RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

60. A Meeting of Maidens Part I

Happy new year everyone. Sorry this took so long, but I had the Christmas fallout to deal with as well as suffering a terrible illness that will not go away, but the main thing is we're back.

RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

Chapter 59: A Meeting of Maidens Part I

In a moderately-sized air base sitting beside a section of Vacuo City that had seen better days, with abandoned brick and sandstone buildings, rusted radio masts and an equally rusty water tower, this area of Vacuo's capital had once been used to house sizable airships for repairs, now the base was just another part of the 'nowhere' that the outskirts of Vacuo City was, only an occasional patrol by the Vacuo Rangers ever came by and the gangs were free to roam about and vandalize the abandoned buildings, and those innocent few vagrants who did live here only had the sand and desert wind for company.

Vacuo's capital, a massive city that sat in between the vast deserts and the cool forests and jungles of the Kingdom, with a large valley off to the west of the town that had a mix of both environments. The city was massive, with many buildings made out of sandstone blocks, to some made of bricks to those made of steel, looked over by several massive structures; Shade Academy, the 'holy city' district, and the central government building. The air base was out in the ghetto area of the city, with many old and abandoned buildings around it, not to mention streets covered with sand from the nearby dunes.

Near the wide open doors of the main hangar, Damien Ante stood in the shade and out of the blistering heat caused by the scorching rays of the rising sun and the barren surroundings. After wiping his sweating dark-skinned face for the umpteenth time, he produced his scroll from his trouser pockets and looked at the digital clock on its screen while tapping his foot impatiently, as he and his Enforcers waited for Tyrian's stolen supply airship to arrive.

"Hey boss, how much longer do we have to wait?" Tom-Tom whined to his leader as he fanned himself.

"You can't cross the entire Kingdom with the snap of a finger. Quit your whining." Lao told the younger enforcer as he lightly stabbed the blade of his sword on the surface of a nearby wooden table, producing sharp thudding noises that echoed in the silence of the empty hangar.

Ante ignored Tom-Tom's question, and was glad that someone had asked the swordsman to shut up before surveying his Enforcers to make sure they were standing at their sentry posts, keeping a lookout for anything that might accidentally or purposely discover their presence. He walked to the edge of the hangar's open doors and poked his head into the hot rays of the sun, and was satisfied to see that Merrick was up on the metal walkway of the rusted water tower, keeping watch of their surroundings with his sniper rifle to make sure they were alone and to also looking for any sign of the stolen supply ship.

The notorious crime lord then turned back and looked into the hangar once more, running his eyes over Little Steve, Tom-Tom, Lao, Fireball and Trooper who all stood around the inside of the hangar with him. He then turned his head a little to the right and took in their new recruit, Executioner.

The absence of both Zhan and Douglas had been felt, and while they had made due despite the missing manpower, it was obvious they needed more members to replace their fallen comrades, and so after running it by Salem, they had inducted Executioner into their ranks.

He was a towering man, well over six feet tall. From what Ante could gleam of his past he had been a Vacuo Ranger who would take joy in taking part in executions when the need arose for them, or just flat out killing unimportant prisoners when they wouldn't be missed. Eventually one of his would-be victims fought back, managing to badly injure Executioner's face with a broken blade before his life came to an end in a disturbingly grisly death which got the attention of his fellow Rangers and his superiors, ultimately leading to his arrest. This led to Executioner being dishonorably discharged from the Rangers and placed in prison, where he eventually managed to escaped. After that he became a mercenary and took to hiding his scared face by wearing an old hood to appear like an ancient executioner and live up to his new name, killing targets in various gruesome ways.

And of course the whispers of Executioner's work reached Ante's ears, so the dreadlocked crime lord knew he had to hire Executioner into their ranks, especially when he learned about the murderer's little signature, of only showing his face to the dead bodies of those he killed or to people he was murdering, allowing them to see his fearsome face before they left the world of the living. That, along with the uncanny skill in which Executioner was able to kill using a wide assortment of knives and blades, was more than enough for Ante to be sure he was both dark and crazy to join his Enforcers, and by extension their alliance with Salem.

Executioner sat on a upturned crate off to the side, clad in dark clothes with grey chainmail hidden underneath his outerwear to protect himself. He looked up through his hood, cold and empty black eyes glaring at Ante as he asked, "Do they always keep you waiting this long?"

Ante was about to answer when Trooper sat up from the crates he was resting on and replied, "It depends, you can never tell with these people."

"Who are they exactly?" Executioner crossed his chainmail-plated arms, his voice deep and rasping, "I know they're the ones behind all the disasters like Beacon's fall, the thing in Haven, and that mess with the White Fang, but you never told me who they are, exactly."

"Let's just say they're proof that Oum has either abandoned us or never existed to begin with." Lao answered bluntly, his voice dripping with cynicism.

His words caught the attention of Fireball, who looked up from the little game he was playing on his scroll to look to focus his gaze on Lao. "You don't believe in Oum, Lao?"

"Not really," the enforcer answered with a shrug "Never felt the need to really question it. Salem spoke of gods and such, but they were most likely just powerful beings like her, who died long ago. Do you believe in gods?"

Fireball sat up so that his eyes could be seen through the goggles of his bodysuit, and one look at them could make anyone flinch away from his unnerving gaze.

"Yes I do believe. I believe in Oum, because I met him once." He got everyone's attention with that.

"What do you mean by that?" Trooper found himself asking, and genuinely stunned.

"Well, I didn't really see him, but I felt his presence. I felt him when I was burning all those years ago." Fireball explained, having a distant look in his eyes as he remembered that fateful day his flamethrower malfunctioned and exploded, engulfing his entire body in terrible flames, "I could feel him when I was lying on that operating table, while the medical staff struggled to save what remained of my flesh. I guess you could say I saw him through the pain, through my own suffering. If anyone wants to see Oum, all they have to do is suffer. Suffer like I suffered, or even worse."

He paused and took off the black glove of his right hand, revealing the horribly charred flesh, disfigured by the inferno that nearly took his life so long ago. It was a miracle that he yet lived, and neither Ante nor his Enforcers had any desire to see what Fireball's face was like behind his protective mask, "You see, my friends… through the fire I found a way to see Oum. You can see the tiniest glimpse of him in the flame of a lighted match, and all you have to do is to let the flames consume you."

As he put the glove back on, he continued. "You can do so much with fire; you can use it to create and destroy. Save lives or end them. I've seen a lot of death and suffering in my time, and I have learned that we all see Oum through our suffering, we can either embrace him or deny him. And that is why I decided to become a mercenary, that's why I hurt people, to make their suffering go by quicker. Because life? It's not truly living, life is just another form of purgatory. It's another form of suffering, but through horrible, searing pain, but by a dull form of pain that lasts longer, and takes the shape of meaningless lives. Pain, true pain, is our reprieve, it is the only way to glimpse a better form of existence, known to us as death. The only thing is that most people don't understand it, and think death is something to be avoided at all costs, when really, it's your best friend. Pain is the demons of hell and the servants of Oum fighting over you, and in the end, if you've earned it, you'll be in Oum's grace. I pray to Oum to help the suffering ones, I even prayed for that Arc kid and the Rose girl back in Haven, as I knew their suffering could help them, and I was right. But… sometimes the best way to help suffering people is to get it over with. I don't simply burn people to hurt them, I make them experience the burning pain to help them get closer to Oum."

Silence hung in the air. Everyone stared at Fireball with a mixture of expressions such as creeped out, weirded out, or cold inferrerence to his little sermon.

"That's, uh... quite the philosophy you've got there." Trooper began awkwardly, "Do you think suffering is that important?"

"I suffer everyday. These old burns still hurt, but I endure it, endure my suffering, because I know that one day in the end I will be rewarded by Oum with an end to my pain." Fireball finished.

Trooper didn't truly know how to respond to any of this, so he kept silent instead and nodded his head. Turning his head around, he could see the variety of expressions on the faces of others such as the unnerved look written on Little Steve's face, the rather freaked-out look Tom Tom wore, while Lao didn't look convinced in the slightest and Ante didn't seem that surprised to hear about this. However, he found something slightly odd, and that was the slightly interested look in Executioner's eyes.

As the silence grew uncomfortable, Trooper decided to be the one to give some kind of response. He looked at his leather-clad comrade and said "Well… I don't really know what to believe. Maybe there is an Oum, after all the insanity we've been through in the past few years, I don't think I can just say it's all logic and science, so maybe there is an Oum or some other deity watching over us. So, I hope things work out for you."

He tried to put some earnest emotions into his reply, but it was rather difficult when Fireball's eyes looked like they were boring into his very soul, before simply giving a grateful nod.

"Still, do you think Oum would really approve of you working for Salem?" Trooper asked, a bit curious about that.

"I don't know. Salem is a dark one, no doubt of that, but darkness is an essential part of life. Maybe, if I make the right choices, I will be forgiven in the end."

Just then Merrick slid down the steel ladder of the water tower and came into the hangar. "Boss, I saw 'em." He announced, "A supply airship's coming right here." He walked over to Ante and pointed to the south-west, and soon in the distance they could see the small shape of a cargo carrier airship flying towards the hangar.

"About time." Ante muttered, "All right boys, get ready to help with the cargo."

"Cargo? I thought we were here to stand guard." Executioner voiced as he got off the crate.

"You multitask, guard and help with loading the cargo. The less outsiders involved in this the better." Ante explained as the ship drew closer, the sounds of its engines filling the area.

They all stepped back as the cargo airship flew into the spacious hangar, gently coming in to land on the sparsely cracked concrete flooring. The engines produced some whining sounds before finally dying down, and the main ramp at the rear disengaged, dropping to the ground of the hangar with a loud clanking sound. Once it was low enough the thin form of Tyrian Callows could be seen walking nonchalantly down to greet them with a cheeky and insane grin on his face.

"Ante! Good to be here." Tyrian greeted the crime lord.

"Good to have you, Mr. Callows." Damien returned as he and his Enforcers came forward, "So how much Dust did you manage to get?"

"Eh, a couple of thousand pounds of powdered Dust plus some several dozen crystals as a bonus." The Human-Faunus hybrid told him before he tilted his head and looked at the Enforcers, "Now, from what Cinder has told me, these men of yours are Trooper the ex-Atlas soldier, Little Steve the main muscle, Tom-Tom the scout and fast hitter, Merrick the assassin, Lao the right-hand man and sword wielder, Fireball the guy with the literal firepower, and… who's the new guy with the hood?"

"Didn't Mistress Salem tell you we have a new member?" Ante asked.

"She might have mentioned it, I tend to forget unimportant details. Who is he?" Tyrian repeated, smirking at the ire in Executioner's eyes.

"This is Executioner, a mercenary we hired a few months back. Ex-Vacuo Rangers, and he's been handy in helping us avoid trouble with his former buddies." Ante explained while gesturing at the Enforcers' recent addition.

Tyrian nodded before gesturing to Hui, Ilia, and the other members of the Red Fang standing at the lip of the cargo airship's main ramp, "Okay, these are my guys, a couple dozen members from the Red Fang. The big guy with the chainsaw is Hui, used to be Taurus's second-in-command, the girl with spots is Ilia...and I don't know nor care who the others are."

The small group of red-masked Faunus all groaned or growled in anger at their 'leader', but Tyrian took no notice.

"So while your people help mine with unloading the cargo, I want you to tell me about this 'local hero' that's been giving you trouble." Tyrian spoke to Damien who nodded and gestured for his Enforcers to begin unloading the large containers filled with many boxes of powdered Dust.

As Damien led Tyrian up the steel steps to the upper floor of the hangar, Merrick and Lao both went to move the large trucks which were parked in the adjacent shed while the others all went into the ship and began to unlatch and unbuckle the containers.

Trooper kept glancing at Fireball, still unnerved by what he had spoken about earlier, "Hey, Fireball."

"Yes?"

"What you said… you meant every word, right?" He asked calmly.

"Every word." Fireball confirmed, his voice as calm as though it was a casual conversation.

"If you ever need to talk about it, I'm…" Trooper began before he was cut off.

"Spare me. I've heard it before. I got those same sentiments from my old Huntsman team fifteen years ago, and that didn't stop them from just replacing me with someone else and leaving me behind." The burn victim said harshly as he unhooked some chains that held a large container to the floor of the ship.

Trooper wasn't surprised by the bluntness of the statement but that didn't stop him from trying to saying something to one of his partners.

