The Way of the Maiden Chapter 57, a Star Wars + RWBY Crossover fanfic

Chapter 57: The Departure

There was much celebration in Mistral to be had, before and after the former Headmaster Kenobi had taken his leave. The people of the Kingdom became united in peace once more, from the highest point in the capital to the smallest village in the outskirts. And just about anywhere a person went, they could hear the sounds of cheers and joy.

But in the Land of Darkness... there was only melancholy and the screams of Grimm.

Besides the Queen of the Grimm, Merri and Fauna were the only people in Salem's castle. Two weeks had passed for them as well, and they had discovered that something was very wrong.

Fauna first noticed it when she lost contact with the Mandalorians. She had been charged with overseeing the multiple Seers that Pre Vizsla had. Some were with the Mandalorians in Anima and some were at the Kryze Castle on the island of Kalevala. She had heard multiple reports the night of the attack, but everything suddenly fell into silence.

The young hybrid had tried incredibly hard to reestablish contact, but she received no reply to her calls. Which either meant the Mandalorians were all dead... or they were ignoring the Seers.

And given that some of the Seers on the receiving end had been destroyed, it was easy for Fauna to believe betrayal had occurred. But just to be sure, she sent a single Botfly out to Anima to know what was going on.

Merri had also noticed something was wrong, but it wasn't in the same manner as Fauna discovered. Instead, Merri noticed that Salem had locked herself in one of her personal rooms in the castle. This had occurred the night of the attack, and Salem hadn't left since.

Merri had tried to reach out to her mother, to find out what was going on, but she received no reply from Salem.

Until now.

Salem had called her daughters into her meeting room, which was vastly empty. Merri and Fauna had seen multiple Mandalorians in this room along with them, but it was only Salem who sat in the room.

Salem's eyes were closed and her hands were close to her face, it was almost like she was meditating. However, Merri and Fauna knew that Salem was preparing herself to speak, so they quietly sat down.

The silence was broken not by Salem, but by the sisters.

"Where's Flora?" Fauna whispered to her sister. This had been a question Fauna had asked herself and her sister before, but she couldn't help but ask again when she noticed Flora wasn't present.

"I don't know," Merri replied honestly. This was the same answer she had given her sister when she asked the question before, but she shared her sister's concern. "Aurora's not back either."

Fauna easily noticed this, and drew a conclusion she first had a couple of days after the attack. "I knew something went wrong! Does Mother know?"

"Shh!"

Merri and Fauna saw that Salem had opened her eyes and was looking at them both. The sisters immediately fell into silence and awaited any confirmation Salem might have had.

The wait didn't take very long, as Salem immediately spoke when silence returned to the room.

"We... have lost," she began. "The attack on Haven... has failed."

"..."

This seemed rather obvious at this point, and the sisters shared a brief glance of confirmation at each other before Salem spoke again.

"The Mandalorians have abandoned our cause," she continued. "And... your sister..." Salem felt a large lump in her throat when she spoke of Flora, since she still wasn't ready to admit what had happened.

But she eventually found the willpower.

"Your sister is dead."

Merri and Fauna received a sudden shock from this news. They knew that Flora wasn't supposed to return without the Relic, and that how they accepted the fact that Flora wasn't in the castle.

But to hear that she wouldn't be retuning at all was something they didn't expect.

"What happened?!" Fauna blurted out, despite the fact that she had just spoken out of turn. She couldn't help it, since Flora had been in her thoughts for some time.

Salem knew that her daughter had spoken out of turn, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything at the moment.

"I... felt her essence cease to exist," Salem replied. She could feel this with any Grimm she had created, since she shared a connection to them. Her connection to her daughters, however, was much stronger than any of the other Grimm.

Both as a Queen... and as a mother.

"How?" Merri immediately asked. "Who could have done this?"

"She died... by burning alive," Salem explained. "But not by any fire. The fire she was burned in... was Magic. It was a Maiden's fire."

Merri and Fauna gasped at the idea of a Maiden killing Flora, and there was only one Maiden that they knew. "Aurora?" Merri asked. "She betrayed us?!"

"No. Aurora is dead as well. The power of the Fall Maiden has become one. This was Cinder."

Merri and Fauna gasped once again at the news. They didn't know what to expect from the rest of this meeting, but they certainly weren't expecting news of Cinder's survival.

"She's alive?!" Merri asked. "And Flora tried to kill her?! She was supposed to take the Relic, not hunt Maidens! What was she-?!"

*BAM*

"SILENCE!"

Merri and Fauna immediately became afraid and at a loss for words when Salem lost her temper. Slamming her palms on the table and raising her voice came at a surprise, and it almost appeared that Salem was going to throw the table to move closer to Merri.

But this was a rare time for Salem. Rather than feeling rage at the failure of retrieving the Relic and the betrayal of the Mandalorians, Salem was focused more on the loss of her daughter.

For the first time, in a long time, Salem was in mourning.

"Flora... was your sister," Salem said as she restrained herself. "The disagreements you had with her are null and void." Salem made sure to look at both of her daughters rather than just Merri. "The next time either of you speak of your sister, it will be of the utmost respect. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, Mother," Merri replied as she calmed down.

"Of course, Mother," Fauna followed.

"..."

The obedience from her daughters helped Salem calm down. As she did so, Salem believed it was important to take the next steps in securing the future. In order to do that, she would have to learn from the past.

"You were not wrong, Merri," the witch said calmly. "Flora's greatest liability was her ego. It led her astray, and it led to her untimely passing."

"A tragedy beyond tragedy, Mother," said Fauna, who was starting to see that she would also miss her sister. Merri said nothing, but she was starting to feel the same way.

"It's important not to lose sight of what drives us," Salem continued after the brief interruption. "Love. Justice. Reverence." These were feelings that had driven Salem to pursue the resurrection of her daughters, and her future endeavors to conquer Remnant.

Merri and Fauna felt the same way. They were many things, but they didn't deny that they were bonded to each other. They were, in their own way, a family.

"But the moment you put your desires before my own... they will be lost to you."

"..."

"This isn't a threat; this is simply the truth."

Merri and Fauna continued to remain silent, but they understood what Salem was saying. Flora had let her ego help her create a half-baked plan to attack Haven, and then it led her to dying at Cinder's hands. She placed herself over the importance of the Relic, and she paid with her life. Salem wanted her remaining daughters to learn this, as well as one more thing.

"The path to our desires is only found... through me."

"..."

Merri and Fauna understood perfectly, and they displayed their understanding by slowly nodding. They would stay with their mother until the end, and they wouldn't make the same mistakes Flora did.

As Merri once learned, Salem was in charge. She was going to take the first steps in their quest, and everyone else would follow.

Salem looked down at the table and thought back to Flora. She was angry with her daughter when she left, but now she missed her greatly. It would be very hard to live with the pain, one of the only things within Salem that remained human.

But the idea of pursuing vengeance and victory helped Salem achieve her previous state of mind.

"And so we must press on..." she slowly said before she looked up from her table. When she did, her daughters were patiently waiting for her next command. And so, after she finally relaxed in her natural position of authority, Salem began to discuss how she and her daughters would continue their work.

How they would recover and attack once more.

"The Sword under Vacuo's academy, Shade-"

*BUZZ*

Everyone turned to the wooden doors of the meeting room when they heard a small but distinct buzzing noise. It was hard to see at first, but Salem and her daughters could make out what appeared to be a single Botfly flying in the room.

After it captured everyone's attention, the insect flew into Fauna's open palm and let it rejoin her body. The Botfly had just returned from a mission of espionage in the Kingdom of Mistral. It had taken a long time to make this voyage, but now it had returned with vital information for Fauna.

And by extension, Salem.

"...Speak," Salem sternly ordered.

After Fauna saw through the eyes and memories of the Botfly that had rejoined her body, the hybrid spoke to her mother. "...Ozpin is taking the Relic to Atlas," she reported.

Salem didn't react to this news immediately, but Merri did.

"Atlas?" she asked. "But the borders are closed! He can't get inside alone!"

"He's not alone," Fauna replied. "Headmaster Kenobi and Revan are with him. And so are Qrow, Cinder, and her father."

"..."

Salem continued to remain silent, which left the room open to Merri.

"This is bad," she said. "Ozpin and Kenobi are the only ones who can get through to Ironwood. If he knows how vulnerable we are, we're done for!"

"And Cinder has the full power of the Fall Maiden," said Fauna. "If Flora couldn't kill her, what chance do we-?"

*CRACK*

Merri and Fauna ceased their conversation when they heard the sounds of glass cracking. They looked around the room to see that each of the windows were starting to crack and break, and they were apparently being caused by an irate and fuming Salem.

"Leave," she ordered.

Fauna immediately saw that she had repeated Merri's initial mistake. "Mother, I meant no disrespect to-!"

*CRACK*

Fauna once again stopped talking when Salem callously stared at her and broke more glass. The eye-contact was broken between them, however, when Merri took her sister's hand.

"Fauna, let's go," the eldest sister implored. She had been on the receiving end of Salem's rage before, and she didn't want her or her sister to face it again.

And so, the sisters quickly moved to the doors and took one more look at Salem before they loudly closed.

*THOOM*

"..."

Silence hadn't completely returned to the room, since Salem was taking quick and sharp breaths in an attempt to calm down. She ceased, however, as she let her thoughts linger in her head instead of letting them out again.

However, Salem couldn't find any peace of mind. Merri was correct that bringing Ironwood into the fold at a time like this would be disastrous. Without the Mandalorians, Salem had no army to fight against him.

Salem had absolutely nothing right now. No army, no Relic, no Maiden... and no Flora.

It was all too much to bear.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUHHHHH!"

*CRASH*

Back in Mistral, everyone was ready to leave. Cinder was the only one who had any goodbyes to say, since Lilith Gelb and her friends were still recovering in Mistral's hospital. They had all seen her speech, and they also had the same support that Mistral had given her. They wished her luck on her quest and said that Cinder could find them in Vale. They would be staying with Max while he recovered; neither Lilith or Andrea would leave his side for a second.

And though he was still saddened by the loss of a limb, Max Bolt was able to feel happy about what Cinder planned to do. He was able to smile and say that he couldn't wait to see what Cinder did next.

After saying goodbye and wishing her friends from Beacon good luck, Cinder rejoined her father at the Razor Crest. The first thing she did was recover the Relic of Knowledge which had been safely hidden aboard the ship. Once she secured it to her waist, Cinder looked around to see her allies were all present in the Razor Crest's cabin.

Obi-Wan and Revan all acknowledged Cinder's presence with a small nod. Obi-Wan smiled at her, but Revan's mask hid his face. They were currently sitting at a table with Ozpin, who was staring at the surface in silence. He didn't even look up at Cinder.

And Qrow was also on board. He too didn't look at Cinder. Instead, he sat by himself in a corner while staring daggers at Ozpin.

While this silent anger was directed at Ozpin, Cinder couldn't help but feel uneasy by the sight.

"Ready for takeoff," said a voice over the ship's intercom. Cinder recognized it as her father's voice, and he was saying that the Razor Crest was about to take off from the ground. Cinder would normally join her father in the cockpit, to see the ship rise off the ground and fly into the sky.

But not right now. Right now, Cinder had a lot on her mind.

She had felt like this for quite some time now. After the shock and anger of Ozpin's secrets and lies had passed for the young girl, Cinder began to feel a sense of guilt. Namely, how she and her father demanded that Ozpin would tell them everything he knew. They weren't asking anything of him, they weren't trying to understand why he did what he did, they were demanding his assistance.

And Cinder began to see that she had made a mistake.

Her speech to the Kingdom of Mistral had helped Cinder see this. She had done nothing but express her desire for change, to make the Mandalorians be better than they were two weeks ago. It was true that she wanted to make sure the Mandalorians wouldn't be fighting to conquer anymore, and she fully intended to let Obi-Wan's symbol at Haven be a message of this change.

But Cinder began to believe that she needed to change as well. She saw that she couldn't let her anger or any other feelings of negativity cloud her judgement, she couldn't allow them to lead her down a wrong path.

Aurora had let her own anger and hate be her guide in life, and she had made so many wrong choices that eventually led to her demise. And Pre Vizsla led by making demands instead of leading by example.

Cinder didn't want to be like either of them. She wanted to be better, to show the world that Mandalorians wouldn't be tyrants and murderers anymore. And she believed the first step towards this change would be making amends to Ozpin for her earlier hostility.

But on the other hand... Cinder didn't know if she could fully trust him again.

If she made peace with him, would he lie to her again? Would he continue to keep secrets that resulted in false hope? Cinder knew this was an inadvertent reaction, but it still happened.

And more than that... would anything change after she was gone?

"..."

After a minute of thinking this way, Cinder decided that talking to someone about this would help. So she climbed up to the cockpit, stepped inside, and closed the metal door.

*CHOOM*

Djarin turned around when he heard the door connecting the cockpit to the ship's cabin close. Along with a closed door, Djarin could see Cinder wearing a rather melancholy expression on her face as she walked inside.

"Hey, Dad," she said calmly as stepped inside and sat down. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Or is this a bad time?"

"No, it's fine," Djarin said as he gestured to the window. "It's been nothing but clear sky so far." He knew that he could spare a minute to talk to her. "What's going on?"

"I was thinking a lot about the speech I gave in Mistral. You know, about wanting the Mandalorians to change and all."

Djarin was proud of Cinder for making that speech, but he understood how daunting the task sounded. "That was very ambitious of you to say all of that," he replied. "I know it's going to be hard, but you don't have to do it alone. I'm going to change too. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Cinder said. "And, I've been thinking... I might have to change too. With a lot of things. A lot of... recent things, actually. I was wondering if I could get your opinion on something."

Djarin immediately became confused, namely with what "recent" things Cinder was talking about. Regardless, he was willing to help. "Sure, let me hear it."

"Well... it's just that... do you think we were too hard on Ozpin? When we found him with Revan?"

"..."

Djarin could see that this talk would take more than a minute. So he turned on the Razor Crest's autopilot and fully turned his chair towards Cinder so he could give her his undivided attention.

"...It sounds like you do," he replied. This was a rather safe answer, since Djarin hadn't really thought about Ozpin for a while. He had merely accepted the man's presence, and nothing else.

Cinder, on the other hand, felt differently.

"Yeah... I do," the Maiden confessed. "I mean, I was just as angry as you when I found out everything. I was even mad at him when I found out about Salem in the void. But... I don't think I can afford to be angry."

"What?" Djarin asked. "Cinder, of course you can."

"No, I can't." Cinder turned towards the window, towards the endless sky, as she explained herself. "When I saw Aurora's memories, the power of the Maidens was trying to teach me something. It wanted to show me that I can't let anger, fear, or whatever negative feelings affect my decisions. Aurora did that, and it ended up getting her killed."

"..."

