The Way of the Maiden

by The Court of Talons

The world of Remnant is notable for warriors such as Huntsmen and Huntresses. It is also notable for the Mandalorians, groups of mysterious and nomadic warriors just as ruthless as the Grimm. This is the story of one particular Mandalorian, and how a chance encounter with a child leads to the adventure of a lifetime.

31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Surprise

The sunlight shined through the window, finding its way into the small room. As it spread across the table and one empty bed, the last place it found itself was on the face of a teenage girl. Once the heat and light stayed still for a few moments, the girl opened her eyes and began to fully wake up. As she moved out of bed, the teenager began her morning routine of getting dressed and brushing her long black hair in the bathroom. Her attire consisted of a tan vest, jeans, a white shirt underneath the vest, a pauldron on her shoulder, and black boots.

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

The teenager turned towards the direction of the door, not expecting company so early in the morning. But once she saw an empty bed just across from hers, she had a good idea of who it was. So after she put the brush behind the mirror and closed it, the girl left the bathroom and opened the door. On the other side was a man in chrome armor, fully dressed from the helmet on his head to the boots on his feet. His black visor stared down at the young girl before him, studying her appearance. While most would believe the expression behind the helmet would be neutral or apathetic, the man's helmet was actually hiding a soft smile as he looked down at the teenager, whose height was just above his chest.

Most people would be more than uncomfortable with standing in the presence of a fully armored Mandalorian, but the young girl smiled and moved her hair from her left eye. "Hi, Dad," she said as she moved aside, feeling more than glad to see him.

"Hi, Cinder," the Mandalorian said as he moved to the table in the center of the room. Placing a bag on the table, he reached in and took out two small stacks of pancakes in trays, placing them in front of two chairs. "Happy Birthday."

Cinder smiled as she joined her father for their yearly tradition. Five years had passed since she and Djarin first arrived at Beacon Academy. In that time, when they weren't teaching students or training, the Mandalorians found ways to make the school feel more like a home. And today was perhaps one of the best days to do that.

Every year, on the Maiden's birthday, Din Djarin would buy two stacks of pancakes for breakfast. Cinder's birthdays were always ignored when she was a child, when she was an orphan and slave. So the clan of two would always make the day better, starting with breakfast. While he always preferred a plain stack of three, Cinder's pancakes were always her favorite: blueberry.

"How's the stack this year?" Djarin asked as he took one more bite of his.

"Mmmm," Cinder hummed as she enjoyed her next bite. "Better than ever."

Djarin smiled at the notion and finished off his pancakes. As he did, the Mandalorian put his helmet back on and stood up. "So, what sounds like a plan for today?"

Cinder continued to eat her food while she explained what she wanted to do. "I heard Vale is finally getting ready for the Vytal Festival. Other than the tournament, they'll be decorating the town square and welcoming exchange students. I was thinking we could go down and see everything that's going on."

Djarin rubbed Cinder's head as he walked to the door. "That sounds like a good idea. We can do that once we're all done."

Cinder turned back to her father. "All... done?" she repeated in confusion. "With what?"

Djarin turned around to look at Cinder. "I ran into Ozpin on the way back. He says he has a training plan for you this morning."

Cinder's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. Really?" Standing up, Cinder made a small fire in the palm of her hand. "I can't remember the last time he needed to train me with my powers."

"I was surprised too. Normally, I'd watch and see what he needs you to do. But I have to go out." Djarin opened the door and began to walk down the hall. Cinder quickly stopped him from walking down the rest of the way by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Dad, what's going on?" she asked.

Djarin turned around once more to face his daughter. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You've been going out every day for the past week and a half. At first, I thought you were just bounty hunting, but you still have your teaching job." Cinder crossed her arms. "There's something else going on, isn't there?"

Djarin had a feeling that this conversation would happen. He knew that by the fourth day he left Beacon, Cinder would start to suspect that something was going on. In reality, there was something he had been doing that he didn't want Cinder knowing. But he wanted to keep it a secret for a little while longer. "Cinder, I can explain later," he said. "We'll talk after-"

"At least tell me what all of this is about," Cinder pleaded. "If you're in trouble, I can help you."

"I'm not in trouble. And it's not that I need help, it's that I-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Cinder put her hands up. "If you're still looking for them, you don't have to. This is something I need to do, not you. You don't need to worry about it."

Djarin sighed before continuing. "I made a promise to you, Cinder. I know you're still looking for them, and there have been a few days where I've done that. But I can't tell you what else I've been doing."

Cinder was starting to grow even more concerned and annoyed at the apparent secret her father was hiding. "Why not?" she asked.

Djarin could tell that Cinder's curiosity and concern wouldn't go away without an answer, Djarin confided in his daughter very carefully. "I have a surprise for you."

"...Surprise?" Cinder asked calmly. "What surprise? Wait, is this about my birthday?"

"I can't say anything right now... but yes," he confessed. "I'm going to Nevarro, to prepare. Do you think you can meet me there, once you're done with Ozpin?"

Cinder's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed with a smile. "I mean... I never thought that... Sure! I won't ask anymore questions, I'll see you in Nevarro!" Quickly hugging her father, Cinder rushed down the stairs to find Ozpin. Djarin was left alone to feel relieved that his surprise for Cinder wasn't completely ruined. It had been something he planned for weeks, something that he wanted to share with Cinder. He was slightly upset about one of Cinder's questions, but he currently had his mind on more important things. With that, he used his Semblance to leave the building.

---

One year ago

"So after that jerk tricks me into thinking a skirt was part of the school uniform, I show up to class to have everyone, even the teachers, laugh at me."

"I was just a TA, I-I didn't know what to do, so I just... I just left the room to laugh!"

Cinder began to laugh at the story Qrow and Professor Peter Port were telling her and Djarin. Apparently, one of Qrow's teammates had tricked him into believing that a skirt was part of the student uniform for boys, and that it was actually a kilt.

"I never wore a uniform before, how the hell was I supposed to know?!" Qrow defended himself as he took a sip of his flask. "But it wasn't that bad. Some of the girls thought I had nice legs. So then we-"

Professor Port suddenly raised his right leg on the table that everyone was sitting at. "Like what you see?" he asked sarcastically. Everyone at the table, even Djarin, found themselves laughing at the story and the teacher's display.

Cinder was laughing so much, she had to dry her eyes before saying anything else. "And here I thought I heard every crazy story at Beacon," she said.

"Well, there's more where that came from, kid," said Qrow. "Classes are over if you two wanna stick around for a bit."

"Actually, we have to go," said Djarin. "It's almost time for dinner, I told Cinder we could get-"

"Wait, it's almost dinner time?"

Everyone turned to Cinder, who was looking at her Scroll. "I, uh... I have to go do something," she said as she excused herself from the table. While Qrow and Professor Port didn't think too much about her leaving, Djarin found himself to be concerned.

"Cinder, where are you going?" Djarin asked calmly.

"I, uh... I have to mail a couple of letters. Korkie sent me this really nice letter, and I gotta send him one back!" Cinder suddenly rushed out of the teacher's lounge. "I'll be back for dinner!" she said as she rushed down the hall. With that, Qrow and Professor Port decided it was time for them to go as well. Professor Port left first, but Qrow stayed in the room. He couldn't help but notice that Djarin was still staring where Cinder had ran, and he felt concerned.

"Hey, Mando," Qrow said as he tapped his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Djarin asked as he snapped back to reality. "I'm fine." He began to walk away, but Qrow found himself joining the Mandalorian.

"You sure?" he asked. "You kinda zoned out there."

"It's nothing," Djarin insisted. "I could just be overthinking something."

"Well, lay it on me. I'll overthink it with you."

Djarin appreciated the help, but really thought he was just overthinking Cinder's sudden departure. Nevertheless, he shared his thoughts with the young Huntsman. "Well, tonight's not the first night Cinder's gone to Vale by herself."

"Maybe she just likes the city. Other than Atlas, Vale's been known to capture a few eyes."

"I thought that too. But I started to notice she's been going on her own around the same time every day. Usually, it's once during the day and once in the evening. When I ask her what she's been doing, she changes the subject."

Qrow was starting to see why the Mandalorian was thinking what he was. "You think she's hiding something from you?"

"If she wasn't, she would answer me directly. She's never kept secrets before."

"Well, she's a teenager, Mando. Kids her age always get into some kind of trouble."

"So I've heard. Cinder's stayed up past Beacon's curfew before, but this is... different."

"Maybe she has a boyfriend she's meeting with."

"No, it's not that. She's been seeing Korkie for a long time, going to the CCT to do it. And last I heard, he's still in Mistral, training to be a politician with his aunt."

Qrow was starting to run out of ideas as to what Cinder was doing in the city. Maybe she was mailing a letter like she said, but the Mandalorian's observations seemed to tell a different story. To ease both their concerns, Qrow suggested an idea. "I can keep an eye on her, the next time she goes into the city. Or right now if you want."

"..."

Djarin considered the idea. He didn't want Cinder to think that he didn't trust her, and asking Qrow to see what she was doing might make the situation sound that way. But nevertheless, he had no idea what secret, if any, Cinder was hiding from him. So reluctantly, Djarin agreed to Qrow's idea.

Using the ability that Ozpin gave him long ago, Qrow Branwen transformed into a small crow out of sight. He arrived at Beacon's landing bay just in time to see Cinder board an airship that was on route to the city of Vale. Qrow landed on the top of the ship to avoid detection, and flew onto a lamppost once it landed. Cinder immediately made her way through the city, walking on the crowded sidewalks while staring at the buildings around her. She had lived in the Kingdom for a long time, and yet she always loved seeing the city whenever she had time.

But tonight, Cinder didn't stop and stare for too long. Instead, she made her way towards the library. And given that she didn't have any letters with her, Qrow could tell that she lied about what she was doing in Vale. As she made her way up the stone steps and into a brick building, Cinder failed to notice Qrow fly into an alley and transform back into a human.

Ten minutes later, Cinder exited the building, carrying multiple pieces of paper. She was so focused on looking through them all that she didn't see that someone was standing in front of her. The young girl immediately bumped into the man in front of her and dropped her papers. "Oh, sorry!" she said without looking up, trying to pick up every piece of paper she dropped.

"Don't worry about it, kid."

Cinder gasped as she looked up to see Qrow, putting his flask back in his pocket. Immediately starting to panic, Cinder quickly grabbed as many papers as she could. "Qrow! Don't look at these!" she yelled. The Huntsman looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, wondering what she was hiding. "Uh... This isn't... I can..." Cinder couldn't make a complete sentence at the moment, given that she had no idea what to say.

"Cinder, let's talk," Qrow said as he led Cinder to a bench in front of the library, where he sat down with Cinder next to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Were you... following me?"

Qrow knew how the idea of following a young girl sounded on paper, and he felt really awkward since that was the case. So he decided to explain his reasons for doing so. "Well... yeah," he began. "Your dad's been noticing you acting weird, and he wanted me to-"

"Wait, he knows?" Cinder quickly asked as she looked up at Qrow. "Does he know where we are?"