"That's...uh…that's pretty awful." He managed to say.

Fireball nodded absently, "It was. I was an orphan, a ward of the Kingdom so I didn't have anyone I loved to keep me company or to comfort me. It's why people should appreciate family with the time they have."

Trooper flinched at that sentence, and Fireball knew he had hit close to home. The leather mask turned slightly in his direction and spoke, "I take it you agree with me?"

"Yeah…after I was dishonorably discharged my marriage fell apart, and it only got worse when I turned to the mercenary life. My wife divorced me, and she got the custody of our son too. I…I haven't seen them in years." Trooper confessed as they secured the large Dust container to the chains and pulleys overhead, "I came close to eating the bullet, but I kept soldiering on, to prove everyone that I wasn't a failure."

"I don't think you are one. I too, considered suicide when I was lying in that hospital bed, but I endured the pain, as I knew I could help others with their own pain and help them get closer to Oum." Fireball stated simply.

Trooper didn't know what to say to Fireball about his faith, so he elected to say nothing else on the topic to avoid offending him.

"So, if you ever need to talk about anything, just come to me, okay?" He told the leather-clad Enforcer.

"Same to you, if you ever need to talk about your own pain. And don't worry, I won't burn you or anything." Fireball said in a voice dry enough to make it clear that he was joking.

Trooper smirked as they pushed the grey container towards the rear opening of the cargo airship and managed to haul it over just as a forklift being driven by one of the Red Fang faunus came by to collect it.

Fireball moved on to help Little Steve and Hui out with carrying one of the smaller cargo crates, and Trooper was just about to follow when suit when he noticed he was being observed. He then saw a Fusion Faunus girl leaning against the steel walls of the cargo airship, her grey eyes staring at him, "Hey, Ilia, right?"

She nodded.

"Um, any reason you're staring at me like that?" He asked carefully.

"Huh? Well it's just that I overheard what you said about how you and your friend ended up here." She said a little hesitantly.

"Let me guess, you got a story?" He voiced before standing aside to allow another Red Fang member carrying a large Dust crystal crate to step past him.

"We all do." She stated, " I'm an orphan like him."

"You never had a family? I gotta be honest I didn't know what that was like until eight years ago. Everything went to hell and I…I just had no one with me anymore." He told her quietly.

"I…had something I thought was like a family. The White Fang used to be my family until it just…fell apart. I never knew it could get so bad or out of control, but in the end I'm still here, and I don't think I can really call the Red Fang a family." She voiced softly as she rubbed her arms, even as she watched the forklift loading a number of Dust crates onto the transport truck driven by Lao. "He just messed it all up."

"Let me guess again, Taurus?" Trooper speculated with a raised eyebrow.

Ilia nodded distantly, "I used to look up to him, I admired him a lot, but I never thought he would ever go so far as doing those awful things the others told me about. He was one of the main reasons it went so wrong, but I…I don't think he would have turned out so bad had she not abandoned us."

"Who?" The Enforcer queried.

Ilia's grey eyes narrowed, and her skin turned to a dark red color as she angrily muttered, "Blake Belladonna."

"Well, if you find her you can perhaps talk to her or something?" Trooper offered.

"I am going to talk to her repeatedly...with my weapon." Ilia hissed her reply through gritted teeth, her fingers straying to her electric whip.

Up above on the catwalks, Tyrian and Damien both watched as the stolen cargo was being loaded up into the trucks to be taken to hidden staging areas within the city

"This is quite a good haul, Callows. If the Summer Maiden is here, this extra Dust ought to help us level the playing field." Ante commented as he placed his hands on the rusty railing.

"Maybe." Tyrian shrugged his shoulders, "Anyway, tell me more about this vigilante do-gooder. So these Black Viper punks who got away, they're sure it was a woman?"

"Oh yeah. They told me they wouldn't forget getting their asses handed to them by a bitch that sexy." Ante turned his head and looked at the man beside him.

"So? Just because it was a woman doesn't mean it was the Maiden. Are you sure it's not just some rookie Huntress who got bored with fighting Grimm?" Tyrian scoffed.

"Nope, the damage dealt to the Vipers matches the description Mistress Salem gave me of what the Summer Maiden can do." Ante assured him, "Plus, from what I heard the cops still haven't figured out who wrecked the Vipers. Most teenagers can't resist the attention and glory that taking down such a gang brings, and a Huntress-in-training wouldn't have much of a reason to remain anonymous since they wouldn't be punished too harshly by the Academy staff. Maybe a harsh scolding, but nothing more."

He then handed Tyrian his scroll, and the assassin held it up to his gold eyes as he examined the pictures displayed on it closely, which showed the defeated Black Vipers all looking thoroughly burned and beaten. Some even have limbs stuck out at unnatural angles which spoke of broken bones, while others sported quite a few knife cuts and slashes to their bodies.

"Hmm...interesting." Tyrian muttered to himself, gently stroking his chin with two fingers, "Very interesting."

"That's not all. Word on the streets was that Headmistress Aria has a special guest in Shade Academy, one who isn't seen often by the students." Ante continued.

"Have you found a way to get into the Academy?" Tyrian turned his gaze to the crime lord.

"Way ahead of you. There are ways for sure, but the main problem is that Luna Aria isn't an idiot, she clearly knows what she's doing. She's upped security significantly ever since that Beacon mess, so you can't just walk on in like you could a couple of years ago. Security checks, a few Vacuo Ranger stationed there, clearance codes for certain areas, all that shit and more. There is, however, the old tunnels." Ante said with a smirk forming on his face.

"Go on." Tyrian beckoned while wearing his own smirk.

"You see, thanks to Mistress Salem's spy within Shade Academy I've found out that there's an old network of tunnels that run underneath the city and come to a hub at its three major buildings. And one in particular leads directly to the sub-basement of the academy. The entrance is hidden behind a bunch of old storage stuff, and since it has been forgotten there's no major security within those basements. It's so obscure and blocked off that the authorities don't bother trapping it and even if you do get through you would still have to get past the security measures already in place within the academy itself, but it's still a good way." Ante finished.

"Hmm, a good find. I'll consult with Mistress Salem and my 'buddies', see what they think about all this. Still, it looks like we have a solid lead on the Summer Maiden, and a possible way of ambushing her and Thorn getting those powers." Tyrian said as a dark grin spread across his maniacal features.

"Now the only thing left is that we only need to confirm if the Summer Maiden even there." Ante posed the problem, "I suppose you have anyone who can help with that?"

"I do. We can send Spots down there to do the job, she has the ability to camouflage herself." Tyrian said.

"Works for me." Ante agreed, "And she might just gather more information for us while at it."

"Speaking of your 'buddies' and Thorn, will they be joining us?" Ante asked.

"Why of course! The other Red Fang members have, under my express orders, snuck into the Kingdom of Vacuo for the upcoming attack." Tyrian cackled gleefully, "Besides, I don't think any of them would want to miss the explosion once the fuse is lit, yes?"

Ante tilted his head before saying, "You know, Callows...Cinder once told me about you, she said you were one of those men who wants to watch the world burn. Any truth to that?"

Tyrian faced Ante, an over-the-top, melodramatic hurt look on his face.

"She said that about me?!" He began with a hurt voice, "I never thought she was one for clichés! It's so insulting to hear such a simple phrase used to describe me. No, Mr. Ante. I don't want to watch the world burn…" Tyrian stopped and got closer to Ante's face before guffawing, "I want to beat the shit out of the world, rape it, stab it, choke the life out of it, rip its heart out and then watch it burn!"

By now Tyrian was mere centimeters away from the crime lord's face, and the crazed look in his gold eyes would be more than a little creepy to most people, but Damien Ante wasn't most people. A lifetime as a criminal had given him the experience of meeting what amounted to truly insane individuals who would be better off in a maximum security asylum, so meeting Tyrian Callows was honestly no big deal to him.

He smirked and replied, "You're a crazy motherfucker… I think I'm gonna like working with you."

Tyrian leaned back and gave his new associate a genuine, if psychotic smile, "Finally, someone else who recognizes my talents!"

From below, both Trooper and Ilia observed the exchange before looking to each other. They didn't need to say anything, their eyes told each other that they both knew that putting those two together was a disaster waiting to happen.

The big question was if it was a disaster Salem was counting on when the attack on the Summer Maiden began.

---

The sun had just begun to show its rays over the horizon, announcing the arrival of dawn as it continued its ascent near Beacon Academy, illuminating the tall structures and the main tower. While most of the student body were still asleep within their dorms, a handful of students had woken up early to either get the constant annoyance of homework done or to perform their daily exercise routines. Everyone in Team Beacon was no exception either as they were also among the sleeping ones, with Penny in her recharge cycle, getting as much rest as possible for another busy day at Beacon.

Glynda Goodwitch walked down one of the empty main halls, her shadow following behind her clacking heels. It was still a couple of hours before the rest of the faculty staff would be up and about to prepare for yet another day of educating and training the new generation of Hunters, not all of whom would be grateful for the lessons they would learn. As she strolled past the teacher's lounge she found it a bit odd to see it empty, since normally it would be common to see Doctor Oobleck sharing small talk while drinking large thermoses of coffee with Professors Port and Crane, and Professor Peach would be trying to catch some extra sleep using her binder of papers as a pillow. Glynda allowed herself a smile at that memory as she adjusted her long-sleeved, plated top and walked in the direction of the elevators. Ozpin had informed her that the Winter Maiden's airship was on its final approach to the academy and she needed to get to the secret platform as soon as she could.

She walked across the snowy courtyards of the academy and soon found herself at the landing platforms in front of the school, where Ozpin, Councilman Henry, and a few top operatives of the Valean Military. The Moonlight Serenity could be seen in the distance, gracefully approaching the school, the dawn just behind it.

So instead of making her way across the snowy courtyards of the academy and finding herself at the landing platforms in front of the school, she went towards Beacon Tower and went inside, scanning her security pass at the elevator which opened to admit her. She pressed the elevator's panel that contained additional buttons with symbols only known to the Guardians of Remnant and pressed the appropriate one for the secret tunnel that lead to the hidden airship platform built separately from the cliffside's aerial docking bays. It was where they watched the Remnant Knight Order's stealth prowler Andromeda de-cloak itself and land to reveal the visiting group of Knights, and now it would be used again to receive the Winter Maiden and her entourage.

The secret platform was built within a natural cleft at the very western side of Beacon, and was cleverly camouflaged from sight by the surrounding cliffs that only the most skilled airship pilots could make it through. It was another one of Beacon's secrets, only a small number of individuals knew about the platform's existence, and they were either within Ozpin's order or close associates of those members. After reaching the end of the dimly-lit tunnel which opened up into a yawning cavern that opened up to reveal the sizable platform with slowly flashing lights which stretched over the space above the gently sloshing water.

It was there she found Headmaster Ozpin and Councilman Henry both waiting at the edge of the platform, and the silver-haired man turned to regard her even as she walked up the steps to join them, "Ah, Glynda. As punctual as always."

"Good morning gentlemen, I trust you're both well?" She asked as she came up alongside them.

"Professor Goodwitch, it's good to see you again." Henry greeted her politely.

"Good morning Glynda, I trust you slept well?" Ozpin asked as he took a sip of coffee.

"As well as ever, Headmaster. And it's good to see you too, Councilman. Are you alright? You look tired." Glynda observed as she crossed her arms a little.

"Let's just say that when Councilman Benedict got so fed up with paperwork and proposed a law to ban it, I was incredibly tempted to go along with it." Henry said with a growing smile.

Glynda shook her head before dryly commenting, "You'd have my vote. Some days I'd rather fight Salem's minions alone that deal with paperwork."

The sound of Dust-powered engines caught their attention and soon the shape of Moonlight Serenity could be seen in the distance gracefully approaching the academy, the yellow light of dawn framing it beautifully from behind.

"I take it the captain knows about this hidden platform?" Glynda inquired and the representative of Vale's Council nodded his head.

"Yes, General Ironwood has informed the captain of this place, and he's trustworthy enough to be entrusted with this bit of information, and everyone working on board the airship have also been personally vetted by Ironwood himself." Henry confirmed, to which the blonde professor nodded in understanding.

