him?" Yang asked
"I don't know. But it's worth a shot" Jaune told her
the Room fell silent
"We're all going to die," Mercury said
They all turned to him and looked at him, Mercury looked back to them and had a nervous smile
"But at least we die together," Mercury told them
Jaune sighed and looked to everyone "Let's get some rest" Jaune told them
and everyone begins to leave the library.
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.
.
The fire-place of the hall is lit. Two wooden chairs sit facing it, occupied by Qrow to the left of the fire and Winter to the right. They both drink, Winter drinks wine while Qrow drinks from his flask.
"It's time's like these where I wish my mother were here," Winter said "I remember the day where she would sit in front of the fire and-"
"-Sing to you" Qrow butted in
Winter looked at him surprised, "how did you know my mother would sing to me?" Winter asked him with a smile.
Qrow nodded with a smile, "I remember everything when I visited your mother in Atlas, the dress she wore to balls, the first time she and I went on a mission"
"You and my mother? on a mission?" Winter asked with a smile
"Yeah, I remember the day clearly to" Qrow began "I came to Atlas on a mission from Oz a year after I graduated from Beacon. She was in a grey Atlas uniform and she had her saber strapped to her back, She and I were tasked to work to find the Winter maiden. we ran into some trouble and she saved my ass from being turned to Beowulf dinner. She helped me up and we continued to look for the Winter maiden for about three to four months" Qrow finished
"You must have got to her know her really well in that time" Winter replied
"I did," Qrow said, taking another drink
the room went silent. all that was heard was the crackling of the fire and the wind pouring of more wine from Winter.
"I know about you and My mother Qrow," Winter told him
Qrow looked to her and chuckled a little bit but it sounded broken to her.
"It must be pretty disappointing, finding out that I'm your father. A drunk that can't even keep his friends alive" Qrow sobbed
Winter got up from her chair and kneeled in front of Qrow and looked up to him
"did you love my mother Qrow?" Winter asked
Qrow looked to her and nodded
"when you found out I was born, did you care about me?" Winter asked
Qrow nodded, "wanted to take you and your Mother away with me, to Vale, forget about this war with Salem. I just wanted to start a family" Qrow said
Winter nodded and a tear welled up in her eye, "then I'm proud to call you my father" Winter told him
Qrow got up and hugged his daughter. Winter enjoyed the hug of her father.
they sat back down in front of the fire and that's when the door opened to reveal Penny and Whitley enter the hall
"Oh! sorry if we interrupted something your grace" Penny said
"No, you're fine, what are you doing here anyway?" Winter asked
"We were just looking for somewhere warm to-"
"To contemplate our imminent death," Whitley told them
"You've come to the right place then kid" Qrow smiled
"Join us," Winter told them
they pulled up two more chairs and sat next to each other. Whitley took a glass of wine and drank with them. The door opened once again to see Flynt and Neon enter the hall.
"Well, what do we have here?" Flynt asked with a smile
"Ser Flynt, join us," Penny said
"That was the plan, but I'm not here for a drink just here for the fire," Flynt said
He and Neon pulled up a chair and sat near the fire as well.
"I figured I could wait to die freezing out there or wait to die nice and warm in here," Neon told them as well
they waited by the fire drinking and getting warm as well as telling their stories of where they've been and how they came to be here...
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.
A bowstring creaks as an arrow is fired. It hits its target next to two other arrows previously shot. Velvet was using her holographic camera and shooting arrows from a hologram crossbow. She lowers it and picks up another arrow. Oscar enters and stops to see Velvet, he watches from a doorway. She fires another arrow and turns as Oscar begins to walk up to her.
"Velvet, I have what you wanted," Oscar said
Oscar hands her the weapons she had asked him to make. she picked them up and looked at them and then to Oscar and smiled
"thank you Oscar" Velvet told him
"no problem" Oscar smiled back
Oscar turned and was about to leave
"hey Oscar?" Velvet asked
"yeah?" Oscar asked turning back around
"I know we've only known each other for a week but... If I do die there's something I want to do before" Velvet told him
"and what's that?" Oscar asked
Velvet didn't respond with words, instead, she smashed her lips into his, she inhales sharply as she pulls Oscar in and starts kissing him again. They start undressing each other while still kissing. She pushes Oscar on a bail of hay covered by blankets as she takes off her top. Oscar looks at her slim figure and Velvet gets on top of him, Oscar now only wearing his boxers looks to her eyes.
"I've never done s-something l-like this before," Oscar told her
She smiled, "Me neither," she told him and she kissed him again and Oscar kissed back with the same amount of passion.
