Surprise third update in just over a week. I'm on a roll with these recently. I know I said that this one was going to take longer to come out, but I decided to divide up my original plan for this chapter over two or three chapters instead to prevent a 20,000 word dump. This one is pretty short, and not immediately connected to the events of the last two chapters. It's also the 50th chapter of this story and marks the 300,000 word mark. That's insane to me. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy:

It was a cool spring evening, a day like any other, when Pyrrha's life changed forever. The ground had been damp and the sky dreary, but the Rebellion was happily celebrating their victory in a recent skirmish. A fort occupied by around sixty men had been overtaken, their forces beaten and sent fleeing to the South. Once, Pyrrha might have worried that they would spread the word and rally their comrades for a counterattack, but she felt no concern about that now.

Qrow Branwen was many things, but he was no liar. He had told her and Yatsuhashi not to worry about any soldiers who fled after their battles, and they hadn't needed to. Not that her fellow general didn't worry anyways. That was simply the kind of person he was. Deeply cautious, both a boon and a hinderance to the Rebellion at times.

Both the men in question were hard at work at the moment, Yatsuhashi currently in a strategy meeting with the second in command of the Valean soldiers and Weiss Schnee, discussing their next move. Sir Branwen was currently training his niece and her faunus companion. There had been others training with them, but the two of them were the only ones still standing after over an hour of sparring.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, was resting at a distance from the main camp. Still within the area patrolled by their sentires, but far away enough that she wouldn't be seen by those she didn't wish to see her. This was not done out of any sense of superiority to her comrades, quite the opposite. She couldn't be seen by the Rebellion right now.

Hissing in pain, she took a rag soaked with water and cleaned the blood flowing from a cut on her arm. It was a nasty wound, stretching from her wrist to her elbow, and was quite deep. She'd have healed it using her own aura, but the constant fighting recently had been wearing her down magically as well as physically, and she'd spent most of what she'd had healing more serious wounds. For now, she'd have to treat this the old fashioned way.

She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as she continued to clean the wound, only to let out a startled yelp when the sound of a branch snapping alerted her to a figure coming out of the nearby forest. Quickly following her instincts, she drew her dagger with her uninjured arm and positioned her wound behind her back to hide the state she was in.

It was a relief when she saw the person emerging from the forest wasn't one of her rebels, or one of Sun's mercenaries. Rather, it was a somewhat scrawny young man with bright blue eyes and scraggly blonde hair. His hands were raised up in a placating gesture, and his shiny armor bore both the crest of Vale as well as what seemed to be his personal family crest.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you ma'am," The knight said. Pyrrha dimly recognized him as one of the trio from Vale Weiss was close with, though he stood out much less then the other two. Yang Xiao Long was a fighter who's only rivals her age were Weiss and Pyrrha herself, and Blake Belladonna was skilled at the art of stealth and subterfuge. The pair had been an invaluable aid on their own to the Rebellion. In contrast, the boy in front of her seemed far more plain.

She had seen him training before, and found his skill to be rather unremarkable. Solid, more defensive then her own fighting style, and a bit basic. A cut above the usual Rebels, but not a tide-turning presence on the battlefield. But she knew little about him as a person; she hadn't exactly gone around meeting each of the hundred or so knights and mages Vale had sent personally.

Realizing that she still had her weapon drawn, Pyrrha forced herself to relax, keeping her injured arm hidden behind her back. "Apologies. I hadn't expected anyone to find me out here." She explained with a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes. The man whose name she couldn't quite recall frowned slightly at her words. "Am I needed back at camp?"

"No. I came out here because I was looking for you after the battle earlier." The man explained. Pyrrha's polite smile wavered almost imperceptibly.

"I see. What did you need me for?" She asked politely but without any genuine warmth. Of course this knight was looking for her. Someone always was. There was always something she needed to do for people. Always some task that could only be done by her. She idly wondered what it was he needed her for. Did he want a spar? Advice? She hoped this wasn't a romantic confession. She had a few of those, and she never enjoyed them.

The knight just looked at her with concern. "I saw you get hit in the battle earlier. Pretty badly, too. And when we were traveling back to camp, you were favoring your non-dominant hand. I wanted to see if you were okay, ma'am."

Of all the things she'd expected, concern for her injuries hadn't been one of them. "O-oh, I'm fine. It was just a little scratch. All healed up," She reassured him, waving off his concern but not moving her hand from her back.