Cinder took the Darksaber off her waist as she looked at it. "And Vizsla did the same thing. His hatred of the Kingdoms started a war, and hundreds of people paid the price. He used the Darksaber to demand loyalty, just like I did with Ozpin. I can't be like him. Either of them."

"..."

"So... I think I should try to patch things up with Ozpin. Now that we know what we're up against, it might be easier to work together again. I shouldn't be demanding things of him, or anyone else."

"..."

Cinder felt proud of what she had said, but this pride was wavering with Djarin's silence. "You... don't agree," she calmly assessed.

Djarin took a mental breath before he answered his daughter. "You're right about Aurora and Vizsla. We shouldn't let our feelings get in the way of our missions. The Mandalorians taught me that ever since I joined them." Djarin turned to the window. "But with Ozpin... I don't know about that."

Cinder wasn't ready to give up. "Dad, I know he lied to us. I don't know what was going through his head, but that... life, we saw... it couldn't be easy. Everything that happened to him must've had a bad effect on him."

Djarin wasn't going to argue otherwise, but he still had misgivings. "You might be right. But there's a lot more, Cinder. I... don't think you'd understand."

"No, I do. I know he shouldn't have lied to us, that it'll be hard to trust him again. But I just think, as a Maiden, I should-"

"Cinder, that's the thing," Djarin said sternly, which made Cinder fall into silence. "Look, lying and hiding secrets is one thing, but that doesn't change what he did to you over the years."

"..."

Djarin could see that Cinder was confused by his statement, since he had been thinking long and hard about something regarding Ozpin and his daughter. And he feared that it would start all over again by Cinder making up with Ozpin.

In order for his daughter to understand that, there was something else Djarin had to help Cinder understand.

"I don't know what it was that made me keep it in all this time," he began. "I hadn't thought about it for a while, but Jinn's story finally made me able to say it. Ever since we first went to Beacon... I've hated the image Ozpin's been projecting on you."

"Wait... what?" Cinder asked. She couldn't think of a time when Ozpin hurt her in a way that Djarin was implying. "What image? What are you talking about?"

"I always thought that he was going to just train you with your powers when we met him. But over the years, he's done more than that. I get the feeling that he's been telling you who you're supposed to be, all this time."

Cinder couldn't help but disagree, but she wanted to know what her father exactly meant. "How so?" she asked.

"Remember when you first started school at Beacon?" the Mandalorian asked. "He didn't know the Blairs would want you to be team leader, but he told me that he was 'hoping' that would be the case. We've seen him pull strings before in the past, he could have done it again."

This was true, especially in the case of Cinder and her father. Not many people, mostly parents of students, weren't too pleased when they learned a Mandalorian was teaching at Beacon. But Ozpin pulled some strings with the Council of Vale and they allowed Djarin to stay.

And Djarin believed that he was going to do it again when she started school.

"Well... I guess," Cinder replied. "But I mean, the Blairs said they chose me. They were spies, I know, but Ozpin wasn't really involved."

"It wasn't just that, though," Djarin insisted. "That time you lost your temper in his office, he said that he was sending you out as a 'scout.' And I know I chose that mission for you, to get you far away from Beacon and the Chill, but he was still going to go through with the idea he made. Even Glynda said that you should be what Ozpin said you were."

"Okay, that's true. I remember that day. But I shut the idea out."

"I know, but then it was this idea of becoming... what did he call it?" Djarin suddenly remembered. "A Fully-Realized Maiden. He was the one who gave you the idea. He gave you that image."

"Um... I mean-"

"And he did that again while Aurora was taking your powers. I know he was trying to help, but it almost sounded like he was projecting the image of being a 'worthy' Maiden on to you. I don't know what that means to him... but I don't like it."

Cinder was slightly hurt by the idea. "Wait, you... you don't think I'm worthy?" she sadly asked.

Djarin quickly realized that he made a mistake. "No, no, no!" He moved closer to Cinder. "No, that's not what I meant. Of course you are, I know you are. What I'm saying is that Ozpin and I have different ideas of who you're supposed to be. I just didn't see it until two weeks ago."

"..."

Djarin made every effort to fix his mistake. "Cinder, I wish I said this earlier, but you've never had to be perfect for Ozpin. Because you're perfect to me. And I don't think he realizes that you're still young, that you still have a lot to learn. Obi-Wan even said that you were Ozpin's hope. That you were supposed to be there for him. That's not right."

"..."

"The reason I might have been... hard on him, as you put it, is because I don't want him to decide who you are. I don't want him making all of these steps in your life for you. I want you to take them. It's your life, Cinder. Not his."

Cinder let out a heavy sigh before she replied. "I appreciate the thought, Dad," she said. "I really do. But this..." The Maiden stood up. "This is for me. I have to know if I can be better than Vizsla and Aurora. I have to make sure my emotions don't lead me down the wrong path. And to do that..." Cinder shifted her head towards the door. "I have to start somewhere."

"..."

Djarin was extremely reluctant in this matter. He still harbored mixed feelings regarding Ozpin, but he couldn't deny that Cinder had made a strong case. To see if she could be a good ruler, to see if she could lead by example rather than make demands like Vizsla did, was an ambitious but necessary goal to Cinder. After all, she did say that change had to happen within the Mandalorians.

And it seemed, Cinder would have to make that change first.

"...Okay," Djarin decided. "I understand. But just be careful, Cinder. Don't let Ozpin make you feel you have to be different."

"I won't," Cinder promised. With that, Cinder turned to the door once more and pressed a button to open it.

Only to find Ozpin on the other side, who was just about to knock on the door.

"Oh!" the old man said as he lowered his hand, seeing no door to knock on. "Hello, Cinder."

"What are you doing here?" Cinder asked. Djarin also wanted to know, but he remained silent. Fortunately, Ozpin could explain himself.

"I was looking for you, actually," he said before he looked to Djarin. "Both of you."

"..."

Cinder and Djarin shared a brief glance of uncertainty at each other before Ozpin spoke again. "I do wish to help you on this mission, I do. And I believe the best way to do that is to earn your trust once more."

"..."

"You both said that I would have to earn your trust once more. And though I may be out of turn, I wish to give myself a chance to do that now. For both of you."

"..."

Djarin and Cinder looked at each other once again and wondered the same thing. They were wondering if this was a coincidence or not, since they had just finished talking about Ozpin moments ago. Neither of them had heard the Headmaster approach the cockpit, and there was a chance that he had been listening on the other side.

But Cinder was telling the truth about her feelings towards Ozpin. She didn't want to be cruel or unforgiving like the other rulers of Mandalore had been. And the refusal of rebuilding trust didn't seem right to Cinder.

"What is it?" Cinder asked. "How do you want to use your chance?"

Ozpin took a breath before he explained himself. "I won't deny the severity of the secrets I've been keeping from you, Cinder," he began. "I know that I should have told you the truth about Salem, about everything. I... I used to think I knew why I was keeping them from you. But now... I'm not so sure."

Cinder was calmly listening to Ozpin while he was saying this. While she was doing so, she couldn't help but think that this was a good thing. Ozpin wasn't one to back away from his mistakes, he could admit that he had made errors in judgement. So it was good to see that he was doing this again; it helped reinforced Cinder's feelings that she didn't have to be hard on him.

Djarin, however, was a little more impatient. His conversation with Cinder helped ease his feelings, but he wasn't afraid to voice his displeasure with the current conversation.

"That sounds more like an apology," he said. "That doesn't exactly rebuild trust."

Cinder turned around at her father. "Dad," she said. "Let's just-"

"No, no, he's right," Ozpin admitted. "I do wish to apologize, Cinder, but that's not how I planned to use my chance. I planned to use it by doing what you said two weeks ago. No more secrets, lies, or half-truths. And I believe I should start... with that."

Ozpin pointed towards Cinder's waist, where the Relic of Knowledge was safely secured. Djarin looked at the Relic along with Cinder, and they both wondered what Ozpin was talking about.

"The lamp?" Cinder asked. "What about it?"

"There has been something about the Relics that I hid from you," Ozpin confessed. "I most likely would have justified myself in the past, but that time is over. Cinder, you of all people deserve to know that holding the lamp, holding any Relic, carries a risk."

"What risk?" Djarin asked as he stood up. "What are you talking about?"

"Carrying any of the Relics outside the Vaults unfortunately paints a target on one's back." Ozpin looked to Cinder. "I'm afraid that target is now on you, Cinder."

Cinder looked down at the Relic again, but she wasn't afraid. "Well, yeah," she said. "I understand. Salem's gonna want this thing more than anyone."

"We all know that," Djarin insisted. "That's why we want an army to help us."

"True, but I wasn't talking about Salem," Ozpin confessed. "I learned, many years ago, that the Creatures of Grimm are attracted to the Relics."

"Wait, what?" Cinder asked. "What are you talking about?"

"It's faint, but undeniable. The Grimm are somehow drawn to the Relics, and whoever holds them. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Nevertheless, you deserve to know that whoever holds the Relics is at greater risk of an attack from the Grimm."

Djarin and Cinder looked at each other before they looked back to the Relic. Neither of them could have imagined something like this would be possible, but they could see how dangerous such an idea was.

"You waited to tell us this now?" Djarin asked.

"Again, I would have tried to justify myself for keeping that secret," Ozpin confessed. "But I won't. However, I didn't feel that I had much of an opportunity to share anything at Haven."

"..."

Neither of the Mandalorians could deny this idea. Between rebuilding Haven and the wall that had been built between Ozpin and his allies, Ozpin didn't really have a chance to talk to anyone about their quest.

Until now.

"I believed it would be for the best if you two knew, now that we won't have Mistral's protection anymore," Ozpin said. "If you choose to continue carrying the Relic, you must tread carefully."

Cinder and Djarin understood the warning, but there was something odd about what Ozpin had just said.

"What do you mean 'if' she chooses to carry it?" Djarin asked.

"I will assist you in any way I can," Ozpin replied. "If you feel this may be daunting for you, Cinder, I would be willing to relieve you of the burden. I would be willing to carry it in your stead."

Djarin and Cinder glanced at each other once more. The Mandalorian didn't reply or answer for Cinder, since he wished for her to make her own choice. Though he was also willing to carry the Relic, regardless of whether or not this danger was true, Djarin wanted Cinder to be able to choose for herself.

And she did.

"Thank you for telling me," Cinder gratefully said. "But I'll be okay. I recovered from my coma, I should be good to fight off some Grimm."

Ozpin was indeed concerned for Cinder's safety, but he didn't want to speak out of turn. Instead, he accepted the Maiden's decision. "Very well," he said. "But if you ever change your mind, or if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help you." Ozpin turned to Djarin. "Both of you."

"..."

Djarin didn't say anything, but he nodded at Ozpin before he left. Once he did, Djarin looked at Cinder and asked a question. "Do you believe him?" he asked.

"That's a weird thing to lie about," Cinder replied as she looked at the lamp. "And I never really thought about the Grimm being able to track the Relics."

Djarin was well aware of Ozpin lying to him and Cinder, but he had to agree that the Grimm being able to sense the Relics was indeed a strange thing to lie about. Along with that, the Mandalorian had a logical assumption as to why such a thing could exist.

"It might be Salem," he theorized. "If she can control the Grimm, she might have given them the ability to sniff the Relics out."

"That's true," said Cinder. "You didn't see any Grimm when we took off, did you?"

"None." Djarin looked towards the ship's radar. "And we haven't hit a single spike yet. Then again, the Huntsman and Huntresses would have cleared out any avian Grimm where we are right now."

Cinder looked at the radar with her father. "How long until we get to Argus?"

"A little over an hour."

"So... you think there's a chance?"

Djarin didn't know what to think regarding Ozpin, but he wasn't one to ignore the potential of danger.

"I think we should be prepared. Just in case."

The Razor Crest had entered the outskirts of Anima, where a never-ending forest and numerous mountains could be seen by anyone. Djarin had lost count of how many times he had flown over these parts of Anima, how many times he let the airship's engines break the natural silence of the environment. It was always the same for the Mandalorian, each and every time he came to Anima.

There was, however, one noticeable difference that Djarin and his passengers could see if they looked out the window. The forest was still below them, but it was scorched.

As was the earth.

This was one of the many results from the Mandalorian Civil War. Acres of forest were scorched and burnt while the Huntsmen, Huntresses, and civilians all tried to keep the invaders at bay. Holding the line wouldn't be much of a problem anymore, but it would take years before the effects of the scorched earth tactics could be reversed.

And to think that this was only a portion of the damage Saxon and Vizsla did during their reigns was very depressing for everyone. However, nobody had time to reflect or mourn at the moment.

The Razor Crest wasn't flying alone anymore.

*BEEP*

Djarin and Cinder both looked to the console to see that the ship's radar had detected something behind them. There were three incoming objects flying towards them, and they were gaining fast.

So fast that one object was now visible to the right.

Djarin and Cinder turned to see a large Grimm flying to their side. It looked like a large cat-like beast, one with talons and sharp fangs that gave a rather intimidating factor. But the one distinguishing factor was that the beast had wings. And it only took one look for experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as Mandalorians, to know what kind of Grimm it was.

"Manticores," Djarin and Cinder said at the same time.

*ROAR*

*BAM*

The creature struck the right side of the Razor Crest with its entire body, which shook the entire ship. Cinder was knocked out of her seat, but Djarin kept a firm grip on the steering mechanism.

"Taking evasive action!" the Mandalorian yelled as he manually moved the ship.

Nobody could see it, but the Razor Crest was involved in a sort of high-speed chase in the air. It made many sharp turns in the air, and even backtracked at some points, all in hopes that it could shake the Manticores.

And while the Manticores occasionally crashed into each other due to the movements of the Razor Crest, they continued their pursuit and continued to hit the right side.

*BAM*

*SCRATCH*

The sound of claws striking against the metal of the ship made Djarin and Cinder concerned. They were surprised to see that the Grimm were more concerned about one side of the ship rather than the rest of it. It wasn't uncommon for Manticores to attack from all sides in order to bring an airship down.

But this different.

Both Mandalorians knew that something was wrong, but Cinder was the first to discover what it was. When she felt something on her hand, she looked down to see that the Beetle attached to her was acting wild. It seemed to have been awakened in the presence of other Grimm, and it was reaching for her right side.

Right where the Relic of Knowledge was resting.

"The Relic..." Cinder whispered in realization. She was sitting on the right side of the cockpit, which was the side the Manticores were hitting. "Dad, it's the Relic! They're trying to get it!"

Djarin looked to Cinder to see that not only was she sitting on the same side that the Grimm were sitting, but that the Beetle on her hand was trying to reach it. "Ozpin was right," he said in surprise. "It's drawing them here!"

Both Mandalorians were surprised by the realization that Ozpin was telling the truth, but they weren't unprepared.

"You remember the plan?" Cinder asked.

"Yeah," Djarin replied. "You sure you can handle it?"