"I called to let him know, yeah. But he doesn't know why. I'd like to-"

Cinder quickly dropped her papers once again. She then buried her face in her hands, starting to cry. "I didn't want him to know," she whimpered. "What am I going to do now?"

Seeing the young girl cry was the last reaction Qrow expected to see when he confronted Cinder. He was expecting lies and excuses, as most of his targets did. But the breakdown Cinder was suffering awakened Qrow's sympathy and he acted accordingly. "Kid, you're not in trouble," he assured her. "We're just worried about you, we wanna know what's been going on with you. Like, why are you here of all places?"

Cinder dried one of her eyes and looked back at Qrow. "You don't understand," she claimed. "Dad won't understand either, I just know it."

"What are you talking about?"

Cinder lowered her hand to pick up two of the papers. Looking them over, she handed them to the young Huntsman. Carefully taking them, Qrow turned them around to see their contents. Holding each paper in one hand, Qrow was looking over a list of names and birthdates. He was also looking over a list of orphanages in Mistral with names of children that were taken in. As he stopped at the halfway mark of both pages, Qrow finally began to understand what was going on. He carefully put down the papers and looked back at Cinder.

"...You've been looking for your parents," he realized.

Cinder nodded as she sniffled a few more times, not saying a word.

"Well... this explains why you're here. But why didn't you tell Mando? Why have you been keeping this a secret?"

"I..." Cinder had to dry her eyes one more time before continuing. "I didn't want him to think I was doing this to get away from him. To think that he's been a bad parent. I mean, he didn't know everything about raising a kid, but he did the best he could for me. I love him more than anything on Remnant."

"So why are you doing this?"

"Lately... I haven't felt like myself. It's like there's... something missing. I've thought about it for a while, and I realized that... I don't even know who I am." Cinder could tell Qrow wasn't understanding her, so she explained more. "I mean, I know I'm a Mandalorian and a Maiden, but they never answered the big questions I have. Where did I really come from? Who am I?" Cinder looked down the list of names. "I mean, I could be Olivia Grey, Diana Stark, Luna Lavender!" Cinder stood up and walked a few feet away from Qrow. "And I don't know if my parents are dead, or if they just couldn't take care of me!" Cinder felt more tears come down her eyes. "I! Don't! Know!"

"..."

Qrow could see how Cinder was feeling, not knowing who she was. Fortunately for him, he never had to feel something like that. But there was no denying that the idea was scary for Cinder. He once heard that one of the most frightening things in the world was not knowing who you are. And Cinder had just confirmed that theory.

Qrow wished he could help Cinder, make her feel better. So while he couldn't help Cinder with how she was feeling, he knew how to make her burden easier.

"...This is something you need to do, isn't it?" he asked. Once Cinder nodded again, Qrow knew what to do. "Cinder, Mando's gonna love you no matter what you do. I hardly think that you looking for your parents or wanting to know who you are will make him feel sorry for himself." Qrow extended a hand to the teenager. "Let me show you."

After Qrow brought Cinder back to Beacon, they made their way to her room. They found Djarin preparing dinner, but stopped once he saw the two of them standing at the door. Seeing Qrow nod to her, Cinder asked Djarin to sit down.

That was when she told him everything. She told him what she had been doing and why, making sure to emphasize the point that she was in no way disappointed being his daughter.

After she finished, Djarin stood up and asked Qrow to leave. After he closed the door, Djarin turned back to Cinder. "If this is something you feel that you need to do, I just have one thing to say." Putting a hand on her shoulder, he made a demand. "Tell me how I can help."

---

Present day

"Is it ready?"

"Everything seems to be in order, sir. I've done everything on my part, the rest will be up to her."

"Indeed. Thank you for going through the trouble, Glynda. I'm sure that it will-"

*BEEP*

"Come in."

The door in Professor Ozpin's office opened to reveal Cinder, who walked inside to see both Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. "Good morning, Professor Goodwitch," she said politely.

"Good morning, Cinder," the Professor politely responded.

Cinder turned to the man sitting at the desk towards the window. "Good morning, Professor Ozpin."

"Good morning, Cinder," Ozpin said with a smile. "And Happy Birthday."

"Thank you." Cinder smiled. "Dad just told me that you had some training for me."

"I do. And I hope you don't mind that it's today of all days. It was the only day that both Glynda and I have that we could work together on it."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, it's been a while since you gave me a challenge. Not running out of ideas, are you?"

Ozpin and Glynda walked closer to the elevator. "Given that you've been exceeding my expectations ever since you've arrived here, I would be lying if I said challenging you was easy." As Cinder walked inside, Ozpin closed the elevator. "But I recently got the idea from my time as Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

The elevator ride led to a walk to Beacon's docking bay, were Cinder was able to get a look at the city of Vale in the distance. She was more than excited to see how the city was preparing for the Vytal Festival, and knew that it would be a sight to behold. But now, her excitement and curiosity was taken by Ozpin's mysterious challenge.

The walk across the academy ended at Beacon Cliff, where the Emerald Forest was the only sight to behold. Cinder had only been there once, on another challenge Ozpin gave her. Seeing the forest brought back the memory of being forced to stay in the forest for two hours straight, killing any Grimm that came her way.

"I trust you remember your previous task here?" Ozpin asked sarcastically.

"As if it were yesterday," Cinder said while she rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, I'll be staying here for four hours today?"

"Actually, that will depend on you," said Professor Goodwitch, who stood close to a metal plate on the ground.

Ozpin stood where he was as he explained himself. "For years, you have trained to become the warrior you are now, and today, your abilities will once again be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"We have been conducting this process of student initiation for years," said Professor Goodwitch. "Rather than having the students choose their partners and future teammates, they are paired at random."

"That being said, the first person they make eye contact with after landing in the forest becomes their partner for the next four years."

Cinder looked out into the distance. "I've heard about it before," she said. "Dad and I never really watched it, though. But I like how initiation gives the students a chance to get firsthand experience against the Grimm."

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "That, and it creates less tension between the students."

"We have given this test to everyone here," said Glynda. "Now we want to give it to you, Cinder." She moved from the metal pad. "This will be a trial run to work out some kinks with the equipment. Please, step on."

The Fall Maiden did as she was told, noticing that the pad had the insignia of Vale's Crest on it. "Okay. Now what?"

"You will be monitored through the duration of your training, but we will not intervene," said Ozpin. "You will find an abandoned temple at the northern end of the forest containing one small relic. You will retrieve it and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard the safety of that item, as well as your standing, and determine how well you have done. Are there any questions?"

"No, sir."

"Good! Now, take your position."

Cinder looked down on the metal pad beneath her. Assuming he wanted her to get into fighting position, Cinder took out her swords and prepared to run down the steep cliff.

"Oh, we forgot to mention one thing," said Glynda, who realized why Cinder got into a running position. "You won't be running into the forest. You will be falling."

Cinder stood upright once again and looked around. Not seeing any place to fall from, the Maiden became confused. "Falling? From where?"

"The cliff, of course," said Ozpin.

"Oh, okay. So you want me to jump down from here?"

"No. You will be sent down there."

"Okay, this is just getting more and more confusing. How am I going to be-?"

*CLICK*

*WHOOSH*

"GAAAAHHHH!"

The two professors watched their prized pupil be launched into the air via the pad she was standing on.

"Perhaps we should have told her that she was standing on a springboard," Glynda suggested.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," Ozpin declared. "Let us see how she fares while landing."

After a few seconds of flying and screaming, Cinder regained her composure and closed her eyes. Feeling the heat of fire come naturally to her, Cinder allowed jets of flame to escape from her palms. The force the fire applied into the air caused her to stop flying forwards. Instead, Cinder felt the fire move beneath her feet and let her stay in the air. Rather than staying, Cinder leaned forward to fall down towards the forest, the fire behind her increasing her speed.

"I think now would be a good time to get a look in the forest," said Ozpin.

Glynda wordlessly took out her Scroll and opened a section labeled "Cameras." There, she saw nothing but the quiet forest, filled with nothing but grass and trees. All of a sudden, one of the screens showed a burst of white coming to the ground. It revealed itself to be a slide of sorts, made entirely of ice. And Cinder had just slid down and flew a couple of feet into the air before landing on the ground.

"An impressive strategy," said Glynda. "She's certainly gotten stronger."

"And her natural use of her powers had only become easier," said Ozpin. "Now let us see how well she can find the temple."

---

After landing on the ground, Cinder took her time to catch her breath from the surprise she received from Ozpin and Glynda.

"Well... that was exciting," she thought to herself. "It'll actually teach any new students to expect the unexpected. If that didn't get their blood flowing, Dad's class will give them a proper introduction to Beacon. Now let's see how this new initiation goes."

Cinder began to become aware of her surroundings, which consisted of nothing but trees and grass.

"I could use my powers to fly above the trees, figure out how far I am from the north." Cinder prepared to take flight once again, but stopped herself. "No. It's easy, but it kind of defeats the purpose of this test. I guess I need to challenge myself." She began to walk forward again, hoping to find some kind of clue as to where she was. Moving past the trees and pushing the branches aside led to her touching the base of one tree, which was covered in moss.

"Moss!" Cinder thought to herself. Looking closer at the tree, she began to concentrate. "Think, Cinder. Dad said that the moss in Vale grows on the... the north side of trees!" Cinder turned around and smiled. "Which means north is this way!" Seeing more thick branches before her, Cinder used her powers to create a burst of wind that cleared a path for her. Content with her work, Cinder used her wind again to fly forwards into the woods.

---

"Once again, Cinder's intelligence helps her prevail."

"She's on the right path, but also the wrong one. According to the cameras, she'll be walking straight into Grimm."

---

Cinder just flew back to avoid the large black paw that almost struck her. After she regained herself, the Maiden became familiar with her opposition; three large black bears, with one of them bigger and covered in white bone protrusions.

"Three Ursai, one Major and two Minors," the teenager thought to herself. "Focus on the larger one, he'll take care of the others when I kill it." Taking a vial of Dust from her belt, Cinder opened it and let the Dust out in front of her. Quickly using her Semblance, Cinder made the small Dust turn into three large crystals, all of which impaled the Ursa Major.

When it fell over, the Grimm's body quickly expanded and exploded, the bone spines quickly impaling the other two. Before they could impale Cinder, she created a wall of fire that cremated the bones.

---

"Glynda, how much fire would it take to cremate bones?"

"It would appear to be... roughly fourteen thousand degrees, sir."

"A tremendous feat, one that requires a lot of energy."

"And she's still making her way to the temple."

---

The wall of fire Cinder created did indeed require a lot of energy, which made Cinder feel tired. Nevertheless, she was still able to continue her trek through the forest. It took her past many more trees and in front of a cave. The cave entrance had carved drawings of armed men fighting giant beasts.

"Well if that's not a warning, I don't know what is," Cinder remarked to herself as she continued to move. Carefully observing each tree for more moss, she knew that she was heading in the right direction. But after a while, Cinder found herself needing rest. Sitting down on a rock, Cinder removed one of her boots and rubbed her foot.

"If I knew I'd be here all day, I wouldn't have worn these things," she said as she repeated the process on her other foot. Sighing as she put it back on and twirled it, Cinder decided that she had enough rest.