Slipping smoothly through the narrow cleft in the cliffs, the Moonlight Serenity flew forwards smoothly before hovering the large platform with room to spare, buffeting the trio and the water below with its sleek and powerful engines for a few long moments as it turned slightly to present the side which the boarding ramp would unfold itself. The luxurious Atlesian ship then came to rest gently and its engines died down, near-silence returning throughout the cavern.

There was a series of clanking sounds as the ramp came down, revealing the brightly lit and smooth white walls of the Moonlight Serenity's interior and the armored silhouettes of the Winter Templars standing near the top of the ramp. Once the wide ramp of the airship reached the ground a dozen of them marched out in perfect synchronization with their long halberds held across their chests, their heavily booted feet producing thudding sounds against ground. Arranging themselves smoothly into two straight lines, they slammed the ends of their halberds all at once to announce the arrival of Snow Blade.

The leader of the Winter Templars walked down the ramp to meet the trio, his exquisitely-crafted silver helmet and gunmetal-grey armor reflected the landing pad's lights as he moved, while his head turned slowly around to survey the area through the azure lenses of his helmet. The thick double-edged broadsword that was his personal weapon hung diagonally across his back, and his gently flapping white cloak hung from his pauldron-clad shoulders.

Snow Blade eventually stopped in front of the trio and brought up his gauntleted fist to clash it against his gleaming chestplate in greeting. "Headmaster Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Councilman Henry, thank you for being here to greet us." He said, "May you all continue to serve with honor and courage."

"It is good to see you as well, Snow Blade. It was an easy journey, I hope?" Ozpin asked as he shook the knight's gauntleted hand, followed by Glynda and Henry.

"Indeed. Smooth sailing, as one might say. We've gotten the all clear message from Ironwood's men back at Watchpoint Glacies, they've informed us that there's been no suspicious activity since we left there." Snow Blade reported before asking, "I take it that the areas we'll be passing through are all cleared?"

"Of course. We've placed additional guards around the school and the Valean military have also stepped up their patrols around the borders to make sure we're secure, and any student awake this early isn't likely to notice us." Ozpin assured him.

"And if anything does come up, we've also taken precautions against it." Glynda added shortly.

Snow Blade gave a nod of his helmet, "Very well, let us get on with it." Turning towards the exit of the airship, he spoke into his communication device within his helmet, "Maiden Elsa, it's safe for you to come out."

They all looked to the top of the ramp, and soon enough the Winter Maiden and her guardian disembarked onto the platform that had been cleared of snow and ice, accompanied by a quartet of Atlesian military soldiers.

While the cold was clearly a bother to Ozpin, Glynda and Henry, all of whom were either shivering or keeping warm bundled up in their coats, but to Elsa, her guardian, and the Winter Templars, the winter season in Vale was a mere breeze compared to the harsh winters the unforgiving mountains of Atlas could dish out all year round. Elsa herself had the advantage of being both born and raised in a cold climate in Atlas as well as the Winter Maiden powers that had been bestowed upon her, so the cold never bothered her in the slightest. She wasn't even bothering with a coat, and was wearing a midnight-blue long-sleeved gown with a near-transparent blue cape which flowed from her shoulders. On her chest, cape and rims of her outfit small snowflake-like designs could be seen, and her flowing platinum-blonde hair was kept neat with the help of a small silver-white winter berry wreath-pin.

"Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch, Councilman Henry, good to see all of you again. My sincere apologies to get you all up so early." Elsa spoke gently, her voice a bit soft, and her blue eyes made it clear she was still a little tired and her hair looked like it had been speedily brushed despite its somewhat neat outlook, which was an obvious result of a rather quick awakening.

"It is good to see you again as well, Elsa." Ozpin echoed and bowed courteously, doing his best to be pleasant with her, given their less than stellar history together. Elsa nodded, giving him a somewhat sympathetic look that told him that she would do her best not to snap at him.

"It is an honor to have you with us, Maiden Elsa. Beacon is at your service." Glynda told her kindly. She had considered saying that it was always an honor to have a Maiden at the school, but the sorceress felt that it was best not to mention that, given what had happened with Amber.

"You don't have to do that much for me. Being away from those mountains, if only for a day or two, is good enough for me." Elsa said as she shook Glynda's hand as Kaifin merely nodded to them.

"It is indeed a blessing to have you visit our city, Miss Vorst, I trust your trip was a pleasant one?" Henry asked as he also bowed to her.

"It was quite peaceful, and it was a wonderful change of pace to see the oceans and your Kingdom's forests." Elsa said before Kaifin spoke up.

"Yes, she enjoyed the sights so much she could hardly sleep." He stated before shooting a smile at his beloved who gave him one in return.

Elsa then noticed Councilman Henry's shivering and the large clouds of breath coming from him, Ozpin, and Glynda. She gestured towards long tunnel that led away in the direction of Beacon and suggested, "Shall we move this conversation inside? The cold might not bother us Atlesians, but I can tell you're more susceptible."

"A good idea. Will you be joining us, Snow Blade?" Ozpin asked the Knight Vanguard.

"Not at the moment. For now, I will join my fellow knights in making sure the academy grounds are secure." The leader of the Winter Templars declined before he spoke into his helmet's communication device, and immediately a group of five Remnant Knights stepped out from the dozen that were standing at the base of the ramp, "Spirit Dreamer, and the four of you, however, are to accompany them and guard the Winter Maiden at all costs, and stay out of sight."

"Yes, Knight Vanguard." The five of them said, with Spirit Dreamer, the detachment's assigned prognosticator in front. She adjusted her grip on her staff as she inclined her hooded head before turning to follow the other knights assigned to protect the Winter Maiden.

A few Knights went ahead of the group, while Ozpin and Glynda led their guests into the tunnel back to the school.

"How much longer will it be until the students are awake?" Elsa questioned the Headmaster and co-Headmistress of Beacon.

Glynda, knowing the schedule of the school by instinct, was prepared for such a question and she answered with, "Around another two hours I'd say. When would you wish to meet Miss Nikos and the others?"

Elsa turned her head slightly to let out a yawn, before replying, "I suppose I can wait until it's after school hours to meet them, since Ozpin and I need to have a little talk between ourselves. There's no need to wake them up so early since they probably need all the rest they can get. Besides, I could go for a little extra sleep myself."

Kaifin allowed her to lean into him as they walked, guiding her along the tunnel's main path, circular lights set in the ceiling passing by them every ten meters or so.

"We have made the appropriate accommodations in the academy's guest rooms." Glynda mentioned, "I hope you will find our facilities adequate to your needs."

"I'm sure, Professor." Elsa voiced wearily.

"I apologize for the weather, Elsa. It must be disappointing for you to come at a time when our climate is similar to yours." Ozpin remarked.

"It's quite all right. A little change is better than none." Elsa voiced as they reached the end of the tunnel and stepped into the elevator.

As they reached the ground level, the walkway that connected the extension to the other buildings of Beacon they were walking through had tall windows that granted the newcomers a wonderful view of the courtyard. Elsa's eyes widen a bit as she briefly admired the statues in the courtyard, as well as the snow-covered landscape that stretched as far as she could see. She glanced over to see various large flower pots made of stone, the plants now devoid of leaves and covered with snow and frost.

She let out a sad sigh from her mouth and lamented, "Still, I would have loved to see some flowers."

"I take it you're fond of them?" Glynda asked.

"Oh, I love flowers!" Elsa confirmed contentedly, "It's just that there are hardly any in the mountains. The most beautiful flowers in Remnant couldn't withstand the harsh environment. It's actually been two whole years since I've actually gotten to even touch a marigold or other kinds of flowers."

Kaifin nodded solemnly as he whispered to Glynda, "Marigolds and Freesias are her favorite."

Glynda nodded before looking to Ozpin, who smiled and nodded back. The combat instructor looked to the Winter Maiden, but saw that she was close to falling asleep. She looked up to Kaifin instead and said, "You know what, I think we can work something out with regards to Elsa's interest flowers. Her meeting with Ozpin can also wait a few more hours, since it's obvious that she needs her rest."

He smiled back and whispered, "You have my thanks." in a grateful voice as he guided the dozing Elsa towards the academy after Glynda passed him the keycards to the guest rooms, the Winter Templars following them in their perfect marching steps.

Glynda knew that Professor Peach would be up in an hour or so, and said fellow teacher had a perfectly functioning indoor greenhouse used to preserve various plant species for her classes. In addition to various medicinal plants, it also held a variety of beautiful flowers within it as well...

---

A couple hours later, the bright sun had fully climbed over the horizon and was shining down upon Vale, Beacon Academy, and the Emerald Forest, gracing them with its warm light and making the snow sparkle.

The alarm clock in Team RWBY's room went off, awakening all four girls in various moods. Ruby's silver eyes popped open and she quickly sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She then sat up and pushed aside her blankets, stretching her arms and legs as she yawned before she pulled back the blankets that covered her lower body, and turned her head she looked to her side and downwards to see that her teammates were still in bed.

"Morning everyone!" She announced as she hopped off the top bunk and onto the floor.

Weiss sighed as she rose from her blankets, her white hair just a bit messy. She looked to her partner and said, "One day, I'm going to find out how you always manage to be so energetic."

The red reaper giggled as Yang swung her legs over the bottom bunk, retrieving her detached robotic arm from the bedside table and attaching it to her arm socket, powering up and flexing its fingers to loosen up the gears.

"Weiss, I've known Ruby my whole life and trust me when I say that the source of her energy is an unsolvable mystery." Yang quipped as she grabbed a brush and began to tend to her beloved bright gold hair.

Ruby went over to the window and pulled the curtains open to look out at the snow-covered grounds of Beacon, which allowed dazzling sunlight to pour into the room harshly. Blake, being the last of the four girls to wake, flinched away and buried her face into her pillow to shield her eyes.

"Another beautiful day." Ruby said to herself as she continued to look at the snowy landscape.

"It can't beat the beauty of a warm bed and a blanket." Blake argued as she tossed around in her bed to turn away from the light.

"Or you." Yang whispered so quietly that Ruby and Wiess couldn't hear her, but Blake's ears allowed her to hear the Yang's comment easily, which caused her to blush brightly under her blanket. Yang didn't have to see Blake's face to know her reaction, so the blonde brawler simply grinned as she got up and moved to the bathroom for a quick shower, only to be beaten to the punch by Weiss who closed the door in her face and locked it.

"Hey! What gives Snow Queen?" Yang called, placing her varied hands at her hips.

"You know I don't like a pre-wet shower, Yang." Weiss's voice came from behind the door as she started up the water in the shower.

"That doesn't even make sense!" Ruby's elder sister objected before throwing her hands up in the air in annoyance.

"Look, just let me have the first turn today and I won't get in your way tomorrow." Weiss said through the door and over the sounds of pouring water.

Yang sighed and shook her head before saying, "Oh well, this gives me a chance to work out without worrying about sweat."

The blonde went to the center of the room and dropped down on her hands and feet, ready to do some early morning push-ups. "Rubes, mind being extra weight?"

"You got it, Yang." Ruby answered as she gently stepped up onto Yang's back to give her elder sister more of a challenge. Yang wasted no time and began to push both her and Ruby's combined weight up and down on her arms and legs.

As Ruby went up and down, easily maintaining her balance, she turned her head to see Blake finally rising from the covers, pulling a few loose strands of black hair from her mouth.

"Hope you don't get a hairball!" The silver-eyed girl lightly teased.

"Ha Ha." Blake managed to smile back at her before glancing down to admire Yang's attractive, powerful body as it rose and fell, but was careful not to let Ruby catch her looking before climbing off the top bunk.

Meanwhile in Team JNPR's room, the clock had already gone off, but Pyrrha had already silence it via her Semblance right away so she and her team could get a few minutes more sleep before they began their day. The other reason was because the last time she didn't do it Nora's fist nearly shattered it.

The Spartan smiled as she felt Jaune snuggled into her back, the lower half of his head against her shoulder blades as most of his eyes was covered by her flaming red hair as he breathed steadily. One of his arms was wrapped across her midriff while she laid on his other arm which grasped her right arm, their fingers intertwined with each other.

Pyrrha loved moments like this, and she wouldn't mind a day when she and Jaune could just lay in bed together and enjoy each other's company and did other… activities, but it would probably be quite a while before a day such as that would come to pass.

She looked around the dorm room to see Ren sleeping calmly and peacefully while Nora was lying on her front and snoring loudly, a thin trickle of drool pouring from her lips and onto her pillow as she leaned ever closer to the edge of the bed.