"Definitely. Just remember to fly on a straight path."

"I will. Be careful."

"You too."

After Cinder removed the Relic from her side, she exited the cockpit and moved down to the cabin. There, she saw Qrow, Ozpin, and the Jedi all holding their weapons and staying at the left side of the cabin.

"We can use the Force to keep them at bay!" said Revan. "We were just about to give it a try!"

"Don't worry about that!" Cinder insisted. "Dad and I have this covered!"

*BAM*

After another Grimm hit the right side, Cinder stumbled with everyone else before she moved to the side door. "Stand back!" she said before she opened the door. Cold air came into the cabin and wind blew everywhere.

"Cinder, what are you doing?!" Ozpin yelled.

Cinder turned around and explained herself. "Following the plan. Be right back!" With that, Cinder let herself fall out of the ship.

*CHOOM*

The door closed behind Cinder, so everyone rushed over to the window to see what was going on. It was hard to see at first, but they could make out the sight of Cinder using her Maiden powers to fly. She had missed the Manticores and their sharp claws, and they seemed to have missed her.

*BAM*

The Grimm continued to hit the side of the Razor Crest. They paid no attention to Cinder, who was flying right behind them, and they paid no attention to the fire in both of her hands. Because of that, and because Djarin kept flying the ship as best as he could, Cinder was able to send her fire at the Grimm.

*WHOOSH*

Two of the beasts felt the fire at their backs too late, and their bodies were beginning to burn. One Manticore lost control of its wings, which were becoming charred stumps due to Cinder's fire. It fell to the ground at an alarming rate, and its companion had been reduced to ash.

The last Grimm, however, was able to avoid the fire. Instead of burning, it flew at Cinder and tried to strike her with its sharp tail. The Maiden was expecting at least one Manticore to survive her flame, and she danced in the air as she dodged each jab.

"No, you don't!" she said as she flew under its belly. Once she did, Cinder unleashed a barrage of icicles at its exposed flesh. Each sharp projectile struck through the Grimm's flesh, and it began to fall as it turned into ash.

"Yes!" Cinder screamed triumphantly. "The Fall Maiden is back!"

Cinder was proud to see that she was still fluent with her powers when it came to killing Grimm. And she was proud that the plan she had made with her father had worked. After Ozpin divulged the secret that the Grimm were attracted to the Relics, Djarin and Cinder prepared themselves to face off any Grimm that might try to steal the lamp.

At first, Djarin planned to rely on the Razor Crest's multiple weapons. But Cinder recalled a time when avian Grimm were able to avoid the bullets and rockets as they flew around the ship. When that happened, Cinder persuaded Djarin to let her fly outside so she could destroy them head on.

The steps they took together were gradual, at first. Cinder would fly outside the ship for a brief time while Djarin flew on a straight path. The Grimm would be focused on him and miss Cinder blasting them from behind.

They would usually notice the flying child, but Djarin and Cinder hypothesized that the Relic of Knowledge would make them oblivious to her presence this time. And they were right.

Because of their plan, the Razor Crest would live to fly another day. That is, until the new company was destroyed.

*BANG*

Cinder had to cover her ears when she heard the large guns firing into the distance. When she looked to see what her father was firing at, Cinder saw that more Manticores were coming at the front of the ship this time. They were within the targeting system of the Razor Crest, so the Mandalorian could destroy the Manticores easily.

The Sphinx, however, was a different story.

The larger Grimm, much larger than the Manticores, was able to evade the blasts Djarin was firing at it. And when it noticed Cinder, it swooped down and made it harder for the Mandalorian to shoot at.

"Whoa!" Cinder yelled as she dove down to avoid the beast. She had just missed its teeth and claws, but now it was coming back for more.

The Fall Maiden knew that she was outmatched by the larger Grimm. She had killed Nevermores and Manticores before, but a Sphinx was a different story. They could rip metal off any ship without much effort, so flesh and bones weren't much different.

And it was only fazed by the fire Cinder shot at it. It was able to shake off the small flames on its body when Cinder stopped, which made the Maiden decide to retreat instead of fight.

Fortunately, Djarin noticed Cinder's plight and opened the door to the cabin once more. Cinder flew inside just in time before the Sphinx hit it.

*BAM*

Everyone stumbled when the Grimm hit the ship, and Cinder almost fell out. The door was still open, since Cinder entered just before the Sphinx made its attack, so she was vulnerable to falling out and into the Grimm's hungry mouth.

Fortunately, Ozpin grabbed Cinder's hand and pulled her back.

"I got you!" Ozpin said as he pulled on Cinder. When she moved deeper into the cabin, the Headmaster looked outside and saw that the Sphinx was ready for another attack.

To prevent this, Ozpin used his remaining Magic to fire a green blast at the beast before he closed the door.

*ZAP*

*BAM*

The Magic hit the beast's face, which fazed it once again. When it regained its bearings, it began to chase after the airship with all its speed. But the Mandalorian was prepared for this, and he activated the Razor Crest's rear weapons and opened fire.

*BANG*

Multiple bullets rang out from the weapons, but the Sphinx was able to duck and weave past them all. The weapons hampered its progress and kept it at bay, but the Grimm wasn't ready to give up.

And everyone inside knew it.

"We gotta stop that thing!" said Cinder. "It could rip the engines to shreds!"

"Don't go back outside, Cinder!" Ozpin protested when he saw Cinder about to open the door again. "It's too dangerous!" He was about to propose that he use his Magic again, to strike at a more vulnerable position than he did before.

But Revan had another idea.

"Leave it to me," he ordered calmly as he moved to the door. "I will finish this."

"..."

Neither Cinder or Ozpin protested. Obi-Wan didn't protest either, as he had confidence that Revan could end the Sphinx's life quickly. In order to do that, Revan lifted his hand to the door and reached out with the Force.

Rather than use the Force to open the door, Revan reached out and made contact with the Grimm. He could sense its feelings, its hunger and desire to destroy the ship. It was gaining fast, and it was ready to complete its mission.

But Revan stopped the beast by slowly closing his hand.

*CRUNCH*

*CRACK*

*ROAR*

Outside the airship, the Sphinx was being crushed. Its legs and wings were closing in on its body very painfully as the invisible Force surrounded itself around the Grimm. Revan was drawing the Force closer and closer to the Sphinx so he could crush it, and he was doing the job perfectly.

*ROAR*

*HOWL*

The cries and bowls of pain didn't distract Revan from breaking his concentration. Instead, he kept crushing and crushing the Grimm until all that was left was ash that disappeared into the wind.

Djarin heard the cries as well, and he noticed that the weapons had stopped firing. They were designed to keep firing until whatever was behind the ship was destroyed, so the Mandalorian could tell that the Sphinx was no more. He could see more Manticores approaching from the front, but they immediately broke off pursuit when they noticed what happened to the Sphinx.

"They're smart," Djarin noted. He had seen Grimm learn from battle before, and they did this mainly by keeping their distance or retreating. The Grimm knew that they were outmatched, and that they could fight another day. Djarin was sure to fire his weapons at two Grimm within his sights, but he let the others go.

When the Grimm finally disappeared, Djarin placed the ship in autopilot and rushed into the cabin to find Cinder recovering from her fight.

"You okay?" Djarin asked as he moved to his daughter.

"Yeah," Cinder replied. "I got inside just in time."

The Mandalorian sighed in relief. "Good. Let's stay inside for the rest of the flight, okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

Obi-Wan looked out the window to see that the sky was clear once again. "It seems we're in the clear," he said. "There's nothing else behind us."

"And there's nothing in front of us," Djarin informed the passengers. "The other Manticores disappeared after the Sphinx was killed. We should have smooth sailing for the rest of the trip."

Everyone either nodded or returned to their seats in silence. But before Ozpin could return to his, Cinder put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Thanks for grabbing me," she said. "I was this close to that thing."

"You're very welcome," Ozpin humbly replied.

Cinder turned around to face her father and explain herself. "I almost fell out when that Sphinx hit the ship. Ozpin pulled me inside and used his Magic to hurt it."

Djarin immediately looked at Cinder from head to toe. "You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It didn't bite me or anything."

Djarin mentally sighed in relief before he turned to Ozpin. "Thank you," he said calmly. "We were lucky this time."

"Very lucky," Ozpin agreed. He didn't want to speak out of turn, but he was curious about what had just happened. "Did you plan this out, may I ask?"

"We did. It was actually because you told us about the Relic."

"We figured the Grimm would be more worried about the ship instead of someone like me," Cinder explained. "And we were right. Those Manticores didn't know what hit them."

"I see," Ozpin replied in mild surprise. He believed divulging such a secret would cause even more trouble, since he neglected to tell them earlier.

But now, it was clear his honesty had been necessary to survival. And his allies were more than willing to accept and use that honesty when they needed it.

"I'm glad I was able to be of assistance," he replied as he took his seat. Cinder and Djarin were also glad, since they were well prepared for an attack by the Grimm. Cinder was probably the most proud of the trio, since she still believed that she had been too hard on Ozpin and that working together would be for the best.

Obi-Wan and Revan sensed Cinder's feelings, and they too were proud that things were starting to change between them all. Qrow, however, rolled his eyes and looked to the wall as he ignored everyone in the ship.

And he was like that for the rest of the voyage.

About twenty minutes after the encounter with the Manticores, the Razor Crest arrived someplace new. The snowy forest was still below them, but there was also a large wall that stood amongst the trees. On the other side of that wall were multiple houses, buildings, and people. And just beyond the large town was a vast ocean, as blue as the sky itself.

After an intense flight, the crew and passengers of the Razor Crest had arrived in Argus.

While the hybrid city mostly welcomed ground vehicles such as cars and motorcycles, Argus possessed a landing pad for merchant and military airship. Djarin was required to transfer a payment to land his ship, but it was a small price to pay to take the next steps to Atlas. Once he landed, everyone exited the ship and found the nearest trolley car.

Before traversing the city, Djarin had advised Cinder to remove her armor while he used the disguise Ozpin had given him. While the war was over, there was bound to be some hostility regarding Mandalorians in Mistral. So they boarded a trolley car, the common transport system of Argus, in normal clothing.

Their next stop was the Argus military base, the place that served as the border between the Kingdoms of Mistral and Atlas. Djarin and Cinder had been there before, after she had been rescued from Major Gideon and his insurrection. That was the day they found out about Ozpin and where they had to go to finish their quest.

Looking back, it was easy to see that the quest had only begun for them that day. It had expanded, grown past what either Mandalorian thought was possible. The two of them had certainly grown since that day, they had faced many challenges and adversities that they either surpassed or were trying to surpass.

And now, there was one challenge right in front of them: a closed gate that refused to open.

"Look, you don't have to let us in!" Cinder insisted to two guards on the other side. "Can we just talk?!"

The guards on the other side were tall and wearing the uniforms of an officer rather than a foot soldier. They both wore large hats that obscured the upper half of their faces, which revealed only their mouths.

Which were, as Cinder found out, rather big and loud.

"Our orders are clear!" the first guard said. "The Mistral-Atlas border is closed!"

"Please!" the second guard yelled before his partner finished the sentence.

"Have a good day!"

Cinder wasn't ready to give up. "But I-!"

"A good day!" the soldiers yelled in unison.

"..."

Most would think the loudness and the unity of their voices were intimidating. Cinder was even starting to see that their ability to finish each other's sentences was a bit scary.

But everyone behind her did their best to help.

Djarin moved close to Cinder to assist her. "Look, if you don't want to believe that we know Ironwood-"

"General Ironwood!" the guards corrected in unison.

"...Right, General Ironwood, that's fine," the disguised Mandalorian insisted. "But we're on official business with Headmasters Ozpin and Kenobi." Djarin gestured to the Huntsmen behind him.

The guards shared a reluctant glance at each other after they got a look at Ozpin and Obi-Wan. They were well aware who the people before them were, and they were well aware that it wasn't every day when two Headmasters came to their base.

"Approach!" they ordered in unison.

Ozpin and Obi-Wan obeyed so the guards could have a better look at them. There was silence for the next few moments, which gave the indication that the guards were deciding what to do. But after Ozpin and Obi-Wan shared a glance and a nod, they made the decision for the guards.

"We must speak with your commanding officer," Obi-Wan said after he waved his hand.

"You must speak with our commanding officer!" the first guard said.

"You will bring your commanding officer at once."

"We will bring our commanding officer at once!" the second officer replied. He and his partner turned around and set off to find their commanding officer.

They did this by marching and chanting rather than walking in silence.

"Hup, hup, hup, hup, hup, hup, hup!"

"Atlas, Atlas, Atlas, Atlas, Atlas, Atlas!"

"..."

Cinder and her father couldn't help but look at each other after they stared at the marching soldiers for twenty seconds straight.

"...Okay," Cinder finally said. "They were super weird."

Djarin turned to Obi-Wan. "You sure you didn't mess them up with that thing you did?" he asked.

"No, it appears that was their nature," Obi-Wan insisted. "Strange, but also loyal. It's commendable."

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "Though I can't help but wonder if that... behavior was something James tried to teach all of his students."

"Gods, I hope not," Cinder insisted. "If I ever see Winter like that, I'm not sure if I could be in the same room as her."

Djarin chuckled before he decided to remove his magical disguise. "Probably for the best they know who we are," he insisted. "If they found out later, that could cause trouble."

"Most likely," said Revan. "We'll have to reveal our truth in Atlas when we arrive." Cinder, Ozpin, and Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.

"Do you think the news of Mistral's party got televised here?" Cinder asked.

"Maybe," Djarin believed. "If it did, that should help our case."

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "And also, you and Cinder were here before, weren't you, Djarin?"

"That's right."

"Did you, by any chance, happen to meet the commander of this base when you were here?"

Djarin took a minute to think back on the day he was at this base. "Uh... no. No, I don't think I did."

"I don't think I did either," said Cinder. "All I remember are a bunch of soldiers and Dad being taken to the infirmary."

Obi-Wan looked towards the gate after the Mandalorians explained themselves. "I believe our chance to become acquainted has arrived," he said as he pointed to the gate, which was starting to open.

When it fully opened, the two officers returned with their commanding officer.

"Introducing!" the first officer said.

"Special Operative!" the second officer followed.

"Caroline Cordovin!" they said together.

"..."

Everyone saw another officer walk past the open gate. She was a woman of short-stature and graying brown hair, which gave the indication that she was somewhat old. It was quite possible that she had served in the Atlas military her whole life.

She was wearing a white uniform with a black stripe on her left side and a pin indicating rank on her right side. Along with this uniform, the woman wore a rather serious and unwavering look upon her face as she studied the base's guests.

She couldn't help but linger at Djarin, since he had chosen to present himself in his armor. However, she didn't make any attempt to arrest him or call him an enemy to the Kingdom. Instead, she made rather large strides towards Ozpin and Obi-Wan when she confirmed their identities.