His expression didn't change. "Ma'am, please. I know what I saw. That injury didn't look good. You don't need to hide it."

Pyrrha felt a hint of annoyance at his worries. "I told you, sir knight, I am fine. I don't need any assistance. There isn't anything to concern yourself with." She lied, knowing how unconvincing her words sounded. Where was that charisma she was famed for right now? Typical Pyrrha, unable to do what others were counting on her to do.

The knight gave her a look that made it clear he didn't believe her, but gave a sigh and shook his head. "Alright. I won't push," He said as he turned around to head back to camp. Pyrrha let out an invisible sigh of relief.

Only for her relief to turn to shock as the knight whirled around and pushed her suddenly. The red-haired woman hadn't been expecting that, having momentarily dropped her guard. As such, she lost her balance and fell backwards, landing on her bottom. Her arms flew out to try and catch her fall, but her injured arm gave out and she fell to her side with a wince.

The knight quickly sank to his knees and grabbed her injured arm. "I knew it. Sorry, but I knew I wasn't going to get you to show me your injury normally. My apologies for pushing you." Pyrrha just starred at him in shock. He... He'd pushed her over. That level of casual disrespect was something she'd never really experienced. not at home in Argus where she was a champion ,and not in the Rebellion where she was a general.

"Damn. This looks worse then I thought. Why haven't you healed it?" He said mostly to himself. "No, stupid question Jaune. You obviously don't have enough aura to spare. We need to get you to a healer now." Rising to his feet, he made to lift her up. Pyrrha returned his earlier push with a shove of her own, hers sending the blonde sprawling.

"No. No healers. I'm not going back to camp like this," She declared, a hint of panic creeping into her voice. The knight who had identified himself as Jaune starred at her in shock and confusion.

"What do you mean no healers? You're injured, it's important we get you to see someone to close that cut before it gets infected." He tried to reason, but Pyrrha just shook her head.

"No. I can't... I can't be seen like this. Injured, that is." she hastily explained, but Jaune didn't seem to understand.

"General, this isn't something you can just ignore. If you don't want someone healing it with magic, at least let a medic stitch the wound to help it heal. As it is you're going to bleed out."

"I wouldn't be bleeding if you hadn't ambushed me while I was trying to bandage the cut," She fired back, a bit of anger creeping into her voice that she quickly pushed down. Jaune seemed to only have the best intentions. He just didn't understand.

"I... sorry about that. But you can't just bandage that yourself. You need an expert, or at least someone with a steady hand. Your arms are shaking to much, there's no way you'll wrap your wound properly," He tried to reason, but Pyrrha waved off his concern.

"I'm fine. I've done this before. I'll manage." His words weren't wrong. She wasn't a medic, and her first aid knowledge wasn't that extensive. She was a fighter first and foremost, more comfortable creating injuries then healing them. But she'd been fighting this war for years, and she knew enough to patch herself up decently.

Jaune just looked at her with an unreadable expression while Pyrrha bit her lip, hoping the kind and well-meaning knight just left her to her own devices. She didn't need his help. She could manage this on her own.

But her annoyance, he simply got to his feet after a moment of silence before walking over to her and crouching down on the ground with her. He gently took her injured arm in his hands, and Pyrrha didn't bother to pull it away.

"I'm not seeing the medics."

The knight just gave her a sad smile. "I understand. I won't force you to. But will you at least let me help bandage this?" He bargained. Pyrrha looked into his eyes, green meeting blue. She searched for any sign of deception or some ulterior motive, but only found genuine concern. Biting her lip once more, she turned away and nodded.

Jaune gave a relieved smile before picking up the cloth Pyrrha had dropped earlier. Dipping it into a bucket of clean water, he squeezed out the liquid and cleaned the blood that had flown out of her wound unnoticed by her during their argument with a gentle expression before grapping the bandages and begin to wrap her wound.

He didn't say a word as he did so, but Pyrrha could sense the unspoken question in the air. Eventually, the awkward silence broke through her resolve to remain stoic and quiet, and she gave an explanation.

"It's nothing against the healers or the medics. I just... I can't be seen like this. Not by the Rebellion." She explained.

"Injured, you mean? Why not?" He asked, confused. Pyrrha paused to herself. He'd already seen her injured, might as well explain herself.