When Pyrrha heard the other members of Team Beacon moving outside their room, she knew it was time to get up and apparently she wasn't the only one as she heard Ren rising from his bed, carefully taking his covers off as he woke up.

"Jaune, time to get up." She whispered to her love as she turned around in his arms.

Jaune awoke with a small groan as he took his head out her back and shook it a little as he pushed himself up, withdrawing his arms from her. He wiped the sleep from his eyes before looking at her and smiling.

She returned the smile, not needing to say anything else as she leaned in and gave him a good morning kiss, which he lovingly returned.

Ren got out of his bed and walked over to Nora, preparing himself for his daily task of waking his girlfriend up. To avoid being hit by her hands and legs by reflex, he maintained a safe distance as he took a piece of kleenex from his desk and carefully wiped her mouth of saliva, gently saying, "Nora, it's time to get up."

"Eh..." whined, trying to hide herself with her covers, "My biological clock disagrees."

"Nora, we've been over this, that's not what a biological clock is, you're talking about your circadian rhythm." He corrected her gently.

"Yeah, cicada rhymes… that's what I meant…" Nora finished with a snore.

Pyrrha giggled at her friend's sleepiness while Ren looked over to Jaune, who was reaching for the alarm clock, and nodded to him. Jaune sighed before turning up the volume and bracing himself as he pushed the button.

The alarm blared, and Nora woke with a start, and would have fell of the bed completely had Ren not caught her in the nick of time.

"Not messin' around, huh?" Nora asked him with a cute pout, and he managed a smile as he shook his head.

"We do it because we love you." He told her as helped her up on her feet, patting her gently.

"I love you guys too, can't help it." She admitted as she cracked a bright smile.

Pyrrha made it to the shower first, and while the others waited for their turn Jaune decided to get himself a morning snack. He left their room and made his way to the kitchen, and saw Blake, Penny, Coco, Fox, Neptune already up and about.

"Morning everyone." He greeted, getting a chorus of echoes in return.

"Good morning and salutations, Jaune! Would you like some toast?" Penny offered kindly as she stood in the kitchen, pointing to a large plate of toasted bread.

"Hey, thanks Penny!" Jaune said gratefully as he accepted a couple pieces.

"My pleasure. I may not be able to consume food, but I can still make it!" Penny replied before asking, "We are still on for sword practice after school, correct?"

Jaune, Weiss, Blake, Penny, Sage, Scarlet, and Yatsuhashi, regularly got together at one of the school's training halls once a week for sword practice, to keep their talents with their weapons sharp.

"You got it Penny," The blond knight confirmed before he chowed down on the toast.

"You might want to work on waking up, it's unusual for your team to be the last ones up." Coco commented to Jaune as she took a sip of her cup of freshly-brewed coffee. She, being the leader of the eldest team in the group, was usually the first one up and almost always the first to shower since she always wanted to look as good as she always did.

"Sometimes Pyrrha likes us both to get a little extra rest, and I'm fine with that." Jaune defended politely as he took another bite out of his toast.

"More like she wants extra cuddles." Coco shot back with an understanding wink, causing a slight blush to come to Jaune's features. Neptune chuckled behind his hand while Fox gave Jaune a knowing nod in return.

"Well, that too." He confessed with a shrug before looking around and smiling at Ruby as she exited Team RWBY's room."Well, that too." He confessed with a shrug before looking a smiling to Ruby as she exited Team RWBY's room.

She waved to him as she looked to Blake and said "So Weiss got out of the shower, but you know my sister…"

The Cat Faunus nodded with a smile, knowing how Yang could obsessivley tend to her golden locks, but was content to wait while eating her breakfast of scrambled eggs while Ruby took in the smell of toast and rushed over to Penny.

"Good morning and salutations, Ruby! I can tell you've noticed the toast. Would you like butter or jam?" The android girl politely asked.

"I'm feeling like both today." Ruby said eagerly as she licked her lips, patting her friend on the shoulder and adding, "You're the best." as Penny handed her both jars.

Penny's smile widened somewhat at the compliment as she watched Ruby take a small knife from the kitchen counter-top and set about to fix up the toast for herself.

Jaune returned to Team JNPR's room, just in time to see Pyrrha exiting the bathroom, her school shirt already hastily buttoned on her upper body along with a pair of gym shorts as she walked out. Ren was next in line, so he began to move forward as Nora spoke up.

"You know what? I think some coffee might help me in the mornings…" She began, only for everyone present to answer her.

"No!" They all shot down immediately.

"Spoilsports." She said with a sly smile, trying not to laugh at how scared her fellow teammates looked at the idea of giving her coffee.

Back in the commons room, Ruby and the others were joined by Velvet, fresh out of the shower and already dressed in her school uniform, sans vest, and brushing her long hair. All of a sudden her long ears twitched and she said, "Guys, I think someone's approaching the main door."

Sure enough, there were several knocks came from behind the main entrance to Team Beacon's little section of the dorm building.

Ruby, always the quickest, shot over to the door and quickly unlocked it, and was surprised to see who was waiting for her on the other side.

"Professor Goodwitch?" She voiced in surprise, getting the attention of Blake, Penny, Velvet, and the others in the commons room as their heads turned and saw Professor Goodwitch standing at the door dressed in her usual teaching wear.

"Good morning Miss Rose, nice to see you and the rest of Team Beacon already awake. I apologize for coming here unannounced like this, but I have something to inform you, as well as Miss Nikos and Mr. Arc." Glynda said calmly to the young woman.

"Um, is it urgent?" Ruby asked carefully, wondering if something bad had happened.

"In a way, but it's not too urgent. And don't worry, nothing bad has happened nor are any of you in any trouble." Glynda assured Ruby before she could ask another question.

As Velvet called for Jaune and Pyrrha to come out, Ruby attempted to ask the combat instructor a question, "How did you…?" Luckily, Glynda had it covered and easily cut Ruby off with the answer with a raised hand.

"I have been a teacher for a long time Miss Rose, and I've seen the look you just had in your eyes more than a few times." The blonde teacher explained to Ruby, who nodded in return.

"I guess that makes sense." She replied as Jaune and Pyrrha arrived at the scene.

"Professor Goodwitch? Is something wrong?" Jaune asked her cautiously.

"No Mr. Arc, there's nothing wrong, aside from your state of undress." Glynda remarked, eyeing he and Ruby's pajamas. She came inside and closed the door behind her so that no one aside from the trio would know of what she's going to tell them, "I apologize for coming so early, but I need to inform the three of you of something."

"And since this isn't about something bad, I guess it's safe to assume it doesn't involve Salem and her group, right?" Pyrrha guessed softly.

"Correct, Miss Nikos. Beacon Academy has received some very important guests, and all of them will remain a secret from the bulk of the student body. One guest in particular, wishes to meet with the three of you this afternoon once school is out." Glynda informed them.

"Erm, who is this guest?" Jaune inquired, glancing over to see the heads of Velvet, Coco, Fox, Neptune, Penny, Blake, Ren, Nora, and Sage all watching them from the kitchen's entrance.

"Let's just say she is a very important figure who wants to speak with you about certain things you have experienced." The blonde sorceress said vaguely.

"So she's a therapist?" Ruby asked with a curious look on her face.

"No, Miss Rose. Nothing like that. You'll see once the time comes. This afternoon you will remain with me after your final class and accompany me to Headmaster Ozpin, understood?" She asked them.

They all nodded, whatever this was about was obviously quite important, so none of them felt any desire to question their combat instructor any further. By now they all knew Glynda Goodwitch well enough to know she would never do anything to lead her students to harm.

"We'll be there, Professor." Ruby promised her.

"Very good, I must be going now. I will see you all later, have a good day." She said to the present members of Team Beacon before she opened the door once more and took her leave, gently closing the door behind her.

Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha all looked to each other with slightly puzzled looks but they didn't say anything.

"Penny, I guess I won't be able to show up to sword practice. Do you mind covering for me?" Jaune asked the android girl once he got her attention. Penny was so powerful and skilled with her many blades, so much that she often had to dial it down just so she wouldn't overpower the others.

The robotic girl smiled nonetheless and gave him a thumbs up, said, "No problem, Jaune!"

"What was all that about?" Weiss asked as she came out of Team RWBY's room, fully dressed in her uniform.

"Professor Goodwitch wants the me, Jaune, and Pyrrha to stay after class with her and meet up with Ozpin. I don't know why, but something must be up." Ruby informed her partner.

"Obviously." Weiss agreed with a nod of her head.

"Can any of your team go with you?" Blake asked Ruby carefully, while accepting a mug of coffee from Coco and thanking her.

"I don't think so, Professor Goodwitch said only the three of us are summoned by request from these visitors, whoever they are. She would've mentioned it if we could bring someone else with us." Ruby answered the Black Cat Faunus.

"Well, hopefully you will be able to keep us informed, I don't like to be left out of the loop." Weiss remarked as she sat down at the table.

"I'll do my best to keep you guys in the know." Ruby agreed as she sat next to the Schnee heiress, while Jaune and Pyrrha headed back for their room. "But don't worry, I can handle it."

Weiss gave her partner a look, her eyebrows raised on her face.

"What? I can!" Ruby said, getting a smile out of Weiss, as well as Blake.

"I know you can, Ruby." Weiss relented as she chuckled.

Ruby pouted cutely and muttered, "So now you have a sense of humor." That earned her a small bump on her elbow from Weiss as she gave a small chuckle.

"So Ruby, Weiss, want some coffee?" Coco shook the steaming glass pot of coffee in her hand at them.

"No." Ruby declined.

"Just her a glass of warm milk." Weiss quipped as Coco turned towards her, "Ruby never takes coffee without blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar."

"Wait, won't that cause her to get diabetes?" Sun announced his presence as he joined them at the large table, planting an affectionate kiss on Blake's cheek.

"One can only wonder why she didn't get it yet, considering all the sweets and cookies she eats." Weiss sighed as Ruby laughed a little, and thanked Coco for her mug of hot coffee.

"My Semblance is speed, I burn the weight away before it can set it." Ruby explained before adding "Thanks for ordering milk. Nice Weiss strikes again!"

Weiss's gave her a small, stern glare and said "Tone it down, Ruby. I will pour this mug of coffee on you and it will burn." The snow princess gestured with her coffee mug and Ruby squeaked in fear for a moment.

"Now be quiet and drink your milk." She took the mug from Coco and passed it to the leader of Team RWBY who accepted with a placating smile on her face, which earned a couple of humourous chuckles from the other members of Team Beacon seated around them, "After all, you still have lots of growing up to do."

"You have no idea how true those words are." Blake sighed from behind her own cup of coffee, and Ruby stuck out her tongue in response.

---

Once the school day had officially begun and all the students were starting their first classes for the morning, the headmaster of Beacon made sure that he had finished up all the essential paperwork before informing his secretary to hold his calls and messages. After he had locked his table-computer system with a new password he picked up his cane and made his way to the guest room areas of Beacon where Elsa and Kaifin were staying at the moment.

As his footsteps proceeded down the hallway, Ozpin's mind was filled with thoughts concerning the upcoming conversation he'd be having with the Winter Maiden. He had thought for a long time about what he would say to Elsa, and also wondered what she would say to him. While he didn't show it to others, a part of him dreaded another speech about how inept he was, but after so long he had learned that there were still quite a number of people who didn't trust him and had petitioned to have him removed from Beacon, and in all honesty he felt that they weren't entirely wrong to have that opinion. Elsa least of all, as she had lost a close friend due to his failures.

And there were times that certain insightful individuals that he had met before in the past who warned that he was merely a pawn trying to wear the crown of a king, and inevitably found it that heavy is the head that wears the said crown.

He sighed and tried to put the creeping feeling of self-loathing that threatened to poison his mind every so often behind him. As long as there was life left in Remnant, there was hope. He could make things right again, he just had to make use of the time he had been given to lead the others effectively, and hope that Elsa wanted to have a normal conversation instead of giving him a harsh rant.

Ozpin eventually arrived at the area of Beacon where the guest rooms in which Elsa and her guardian were staying, and after making the appropriate greetings with the vigilant Winter Templars who were stationed at various major hallways, he entered his clearance code into the keypad at the door that led to hall with the rooms reserved for important visitors. Once it opened he walked down the empty hallway, his echoing footsteps the only noise aside from his balanced breaths, but they came to a sudden stop as he arrived at the door to Elsa and Kaifin's guest room. Another pair of knights standing at both sides of the door saluted him, which he returned the gesture before gently knocked on the door while looking at the security camera hanging above it.

