RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and created by the late Monty Oum.
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RWBY: Destiny of Remnant
Chapter 27: The Trial of Ozpin
Ozpin stood as still as a pillar, content to take the occasional sip from his coffee mug as he watched the city outside of the window of his study. Currently he was in his hometown of Baum, an average sized town that had been serving as his prison, as some would look at it that way but compared to what Ozpin had been through months before staying at his family's old home that he rarely ever had the occasion to visit after being held by Salem for months was a reprieve that was very much welcome. So he was technically under house arrest until the trial was over tomorrow but home was home.
With the small exception of the annoying ankle monitor that was on his lower right leg that made it impossible to leave the premises without alerting the squad of guards stationed to watch him, not to mention the electric shock he would receive. Many of the council members, as well as Ironwood himself, had objected to such a harsh treatment but Councilman Benedict had insisted that with as much power as Ozpin had had prior to the Fall of Beacon and with the accusation levied against him it was necessary to be so rough.
It had been a long trial with over three dozen sessions over the past four months, it took one month to set everything up and get everyone prepared, contact all the necessary witnesses and schedule the dates so the various council members of all the Four Kingdoms could attend and observe. Ozpin didn't truly know what the final verdict would be but it would be revealed to him tomorrow at last, after months of deliberation and arguing the councils of the Four Kingdoms were finally ready to end this trial.
After Qrow had, rather forcibly, talked some sense into him Ozpin no longer wanted to give up his powers by his own accord but if the council had decided he was no longer capable of performing his duty then so be it. He just hoped they knew Glynda would be the perfect successor.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in." he beckoned. With that Glynda and Qrow both entered the room.
"Hey Oz, sorry I haven't been around much but Goodwitch has had me on a lot of missions plus I have to keep up with Signal and... eh, you know how it goes." Qrow said with a shrug.
"I know you have been busy Qrow, mostly because we know that you'd constantly interrupt the trial with objections even though you aren't a lawyer. I believe your one time act as a witness for my case was enough." Ozpin stated, which got a smirk out of his old student.
"Damn right it was and I would be calling 'em out on their bull constantly if I had been here more. Goodwitch said she'd give me the cliff notes version of the trial so far with all the unnecessary crud and just the stuff I need to know." Qrow stated, remembering the day he acted as a witness for the trial got a little out of hand as he didn't like the accusations that were initially being thrown at Ozpin.
"I have contacted the teams you wished me to, Jason has agreed to grant your request regarding Team SSSN." Glynda said to Ozpin.
"Good, with you being their only logical candidate to replace me if they wish..." Ozpin began.
"Um, hello, what about me?" Qrow asked.
Ozpin glanced at him and said "I said Glynda was the only logical replacement. You could replace me but it wouldn't be a very sane move to make."
"Oh real nice Oz." Qrow muttered sarcastically.
"I meant no offense Qrow..." Ozpin began before Glynda cut him off.
"Qrow, can you imagine what you as the Headmaster of Beacon would be like?" she asked.
Qrow laughed and said "The secretaries wouldn't be too bad but the kids... I can handle Yang and Ruby but over a thousand brats? No way, you're right Oz, Goodwitch is much better suited to that crap."
Glynda shook her head with slight annoyance and continued. "So even if they do strip you of your power and position I will still be able to follow the plan. I have brought Miss Belladonna, Mr. Lie, and Miss Valkyrie with us from Vale so they will be here when the time comes."
"What is this plan you keep going on about? I think I need to know why you want my nieces and their friends here." Qrow voiced.
"You will know when the time comes, Qrow. For now Glynda and I need to keep this a secret. It is not a conspiracy like we had with Amber, lord knows that is behind us. No, this shall be a reward to those brave students for everything they did to save Haven City and Remnant itself." Ozpin explained.
Qrow nodded and said "Okay, Taiyang and the girls will be leaving tonight and arriving in the morning and with Penny and her dad. I just got off the scroll with Ruby and she told me that her Schnee friend is already on her way."
"And Mr. Arc and Miss Nikos are already on their way with a few members of their families, Jason is coming with Team SSSN and the various members of Team CFVY will be arriving this evening, in fact Mr. Alistair as already arrived." Glynda informed.
"Excellent, has James arrived yet?" Ozpin asked.
"No, but he will be here soon." Glynda said.
"Oz, what will happen if they do decide to fire you?" Qrow asked seriously, any sense of the normal humor in his voice missing.
Ozpin sighed and said "Should they choose to relieve me of my duties I will step down without a fight or argument. I shall request to be brought on as a consultant from time to time, especially if Salem makes a move but after all these years I think I have earned retirement. If, however, they allow me to stay in command then I shall 'soldier on' as you put it Qrow. I shall rely a bit more on the advice of those around me, as I now realize it was a terrible mistake to ignore them in the past. You shall be the ones to keep me in check."
"Sounds good to me, well I better get going. I've got that summary of the trial to read so I better get to it." Qrow said before he bid them goodbye and walked out of the door.
Ozpin waiting until he could no longer hear Qrow walking away and looked to Glynda to say "Glynda, is it wrong that a part of me had some small hope that they will fire me?"
"Why would you ever hope that? I thought Qrow made it explicitly clear to you..."
"He did, but that doesn't count for the self-doubt I feel towards myself. I've seen the body count, the memorial, the soldiers, the innocent civilians, the students... all of those who lost their lives to the White Fang and the Grimm weigh heavily on my conscience. I know I have to keep trying, I know I have to persevere, but I will always feel guilt because I deep down I know no one can be blamed for Cinder's victory at Beacon except me." He said darkly.
"Stop that." Glynda barked, making Ozpin's head snap up to look at her. "Yes, you can be blamed for the Fall but blaming yourself and moping about isn't going to accomplish anything except diminishing my respect for you and make you look pathetic. The best you can do is try your best to make up for your failings, not mope about them. So straighten yourself up, because I no longer want to hear you whining like a failing student. Is that understood?"
Ozpin stared at Glynda for a moment before he smiled and said "I knew you'd pull me back. I was testing you Glynda, I needed to know if I could depend on you to help me fix my mistakes and be the one who would set me straight the way no one else would dare to and for that you have my eternal respect, gratitude, and friendship."
Glynda was a little shocked by this but quickly recovered and said "I will always be there for you sir. I am honored to be your friend, I just want you to promise me that if you need someone to talk to, you'll come to me."
"I will." Ozpin said with a smile, "Now, has there been any news of the White Fang? Ever since Miss Belladonna told me about Claudandus' capture it has elevated their threat. If they are willing to kill their former leader there's no telling what they won't do."
"So far, nothing but reports of attacks, a few prisoners taken, and rumors of potential base locations but nothing concrete and nothing about Claudandus." She reported.
Ozpin nodded and said "Wherever my old friend is I hope he is alright."
Qrow walked down the street the hotel where he and the various others would be staying, he had even booked a room for the rest of his family to stay in, as well as their teammates. The trial had been a long and annoying process but it was finally coming to an end. Whether Ozpin would stay or not was up to the collective 'wisdom' of the councils.
Each council had eight members in all and one for each position; military, economics, education, trade, construction, agriculture, culture, and a figurehead who acted as a leader. Vale's was a smart and fair dark-skinned man named Jonathan Henry who had been acquaintances with Ozpin for years but was putting their friendship behind for now as this trial needed no bias against nor in favor of Ozpin. So with eight councilmen or women for each of the Four Kingdoms that altogether made a grand total of thirty-two council members who acted as a jury to decide Ozpin's fate. They all knew of Salem, anyone who was to be directly involved in the trial had to.
Tomorrow there would only be the four heads of each council and the council members from Vale as Ozpin was directly an issue for their kingdom. The councils were making their final decision right now and would finalize it tomorrow as well as announce it. So far the press had been kept back to keep controversy down, but there had been some, as many relatives and survivors of the Fall of Beacon were calling for Ozpin's resignation and imprisonment for his supposed incompetence. Stuff like that made Qrow's blood boil but he ignored it for now
As he strolled down the streets of Baum he remembered the only day he had attended the trial, when he had been called forth as a witness for the fourth day.