As well as enough walking.

"I shouldn't keep Dad waiting any longer than he should be," she said. "Let's see how much further I am." Feeling fire return to her body, Cinder shot into the air and gazed upon the forest.

---

Glynda looked at the cameras on her Scroll and sighed. She had a feeling Cinder using her powers of flight to make the challenge easier was a possibility.

"Let it go, Glynda," Ozpin ordered calmly.

"But this is cheating!" Glynda protested. "Initiation isn't meant to be this easy."

"Given that Cinder chose to use her powers now rather than when she first entered the forest, I am sure she is aware of that too. Otherwise, she would have gotten the Relic by now."

"I suppose." Glynda looked back to her Scroll.

"Don't worry, Glynda. I have a feeling Cinder's acquisition of the Relic will not be as easy."

"Why's that?"

"..."

"Professor Ozpin?"

---

The aerial view allowed Cinder to see the abandoned ruins of an almost forgotten temple. When Cinder landed, all she could see was stone bricks out of place and covered in moss. At the center of it we're stone pedestals, barren and dirty. However, one of them had a small item on it; a chess piece, a White Queen.

"Hey, look at this," Cinder said as she took the piece, looking it over and examining each detail. Cinder had played chess with Djarin and Ozpin a few times, learning significant strategies about combat along the way. "I wouldn't call it a Relic, but it's over now." Cinder clutched the piece tightly as she began to see that the task wasn't that much of a challenge.

That was, until, a Nevermore flew just above her and let out a screech.

The echo of the screech led to the surrounding forest, where multiple kinds of Grimm began to emerge. Cinder turned around and observed each one approaching closer and closer. "Should've known it was too easy," Cinder cursed herself as she put the chess piece back on the pedestal, not wanting to break it while fighting the Grimm.

As soon as the Maiden drew her swords, a Boarbatusk charged towards her. Despite the Grimm having four eyes on its head, it was oblivious to the orange light forming beneath it. Cinder clenched her fist and watched the orange light explode, taking the Grimm with it.

The Maiden's reaction speed had improved as the years went on, mainly from her training with Ozpin and her father. It was this training that allowed her to use ice, wind, and even electricity to take care of the other Grimm. When she heated the blades of her swords and cut down one more Ursa, the Maiden thought of a way to get the Nevermore.

---

"Thirteen Grimm in less than a minute. We've taught her well, sir."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I almost feel excited to see how she'll deal with the Nevermore."

---

When the avian beast made one more pass around the mountain, it looked downwards. Sensing the emotion of anger caused it to swoop down and focus on the young girl walking on a stone bridge. After unleashing a storm of large feathers onto the bridge and watching the girl dodge and evade each one, it flew above her for another pass.

But Cinder leapt into the air and met the Grimm head on. Focusing on her anger once again, Cinder made herself vulnerable to the open beak of the hungry Grimm.

But instead of devouring a young human, the Grimm found a large shard of ice shoved down its throat.

Cinder had done something like this before, she had used most of her energy to create a large-scale elemental attack. Once she did it, physical rest was more than required. So Cinder had to be careful to aim just in the right spot so she wouldn't leave herself vulnerable to the Grimm once more.

But once the carcass hit the ground and turned into dust, the Maiden knew it was all over. And after a few more minutes of rest, she was ready to deliver the Relic to Ozpin and Glynda.

---

"Remarkable. Truly remarkable."

"A combination of Maiden powers and her own skills. Cinder may have used her powers more, but she certainly knows the best of both worlds."

"And I have no doubt she'll be ready for what's to come."

"That is, if she accepts our offer."

"Let us see later today. I'm sure Cinder wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her day with her father."

---

Cinder took an airship from Beacon to Nevarro. Ever since the officials of Vale decided to approve the requests to build an official landing pad for the town, travel had become easier for her and Djarin. And now, she had just begun her walk to Djarin's village. The walk was peaceful and gave Cinder time to think about her recent test. She was happy to fight the Grimm for a change, given that the majority of her training was with Ozpin. Grimm fighting was a part of it, but not very often. And she was wondering what was so important about that chess piece. Perhaps it was like the game Djarin taught her, Capture the Flag.

But she decided to wait until later to find out, as the Mandalorian village came into view. As she passed the two guards she had become acquainted with, every Mandalorian in the village square looked up at Cinder. Some waved and nodded while a few others followed her. One of these was Sun Jabbid, Djarin's old friend.

"Welcome back, Cinder," the Mandalorian said. "It's been a while since we last saw each other."

"Four months, I think," Cinder remembered. "How have you been?"

"Fine, thank you. Although, the last few nights haven't been kind to me."

"Why's that? Are the Grimm being a problem for your eyes?"

"No, that's still under control. My Foundling's just starting to be a bit of a handful."

"Oh..."

Cinder remembered when Sun first mentioned that a new Foundling had joined the tribe. Cinder met the child a few times; she joined the tribe at a young age, when she was only a toddler. Apparently, someone left her to die in the middle of the woods. That was where Sun said he found her.

Cinder smiled at the mention of a child. "I'm sorry, Sun," she said with a small laugh. "I'm sure I was a handful for my dad. Maybe you could talk to him about it." She then looked around the area. "Have you seen him anywhere? He said he was preparing something for me."

"He wanted me to tell you he's still preparing. If you'd like, I can tell you when he's ready."

"Thank you." Cinder looked to her left to see a hut larger than the rest. "I think I know how to pass the time." As Sun and the other Mandalorians left to find Djarin, Cinder walked up to the hut and stopped at the door.

Inside was a group of children wearing masks and various clothes. At the moment, they were watching two children arm wrestle each other. And the one on the left had just pushed the other child's arm to the table. They all began to cheer as the loser punched the table in defeat.

"Looks like we have a winner," Cinder said to get their attention. As soon as they turned to the voice, the masked Foundlings ran up to Cinder in excitement while a few hugged her.

"Cinder!"

"You're here!"

"Welcome back!"

"We missed you!"

Cinder smiled at the Foundlings and returned some of the hugs, thankful to have time to see them all once again. Given that she was a Foundling herself, Cinder found herself extraordinarily close to the old and new Foundlings of Nevarro. And she would always make time to visit them when she was in the village. "I missed you all too," she said as she moved in closer. "What's going on today?"

"We're waiting for a Founder to take us outside the city!" a young girl said in excitement.

"We're each gonna kill a Grimm until it's dead!" a boy said as he formed two fists.

Cinder laughed at the statement, always finding anything the children said to be adorable. And she was happy that they were all ready to kill a Grimm. But she was still concerned about them. "Now, hold on. You know that killing Grimm isn't a sport or game, right?" she asked.

"Yes," the Foundlings responded.

"So you know that you're supposed to do everything the Founder says when they come, right?"

"Yes."

One Foundling spoke up after the rest answered. "And we need to be prepared for anything. There might be more Grimm than we think."

Another Foundling began to argue. "Don't be silly! We're Mandalorians, we can kill anything!"

The child's overconfidence actually gave Cinder another idea to pass the time, to do something she loved doing whenever she visited. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," she said as the children looked at each other again. "Didn't anyone tell you the story of how one Grimm destroyed an entire village?"

Some of the Foundlings gasped and whispered among themselves. The overconfident child was the first to ask what was on everyone's minds. "How did it do that?"

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"Tell us! Tell us!"

Every child in the room chanted the same thing, which made Cinder smile even more. So she walked over to a bookshelf on the side of the hut's wall. Looking at each one, she pulled out one of her favorite books from when she was a child; Fairy Tales of Remnant, a book she decided to give to the Foundlings when she outgrew it. When she turned around, they were all sitting down in front of a chair.

"Alright," Cinder said as she sat down in front of the children. "Before I start, I should warn you that this story isn't for the faint of heart. Are you all feeling brave today?"

"Yeah!" the children cried out together.

"Then gather around, and listen to the tale of... The Grimm Child."

And so, Cinder read the fairy tale to the Foundlings. The story was that of a very old and rare Grimm called a "Chill." While it wasn't as strong as an Ursa or Beowolf, it came with a very particular power; it could possess and take hold of its prey. The Grimm's goal was to use the unwillingness of people to kill their loved ones who it had taken possession of. And later on, it would kill that person before moving on to the next. By the end of the story... there were no survivors.

"Wow," the overconfident child said as Cinder closed the book.

"So now you see," said Cinder. "There are some forces even stronger than us. Which is why you have to be careful which battles you fight. Can you all promise me to do that today?"

"We promise," the rest of the children said. With that, Cinder put the book back in its place. When she looked back, she could see Djarin and another Mandalorian standing by the door. The Mandalorian clapped her hands together to get the attention of the Foundlings. After they all said goodbye to Cinder, they left her alone with her father.

"I never really liked that story," said Djarin. "I always thought it was too surreal."

"I never liked it either," said Cinder, who was walking up to her father. "But according to Ozpin, it was the inspiration for a lot of other horror stories. Did you know there are also a few video games inspired by it?"

"Heh. Kids these days." Djarin led Cinder outside and began walking towards another part of the village. "Ozpin showed me the recordings from earlier. I knew you'd do a good job."

"Thanks. But Ozpin told me it was part of something else. Is this what he was talking about?"

"Yes. You've passed trials by air and land. Now it's time to pass a trial by sea."

"Um... okay." Cinder followed Djarin down a dirt path in the woods, curious as to what this trial actually was. "So by 'trial,' do you mean an exercise?"

"...Yes," Djarin said slowly. "It's sort of like what Ozpin had you do earlier, but this is specifically invoked with the Mandalorians."

"Oh, I see. So this is the surprise you were planning? Having me train with the Mandalorians?" Cinder had always tried on her father's Mandalorian training, but this was different. She had never trained with other Mandalorians before, aside from an occasional sparring match. So the idea, while difficult, was interesting to her.

"Not exactly." Djarin stopped walking and turned around. "This is part of it, but not the whole thing."

Each vague answer the Mandalorian had only made Cinder's curiosity grow, as well as the suspense of the assignment. "You certainly know how to present a mystery."

Djarin chuckled as he walked again. "Well, you were always into mysteries. I still haven't forgotten your Nancy Dew phase."

"Come on, those books were fun to read."

"For you, maybe. I liked reading you fairy tales better."

"Yeah, I can see why. But we all have to grow up sometime."

"I know. I just wish it wasn't so fast with you."

Cinder smiled at the notion, thinking back on the times she read stories with Djarin and when he would read the stories to her. From fairy tales to novels for people her age, she would always find time to read just about anything. And given that a couple of fairy tales were extremely important to her, they had a special place in her heart.

"Here we are," said Djarin, who pushed aside a few more branches to reveal a large lake. Standing at the edge of the lake were the Armorer, Sun, Cara Dune, and Greef Karga. As soon as they laid eyes on her, Karga and Cara began to clap and cheer.

"Hey, there she is!" Karga yelled with a smile.

"You're gonna do great, kid!" Cara cheered.

Cinder was caught off guard by the surprise support, but she smiled and waved nonetheless. "Hey, guys," she said. "Good to see you two."