The small light above the doorknob turned green as the door opened up to reveal Kaifin, who nodded his head he spoke, "Please come in, Headmaster Ozpin. Elsa's awake now."

Ozpin nodded graciously to him as he stepped inside the luxurious hotel-like room with its carpeted floor and comfortable furniture, walking towards the living room section to see Elsa sitting on the main sofa, her hands on her lap as she enjoyed the smell of a couple of vases of marigolds and freesias in front of her. There were varying types of marigolds, although most of them were primarily yellow with bits of orange and red, as well as the shades in-between, and they all looked rather beautiful. Though Ozpin would be lying if he said he didn't resist the urge to wrinkle his nose a little at the smell of them, but luckily the freesias' strawberry-esque scent canceled the bitter smell of the marigolds out. Compared to the marigolds, the freesias had a more colourful variety of colours including yellow, red, violet, white and pink, and were much more pleasant to the senses.

The Winter Maiden opened her eyes and took notice of her visitor, and so she stood up to greet him, "Greetings, Headmaster Ozpin, good of you to join us."

He nodded, returning "Greetings Elea. I hope you're enjoying the flowers."

Elsa smiled and said "Very much so."

Ozpin nodded at her once more before saying, "Elsa, I think it's time we address the Goliath in the room."

Elsa gave a nod and her sky-blue eyes looked over to a corner of the room, where Spirit Dreamer stood on guard in silence. She turned her cowled head towards the Winter Maiden, who gestured for her to leave them be. The armor-clad woman bowed her head with respect and made for the door, with Kaifin seeing her out, and remained out of sight to give Elsa and Ozpin the time they needed. Elsa's guardian shared a look with her before she gave him a smile and he returned the gesture, and took his place by the windows which showed the snow-covered landscape outside, giving them a wide berth.

The Winter Maiden took her seat again, with Ozpin sitting on the couch next to her. "So… how long had it been since you had a personal heart to heart with a Maiden?" She asked him softly.

"A year and a half ago I thought I was having one with the girl who I thought would accept the responsibility of becoming the next Fall Maiden. Now, looking back at what I did… I can't believe just how blind and foolish I was." He said darkly, resting both hands on the top of his cane.

"Don't beat yourself over it, Headmaster. I'm sure you've had your failures brought up repeatedly and listed to you over and over again by the Valean authorities and those who want you removed. There's no need to keep reminding yourself of them." The platinum-blonde woman spoke softly to him.

Ozpin's silver-haired head lifted a little, and he glanced at her as he mentioned, "If I remembered correctly, you were one of the more… vocal people angry with me, and yet here you are trying to comfort me?"

The Winter Maiden replaced the Marigold flower back in its vase as she sighed and admitted, "I admit that I was rather harsh on you, but it was… coming from a rather personal pain, and sometimes one's grief and anger over a loss can just override one's senses. I took a long reflection and I eventually realized that I shouldn't have ignored your suffering just because I was angry over what happened to Amber."

"But you had every right to be," He told her, "But it wasn't just Amber, nor was it what happened to Pyrrha, or to all the innocent people killed by the Grimm and the White Fang. It was that horrible disaster and all my other previous failures in retrospect that made me come so close to quitting before Glynda and Qrow snapped me out of trying to abandon my responsibilities. My heavy burdens. I have made many mistakes in my life, Miss Vorst, and I have failed so many students over the years, not just Miss Nikos, but students who trusted my judgement and died under my watch. Names like Hiro, Tull, Rainhart, and even my old team from my student days, Team WZRD. What kind of Huntsman am I when I couldn't even properly avenge them?"

"I heard about what happened. How you were locked up with that psychopath, and I honestly can't imagine how horrible that must have been." Elsa told him sympathetically.

"It was quite the shock, I can't deny it. I… I never felt the urge to murder another person as badly as I did when I faced Norvik again, not even when I fought Cinder Fall in the Vaults." Ozpin confessed, his fingers trembling a bit on top of his cane.

"I don't fault you for that, and I don't think anyone would." Elsa remarked understandingly, "But I have a question for you."

"Ask away."

Elsa's eyes had a certain distant look before she continued, "You actually met Salem face to face, not through some message, but actually saw her in the flesh. What was she like?"

Ozpin turned his head away for a few moments, presumably thinking about what to say, before turning back to look at her with a dark and utterly bleak look, and it was what she saw in his eyes that told Elsa everything she needed to know.

She slowly nodded her head understandingly and quietly commented, "That terrible?"

"Pray that you never have to meet her." Ozpin said ominously, "She's not to be underestimated."

Elsa glanced at Kaifin by the frost-coated windows, whose face remained stern but he had a worried look in his usually calm eyes. She gave him a reassuring look before returning her gaze to Ozpin.

"And to think that she used to be like me, a Winter Maiden. I know her lust for power and greed eventually turned her into what she is now, but I can't imagine becoming that twisted and evil." She mused quietly.

"You will never become like her, because I can tell you are different from how she once was." Ozpin told her, before continuing, "I also hope you can understand my reasons for turning down your plan to heal Amber. It's just that..."

"I know," She raised up a hand to stop his explanation, "All the Maidens in one place would have been an incredibly risky move, and it would have painted a giant target on Beacon if Salem or her agents learned about or felt our presence. If that happened, she wouldn't have stopped at anything to get to all of us, so many people would have died. You made the right call ignoring my plan. At least this way she'll have to take us all one at a time."

"But the fact that she has yet to make a move against you three, as far as we know, is extremely worrying." Ozpin remarked and Elsa nodded her agreement, "We'll just have to be vigilant and prepare ourselves as much as possible before meeting her in eventual battle."

"But, to go back to what we were talking about, Ozpin, I do forgive you." She reached out and touched Ozpin's hand, "I have spent a lot of time in the past few months thinking and mulling over what happened, and while I think that you could have certainly done better, I don't think it's fair for everyone to blame you for everything that went wrong. You weren't the only one to not see what was going on right in front of you, and we have all been deceived by evil more than once in our lives." Elsa pointed out to him.

"But I've been deceived too many times. It wasn't until Beacon was overrun by the Grimm, a Maiden was killed and her powers stolen, and I myself was captured by Salem's forces that I truly understood the scale of my failures. And if I hadn't made the decision to give the Relic underneath Beacon to the Remnant Knights, Salem could possibly have obtained one of the four main sources of power on Remnant. Despite my resolve to improve and redeem myself, I can't help but be haunted by the chances I will fail again." Ozpin said as he placed his cane aside and looked at his hands, momentarily feeling older than he ever had before.

Elsa, sensing that he still had more to say, decided to remain silent.

He took a breath and continued, saying, "I've even had dreams, dreams about me continually making mistakes and failures, that the gods of Remnant damned me to some everlasting life where I must battle Salem eternally, and since she knows to exploit mankind's weaknesses and the fact I never learned or improved upon my mistakes I always fail against her. And even when I am killed, my spirit moves on to another body, possessing and assimilating them to start anew. And yet I fail and die again. My spirit the takes over another body, and then the cycle repeats endlessly. Never learning from my mistakes, always failing to save the those people who put their trust in me, and never able to stop her."

Elsa placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to console him, replying, "Nightmares like those will never come true. You are not doomed to failure, not as long as you rely on people you know you can trust. From what I have seen, you have many trustworthy friends and allies who can and will help you in this battle. You're not alone in this, none of us are, and as long as we are together, we will eventually find a way to defeat her once and for all."

Ozpin turned his head to look at Elsa and managed to give her a genuine smile.

"I know I'm not." He said, "And while I will do all that's within my power to prevent another disaster, it is as you said, as long as I place my trust and listen to the right people, and I have people who like Glynda, Qrow, Ironwood, Seraph, and even Team Beacon who support me in return… then I know I am on the right path. And I will follow the path I've chosen till the end, because deep in my own heart I know I am right. "

Elsa returned the smile and offered her hand to him, "So, all is forgiven?"

Ozpin placed his aged hand into hers and gently shook it, and said, "I suppose it is."

"Now, if you don't mind me asking, where will I be meeting the students? I need a place to perform a ritual to enter the mindscape of the Maidens?" Elsa said.

"There's no need to worry." Ozpin answered, "I have already set aside the meditation chambers for your usage as long as you need, and the Winter Templars will guard the perimeter as ordered. You will have no disturbances when you enter the mindscape with Miss Nikos."

"I appreciate it." Elsa said as she placed her hands on her lap again, "You have my thanks."

"You're welcome." Ozpin said as he stood up and bowed his head.

---

Vacuo was always buzzing with activity whether it was the bright sweltering afternoon or the darkening cool dusk. Its marketplaces and streets were densely populated, and the sounds of daily life accompanying the flow of innumerable feet moved in every direction.

A pair of individuals clad in desert shawls made their way reasonably easily through the crowds, blending seamlessly into the diverse population of the massive Vacuo capital. The sound of constantly shuffling foot traffic, the bellowing of merchants selling their wares, the monotone chanting voices of monks and pilgrims, the hum and roaring sounds of machinery and vehicles reached both pairs of ears as they walked among the population.

They casually walked through the great plaza where the Kingdom's largest marketplace was located, leaving the safety of Shade Academy behind them as they proceeded through the market district to reach the huge sprawling temple built out of immense sandstone blocks. It was second only to Shade Academy in its overall size and magnitude, and the district that had sprung up around the said temple was commonly known as the "Holy City", where humans and Faunus of varied faiths from all over the continent of Sanus and beyond gathered to seek spiritual enlightenment and peace.

The Grand Temple of Vacuo was also home to an extensive library of sacred texts and tomes, many of which was believed to have dated back to the ancient past, which made them incredibly precious and invaluable that the collection was lovingly kept and protected by a holy order of monks and priests, and the temple itself even has its own assemblage of vigilant Guardians who were formidable warriors in their own right. It was rumored that the high priest or priestess was granted a seat in the Vacuo Kingdom's Council as well due to their influence.

As the duo threaded their way across the temple district, they also picked up the sounds of increased security measures which had been implemented by the Council after the massive attack on Beacon Academy: Vacuo Rangers armed with assault rifles and shotguns stood at designated street checkpoints conducting random checks on the common people, armored truck patrols moving down through the busy traffic streets with their occupants alert for anything, an occasional argument breaking out between contesting shopkeepers which were abruptly broken up by law enforcement officials, and the echoes of what sounded like gunfire coming from somewhere far away.

After what happened to Vale, the Vacuoan Council had stepped up its security significantly, or as much as could be done within the walls of the Kingdom since enforcing their stipulated laws would be extremely difficult once out of the vicinity of the Kingdoms' walls.

After walking down a curved stone staircase leading down towards the main street, leading to the Grand Temple of Vacuo, the pair were greeted with an enormous pool of sparkling clear water which occupied the entire frontal side of the temple, housing thousands of gallons within. In the middle of the oasis was a many-tiered dais in which a beautifully carved series of white marble statues depicted a number of scenes: The Guardians of the temple in battle against the terrifying Grimm creatures, the monks and priests educating the people with the valuable lessons they learned from the temple's archives, and a certain hooded and robed female statue holding hands with a pair of children, one human and the other Faunus, while other statues of children were clustered around her. The feminine one of the duo stopped to look at the statues for a brief moment, bowing her head in respect before moving with the flow of the crowds with her companion again, bypassing pilgrims and civilians who were filling their drinking containers from the smaller raised pools studded around the spring.

The Solaria Crescent Orphanage occupied a significant portion of the Grand Temple's precinct, since it was brought into existence by one of the temple's original founders long ago, High Priestess Maria Solaria. Originally founded to take care of the orphans whose parents had been killed fighting the bloody battles of the Great Wars, its purpose soon expanded to taking care of children who lived on the streets and in need of better homes. Before the orphanage was founded the orphaned children were normally cared for by the various religious communities that occupied the scattered buildings around the temple or by civilians who had come on pilgrimage in the "Holy City" district. Between the populace who made up the communities of faith and the community of the Grand Temple, there had always been people willing and able to assist in taking care of orphans.