.
.
.
Everyone sits around the fire still. Flynt is by the fridge looking for more wine or beer.
Winter looked to them all and sighed, "We'd better get some rest" Winter told them
"No, let's stay a bit longer!" Qrow told her
Flynt then walked past him, "We're out of Wine and Beer" Flynt told him
Flynt sits back down with Neon.
Qrow looked around "How about a song? One of you must know one" Qrow said "Flynt?"
Flynt chuckled "You'll pray for a quick death"
Qrow looks to Neon
"Sorry, I never sung in my life" Neon chuckled
Qrow turned to his daughter "Winter?"
"Weiss is the singer, not me," Winter told him
"same for me," Whitley told him
"Mmm" Qrow replied and he sat back.
"High in the halls of the kings who are gone, Jenny would dance with her ghosts, the ones she had lost and the ones she had found and the ones who had loved her the most" Penny began to sing, they all looked to her
"The ones who'd been gone for so very long..."
Ruby and Sun are sleeping in a bed with Sun's arms wrapped around Ruby, they didn't know it but they both were faking with the other. they couldn't sleep. not when the battle was gonna be coming soon
"She couldn't remember their names. They spun her around on the damp old stones"
Weiss and Neptune sat together and ate and talked, like old times
"Spun away all her sorrow and pain. And she never wanted to leave..."
Oscar sleeping on the Hay with Velvet cuddled on top of him, they were covered in a horse blanket
"Never wanted to leave..."
Arslan leading the Xiao-Long Army outside of Arktown, she looked to see Sage looking worried for her, he was carrying his sword. She nodded to him and walked off.
"Never wanted to leave..."
Joan looked outside to see the army getting ready, she looked to her two sleeping children hoping they make it through the night.
"Never wanted to leave..."
Roman and Lyanna looked at one another and held hands
"Never wanted to leave..."
Nora led the civilians to the basement of Arktown
"Never wanted to leave..."
Yang looks to see Jaune in the tower where the stained glass windows of his family were held with their statues. He looked to the statue of Dia Blackfyre.
Yang walked up to him "the statue looks familiar, who is she?"
Jaune looked to her and sighed
"Her Names Dia Blackfyre" Jaune said
"my aunt?" Yang asked
Jaune looked to her, "Raven's sister? she was Raven's sister!?" Jaune cried
"No, No, She was Ruby's mom's half-sister, Making her my aunt by marriage," Yang said
"Oh... I see..." Jaune said
Yang looked to him and saw something was wrong, "Jaune" Yang called
Jaune looked to her, Yang grabbed his hand and squeezed it. She looked to him in the eye and Jaune looked to her
"what's wrong?" she asked
Jaune looked to her and sighed, "did you know that she was part of the Royal family?" Jaune asked
Yang nodded, "I had found some records of Dia's family in Ozpins office when I took Beacon back," Yang told him
Jaune nodded, "I found that out too. Joan made Oscar use his semblance to follow my father, turns out he knew who Dia was..." Jaune told Yang
"So she was protected by an Arc, just like the first King," Yang said, "why does it matter?"
"It wasn't just that... Dia loved my father... and he had loved her" Jaune told her "My father had an affair with her and she became pregnant" Jaune told her
"Jaune? what are you trying to say?" Yang asked she was beginning to worry
"They were married in secret. After the Faunas Rights war, she had a son. Salem would have murdered the baby if she ever found out, and Dia knew it. So the last thing she did, was give it to her Husband, Johnathan Arc, to raise as his bastard"
"Jaune wha-"
"My name. My real name is Rheagar Blackfyre, Son of Dia Blackfyre and Johnathan Arc. First of my Name and Heir to the Vale Throne"
Yang froze, she was shocked, but she looked to him, "that means, that you are the last Blackfyre, you could have the Vale throne if you wanted to" Yang told him
"that's the problem, Yang..." Jaune began
He looked to her and got down on one knee and looked to her. She looked down too him.
"I LOVE YOU!" Jaune told her "I don't want the throne! I don't want a crown! and I don't want to rule! I want you too! You've done better at it than I ever could lead"
Yang looked to him and cried
"I want to Help you rule! I want to help you!" Jaune cried
Yang looked at him, Jaune stood up.
"Will you marry me?" Jaune asked
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.
.
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In an icy haze, the mangled legs of a dead horse trot forward before stopping. A Chieftain Hybrid sitting upon the dead horse and the entire army of Hybrids standing in a line upon their horses revealed. They see the faint glow of Arktown in the distance.
