The table felt a hard thud as Headmaster Ozpin's elbows struck it. His hands were in his hair as though he was in despair. He was in despair but not in the way most would have expected given the information he was given. Information that he always knew since the beginning.

"It's true headmaster," said one of the students that stood in front of him. Clad in armor from the neck down and standing taller above his peers, Cardin Winchester held back a grin that Ozpin noticed. It was no secret to Ozpin that the young Winchester wasn't well-loved among his fellows. A bully and a discriminator of Faunus, there wasn't that many outside of his team that would associate with the fellow.

As headmaster, Ozpin had to keep up appearances and said, "I see, Mr. Winchester. I will look into it and if it is indeed true, then Mr. Arc will be expelled."

"Only doing my civic duty, headmaster," replied the student, cockily. He then turned around and left his office.

Behind Ozpin was his deputy headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch. She adjusted her glasses and said nothing throughout the whole thing. It was she who brought the boy to his attention. She must have already been told ahead of time. But the furrowing of her eyes was not to be mistaken; she was furious.

"You knew?" she said. "All this time. You knew about Mr. Arc's transcripts and still allowed him to take the initiation."

When Ozpin stayed silent, Glynda couldn't restrain herself any longer.

"Why, Ozpin?" her voice had a fire in them. "No wonder the boy's lagging behind. It is because he really was not ready for this kind of training. If it wasn't for Miss Nikos and his team, he would have seriously gotten injured or worse! Is it because you see potential in him? What potential? I can understand the other one Ozpin, but this? Even if he did, what good is it worth if it was snuffed out early? Tell me, Ozpin! Tell me!"

Ozpin continued to stay quiet after that. It was best to let his deputy vent her frustrations here. She cares for her students despite the strict exterior she exhibits. Glynda was never the kind to handle her students getting hurt well. She would always do what she can to bring out the best of her students simply because she doesn't want them to be hurt once they graduate.

The headmaster chose his words with caution. "Yes, Glynda. I knew of the boy's transcripts—" he raised a hand before Glynda could start again. "The fact that he was willing to forge his way here shows that he is willing to think outside the box. It is easy to cultivate warrior, difficult to cultivate a tactician. Make no mistake, Glynda. We can train them to some extent, but only those who are unorthodox in their methods truly shine."

"And when will that happen, Ozpin?" she replied. "Mr. Arc is behind his peers, maybe even his potential juniors. He is not ready to face this level of adversity."

"Yet he did," retorted he. "It took him this long and by his own admission for him to be caught. If Mr. Arc never confessed to it, would anyone ever figure it out?"

To that, Glynda could not respond. At best, she would probably subject the boy to harsher training outside of class hours if he still did not improve enough. Most likely, Mr. Arc would have been held back a year, something that neither of them wanted. Teams were made for a reason, after all.

Ozpin continued. "That wasn't the only reason I allowed him to. The other was the weapon Mr. Arc chose."

"Crocea Mors? It was in good condition albeit old if you ask me. Simple and offers nothing much. What about it?"

"Well, it isn't the weapon itself exactly, but rather, it is the one who initially used it. It is actually an heirloom of sort. Mr. Arc never designed it for it was used by his great-great-grandfather during the war."

"I see. What does that have to do with Mr. Arc, then?"

It was Ozpin's turn to adjust his glasses. His thoughts linger to one of the secrets they held beneath Beacon Academy. The one secret he kept not out of duty but of a promise he had made, a long time ago.

"Tell me, Glynda," he began. "Have you ever heard the tale of the Mad Saber?"

/-/

Jaune Arc laid down on his bed. His eyes were staring at the ceiling as the pain from the training was sinking in on his tired bones. He had only just begun his proper training into becoming a better fighter and already his mentor was pushing him to his limits.

Speaking of his mentor, Jaune turned to see the already sleeping figure of Pyrrha Nikos. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest were evidences that she had fallen asleep. Would he be able to get used to the pain? He had lain there for a while now but the pain from the training was strenuous and would need to get some used to, especially on top of the training he already gets during school hours.

"I'm glad to have you Pyr," said he. "You never doubted me and helped me even when I don't deserve it. No matter what happens, I swear I'll become the fighter you believe I could be. More than that, I'll be the leader this team deserves."

Saying it seemed to have made Jaune relax better. In doing so, he found himself being able to rest and finally sleep.

When he awoke the next morning, the first thing Jaune saw was ginger hair. It was one of his own teammates, Nora Valkyrie. Having already awoken their other member, Lie Ren, that left Jaune the last one of their team to fully wake.

"Wakey-wakey, Jauney," she said. "Can't have our fearless leader late for breakfast now, can we? Wouldn't want to miss the pancakes."

"Nora," said Ren. "We just had pancakes last night."

"So?"

Jaune slowly got up, laughing. The pain from last night still present. He used his aura for a bit to heal that pain. A white glow engulfed his body as the pain slowly left. He didn't have much last night and thus couldn't use it then. Getting up, Jaune slipped into his school uniform.

