Author's Note: Another new chapter, one with some very important implications. Hopefully enjoyable, be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews.

General Ironwood stepped off of his airship with a scowl permanently affixed to his face.

The grounds of Beacon had never been his home, despite the fact that he had seen them countless times, and yet he still was able to navigate the school with a practiced ease that demanded only a fraction of his thought. The rest of his mind was focused on analyzing the horrendous turn of events that he hadn't ever predicted truly coming to pass.

The day that Ozpin of all people stood by and allowed Vale to begin military rearmament, even in a limited fashion, was a day that Ironwood had long once hoped for when the two had worked together. Now, it signified the end of an unprecedented era of peace.

General Ironwood knew, intellectually, that the meeting had been an olive branch. They had called it a peace summit, despite the fact that no media had been invited. The Council of Vale, the group responsible for the whole affair, had gone to great lengths to disguise the entire thing as a meeting about security for the upcoming festival right up to the point the doors finally closed. They had even mandated that people keep their scrolls out of the meeting hall, in a rare instance of self-awareness on their part. The Council knew that they could not let word get out about what was really being discussed.

To call the Council's decision a request would have been the polite way of putting things. It was a demand in all but name, although between the politics of the matter and the fact that Atlas had the largest military on the planet, with much of it within Vale's own boarders, necessitated that they tried to be as diplomatic as possible. Vale had called in Mistral to represent a united front, even if the fledgling military would have offered little resistance in the grand scheme of things. Atlas had at it's fingertips the ability to wipe out the other three kingdoms if it truly came to that, but the idea didn't bring him pride. That hadn't even been the biggest shock of the day.

Winter had resigned her commission, finally stepping out of the Atlesian military. Her rather dramatic actions on the ship had been followed by a formal request sent through the proper channels. The request hadn't yet been approved, but there was no legal grounds for him to interfere and if he stepped in to force her it was unclear what her next action would be. Forcing someone to fight was not easy, especially when they no longer believed in the cause… or when they no longer believed in their leader.

Her words had stuck with him, though they had perhaps failed to reach him in the way she no doubt wished. In truth, the General hadn't felt much of anything in weeks. There hadn't been time to allow for personal distractions with their enemy closing in on them. They were running out of time, every moment spent eating or sleeping was a moment that he could have been using to bulk up their supply lines or stage their troops in a more advantageous position. He still ate of course, but only what his body needed to function. Sleep was even easier to push back, given how little the human body truly required, especially given just how much of his was now artificial.

There was a distant feeling of anger, even through the ironclad lock on his emotions that was his Semblance. Oddly enough, the anger didn't feel directed at any one individual on the council, and it was for that reason that he had not immediately called on his latest asset to have such an individual removed. That, and the publicity that it would bring. The Council of Vale knew he had some hand in Councilmen Greenwood's death, though they had not made any public allegations. It was obvious though, in the way they talked and acted. He had been too inactive on the investigation, and that had likely given away his hand. Pulling Specialist Schnee from the task force had been a mistake, at least she had made some noticeable enough progress that the Council had stayed away from the truth. Now, with Atlas dragging their feet, the distraction was over and they were done pretending.

Winter had known; or suspected at the very least.

He wasn't certain why that fact stuck with him. The look in her eyes had been pleading, almost wishing for him to fight back and deny that such an action had been taken. When he hadn't, he had also seen that hopeful look turn to crushing disappointment.

Councilman Greenwood had not been a good man, not only had he placed his own self interests above that of his Kingdom, but he had also gone so far as to accept bribes from even the most scrupulous of individuals. The evidence of such was thin at best, and in a court of law it likely would have been thrown out entirely, but now there would be no court. The former councilor had managed to drive a wedge in-between Atlas and Vale when he lived, and he had even managed to drive one between Ironwood and his Soldiers in death. The man was dead, and Vale was better off for it. That fact did little to sooth the rage he felt inside at the thought of it.

Now was not the time for rage however, and he pushed even that emotion aside. There were preparations to be made, orders to give. If the politicians of Vale and Mistral planned to get in the way of Atlas and the very people that sought the destruction of Vale, then General Ironwood would take what precautions he must. Cinder Fall had to be killed before she could claim the Maiden powers for Salem, and once she was dealt with, he could stand his men down, and show the world he had been right.

That had been the plan, anyway. Now, he found himself once again standing in the Headmaster's elevator, waiting as it climbed the many floors to the man's office. He wasn't certain why he was seeking the man out once more, given everything that had happened the two were hardly on good terms, but if anyone would be able to get Vale to back down, it would be Ozpin. Given how strenuous things had become with the Vale taking a more aggressive stance, it was the only way to fix things.