"Are you kidding?" Karga asked. "We wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Oh, um..." Apparently, something about the lake was more important than she realized, if Karga and Cara were excited enough to leave Nevarro for a little while. "Thank you," she said. "Maybe you could tell me what surprise Dad has for me?"

"Oh, crap, she still doesn't know!" Cara whispered. "Shut up for a sec!"

"Right, sorry!" Karga simply smiled and waved.

"Huh?" Cinder looked back to Djarin. "Dad, what are they-?"

"Olarom, Cinder." (Welcome, Cinder.)

The Maiden turned back to see the Armorer walking towards her. "It has been many months since we last spoke."

"Four months too many," Cinder said with a smile. "It's good to see you too."

The Armorer looked at the sheath Cinder was carrying on her back. "You still have my first craft."

"And I've been taking good care of them. I couldn't do anything to change them back to their silver color, but they're still as sharp as ever."

"You can remove them from your sheath. You will not be using them today."

The Armorer walked towards the edge of the large lake, leaving Cinder to take her sheath off her back. Once she handed them to Djarin, Cinder joined the Armorer. "But I... I thought I was going to be doing some sort of training today."

"You will," the Armorer confirmed. "But this will require your own cunning."

"Oh." Cinder looked into the water. "What do I have to do?"

"You and your father have spent many years at Beacon Academy. I have heard of its reputation, how they accept the best students so they may learn from the best teachers."

"They really are the best." Cinder pointed to Djarin. "Dad's great at teaching combat techniques, Professor Oobleck is a great historian, and Professor Port knows just about every kind of Grimm." The Armorer looked back at Cinder, slightly surprised at her knowledge of the teachers. Cinder chuckled out of embarrassment. "I, uh... I sometimes listen to their lectures."

"...Then you must know about all the Grimm that walk the surface of Remnant."

"For sure. I know about Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusks-"

"Did your teachers ever tell you of the Angler?"

Cinder paused. "The... Angler?" She took a few seconds to think back on what she learned at Beacon. "Wait, yes! Yes, they did!"

"What did they tell you about it?"

"Well, it's one of the more rarer types of Grimm. And it's also one of the more dangerous ones."

"Why is that?"

"It lives underwater, in places where its dark or where the sun doesn't shine. It's also one of the biggest fish on Remnant, with teeth sharper and stronger than most of the land Grimm. It's roughly the same size as an Ursa Major."

The Armorer slightly chuckled. "Your time at Beacon has taught you well. But there is one other fact about Anglers that you missed. Do you know what it is?" Cinder shook her head. "Their teeth are strong, just like you said. They are also sharp enough to act as knives and sharpeners for Beskar. I have used them to make arrows like the ones you carry, but my supply has run low. I require more teeth to continue my work."

"Oh." Cinder took a second to think. "Well, do you think they sell them in Nevarro? You can buy just about anything..." The Armorer walked past Cinder in order for her to get a view of the water. Once the Maiden's eyes fell on the lake, she began to understand why they were meeting here. "Oh. I get it now." She turned back to the Armorer. "I need to get you more teeth?"

"At least one. You are free to take as much time as you need, but you cannot use any weapons. Use whatever strength and cunning you have to succeed. And under no circumstances must you kill this Grimm. Otherwise, its teeth will turn into dust. Do you understand?"

"I do."

"Good luck."

The Armorer walked away, towards Karga and Cara. In her place stepped Djarin, who was watching Cinder try to prepare herself for the encounter. As soon as she saw him, Cinder tried to put on a brave face. But she was failing.

"This is... Oh, boy," she said as she rubbed her head. "Oh, man. This is... pretty intimidating. I've only seen Anglers in books, I never imagined I see one up close."

"I've done this before," said Djarin. "You can use your Semblance, and the teeth are hard to pull out. Try hitting it against a rock, and don't worry about how much time you'll be down there."

"Okay, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense." Appreciating her father's advice, Cinder began to find her confidence. "I only need one, anyways. I can try."

"Try?" Djarin put a hand on her shoulder and pointed at Cinder. "Remember what we've talked about, Cinder. You can't try everything in life. This is one of those times when you do or don't do."

"...You're right." Cinder took a deep breath and looked at the water. "I'm not coming back empty handed."

"One more thing." Djarin reached into his belt and took out a small piece of metal with two small tubes at the end. "The Wind Dust in this will help you breathe and not need to resurface anytime soon." He then pointed towards Karga and Cara. "I'll be right here when you get back. Good luck."

Cinder didn't watch Djarin walk away. Instead, she took off her boots and took a few more breaths. Finding the rest of her confidence was no easy task, and it required some of the methods she learned from Obi-Wan. But once she let go of her fears, Cinder began to walk into the water. Putting the respirator on her mouth as the cold water reached her neck, Cinder allowed herself to go deeper into the dark water.

At first, it was hard to see anything. The dim skylight made the water almost foggy, so Cinder focused on her powers once more. While the fire couldn't come to her eyes as it always did, she could feel herself use them naturally. So she focused more and moved some of the water from her face. The moving water made a small hole of air for her to see, seemingly creating a pair of goggles for her. Now able to see better, she moved deeper into the water.

---

Djarin was waiting on the shore with Karga, Cara, and the Armorer. While his company was patient and eager for her to return, Djarin was beginning to feel anxious.

"I feel like something should have happened by now," he said.

"Perhaps it has," said the Armorer. "And we cannot see from here."

The idea only made Djarin's nerves grow, but he didn't falter from the idea of Cinder taking on the aquatic Grimm.

"So, Mando..." Cara started. "You said you did this before, right?"

"Yes," the Mandalorian confirmed. "A long time ago."

Cara looked at her Scroll. "It's been about a half minute. How long did it take for you to find the Grimm?"

"Or did it find you first?" Karga inquired.

"It found me," said Djarin, who looked over to Cara's Scroll. "Right about... now."

---

Cinder felt the water behind her move, so she turned around to see what happened. The young Maiden could only see more water around her, but there was finally light. Except, this wasn't sunlight. It was an orange glow, small and moving quickly.

And moving closer to her.

Cinder began to make out some features behind the orange light. Aside from the large red eyes, Cinder could see a large set of teeth in an open mouth, prepared to bite down quickly.

But Cinder was faster than the mouth, and she was able to move out of the way, using her control of the wind to swim faster than most people. Looking back at the Grimm, the teenager was able to see that the Grimm was indeed as big as an Ursa Major, and it was even more intimidating. The fish had gills that were black and white, its fins were pure bone. It's lower jaw stuck further out from the top of the mouth. And now, that mouth was coming closer and closer to Cinder.

Unable to move faster than the enemy, Cinder activated her Aura. The fish bit her leg, only to meet an orange light instead of flesh. It bit her leg again and again, but nothing changed.

Taking advantage of the Grimm's low intelligence, Cinder grabbed one of its teeth and began to pull. But try as she may, the amount of strength she applied wasn't working. And the water made the tooth come close to slipping from her grasp.

"You can use your Semblance, and the teeth are hard to pull out. Try hitting it against a rock, and don't worry about how much time you'll be down there."

Remembering her father's advice, Cinder looked for anything she could use to hit the Grimm's mouth. But before she could find a rock, a jolt of electricity struck her side. The Angler had managed to use the light on its rod to send a small shock to its prey. Cinder screamed in pain, which caused her to lose her respirator. Before she could get it back, the Angler swallowed it when it tried to bite her hand.

Cinder kept her mouth closed to hold her breath. In order to buy herself some time, Cinder reached out towards the Grimm's eye and used her long fingernails to scratch it. The fish let out a shriek of pain and retreated, giving Cinder a chance to get some air.

---

"Hey, there she is!" Karga yelled as he saw Cinder resurface. "Does she have the tooth?"

Djarin used his helmet's visual enhancements to zoom in on Cinder. "No," he said calmly. "And she doesn't have her respirator. She must have come up for air."

"That's not against the rules, is it?" Cara asked the Armorer.

"As long as she returns to the shore with the tooth, this trial will be a success," the Armorer repeated herself. "She is free to take as much time, and air, as she needs."

Cara smiled again. "Good. And given her track record, she'll be close to getting her-"

"There she goes again!" said Karga.

---

Cinder submerged into the water again while using her powers to create her makeshift goggles again. The Angler wasn't hard to find, and now it was charging towards her again.

But Cinder was better prepared now. Her time on the surface allowed her to make a plan of attack.

Dodging the Grimm once again, Cinder extended both her palms. A familiar heat began to form, one that wasn't washed away by the water. Instead, the water that the Angler was swimming closer to began to feel warm. About ten seconds later, the water close to the Angler's face began to boil.

Rather than her powers, Cinder used her Semblance to gain her advantage. If she could boil the water around the Grimm, it would grow too weak to fight back. And now, it was indeed starting to grow tired.

Knowing that she couldn't kill it, Cinder unleashed the next part of her plan. Making wind once again, Cinder moved her hands as fast as she could in order to create a current. The fish was caught in the current and began to move faster and faster. Cinder concentrated on her feet to make the wind boost her forward and into the current, where she uppercutted the Grimm with a fist of fire.

The Grimm emerged from the water along with Cinder. Closing her eyes to reorient herself from the dizzy feeling the current gave her, Cinder opened them to see the Grimm flopping in the air while trying to breathe. But all it could do was watch Cinder make a small ball of fire and throw it at the closest teeth it could find. The fire didn't extinguish immediately, but it instead caused two teeth to crack. Once the fire disappeared, Cinder punched the Grimm's jaw and watched two of its teeth break. Cinder quickly caught them and joined the Grimm in the water again, where it swam away instead of fighting more.

As she broke the wall of water above her and felt her wet hair stick to her face, Cinder took a big gasp. Her chest began to soften as the pressure disappeared and she was able to breathe again. Once she took a few more breaths, Cinder moved her hair from her face. Once she saw that everyone was right where Djarin said they would be, Cinder proudly raised the two teeth into the air, causing Karga and Cara to cheer. Once she swam to shore, the Maiden was met with congratulations and shoulder pats.

"Way to go, Cinder!" Karga said as he looked over the fangs.

"That was incredible!" said Cara. "You didn't even have to kill it!"

"Well done," said the Armorer, who took the fangs from Karga. "These will be more than useful, you should be-"

"You did it!"

Before she could say anything, Cinder felt two arms wrap around her and lift her off the ground. Looking down, the teenager saw that it was none other than her father who was hugging her and lifting her off the ground. "I knew you could do it!" he said with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. "I'm so proud of you, you did better than I ever did! This was-!"

"Dad, Dad!" Cinder yelled as she continued to laugh, not expecting her father of all people to be this excited about her exercise. "You can put me down now!"

Djarin lowered his daughter to the ground and began to calm down. "Sorry," he said. "I... got a little-" He suddenly felt two arms wrap around him.

"Thanks for believing in me," Cinder said as she held Djarin tighter.

"I knew you could do it," Djarin said as he hugged Cinder once more.