Three Months Ago
It was the fourth day of the trial. Qrow walked up from the rows of seats and towards the stand to take his place for the trial. He could see Glynda was standing next to Ozpin and his defense attorney, a man named Dan Webster who had been a friend of Ozpin's for over a decade and had helped the school out of several lawsuits.
The council representative of Vale's military, a man that Qrow vehemently disliked known as Benedict, who had even more of a stick up his ass then Ironwood. He had been the one to accuse Ozpin of being a traitor and after pointing out some of the unfortunate and odd circumstances such as how easily Cinder's plan went through, how he didn't think about the possibility of an illusion Semblance after Yang attacked Mercury, Amber's lack of security The judge was a man named Yong Zheng, who was presiding over the case with neutrality and no prior bias as he had never met Ozpin before.
"Please state your name for the record." Benedict said to Qrow.
"Qrow Branwen, and before you ask yes I swear to tell the truth and nothing but under the penalty of law." He said in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Mr. Branwen please state your occupation." Benedict said.
"Professional Huntsman by trade, though I do teach at Signal Academy from time to time in the weapons class, helping the future generation design their weapons and teach them how to safely operate them." Qrow elaborated.
"And what is your relationship to William Ozpin?"
"I was a student of Beacon Academy nearly two decades ago, during that time Ozpin was the headmaster, of course. His teachings helped me and many others prepare for the world of Remnant for our adult lives and helped us to better fight the Grimm menace." Qrow stated.
"And is it correct that you are one of his agents?" Benedict inquired.
"Yes. I took my missions directly from him; I went out into all four kingdoms to do whatever he required of me. Often it was to take down incredibly powerful hordes or Grimm or to sabotage the efforts of anti-government terrorist groups or to shut down Guerrilla Hunter training operations, but in all honesty he sent me to do pretty much everything, including watching over the previous Fall Maiden from time to time. A duty I shared with several others." He informed the councils, those who were not physically present were there via hologram.
"Yes, we have already interviewed the other guardians of the Fall Maiden but they were not as close to Ozpin as you are, Mr. Branwen. Now from what we understand you were the one who saved Amber's life when she came under attack from Cinder Fall and her followers, and not only that but you saw them at the Vytal Festival and failed to recognize them, do you mind telling us why?" Benedict asked as the typist continued to record everything.
"The girl, Sustrai, the one with the illusion Semblance covered their faces. In hindsight it seems pretty obvious but that's the thing about hindsight." Qrow admitted.
"Would you agree that the healthcare and the security for the Fall Maiden after her injuries were inadequate?"
Qrow was silent for a moment before answering "Yes. I didn't say anything at the time because I believed that Ozpin knew what he was doing, more than anyone so who was I to question him? I suspected that Salem's agents were at the Festival but I didn't believe whatsoever that they would find Amber."
"And yet General Ironwood claims that you said that they would take down his forces quite easily so you recognized the threat Cinder Fall posed at the time." Benedict pointed out.
"Yes, I did, not to Amber but the public in general. I didn't think that Ironwood's forces could defeat them without heavy collateral damage. I didn't understand the full extent of how right I was until Beacon had already fallen." Qrow said seriously.
"Yes, and would describe Ozpin's strategy in defending not only Amber and Beacon, but defending the people of Vale, the innocent civilians, and his own students as ineffective and highly flawed?" Benedict questioned with a stern voice to let Qrow know how serious of a question this was.
Qrow sighed but answered "At first I would have merely called it slightly flawed and in need of reevaluation but after our disastrous defeat I would admit that, yes it was highly flawed and even somewhat arrogant. The lack of security for Amber especially spelled doom for the girl and deciding to transfer the Maiden powers when he did... well, he, Nikos, Arc, and many others suffered for it but Amber paid for it with her life."
"Yes, that's what I thought, but how would you describe him altogether, as a teacher, an employer, and as a friend?" Benedict asked.
"I would describe him as a wise and heavily burdened mentor who has helped many great Huntsmen and Huntresses realize their full potential and he has saved us all time and again in the battle against Salem and the Grimm. He has his flaws, but we all do. I am happy to call him not only my mentor but as a friend as well. No one can deny that he has made mistakes but he deserves a chance to redeem himself." Qrow said to the council members of the kingdoms.
"Thank you for that, Mr. Branwen but I'm afraid we must ask you some more questions. Do you think it is possible that Ozpin betrayed us to Salem and could betray us in the future if left in command?" the councilman prodded.
"To put it bluntly; there is no way in hell would he ever willingly betray us. Just because he dropped the ball doesn't mean he did it on purpose. He isn't a traitor and never will betray us. He was Salem's captive for months in a coma and once he woke up was forced to be in a cell with the killer of his old team! She put him through hell and tortured him, so I don't buy the idea that he's a traitor for a second and anyone who does is a damn fool." Qrow said firmly, looking Benedict in the eye.
"Very well, Mr. Branwen, your opinion on that matter has echoed the thoughts of many others we have called. Now what can you tell us about your nieces?" the military councilman asked.
"What do they have to do with this?" Qrow asked.
"If I'm not mistaken Ozpin's failure to recognize an illusion Semblance not only made her look like a brute but in the end it also cost her one of her arms." Benedict stated.
"Okay, yes, maybe he should have realized it but the final rounds of the tournament were in full swing so he couldn't launch a full on investigation. It's crappy but it's also reasonable, I think you'd have established that by now." Qrow said with an annoyed voice.
"We have and we have decided that it was not a display of incompetence or of any traitorous acts, I just wanted to know your opinion of it." Benedict said.
"Objection! Your honor the prosecutor is trying to get an emotional reaction out of the witness." Webster called.
"Agreed, this trial is not meant to provoke emotion, councilmen." Zheng voiced.
"Yes sir, I apologize, but I have one last question for the witness. Do you think your younger niece was only admitted to Beacon at such an early age because Ozpin wanted to use her eyes and take advantage of the legend?" Benedict inquired.
"Objection!" Webster cried out again.
"No, it's okay. There's a part of me that thinks that could be possible but I know that Ruby is special, just like her mom. We need her if we are going to win this fight. Ozpin knows that more than anyone and so do I. While he may have let her into Beacon early because of her eyes I think it was also because of her natural skill and talent." Qrow said.
"Thank you, Mr. Branwen that is all I have at this time." Benedict said before he turned to Webster and said "Your witness."
Qrow glanced back up to Mr. Henry who had a rather uncomfortable look on his face.
The session with Webster hadn't been as awkward or as unpleasant as it had been with Benedict to say the least. It was quite unremarkable and was little more than Qrow recounting his more important experiences with Ozpin or how Ozpin had influenced his life and he had to make special note that Ozpin most certainly didn't inspire his love of alcohol.
Ozpin arrived at the hotel where he, Glynda, and the others were staying and as he walked in he saw Oobleck and Port in the lobby chatting with each other.
"Ah, Qrow old boy! How is Professor Ozpin doing?" Port asked as he waved to the younger man.
"He's doing fine, way better than I'd be in his place." Qrow said.
"Well at least this meandering excuse of a trial will be behind us tomorrow, for good or ill." Oobleck voiced.
"Yeah, and before either of you ask I haven't read Goodwitch's report on the trial yet. I'm going up to my suite to do it now." He assured them.
"May either of us read it after you're done?" Oobleck asked.
"Nope, sorry guys but Goodwitch said it's for my eyes only." Qrow told them as he made his way to the elevator.
"Are you telling us the truth or lying?" Oobleck inquired.
"I don't even think he can tell the difference at times." Port remarked.
Once Qrow made it to his room he locked the door behind him and took out his scroll and opened up the file Glynda had sent him and saw the notice he had read earlier.
This is only a brief summary of the events as they transpired Qrow, Ozpin had me write them down and occasionally record a specific incident so you would be kept in the loop. I'll also be sending a similar document to James soon enough. Don't let anyone else read this unless either of us give you permission. - Glynda.