"Headmasters," she addressed them casually.

Ozpin and Obi-Wan felt at ease when Cordovin finally spoke, so they spoke as well.

"Greetings," Ozpin replied casually.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan replied in a similar manner. "Pardon the intrusion, but we-"

"Or should I say former Headmaster," said the elderly officer. "You did, as I recall, resign from your post earlier today."

Obi-Wan was caught off guard by the interruption, as well as how quickly word of his resignation had travelled. "Oh," he said. "That's correct, yes. I'm only a Huntsman now."

Cordovin nodded before she turned to Cinder. "And you. The recipient of the Medal of Honor. And 'leader' of Mandalore."

Cinder wasn't expecting the spotlight to be cast on her, but she didn't deny this truth. "Um... hello," she said with a friendly smile. "Yes, my name's Cinder. And me and my friends were wondering if you would hear us out about-"

"Seeking out every Mandalorian on Remnant?" Cordovin confidently asked. "That was what you said in your speech, yes?"

Cinder was once again surprised by the woman's knowledge. However, she was able to see that an opportunity had been presented to her. "Um, yes!" she said. "Yes, those are my plans right now. As you may have heard."

"Oh, I have," Cordovin replied bluntly. "Yes, very ambitious and inspiring." She suddenly turned to Djarin and looked at the Rinocer he was wearing. "On the other hand, I don't see a 'starbird,' as you put it, on this one."

Djarin looked at his armor and remembered what Cinder had said in her speech. He was very proud of her and willing to wear a symbol like she described, but he hadn't found the time to do so.

"I haven't-"

"What a pity," Cordovin interrupted. "I would hate to think that speech was just words, in the end."

"..."

It was clear that Cordovin was making an attempt to take control of the situation. It was clear that she wished to establish dominance over her "guests," since they had so brazenly arrived at the base and wished to open the gates. If she was going to meet with them, it was important for Cordovin to establish boundaries.

Her plan was working, of course. But it was also making Cinder somewhat upset. She wasn't crying or saying anything, she simply showed her hurt feelings by looking down.

But Ozpin and Obi-Wan were ready to come to her aid.

"That's why we're here, actually," the Jedi insisted. "We all wish to put Cinder's words into action."

"And we believe you may be able to help us," said Ozpin.

Cordovin couldn't help but hum in interest. Her guests simply had her attention a few moments ago, but now they had her curiosity. "The Kingdom of Atlas is ready and willing to assist in any way possible," she said proudly with a hint of smugness. It was clear that she valued the Atlesian military. "Proceed."

"Haven Academy makes the second school that has been viciously attacked," said Ozpin. "Beacon was the first, and I am certain you are aware of its untimely fall."

"Quite aware. Just as I am aware of Atlas' valiant efforts to defend the school and its students." Cordovin began to stare off into space. More specifically, towards the mountain that the base was built into. "I often wonder what would have happened if I were present for the defense. How well it could have served Beacon."

Ozpin couldn't help but glance at the mountain, though he was unsure what the Atlesian was talking about. "Excuse me?" he asked.

Cordovin quickly looked back to Ozpin. "Never mind," she insisted. "You were saying?"

"We wish to ensure the safety of Atlas Academy, as well as the entire Kingdom. Our minds would be put at ease knowing that Atlas is safe."

"I can assure you that Atlas is more than well-protected. Our only concern is following our current orders: keeping the borders closed."

Ozpin fixed his glasses before he spoke again. "Quite right. However, this was the same goal the capital city of Mistral had. The main passage to the city was closed off and well guarded, but the Mandalorians were able to find a way inside."

"Maybe so, but they did not have Atlas' protection, now did they?"

"No... but the threat still exists. Beacon and Haven were attacked from the inside, and we believe the same could happen to Atlas Academy. The Mandalorians had people on the inside helping them. My present company and I believe it would be wise to see James personally and help root out this attack before it happens."

"..."

This seemed like a reasonable thing to ask for. And Ozpin knew what he was talking about, given how the Blairs infiltrated Beacon and Raven infiltrated Haven. Both parties were not only responsible for bringing the Mandalorians with them, but they were also still at large.

The Headmaster wanted to explain this, but he was cut off by laughter from Cordovin.

"Ha, ha, ha!" she laughed sarcastically. "Personally? That's completely out of the question! No one is allowed beyond this base, regardless of status! As my conscientious allies have said..." The two guards immediately stood at attention. "The border is closed."

Ozpin was prepared to say more, but Obi-Wan had another idea. When he stepped closer to the short woman, Obi-Wan waved his hand and spoke calmly. "We can be an exception," he said as he began his famous mind trick. Now, he was sure that Cordovin would be agreeable.

He was wrong.

"No, you can't," she insisted stubbornly.

Obi-Wan and Ozpin were surprised by the response, since the former did his trick perfectly. "We can be an exception," he said again.

"No, you can't!" Cordovin yelled. "What are you doing with your hand?! Are you trying to use a Semblance on me?!" She was jumping in the air as she yelled, since she had lost her temper.

Djarin and Cinder were surprised by the woman's rather quick movements, but they were more surprised by the fact that Obi-Wan's mind trick had failed.

"That's a first," Djarin whispered to his daughter. "That usually works."

"I know," Cinder replied slowly. She was still processing how the Force had failed to work on the officer.

Cordovin had stopped jumping and stood at attention again. "If you are incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus, then allow me to say this slowly, with small words," she insisted.

Ozpin and Obi-Wan looked at each other in confusion, as did Cinder and Djarin. Suddenly, they watched Cordovin point at various things as she spoke.

"This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas!" She then spread her arms out. "And it is my duty to uphold them, as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task."

"Such wit!" said the first guard.

"Such tenacity!" said the second guard.

"..."

Cordovin put her arms down. "So, do we understand each other?"

"..."

Nobody knew what to say next after the demonstration. And yet, everyone seemed to be believe that nobody as old as Cordovin should have this much... energy with her job. And the old woman took the silence as understanding and prepared to close the gates once more as she walked away.

"Wait!" Djarin insisted as he stepped forward. "You don't understand. We know closing the borders seems like the right move, but the people who helped the Mandalorians can work around that."

"We've seen it!" said Cinder. "They could already be in Atlas, for all we know! Please, we know General Ironwood is worried enough about-"

"The General is no coward!" Cordovin replied harshly. "Atlas is strong. If someone wishes to make us their enemy, then so be it! Atlas will prevail!"

"Atlas will prevail!" the two guards followed in unison.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Cinder asked as she finally lost her patience. "You're freaking me out!" She originally thought the guards were strange, but their continued unison in speech and patterns were starting to scare her.

"..."

Cordovin calmed down and gave the group a rather forced smile as she delivered an ultimatum. "If Professor Ozpin and the former Headmaster Kenobi have information that will help us, then, of course, the Atlas military will gladly listen. But the Kingdom will not be responsible for any guests of..." Cordovin locked eyes on Djarin. "Questionable character."

"..."

Djarin had to admit that he was expecting a worse reaction to his appearance. He had dealt with prejudice and animosity like this in the past, and he was used to it.

But his daughter wasn't.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cinder asked the woman in a hostile manner.

"It means we're done here," Cordovin said before the gates closed.

*CLANG*

The sound of the metal gates closing was deafening, as was the group's apparent defeat. Cinder was perhaps the only one who took the defeat as a personal attack, given Cordovin's prejudice against Mandalorians. And while Cinder was unsure how she could create change for the people, she knew that she wouldn't accept any prejudice or anything else like the stubborn woman had said.

Especially when it was directed at her own father.

"Dad, are you okay?" Cinder asked. "That was-"

"It's okay, Cinder," Djarin insisted. "I've been called worse." He looked back to the gate. "Though it looks like diplomacy isn't going to work."

"And neither will subtlety," said Obi-Wan. "The Force is capable of influencing weaker minds, but it has its limits." It seemed that Cordovin, while incredibly stubborn, possessed a strong-willed mind that a Jedi mind trick couldn't work on.

"It's true," said Revan. "Cordovin is surprisingly strong."

"Looks like we'll need a new plan, then," said Djarin. "I could use my Semblance to get inside. Qrow, maybe you could use your-" Djarin suddenly saw something unordinary. "Qrow?"

Everyone looked where Djarin was looking. When they did, they all saw that Qrow was walking away from everyone. They all shared the Mandalorian's surprise, as well as his concern.

"Qrow?" Ozpin called out. "Qrow, where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here," Qrow replied.

"What?" Cinder asked. "But we need a plan!"

Qrow stopped walking. "A plan? The plan just got shut on our faces for the millionth time! I'm going for a drink." He immediately began to walk away from the group while he ignored the looks of disbelief everyone was giving him.

But he couldn't ignore Cinder blocking his path with a scowl on her face.

"Hey!" she said crossly. Her encounter with Cordovin had tried her patience, and now it was vanishing with every word she said next. "What is your problem?"

"Get out of my way, Cinder," Qrow demanded. His patience was fleeting as well. "And don't worry about it."

But Cinder was worried about it.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said sarcastically. "But we all can't survive on beer, you know!"

"I said beat it!" Qrow angrily ordered as he prepared to walk away when Cinder moved.

"Hey!" said Djarin, who used his Semblance to teleport right next to Cinder. "Don't talk to her that way!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Mando! Just mind your own damn business!"

"Cinder is my business! And so's making sure we get our heads together!"

"Yeah!" said Cinder. "I'm sorry things aren't going smoothly for you, but that's part of the job!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Qrow yelled. "You don't know what the job is, Cinder! You might have that laser sword or whatever you call it, but you're just a damn kid! The sooner you realize that, the better!"

Djarin pushed on Qrow's chest. "I said don't talk to her like that!" he said.

Qrow pushed Djarin back. "Don't touch me!"

Before the confrontation could get even more physical, Revan jumped in and kept both warriors at bay with his extended hands. "Enough!" he said.

Obi-Wan knew it was wise of Revan to step in and stop the fight, just like he knew it would be wise to try and be the voice of reason. He had sensed what was troubling Qrow ever since the night Jinn spoke to them all, and Djarin was also afflicted by it. Not in the same way as Qrow, but he was still afflicted.

But now it had to stop.

"What's done is done," he insisted. "The sooner we can move on with it, the sooner we can keep moving forward."

Cinder nodded. "That's right," she said. "If we keep moving forward, we can find a solution."

Cinder and Obi-Wan were right, of course, but not everyone agreed with them.

"Oh, so that's the plan from our great leader!" said Qrow, who was being sarcastic and rather cruel. "Just keep beating the dead horse!"

Djarin and Cinder were growing very angry, but neither of them wanted to be physical again. "I never said I was your great leader," Cinder insisted.

"Really?" Qrow moved close to Cinder again. "Well, you sure act like it sometimes!"

Djarin once again defended Cinder. "Well, you act like an ass sometimes!" he said. "Your attitude, or whatever you call it, only makes you a liability!" The Mandalorian had lost count of how many times Qrow had become irrational due to his alcoholic behavior, just like he was being irrational now.

Qrow didn't have a worthy response to Djarin, but he was able to end the argument. "Well, why don't I just take my attitude and leave?!" he said as he pushed against the Mandalorian's side and walked away.

"Fine!" Djarin yelled. "Go, then!"

Enough was enough for the Mandalorian. His life as a bounty hunter taught him how to tell when a partner wasn't reliable. When they were in over their heads, inexperienced, or just not up to the job. And sadly, Qrow had spent the past two weeks telling everyone that he wasn't up for the job.

Nobody wanted to admit it, and nobody wanted to see him go, but everyone knew that they couldn't allow Qrow to distract them anymore. They couldn't let his anger and grudge against Ozpin hold them back anymore. Djarin still had mixed feelings, but he could control his emotions. And Cinder still wanted to make things better.

Sadly, it seemed they would have to make things better... without Qrow.

Everyone, minus Qrow, were all making their way towards the Razor Crest. Each of them were taking their dead end at the base very hardly, especially Djarin and Cinder. They knew that there was something wrong with Qrow, but it had never reached a point where he would abandon them or hurt them like he did.

The only time Djarin remembered Qrow ever getting physical with him was when they first met. He never did it again until a few minutes ago.

Ozpin was also upset with Qrow, since he was well aware what was causing his behavior to begin with. He felt more and more guilty with every step he took, and he also felt responsible for everything that was happening. That was why he wanted to focus all of his energy on finding a way to Atlas.

Obi-Wan and Revan were also wondering how they would be going to Atlas, but they couldn't help but feel distracted at the moment. Not by the environment around them, but a rather unique presence.

Someone was watching them.

Ozpin needed more time before he could sense the presence, but he felt it as well. He turned around to the Jedi and saw that each of them were ready to split away from the group. Ozpin nodded at them slowly before he rejoined Djarin and Cinder; whoever was watching them, Ozpin trusted the Jedi to find them.

Their chance to break away from the group came when they came to a crowded trolley car. They said they would take the next one and set off on their hunt.

Obi-Wan and Revan hadn't worked together very closely in the past. Their first real assignment together was actually defending Haven from the Mandalorians and whatever else Salem sent to the academy. Regardless, they trusted each other's instincts and abilities. And right now, they trusted each other to identify this mysterious stalker.

"This isn't Anakin," said Obi-Wan. "I've sensed his presence before."

"And this isn't another Sith," Revan included. "Their connection to the Force is... marginal. And yet... this feels-"

"Familiar, yes. We've met them before."

Obi-Wan and Revan looked around to see multiple people, young and old, all minding their own business. Nobody was looking in their direction, but they knew they were being watched.

Now it was just a matter of finding out who.

"They won't come out," Revan insisted. "Not here."

Obi-Wan spotted an alley not far from where he and Revan were. He immediately had the idea to go inside and allow the stalker to find him and Revan, which would go one of two ways. Either they would have an audience with the stalker, or they would be attacked.

The risk was present, but Obi-Wan knew that he and Revan would discover the identity of their stalker no matter what happened.

"In there," Obi-Wan decided as he pointed to the alley. "Let our friend come to us."

Revan looked at the alley and agreed with Obi-Wan. He was also aware of the risks, but the identity of the stalker would be revealed no matter what happened. And so, he moved to the alley with Obi-Wan and awaited what came next.

Silence was the first thing the Jedi encountered, but the former Headmaster broke it quickly.

"If you're going to kill me, would you kindly do it right away?" he sarcastically asked. "It might be the only end to my stressful day at this point."

Revan wasn't always fond of Obi-Wan's occasional humor, but he was expecting the stalker to take the challenge in a heartbeat.

The challenge to kill a Jedi, however, wasn't taken by the stalker. Instead, she revealed her presence by flying down with her jetpack.

"I'm stressed too, believe it or not," said a Mandalorian in blue and gray armor. "Being on the run's harder than it looks."