"Because I'm not supposed to get injured. I'm supposed to be the hero who always leads them to victory, who emerges from the battlefield with only a few scrapes. The most that the majority of them have seen on me was the odd bruise. Not... not this."

Jaune shook his head in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense, ma'am. Of course you can get injured. Why would it be so bad if they saw you injured?" He said as he finished wrapping the wound tightly. "Try not to move that too much. Once your aura has recovered, you should be able to heal that injury. Don't do it too quickly though, otherwise it might scar."

Rising to her feet, she walked over to a nearby fallen log and sat on it, patting the spot next to her to gesture at him to take a seat next to her. The knight did as instructed, continuing to look at her with curiosity and concern.

"What do you know about Argus?" She asked, deciding to explain from the beginning. Might as well nip his concern in the bud. The last thing she need was him asking the Rebellion about her hiding her injuries.

Jaune gave a suprisingly concise answer. "Former city-state on the northern shore of Anima, famed for its warrior culture. Small and self-sufficent. It got conquered at the end of the Great War decades ago, though. Now it's jointly run by Atlas and Mistral, though they pretend that they allow the nobles of Argus to maintain a bit of power. Officially its run by a council of nobles, but any laws the council makes can be vetoed by Atlas or Mistral."

Pyrrha gave him an apprasing look. "You seem to know a lot more than the average person about us. Odd for a Valean knight," She said with a quirked brow and an unspoken question.

Jaune just laughed. "It's not that weird. My eldest sister married the daughter of one of the members of the council," He explained. Pyrrha was surprised to hear that.

"Was that truly a wise move? The council of Argus has little wealth compared to other nobles, and Argus and Vale aren't close by any means. Surely she had better prospects?"

Jaune's expression became defensive. "She didn't marry for prospects. She married because she fell in love." He fired back, anger creeping into his voice for the first time in their conversation. Pyrrha raised her arms in a placating gesture.

"My apologies. I meant nothing by it. It's just so rare. To hear a noble marrying for love." Pyrrha sighed wistfully. "I think that would be a wonderful thing," She admitted softly as a cool spring breeze blew through the trees.

Jaune nodded. "Good. I won't let you make light of their marriage. Saphron got enough of that back in Vale." He said defensively. Pyrrha smiled.

"I'm sorry. I truly meant nothing by it," She explained before her expression fell. "But if you know so much about Argus and the state of our nobility, then do you recognize the last name 'Nikos'? Do you understand what it means?"

Jaune shook his head. "I know it's a name with some history behind it, but I don't really get it." Pyrrha nodded at his words.

"That makes sense. To the Four Kingdoms, the Nikos family are just a bloodline of nobles," Pyrrha closed her emerald eyes. "But to the people of Argus, we are heroes. It is our destiny. The Nikos family is to be the tip of the spear that defends Argus, and we have since we helped found the city centuries ago."

"So you're expected to be some kind of hero?" Jaune asked. "That sounds like a lot of pressure. Did... did you have a choice in joining the Rebellion?"

"Yes. Don't worry. I chose this fight of my own free will." She assured him. "But you are right about it being a lot of pressure. The heirs of the Nikos family have always had to handle this pressure. But ever since our loss in the Great War's aftermath, trust in the Nikos family has been waning. Many saw us as cowards, surrendering rather than fighting to the end."

"That's horrible. There wasn't anything you all could have done."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "Was there? Neither you nor I were alive then, Jaune. Maybe there was something. Maybe there was hope. But after failing to uphold his duty, my great-grandfather was exiled from the city for surrendering. My grandfather took control of our house, but under his leadership, we fell even further. My father eventually replaced him, but he was not the great hero they hoped for. He stalled our downfall, but did not drag us back up."

Jaune frowned even more, his blue eyes looking at her with concern. "So what, because he failed to repel Atlas on his own he failed the city? Do they blame him for everything else that happens? Is it his fault when there's weather, or a bad harvest?" He asked sarcastically.

She shook her head. "The Nikos family is not the ruler of Argus. We held only a single seat on the council. But in times of strife, it was us that the people looked to. We were supposed to guide them on the path to victory. It was something every soul in Argus believed in unconditionally. Having that belief challenged and broken was... hard for the people."

"And how is that your fault?"

"When I was born, there were rumors. Rumors about how I was to be another failure in a long line of disappointments." Jaune opened his mouth to interject, but she just held up a hand. "That all changed once I turned five. My parents brought me to an oracle, someone who can supposedly glimpse the destiny of people. It's a tradition for the nobles of Argus to see one on their fifth birthday."