Qrow grimaced as he sat on his bed and began to read the file.
'DAY 1
Ironwood and I were both here for the first day. Not much happened aside from an introduction and summarization of the events of the Fall and the Battle of Haven. Benedict questions about where Ozpin had been and what had happened while he was in captivity and Ozpin tells them about the battle with Cinder and how she managed to best him with a nasty arrow to the back which weakened him enough for her to teleport him to Salem's domain, afterwards he vaguely recollects being zapped with dark aura energy by Salem which apparently put him in a coma for four months. He tells them about Norvik and I must admit many of the details of what that maniac told him are sickening. He goes on about what Salem planned to do with Jaune and Norvik and if I ever get my hands on that witch I will make her regret ever hearing the word Grimm.
He tells us of how he slowly built up his aura, even with aura draining bindings, and how he escaped from captivity with Ruby and Jaune. He tells them about what happened to Pyrrha and Jaune and with backup from James and myself the councils agree to let that subject go for the time being.
Questions about his loyalty are thrown against him, as there is no visible scar to mark the place where Cinder shot him, but he claims that Salem's underlings healed him.
DAY 2
Things get a little rough today.
They reviewed Ozpin's early history as well as his parents and his education at Signal and Beacon as well as his team, WZRD. From what the reports say they ran ninety-four missions during their four years with eighty-six of them being successful, making them one of the best teams Beacon had ever seen.
Then they got to Norvik. I was recording at the time which thankfully saves me the task of recapping to you what happened, just press play.'
Qrow cocked an eyebrow and wondered what could have happened but remembered that when Ozpin had told them about Norvik and what Salem had planned for him. He remembered how Ozpin described gunning down the elderly murderer. Qrow had been disturbed by some of the things Ozpin had told him about Norvik the Hunter but he already knew that if someone were to push the topic of the old killer onto Ozpin it wouldn't be pretty.
He pressed play and began to listen.
"And on your way back from Sudria you received a distress call from a lone wanderer claiming to be trapped in a cabin by a horde of Grimm..." the voice of Benedict began.
"Yes, I know we have to get to the topic of Norvik sooner or later but I'd prefer it if we..." Ozpin tried to say before he was stopped.
"The sooner we talk about it the sooner it will be behind you. Now your pilot landed your ship and you led your team to the location of the transmission, where you were all knocked out by a gas grenade. According to the report when you awoke Norvik had already began his work on Miss Harrison..."
"Objection your honor! Bringing up past emotional trauma has no place in a courtroom." Webster said scornfully.
"Overruled. Normally I would agree but with the revelation of Norvik the Hunter being recently alive I think we must go over what happened all those years ago. Please continue Councilman." Zheng said.
'Idiots.' Qrow thought bitterly.
"From what you told the authorities over forty years ago he proceeded to gut Miss Harrison like a fish, even taking a bite out of one of her organs. After she gave into the pain and died he proceeded on with Mr. Shimmer, impaling him and hacking him with a sharp blade. As is recorded in the various files detailing Norvik the Hunter he saved team leaders for last, which ended up saving your life and dooming his. As he began to mutilate Rouge Baton you managed to escape, her screams providing the cover for you..."
"Spare us the details, Councilman. We do not need to hear the gorier bits of this experience." Judge Zheng scolded.
"But it is the truth. Ozpin managed to escape while his partner was being murdered and he managed to get to their pilot in time who then radioed for the authorities. Afterwards William Ozpin led a manhunt for the serial killer which only lasted a few days, ending with two battling over an abandoned railway viaduct and Ozpin coming out the victor, with the madman not being brought to justice but plunging off of the tall bridge and into the raging river below to a watery grave. Or so we thought. It disturbs me very much that Norvik the Hunter was, in fact, alive for over four decades in the hands of the Mistress of Grimm, kept alive for her incredibly sinister plots. Now, how could he possibly survive such a fall, not to mention the rapids and the rocks of the river. Could it be that he let Ozpin escape and that his would-be victim returned the favor?" Benedict speculated, arousing whispers from the other council members and cries of protest from Ironwood and Glynda.
"Don't be a fool! That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!" Ironwood protested.
"This is absurd and a waste of time." Glynda agreed.
All of a sudden there was sounds of a scuffle and cries of shock and surprise from around the room.
Then Qrow heard Ozpin growl out in a ferocious voice that he had never expected, nor wanted, to hear from the older man. "Never insinuate that I let that abomination live! He murdered my team, my friends, the woman I loved! I hated him with every fiber of my being and I was just as shocked as any of you to discover that he was still alive. I was locked in a dank cell with him for days, forced to listen to his insane prattling and I gunned him down and as ashamed as I am to admit it I enjoyed ending him. I want you to never even consider that he and I were in league, not even for an instant! I would rather die then ever aid him in any way shape or form."
There was the sound of shoes landing on the tiles and whispers breaking out again as Zheng banged his gavel to restore order.
"Mr. Ozpin please calm yourself, I am sorry this happened. This incident will be stricken from the record." Zheng announced.
"But your honor, this was a clear case of assaulting a duly appointed officer of the court!" Benedict protested.
"Assault? You are uninjured; all he did was grab you. This was a case of a subject reacting to extremely hostile emotional provocation. I repeat, it will be stricken from the record. Court will now take a brief recess."
The audio file ended and Qrow shook his head. Pushing Ozpin was most definitely not a good idea and Benedict had to find that out the hard way. He just hoped that Ozpin would talk about this Norvik issue over with Glynda, it wasn't healthy to keep all those emotions pent up like that.
He continued reading on in the file onto day three, which had taken place a week later and Glynda's summary of it detailed long testimonies from both herself and Ironwood, describing how they came to know Ozpin, their experiences with him, their feelings towards him, and so on but they had to admit things about Ozpin that didn't paint him in such a positive light.
Apparently both Glynda and Ironwood had made numerous suggestions about Amber's safety. Ironwood himself wanted her relocated to a heavily secret fortified base in the Atlas mountain range guarded by a legion of Atlas soldiers and professional Hunters while Glynda wanted at the very least to have some highly trained warriors guarding her in the vault but Ozpin insisted on the utmost secrecy with as few people as possible knowing about it.
Ironwood also revealed that he wanted to beef up security for the Vytal Festival but Ozpin refused, feeling that the more visible the guns and soldiers were the more uneasy the populace would become which would attract Grimm, which ended up being wrong as due to the limited security the Grimm were able to rampage into Vale with little opposition.
He had been present for the fourth day of the trial, which had been a week later, so he went on to read about the fifth day which had marked the second week of the trial.
'DAY 5
As I told you earlier this was the day they finally decided to throw out the ridiculous notion of Ozpin being a traitor, but in the end it doesn't make him look any better.
They go closer into the Fall of Beacon and determine that Cinder's infiltration of the CCT tower earlier that year during the dance is what caused the security measures to fail so spectacularly, such as; the early warning systems not picking up the Grimm, the Atlesian Knights turning on us, the cameras going out, and it is how she learned of Amber's location.
In the end Councilman Benedict relents that the notion of Ozpin being a traitor is highly improbable but he makes special note that in the end Ozpin still failed, that his incompetence was our downfall. As hard as it is to even think Qrow, he's not entirely wrong.
Ozpin, as wise as I think he is, should have been able to prevent all of this, yet he didn't.
I'd be lying if I said my faith in him wasn't a little shaken after everything that's happened. I have looked to him for guidance and inspiration for years now and I still do, I love him and yet I have to wonder; is he fit to command?'
Qrow sighed as he had to admit, part of him wondered if Ozpin could remain in control. He was a great man, no doubts there, but everyone had a point in their lives when they hit burn out.
The fact that Ozpin genuinely wanted to quit before Qrow talked him out of it was a little unsettling to say the least.