Obi-Wan moved his hands away from his lightsaber as he relaxed. He silently instructed Revan to do so as well by moving his other hand towards his companion. "Bo-Katan," he addressed the Mandalorian.

Bo-Katan removed her helmet to reveal a completely different person than she used to be. Her hair was unkept, there were circles under her eyes, she looked... tired.

"You look unwell," said Revan. "Certainly in no position to fight."

"I've been worse," said Bo-Katan. She was indeed tired, but her Mandalorian training was nothing compared to how she was feeling right now. She once had to camp in the woods for two days, and she was left in a much worse condition than she was in today. "And you're lucky you're not the ones I want."

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan asked. "Then why have you been following us?"

"How'd you know I was following you?" the Mandalorian asked. "Most people don't know where I am until it's too late."

Revan immediately took the idea as a threat, but he noticed that Obi-Wan was rather calm. He wasn't looking to attack just yet; perhaps it was the Jedi in him.

Revan realized that perhaps it was time to rekindle certain aspects and traits he possessed within the Order.

"We have our ways," the warrior calmly replied. "And I've been hunting Mandalorians for quite some time."

Bo-Katan suddenly remembered that the man before her was the one Salem was talking about. She also remembered that Pre Vizsla and Gar Saxon once called him "the Butcher." She was all too familiar with the tale, and she saw the numerous bodies of fallen Mandalorians to prove the man's words.

And so, rather than look for a fight, Bo-Katan reluctantly took a page out of her sister's book as she spoke.

"I was hoping to keep watching you from afar," she said. "But I guess I have to talk to you instead."

"Regarding?" Obi-Wan asked.

"We both want the same thing, Kenobi. Don't bother denying it."

Revan was still distrustful of Vizsla's former lieutenant, but he was curious as to where this was going. Perhaps this would be the catalyst for the new army Djarin and Cinder wanted to create.

"You wish to help us fight Salem?" he asked calmly.

"No!" Bo-Katan immediately rebuffed. "Salem can go to Hell, but I'm not going to fight her. If that's what you're doing, then that's your problem."

"Then what do you want?" Obi-Wan asked. "Who are you hunting?"

"You know damn well who."

"..."

Obi-Wan indeed knew. He had been trying not to think about it, but the memory of Satine's death plagued his mind and his dreams. And based on what he sensed within Bo-Katan, it seemed that she was also haunted by her sister's death.

And in her mind, there was only one thing she could do to stop herself from being haunted. There was just one person she had to find to make her pain disappear. In order to do that, she had to follow Obi-Wan until that person revealed himself.

It was a simple plan, but Obi-Wan was against it.

"No," he said. "Bo-Katan, you don't know what you're doing."

"Yes, I do," the Mandalorian insisted. "I've been trying to find him for two weeks. It's not easy for someone to just up and disappear like that, especially from me. I don't know where he is, but I know you do."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since that night."

"Fine. Then I'll wait for him to come to you. He's not finished yet. Not until he comes after you."

"And then what? You'll just follow me until he attacks me?" This was a rhetorical question, since this was clearly the plan.

But it was a terrible plan.

Obi-Wan knew that Anakin wasn't finished with him, that was true. The anger he sensed within Anakin the night Satine died was very evident, and it was all directed at him. Obi-Wan couldn't sense Anakin's presence, but it would only be a matter of time before he revealed himself again and tried to kill him.

Bo-Katan was confident in her predictions, just like she was confident in her victory. So much so that she was willing to use force to make Obi-Wan follow her lead.

"You can hate it all you want, but you're going to help me," she said as she took her pistols in hand. "You're going to walk away and pretend we never met. And when he comes, that's when I'm going to strike. Whether you like it or not."

Obi-Wan could tell that Bo-Katan wasn't bluffing, but he wanted to set the record straight. "You're making a mistake. I want to stop him as much as you do, but I can guarantee you that you don't stand a chance."

Bo-Katan took great offense to this claim, since she didn't understand the full extent of Anakin's might. He may have been good at hiding, but Bo-Katan was sure she could win.

"No, I'm not!" she insisted. "I'm the only one who can do this! I'm the only one who cares! If you cared, you'd be hunting him down like I've been trying to!"

Now Obi-Wan was the one who was offended. He cared greatly for Satine, but he was wise enough to not obsess over Anakin like Bo-Katan was obsessed. He opened his mouth to tell the Mandalorian that she was wrong, but Revan's voice filled the air.

"Prove it," he said as he walked forward. "Prove you're the only one who can do this. If Satine's assassin was here now, what would you do?"

Bo-Katan raised her guns at Revan and prepared to fire. "The same thing I'm about to do to you!" she angrily replied.

*FWOOSH*

Bo-Katan felt and watched her twin pistols leave her hands and fly towards Revan. The Jedi didn't make any attempt to catch them, he simply used the Force to disarm the Mandalorian. "You would lose," he insisted.

Bo-Katan angrily ran towards Revan with two fists. "I can stop him!"

*FWOOSH*

Revan used the Force once again to catch Bo-Katan in mid-air. "You can't even stop me," he said as he threw her against the walls.

*BAM*

The fifth time Bo-Katan hit a wall was the one behind her rather than to her left or right. She didn't get up from the ground after she fell, since her pain and exhaustion were too much to deal with at once.

"You're tired," Revan said as he moved forward again. "Outmatched. Satine's assassin is just as strong as Obi-Wan and I. You can't stop me... and you don't have to."

"..."

When Bo-Katan was done panting, she looked up to see Revan was standing before her. It was a very familiar situation to the warrior, where he would stand over an exhausted Mandalorian and kill them in an instant. He had been fighting for so long, it became second nature for him to kill a Mandalorian when they were beaten.

But now, Revan had decided to reawaken the Jedi within himself, to be like Obi-Wan. Now, he had decided to extend a truce rather than extend his rage. That was why he was holding a hand to her instead of a lightsaber.

"We're not your enemy, Bo-Katan," the Jedi insisted. "Search your feelings, you know this to be true."

Bo-Katan didn't have any other blasters, but she had a blade built into her gauntlet that she could use to defend herself. After she ejected it and pointed the end at Revan, she stared at him with defiance and made a declaration.

"You don't know anything about me," she insisted.

Revan was ready to say that this wasn't true. He had encountered many Mandalorians like Bo-Katan, all of which were willing to defend themselves as well as their honor. They were all willing to die to see their goals through to the end, and they even welcomed death when their goal was out of reach. The latter was what Bo-Katan was doing now, and the only thing she was expecting was death.

But Revan had a different idea. If the Mandalorian wasn't going to search her own feelings, the Jedi decided to do it for her. He closed his eyes under his mask and reached out to Bo-Katan with the Force.

Once he finished, Revan proved Bo-Katan wrong.

"You loved your sister," he began calmly. "In a way, you were from different worlds. Complete opposites. But she was the only family you had. You made a new family with the remnants of Clan Kryze, but they were not as special as your sister."

"..."

"You couldn't understand why she chose to leave everything your parents taught you behind, but you came to envy this ability. Sometimes, when you felt most alone... you wish that you were good at things other than war. Like Satine was."

"..."

"You feel that you have been cast out from your people, after they wrongly accused you of helping Salem end the world. You cannot find it within yourself to return. And the only family you had left was taken from you. Stolen. Now your only wish is to repay Satine's murderer in kind."

"..."

Obi-Wan was willing to let Revan do all of the talking, but he was able to sense these feelings as well. He couldn't do it as easily as Revan was doing it, since Bo-Katan was trying extremely hard to hide her feelings. But once he was able to validate what Revan had said, Obi-Wan saw his chance to help the Mandalorian.

"We both have a similar goal, Bo-Katan," Obi-Wan insisted. "Satine's murderer was an agent of Salem. You wish to avenge her, and we wish to rob Salem of any more allies. That is why I let Cinder share the truth with you."

"..."

Obi-Wan didn't believe in vengeance, even after Satine had been murdered. He knew that revenge wouldn't return her to life, it wouldn't change how much he missed her. But Obi-Wan knew how to read a room; he couldn't convince Bo-Katan that vengeance was pointless, but he could show her that their interests aligned.

"We can help you Bo-Katan," Obi-Wan promised. "Perhaps you can help us as well."

Revan was able to see what his fellow Jedi was talking about, and he saw that it was a great idea. And so, he helped Obi-Wan make this dream a reality.

"Come with us," Revan requested as he held his hand out once more. "Help us on our journey to Atlas, and I promise no harm will come to you. It is true that you may be arrested for your involvement at Haven, but you will live to fight another day. You will be fed, be given a place to rest, and time to prepare for what comes next. And when the day comes, when Anakin Skywalker reveals himself, I will see to it personally that you are released. I will give you what every Mandalorian wishes: a warrior's death."

"..."

"You have my word as well, Bo-Katan," said Obi-Wan, who joined Revan by his side. "I could not help your sister... but I can help you. If you let me."

"..."

"Do it," Revan ordered as he extended his hand further. "For Satine."

"..."

Words couldn't describe how conflicted Bo-Katan Kryze felt right now. She had been humiliated once more, just like she had been humiliated when her own people turned against her. The circumstances were different, but she had the same goal she had that night.

Survival.

Bo-Katan ran away that night, all in order to survive. And she could do so right now, and she would survive once more. One would call it a cowardly retreat, but Bo-Katan believed that the real cowardly move would be to surrender. She was a warrior, a Mandalorian. She had been taught to never surrender, to keep moving forward in her goals, and to bring honor back to her people the only way she knew how.

And Bo-Katan wanted to do that more than anything. She wanted to flee from the Jedi, find Anakin, and then work towards rebuilding a new army of Mandalorians. However, there was one thing that was stopping her.

Revan was right.

She didn't think it was possible, but Revan had proven Bo-Katan wrong when she said the Jedi didn't know her. The feelings he described were all correct, especially regarding how she missed her sister.

That, and how she sometimes wished that she was good at things other than war.

Bo-Katan somewhat envied Satine's ability to walk away from the fight and find something better. Bo-Katan occasionally considered the idea of following in her sister's footsteps, but she would always return to her current state of mind. And yet, the thoughts would always return.

If Satine were here now, she would undoubtedly try to convince her sister to stand down. She would tell Bo-Katan to do "the right thing" and surrender. And Bo-Katan was sure that she would argue with Satine and remain right where she was.

But as Revan had just proven to the Mandalorian... she was in no position to fight. And if she wanted to survive, she had to take the Jedi's hand and walk with them.

For the time being.

"This isn't a surrender," Bo-Katan told herself as she slowly reached for Revan's hand. "And this doesn't mean that kid is right. This is just a means to an end."

Revan could sense the Mandalorian's reluctance and justification, but he didn't turn away or take back his offer. Instead, as Bo-Katan took his hand, Revan gently helped her off her feet and put aside any animosity.

"So... where do we start?" she asked.

"As Revan has said, we are trying to reach Atlas," Obi-Wan began. "And wherever we go, Salem's allies will follow. You can help us reach our destination, and we can bring our enemy right where we need them to be."

"..."

Qrow had no regrets walking away from everyone and giving them a piece of his mind. For the life of him, he couldn't understand how they were all still on board with the plan to get to Atlas.

More specifically, how they decided to keep working with Ozpin.

The reveal of his secrets hit Djarin and Cinder hard, but it didn't hit them as hard as it did to Qrow. They had started this fight five years ago, but Qrow felt like he had been fighting his whole life. He had worked with Ozpin for a long time, even before he graduated from Beacon. Like he said at Haven, Qrow felt that his cursed Semblance made him a cipher to the world. To everyone around him.

But Ozpin claimed that he saw the best in Qrow when everyone saw the worst. He said that some good could come from his time at Beacon, as well as the fight against Salem.

This had been the truth for Qrow for years. Every time his Semblance malfunctioned, every time he brought bad luck to his friends as well as his opponents, Qrow told himself that he was still doing good with Ozpin. He told himself that he was hurting Salem.

So it was only natural for Qrow to abandon this belief when he learned all of the secrets and lies.

Not only did he abandon this belief, but Qrow also believed the opposite. He believed that all of his years as a Huntsman and a defender of Remnant had only done more harm than good. The reduction of Djarin's Aura was a good example, since they were on a mission together when it happened.

But before that, it was when Summer vanished and was never seen again.

And before that, Qrow had severed all ties with his sister. A sister that had not only attacked him, but also tried to warn him of the truth.

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!"

Qrow sighed as he stopped walking and smacked his head when he thought about this conversation.

"Dammit, Raven," Qrow thought to himself. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"..."

The pain Qrow was dealing with was too much to bear all at once. And sadly, there was only one solution that he could think of in his angry state.

Numbing his pain by drinking.

Qrow had initially abandoned the idea after he helped secure Beacon, after the dream he had of Summer. But there hadn't been any dreams to comfort him in the past two weeks, not even when he decided to pick up his dangerous habit. It seemed that Summer, like Raven, had abandoned him.

But in Qrow's mind, he didn't need anyone. He didn't need Raven, or Summer, or Ozpin, or Djarin, or anyone. In his mind, all he needed was a drink.

And it seemed the universe had provided him with a once in a lifetime chance as he passed a sign in front of a bar.

"War with Mandalorians over! All Huntsmen and Huntresses drink free!"

"Finally," Qrow said as he looked at the sign. "Some good news."

Qrow stepped inside to see that the bar was actually more of a restaurant. There were numerous people laughing, eating, and all having a good time. There was no doubt that they too were celebrating the war coming to an end, though they all looked like families instead of Huntsmen or Huntresses. Nevertheless, Qrow took up the offer he saw outside when he took a seat at the bar.

"Hey, barkeep," he said to a blonde woman behind the counter. "Is that sign out there for real?"

"Oh, yeah!" the bartender replied with enthusiasm. "We can finally sleep easy again now that those crazy bastards stopped fighting! If you got a Huntsman's license, all drinks are free!"

Qrow couldn't help but smile at what he perceived to be good news. The next thing he did was show the bartender that he indeed possessed a Huntsman's license.

"You came all the way from Vale?!" the bartender asked as she looked at Qrow's license. "The news said Huntsmen and Huntresses from all over fought at Haven! Were you there?!"

"Yeah," Qrow replied with a sigh. Despite the fact that he had helped save Haven, Qrow believed that night was the worst night of his life. "Yeah, I was there."

The bartender could see that Qrow was sad, which she believed came from the fact that he had fought long and hard at Haven. And in her mind, there was something that could cheer the man up.

"Well, thank the Gods you got out okay," she said. "So, what'll it be?"

"Whiskey sounds good."

The bartender reached beneath the bar and took out a small glass for Qrow. But before she could reach a bottle of whiskey, the bartender watched Qrow gently push the glass away from him.

"You'd better make it a double," he said.

"Sure thing," the bartender said as she took out a larger glass. Once she did, she reached for a bottle and poured Qrow a drink. "Here's something from the top shelf." She then winked at him. "Enjoy."