However, due to the large number of gangs and other criminals that prowled the many dark alleyways and backstreets of the city who wouldn't so much as bat an eyelid at doing unspeakable things to castaway children, the temple's orphanage was eventually considered a safe haven of sorts since it offered food, shelter, clothes and a basic education to those young troubled souls until they were old enough to either join Shade Academy or find work.

Taking a left turn from the Path of Prosperity, which was occupied by scores of vendors trying to sell customers trinkets from their stalls, a pair of assigned temple guardians clad in blood-red robes and grey lacquered armor plates, spears held in their hands, stood at the sizable gates of the orphanage which was crafted from hardened stone and gilded steel that shone in the glaring sunlight. Their faces were hidden behind red cowls, but enough could be made out to know that they had been standing vigil at the gates for some time, enduring the scorching heat of the sun while performing their duty. Only upon seeing the two shawl-draped individuals coming towards them did the temple guardians lift their cowled heads and eyed the newcomers carefully.

Standing a respectful distance from the guardians, the duo paused for a moment before slowly producing their identifications. The taller masculine figure lifted up his hand and turned it to show the back of his gauntlet to display the emblem of the Relentless Crusaders Knight Legion, while the shorter feminine figure produced a beautiful jade cartouche with was etched in gold and bearing the emblem of the Kingdom of Vacuo which could only be given by the Headmistress of Shade Academy. Upon seeing these, the guardians brought up their hands to their chests, slammed the haft of their Guardian Spears on the grey flagstones twice and bowed their heads in respect to the Remnant Knight and honored guest of the Headmistress Luna Aria, allowing them to pass.

It was only when they were both within the inner courtyards of the orphanage did Heliosia Ainea pull back her hood to reveal their head while her Knight Vanguard Fire Walker kept his up. He had forgone his double-bladed sword and shield in favour of a pair of twin blades attached to his waist belt through their scabbards, but Heliosia still carried her personal weapon Flameguard on her belt's special holder in its inactive form, as she knew that despite the heightened security it pays to be prepared for anything.

The sounds of children met their ears and Heliosia allowed herself a small smile. After the murder of Amber, she didn't smile as much as she used to, but innocent children always managed to bring one to her face, even when a pair of children, one a human with dark skin and coppery hair and the other a Desert Wolf Faunus, darted out in front of them, playing a chase game. "Sorry!" The called.

"It's all right!" Heliosia assured them as they proceeded through a long wide corridor filled with devotional papers and neatly arranged pictures depicting the orphanage throughout the years with its colorful cast of attendants, caretakers and supervisors. Her maroon eyes eventually saw the common room, where children, dressed in either casual clothes or the red clothing supplied by the orphanage, talked, played, and laughed together without a care in the world, not caring if they were human or Faunus and ignoring, or just not knowing about, the dangerous world that existed right outside the walls of the orphanage.

They walked out to the courtyard where a middle-aged caretaker sat with a group of children at a pair of stone tables under a large palm tree, teaching them writing and spelling. She noticed them and summarily detached herself from the group and walked the new arrivals.

Stopping in front of them and bowing her grey-white hair courteously, she spoke in a well-mannered voice, "My name is Carolyn Pearl, assistant caretaker of the Solaria Crescent Orphanage. My sincere apologies for not greeting you both at the main courtyard, I have been a little occupied."

"It's perfectly understandable, Sister Carolyn." Heliosia waved dismissively as she allowed her eyes to take in the peaceful, if slightly boisterous, atmosphere of the orphanage's inner workings. Her eyes lingered briefly on a small gurgling stone fountain in the main courtyard with the statue of High Priestess Solaria sitting under a tree with a large book in her hands, while a number of children statues sat beside her on the stone bench as though listening to her telling them fairy tales to entertain them. The Summer Maiden made a mental note in her mind to pay her respects to the orphanage founder's shrine before she left the place before regarding Caroyln again, "We all have our duties to perform."

"Of course. We received a message from Headmistress Aria and Sister Rosea is expecting you." Carolyn inclined her head a little and her sky blue eyes seemed to sparkle a little in the bright sunlight, "Please follow me." She gestured to another corridor leading away from the common room, before informing another of the orphanage's attendants to look after the group of children she had been in charge of.

As they both walked beside the assistant caretaker along the gently curving corridor, passing other orphanage personnel and their child charges on their way to the main office, Carolyn whispered, "It's been some time since an honored guest has graced our orphanage. You must have quite the history with our head caretaker, it's been years since I have seen Sister Rosea perk up that much as she did when your name was mentioned."

Heliosia nodded, careful to remember that she was using her cover identity. After her little act of vigilantism against the Black Vipers had been brought to the attention of Headmistress Luna Aria, the Summer Maiden had been given a polite but stern lecture about the great lengths the Headmistress of Shade Academy and the Relentless Crusaders had taken to ensure her safety and that no one outside of a mere handful of trustworthy people knew about her true identity. Reluctantly leaving the mop-up operations against the Black Vipers to the Vacuo Rangers and other law enforcement officers, Heliosia had instead busied herself with reading in Shade Academy's libraries and sparring in the training halls against students of the academy, although she had been careful not to reveal any hint of her powers and only relied on her natural skills to outwit and outmatch her opponents.

Her visit to the orphanage was one of the few times she could freely step out of the fortress-like walls of Shade Academy with her Knight Vanguard as an escort. While the academy's headmistress has given her an exceptional jade cartouche which bore the emblem of Vacuo's Council that would pretty much allow her to go anywhere within the kingdom if she wished, Heliosia knew better than to go anywhere on her now own despite the fact she had been exceedingly careful with her movements since the day she had reached Vacuo from her travels across Remnant. However, there was only so much she could take before boredom eventually set in, and hence she tried to do some good out on the streets discreetly despite Fire Walker's reservations.

Eventually Heliosia worked out a compromise with Headmistress Aria and the Knights assigned to protect her in the sense that she would inform them of where she would be going, and at least have a group of knights following her discreetly to ensure her safety, in addition to any visits to the various places of interest within the Kingdom of Vacuo to be cleared in advance by Luna herself and Fire Walker. It wasn't to her liking, but considering that the enemy had yet to make a move against Shade Academy nor the Kingdom as a whole, it seemed that her cover identity was holding for the moment.

But that didn't mean it would hold forever, and it she knew it was only a matter of time before additional measures would be put in place to protect her despite her insistence that she could handle herself should things go awry. So she had decided to enjoy her freedom while it lasts.

Carolyn proceeded down another corridor which overlooked the various different levels, dormitories, and study rooms of the orphanage where human and Faunus children slept, played and studied, before leading them up a spiral staircase and eventually entering a waiting room, until they came to an open set of oak double doors which was set with carved images of the Vacuoan landscape and Grand Temple of Vacuo. It was already open, and the current head caretaker, an elderly Caribou Reindeer Faunus could be seen, leaning on her wooden walking staff, as she looked out the window to the streets below.

Carolyn knocked on the door gently and the old woman looked up and her emerald eyes saw her assistant caretaker with the two new arrivals waiting patiently outside her office, "Ah, hello Carolyn, who are these two?"

Carolyn curtised and said "You have visitors, Sister Rosea. This is Adara Aenia and her associate."

The head caretaker of Solaria Crescent Orphanage allowed a warm smile to grace her elderly features as she rested both hands on her walking staff as Heliosia and Fire Walker bowed respectfully to her, "Adara...it has far been too long since we last met. Look at you, all grown up and so beautiful!"

The Caribou Reindeer Faunus came closer, and her distinguishing features came in the form of tall sharp and curved antlers which sprouted from both sides of her head, right above her ears. Deep folds of skin could be seen below her eyes and her hair had turned pale due to age, unlike the picture of her youth set into the wall of her office along with her predecessors in which she had long curly rose-colored hair. She was a little hunched as she leaned on her walking aid, her aged red and white-coloured robed body shuffling forwards as she shared a pleasant hug with the Summer Maiden. However, a strange vitality glowed within her deep emerald eyes, and she carefully appraised the Remnant Knight before bowing her head politely to him, which the Remnant Knight returned with a gauntleted hand to his chestplate in return.

"I will leave you with your guests." Carolyn bowed again politely to her supervisor as she slowly left the spacious office before gesturing for Fire Walker to close the door once she had left, which he did so gently before taking his place beside the grand double doors of the orphanage's main office where he had an ideal view of everything that was taking place within the office.

"I see you have a new caretaker, Sister Rosea." Heliosia said as Anna released her and took to holding onto one of her gloved hands instead.

"You mean Sister Carolyn? Ah yes, she and the other sisters have been a tremendous help to me with the various problems I have to deal with, especially since these accursed legs of mine have gotten so weak I haven't been able to move around very much without a wheelchair." The young maiden with blackish-brown hair could only nod her head sympathetically as she held Anna's gnarled hand within her own youthful ones.

Gesturing for Heliosia to take a seat at a couch, she continued speaking, "Make yourself comfortable, my dear. I will go brew us some tea." She then shuffled over to a portable tea stove set between a pair of tall thick bookshelves filled with books written in many different languages and symbols, put the teapot on the stove and poured some crushed tea leaves into it once she filled it with water, "So what do I owe this visit, Adara Aenia? If memory serves me right, that's the current name you go by, Maiden of Summer?"

The Summer Maiden had been looking around the head caretaker's office, trying to identify what has changed since the last time she had visited years ago. Most of the walls were occupied by either shelves of books and pictures of hundreds of children. Over at the far end of the room was the large mahogany desk where Anna sat when she was dealing with any administrative and financial paperwork for orphanage, while a couple of simple couches and a few timber chairs surrounded the small metal and wooden table occupied the carpeted floor in the middle of the entire office. Circular lights were built into the ceiling, and behind the main desk circular glass windows with complex inlaid patterns offered a breathtaking view of both the Grand Temple of Vacuo and the surrounding Holy City, along with Shade Academy.

Heliosia noticed Fire Walker visibly tense up as his hands slipped down to the twin swords sheathed at both sides of his waist, and promptly raised her hand in a small gesture pleading for him to stand down.

"How do you know that she's the Summer Maiden, Sister Rosea?" The Remnant Knight spoke softly, although the barest hint of threat could still be detected within the tone of his voice.

"You should know that rumors travel quickly throughout the Kingdom, and my ears may be old but their sharp enough to pick up stories of a young vigilante single-handedly fighting against the notorious Black Vipers and returning the money they have extorted back to their rightful owners, not to mention making a rather generous anonymous donation to this orphanage." The senior matron replied as she waited for white smoke to come out of the teapot's lip before she picked it up and poured the freshly-brewed tea into a number of tea cups, "Besides, Headmistress Aria and I go way back even before I met Adara, and it wasn't difficult to piece together what actually happened in the past few weeks since I know exactly who to ask to confirm my personal suspicions."

She placed the filled tea-cups and teapot on a wooden tray with a bowl of sugar cubes before turning to face the Knight and lowered her voice slightly, "So yes, I know that the young woman in front of me is the Summer Maiden, and I know how to keep a secret to myself. That's why Luna trusts me with this information, among a great deal of other things. Now my dear, do you mind giving me a hand?"

"Of course, Sister Rosea." Heliosia got up from the couch and took the wooden tray from Anna, before making her way back to the couch and placing the tray on top of the metal and wooden table, while Fire Walker gave a cautious nod and eased his gauntlets from his swords. The elderly Faunus sighed as she sat down on the couch opposite Heliosia and accepted the steaming mug of tea from her even though her wrinkled hands shook a little, "Are you feeling well, Sister?"

"I am fine, Adara." Anna inclined her head in an equivocal gesture, "It's just that my body is catching up with my age, and I can't do the same things I could when I was as young as you, obviously." She slowly sipped her brown tea and watched as Heliosia picked up a cup, walked over and offered it to Fire Walker who accepted it out of courtesy, before seating herself on the couch opposite Anna once more, "Now then, is this just a social call, or something else?"

"As you said, it's been a long time since we've seen each other." Heliosia spoke calmly, "I'm not the same young woman you once knew, as I have received the powers of the Summer Maiden. The world out there is different now, and I trust you've heard about all the fighting and attacks that have been happening in the last year-and-a-half?"

"Of course, dear! I'm not so old that I'm oblivious to the world around me. I've been saddened by the loss of life and the damage done to that fine city, but I have heard that the terrorists behind these nefarious schemes have been dealt serious blows since then, and that's good news, isn't it? " Anna answered as her shrewd gaze looked from Fire Walker to Heliosia.