He continued reading on, most of it was uninteresting but he soon got to Ruby's testimony, which he had missed due to being away on an assignment. She didn't have to stay for very long, she was asked to recount her first bout with Roman Torchwick and her meeting with Ozpin afterwards and confirm the powers her eyes granted her. She told them of how Ozpin managed to deceive Salem and help them escape, he already knew about this from what Ruby had told him and he knew she also had to admit that she herself had some suspicions about Ozpin only letting her into Beacon so early so her eyes could become a tool for him to use against Salem but she made sure to tell the court that she didn't think that was all there was to it.
He skimmed through Glynda's summary of Pyrrha and Jaune's testimonies. Pyrrha told the court about how she was told the story of the Maidens and was shown Amber. She admits that the rush of everything that happened on that day and how Ozpin gave her little to no choice once the battle began would ultimately result in her choice to fight Cinder alone, most of this had been backed up by Jaune who also confirmed what Ruby had said about his escape. That sure as hell didn't win Ozpin any points. It was here that the truth about them being Grimm Hybrids came out and while it apparently caused a ruckus Ironwood managed to calm everything down. In the end it was agreed to keep their Grimm natures a secret for their own safety and privacy, but they would help to fight the Grimm in new ways, but for now the young couple was okay.
He continued reading on, most of them were people acting as character witnesses, going through various wins Ozpin had won the free world in the past. Qrow knew that in the end they wouldn't throw Ozpin in prison, it would raise far too many questions, but the final choice of what to do with Ozpin; fire him or leave him in charge, was still to be ascertained.
He found comfort in the fact that if Ozpin was going to be replaced the best choice was Glynda, at least she was someone he respected.
General Ironwood stood on the observation deck of the Atlas Military's flagship, the sight of the towns and countryside below and the clouds that surrounded the ship gave him this odd sense of serenity, as if from up here he could truly make a difference.
The last few months had been a very hectic experience, even putting aside Ozpin's trial there was the matter of the General trusting himself after how easily Salem had been able to control him but the Atlas council and many of the soldiers and staff that served under him made it clear that they trusted him and didn't blame him for what had happened, which gave the cyborg some comfort but he couldn't help but fear the possibility of it happening again, even with the up-to-date security software his engineers had installed in his robotic components.
"Sir?" said Chamberlain as he stepped onto the deck.
"Hello Jackson, how long until we reach our destination?" the General asked.
"ETA is thirty-four minutes, Specialist Schnee has confirmed that her sister and her friends are already on their way. I must say sir that Specialist Schnee seemed rather hurried when talking with her sister, I'd say she was probably avoiding the topic of their father." Chamberlain guessed as he sat down on a chair.
"Yes, whenever I speak to the man he seems distraught whenever I mention her. You were there Jackson, how unpleasant was it?" Ironwood inquired.
"Very. It was bad enough when it was you but to hear such harsh words coming from her own father, who wasn't under any sinister influence... to be frank; I'd be bitter too." The man admitted.
"They'll patch things up. Winter may seem like a cold woman, no joke intended, but at her heart she is far kinder then she initially lets on. I believe she and her father will mend their relationship, with some help from her sister. If there's one thing I've learned about the next generation it's that they begin living up to their potential sooner than I had ever expected." Ironwood said confidently.
"I think that sentiment has been proven time and again by this particular generation, sir. Also I wanted to update you on the investigation of our ranks." Chamberlain stated.
"Any catches?"
"None, all loyal but there are a few who believe you should step down after you were corrupted and some who feel frustrated by your recent easing up on the occupation of other kingdoms." Chamberlain elaborated.
"There will always be complainers and those with feelings of dissension. As long as no one's outright planning to betray us or mutiny my mind is at ease but I'd feel safer if we found someone else Salem has managed to manipulate, blackmail, or corrupt. The idea that we're missing something or someone keeps me up at night." Ironwood admitted.
"Sir, what happened to Cy was no one's fault but Salem's. It was a tragedy, but if keep investigating and looking into our personnel we might be able to prevent a similar disaster from happening again." Chamberlain said, foregoing formality and allowing an unusual amount of emotion into his voice.
Ironwood looked at the younger man and smiled. "That's the attitude to have. To honor Cy we can't allow Salem to take control of anyone else, keep me informed if anything develops. For now I'll just wait here until we reach our destination."
"Very good sir." Chamberlain as he gave the General a salute and left the room.
Atop the hotel's landing platform a ship owned by the Schnee Dust Company landed safely and it's ramp came down so Weiss Schnee could disembark and allow the hotel workers to go onto the ship and collect her bags for her. She had come alone, she had told her father he was invited to come as well but he declined, citing an important business deal that just had come up and couldn't be ignored. She knew that was a valid enough reason but personally doubted it was true. Winter was going to be here and Weiss could tell her father was avoiding her sister.
She looked to the door and smiled at the sight of Blake who was waiting for her.
"About time you got here, I was starting to worry that I'd have Nora and Ren alone to keep me company all day." The Cat Faunus said with a dry smile as she hugged Weiss.
"Wow, hugs, we've both made progress." Weiss observed with a smile of her own.
The two teenage girls walked in the hotel as Blake said "You didn't have to pay for a room for our entire team and Ruby's dad."
"Oh I can afford it, trust me Blake it's not even a dent in my allowance." Weiss assured her, glad that her financial problems were gone for good.
"Your dad's that eager to get on your good side?" Blake inquired.
"Well whenever he finds out he was wrong he does his best to make himself look a little better by making amends for it. It usually works but it hasn't made up for anything with my sister." Weiss told her teammate.
"I'm aware that your father isn't the nicest of individuals, trust me I was a part of the White Fang, even when we were peaceful we couldn't stand your family's company." Blake stated honestly.
"And now I know why, low wage and poor work conditions for Faunus workers. It has changed for the better ever since the Faunus Rights Movement's progress made it so that Faunus workers would have to get equal pay but I can tell there's still some animosity." Weiss admitted.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Blake confirmed as they arrived at the room Weiss had booked.
"I assume you already signed in?" Weiss asked her teammate who nodded. "Then I'll head downstairs and sign in and make the payment. Just be sure to let the bellhops or whatever they call themselves in when they come with my luggage."
"Can do." Blake said as she sat on her bed and took out her novel.
Weiss left the room and made her way to the elevator so she could sign in but she found that she wasn't alone in the lift as Ren and Nora were there as well.
"Weiss! It's so good to see you again!" Nora proclaimed as she squeezed the thinner girl in a crushing hug.
"Ah! Help me Ren!" Weiss called.
"Don't fight it; she'll only hug you tighter." Ren offered stoically, hiding a smile of amusement as the elevator began to descend.
Weiss moaned but accepted the hug and Nora finally let her go when the elevator was halfway down. Weiss took a deep breath before she asked "So why are you going down?"
"To meet up with Jaune, Pyrrha, and their families. Pyrrha just called us and they'll be landing at the airport any minute now." Ren explained.
Weiss nodded and said "In that case I'll call Blake down when they arrive. Will they be bringing the Aura Crystal?"
"I think so, they can't leave it unguarded." Ren stated.
"Just wondering, it's good to know they're honoring Ashe's memory." Weiss said as the elevator arrived at the first floor and the doors split open.
"They're also bringing someone else and it will be a big surprise for Blake." Nora said cryptically.
"Who?" Weiss inquired.
"It's a secret!" Nora stated brightly.
"I don't know why, Weiss has a better chance of keeping is secret than you." Ren said dryly as he allowed himself a smile at his pouting girlfriend.
Weiss went to the front desk while Ren and Nora headed to the lounge area and once the Schnee heiress arrived at the desk she smiled at the familiar sight of a girl with long brown hair and rabbit ears with a dark-skinned young man in an orange sleeveless shirt.
"Hello Velvet, hello Fox." Weiss announced.
The Rabbit Faunus turned to see her friend and smiled "Weiss! I didn't know you were here yet." She said before she went back to finish signing in. Fox gave Weiss a small but friendly smile and nodded.