The door opened, and he was not at all surprised to see Ozpin sat hunched over his desk, eyes fixed firmly on the elevator. His elbows rested on the large desk, hands masking the expression he wore, but his eyes were as clear as day. Ozpin had more than enough cameras located throughout the school to know that he had been on his way towards the tower.

"Headmaster."

"General."

The greetings were formal, cold, nothing more than acknowledgement of the others position and authority. It was a far cry from what they had once been; close friends that Ironwood had thought trusted each other.

"The Council is making a mistake." Ironwood approached the desk, standing beside one of the chairs set there for guests. Ozpin didn't offer him a seat, nor did he plan to take it.

"They are not the only ones making mistakes." Ozpin replied, enjoying his word play as he always did.

"Everything I have done, I have done for the benefit of the people we swore to protect." Ironwood snapped back, though the argument was aimed at more than just the man sitting before him. Ozpin had stood against him, yes, but the betrayal of such an act had long since fallen aside. There were others that he had failed to convince however, and the Headmaster served to embody them in that moment. "I have brought the might of Atlas to Vale to help the city, not destroy it. You know that!"

"I know that your intentions are to defeat Salem's agents." Ozpin nodded. "But those are not the same things, and a noble goal does not absolve one's actions of sin."

"Who are you to judge my actions?" Ironwood felt his rage spike as he struggled to control it. "You once said you have made more mistakes than any man alive, and yet you continue to stand on the side lines and let Salem run circles around us. What have you learned from all of your mistakes?"

"I have learned that people will not always respond in ways that coincide with their best interest." Ozpin's voice didn't change, but his eyes felt more critical, sharper in a way Ironwood had never seen. "It is part of being human, emotion drives us as much as logic. You would know that, were you not under influence."

There was that argument again, those same thoughts had been thrown at him by Winter in anger and Pyrrha in disappointment. Even Qrow had looked at him with an expression split between doubt and pity. He hated it, and for the first time in weeks he was not fully able to control his anger.

"I know what I have given up!" Ironwood shouted, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. "But there is no price I won't pay to keep them safe from harm. No sacrifice I won't make!"

"Even your humanity?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes!" Ironwood stated. "What choice do I have?!"

"There is always a choice." Ozpin replied, sitting back in his chair. "You have a choice. You have to ask yourself if your actions are truly justified."

"They are." Ironwood stated, there was no doubt in his mind. The fact that people kept doubting him only made his anger worse, and he felt it spike once more.

"Logically, perhaps, but without emotion, you're only seeing part of the picture." Ozpin shook his head. "You are blinding yourself to a level of understanding that truly motivates our enemies. Do you think Cinder Fall is motivated by logic?" He raised a single eyebrow to punctuate the question.

The question hung in the air for a moment, and with a sigh, Ironwood answered it. "She is motivated by a desire for power."

"She is motivated by a desire to not be taken advantage of, due to fear and past experiences no doubt. Thus, she seeks power to protect herself and put an end to what she likely feels is a vulnerability." Ozpin shook his head. "Why do you think Salem has aligned her against us?"

The question was one he had asked himself on more than one occasion, and he felt confident in his answer. "She wishes to eradicate humanity, to force the Brother Gods back to the table."

"She wants to hurt humanity, as they once hurt her." Ozpin shook his head once more. "Her hatred for humanity is not based on logic, it is based on emotion. On the betrayal she felt when humanity turned against her. On the love she felt for her daughters, and the grief she felt when they died." Ozpin recounted the details with more clarity than he had ever done before, the honestness of it genuinely surprised Ironwood. "Were she thinking logically, killing all of humanity would be not only remarkably easy, but also pointless. The Gods made no promises of returning if there were no humans left to judge, and if humanity is truly eradicated, what then? She will be the only thinking being left in the world, and she will be alone for the rest of time. Knowing that, how does logic explain her actions?"

It didn't, that much was obvious now, and yet he had never thought of it despite his hours of thinking on the subject of her motivation. She wanted to eradicate humanity, that alone had been enough for him, but with the context of her emotions brought in, it raised another question. Perhaps she could be reasoned with. If her motivation was less about forcing the Gods' hands and more like an emotional outlash, she could perhaps be convinced to stand down. Maybe only for a time, more akin to a truce than a lasting peace, and although he doubted the chances of it working, the point remained that it was a possibility.

One he hadn't considered because it hadn't even crossed his mind. The doubt slowly began to work its way in.

"Why is Miss Nikos following you? Why do you think Qrow has finally gotten over his issues with you and tried to help?" Ozpin asked, unaware of the context of his words. It helped explain why they had left, why they had confronted him, only to abandon him when he did not back down. When he did not understand why they cared. "Some Semblances are gifts, things that allow us to overcome whatever challenges may be before us. Others, are curses."