"It is." Heliosia admitted as she brought up her own cup to take a sip, "But I was out there in the wilderness between the Kingdoms, before Headmistress Aria put me under her protection. I can tell you that things are undeniably different outside the walls of the four Kingdoms. The things I have seen out there… they're things that would haunt the nightmares of Faunus and mankind alike."

"My dear, to feel fear is to be human, but unless we master fear we will always be within its shadow." Anna gestured with a thin finger, "The Grimm may be varied and dangerous, but as long as one knows to counter them effectively, they won't cause much trouble to the Kingdoms or the major settlements."

"We can only keep them at bay for so long." The Summer Maiden answered hesitantly as her own fingers tightened on the tea cup, "One day those soulless monsters could eventually find a way to invade the Kingdoms either one by one… or all at once." At her words she noticed Fire Walker's helmet turning in her direction, but she gave no indication that she noticed him.

The old matron sighed to herself as she looked into her own cup of tea, "I can't fault what you have said, Adara, but you have to see what's happening at the moment. The Vacuo Council and Luna have already taken additional precautions to secure the kingdom's borders to protect us from outside threats, while the Vacuo Rangers have been stepping up on their daily patrols to ensure that nothing goes wrong within the kingdom itself." She paused and then added, "...and thanks to your heroics, the civilians of Vacuo can sleep a little easier with the Black Vipers completely wiped out by the law enforcement."

She coughed a little before wiping her worn lips with a simple handkerchief she produced out of her robes, and then leaned close to Heliosia, "I know you are worried Adara, but you need to trust in Headmistress Aria's actions. I can safely assure you that she knows what she's doing, or else the Vacuo Council would never have chosen her to be in charge of Shade Academy."

"I understand, Sister Rosea." Heliosia acknowledged the old Faunus's advice with a nod of her head, the colored beads on her black and brown braids rattling softly as she did so. One of her hands unconsciously reached up to touch her round-shaped circular clasp necklace, a small gesture that Fire Walker noticed whenever the Summer Maiden was deep in thought about something, or when she's having troubled thoughts.

"You've become sensible and strong, Adara Aenia." Anna placed down her tea cup and reached out to hold Heliosia's smooth-skinned hands within her coarse-skinned ones, "I can tell you're shouldering the mantle of the Summer Maiden as best as you can and you're helping the world of Remnant by giving it your all. I am sure that your parents are very proud of you, and so am I. Don't be too worried about your role, we all have our own to perform in life. For now, let others do their jobs and when the time is right, I'm sure you'll know what to do as the Summer Maiden."

She gave the current Summer Maiden's hands a motherly pat, and Heliosia almost felt her eyes tear up at the evidently heartfelt gesture while looking into Anna's deep emerald, maternal eyes, "You're still looking for him, aren't you?"

The sudden question caught Heliosia off guard, and she reflexively reached for the simple yet precious necklace that hung around her neck, nearly hidden by her outer jacket's collar and her reddish-brown undershirt. After assuring herself that it was still there, she gave a nod, "I'm still searching, even though it's been over fifteen years since that fateful night when the Grimm attacked his hometown."

She then turned her head slightly to see Fire Walker tilting his head to the side, shifting a few steps towards the windows and whispering under his breath, and guessed that he could be talking through his helmet's personal communication device to the other Remnant Knights. She thanked Oum that he didn't hear what Anna had just told her, as she didn't want anyone else to know why she was so obsessive over her search for a certain someone which took her across the various continents of Remnant while she had been travelling as a Maiden.

"My child." The head caretaker reached out a hand to grip her shoulder gently but firmly, "The tribe he belonged to was wiped out by the Grimm. There's no way he could have survived that kind of attack, and even if he did, I'm sorry to say that his chances of continued survival seem highly unlikely."

"We made a vow with each other." Heliosia replied stubbornly, and her gloved fingers caressed the necklace tenderly as though it was the most precious thing to her in the world, "And until I see his body with my own two eyes, I refuse to believe that he's gone. I… I have this feeling that he's still out there, and I hope that one day I may be reunited with him once more."

"I can tell you've already set your mind to it." Anna whispered before gripping Heliosia's hand tightly and shaking it, before leaning upwards and placing a kiss on her forehead, "Then go with Oum and all the other gods of Remnant, my child. I hope one day you will be reunited again with him, and live a long, eventful and happy life once you have accomplished the role you play in the grand tale of fate."

"My humble gratitude for your blessings, Sister Rosea." Heliosia said, bowing her head, however, her own smile turned melancholy as she knew that if she were to perform her role as the Summer Maiden, there was a good change she wouldn't survive whatever battles the future held for her. "I will never forget your kindness and generosity."

"Nor will I forget about you, Heliosia." Anna Rosea whispered to the Summer Maiden as they shared a brief but important moment of understanding between them,.

All of a sudden Fire Walker spoke up, marching towards them and bowing politely "Forgive me, but I just received word from Headmistress Aria, she requests our presence right away. Your friend's ship has landed in Vale."

"I nearly forgot about that... " Heliosia muttered before looking back to Sister Rosea. "It seems that our time together has come to an end. Thank you for the enlightening conversation and the wonderful tea, Sister Rosea."

She stood up and executed a perfect bow as the Faunus caretaker stood up slowly as well, nodding her antler-covered head in acknowledgement.

"It has been my pleasure to entertain the two of you." A warm, loving smile was displayed Anna's worn features as she regarded the Summer Maiden and the Remnant Knight while leaning on her walking staff, "Perhaps one day we may meet again. Stay safe out there."

She waved to them as they left her office, although in her old heart she knew that the path ahead of the Summer Maiden was a difficult one, holding the power of one of the Four Maidens was never an easy task, and always came at some price in the end. Anna Rosea personally dreaded what the final price would be for Heliosia.

---

Somewhere among the mountains of the Mistralian countryside, the medium-sized town of Amuburoshia was built upon the steppes on the upper valleys, and since it was a town with a significant population and close to the outskirts of the capital, its people enjoyed the protection and hence were less likely to become the victims of Grimm and roaming bandits.

At the highest point of the town was a renowned monastery with impressive architecture, whose inhabitants were devoted to the worship of the gods of nature which were reverend by the people of Mistral. It was also where the Spring Maiden Amethyst Rilo most recently stopped on her journey throughout the continent, along with her hidden bodyguard of Eternal Warriors Knight Legion. Since the monks and priests of the monastery were reasonably gracious and sensible, it wasn't hard for Amethyst to get a place to stay before continuing on her journey.

She also noticed that the head priest might had some kind of history with the Knights, since he greeted Wind Runner courteously and generously offered the Spring Maiden to stay as long as she liked once they had entered the gates and into the protected inner sanctums of the monastery.

Of course, since her mind was occupied with other matters Amethyst didn't give it much thought, and left her protection to Wind Runner and his detachment. After practicing her combat skills with her sword Gembreaker in one of the empty chambers of the monastery set aside for her use, she had retired to her given quarters and easily slipped soundly into her dreams, comfortably bundled up in her bed.

However, as the sun crested the horizon to the east and slowly illuminating the chambers of the Spring Maiden located near the top of the main building, it was clear that not all was well with her as she mumbled audibly in her sleep about things and soon enough her movements became more frantic, and she began to toss and turn.

Amethyst woke abruptly from her dreams, pushing herself from her bed and causing the blankets covering her to bunch up before falling away as she wiped her face with the back of her hands to wipe away the cold sweat. Her purple bangs were disheveled, and clear droplets of fluids leaked from the sides of her eyes, and she was panting while half-formed images from her dreams continued to float through her mind.

She took a few moments to collect herself, turning her head a little to look at the crown jewel of Anima in the distance nearby, since the monastery was built upon a mountain slightly to the south of the City of Mistral, the capital of the kingdom. The stunning city, which laid on a pair of gigantic mountains within the land, gleamed in the rising sun's rays, she could see the extensive collection of varied buildings which housed a massive population of humans and Faunus with varied cultures and talents. It was a breathtaking sight that she allowed her eyes to roam over the many styles of architecture displayed in the distance, and if she squinted a little she could also see long stone stairways zigzagging their way up towards the twin mountains.

She felt her breathing slow and become calm once more. She turned her head when she heard knocking on the door of her guest chambers. Adjusting her posture to look as though she had just woken up, she call out, "Come in!"

The door opened and Wind Runner entered, his customized revolver rifle magnetically locked to the back of his detailed armor, he looked around the room carefully before focusing on Amethyst as she got up from her bed.

The group of Knights assigned to protect the Spring Maiden had stationed themselves around the monastery, hidden away at carefully considered locations while maintaining clear lines of communication with each other. The monastery, while receiving a steady stream of pilgrims and worshipers every day, was mostly quiet with regards to its inner sanctums which were protected by the monastery's watchful guardians. And since the head priest was among the handful of trustworthy individuals who know about the existence of the Remnant Knights and knew to keep the knowledge of them a secret as well as ensure that no questions were asked with regards to the knights or the peculiar maiden who accompanied them.

Throughout the time spent in protecting Amethyst along with his fellow Remnant Knights, Wind Runner had learned that the Spring Maiden was an energetic girl who didn't usually fall asleep easily. It wasn't uncommon for him and the others to put up with her long nights since she normally fell asleep just before four in the morning.

He noticed her sweaty face and a bit messy hair and wondered what had caused her to become that way. He waited patiently as Amethyst, who wore only a large T-shirt which went down to her thighs, began rubbing her face with the heel of her right hand.

"Good morning, Amethyst." Wind Runner spoke quietly, but loud enough for her to hear.

"Hey, Wind Runner. Oh man, what time is it?" She asked him a little groggily, but didn't quite manage to keep the troubled look on her face out of sight which he noticed almost immediately.

"It's just after twelve." He replied as he took a few steps to stand beside her, "Are you all right?"

Amethyst stretched her arms out and shook her head a little to get the cobwebs out, answering "I'm fine."

"You looked like you were having another bad dream." He mentioned to her.

"You aren't wrong." She turned her head slightly to look at him.

"That has been the third time this week you've had a bad dream. Is it the same as the others?" The Remnant Knight asked cautiously.

Amethyst thought for a moment before answering, "Yeah, I saw the same scenes happening again."

"Can you describe what's happening in these dreams?" Wind Runner requested softly.

"I'll try." She told him slowly after sipping her teacup once more, "Most of it was kinda weird, and it's also quite difficult to make out all the details. I saw some city by the desert being invaded by swarms of dark roaring shapes which looked a lot like Grimm. I think I saw you as well as many other knights in battle as well against the Grimm."

"That's not an unusual sight, we face those mindless beasts regularly." The knight remarked.

"Yeah, but my dreams have feet different. It's hard to describe but it just felt… bad." Amethyst said darkly, a far cry from her usual personality which made Wind Runner listen carefully to her, "Near the end of my dream, I saw someone lying in a bed, covered by a sheet. I couldn't tell who it was, but it felt like I know who it was… someone very close to me, like… another maiden." At that she brought her knees up to her chest as she shivered a little, although it was quite warm in the bedroom. Wind Runner absorbed the details and thought it over, before she spoke up again, "And I… I think I saw someone else there, it looked like that Ruby Rose girl."

"Are you sure it was her?" Wind Runner quietly prompted.

The Spring Maiden nodded, "For some reason in that part of my dream, she looked just like the pictures and the videos from the Vytal tournament."

"Did she say or do anything?" The Knight Vanguard reached up and tapped the chin-edge of his faceplate with a pair of gauntlet-clad fingers.

"She was standing next to me, holding my hand for some reason even though neither of us said anything. She had a sad but reassuring smile for some reason." She paused for a moment and looked at Wind Runner directly, finishing with, "It can't be just another weird freaky dream, can it?"

"In other words, you dreamt of a Grimm attack on Vacuo which possibly led to the severe injury or death someone important, possibly a Maiden." Wind Runner summarized and watched the Spring Maiden nod her head.

"You believe me right?" She looked at the emotionless faceplate of his helmet.

There was a pregnant pause between the Maiden and her Knight, who eventually gave a nod and replied, "I'd need additional advice before I can make an informed decision. I believe you, but I would feel more confident if you speak to a prognosticator about your dreams, since they can often have deep meaning behind them, maybe even be premonitions."