Jaune gave a skeptical look. Pyrrha didn't fault him for it. Prophecy and oracles weren't a recognized branch of magic, and belief in them wasn't common among the Four Great Kingdoms. "I'm guessing so predicted you'd be another 'failure' or something? Is that why..."

She cut him off quickly. "No. The opposite. She predicted that I'd restore my family glory, that I'd lead Argus to a new hope and become a great hero." She recalled with a distant look in her eyes.

"Do you believe that?"

Pyrrha hummed noncommitally. "I do. But I also have no choice but to believe in it." At his curious look, she elaborated. "When the people of Argus heard this, they were overjoyed. They threw a festival in my honor, and from then on I was treated with incredible honor. I was to be their hero, fighting for justice."

"So that's why you joined the Rebels?" Jaune asked.

"Yes. The oracle never told me the exact path my destiny would take. I choose to believe that this is the place I'm meant to be; fighting for the innocent and justice." She explained with a passionate look in her eyes.

"And why won't you let them see your injuries?"

She sighed. "To the people of Argus, I'm meant to be a great hero who will bring them their freedom. to the Rebellion, I am the invincible champion from Argus, an unstoppable force on the battlefield. I'm supposed to be victory incarnate. I can't be seen as... mortal. I can't afford to be normal in their eyes."

"Why not?" Jaune asked with heat in his voice. "Why do you have to be all these things? Why does anyone? Would it be so bad for them to see that you aren't so different from them?"

"Yes, it would." She said. "When I joined the Rebellion, I quickly gained a reputation. As time dragged on and hope dwindled, I became a rallying figure for the army. And even with this new hope we've gained thanks to Weiss and you all," She shot him a grateful look, "I still have to play this role. Weiss is a foreign hero, interesting and enigmatic, but ultimately here for her own interests. And you all serve the king of another kingdom. I am supposed to be the figurehead for the people of this kingdom."

Jaune sighed loudly. "I don't really get why it has to be this way. It sounds like you've had too much pressure put on you." He said, surprising Pyrrha. She'd expected him to either continue arguing or understand exactly why she needed to do things this way. "But if you want to keep doing things this way, hiding your injuries and struggles so the people won't see you stumble, I won't stop you."

Pyrrha made to give him a grateful nod, but he cut her off quickly.

"But I won't let you carry this burden alone. I'm not skilled like Yang is, and I don't have a tactical brain like Ruby did, and I'm certainly not Weiss who has both, but I can help. Even if it's just helping wrap your wounds like today, or needing a shoulder to lean on. You can count on me!" He declared a wide smile and a thumb pointed at his chest.

Pyrrha couldn't help but get overwhelmed. A bit of a blush crept onto her face, and a few tears formed in her eyes. She quickly hid her face to Jaune's confusion as she wiped her eyes and calmed her blush before giving a laugh and trying to wave him off. "I'm fine. I don't need any..."

"Whether you need help doesn't matter. You're getting my help," He said confidently.

Pyrrha thought about trying to wave off his concerns again, but felt her resolve crumble. She couldn't remember the last time she wasn't seen as Argus's Champion or the General of the Oniyuri Rebellion. She had friends in the Rebellion, but they were professional and polite relationships rather than genuine friendships. But here was this blonde knight from Vale, offering to support her.

"That sounds splendid." She said, accepting help rather than rejecting it for the first time in years.

"These reports we've gotten recently concern me," Weiss admitted to the two other occupants of the strategy tent. "Large quantities of Dust are being moved to Lake Matsu, and not just for sale. But the Rebellion doesn't have a naval presence. What are they planning?"

General Yatsuhashi Daichi put a large hand to his chin and hummed. "Perhaps they plan on cutting us off from the West, disrupting our supply chain?" He proposed an explanation, but the third strategist shook her head.

"Nah, they'd be moving more soldiers if they were doing that," Coco Adel reasoned. "The Dust had enough of an escort that our scouts didn't want to get too close, but not enough that they could effectively pressure us from behind. And they definitely didn't have enough supplies to last cut off from the rest of their force."

"Are they moving the Dust to Windpath for some reason? Or perhaps Argus?" Weiss offered.