As soon as they returned to the Mandalorian village outside Nevarro, Karga and Cara returned to their duties as Magistrate and Marshal. Cinder decided to dry herself off in a small hut using a towel. Placing her clothes on a chair, Cinder created a small fire in her hands to dry them until they were no longer damp. Cinder quickly redressed and exited the hut, where she found Djarin waiting for her. "Are we calm now?" she asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"Heh, heh," Djarin awkwardly chuckled. "Sorry about that. I think I got carried away."

"Maybe a little. I just can't remember the last time you were that happy." Cinder put her towel down on a bench and moved her wet hair out of her eye. "So, are you ready to go to Vale?"

"Isn't it almost noon?"

Cinder took out her reclaimed Scroll and looked at the time. "Yeah, it should be noon in about an hour. Why do you ask?"

"I thought you said you got a call from the Schnees yesterday. That they invited you for tea."

Cinder gasped and put down her Scroll. "I almost forgot! Can you take me there?"

"Why don't you take the Crest? I have a few things to do before I leave."

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not, I trust you with the ship. Go ahead, have fun. I'll see you at Beacon before we go to Vale."

"Thanks, Dad. See you in a while."

Cinder quickly took off towards the spot where Djarin usually left the Razor Crest. After she disappeared from his sight, the Mandalorian walked into the Armorer's forgery, where she was examining the Angler teeth she had just received. "The Foundling has brought me a fresh pair," she said. "They will do nicely."

"Good," said Djarin, who sat down in front of the Armorer. "Did you see the recordings I gave you? The ones Ozma made in the Emerald Forest?"

"I did. It is as you said. First, she passed one trial by land. Then, she passed one more by air. And now, she has passed one by water."

"That... is good news. I have held my part of the bargain. Will you still hold your part?"

"This is the Way. I will begin immediately."

---

"Alright, darling. Klein said your tea should be ready in two minutes. That should give us just enough time to practice one final time."

"Okay, Mother. I'm ready."

A white haired woman in a white cravat and purple jacket sitting by a piano looked back at the little white haired girl standing to her right. The girl was wearing a long white ponytail behind her head, along with a white shirt that had short sleeves and a blue skirt. Once she cleared her throat, her mother looked back to the piano and began to play a few keys. Just as she did, the little girl began to sing.

At first, it was a beautiful "Ah" noise, but it suddenly turned into words.

"I've been afraid,

never standing on my own.

I let you be the keeper of my pride.

Believed you when you told me

I was nothing on my own.

Listen when I say!

I swear it here today!

I will not surrender,

this life is mine!"

As the girl proudly finished her singing with a smile, she suddenly turned towards the sound of soft crying. Her smile disappeared when she saw her mother drying her eyes and closing the piano.

"Mother, are you alright?" she asked calmly. "What's wrong?"

Willow Schnee looked back to her daughter. "I'm sorry, Weiss," she said as she stood up. "It's just that... you've always had a beautiful voice. That was lovely."

Weiss smiled again. "Thank you. I just hope everyone at the charity concert will like it too."

Willow kneeled down to her daughter. "Are you sure you want to sing there? I don't want you thinking that you need to do things you're not comfortable with."

"I'm sure. But... I am a little nervous. I just wish someone else could hear me sing and tell me how I did."

A voice from behind the little girl lifted her spirits. "Your wish is granted."

Willow and Weiss turned to see a familiar teenager with black hair standing behind them with a smile. "Hello, everyone," she said with a small wave.

"Cinder!" Weiss said in surprise as she ran over and hugged the manor's visitor. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Weiss," Cinder said as she returned the hug. She then looked up to the adult who was walking towards her. "Mrs. Schnee, it's good to see you again. Thank you for the invitation."

"Cinder, you know you're always welcome at our house," Willow said with a smile. "And as you can tell, it's always a pleasure when you visit."

Cinder smiled as she and Weiss released their hug. "Is Winter here?"

"She'll be joining us in the garden. Klein just made tea for you all." Willow walked in front of Cinder and Weiss to lead them to the garden. Once they found themselves outside, they also found Winter waiting for them, hands behind her back and standing straight, almost as if she was standing at attention.

Before Cinder could greet her longtime friend, Weiss suddenly curtsied in front of her sister. "A good morning to you, sister," she said with a smile.

"Your form could use some work," said Winter, unimpressed with her sister's performance.

Weiss looked down in defeat, feeling sad that her sister wasn't very impressed. Willow's paternal instincts kicked in as she turned to her eldest daughter. "Oh, Winter, come now. Today's not one of the days you need to be serious all the time."

Winter took her mother's words and acted accordingly. Turning to Cinder, she formed a small smile. "Happy Birthday, Cinder. How have you been?" she asked.

"Thank you, Winter," Cinder said with a smile as she sat down. "Surprisingly, I've been really busy today." Her present company, excluding Willow, joined her at the table and began to drink their tea. "Dad gave me this series of tests to do before coming here. They were hard, but it was still a good workout."

Winter smiled at Cinder's success, feeling pride that she was still as strong as ever. "I can imagine," she confessed. Of course, being a daughter of a Mandalorian and a potential student at Beacon Academy made training serious and arduous. And she had been training too, and it would soon be put to good use.

"What about you?" Cinder asked after putting down her cup. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine, thank you. I've mostly been practicing my combat and teaching Weiss how to use her-" She suddenly stopped talking and turned to Weiss, who was drinking her tea. "Must you slurp like a savage?"

Weiss suddenly stopped drinking her tea and looked at her sister. Putting down the cup, Weiss raised a napkin and dried her mouth, feeling upset that she made another mistake.

Cinder noticed this and looked at Weiss. "I'm not sure I liked it either, Weiss," she said. When the little girl turned to the teenager, she saw a cup raised to Cinder's mouth. "If you're going to slurp... you can at least do it right." She suddenly took a big slurp of her tea, louder than what Weiss did a few seconds ago.

The slurp and Winter's annoyed face made Weiss burst out laughing. Given how serious Winter was, Cinder always put in an effort to make her and Weiss laugh. Although she succeeded with Weiss, Winter wasn't very amused.

"I see someone still needs to learn their manners," Winter said calmly.

Cinder stopped slurping and put down her cup. "It could be worse, Winter," she said. "At least I don't burp after taking one sip."

Heat rose to Winter's face as she looked away. "It was one time!" she defended herself, still embarrassed that the incident happened when General Ironwood came to have dinner at the manor. And even worse, Cinder and her father joined them, and she made sure to never forget that night.

As Cinder and Weiss laughed at the memory, they heard a new voice behind them. "I still regret not seeing it for myself."

Turning around, Cinder saw a blonde boy slightly taller than her in a gray dress shirt and black dress pants standing at the door. "Korkie!" Cinder shouted as she stood up to greet her long distance boyfriend. The couple shared a quick kiss before sitting down again.

"Happy Birthday, Cinder," Korkie said with a smile. "I'm sorry we haven't seen each other in a while. Auntie Satine's been needing my-"

"Korkie, it's fine. We talked about it, family comes first. If anything, I should apologize for not coming to Mistral more often."

"Thank the Gods we can still talk via the CCT."

The couple shared a short laugh before Weiss asked Winter a question. "Well, now that everyone's here, I think we can start. Right?"

"I don't see why not," Winter replied.

Cinder looked back at the sisters, who pulled out two small bags under the table and handed them to Cinder. "Oh, you shouldn't have," she said with a smile.

"Cinder, it's your birthday," Weiss reminded her. "It's a tradition to give gifts."

"She's right," said Winter. "We don't mind at all. Weiss, would you like to go first?"

The young girl nodded and handed Cinder her bag. Gently reaching inside, the teenager pulled out a small hand mirror. The design was more than beautiful, and the golden metal showed how expensive it really was. Cinder looked into the mirror and fixed her hair. "Oh, wow," she said. "Thank you, Weiss."

"You're welcome," Weiss said as she made some room for Winter to give her gift to Cinder, which came in a larger bag.

Gently taking out the wrapping paper, which revealed a red bunch. Taking it out, the bunch unfolded to reveal a red dress with golden accents on the sleeves and chest. Standing up, Cinder put the dress against her chest to see that it would be just above her knees, so wearing some black shorts with it would be a good idea.

"The dressmaker told me it would be suitable for combat," said Winter. "So you can wear it anytime you like."

Cinder smiled and picked up the hand mirror. Moving it away as far she she could, Cinder gained a glimpse of what she would look like in the dress. And she thought she looked great. "Red was always my color," she said as she gently folded the dress and put it in the bag next to her chair. "Thank you, Winter."

Just as Cinder put the mirror back in the other bag, Korkie presented her with a small box with a ribbon. Smiling at her boyfriend and taking the box, Cinder opened it to reveal two earrings, each of them consisting of a golden loop with a black diamond hanging on the end.

"Korkie..." Cinder said as she marveled at the design. "They're beautiful." She quickly put them on her ears, which she pierced when she was thirteen.

"The black diamonds reminded me of those shoes you wore the night of our first dance," Korkie admitted. "I always thought they stood out with the dress, and I figured these would be a good match."

Cinder smiled even wider at the memory, remembering how special the night was for the both of them. And give that Korkie wanted a lasting reminder of their first dance, she knew how much the night meant to him as well. "Oh, Korkie," Cinder said as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you so much. I love them." Korkie began to blush as he smiled, causing Weiss to giggle. Winter rolled her eyes but still smiled at the public display of affection before standing up.

"Would anyone like some more tea?" she asked. "I can ask Klein to-"

A low flying airship suddenly made its way above the garden, causing everyone to look up into the sky. The airship revealed itself to be a Manta, and it landed right next to the Razor Crest. After they all shared a quick glance at each other, Cinder and everyone else ran over to see what was going on.

Just as they reached the landing pad, a uniformed officer exited the airship and saluted the group. Everyone was unsure what to do or think until the officer spoke. "Greetings, Cadet Schnee."

Cinder and Korkie looked back at Winter with widened eyes. "Cadet?" Cinder asked. Judging by the state of surprise she was in, Winter wasn't expecting this visit at all.

"I... Um..." Winter quickly stood at attention and saluted the officer. When his hand dropped, she lowered hers. "What's going on? I don't ship out for another two weeks."

"Ship out?" Korkie whispered to Cinder. But his girlfriend could only shrug in response, given that she had no idea what was going on.

"Indeed," said the uniformed officer. "But General Ironwood has personally chosen you for an assignment." Moving towards the ship, he looked back to Winter. "Please, follow me." Winter looked back at her friends and sister, and wordlessly followed the officer into the ship.

Korkie and Cinder immediately looked down at Weiss. "What was that all about?" Korkie asked.

"Weiss, do you know anything about this?" Cinder asked.

"Um..." Weiss rubbed her arm and sighed. "I do, actually. Winter didn't want to share the news on your birthday, but she just got accepted into Atlas Academy. She's going to be a Huntress."

"What?!" Cinder and Korkie yelled, sharing each other's surprise at the news. Today was full of unexpected surprises for Cinder, and each one seemed more interesting and confusing than the last. But this one definitely took the cake, given that Winter was only fifteen and should be considered too young to apply at a Huntsmen Academy.