Next to the bed was his weapon of choice, Crocea Mors. It was a weapon that his great-great-grandfather had used. The scratches and on shield and the nicks on the sword were evident. Jaune was able to repair it before but at this point, he was considering having it remade with some newer materials. Jaune felt the handle of the sword. It did not fit him. It was not made for him, still he would make it work somehow. With Pyrrha at his side, he would be a better swordsman. Jaune could remake the weapon to better fit his hands.

After putting on his uniform, Jaune and his team went out into the hallway. As it had been for many days before, their neighbors from across the dorm were out as well. It was their sister team, RWBY. It's four members were as colorful as their own and they greeted them as they always had. Jaune hadn't experienced that for days now. It was good to be able to have that again.

Jaune had yet to tell them of his secret. The only one he did so far was Pyrrha. He would though, in time. Maybe even during breakfast. Will they accept him so easily? If he was honest, Jaune was expecting a scolding from them if he did.

Such pleasantries were cut short, however. On their way to the cafeteria, the large figure of Cardin Winchester saw him from a distance. As they approached nearer, Jaune could feel the bitter stare the bully had for him. I just saved your life, Jaune thought. You're welcome by the way. Cardin never did stick around and Jaune only realized the fact after he had already beheaded the Ursa. Bully or not, he should not have his life be forfeit this early.

As the two brushed past one another, Cardin whispered so that only Jaune could hear. "Enjoy your last hours in Beacon, Jaune. There will be no reward, only consequences."

Jaune stared at the bully. He was now moving away, followed by the rest of his team. Suddenly, there was a tightness in Jaune's throat. No. Would he? After all that? He wouldn't, would he?

"Is everything okay, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, obviously worried. "Did Cardin hurt you anywhere?"

"No." Jaune shook his head. "Come on, let's eat breakfast. I'll tell you after."

The promise of telling her after was enough for Pyrrha. She already knew his secret and she knew who else had known. But before they did, Pyrrha did give one last warry look to Cardin.

Breakfast was an ordinary affair. No pancakes much to Nora's dismay. Instead, there was bacon and eggs. Some toasted garlic bread which they used as to turn it into a sandwich. Jaune ate merrily as the trouble from earlier seemed to have faded from his mind. After having eaten his fill, Jaune then breathed heavily. There was a different trouble that filled his mind.

"Guys," he began, Pyrrha already knew what was coming next and held his hand in support. "I have something to say."

Jaune then began to retell the case of his forged transcripts. The reason he came to Beacon. When Cardin first found out and how he was distant from the rest of them in the past few days. Throughout it all, he spoke carefully never once trying to defend his actions beyond the reasons he took them. He wanted to be the hero like his ancestors. He didn't want to be some damsel stuck in a tree. He lacked the training, and thought he could get that in his time here.

When he was done, most of the others wore expressions of contemplations. Nora and Ruby were the first to forgive him, with Ren and Yang coming second. Blake was expressionless throughout, although Jaune felt that there was no ill will there. That left Weiss Schnee, last.

To say that she wasn't angry would be a lie. It was evident on her face that Weiss was angry at him. Jaune steeled himself for what was coming when she opened her mouth.

"You are a pigheaded idiot, Jaune Arc," she began. "You could have endangered not just your team but ours as well. Your poor performance lately certainly explains it."

"Hey Weiss," said Yang. "Jaune already said—"

"However." The emphasis caused Yang to pause. "You have proven yourself to have some potential during initiation and seem to have a desire to improve in earnest. If no one else will, I will personally hold you to that promise. You hear me?"

Jaune nodded. "Of course! I will. I swear it. On my honor as an Arc."

"Alright." Yang shrugged. "Never mind, then."

As breakfast came to an end, teams RWBY and JNPR were about to make their way towards their first class in the morning. However, just as Cardin had stopped Jaune when they were making their way to the cafeteria, he was then stopped as he was leaving it.

This time, it was Professor Glynda Goodwitch that awaited him. Her eyes were stern as she stared directly at him. "Mr. Arc," she said. "The headmaster is looking for you. Come with me."

Jaune's heart sank. Cardin's words from earlier echo in his mind. The others seem to have an idea already what that was about as they stared at the two of them with mouths opened.

"We'll see you later, Jaune," said Pyrrha. She was doing what she can to maintain appearances.

Yang joined it by teasing him a bit. "Ooh, vomit boy's in trouble." It was the fakest tease that anyone has ever heard. Even the professor didn't look convinced.

Thanks, guys. Jaune tried not to cry in that moment. He then turned to Professor Goodwitch and said, "okay, professor."

The elevator to the headmaster's office was spent in stifling silence. Jaune's hand began to shake and his knees felt weak. His eyes darted all over the place as if looking for a means to escape. His breathing began weigh down and only got heavier as the elevator opened to the Headmaster's office.

"Mr. Arc, take a seat," said the headmaster, his expression was mostly blank with a hint of water from his eyes. "I have unfortunate news to tell you."

AN: At first it was supposed to be just a RWBY Fic where Jaune's transcripts get exposed and gets a new weapon. I wanted to avoid giving Jaune a weapon that is basically *insert legendary sword from myth here*

As I was playing with the idea, I noticed I got a lot of the previous sword owner's description from Gilles (Saber). So now I'm going to go for that idea where the character is more of a historical figure in Remnant and thus this fic was born.