Weiss was about to say something when a hotel concierge came up to her. "Hello Miss Schnee, it is such a privilege to have a member of such an illustrious family as a guest here."
"Um, thank you sir, I am glad to be here, can you help me sign in and make sure my arrangements for the Xiao-Long/Rose family is in order?" she asked.
"Of course, Miss Schnee, your rooms have already been paid for, all you need to do for now is sign in and pay for any additional charges when you leave." He said.
Weiss signed in and once Velvet was done Fox took his teammate's bags up to the room Team CFVY had been assigned and after that they came back down, with Blake and tow to meet up with Ren and Nora in the front lounge area. The group of young adults sat around chatting and catching up with Blake and Fox having a conversation about the book Blake was reading, turns out Fox was a fan of the book as well, while Weiss, Velvet, and Nora talked amongst themselves, leaving Ren alone to keep watch for the other half of his team.
Within the hour he saw several cars pull up and could see Pyrrha in the window. He smiled at the sight and announced "They're here."
"Finally!" cheered Nora who bolted up and ran for the door.
Jaune opened the car door for Pyrrha, her mother, and his mother. "Such a gentlemen." Pyrrha teased as she got out of the car.
"I have to agree, I always worried about Pyrrha finding the right 'one' and I can say without any hesitation that she struck it rich." Hera said, making Jaune blush.
"Oh stop it, seriously I'm nothing special." Jaune said as he and his girlfriend began getting their bags out of the car's trunk.
"Jaune, you were brought back from the edge of death, I'd say that makes you pretty special." Pyrrha said before she kissed him on the cheek.
Jaune's blush intensified as he looked up to his companions in the other cars; Team SSSN and Professor Argo who had been on the same plane as them.
"Want us to help you with that?" Sun asked.
"Sure, if you don't mind." Jaune agreed.
"Nah, we don't mind. I'll take that one..." Sun began before Pyrrha stopped him.
"Sorry Sun, but this is the case with the crystal." She told him.
"Oh, gotcha. That's for your hands only, no prob." The Monkey Faunus said.
"Jaune, hon, relax and let the people who work here handle it, it's what they're paid for." His mother said as she went on inside past Nora who gave her a speedy greeting as she ran towards Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Oh boy..." Jaune groaned as he submitted to the valkyire's powerful hug.
"Fearless leader! Finally we've been waiting forever for you!" she said.
"Nora, we have literally only been here for a few hours." Ren said as he greeted Team SSSN.
"Blake's here with you guys, right?" Sun asked.
"Yes, she's in the main hall's lounge area." Ren said, only for the blonde to rush past him, carrying his one bag full of clothes.
"Oh to be in love." Neptune muttered.
"I know what it's like." Ren said as he smiled at Nora who was currently giving Pyrrha a bear-hug.
"Yes Nora, it's good to see you too but could you please...?"
"Sorry guys, hugs for all teammates!" Nora declared before she let Pyrrha go.
"Man, I like her and all but I'm glad I don't have her constantly squeezing me like that." Scarlet whispered to Sage, who nodded in agreement.
"So how's it been being Guardians of the Aura Crystal?" Neptune asked discreetly as the bellhops went to work getting luggage out of the car while Professor Argo went to the front desk to sign in and pay.
As they entered the building Jaune looked to Pyrrha and sighed. "It's been alright, I mean we've meditated with it, tried the things Ashe wrote down but so far nothing's worked."
"I still think we should just give it time, Ashe did say that it didn't work for him for years, after all." Pyrrha reminded Jaune.
"Well we have to keep trying." Jaune returned.
"Hey, you'll get it sooner or later. I mean I don't know much about it but it deemed you guys worthy, right? Maybe it only talks when the time is right." Neptune suggested.
Pyrrha smiled at the bluenette and said "That's right, you shouldn't worry so much Jaune, it will come to us in time."
Jaune nodded and said "I guess you're right but I can only hope that it doesn't take twenty years like it did with Ashe.'
Pyrrha nodded, smiling as she glanced over to see Blake hugging Sun and nuzzling into his muscular chest. Pyrrha was happy for the couple, but she had to admit at first she found them to be an odd pairing but she had to admit opposites did seem to attract; Ren and Nora, Blake and Sun, Jaune and herself, even her parents seemed to be an odd match to some at times.
"Surprised to see me in the flesh?" Sun asked his girlfriend.
"Yes, but pleasantly of course. What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile on her face.
"We got invited to the trial too, it's a bit weird since we're not students of Beacon but we think something's up. Anyway how've you been?" he asked.
"You know how I've been, aide from worrying about Claudandus I've been fine." She said.
He nodded, remembering what she told him of her past via their scrolls. "He'll be okay. We'll find him." He said.
"I know." She returned as she kissed him.
Pyrrha smiled at the couple and Jaune noticed this. "I'm happy for them too; they deserve to be happy together as much as we do."
Pyrrha nodded in agreement before she was quickly pulled away by Nora's powerful tug. "Come on! Weiss pulled some strings and they say they can put you guys in the same room as us!" the shorter girl cheered ecstatically.
"Okay Nora, no need to pull me along!" Pyrrha said as Jaune quickly followed her, carefully holding onto the case that contained the powerful relic.
With everyone showing up it was certainly going to be quite a day.
Later that night, or morning as it was only a couple hours until sunrise, all of the teams were asleep, resting up for the final day of Professor Ozpin's trial. In Team JNPR's room Jaune and Pyrrha slept together, which was good for Jaune since he never seemed to have nightmares when Pyrrha was nearby him. Nora slept in the other bed while Ren had insisted on sleeping in a nice, comfy recliner chair that was in the room. Nora loved Ren to death but she had been constantly annoyed by his need to be a gentleman at times. That and she denied his claims that she kicked in her sleep.
Team SSSN had a room on the first floor with one bed for each of them so they were fine, even if it was a cheaper room than the others. Team CFVY were put into the same room with Velvet and Coco taking up the beds while Yatsuhashi slept in a large lounge chair that was in the room. Fox had to follow Coco's odd orders and sleep at the foot of her bed, as she wouldn't allow him to sleep on the floor.
Winter, General Ironwood, and Colonel Chamberlain had stayed on board Atlas' flagship, as Winter told her sister over the scroll, which gave the younger Schnee the feeling that her sister was avoiding her or a certain topic. Qrow, Glynda, Oobleck, Argo, Port, Mrs. Arc, and Mrs. Nikos all slept in rooms of their own.
Like most hotels they had an all night service which made for some guests to arrive in the dead of the night, guests such as the Xiao Long/Rose family and the Polendinas.
In the room Team RWBY were staying in Blake and Weiss both slept in separate beds, sleeping soundly, only for their peaceful slumber to be interrupted by a loud knock at the door.
"Ugh, get it Blake." Weiss groaned.
"No, you, you paid for this room." Blake returned as she buried her head deep in a pillow.
"Yeah and I can kick you out so you open the door..." Weiss shot back as she opened her annoyed eyes.
The door opened regardless, but neither girl had opened it, a bellhop did. The door revealed a very tired Ruby and Yang, the latter of whom seemed very annoyed.
"Weiss, you paid for a room for all of us so would it have killed either of you to show us some freaking common courtesy?!" the blonde cried as she walked into the room, tossing a bag beside Blake's bed.
"Yang, Ruby?! What are you doing here? It's only six past four! You weren't supposed to be here until seven!" Weiss said as a very tired Ruby, with a droopy head and eyes that were barely even squinting, lumbered over to the heiress' bed and asleep instantly. "Ruby ...oh forget it." The youngest Schnee moaned as she went back to sleep.
"Our ship came in way too early, sorry we had to pop in like this." Yang said as she fell atop Blake's midsection, making the Cat Faunus cry out.
"Ah! Yang, get off of me!" she cried as she tried to push the taller girl off of her.
The bellhop looked at the scene awkwardly and said "I'll just, uh, leave their bags here." He dropped the bag and proceeded to leave only for Blake to call out to him.