But that didn't stop her from feeling excited. "That's... great!" she said with a smile. "But I thought people weren't allowed to apply at a Huntsmen Academy until they were seventeen."

"That's what I said!" Weiss confirmed. "But the General said he got the idea from Professor Ozpin, that he was planning to accept someone a few years early. And after all the time he spent here, seeing Winter train, he wanted to give her the chance to join."

"Incredible," said Korkie. "Winter's going to be the youngest student in Atlas. Maybe even on all of Remnant."

"Wait, Professor Ozpin suggested this?" Cinder asked the younger Schnee. "When?"

"Winter said he wanted to do it a week ago."

"Who's the student? What's their name?"

"I don't know."

Korkie looked at Cinder. "You didn't hear about this?" he inquired.

"No, never." Cinder put a finger to her chin as she tried to figure out Ozpin's plans. "Maybe he's going to share with the whole school. Then again... classes started a few weeks ago, and-"

The sound of footsteps walking out of the airship caused everyone to look at Winter, who immediately made a request. "Korkie, Weiss, would you mind giving me a minute to talk to Cinder?"

Weiss and Korkie immediately had the same response. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'd just like to speak with her alone."

Weiss and Korkie looked at each other, unsure what Winter wanted to talk about. Regardless, they agreed and decided to go wait inside for a few minutes. As soon as they left, Winter walked to up to Cinder. "So Weiss told you about my acceptance?"

"She did," Cinder confessed. "Winter, that's great news! Korkie was just telling me that you could be the youngest person to ever attend a Huntsmen Academy!"

"I've heard the same thing myself. I'm sorry you found out like this. I didn't want to, as most people would say... 'steal your thunder.'"

Cinder heard the same thing from Weiss, and she already knew what to say. "Winter, don't worry about that. Now we have two things we can celebrate!"

Winter rolled her eyes in amusement of the excitement, but quickly came back to reality. "Actually, this isn't really a celebration. I've been given a special assignment that I need to carry out while I'm learning at the academy. And I was wondering if you'd like to help."

"Me? Really?" Cinder had never thought she would be helping in a military mission, and she was having some doubts. "That's a great offer, Winter, but I don't know how I can help."

"Actually, it's not as difficult as you may believe. General Ironwood recently filled me in on the situation, but he believes you and your father already know about her."

"Her?"

Winter moved away from the ramp and featured towards the ship. "It's okay," she said. "Come on out." As soon as she said that, a new passenger of the airship emerged into the sunlight. Cinder and Winter were looking at a teenage girl with short, curly orange hair and green eyes wearing a gray blouse under a green and gray dress, right above her black boots.

At first, the girl seemed nervous, but she suddenly formed a wide smile when she saw Winter and Cinder. "Salutations!" she said in a jovial tone.

Before Cinder could say anything, she noticed that something about the girl seemed... familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Cinder definitely felt that she saw her before.

Winter decided to explain further. "Cinder, allow me to introduce... Penny."

That's when Cinder's jaw dropped. Now she knew that she had seen the girl before. And she could only say one thing.

"...Incredible."

---

Two months ago

"So is there anything else I need to do? Or just keep it steady?"

"Keep it steady. You're doing good, we can go over taking off and landing when we get back."

"...Right. Sorry again about the takeoff. Hope it's not as bad as it sounded."

"We'll look once we land."

Djarin and Cinder were inside his ship, flying on a course to Atlas. At the moment, Djarin wasn't in the pilot's seat where he normally was. Instead, he decided to teach Cinder how to fly an airship. One would think that she was too young to drive, let alone fly an airship. But after a bounty hunt went wrong and Djarin could barely fly back to Vale, he realized it would be best if Cinder learned how to fly in case something similar happened.

And Cinder was doing a good job at keeping the airship steady, even moving it left and right. The one problem she had was taking it off the ground, where she scratched the landing gear on the ground. Because of that, Djarin said he would land once they reached Atlas.

And that time had just arrived, since the city in the clouds was straight ahead. But rather than fly to a landing pad in Atlas, Djarin directed himself towards Mantle. When he was advised to land in Atlas by the authorities, Djarin stated his business as a hunt for a bounty last seen in Mantle. With that, the authorities approved of his landing in Mantle.

"Doesn't look serious," Djarin said as he looked at the landing gear. "I may have to find someone to look at it, just to be safe." Looking into the sky, Djarin contemplated the idea of seeing Peli in Atlas.

"Dad, isn't that Pietro?" Cinder asked as she pointed across the street.

The Mandalorian looked up to see Doctor Polendina waving at a Faunus with a prosthetic right arm. He was actually sitting on something prosthetic himself, a chair with two walking legs in the front and wheels in the back. It had been a while since the two saw each other, Djarin hadn't been in Atlas in a while. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had come to Mantle, given that he never really wanted to return. He left with his family for a reason, and coming back only brought back bad memories.

"Maybe he can look at the ship before we go deeper in the city," said Cinder, who started running across the street. "Doctor Polendina!"

"Cinder, wait a minute!" Djarin called to her, but to no avail. Cinder had already entered the house that Pietro had walked into, and Djarin was already regretting the fact that he came here in the first place. Nevertheless, he followed Cinder inside to find her talking to Pietro.

"Ah, yes, yes," the old man said as he pushed a stack of papers to the side of a desk he was sitting behind. "Have we met?"

Cinder was confused that Pietro could forget her, it had only been a few months since they last spoke. Cinder visited Winter one time while Pietro was overseeing some upgrades to the Schnee Manor's generator. So she decided to jog his memory. "We met when I was kid," she began. "You remember. In Nevarro?" Cinder turned to see Djarin in the doorway. "Maybe you remember my father?"

Pietro turned to the door and squinted. After a few seconds, Pietro smiled. "Mando!" he greeted his acquaintance before turning back to Cinder. "And Cinder, yes! Sorry I didn't recognize you, my memory isn't exactly what it used to be."

"It's okay. It's been a little while since we saw each other."

"Same with me," said Djarin. He walked over to the desk while looking around the room. "Sorry for coming in like this, Pietro. But I was hoping you could take a quick look at my ship's landing gear. It got scratched when we left Vale." Cinder chuckled out of embarrassment, since the incident didn't leave her mind.

"Not at all," the old doctor said as his chair moved towards the door. "I needed an excuse to get out of the-" His chair suddenly stopped moving, as one of the back wheels suddenly became stuck. After picking up a wrench off the table and tapping the back of the chair, it suddenly began to move. "Looks like I'll have to look at this thing again. Might have to give it an upgrade."

"Are you okay?" Cinder asked. "Last time we saw you, you had a cane."

"Oh, I had a little accident in the lab. I wasn't hurt, but I realized that a man my age can't do this kind of work while standing." Pietro tapped the chair with his hand. "So I made this."

"You couldn't use a wheelchair?" Djarin asked, not seeing the need for something creative to a practical problem.

"I could, but I wanted to do something a little more. I've had this idea in the back of my head for a while. Maybe you want to hear some more?"

Cinder was about to take the offer, but Djarin answered before her. "We just need to look at the landing gear."

"Oh, right!"

Pietro made his way outside the door with Cinder and Djarin right behind him. Just as she walked outside, Cinder heard what sounded like a sigh escape Djarin's throat. "Dad, are you okay?" Cinder asked. "If you're mad about the landing gear, I can pay in case Pietro needs to-"

"Hey, no," Djarin quickly answered. "I'm not mad, I just... Can we just... not go back inside?"

"Huh?" Cinder looked back at the house Pietro had made into a pharmacy, unsure why Djarin didn't want to go back. But she decided not to ask. "Um... okay. We can leave once Pietro's all done."

"Thank you."

Djarin and Cinder walked across the street to find Pietro looking at the landing gear. "Uh, looks a little scratched," he said as he leaned towards one piece. "But I don't think you need to worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Cinder asked.

"Oh, it'll be fine. Feel free to buff out the scratches, but it should still land okay."

"Thank you," Djarin said. "Cinder, the police station's not far. We can check in before-"

"Oh, Mando!" Pietro called out as his chair made its way towards the Mandalorian. "Before you go, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"If it's about the landing gear, I can talk to you after-"

"No, it's actually about something else. I know you must be busy, but I feel that it's important to you."

"...What is it?"

Pietro cleared his throat before talking again. "I'm actually glad Cinder here reminded me about Nevarro. Do you remember IG-11?"

"The bounty hunter droid?" Djarin asked. "I remember. What about it?"

"Before Major Gideon was arrested, General Ironwood was hoping I could rebuild him, make him look after Mantle. He was planning to send Atlas' Huntsmen and Huntresses to find Gideon, leaving Mantle defenseless. So he asked me to make something that would protect Mantle until they came back."

"But he's in prison. Atlas arrested him in Argus."

"Right, so our project was put on hold. But a little while ago, some of the tundra's Grimm have managed to find ways to sneak past Mantle's defenses. About a month ago, the Council brought this issue to General Ironwood, who told me that he wanted to start the project again."

"What were you thinking?" Cinder asked. "Put more defenses where the Grimm have been getting in?"

"We've tried that, but they just find new ways of getting inside."

Djarin wasn't seeing how he was involved in these problems, so he wanted to find out. "Are you asking if I can help you?" he asked.

"No, not exactly," Pietro replied as he took out his Scroll. "I began to make plans for a new protector, one that's based on IG-11. Have a look."

Cinder gently took the Scroll and looked at an image of a girl with her arms extended, with a list of things she was supposed to have and do. After looking at the list, Cinder looked at the top to see the project's name.

"P.E.N.N.Y?" Cinder read out loud. "Doctor Polendina, what is this, exactly?"

"Well, IG-11 showed promise as Mantle's protector. But I was thinking the city could have something less intimidating, something they can actually admire. This kind of thinking turned into P.E.N.N.Y, a synthetic person that can do more than he could."

"Wow. An advanced, friendly robot protecting the city? That would be... incredible."

Djarin had to admit, the project sounded like an advancement in Atlesian technology. But there was still something that he wasn't understanding. "It looks like you have everything you need to build it," he said. "But why are you telling me this?"

"Well, you weren't the only one who approved of my design," Pietro said as he took back the Scroll. "General Ironwood gave me permission to start building a prototype. For building material... he gave me Beskar."

Cinder gasped when Pietro revealed this, unable to believe that there was still some unused Beskar left on Remnant. While she was speechless, Djarin found himself able to speak.

"Have you and General Ironwood been in communication with each other?" Djarin asked. "Regarding... P.E.N.N.Y?"

"He's been wanting me to keep him updated, yes," Pietro replied honestly.

A plan began to form in Djarin's mind. "Cinder... I need to stay with Pietro a little longer," he said. "Maybe you should go wait in the ship."

"Wait, what?" Cinder turned back to Djarin. "But Dad-"

"Cinder." Djarin looked into her eyes. "Go wait in the ship."

"..."

Without another word, Cinder did as she was told. It was easy to see that her father was upset about this, and he didn't want her to get involved. And Cinder could tell it was even more serious when another airship landed close to the pharmacy a few minutes later. Cinder recognized the passenger who stepped out of the ship as General Ironwood, who didn't seem too happy when he saw Pietro with the Mandalorian. Even though the cockpit was high above the ground, Cinder could hear two people arguing. It got loud enough for Cinder to notice a few words from both Ironwood and Djarin, and they weren't nice at all.