Qrow nodded at the woman before he stared at the alcohol in front of him. Normally, he would take the glass and swallow its contents in one drink, but he couldn't help but linger back on the people he was just thinking about. He thought about Raven, Ozpin, Djarin, and especially about Summer.

It was Summer, or at least the memory of her, that made Qrow initially stop drinking. That dream he had came to him in a time when he was ready to give up, to let someone else join the fight for him. Now, he was in a similar spot. He was ready to give it all up, to drink himself into oblivion.

But there was no Summer this time.

"So, that's how it is?" Qrow asked an invisible Summer. "Fine. Forget it." The Huntsman immediately picked up his glass and was ready to swallow its contents in a single gulp.

But something stopped him.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Qrow stopped moving his arm when he heard a voice in his ear and something tap his shoulder. When he turned around, Qrow saw a brown-haired man about his age with a shorter woman by his side.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but did I hear that you're a Huntsman?" the man asked with a faint quiver in his voice.

Qrow wasn't expecting anyone to approach him, but he didn't see the harm in answering the question. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Yeah, I'm a Huntsman."

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank the Gods," she said. "Listen, we could really use your help."

"I don't think the police can help us," the man said to support the woman's claim.

Qrow immediately wanted to abandon the idea. "Look, I've had a shitty day," he said. "I'm sure the police can-"

"Please!" the woman begged. "It's an emergency!"

"We could all be in danger!" the man insisted.

Whether it was the fear on their faces or the fear in their voices, Qrow finally put down his glass with a sigh. "What's the problem?" he reluctantly asked.

"My wife and I were sitting at that table over there," the man said as he pointed towards an empty table. "She saw someone in the corner."

"And?"

"We think he's a criminal," the woman replied. "We saw his face on the news." She and her husband were walking away from the bar, but they were gesturing for the Huntsman to follow them. "We can show you!"

Qrow got off his chair, but only to put the issue to rest. He had been in a similar situation in Argus before, when someone asked him to apprehend an apparent criminal. However, the "criminal" was just an innocent Faunus that the people were prejudiced against. The Kingdom of Mistral had been known for people with limited tolerance for Faunus, despite everything.

And as he walked with his glass in hand, Qrow was ready to give the couple a piece of his mind.

"Look, I don't care what you think of them," he said as he prepared to see another innocent Faunus at the corner. "You can't call every Faunus you see a..."

*SMASH*

The sound was a result of Qrow dropping his glass. He lost his grip, as well as his voice, when he laid eyes on the patron in the corner. It wasn't a Faunus minding their own business, and it certainly wasn't an innocent man.

Sitting in the corner of the restaurant was Hazel Rainart.

"Oh, my..." Qrow said as he looked at Hazel. "He's alive?"

The couple stood behind Qrow as they talked to him. "We saw his face on the news this morning," the husband said. "They said he attacked Haven."

"That's him, isn't it?" the wife asked. "Isn't he still at large?"

The last time Qrow had seen Hazel, he had disappeared in a tremendous explosion. The authorities never found his body at Haven, or anywhere near the campus grounds. It was easy to assume that he was dead, but it seemed the Huntsmen and Huntresses who survived reported that he was missing instead of dead.

And he wasn't missing anymore.

"Get out," Qrow said as he pushed against the couple. "Get out!"

The couple immediately ran for the door, but Qrow wasn't satisfied. There were multiple people inside the restaurant, and his gut was telling Qrow that Hazel wouldn't be going down without a fight. Qrow could live with himself if he died during a confrontation with Hazel, but he couldn't bear the thought of innocent people dying as well.

"Barkeep!" Qrow yelled as he slammed his palms against the counter. The woman from earlier let out a surprised yelp at Qrow's sudden appearance, but Qrow didn't care. "You gotta get everyone outta here! One of the people who attacked Haven is sitting in your corner!"

The bartender gasped when Qrow pointed towards the corner. "Oh, my Gods!" she whispered before she turned towards a bell on the counter. This bell was normally used by all bars, to tell customers that it was closing time. But now, the bartender knew it would help her now.

*RING*

"Everybody out!" she yelled as she aggressively ran the bell. "Everybody outside!"

All of the patrons were confused by the aggressive ringing and yelling, but they all began to move towards the exit of the restaurant and bar. Qrow, however, ran back towards the corner of the room.

And as luck would have it, he caught Hazel right before he could stand up.

"Hold it right there!" Qrow said as he pulled out Harbinger. "Don't even think about trying anything."

Hazel remained silent for a moment before he looked up at Qrow. When he did, the man stared at Qrow's face for about ten seconds before he finally recognized him.

"You!" Hazel said as he slowly got off his chair. "I... I remember you! From... From Haven!"

"Yeah, I know!" Qrow said impatiently without noticing Hazel's slow speech. "And I remember you too, you bastard! You're coming with me!" His first thought was to bring Hazel in to the authorities rather than risk him hurting anyone in the city.

Qrow had seen firsthand the kind of damage someone like Hazel Rainart could do, and he didn't want to see it again. Regardless of his earlier depression, Qrow knew he had to prevent Hazel from causing any more destruction and death.

And at first glance, Hazel didn't seem like he was going down without a fight.

"Go ahead... and try!" the large man slowly replied as he stood up straight. "I'll be... be right here..."

*CRASH*

"..."

Qrow became at a loss for words when he saw Hazel fall backwards and break the chair he was previously sitting on. He was expecting Hazel to fight back, to unleash all kinds of Hell upon the restaurant and Argus itself. But instead, Qrow received an anticlimactic surprise in the form of a dazed and confused Hazel.

Who was simply resting on the ground without a care in the world.

"Is that... all you got?" Hazel asked through a slurred speech. "I can... do this all-"

*BURP*

"Day..."

"..."

Qrow didn't know what to think of Hazel's words and his lack of manners. He began to feel sick to his stomach as he looked upon the man. This wasn't the same warrior he met at Haven, the one who fought and killed dozens of people with no regard for his own safety.

This was someone who looked like a broken shell of a man.

"What the hell?" Qrow asked as he stared at Hazel. "What's gotten into you?" He didn't think it would do much good, but Qrow looked around the area for clues regarding Hazel's current condition. His initial ideas included that Hazel had either been drugged or he had taken a bad hit before he left Haven.

But when he saw the numerous glasses at Hazel's table, Qrow knew exactly what was going on.

"Oh... wow," Qrow said as he picked up a glass. "I never, uh... I never knew you liked to drink too."

"What's it... to you?" Hazel said as he climbed back up and found another seat. He immediately grabbed the glass Qrow was holding and finished its alcoholic contents in a gulp.

And the Huntsman did nothing but stare at Hazel in his pathetic state. Numerous questions filled his mind at the moment, like how someone could be reduced to... this.

And the more he thought about it, the more disgusted Qrow felt.

"Wait a second," Qrow said to himself. "Am I that pathetic when I've had too much to drink?" Qrow looked back to the table and counted the numerous glasses. "No way. I haven't drunken that much."

"..."

"Right?"

Qrow put his introspection on hold when he turned back to Hazel. As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have a hard time taking someone as large and heavy as him to the authorities alone. He hoped that someone outside had called the police, since it was obvious that he needed backup.

However, the idea made Qrow even more introspective.

"Aw, man," he said to himself. "Mando and Cinder could have gotten this guy outta here in two seconds flat." Qrow let out a sigh as he realized that he had made a big mistake pushing them out earlier. "Me and my big fat mouth."

"What are you... looking at?"

Qrow realized that he was looking at Hazel when he was thinking. "Don't mind me," he said. "I just thought I was gonna have a hard time with you. But I guess I was wrong."

"Shut up." Hazel took another drink from another glass he had. "You're no... better than me. Stinking... Huntsman."

Qrow didn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you still on that? Even after the war? Even like this?" Qrow pointed at all the glasses. "Never thought I'd see someone stoop so low."

"I said... you're no better-"

"Oh, don't play that card!" Qrow didn't know why he was getting so angry all of a sudden, but he gave in to the feeling. "You don't get to just sit here and drink yourself to death after what you've done! I saw it all at Haven, what you did to those people! Especially what you did to your sis-!"

"Rrrrahhh!"

Hazel threw a fist at Qrow, but it was slow and sloppy. Qrow was able to dodge it in an instant, and he didn't even have to retaliate. Hazel had fallen to the ground once again, and he didn't get up once more.

In fact, Hazel was doing much more than laying on the floor. Now, he was sobbing.

"I... can't believe it!" he said. "She was... my sister! The only thing... I ever loved! Now... it's gone! It's all gone! It's over! I'm... I'm nothing without her!"

"..."

All of a sudden, everything made sense.

Hazel may have escaped Haven, but he didn't escape the horror of what he had done. But rather than own up to his mistakes, rather than admit his faults and missteps, Hazel believed that he could drown all of his guilt and shame in alcohol. It was strange, since Hazel was always strong-willed and stubborn in his normal state of mind. But now, his entire world had fallen apart and he wished to make it all go away.

It was easy for Qrow of all people to understand; he was planning to do the same thing the moment he stepped into the bar.

Now, more than ever, Qrow felt immense sorrow. Not for Hazel, since he was still an enemy, but more for himself. Qrow now saw that he was about to do the same thing Hazel had done to himself. He would have had so many drinks that he would be in the same pathetic state as Hazel.

The sight was making Qrow sick to his stomach, and it was making him feel ashamed of himself. There was no denying that he had acted like Hazel in the past, he had gotten drunk so many times and only hurt himself in the process. He would ramble about Summer and Raven, just like how Hazel was rambling about Gretchen.

Qrow was staring right into a mirror, and he hated what he saw. He hated seeing what kind of man he was about to be, he hated seeing how lowly he was about to act, and he hated being alone.

Hazel had nobody to comfort him or help him. And Qrow once had Djarin and Ozpin to help him, before he shut them out.

At that moment, Qrow found himself learning a rather valuable lesson about himself. He couldn't afford to keep shutting people out or walking away, especially if he didn't want to end up like Hazel. And that lesson made him say only one thing.

"Ugh... dammit."

Djarin, Cinder, and Ozpin had finally returned to the Razor Crest. Nobody said it at first, but they all needed some space to calm down and relax after what happened at the base. So after Djarin removed his disguise once more, he shut himself in the cockpit of the ship. Ozpin took a seat at the table in the cabin, where he began to sit in silent contemplation.

Once again, Ozpin was feeling sorry for himself. He was even feeling sorry for Djarin and Cinder, who were on the receiving end of misplaced anger. If anything, he was the one who should have received that anger. Ozpin knew that Qrow was angry at him, not anyone else.

And Qrow, ironically, was also someone Ozpin felt sorry for. Before the defense of Haven, Qrow was a distinguished Huntsman and a loyal friend. Ozpin didn't know where he would be in his current incarnation if Qrow hadn't joined him. There was so much that he had done for Beacon and the world, so much good that he helped bring to people who needed it most.

And now, Qrow was choosing to let the man he used to be go. And Ozpin couldn't help but blame himself.

Ozpin had said that he should have told everyone the truth about Salem, but he knew why he kept it a secret. There were other secrets he kept that seemed pointless now, like how the Relics could attract Grimm. But Salem's immortality was a secret Ozpin kept for a reason.

The reason was that all of this had happened before.

When the truth about Salem came to Ozpin's past allies, many people resigned and called him a fool and a traitor. There was even a Maiden who had taken her own life after what she learned. And now, with Qrow's apparent resignation, the past was starting to repeat itself.

However, there was a single difference this time: the clan of two.

Ozpin genuinely believed that Djarin and Cinder would resign as well. The harsh conversations he had with them after that night were expected, since they happened with others in the past. But Djarin and Cinder kept moving forward. They had a plan, they had knowledge, but they also had each other. They wouldn't let themselves give up, or let each other give up.

And so, it was easy for Ozpin to find some hope in that. If they didn't feel the way they felt now, it was possible that Ozpin would have left them behind and start anew. It wouldn't be a very smart thing to do, but Ozpin didn't know what else he would do.

That was why Ozpin was grateful to Djarin and Cinder. He still had hope, just like they did. He had so much hope that he was going to help in any way he could, whether he was at a lowly place or standing with his allies as equals.

And right now, Ozpin believed that Cinder needed help. Not just because of everything he just thought, but also because she wasn't present in the airship.

Ozpin was nervous at first, he almost believed that Cinder had left as well. But when he found her sitting outside by herself, the old man was able to calm down. He was, however, concerned by her inclination for solitude instead of being with her father.

Djarin had invited Cinder to join him in the cockpit of the Razor Crest, but Cinder decided that she wanted to be alone. While sitting down, Cinder couldn't help but stare at the objects in her hands. In one hand, she was holding the Darksaber. Its weight felt even heavier after what Qrow had said, how she was only a child who didn't understand the job she had signed up for.

She was still mad at him, but Cinder was starting to believe that Qrow was on to something. She felt that she had made a mistake with her initial reaction to Ozpin's lies, and she still had no idea how she was going to reform the Mandalorians.

That was why Cinder was holding the Relic of Knowledge in her other hand. She wished she could ask Jinn what to do, how she might be able to stop Salem and make the Mandalorians better. She wanted the Relic to be able to solve all of her problems.

But the Relic, while powerful, wasn't exactly a miracle worker. Cinder knew that she had to rely on herself. But how was she supposed to do that if people who didn't believe in her abandoned her in the end?

Ozpin didn't have all the answers to Cinder's problems, but he was willing to lend a hand.

"It's not exactly warm this time of year in Argus," Ozpin said to get Cinder's attention. When he had it, the Headmaster gestured towards the Razor Crest. "Why don't you come out of the cold?"

"I'll be okay," Cinder insisted as she put down the Relic and sword. Once she did, her eyes burned as a small fire came to her palm. "I got all the warmth I need."

Ozpin suddenly realized how foolish he sounded. "Oh. Of course. How silly of me."

Cinder could see why Ozpin might think so, but she didn't mind. "Thanks, anyway." She let the fire disappear and began to think to herself again.

But Ozpin gave her a chance to let these thoughts come out into the open when he joined her and sat down.

"I see you believe there is much more to worry about than the cold," he said calmly.

Cinder sighed before she talked once more. "Yeah, I guess so," she replied. As she said this, however, a spark of anger and hurt feelings returned to her. "I don't get it. How could he just say all of that and take off?"

Ozpin was sympathetic to Cinder, especially since he felt responsible for Qrow's outburst. "Qrow was always someone who had trouble managing his feelings," he said. "His mechanisms for coping are also unfortunate."

"You mean shouting and drinking? Yeah, that's gotta be really helpful for depression."

The sarcasm had proven Ozpin's point, but the old man still felt miserable. "You have every right to be upset, Cinder," he insisted. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Cinder asked. "You didn't say any of that."