It was clear which one Ozpin thought Ironwood's landed into and from the perspective that he saw it from, that made sense. Mettle had gotten Ironwood through the worst days of his life, but there had been a reason his normal self had forgone using it. Why he had decided to shun it as he slowly rose through the ranks. That understanding and care was crucial when weighing lives. He had sworn never to view them simply as numbers. When had he forgotten that?

"And what motivates you? "Ironwood seethed, the anger running through him was too strong now, threatening to boil over even as he tried to suppress it. "What reason did you have to lie and deceive us? To keep the fact Salem couldn't be killed away from us? From me?"

"I am motivated by the love I had for a woman that I must kill." Ozpin sat back in his chair, looking up to the ceiling for a moment as if searching for something. "I am motivated by hate for the Gods that abandoned her and I to this horrible fate. I kept that secret because I was afraid of what it would mean. By lying to you all, I was able to lie to myself."

There was no logic to it, but he supposed that was the point. Ozpin's actions made little sense when viewed through such a lens. Emotion, however? It explained things. It explained why he had made the Maidens, creating four powerful beings that he could ally himself with. Four women that, at least at the time, he could trust.

"You said that Salem grieved for her children…" The question was obvious, and Ironwood hesitated in asking it. Their argument after his return form Haven had been long, and though it had never expressly been said, it was clear Ozpin knew Salem very well. With what he had said now, about killing a woman he loved?

"We had four, wonderful daughters." Ozpin's control never wavered; he was too experienced for that. Too in control of his emotions. His eyes shifted however, a distant expression that seemed to look through him. "We loved them very much."

"What happened?" Ironwood asked. For all the differences between them, for all of the betrayal and lying, they had once been friends, and Ironwood didn't hate the man enough to see him suffer. Mettle waned as Ozpin dove into his tale, this time telling how Salem and he had met.

Of the friendship that had turned to love, and the tragedy that had befallen them.

"I can't believe him." Qrow muttered softly as they slowly made their way back towards the café Pyrrha had initially found them at. "He's always been stubborn, but this?"

"He isn't himself." Winter offered, but the excuse sounded weak. She walked with her head held high and shoulders back, to most, she would look as she normally did, but to Pyrrha, it was clearly forced.

Qrow noticed it too, clearly. Moving over to bump her elbow with his own. Despite the differences in their personalities, he seemed to understand her boundaries. He would push them a little, physical touch being something that Pyrrha doubted Winter was very used to, but he never tried to bulldoze through them. Not in public at least.

"I didn't know he took you in after getting disowned." Qrow said. "I always thought it was the other way around."

"It would appear that way, but I was disowned in all but name long before my commission was accepted." Winter didn't seem bothered by that fact, although it was hard to tell, given that they were still out in the open. That kind of reclusive instinct to keep feelings close to the chest was something that Pyrrha had empathized with for a long time, but now, perhaps more than ever, she felt for Winter. "It was an open secret by the time that I was set to graduate Atlas, but even then, it was only ever within certain circles. I suppose that I should be grateful that Father waited until I had graduated before publicly announcing it, I received more than enough ridicule as it was."

"The 'Not as much of a dick as you could have been' award?" Qrow smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. He gave up on it a second after. "Doesn't make it right."

"No, it does not." Winter replied simply. "But I managed fine, thanks to the help of General… thanks to James."

"Maybe." Qrow shrugged softly. "I think you would have been fine either way, hell, might have even worked that stick out of your butt a little earlier."

"That is of no concern to you." Winter glared at him for a moment, though the smirk that grew on Qrow's face made it clear she had made some kind of mistake.

"Oh, your butt is very much-"

"Anyway," Pyrrha interrupted awkwardly, face warm as she tried desperately to ignore the direction that had been going. A part of her felt somewhat guilty for bringing them back to reality, but they had little room for such luxuries at the moment. "We failed; Ironwood isn't going to back down. What do we do now?"

The poor mood returned, and it was in that silence that she found her answer. Neither of them knew. Winter had followed the General for years, Qrow had only recently started trusting the man, but he had taken orders from Ozpin before that. Now, with those ties severed, the question of what came next was daunting. Pyrrha had hoped to avoid answering it for herself by taking their suggestion, but now it was clear that they didn't have a plan either.

The three of them stopped in the middle of the walkway. They had taken their time with their walk, keeping to the outskirts of the academy as they discussed things they likely should have saved for more secure areas. Winter and Qrow, older and more experienced Hunters in every regard, looked at each other for a moment, before turning their attention solely on Pyrrha.