But by the moment she prepared for a fight, Ironwood seemed to have calmed down and led Djarin to his ship. Djarin put a hand up to show Cinder that it was going to be fine.

"Mando... I admit, I wasn't going to tell you about this," Ironwood confessed. "But I truly think that making a protector out of Beskar will protect the city for generations. It's stronger than most metal, it doesn't rust easily, it doesn't-"

"Belong to you," Djarin said for the hundredth time.

Ironwood sighed before replying. "I see how much this means to you, and I think you see how much this means to me. So... I want to make a deal."

"Does it involve returning the Beskar?"

"Not all of it, but yes."

"...I'm listening."

---

Present day

Cinder walked up the ramp to get a closer look at Penny, taking in every detail. "So... you're really-?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Penny said as she tapped her head with her fist. The sound of metal knocking on metal filled the air and confirmed that there was more to Penny than met the eye.

When Cinder first heard of this project, she thought the idea was merely fun to think about. But to think that the idea was now a reality filled Cinder with excitement.

"Wow," she slowly said. "I never thought... I never imagined..." Cinder quickly realized that she was being rude and that Doctor Polendina said he needed to be sensitive with Penny, so she decided to treat her more respectfully. "Penny, it's really nice to meet you."

Cinder extended her hand, which caused Penny to gasp in excitement and grab Cinder's hand. Shaking it up and down with a firm grip, Penny spoke again. "It is such a pleasure to meet you as well, Cinder!"

As the two broke their grasp, Cinder silently activated her Aura to block out the pain the metal grasp had dealt. Once she felt better, Cinder turned back to Winter. "So, you know that Penny's... special?"

"I do," Winter answered. "Only a few people in Atlas know, and I was honored when General Ironwood chose to tell me. And to assign me as her partner."

"Partner? For what?"

This time, Penny answered for Winter. "I will be fighting in the Vytal Festival tournament!" With a salute, Penny made another declaration. "I'm combat ready!"

Cinder suddenly remembered something else she saw in Penny's designs. "That's right! Doctor Polendina mentioned you could defend yourself and others." Cinder looked back to Winter. "But the tournament? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Penny has passed all combat tests against humans and Grimm," Winter assured her friend. "At the end of the tournament, General Ironwood will announce her real nature and her title as the Protector of Mantle."

"Okay, but why wait after the tournament? Why not show her combat results to the world now?"

"The tournament will be proof of her potential. But more on that later. Since the festival will be held in Vale, I was hoping you could help me keep an eye on Penny, perhaps keep her company."

Cinder had to admit, she liked the sound of that. "I don't mind at all!" she said with a smile. "I'd like to have some friends close to me, even though we're different."

Winter smiled once again. "Thank you, Cinder. But just remember that you and your father are the only people that know-"

Penny suddenly cut off Winter as she stared at Cinder. "What did you call me?" she asked.

"Huh?" Cinder was confused by what she meant, and her first assumption was calling Penny "different." Realizing how that must have sounded, Cinder immediately tried to correct her mistake. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like-!"

"You called me 'friend!'" Penny said with enthusiasm, apparently ignoring what else Cinder had said. "Am I really your friend?"

Cinder calmed down and realized the opportunity before her. "Sure! Most of my friends live in other Kingdoms, so making some new ones would be-"

Penny suddenly began to laugh and become overjoyed. "Sensational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

Winter was starting to grow more than a little tired of Penny's enthusiasm, but Cinder was enjoying it. She had never met someone like Penny, her nature and unexpected emotional stability made Cinder even happier. "I see Doctor Polendina's taught you a lot." She then took Penny's hand and walked towards the manor. "And if it's cute boys you want to talk about, we can start with my boyfriend."

After introducing Penny to Weiss and Korkie, Cinder spent the next hour sharing stories of Beacon and listening to the stories of her friends. After realizing that Djarin was probably waiting to meet her, Cinder thanked everyone for the gifts they gave and said her goodbyes. She then flew back to Beacon, thinking about everything that happened today. It was clear that her birthday was more eventful than she expected, but she found it enjoyable. All she wanted now was to spend the rest of the day with her father, watching Vale prepare for the Vytal Festival.

The flight wasn't very long, and Cinder was careful to land the Razor Crest near the faculty dorms. She then sent a text to Djarin, saying that she was back at Beacon. He responded in less than a minute.

"Are you ready to go to Vale?"

Cinder answered immediately, starting a text conversation with her father.

"Sure. Do you want to fly down there or go by your Semblance?"

"Semblance. I actually want to see you in the room before we go."

"Be right there."

Cinder put away her Scroll and made her way back to her room, knocking on the door. "It's open," Djarin called out on the other side. Cinder opened it to see Djarin move to the side of the room. "How was your time in Atlas?" he asked.

"Pretty good," Cinder answered. "You won't believe what happened to-" Her eyes suddenly fell on a large sack in the middle of the room. "What's in the bag?"

"The reason I've been going out a lot. It's for you."

Cinder looked down at the bag and moved closer to it. Just as she was about to open it, Djarin gently grabbed her hand before talking again. "Cinder... First off, I'm sorry about keeping what happened in Nevarro a secret."

"It's fine," Cinder said sincerely. "It's like you always said, expect the unexpected. It was a good exercise, really."

"Actually... I wasn't completely honest with you."

Cinder stood up straight and moved away from the bag. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"What you went through was something every Child of the Watch does in their life," Djarin explained. "It wasn't an exercise, it was a rite of passage. Something that you passed, something that made me more than proud of you."

Cinder began to feel a heat rise to her face. "Thanks, Dad." Djarin rarely used that phrase during Cinder's training, so she always felt a sense of satisfaction whenever he said it. "But why didn't you tell me? Were you afraid I might get nervous?"

"That was one of the reasons, yes. When I was tested, I threw up once or twice." Cinder giggled at her father's misfortune, and began to understand that she may have done the same thing, given all that she did in Nevarro. "But the other reason was that you earned something today. I wanted to keep your reward a surprise."

Cinder looked back at the sack, realizing that her reward was inside. She immediately grew excited at the chance to see what she exactly earned. Maybe it was a new weapon, or maybe it was something that survived Mandalore. Her excitement caused her to quickly open the top of the sack.

That was when her heart skipped a beat.

"Wh-What?" Cinder whispered as she marveled at the sight of the sack's contents. Carefully reaching into the bag, the teenager pulled out a chrome helmet with a narrow and curved "T" visor. She peered into the bag to see a chest plate, two pauldrons, gauntlets, and kneepads. All metal and brand new. As she felt the helmet's metal, the Maiden began to feel a sense of familiarity. She turned to Djarin with widened eyes. "Dad, this is... Is it really-?"

"Beskar," Djarin confirmed. "The reason I've been going out is because I've been going to Atlas. Do you remember that project Pietro wanted to use Beskar for? After seeing him, I talked to Ironwood about reclaiming it. It took a while and some help from Ozpin, but he promised that if I did a few favors for him, he would pay me in Beskar."

"..."

Cinder kept staring at the helmet, almost hypnotized by it. Djarin could only assume she was still listening, so he explained the rest of his story.

"When I had enough to make a full cuirass, I asked the Armorer if she could make it for you. She said she would, but only if you passed those tests."

"..."

Djarin rubbed the back of his head, feeling nervous about Cinder's silence. But since he forgot he was wearing his own helmet, he was still uncomfortable. "I... hope you like it. There's also some paint in the bag, if you want to-"

"I love it."

Djarin looked back to Cinder, where she made her declaration more audible. "I love it, Dad," she declared with a wide smile. "It's perfect. You really did all of this to give me my own armor? It's really mine?"

"It's yours, nobody else's," Djarin assured her. "Most Mandalorians have their armor passed down from their ancestors... or taken off the bodies of whoever didn't survive. I wanted your set to be special, like mine."

Cinder's eyes began to water. That water poured down her cheeks as she dropped the helmet back in the bag and quickly pulled Djarin in a hug. "Thank you!" she cried. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Djarin returned the hug and began to share Cinder's happiness, glad that she liked her reward. He was proud that she was able to pass her challenge, and even more proud that he was able to share this moment with Cinder.

"I can't wait for you to try it on," said Djarin. "Once we come back from Vale, we'll see how it-"

"Vale?!" Cinder backed away. "Who cares about Vale?!" Grabbing the bag, Cinder quickly made her way to the bathroom. "I'm trying it on right now! Don't go anywhere!"

Djarin was happy that Cinder was excited about her armor. And he was even more happy to know that all of his efforts paid off in the end. Even though he had no doubt Cinder would pass her trials; he couldn't help but feel excited for the first time in years. And now he was prepared to show Cinder how the armor can be used in battle.

*CRASH*

"Oops!" Cinder called out from the bathroom. "Hang on, I think I... No, that's not right."

Djarin gently knocked on the door. "Do you need some help?" he asked. "It's hard to put on for the first time."

"No, it's okay! I almost-!"

*CRASH*

"Oops! Okay... maybe a little help."

Djarin walked into the bathroom and helped Cinder put on her armor. The last piece, the helmet, she was ready to put on in the mirror. Once she did, Cinder couldn't stop staring at the work of art in the reflective glass.

"Amazing," she said, looking over each piece. "It's feels a little heavy..." Cinder suddenly used her powers to float in the air, fire underneath her. "But I could get used to this."

"That's a good look for you," said Djarin. "You normally have to practice with a jetpack before wearing one, but your powers can make up for that."

"It feels lighter in the air." Cinder moved to the window and opened it.

"You feel like going for a test run?"

"I have a good idea for a challenge." Cinder quickly flew back to Djarin and tapped his chest. "Tag! You're it!" She then flew out the window and into the sky.

Djarin quickly ran over to the window. "So that's how you want to play it, huh?" Jumping out, Djarin activated his jetpack and flew into the sky, easily spotting Cinder. When he came close to tagging her, Cinder easily moved and dodged in the air, courtesy of all the training she had with Ozpin. After dodging a fourth time, Cinder lost sight of Djarin.

"Tag."

Cinder spun around when something touched her back. Quickly realizing that Djarin had used his Semblance to catch up to her, Cinder tried to tag him again before he could disappear. After she failed, she moved as fast as she could to tag him again, but Djarin kept disappearing.

However, she began to see his Aura flicker once he was close to the ground. "I have you now," she whispered as she flew towards the ground. As soon as she tagged him, Cinder lost her balance and fell to the ground, rolling a few times.

"Cinder!" Djarin cried as he flew to the ground. As he ran up to her, Djarin saw her come off the ground and brush her armor. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied calmly. "I didn't even have to use my Aura. The armor works great." Cinder removed her helmet and let her hair fall out. "But maybe... I should cut my hair before I wear this again."

"Most Mandalorians do that, you're right. Your hair might block your vision."

Cinder made a twirl as she looked over her armor. "So is it like your armor? Does it have those little gadgets on the gauntlets?"