"Maybe not. But Qrow's behavior is no doubt a consequence of my choices. He trusted me, and I chose not to repay that trust. Now he thinks the whole world is against him. It's all my fault, Cinder."

The guilt and the shame Ozpin carried was evident to Cinder. It made her think back on what she tried to tell Qrow about working together, as well as what Obi-Wan said about putting it all behind them. She also thought about what she said to her father, how she believed she shouldn't have been so hard on Ozpin due to the fact that she wanted to be a good ruler.

But now, Cinder was starting to have a different reason for why she should accept what happened and move on from it. It was perhaps the same reason Fall and the other Maidens continued to fight after they learned the truth.

"Listen, Ozpin... I'm sorry about my reaction too," she said. "I was a lot like Qrow the day I told you what I wanted to do. That wasn't right."

Ozpin was surprised to hear that Cinder felt that she had to apologize. He couldn't find any fault within her or blame her for what she and Djarin had said to him; nothing at all.

"There's no need to apologize, Cinder," he insisted. "I was the one who was dishonest. The blame is mine."

"Maybe about lying, sure," said Cinder. "But Dad and I forgot that you're still on our side. I mean, you saved me from that Sphinx earlier. And you protected us by telling us about the Relic. I know Dad's still a little on edge, but I know you want to stop Salem as much as the rest of us." Cinder began to smile. "Obi-Wan was right. We have to put it behind us. Or else we're just asking for trouble."

Ozpin was still surprised to hear this, but he was pleased as well. He was proud and happy to see that Cinder was willing to let go of any animosity she may have had against him, whether it was justified or not. It made Ozpin feel special, like he was in a place where he actually belonged.

Ozpin couldn't remember the last time he had been vulnerable like he was now, when he had all of his secrets exposed. He felt weak, that he was lesser than what he used to be. So to hear someone accept him, a Maiden of all people, was very special and exactly what Ozpin needed to feel better about himself.

"...Thank you, Cinder," the Headmaster said gratefully. "That... That means a lot, coming from you."

Cinder smiled and nodded. "Well, since we're all going against Salem, it had to be said," she insisted. "We have to put it all behind us and keep moving forward."

"Agreed. But I want you to know, I understand why your father may still be on edge, as you put it. If there's anything I can do to help you, just say the word."

Cinder stopped smiling. "Actually... I know why he's on edge. It's something I was hoping to talk to you about."

"Certainly. What is it?"

Cinder felt rather awkward divulging the truth of her father's feelings, since she didn't know what to make of them all. Nevertheless, she knew a resolution would help everyone move forward. So, she explained what she could.

"It's... more of a question, really," Cinder began. "I wanted to know... how you see me. You know, as the Fall Maiden. Like, what do you think I should be doing with my powers?"

Ozpin didn't see the harm in answering this question, since the answer was the same as it was before. "Well, the Maidens are meant to be protectors," he said. "We all have a role to play in defending the world, and the Maidens best do that when they're protecting the Relics and academies. That is where they are at their best." Ozpin began to smile as he saw that Cinder had done both when Raven refused to do so.

But Cinder wasn't smiling.

"Do you know that for a fact?" she asked. "Or is that just your opinion?"

Ozpin stopped smiling when he saw that Cinder didn't exactly agree with him. "Well... from my experience, it always seemed to be a wise strategy. I mean, Lila met her unfortunate demise when she left to help Atlas."

Cinder had to admit that Lila Birch's presence beyond Vale played a role in her death; Lila even said so when Cinder met her in the void. However, Cinder remained strong with her own feelings and opinions as she explained herself.

"Ozpin, my dad isn't just upset about what happened at Haven," she said. "You see... he feels that you might have influenced my status as a Maiden... in a bad way."

Ozpin became even more confused by the idea. "How do you mean?" he asked inquisitively.

"He, um... He thinks you might have been... projecting an image on me. He thinks you might have been trying to make me see things the way you did at Beacon."

"..."

Before Ozpin could protest or ask why Djarin would think like that, Cinder stood up and explained herself further. "I mean, I know how that sounds, but he kind of had a point. Remember when you were telling General Ironwood how we should do things at Beacon? How I was sort of a scout for you? Dad had a few other examples, but he feels that you were trying to tell me how to live my life."

Ozpin remembered that day, and how angry Cinder had gotten when he proposed the idea. He thought it was simply water under the bridge since he and Cinder talked about it, but it seemed that it had a larger impact than he initially believed. And to think that there were more examples of him trying to tell Cinder how to live was very surprising.

"It's just that you and Dad might have different ideas about me," said Cinder. "I mean, I needed you to teach me how to use my powers, but I just can't... live my life the way you might have wanted me to."

"Cinder... that was never my intention," Ozpin calmly insisted. He was surprised to hear such a thing, but he remained as calm as possible. "I only wished to describe the role the Maidens had, I never wanted you to try and be somebody you weren't. I would never try to interfere with your life like that. If I ever came across as too forceful, I'm sorry."

Cinder was happy to see that Djarin's feelings were mostly a misunderstanding, given what Ozpin had said. "Thank you for saying that. But there's something else I need you to understand."

"..."

"I'm going to be the Fall Maiden. I'll be the best Maiden I can be. If that includes Salem and trying to unite the world, then I'm all for it. But... I don't think I'll be very... orthodox."

"..."

Cinder took the Darksaber in her hand once more. "I have another responsibility. To Mandalore and its people. I have to be a ruler. I have to be there for them too, and for everyone else. Not just Vale, not just to the academies, everyone."

"..."

"I'm not a hundred percent sure how I'm gonna do that, but I know the other Maidens can help. I learned a lot while I was in the void, and I have to put that into practice. It might not always be what you taught me, but I have to do this."

"..."

"So... I'm going to be different," Cinder finished. "I have to be. For Mandalore and the world. Can you... Can you accept that?"

Ozpin immediately stood up and extended a hand to Cinder. "Of course," he replied honestly. "Of course I can accept that. And I will."

Cinder smiled once more. "Thank you."

"..."

Cinder and Ozpin began to talk some more after the Maiden made her declaration. Ozpin was even willing to give Cinder advice about being a ruler; one of the past lives he lived was actually that of the King of Vale, the one who ended the Great War. So he was more than willing to talk about that.

But through it all, neither of them had noticed that Din Djarin had been listening to the first part of their conversation. And now that he had, the rest of their words were falling into silence as the Mandalorian fell into a state of introspection.

While he was calming down inside the cockpit of the Razor Crest, Djarin noticed that Ozpin was talking to Cinder outside. He decided to join them, since he believed they were attempting to make a plan to get to Atlas. But when he heard Cinder relay the thoughts and opinions he had of Ozpin, Djarin remained silent and let the duo clear any misunderstanding and patch things up.

When they were done, Djarin realized that he had made a mistake. He could see that Ozpin wasn't lying when he said he never meant to project any image onto Cinder; Djarin was simply seeing something that wasn't there.

Because of that, Djarin could see that his mistake almost cost him dearly. He too had forgotten that he and Ozpin were on the same side, and he had almost lost a valuable ally. Djarin could see that he needed to move past what happened at Haven, just like Cinder had said. She had tried to tell him that they needed to do this, but he didn't listen at the time. But now that he had, Djarin could see that he needed to do this for Cinder.

And for himself, as well. If he didn't, then it was possible that he would make the same mistakes Qrow made.

*BUZZ*

Djarin looked to his gauntlet when he heard a familiar sound. When he tapped the blue screen shining in his face, the Mandalorian was greatly surprised by what he was seeing.

So much that he moved outside and made his presence known to Cinder and Ozpin.

"Oh, hey," Cinder said as she saw her father. "What's up?"

"Ozpin..." Djarin began as he stepped towards the duo. "I think you should look at this."

"What is it?" Ozpin asked as he looked at the screen.

"A message I got... from Qrow."

Cinder stood up as well. "Wait, Qrow?" she asked. "What does he want?"

Djarin would have shared Cinder's skepticism under normal circumstances, but he could see there was a severity in the message he received. "Cinder, you might want to see this too," he said.

"Huh?"

Cinder and Ozpin both huddled to the screen on Djarin's arm. Once they did, they saw a few... surprising things.

"Look what I found in the city."

Along with a sentence, the message contained an image of Hazel Rainart himself.

"What the-?" Cinder asked. "Is that Hazel?" She remembered the picture Gretchen showed of her brother, and she had seen his face all over the news.

"He's alive?" Ozpin asked. "And he's in Argus?!"

Djarin nodded as he tapped the screen. "And look at this," he said as he moved the screen downwards. Once he did, Cinder and Ozpin could see another sentence.

"I just talked to the police. They all agreed someone like Hazel should be in Atlas."

As soon as she saw the word "Atlas," Cinder began to lose any skepticism she had. After it left, an idea came to her mind.

"Dad... are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

*BUZZ*

The Mandalorians turned to Ozpin, who had just taken his own Scroll out of his pocket. "You... may not be the only ones," he said to his companions. "Obi-Wan and Revan say they have an idea. Involving Bo-Katan Kryze."

When the groups reconvened after contacting each other, they were surprised to see that they both had the same idea. They were both prepared to use a prisoner to give Cordovin a reason as to why they should go to Atlas.

In Qrow's case, it was Hazel. And in Obi-Wan's, it was Bo-Katan. The police had been informed of both of their identities, and they too believed that prisoners like them would be better secured in Atlas.

Obi-Wan and the other Jedi were surprised to see that Hazel was very much alive. He looked rather unwell, given the amount of alcohol he had consumed, but he had indeed survived the defense of Haven. And the clan of two was surprised to see Pre Vizsla's own lieutenant apparently surrendering and agreeing to go to Atlas. She had been stripped of her weapons and armor, all of which were in a sack Revan was carrying, but she was still willing to go.

Obi-Wan promised to explain why later, but everyone decided that returning to the military base was their top priority.

When they arrived at the spot where the city met the sea, the mechanical gate closed in their faces once again. Obi-Wan briefly considered using the Force to influence the two familiar guards to open the gate, but the presentation of Hazel and Bo-Katan served as a reason for them to find Cordovin.

All while repeating the same annoying march and chant for reasons unknown.

"There they go again," Cinder said as she watched the guards ridiculously move into the base.

"They are super weird," Djarin joked, recalling Cinder's earlier assessment of the guards.

"I've seen weirder," said Qrow, who immediately walked up to the gate to get everyone's attention. "And dumber too."

"..."

Everyone remained silent, as they were unsure about Qrow at the moment. They were also unsure as to where he was going with the idea of seeing something strange and dumb at the same time.

But Qrow indeed saw those things today. He saw them in himself.

"Cinder, Mando, I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "I was a jerk, I had all this crap in my head. I was thinking that... that, uh..."

"..."

Qrow was sincere with his apology, but he was unsure as to what he could say next. "Sorry, I... don't have the right words," he confessed.

"Perhaps I do," said Ozpin, who moved closer to the trio at the gate. "I'm more to blame for this than anyone. I should have trusted you all with the truth. I... I failed you all." Ozpin turned to Qrow. "I failed you, Qrow. And I'm sorry."

"..."

Everyone was expecting Qrow to keep giving Ozpin the cold shoulder, but it was this apology that helped Qrow find the right words he was trying to say.

"Yeah, well... join the club, Oz," he said. "I was ready to call it quits, even before we came here. I was just going along for the ride, I guess. Not really caring what came next, or anything like that. That was my failure." He suddenly turned to Djarin and Cinder. "I failed you guys... and I guess I failed you too, Oz."

Qrow was sincere with these words. He was done hating Ozpin, he was done hating himself, he was just done hating. If he kept doing that, he would have been where Hazel was: drunk, depressed, and ignoring the bigger picture. And he would be in a repetitive cycle, wasting time in drinks and sorrow.

Qrow saw that he had wasted so much time by hating, just as Ozpin saw that he had wasted time by keeping secrets. And apparently, they weren't alone.

"I failed too," said Djarin. "I was mad like Qrow was, but I was afraid too. I was afraid of what came next for me and Cinder, now that we know what we know." Djarin turned to Ozpin. "And that fear started to make me see something in you that wasn't there. I'm sorry."

Cinder stepped up next. "I failed too," she admitted. "I said a lot of things at Mistral, and you too, Ozpin. But looking back, I think I was in over my head." She took the Darksaber off her waist. "I want to make change, I want to prevent another war, but... there's a bigger picture. I need to figure out how I can make the first step. How I can stop myself from taking the steps Vizsla and Saxon took when they had this."

Surprisingly, it was Obi-Wan who stepped up next and shared a confession of his own. "I failed as well," he said. "I haven't told anyone this, but... it was Anakin who killed Satine. I made many mistakes when he was under my tutelage. If I had been more attentive and less secretive... perhaps Satine would still be alive today."

"..."

The brave souls that had laid their failures out into the open began to feel a little better about themselves. Their failures still weighed on them, as did their feelings of remorse and pity. The recent events had been filled with missteps and mistakes, all of which they wished they could rectify.

Revan, however, had a different idea.

"You may be asking too much of yourselves," he said as he remained close to the two prisoners. "We all wish to succeed in our endeavors, all people are like that. We want to see ourselves free of error and fault, when we wish to see our goals through to the end. And there are some who believe they are free of any error or fault. I was, of course, once like that."

"..."

Revan regretted much of his time as a Sith Lord, someone who arrogantly believed he was perfect and that obtaining more and more power to unleash upon the world would prove this perfection. His brother was like that, as was Anakin Skywalker.

But Revan's entire past, good and bad, had taught him something he wished to share.

"Most people see failure as the mistakes they have taken on their journey," he said. "But I see it differently. I believe the only true failure is in defeat. Defeat is where your goal is lost, when your destination is completely out of your reach. Defeat... is where everything ends."

"..."

"There have been mistakes, there have been missteps and poor judgement. But not failure. Because this battle is far from over. Our chance to see it through to the end is not lost. It is here, waiting for us to seize it."

"..."

Everyone began to see that those were very wise words. The battle was far from over, and their mistakes didn't necessarily contribute to a devastating defeat. If anything, acknowledging all of their recent mistakes and faults made the path to victory much easier.

And it was going to be even easier when everyone seized the chance they had right now.

"Then let's take it," Cinder said to everyone. "Together."

Djarin was the first to agree with Cinder. "Together," he said.

"Together," said Obi-Wan.

"Together," said Qrow. He immediately turned to Ozpin and made space for him to join everyone. And the Headmaster eagerly accepted the invitation.

"Together," he said as he shared a nod with Qrow. "And this time, I know we will win. I don't care how long it takes, or who else must know the truth... I will find a way to defeat Salem for you."

Cinder appreciated the thought and promise, but she had a better idea. "We will," she said. "We all will."

"..."

A moment of silence was shared between the group, but not out of hopelessness. Their faith in themselves, each other, and the future had all been renewed now that they saw their chance wasn't gone. Now, they could keep moving forward.