"Hey! Wait! Help me get her off!" she said.
"I'm sorry Miss Belladonna, but I know better than most it's a terrible idea to wake up a cranky, sleepy young woman. Good night." He stated as he left the room and locked the door.
Blake struggled for a few minutes before giving up, her tiredness winning out, and resigned herself to a night of sleeping with her partner on top of her.
The next morning Team RWBY were up and about, taking turns in the shower. As Blake and Yang were waiting for Ruby to finish, Weiss had gone first naturally; they shared barbs with each other.
"I still can't believe you spent the last four hours lying on top of me." Blake muttered.
"Don't pretend you didn't like it." Yang teased with a smirk.
"I'm not pretending!" Blake cried.
"Oh so you admit you liked having me on top of you." Yang joked.
Blake blushed and stayed silent as they waited for Ruby to exit the bathroom. Soon enough she did and Blake, faster than Yang had ever seen her partner move, ran into the small room and locked herself inside.
Yang couldn't help but smile as she turned over to see her little sister and Weiss getting dressed and asked "So what do you think will happen? You think Professor Ozpin will get to stay on?"
Ruby shrugged and said "I don't really know. I hope he does but it's not up to us."
"Really? I thought you'd be more in favor of there being no trial at all or something like that." Weiss said.
"I don't think he needs to go to jail or should be fired but you have to admit guys, after everything that's happened can he really be trusted to run everything on his own?" Ruby asked them.
Weiss and Yang, and even Blake who was now peering out of the bathroom door, stared at Ruby.
"I never expected Ruby to say something as wise as that." Weiss admitted.
Ruby smiled and said "I've been a team leader for nearly a year; I have picked up a few things, y'know?"
Later that day Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, and CFVY along with Penny, Dr. Polendina, Taiyang, Oobleck, Port, Argo, Hera, Joanne, as well as Winter and Chamberlain were all in the gigantic main lobby of the courthouse, along with various other Headmasters from various academies and news reporters eager to see what would happen and tell it to the masses with still an hour to wait before the verdict would be delivered.
"Lot of people here." Scarlet observed.
"What did you expect? Professor Ozpin is a very important man." Yatsuhashi stated.
Ruby looked around and asked her dad "Where's Uncle Qrow?"
Taiyang looked down to Ruby and explained to her that "He went off with Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood to speak with Ozpin before the session begins."
Ruby nodded and looked over to see Team JNPR minus the Aura Crystal. Ruby started to worry but quickly remembered that Pyrrha and Jaune had it locked in an old safe that had been in the hotel. She guessed it made sense, as carrying that thing around all the time would get annoying. Then she noticed Weiss was walking away. "Hey Weiss! Where're you going?" she called.
"Following my sister!" her partner said as she ran off.
Ruby looked over the crowd to see Winter leaving the main hall. She glanced to Blake and Yang who nodded and the three girls chased after their teammate.
They soon found Weiss standing in front of her sister who was sitting on a long bench, both of them were looking grumpier than usual.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Weiss demanded.
"Because I know you, little sister. You're going to try to get me to give in to father's attempts to patch things up, sorry but it won't work. I have seen the way the world, the real world works, how our enemies work and to put it bluntly most fathers would do everything in their power to help their daughters when they are accused of serious crimes. Our father did no such thing; he not only sat idly by, he felt I deserved it." Winter said darkly.
With the exception of Blake all of the members of Team RWBY were shocked by this little revelation.
"Winter, you can't possibly think that! Father said he didn't help you out but..."
"I do Weiss. Father was prepared to let me rot in prison without a second thought. He was angry at me for damaging his reputation and that of the company. I shudder to think what he would have done to you had you failed." Winter admitted ruefully.
"Winter... our father may be a harsh man at times but he regrets his actions after the truth came out. I think you need to give him a second chance." Weiss argued.
"There are some people who can't change Weiss, no matter how much they want to." Blake stated as she sat down.
"Your friend speaks a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless. Father said some rather terrible things about Penny and the so called 'lowly Faunus'. Honestly I don't think he'll ever change after what happened to mother." Winter said sadly.
"Your mom? Yang repeated.
"You've barely ever talked about her Weiss..." Ruby said gently. She knew that Weiss' mom was dead but she didn't know the details, she never saw it as an appropriate topic to bring up.
Weiss sighed and said "Blake, Ruby, Yang... I think it's time you learned a bit more about our family, my mother to be exact."
"You said you were witness to executions... was your mom one of them?" Ruby asked carefully.
"No! Oh gods no... I've seen bloodshed Ruby, board members and friends of my family die at the hands of Faunus with cruel intentions. Because of people like Blake, Sun, Velvet, and Neon I've learned that I was wrong and some Faunus are good people, but I know that they can be just as bad as humanity can. My mother was killed when I was very young, I wasn't there, I didn't witness her death but losing her devastated my younger self and made sure that I never trusted any Faunus until I came to Beacon." Weiss said as she sat down next to Winter, who placed a comforting hand on her back.
Winter began to tell the younger girls the sad story of their mother's fate. "Over twelve years ago our parents were on their way back from an important conference with our grandfather when their shuttle was shot down by a Faunus terrorist group known as the Rabid Ones, a gang of thugs that felt if humanity saw the Faunus race as animals they would show the world what real animals could be like." Winter began to elaborate, but she noticed the uncomfortable look on Blake's face. "I take it you know of them?"
Blake hung her head and answered "Yes, their brutal actions were an inspiration to the White Fang's new leader."
"Father managed to send a distress beacon out before it crashed into the side of a mountain. The guards fought bravely but were slaughtered by the Rabid Ones, since they weren't rich or famous there was no point in keeping them alive. Father, never being much of a fighter, was eager to give in to protect both himself and his wife but mother... Gwyneth Schnee was always tougher. She trained me to fight when I was young and she intended to do the same with Weiss but..." The usually stoic Winter wiped away a tear and said "She wouldn't be a hostage. Father begged her not to make it worse but she refused to be abducted by those lowlifes. She took a gun from a wounded guard and began shooting down as many of the Rabid Ones as she could before their leader, a cruel Lion Faunus named Taka came at her with a blade. She asked him why he was attacking them and he told her about the horrible conditions the Faunus were subjected to at the Schnee Dust Mines; it was, as I would later discover, practically slave labor!
"Mother promised him she would make things right but it was no good, Taka wanted revenge for his lover who had been whipped to death in the mines, he wanted blood for blood. She fought bravely but he stabbed her in the chest, piercing her heart. Luckily they had only crash landed a mere twenty miles away from our company's headquarters so the security force was already coming as quickly as they could but they were too late to save my mother. The Rabid Ones retreated but my father vowed vengeance. They were hunted down and executed, almost every member of the cell, Taka included, were killed and those who did. In the end it was nothing but bloodshed and revenge, an endless cycle of it. Once our grandfather retired and our father took over he discovered that Taka's claims were true and the conditions in the mines were horrifically inhumane. He, most likely due to a guilty conscience, shut down the mines and fired all of those involved, blackmailing the human employees so the truth would never get out. He believed the most wouldn't believe the Faunus' claims of the slavery within the mines and for the most part he was correct. Despite what he discovered about the mines he never stopped holding his racist grudge against the Faunus race.
"When I decided to be a part of the Atlas Military, possibly even an acting liaison for our company I worked with or met some Faunus people who confirmed the rumors I heard about the mine and that was when I began to doubt our father and our family's legacy but after he spoke to me like that, calling the lowly Faunus and saying that Penny didn't even clarify as being alive," Winter noticed the furious look on Ruby's face, "and when he made it clear that he was going to abandon me it was then that I knew that maybe they were right, maybe our family is a disgrace. The worst part of our family's sins against the Faunus people is that our mother had to pay for it with her life." Winter finished.
Ruby who looked to Weiss who was now silently crying, something she couldn't stand to see. She sat down besides her partner and hugged her close; Weiss didn't fight it like she normally would and just hugged Ruby back.