"Let me show you." Djarin gently took her right hand and moved to the side. "On this side you have your wire and flamethrower." Djarin showed her how to use both. "The flamethrower is there in case you overextend your powers."

"Oh, okay. That'll be useful." Cinder moved her left hand. "And in this one?"

"Form a fist and twist it counter-clockwise."

Cinder did as she was told and watched two circular, razor-sharp objects fire at the wall in front of her. "Whoa. That's amazing!"

"They're magnetic, too. Just walk over to them with your gauntlet extended, and they'll come back into place." After Cinder did as she was told and watched the discs return, Djarin had another thing to show her. Once he told her to press her left hand on her chest, they both watched a small blue shield appear. "This shield is Hard-Light Dust, and can block both Dust rounds and blasts. Use it sparingly, the Dust won't be there forever."

---

After Cinder removed the armor and put on the dress Winter got for her, she and Djarin explored the city of Vale. All across the city were welcome banners and concession stands being prepared. Cinder had only been to two Vytal Feativals as she grew up, so she knew about the dances, parades, and other activities that would occur soon.

But this was the first one that was being hosted in Vale. And Cinder had grown to love her new home so much that she was excited to see how Vale would appear with numerous people and activities. But that would have to wait, as the clan of two had just returned home.

"Dad, I really can't thank you enough for all this," said Cinder. "I've had a lot of birthdays, before and after we met. But I think this one was my favorite."

"Mine too," said Djarin as he rubbed Cinder's head. "And you really don't have to thank me. You earned this armor, it's yours."

"Yeah, but you got the Beskar. By working with Ironwood of all people. Brothers know he's not our biggest fan."

"Well, Ozpin's been sharing our fight against Salem with him. While he's not our biggest admirer, I figured it's time we start working with him. Besides, it was the only way to get more Beskar."

"Yeah, I guess so." Cinder was just about to move to her bed, ready to call it a night. But when she realized they were just talking about Ozpin, Cinder remembered something she wanted to ask her father. "Oh, I almost forgot. Did Ozpin say anything about a new student?"

"What?" Djarin asked, unsure what she meant by that. Beacon had plenty of new students every year, and this one was no different.

"Weiss told me that Ironwood was talking to Ozpin about a younger student joining Beacon this year. Someone below the age requirement."

"That's... news to me." Djarin had spoken with Ozpin a few times today, and this topic definitely wasn't shared. "Maybe Weiss misheard some-"

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

*KNOCK*

Djarin looked to the door, not sure who to expect on the other side. "Come in," he said. The door slowly opened to reveal Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch, the latter carrying a electronic tablet in her hands. "Ozpin, Glynda," the Mandalorian addressed his allies.

"Good evening, Djarin," Ozpin said before looking to Cinder. "Good evening, Cinder. Apologies for arriving unannounced."

"It's okay," said the young Maiden. "Dad and I were just talking about you."

"Hm. Good things, I hope?"

Cinder chuckled before answering. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. You know my friend Winter Schnee? I went to Atlas to see her today, and she told me that she had been accepted into Atlas Academy as a Huntress in training."

"Yes, James asked for my advice on the matter. Did Ms. Schnee say anything else?"

"I heard that you were planning on doing the same thing, letting a younger student attend Beacon. Is that true?"

Ozpin began to smile. "It is. I hope Ms. Schnee didn't give away my surprise for you."

Cinder's curiosity was growing by the second, and she was ready to ask Ozpin what he meant. But then, she remembered her training in the Emerald Forest. She knew that every student at Beacon Academy went through the same initiation, and there was only one thing they needed to do in order to pass.

Every student had to get a chess piece before being placed on a team. Which was exactly what Cinder did.

The Maiden gasped when she realized what was happening. "You don't mean... Professor, are you-?"

"Yes, Cinder. Professor Goodwitch and I wish to offer you the chance to attend Beacon as an official student." Ozpin turned to Djarin. "As long as your father sees-"

"I have no objections," Djarin declared. He then walked over to his daughter. "Cinder, I didn't know about this, but I think the chance would be great for you. Ever since you were thirteen, you've sat in classrooms to learn whatever you wanted to. And you once told me you wished you could do more with your power and training."

"And being a Huntress would give me a chance to do that," Cinder realized. With a smile, she hugged her father and he returned the hug. Cinder's excitement to be a student grew when she realized some of the classes wouldn't be hard for her. Just like Djarin said, she had been sitting in lectures and lessons whenever she wasn't training with her powers or she was just bored.

She was more than ready to take Ozpin's offer, but Cinder had one more question. "But... I was in the Emerald Forest alone. I thought students were supposed to work together, find their own teammates."

"That is the traditional approach, you're right," Glynda spoke up. "However, we have a team of first year students who are currently short one member. An accident with her weapon has left her with a broken arm and a few burns. She'll be attending Beacon next semester once she recovers."

"And the team of three?"

"Since the three girls are currently searching for a new member, I took the liberty of sharing some of your actions in the forest with them." Glynda was careful to leave out the parts where Cinder was forced to rely on her Maiden powers to survive. The rest of the footage was everything she learned from Djarin.

Cinder's eyes widened. "What did they say?"

Tonight was one of the rare times Glynda smiled at someone, as she too was happy about the news. "Yes."

---

A youthful Faunus was walking alongside a red and white Mandalorian through various dark halls. While hundreds of Grimm were roaring and crying out into the red sky, they were drowned out by the sounds of metal clashing on metal and people shouting in both rage and amazement.

"I never though I would see the day," said the red Mandalorian as he looked onto the group of armored humans and Faunus surrounding two Mandalorians sparring against each other. "I knew she was capable of almost anything, but I never thought she would be capable of helping me rebuild Clan Saxon."

"I told you to never underestimate Her Grace, Saxon," said the Faunus. "And that when she makes a promise, she keeps it."

"Indeed. I only wish it didn't take so long."

"I was getting impatient too." Just as she made her declaration, the Faunus watched one of the Mandalorians fall to the ground, suffering from a broken arm and broken jaw. Aurora and Gar Saxon looked at the weak recruit, disappointed at her failure. "But looking back on what I gained... it was worth the wait."

The Faunus pushed her open palm forward, releasing a beetle-like Grimm from her hand. The Grimm latched onto the former Mandalorian, which caused her to scream in agony. A blue light began to travel up the tendril that connected the beetle to Aurora. Once it let go, the Mandalorian could barely breathe. All she could do was look up as Aurora took a metal cylinder off her belt, watch a blue blade come into being and stab her through her chest.

As the Mandalorians around the fallen recruit laughed at her misfortune, Gar Saxon clapped his hands and watched Aurora rejoin him. "You've grown stronger with that," he said.

"Her Grace works in very creative ways," Aurora said as she placed the hilt on her belt again, walking down the halls with the leader of the Saxon clan.

"Is it true that it runs on Aura? And it's like the Darksaber?"

"It is." Aurora looked at the weapon again as she walked down the halls. "After Her Grace gifted me with her creation, I learned how to steal Aura and use it to make this thing work. My first tries and the majority of my training were... unsuccessful. And painful." Aurora grabbed the hilt and squeezed tightly on the metal. "But like I said, it was all worth it to get where I am now."

"You said Watts failed to give you the Maiden powers. Do you think you can take them now?"

"You bet your ass I will."

The walk ended in front of two wooden doors. Gar Saxon was about to knock on them, but the doors opened by themselves. The open doors revealed a large table with several empty chairs. At the farthest end of the table sat Salem, who gestured for her servants to enter.

"You summoned us, Your Grace?" Aurora asked calmly.

"I did," the Grimm Queen confirmed. "I understand you've made progress, Aurora." She turned to the Mandalorian. "You as well, Saxon."

"My clan is growing stronger every day," the Mandalorian confirmed. "And with the intel one of them provided us, we should expect our numbers to increase drastically."

"Wonderful." Salem gestured for the two to come closer. As they did, Salem spoke once more. "You should feel proud of what you two have accomplished, after all this time."

"We're more than proud, ma'am." Aurora kneeled down. "We're also ready. Let Saxon and I show you how we've grown, what else we can do."

Salem would normally take a small amount of offense to her servant attempting to make her own decision, but she could understand how eager she was to prove herself. One doesn't train and grow over an amount of years just to wait in the dark for something to happen. And now, the waiting had paid off.

"You'll be happy to know that I'm ready to grant your request, Aurora," said Salem. "I had a little talk with my prophet, who was also pleased with our progress." Aurora slightly grimaced at the mention of the man downstairs, the one that Salem held in such high regard for simply doing nothing but promise her glory. "He told me that our time to begin has come at last. Soon you will have the power of the Maidens and I will have my Relics." Salem turned to the Mandalorian. "And you will have your Darksaber, Saxon."

"Where do we strike?" Saxon crossly asked. "And when?"

"Beacon Academy. Now." Salem smiled wider at the idea as her thoughts turned inward. "This is the beginning of the end Ozpin. And I can't wait to watch you burn."

---

Author's notes: hope you enjoyed this chapter. Before I go, I just want to address something:

Some of you may be thinking that bringing in Penny and the Vytal Festival will start to deviate towards RWBY Volume 3. While I cannot say too much, I can tell you that you should expect some events in RWBY to unfold here (not with team RWBY, but with Cinder and Djarin.) But I am NOT going to copy RWBY's plot into this, I promise you. That would be lazy writing, and go against what I have planned for the ending of this story.

With that being said, I hope you'll keep reading and that you liked this chapter. Please leave a comment and tell me how I am doing, hearing from you is always a pleasure.

To The Avenging Titan, I'm glad you liked how I adapted/rewrote the Prequels. While I can't compare it to the work George Lucas put into it, I'm glad you think it's good. And I see why Anakin's you're favorite character. I am more of a Vader fan, but they're one and the same. As for Salem's Sith, I can't say too much. Glad you enjoyed, thanks for reading.

To reven228, glad you liked the last chapter. I'm also glad I got you excited about the Sith, but I can't say too much about the "council" you're thinking of. Not yet, at least. I'll keep writing, thank you for your kind words. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To 54godamora, thank you so much! Glad you liked the chapter, but I can't say too much about Anakin just yet. If you want a hint though, check out Chapter 28. Otherwise, thanks for reading, hope you liked this chapter.

To Dasgun, I'm not sure if that shocked symbol is good or bad. Either way, I hope you're enjoying the story. Thank you for reading.

To GojiraFan455516, glad I made your lunch happy. Thanks for reading, hope you liked the chapter!

To Rook435, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. As you saw, the last chapter wasn't a very easy one to write. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, as well as the idea of Cinder just telling a story. As for your question, yes, the gap is shorter. It took place a little while before Cinder was born, but not AGES before she was born. Hope this answers your question, thanks for reading.

Once again, thank you for your patience with my updates. I'm sure I mentioned this before, but school is unfortunately taking up most of my time. It may take a while for me to update, but I am not giving up on this story. I hope to see you all leave your thoughts for me, good or bad, about the story. In the meantime, I'll be doing what I can to give you another chapter ASAP. Thanks for reading, I'll see you next time.