And with enough time and energy... they could win.

*CLAP*

Everyone turned around to see Bo-Katan slowly clapping her hands with a look of disapproval on her face. "Well done," she said sarcastically. "Now are we going anytime soon?"

It was easy for everyone to ignore Bo-Katan's sarcasm. "We will," Djarin promised. "Just as soon as the gate opens."

"Just do us all a favor and keep quiet, will ya?" Qrow requested.

"Yeah," Cinder said slowly. "We were here before, but the commanding officer isn't very... open-minded."

"That's why you're here, my dear," said Obi-Wan.

"You mentioned that," Bo-Katan said as she looked at her handcuffs. "So, what am I supposed to expect?"

Ozpin was about to answer, but the sound of the gates opening behind him caught his attention. Everyone looked to see that the two guards had returned with Caroline Cordovin, and they expected to hear another introduction.

But instead, they received impatience.

"What are you doing back here?!" the short woman angrily yelled. "I thought I told you to leave!"

Everyone was caught off guard by the loud and uncomfortable greeting, but they quickly recovered and explain themselves.

"We don't want any trouble," Djarin insisted. "We're just here to help." He stepped aside so Cordovin could get a look at Hazel and Bo-Katan.

"These two are some of the main perpetrators who attacked Haven Academy," said Obi-Wan. "And Beacon, as well."

"And as you can see..." Ozpin said as he pointed to the restraints on their hands. "They are our prisoners."

"Prisoners that we know would be safer in Atlas," said Cinder, who used her memory of Cordovin's speech in an attempt to change her mind.

"With the right escorts," said Qrow, who was finally helping his friends once more. Revan was the only one who remained silent, but he was watching Hazel and Bo-Katan like a hawk.

And so was Cordovin, who was observing each of the apparent prisoners to verify the claims of her guests.

"Ah," she said as she looked at the hulk of a man. "Hazel Rainart, yes. Your face has been plastered all over the news." Cordovin then turned to the unarmored Mandalorian. "And who is this?"

"Bo-Katan Kryze," Revan introduced the prisoner. He then reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out her helmet. "A Mandalorian. And Pre Vizsla's former lieutenant."

Cordovin hummed again as she understood that these two were indeed quite the prisoners. "Well, then," she said as she turned to her guards. "Take them away." She also waved towards a group of armed soldiers inside the base, who all ran towards her and prepared to assist in the arrest.

"Wait, hold on a minute," Djarin calmly requested. "I think it's going to take more than that to handle these two."

"Quite right," said Ozpin. "They were formidable warriors at Haven, and they are just as formidable now."

"You're gonna need escorts for them," Qrow said.

"Oh, I concur," Cordovin said. "Don't think I can't see what you're trying to do." She looked up at Qrow with a scowl. "Your efforts to bring these criminals to justice are appreciated, but they end here. They'll be quite secure in the hands of Atlas."

"Please, you don't understand," Cinder insisted. "Even the police said that Huntsmen should be escorting them. They're too strong for-"

"We're no weaklings!" Cordovin insisted. "My soldiers are capable of escorting these criminals better than anyone! Perhaps you require an explanation as to why once more?"

"Oh, no," Djarin thought to himself as he watched Cordovin give the same speech she did before.

"This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious-!"

*BAM*

"Oof!"

One of the soldiers made Cordovin stop talking when he fell on top of her. Not only was the action purely accidental, but it also helped prove the point everyone was trying to make.

"Get off me!" Hazel growled as he pushed another soldier away with ease.

"Whoa!" one of the soldiers yelled as he raised a weapon.

"Back up, back up!" one of his allies said.

*BAM*

Both soldiers were hit by Hazel before they could back away in time, and now they were on the ground with Cordovin. Fortunately, Djarin and Qrow put a stop to Hazel's drunken rampage together.

*ZAP*

*BAM*

After Djarin used his staff to send an electric shock to Hazel's back, Qrow hit the man with enough force to make him kneel on the ground. Once Hazel was kneeling, the Mandalorian and the Huntsman brought their weapons to his neck to make him stay still.

"Don't," Qrow warned as he kept Harbinger's blade close to Hazel's neck.

"..."

Despite still being in a poor state of mind, Hazel could see that he couldn't push Djarin or Qrow away like he did to the soldiers.

And he wasn't alone.

Cinder, Obi-Wan, and Ozpin were all helping the soldiers get back on their feet. The soldiers were grateful for their help, and they could see that escorting Hazel would be harder than they believed.

"What was that?!" Cordovin yelled as she got up on her own. "You were supposed to take him away!"

The soldiers braced themselves to be on the receiving end of Cordovin's rage. But one look at Hazel made them see that an irate commander wasn't so bad when compared to Hazel.

"Now do you believe us?" Cinder asked as she stood behind Cordovin.

"..."

Everyone, including the commander of the base, was now aware how dangerous Hazel Rainart was. And based on the stories they heard, a Mandalorian like Bo-Katan was equally as dangerous. One look at the prisoners and themselves told everyone that simple guns and soldiers wouldn't be enough for a transport like this, just like Cinder and everyone else had said.

Fortunately, one brave soul was able to point this out to Cordovin.

"Ma'am, these two could break out at any time," a soldier whispered to his superior officer. "And we have no other Huntsmen or Huntresses to stop that from happening."

"..."

One look at the tall man, his fellow accomplice, and everyone who had brought these prisoners to the base finally made Caroline Cordovin see reason.

"...Very well," she reluctantly decided. "Very well!" She turned towards the group of heroes and made her decision. "You will be given clearance... to escort these prisoners to Atlas."

"All right!" Cinder cheered as she reveled in her victory.

"Thank you, Special Operative," Ozpin humbly replied. "I promise you will not regret your decision."

Cordovin turned to Ozpin, very slowly. "I better not," she warned.

As she promised, Special Operative Cordovin gave the Razor Crest clearance to leave Argus and fly to Atlas. She had given the Mandalorian a special code clearance that was to be transmitted to the first airship they saw.

And under no circumstances were they allowed to take a Manta from the base. Cordovin believed it would be wise for her comrades in Atlas to see that an unfamiliar ship would appear before them. That way, they would be ready for anything that the Razor Crest might do.

Djarin didn't see any point in trying to convince the stubborn officer that he wasn't going to invade the Kingdom. Instead, he took the code clearance and left.

"Looks like we're out of firing range," said Qrow, who was looking out one of the back windows of the Razor Crest. "I didn't see any big guns back there, but you never know."

"Yeah, and I don't see any airships on our tail," said Cinder.

Qrow turned to Cinder and smiled. "Looks like we're in the clear."

Cinder smiled back at the Huntsman. "Good, because that was not fun."

Qrow chuckled as he leaned against the wall. "No kidding. But it looks like your dad can fly a little easier now. They're really letting us go."

"I'll go and tell him." Cinder turned around to travel to the cockpit, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Wait, kid," Qrow requested before Cinder could go anywhere. Once she turned to him, Qrow spoke again. "I know I said it earlier, but I'm sorry about what happened back there. And I'm sorry about leaving."

Cinder smiled at the man. "It's okay, Qrow," she said. "I'm just glad you're still here."

"Yeah, but it's not okay. I shouldn't have done all that. But I just want you to know, I don't have a problem if you wanna try and start calling the shots from now on."

Cinder stopped smiling. "Oh, uh... I don't know about that. I was just-"

"No, I mean it." Qrow pointed at the sword Cinder was carrying. "You're gonna be in charge of the Mandos, right? Maybe this'll be good practice."

"Yeah, but nobody put me in charge. Like I said, I can't just force myself on people like Vizsla did. Besides, we're all gonna be working together now."

Qrow casually shrugged. "Alright, then. But just so you know, you got my vote."

Cinder smiled again. "Thanks, Qrow." With that, Cinder walked away and made her way to the cockpit of the ship. On her way, she passed Ozpin and the two Jedi. They were currently staying close to Bo-Katan and Hazel, who still had their hands tied together.

Bo-Katan was passing the time by fiddling with her fingers. And Hazel was currently unconscious.

"He fell asleep as soon as we left," said Obi-Wan, who noticed Cinder's presence. "Perhaps it's for the best."

Cinder agreed that Hazel was less trouble when he was sleeping. However, she couldn't help but feel somewhat uncertain about his current state.

"Uh... is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"He will be," Ozpin assured the young Maiden. "Once he wakes up. Don't worry, I've seen Qrow in both similar and worse situations."

"It's true!" the Huntsman called out to his allies. "He'll be alright, Cinder!"

Cinder smiled at the exchange, since she could easily detect the humor within it. What was even more humorous was that everyone had Hazel to thank for getting them out of Argus.

"I still can't believe Hazel was our ticket to Atlas," she said with a small laugh. "If the stories from Haven were true, I doubt he'd help us under normal circumstances."

"Quite right, Cinder," Ozpin agreed. "And something tells me it will be harder to control Hazel once he awakens with a stable mind. But we'll be ready once he does."

"Perhaps this is our chance to gain more information regarding Salem," said Obi-Wan. "He may not be in her service anymore."

"That's true," said Cinder. "Let's just hope he's willing to talk. Which reminds me..." Cinder looked to Bo-Katan. "You seemed rather willing to help, let alone surrender. What's your story?"

Bo-Katan gestured her head to Obi-Wan. "We have a deal," she said. "Wherever he goes, I go."

Obi-Wan took over the Mandalorian's explanation. "Like I said in Argus, Anakin was the one who murdered Satine. All just to get back at me. And we both know he's not finished yet."

Cinder suddenly remembered something. "That's right!" she said. "Councilwoman Kryze was your sister." Everything made sense now. "So you think-"

"I don't think," Bo-Katan rudely cut off the Maiden. "I know being close to this one will help me avenge my sister."

Cinder understood Bo-Katan's quest for revenge, as well as her reason for staying close to Obi-Wan. If Satine was only a means to hurt him, then Obi-Wan was surely next on Anakin's list of targets.

But there was just one problem.

"He might come after you," Cinder confirmed. "But it might be hard with Argus' security. Not to mention Cordovin."

Obi-Wan hummed as he shook his head. "I'm afraid Atlesian security is child's play to Anakin, Cinder," he said. "I taught him too well, and I'm sure Salem taught him how to have a Sith's disregard for innocent people like Satine. Which is why I'll be warning James about him upon our arrival to Atlas."

"This time, we will be ready," Ozpin promised. "For anything."

Cinder nodded, understanding that Ozpin had a lot to talk about with General Ironwood. After she told herself that the prisoners would be fine, Cinder left to join her father in the cockpit.

"So that's it," Cinder said after she finished explaining everything. "Nobody from the base is following us, Qrow's doing fine, and Bo-Katan's out for revenge."

"That figures," said Djarin. "She's not thinking like us yet."

"Yeah, well, hopefully that changes when we gather the other Mandalorians and make an army."

"It will. Don't worry." Djarin looked at the control panel before him. "And don't worry about Argus either. We'll be out of their radar right about... now."

Cinder listened to the silence for a few seconds. "Alright, then. Atlas, here we come." When she sat down next to her father, Cinder noticed that the cardboard box of her belongings from Beacon was at her feet. She reached inside and took out her book of Mandalorian culture, which she planned to use to pass the time.

It was going to be a long flight, after all.

"You feel like hearing a story to pass the time?" Cinder jokingly asked.

"Maybe later," the Mandalorian replied. "I'm gonna keep my eye out for the first Atlesian airship we see."

"Okay. But it'll be your funeral when you die of boredom."

Djarin chuckled as he continued to look out the window. As he did, he decided that doing so in silence wasn't the best idea. And so, he broke the silence by talking to Cinder.

"So, how are you feeling?" he asked. "About going to Atlas?"

Cinder put her book down. "Not bad," she replied. "I know we'll be working hard, but it'll be really good to see Winter and Penny again. So, you know, every cloud has a silver lining."

"That's true. You said you saw Pietro fixing Penny when you were in the void?"

"Yeah, and that was a while ago. I think he should be done with her now. So I should be able to see her." Cinder looked towards Djarin as she asked a question. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. I want to check in on Willow when I can. I haven't seen her since I helped her smuggle Dust out of Atlas."

"Oh, yeah, you mentioned that." Cinder looked to the window again. "So you went to Atlas before the borders closed, then?"

"That's right."

"I guess that means you know what we should expect when we get there."

Djarin hummed as he considered the idea. "Not really. I have no idea how much has changed. Or what will change."

Cinder turned to Djarin again in confusion. "Meaning?" she asked.

"You know how we all reacted to the truth," Djarin explained. "How we all felt about it. Something tells me... Ironwood's gonna feel the same way."

"..."

The idea soon became scary for the clan of two to think about. They were both well-aware of Ironwood's behavior, and how he let this justify all of his actions. The closing of the borders was proof enough of that.

So one had to wonder how he would react when he found out what he was up against.

"You know what?" Djarin asked. "Maybe a story would be good after all."

"Yeah, you're right," Cinder said as she opened her book. Upon doing so, she turned a few pages until she found a story to read. "A long time ago, in a land far, far away..."

Author's notes: hey everyone, hope you're doing good. Before I begin, I want to apologize for something. I realized that some of you may not have liked how I was following canon in the last chapter, mainly with how everyone reacted to Ozpin. I was trying to follow along with canon, but I think I did a little too much. The events of this chapter were planned, but I think I may have gone a little too out of character for some people in the last chapter.

I want to give a special shout-out to MasterPrince713, who brought this issue to light and provided me with very valid criticism. Thank you very much, MasterPrince713, you really helped me improve my writing. So I hope you enjoyed how things were handled here. Please don't be afraid to criticize what I write, it really helps me. Nevertheless, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

To GojiraFan455515, glad you liked the brief glimpse of Vader. I too was sad to write about Satine's passing and Korkie's condition, but don't worry. Obi-Wan won't be taking these actions laying down. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To Servos New Head, sorry about the brief glimpse of Vader. But don't worry, you'll see more of him in this arc. Sorry about Satine and Korkie, though. And I understand how you weren't expecting a congressional hearing, but politics play a pretty good role in Star Wars, one that I want to explore here. You'll see more of what I mean this arc. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Once again, I'm sorry you may not have liked the last chapter. I hope this chapter is better, but please tell me what you think about it. Don't be afraid to leave comments, your feedback is more important than you might think.

Also, I have decided that this will be the last arc of The Way of the Maiden. I prefer closure in my stories, so that's why I want to tell you that this will be the final arc. But don't worry; as I said before, I am making a sequel to The Way of the Maiden. This is simply a chapter of the story, and it will go on. So please, don't be sad. I think you'll like what happens.

That's all I have for now. Please don't forget to leave a review before you go. Tell me what you like or don't like, let me know how I can be a better writer/story-teller for you. And if you haven't already, please consider favoriting/following the story as well. Your support means the world to me.

The Court of Talons is adjourned. See you next time!