Winter sighed and said "That is why little sister, I have learned that you cannot judge a race, especially not because of the actions of a few, but I doubt he will ever realize that; He has a lot to answer for before I can forgive him."
Weiss didn't answer, she just hugged Ruby tighter.
A car containing Ozpin, Glynda, Qrow, and Ironwood pulled up to the courthouse only to be swarmed by members of the press, who were kept at bay by Atlas guards and local police officers. They had spent most of the morning discussing what to do about Beacon and what should happen if Ozpin were to be fired, as well as Qrow and Glynda agreeing with Ozpin's plan regarding a few teams from Beacon and Haven.
Ozpin looked out the windows and could see people with signs reading 'Ozpin Must Pay!' or 'Remember the Fall!'. Ozpin looked to Glynda who put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Everything will be okay. Those people are blinded by emotions, don't let them get to you." she told him.
"It's hard not to." Ozpin said with a heavy sigh. On the bright side at least he didn't have to wear the monitor anymore.
The car parked and an Atlas soldier opened the door and Qrow was the first to exit the car. "Back up people! Back off!" he said as the press and civilians were kept at bay behind the lines by rope and guards.
Ozpin, Glynda, and Ironwood all exited the car and made their way up to the courthouse despite the constantly flashing lights and irritating questions from reporters.
"Professor Ozpin! What do you think the outcome of the trial will be?"
"Ozpin! Is it true that you knew Cinder Fall's plans and allowed her into Vale?"
"Who will be your successor?"
"General Ironwood, are the rumors about you being under enemy control true?"
"What do you have to say for yourself Ozpin?"
"Enough!" Glynda shouted, creating a small shockwave with her Semblance that moved everyone back, but small enough not to knock them over. She gave them one of her infamous glares and said "Your questions will be answered in due time, after the final verdict is delivered, not before. And a word of warning, you should all think your questions out before you ask them."
The crowd was significantly quieter after that.
Ozpin and his group made their way into the courthouse and was greeted by Webster in front of the door to the courtroom.
"Final day William, I have a feeling the outcome will be in our favor." the lawyer said.
"I hope so Daniel." was all Ozpin said in reply.
Ozpin and Webster sat at the defendant's table while Qrow, Glynda, and Ironwood sat in the front row of the first audience section. Ozpin could see that Henry, along with the other three heads of the councils of the Four Kingdoms, sat on high raising pillars behind the judge's stand. Qrow looked over to the plaintiff's table and could see Benedict going over some papers. While Qrow had a feeling that the verdict could go either way and he really wanted Ozpin to be allowed to continue his duties there was a part of him that wanted to see Benedict's face when he didn't get his way.
Within a short amount of time the courtroom was filled up with people. One aisle of seats was filled up with those who knew Ozpin such as Glynda, Qrow, Ironwood, Taiyang, Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, Argo, Oobleck, Port, CFVY, Winter, Penny, Dr. Polendina, Hera, Joanne, and many old friends and colleagues that were their for support. The second aisle was filled up with average people who had either came with demands for Ozpin's punishment or those who just wanted to witness the event. The third, and final aisle was filled with members of the press who were all taking notes and pictures.
A door to the side opened up and one of the several bailiffs announced "All rise for the honorable Judge Zheng."
Everyone rose up as the judge walked from the door to his large bench that overlooked most of the room. He banged his gavel down and announced "Court is now in session, the final verdict will be delivered today." With that everyone sat back down so the trial could come to a close.
"William Ozpin, please stand up." Zheng instructed. Ozpin did so and his face retained its usual calm and stoic expression. "Professor Ozpin for the past forty years of your life you have performed many a tremendous service for only only your kingdom but for all of Remnant. For thirty years you have been the Headmaster of Beacon Academy and you have given our world many talented Huntsmen and Huntresses but your more recent failures have made some wonder if you are no longer capable of running a school, among other, much more important duties." he said, being careful not to mention Salem's name to the crowd of reporters and civilians. "As is the case in such important manner is it not up to a judge alone to decide to outcome but a jury, and in a case as important as this it shall be a jury made up of the heads of the councils of the Four Kingdoms. The Head of the Vale Council and this jury's foreman, Mr. Jonathan Henry, will deliver the final verdict."
Behind the judge's bench the four pillars that contained the four heads of the councils rose up so they could look over the crowd as well.
"Headmaster William Ozpin, you have served this kingdom for years on end and have made many sacrifices along the way and I am proud to call you a friend." Henry began, "However, your failure at the Vytal Festival was so horrific and costly that we can no longer turn a blind eye to your failures, even the minor ones. Some among the councils wanted your service terminated but in the end cooler heads have prevailed. We have decided that you shall remain Headmaster of Beacon, but you shall no longer hold that title alone. Professor Glynda Goodwitch has serviced our kingdom and her school for years and in the process she has earned the respect and admiration of many so we have decided that both of you shall share your duty." he finished.
Many in the crowd were shocked by this decision; some wanted Ozpin thrown in prison outright, some felt he deserved more of a chance, some felt it was the best choice they could make.
Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and SSSN were all happy with the final verdict, as it meant Ozpin could stay on and would have a second chance.
Zheng slammed his gavel down and said "The jury has reached a verdict. William Ozpin you shall remain in control of Beacon Academy as well as the powers you held before the Fall, but now will share them with Glynda Goodwitch. I have also deemed it necessary for others close to you such as General James Ironwood and Qrow Branwen to be more directly involved in... certain important matters."
Ozpin nodded, knowing what Zheng meant, he looked to his coworkers and friends and could see Ironwood with a calm smile, Glynda looking very pleased, Qrow giving him a thumbs up, Port nodding in approval, Argo giving him a reassuring look, and Oobleck smiling.
"Do you have anything you would like to say to the court?" Zheng asked.
"I do." Ozpin confirmed. He turned back to see a T.V. camera recording him and he began to speak. "I wish to say that I am deeply sorry for what happened all those months ago. I take full responsibility for the tragedy of Vytal Festival and the Fall of Beacon. I am eternally grateful for this second chance, a chance to redeem myself for my failures. From now on I shall work more closely with my colleagues to insure the safety of our people and our world. I apologize to everyone who lost somebody at the festival, if a loved one died because of me then I want you to know that everyone who died because of my mistakes weighs heavily on my conscience and I do not believe that I can ever make it up to you. I am truly sorry. I know some of you out there believe that I have gotten off far too lightly, that I deserve a life sentence in prison and I can honestly say you are not entirely wrong. Today, here and now, I make a promise to all of you, all of the Kingdoms, all of my students, all of my friends, that I will make amends for what I have done, I will right my wrongs, and I will take back Beacon." he announced.
There was a collective noise of both surprise and approval at this from the students, the press, and the civilians.
"General Ironwood and my staff shall work together over the next week and formulate a plan to retake Beacon from the Grimm, but he has agreed to release further details to the public later. I will make up for my mistakes and I will regain the faith that the world once had in me. On this, you have my word. We owe it to those who died in the disaster at Vale, we owe it to Raven Branwen, Cardin Winchester, and Ashe Kasai who gave their lives to save Haven and rescue those such as myself who were being held captive by Cinder Fall's forces. We cannot let their sacrifices be in vain. Thank you all." he finished.
It was silent for a minute but then applause began to break out for him. While it wasn't unanimous Ozpin could tell that most of the audience, especially those that knew him, were more than ready to give him another chance. He looked over to see students from Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY all clapping for him, as well as his friends like Port and Oobleck. Even Benedict was giving him a respectful look of admiration.
He looked to Glynda, Ozpin, and Qrow all of whom looked very happy for him, he returned their smiles and held back the tears in his eyes.
Zheng banged the gavel again and said "Order! We shall have order!"
Once the room calmed down he continued on. "William Ozpin, you are hereby free to go. You shall be once again granted power by the Council of Vale at a time of their choosing. All parties are now excused." he finished with a final slam of his gavel.