As she gave a nod he continued, "Please don't speak of your dreams to anyone else. I will inform my legion and request them to send a prognosticator to speak with you personally." He then watched as the purple-haired girl walked over to her briefcase on the floor, kneeling down to get to it before pulling her item out of its alcove, "Our own prognosticator is indisposed at the moment but I will request that she come as soon as possible."

"We'll see, I don't like to have someone poking around in my head unless I really have to." She opened her briefcase and got out a fresh set of her Huntress clothes, "I presume the meeting's happening soon, right?"

"Yes, I've received confirmation from both Fire Walker and Snow Blade." Wind Runner gave a nod of agreement, "The head priest of this monastery has already set aside the private meditation chambers for your usage. You may use it for as long as you need without any disturbance."

"Hey, I'm the Maiden here, so I know what to do." She told him with a smirk, her usual positive personality surfacing again before adding, "I'm gonna get dressed, so scram, unless you'd like a peek at pure naked beauty."

She giggled at the thought of what kind of expression was on his face, although judging from the tilt of his helmet it seemed that he might be giving her an eye-roll, "Oh well, your loss."

The Knight Vanguard instead bowed to the young Spring Maiden before spinning around to take his leave.

---

The bells marking the end of the school day chimed out, and so began yet another rush of students leaving their seats from the various classrooms, with their respective teachers calling out to remind them of any homework assignments or to notify them of what to expect for tomorrow's lessons.

In Professor Goodwitch's combat class, the various teams of teenagers left as quickly the blonde sorceress would allow. However, both Teams RWBY and JNPR lingered behind the rest, waiting and watching as Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha got up and walked towards their teacher, who gathered up her scroll and files before nodding to them in acknowledgement.

"Please wait for me while I get a few final things sorted out and we will be on our way." Glynda told them as she made her way to a desk that overlooked the combat pit.

They waited until they were the only students left in class. She gestured towards her own team and asked, "Professor, are we going to be able to tell our fellow team members about this when it's over?"

Glynda considered the question carefully before saying, "I'll have to speak with Headmaster Ozpin about it. Despite everything Team Beacon had accomplished, we can't just tell you everything, I hope you understand."

"Of course, Professor." Ruby and Jaune spoke together, before looking at their respective teams.

"You sure you guys will be okay?" Yang asked them as she took Ruby's sling bag for her.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. It's not like Ozpin has ever invited us to some secret meeting that ended badly… and I'm just going to stop talking." Jaune silenced himself quickly once he realized what he was saying, and quickly gave Pyrrha an apologetic look. The red-haired girl beside him winced slightly, but managed to give him a small smile.

"It's okay, Jaune. All is forgiven." She told him while glancing up to see Glynda's fingers dancing across the desk's glowing screen, entering her notes on how students of her class had performed combat-wise during the final period.

"Well, Headmaster Ozpin hasn't kept us in the dark that much now, and hopefully we'll soon be able to know about whatever this meeting is about." Ren stated calmly, getting nods from the others.

"I certainly hope so." Blake commented calmly as she crossed her arms.

A couple of minutes passed, and once Glynda finished entering her notes and scores into the academy's database, she logged off the computer before walking down to meet them, "Wet, let's not waste any more time. Follow me you three." She said to them, looking at Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha.

The combat instructor of Beacon Academy, plus the eight Hunters-in-training, left the room and as Glynda locked the double doors behind them her students exchanged some words and parted ways, with the other members of Teams RWBY and JNPR heading back towards the dorm.

"Be careful." Weiss bid Ruby as she held the silver-eyed huntress hand briefly.

"We will be, and don't have too much fun while we're gone!" Ruby told her partner.

Weiss rolled her light-blue eyes while Yang cracked a grin. "Same goes for you, little sis." The blonde brawler replied before waving as she followed the rest of the teams down the hallway, with Nora also waving goodbye to her fellow teammates who also returned the gesture.

"All right students, please follow me." Glynda instructed the trio, who nodded obediently and followed her without objection.

They walked deep into Beacon Academy, up curving stairs and through long hallways past other students who were eager to get back to their dorm rooms or custodians wanting to get their final tasks for the day over and done with. It wasn't long before they found themselves approaching a section of the academy that looked familiar.

"Hey, I recognize this place. This hall leads to the meditation chambers." Jaune observed as he looked around.

"Correct, Mr. Arc. That is where our honored guests will meet us." Glynda informed them as they walked around a bend and came to the last stretch of hallway that led straight to the meditation chambers. For some reason the security panels had come down over the glass windows, which made the hallway seem rather dark, and inside of that darkness armored figures could be seen standing guard.

"Are those Remnant Knights?" Ruby asked Glynda, who gave a nod, "So is Argentius here? Or Sharp Strike?"

"I'm afraid that none of the Knights you are familiar with are here. The person who wants to meet you isn't one of them. She's… well, you'll understand soon." Glynda informed them before proceeding down the hallway.

The two knights guarding the hallway nodded to them, and stood aside once Glynda presented her identification, "Your fellow knights are quite commendable, the students didn't even notice the others guarding this section of the school." She remarked to them.

"Wait, there are others back there?" Jaune asked while glancing over his shoulder, with Ruby and Pyrrha doing the same.

"Indeed, young Huntsman." The knight with a long battleaxe on the right spoke, whose armor-clad figure and voice were both feminine, "Our warriors know how to remain hidden from untrained eyes such as yours."

Jaune nodded and gestured to his eyes, offering a comeback in the form of, "Well… they are getting better." Ruby began to giggle while Pyrrha also couldn't help it but smile at her boyfriend's attempt at humor.

Glynda unlocked the doors and gently pushed them open, revealing the meditation chambers the trio of students had visited six months ago. It was very much the same as they had seen it the last time, aside from some new vases of flowers on stone plinths that looked like they had been placed there recently. Ozpin was already inside of the room, along with a quartet of people they didn't recognize: A rather beautiful woman with pale skin and platinum-blonde wearing a flowing dark-blue dress, a large muscular and bearded man with tanned skin dressed in a heavy blue jacket and thick pants, and two more knights clad in gunmetal-grey armor plates with white trimmed around the edges, one armed with a double-edged broadsword while the other held a long force staff with a diamond-shaped piece of white crystal embedded at its upper tip.

Ozpin took notice of them and offered a pleasant smile, "Ah, Miss Rose, Mr. Arc, Miss Nikos, welcome." He greeted them as they walked in, while Glynda closed the door behind them.

"Hello again, Headmaster Ozpin." Pyrrha replied as she greeted Ozpin along with the others until she met the piercing sky-blue eyes of the platinum-blonde woman. Something about her felt… familiar.

"So… why are we here again? Who are they?" Ruby asked in a kind but slightly blunt manner.

"My, she doesn't waste any time, does she?" The woman in the dark-blue gown observed with an amused voice.

"I'd be surprised if she did. Well, my young friends, there's no point in keeping you in the dark any longer. These are our guests, and as you can see two of them are Remnant Knights from the Winter Templars Knight Legion in Atlas. This is Snow Blade, leader of this current knight detachment, and this is Spirit Dreamer, a prognosticator." Ozpin made the appropriate introductions while gesturing to the respective knights.

The trio of students nodded respectfully to the two knights, who inclined their helmeted heads in return. After a few moments, Ruby's sense of smell took in the musky but sharp smell of the marigolds mixed in with the sweetness of the freesias from the flower pots scattered around the meditation chambers.

Ozpin gestured to the woman clothed in dark-blue and said, "This is Elsa Vorst, and she is the guest who wished to meet you three. This man is her guardian, Kaifin."

The three teenagers looked at them in silence, and while Kaifin simply nodded to them, Elsa walked towards them and gave a warm and welcoming smile before saying, "It's so wonderful to meet you all at last. I've been meaning to do this for a long while now."

"Really? Why?" Ruby asked curiously before sniffing the flowers' scent in the air again.

"I have the same question, and... why do you feel so familiar?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean, Pyr?" Jaune asked his girlfriend as she stepped closer to Elsa who simply smiled.

"I don't know why, but I feel like I have seen Elsa before." Pyrrha managed to say, but her mind was still unable to place the memory of the woman before her in focus.

Elsa maintained her smile and said, "That's because we've never met, but for a very brief moment, we were sisters."

"Wait, what?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"I am the Winter Maiden." Elsa calmly revealed to them.

"Whoa, seriously?!" Ruby cried out in surprise, as Pyrrha's hands came up to her open mouth.

Elsa turned her smiling face to Ruby and nodded, "I am. And I'm here to speak with the three of you, to tell Pyrrha about the Maiden she could have become, and to learn about the trials you three have faced."

"Why now, after all this time?" Pyrrha questioned doubtfully.

Elsa's smile dropped unexpectedly as she sighed and answered, "Because I have neglected helping you for too long. For the brief moment you held the power of the Fall Maiden within you, you became a part of our sisterhood. I am truly sorry that I didn't come to see you sooner."

Pyrrha looked into Elsa's sky-blue eyes and saw no ill will or no hint of deceit, just genuine concern and compassion. The Spartan then saw something that reminded her of herself, a kind of loneliness she knew all too well.

She allowed herself a small smile before looking to her lover and her close friend.

"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked the Spartan.

"I personally think she's all right. There's something about her, something… kindred. We can trust her." Pyrrha replied honestly.

Jaune nodded at his girlfriend and spoke, "Good enough for me. Ruby?"

Ruby nodded and said, "All right, I have only known one Maiden, and if I can already tell Elsa's probably not going to try and kill us like Cinder." She noticed Elsa wincing at that, and quickly apologized, "Oh! No offense."

Elsa shook her head and chuckled, "Very well, my young friends. May we sit down?" She asked, gesturing to the meditation pillows set in the grotto-like recess on the floor of the meditation chambers. The three students nodded and took their seats, with Elsa and Kaifin sitting down as well. Ozpin, Glynda, and the knights moved off to the side, with the headmaster and sorceress discussing the day in whispers. Snow Blade and Spirit Dreamer stood together, observing the proceedings silently.

Ruby looked at the vases of flowers around them and said, "Um...nice flowers. They look nice, but the smell is a little…"

"Odd?" Elsa offered, and Ruby nodded, "It is understandable. Marigolds have an odd bittersweetness that I like. Don't ask me why, it just works for me. I understand that many don't share the fondness, so freesias are often my second choice, since their scent isn't unlike perfume. Together, they create an odd but interesting mix. I always have had a fondness for Marigolds, ever since I was a second year student like yourselves."

"They might smell a little funky, but I can't deny that they're pretty." Ruby said as she admired the colorful flowers.

"I remember that marigolds are a popular flower in Mistral's southern regions and that you couldn't go far without seeing quite a number of them, even in the countryside." Pyrrha commented.

Elsa nodded, "Southern Mistral is where I gained my fondness for them. When I was on a mission there during my second year as a student, I learned that these flowers were often used in ceremonies to honor the dead, their bright colors are supposed to be some kind of light to guide souls to where they're supposed to go." She explained slowly to them.

Jaune nodded solemnly, "I remember the some of those flowers were used in bouquets for Pyrrha's funeral, back when we thought she was dead." He spoke while giving his partner an apologetic look for bringing up such a terrible thing. Instead, she simply smiled back at him and took his hand into hers.

The Winter Maiden smiled at the young lovers before saying, "I don't know if I believe it, but it's a comforting thought, nonetheless . Their smell doesn't bother me either. Crisp and clean mountain air is nice and all, it eventually gets boring after a while."

"You have been in the mountains for a bit, huh?" Ruby guessed.

"More than a bit actually, nearly two years. All to stay hidden from our common foe." Kaifin said in a deep voice, speaking for the first time since they entered the meditation chambers, "We move from outpost to outpost in the Atlesian mountain range, so Salem won't be able to catch us."

Elsa nodded at her love before facing the three students once again and saying, "You can learn more about us later. I have heard so much about the three of you and the rest of Team Beacon. I've read the reports and the files given to me, but I don't think it's enough. So I want to hear the story from your mouths. I want to understand what you have been through personally."

Ruby looked into Elsa's eyes and saw an unmistakable, genuine kindness in them. The silver-eyed girl smiled and said, "Well, I hope you like long stories as much as you like flowers."

Elsa gave a polite chuckle and leaned towards Ruby a little, "I do."

And so they began.

To Be Continued…

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader.

We've officially reached a million words! Next time we'll cover Pyrrha's trauma, I planned to do it here, but with how long its been and how long RC made Heliosia's scene I decided to save it for now.

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