"What is that look for?" Pyrrha asked, turning to look behind her for a moment as if there was someone else they could have been looking at. There was no one there, of course, and she turned back around to see them still staring. Qrow at least seemed amused and, if Pyrrha was reading her eyes right, Winter was as well. "What's so funny?"

"You're the future girl." Qrow crossed his arms. "You tell us what comes next."

Pyrrha had known that was what they were implying, but a quiet voice inside of her had convinced her that it was impossible. A louder one told her she didn't want it. "I-I don't know."

"The Breach has yet to occur." Winter said simply. "After that however, what is next?"

"The Festival." Pyrrha responded easily, she had lived through it, after all. "Cinder will attack with the White Fang and try to claim the Maiden powers."

"Then we get ready for the Breach." Qrow said. "Seems simple to me. After that, well, I'll follow your lead."

"M-me?" Pyrrha felt her panic grow. "You can't be-"

"I will, of course, assist however I can." Winter added, nodding as if the fact were obvious.

"You can't follow me!" Pyrrha shook her head. "You're both more experienced, I should be taking orders from you, not the other way around."

Qrow and Winter shared a look and, shockingly, both rolled their eyes at her response.

"No one said anything about taking orders." Qrow smirked. "I just said that we'll follow your lead."

"More experienced though we may be, it has hardly been good experience, has it?" Winter added. "Both of us followed someone else blindly, willing to put everything we had on the line for a cause we didn't truly understand, something you were quick to pick apart."

"Not even here a year, and you uncovered how many secret plots?" Qrow chuckled. "Intentional or not, you did good kid. I'd be happy to stand with you. You've at least been honest, as much as possible, anyways."

"Though Qrow is hardly the wisest of people-"

"Hey!"

"He is right." Winter agreed. "I have just left the Atlesian military, I have no intention of following orders blindly, but I would be honored to fight alongside you."

"The princess is saying she believes in you." Qrow translated with a roll of his eyes, managing to ignore the elbow she dug into his ribs.

"That is what I said." Winter rebuffed him.

"Nope."

"It was implied." Winter glared back at him.

"It really wasn't." Qrow shook his head.

Pyrrha wanted to chuckle at their banter, but her nerves wouldn't let her.

"Y-you guys can't be serious." Pyrrha looked between them. "You're completely serious."

"Do not ruin the moment." Winter smirked softly, her eyes flicking over towards Qrow. "He rarely takes anything serious to begin with."

"Ok, now I feel like you are just trying to pick on me." Qrow threw his arms up in betrayal.

"I am trying to lighten the mood." Winter said. "For Pyrrha's sake."

Qrow sighed. "Yeah, I guessed that. I don't think pointing it out helps though."

Winter paused for a moment, mouth open as she prepared to respond only to halt as she processed what he had said. Her eyes flicked towards Pyrrha for a moment, and she winced. She coughed into a fist and looked away.

"Sorry."

"It's the thought that counts." Qrow said. Winter had some kind of reply, but Pyrrha didn't hear it.

They were crazy, or desperate. That sounded more likely. Both of them had been forced into a corner with nowhere else to turn, the fact they looked to her was just because of the fact she had lived through it all once already. The fact they trusted her enough for that was humbling, but the idea was equally terrifying. She had never wanted to be a leader.

Then again, there had been a lot of things she had never wanted. That had never stopped her from trying her hardest, however. She had often heard it said that the best leaders were the ones who never wanted it, if that was the case, she would surely be more than acceptable, but it was the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted to fade into the background, to follow and stay away from the center of attention that had placed her on a pedestal in her last life.

Things were never so easy however, and given what was about to come, Pyrrha knew she couldn't simply sit back and do nothing. She had never been one to let destiny determine her life, despite how she often said otherwise. If Qrow and Winter planned to stand beside her, then all she could do was make sure she was worth standing beside.

That, at least, was firmly within her power.

Technically speaking, his Semblance did not let him know when it deactivated, at least not directly. It was hard to miss the emotions that came crashing back to him however, the difference being like night and day.

The anger he had felt rushed through him now, and it was only with that familiar sensation that he was able to identify the true cause of his hate. He had become everything he had once hated. He had broken every restraint, treaty, and alliance, Humanity had spent the last decades building, all for the control required to win a single battle.

He hated what he had become, and that anger burned more brightly even than his desire to defeat Salem.

"Welcome back to us, James."

Author's Note: As stated in the last chapter, this was always roughly the plan for James, but things did shift a bit for framing. Initially it was going to be Pyrrha and Co alone that got through to him, but now that things have changed it felt more… fitting to be Ozpin. Hopefully everyone agrees.

Let me know what you think.

Sincerely, SE