Ozpin shook hands with Webster and thanked him for everything he did. He then joined up with Glynda and Ironwood to leave out the main entrance, the Atlas guards keeping the press at bay while they made their way to the car.
"Wow, they really want to get out of here." Ruby observed.
"Trust me Ruby, the press has that effect on you." Pyrrha explained.
"You kids aren't done yet." Qrow announced to them, making the teenagers look to him.
"What's up Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked.
"Ozpin wants all four teams and Penny to meet him at his family's house, he has something he wants to tell you in private." Qrow said cryptically.
The group of sixteen teenagers and one robot exchanged glances, wondering what Ozpin could have in store for them.
Qrow then looked to Winter and said "You and me are to go too, his plan includes us."
Winter gave him an odd look but simply nodded in response.
As the car began to drive away Ozpin let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank the gods above that's finally over with." he said.
"Oh come now sir, this trial was probably a welcome reprieve from Salem's dungeons." Glynda offered.
"Sometimes I couldn't tell which was worse." Ozpin joked, allowing himself a small smile. Glynda chucked at him before he said "Glynda, I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?" she asked.
"For everything. You always had faith in me, even if you had some doubts. I am lucky to have you as a colleague, as a Huntress, and as my best friend." he said as he smiled at her.
"Sir..."
"Don't call me sir anymore, we are equals now." he stated.
Glynda smiled and said "Yes William."
Ozpin leaned over and hugged her, something she eagerly returned.
About an hour later Qrow, Winter, Port, Taiyang, and Oobleck along with Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, CFVY, and Penny arrived at Ozpin's home; a large three story mansion.
"Whoa, fancy place." Coco said admirably.
"I wonder why he never comes here?" Velvet pondered aloud.
"I think that he prefers to think of Beacon as his true home rather than this place." Yatsuhashi suggested.
"Yesh, I hope I never become such a workaholic." Fox muttered.
They were greeted at the front door by Glynda who led them to a large living room area where Ozpin and Ironwood were waiting for them.
"Welcome to my home everyone. It is a pleasure to have you all here." Ozpin greeted.
"Thanks for inviting us Professor Ozpin, this is a really nice house." Ruby said.
"Yeah, my mom and dad would love it here." Jaune agreed.
"Not as much as my mom would." Sun voiced as he sat down next to Blake.
Coco beat Sage to the punch at claiming a large and soft looking chair and asked "It's a nice mansion Professor, but why did you want all of us here? Shouldn't you be celebrating your release or planning the push against the Grimm?"
"Correct Miss Adel, but before I get to that I want to make an announcement regarding the seventeen of you." he said as the students began to take their seats, some like Jaune, Fox, and Sage having to sit on the floor (although Jaune was giving up his seat for Pyrrha).
"All of you worked remarkably well together at the Battle of Haven, to be sure Teams such as ABRN, NDGO, CRDL, and the rest played key roles but the all of you in particular were wonderful. I spoken with Professors Goodwitch, Argo, and Branwen and they agree that it would be an excellent idea to untie all four teams and Penny into one single unit." Ozpin announced, making some eyes widen in surprise.
"Wait a minute, our team goes to Haven! How are we...?" Neptune began to ask.
"Fear not Mr. Vasilias, Professor Argo has already agreed to transfer you to Beacon should you accept our offer." Glynda explained.
Sun, Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet all looked to each other, all of them knew that Sun wanted to say yes right away but he wanted the approval of his team. Sage and Scarlet both nodded to Sun who then looked to Neptune who gave a thumbs up.
"We're in." Sun said with a big grin on his face.
"I think my team trusts me to say; hell yeah." Coco announced confidently, earning a giggle from Velvet and a smirk from Fox.
"It would be an honor to be a part of something like this." Jaune said as Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder while getting encouraging smiles from Ren and Nora.
"Count Team RWBY in!" Ruby announced.
"It would be a wonderful privilege!" Penny said.
"What are we gonna call ourselves?" Yang asked.
Ozpin considered Yang's query and said "I think Team Beacon would be an appropriate title."
"Sounds good to me!" Nora said as she quickly went around hugging her new teammates, starting with... "I heard you yesterday, Scarlet."
"Oh god!" he cried as she grabbed him.
"Don't fight it, it'll only make it worse, believe me." Jaune advised.
As Nora went about her hug rampage Winter came up to Ironwood and asked "What about Qrow and I? He said this plan of Ozpin's included us."
"Yes, when Team Beacon goes on missions you and Qrow may go with them from time to time. After all the team does have a silver-eyed girl, two Grimm Hybrids, a robot, among others. They're going to need some guidance." the General explained.
Winter nodded, she looked over to her sister, who was trying to avoid Nora's grasp by hiding behind Ruby and Yang. "It seems like a good assignment." she said with a small smile.
Ozpin smiled at the group of teenagers as Penny hugged Nora back, the team he had just formed would prove to be very interesting and very wonderful indeed.
These children were just what the world needed.
Later that night the four members of Team RWBY slept together in the bed with Yang and Blake in one and Ruby and Weiss in the other. Tomorrow they would leave the hotel and head for Vale to begin training for the Grimm purge at Beacon.
Unbeknownst to any of the four girls a raven landed on the ledge outside of the window. With a great amount of effort and concentration it transformed from a bird to a human woman and slowly opened the unlocked window.
The woman stealthily crept through the room as silently as she could and made her way to Yang. She stood over the blonde brawler and gently tucked a hair out of Yang's face.
"Yang, I'm so sorry I left you." She whispered so quietly that not even Blake's ears could hear her. She was so tempted to wake Yang up but knew that now wasn't the time, she'd have to wait.
Raven resisted the urge to touch her daughter and wake her and looked over to Ruby who was sleeping soundly with a light, yet adorable, snore. Raven suppressed a chuckle; she had to admit that the girl looked exactly like Summer.
She stood over Ruby and muttered "You have the key to our future little one; I know that in the end you shall save us all."
Ruby began to stir and groan a bit. At first Raven thought the girl was just having a bad dream but then Ruby began to open her eyes.
From Ruby's point of view she could make out the blurry, dark figure that looked a bit like Yang with red eyes.
"Huh?" she said drowsily.
She sat up, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and saw that the figure was gone. She looked to the window to see a bird perched on the window sill.
"What the...?" she asked quietly to herself. She looked around and saw that the rest of her teammates were still totally asleep so she quietly got out of bed and walked over to the window to inspect the bird, which didn't fly away as she expected it to.
"Hi there, what are you doing here? Did someone open the window?" Ruby quietly pondered. The raven looked at her and Ruby began to think out-loud. "Wait a minute, are you that bird that was in the vents?" she asked, remembering the odd sight of seeing a bird in the air vents of Cinder's factory.
The bird, of course, offered no answer and merely flew away after taking a glance at Yang.
Ruby smiled and shook her head, why did she expect anything different? Did she really expect the bird to answer her? Better not tell Weiss about this, she'd never stop teasing her over it.
She closed the window and went back to sleep.
Poor Raven.
Next Time: Return to Beacon and kick some Grimm ass.
Last time something weird happened with this site and the last chapter was deleted for unknown reasons but I think I've found a way around it.
And I want to make special note: I am NOT ripping off Resurgence, that is a far more popular fic and while it is good I haven't ripped it off, we just think incredibly similar I guess. Also I had the idea of sticking the four teams together for months but he beat me to the punch but I won't let it change how I'm writing the story.
Originally Weiss' story of what happened to her mom was between Winter and Qrow but I felt it was better if Team RWBY all knew about it.
And yes, Ozpin's hometown of Baum is names after L. Frank Baum who created the Oz book series. Likewise Taka, the Lion Faunus who murdered Weiss' mom is named after Scar from The Lion King, that was his name before he got the scar. Ozpin's lawyer Webster is named after the tale of a lawyer called The Devil and Daniel Webster.
If you enjoyed this and you're on FF. net then leave a review and fave and follow. If you're on Ao3 then leave a kudos and a comment, please give me feedback, tell me what you liked and what you didn't so this story can improve. Thank you all so much.