"Maybe Argus. But moving it to Windpath doesn't make sense; the mountain passes should have thawed out by now, and any Grimm on the way should be cleared out. There's no need for them to reroute a delivery across Lake Matsu." Yatsuhashi explained.

"Maybe they're selling it to someone else. Atlas?" Coco theorized, shooting Weiss a look. "As the resident Atlesian, how likely is that?"

"Not very. There's a lot of Dust, but not nearly enough to suit the needs of Atlas's military force in Argus. And if they needed Dust, they'd get it delivered from my father. He'd get it to them quicker and safer."

"But the idea of selling to a third party has merit. It would not be the first time Lionheart did business with bandits," Yatsuhashi spat out. "That amount of dust would certainly be valuable for the Branwen Tribe."

Weiss and Coco nodded. "Agreed. We should take a deeper look into this. Weiss and I will lead some of the knights and rebels to check it out in a few days. Work for you, big guy?" Coco asked. The brunette had quickly learned of General Daichi's passivity in strategy but did a far better job negotiating around it than Weiss did.

The general grunted but acquiesced. "I'll accompany you. General Nikos can manage things here. I want to see this with my own eyes. We'll move out in four days. Dismissed." At his command, the two women nodded to him before departing from the tent as Yatsuhashi rolled up the map that had been sitting on the table.

"Wanna grab a bite to eat with Velvet and I?" Coco asked Weiss, waving over the rabbit faunus in question. Weiss simply shook her head and turned to the training grounds, where she could see Yang struggling to her feet while her uncle looked barely winded.

"No thanks. There's someone I have to talk to," She said with a growl. Coco just chuckled, catching onto Weiss's intentions instantly. She hadn't be the one who was supposed to be in that meeting after all.

"Good luck with that, Weiss. Doubt he'll listen to you." She said with a smirk. Weiss gave her a raised eyebrow.

"Does he listen to anyone?" She said through ground teeth. Trying to get Qrow Branwen to show up to strategy meetings was aggravating and pointless. But she was used to aggravating and pointless; she'd grown up bumping shoulders with Atlesian nobility and making small talk at parties.

"The King. Lady Goodwitch, sometimes. I heard he used to be a total softy whenever his niece asked for something, but that's just a rumor." She said with a shrug.

Weiss threw her hands up. "Than why not have Yang ask him to show up to strategy meetings?" She asked exhasperatedly. Coco winced.

"The other niece. Ruby Rose."

"Oh."

"Yeah. He took a few months off after that whole... situation. Came back with a chip on his shoulder. He's been working his tail off ever since, like he's... avoiding it." She explained sympathetically.

Weiss nodded. "I see. My heart goes out to him for his loss," Though if she had her way, he would have his niece back soon enough. "But that doesn't excuse him from his responsibilities. King Ozpin appointed him in command. He needs to show up to strategy meetings."

Coco chuckled as Weiss stormed off, shouting out a call of "Good luck!" as the white-haired heiress pushed through the crowd until she came up to the training grounds. A dozen assorted rebels and knights were in various states of pain on the ground, with Yang clearly being the most recent one to yield given her groans and the fact she was clutching her stomach. Up close, it was clear Qrow had taken a few hits, but a few hits against a dozen foes wasn't a surprise. Weiss was willing to bet most of them came from Blake surprising him while Yang distracted him.

The red-eyed man turned upon hearing her approach and gave a scoff and an eye roll, easily guessing what she was there for. Weiss didn't let him rile her up. If she let him do that like usual, then she wasn't going to get anywhere. Instead, she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Sir Branwen. We need to talk."

More character interaction chapters, with the bulk of this one not being about Weiss or Ruby. Don't worry, the other relationships won't be pushing the main pairing out of the spotlight for long. Honestly, I need to set up the other pairings in order to highlight what's going wrong with Ruby and Weiss right now, that being the breakdown in communication. Expect the other pairings to get similar but shorter segments over the next few chapters as well. These segments are going somewhere, I promise.

We've got some more character stuff to go through before we get back into the main action. If you're a fan of that, then good for you. If you don't like that, sorry. Plot can't progress if the characters don't, and the way the big action scenes don't lend themselves as well to these first meetings and serious conversations. There is setup for action in this chapter and the last, but that's at least two or three chapters away.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the glimpse into a different character's perspective for a little bit. Please feel free to leave a comment/review with your thoughts, and see you all again soon with the next chapter. Until then, have a great day!