On Days of War (TBCW)

**On Days of War** is an autobiography written by Octavia Ember detailing several key events of the Beacon Civil War from the perspectives of the girl faction. Lie Ren used several entries from for his book *The Beacon Civil War.*

## Chapter 2, Paragraph 6-15

*To better understand the situation that befell Beacon, it's important to note that the male population was not, in itself, all that weaker than the female forces. Despite several stand out fighters among our ranks, Pyrrha Nikos being one such example, there were also many celebrated and powerful fighters in possession of different chromosomes. What led to their initial defeat, and further despair, was the way in which the war began.*

*Headmaster Ozpin's decision to declare the start of the war during a lunch hour was either a calculated move of genius, or a gross mistake. Over seventy per cent of the student body were present in the cafeteria or on their way to it when the battle began. Even assuming that there was an equal representation of boys and girls on either side, it meant that whichever side emerged victorious would have already dealt with over two-thirds of the enemy forces, not counting those who escaped. As everyone knows, thanks to the quick thinking by several powerful girls, and Coco Adel's choice of weapon being a fashion accessory she carried around freely, we took control of the cafeteria and eventually defeated – and captured – every man who dared stand against us.*

*In one fell swoop, over half of the male population of Beacon had been subdued. There was more to the women's success than just this, however.*

*The men who fled lived to see another day, and those who had not been at the cafeteria at all were also free. They were scattered across Beacon, however. Leaderless, disheartened and without the means to fight back.*

*We, on the other hand, were all gathered in one place, or at least seventy per cent of us. Fed on our recent victory, and in the momentary lull that followed, we had the opportunity to discuss and to plan, to argue and to talk – to communicate and to develop a structure. The benefits of this cannot be understated, for it allowed us to create organisation on the first day of the war, while the men of Beacon were still mid-flight*

*Hungry women outside of the cafeteria came for food, and were quickly inducted into the ranks. The situation was explained to them, their roles given, and as such, every woman who approached was able to fit seamlessly into the feminine forces. In a matter of hours, we had become an effective, organised and cohesive fighting army.*

*Had the men won that initial battle, our situations might have been reversed, but it was not so, and that was by the grace of our leaders, and the bravery of our warriors.*

*But there was one more advantage that could not be overstated, and it would come to dominate the battlefield up until the end of the Civil War. Access to and from Beacon had been denied, with nothing capable of being delivered in or out of the academy. In such a situation, and with the men scattered to the wind, whomsoever controlled the cafeteria, controlled the food and drink of Beacon.*

*And as any historian would be quick to point out; an army marches and fights on its stomach…*

## Chapter 4

*To assume that the male population of Beacon rolled over and died when we took over is perhaps too simple. Some chose to surrender, giving themselves over to the lavish prisons we ran, where their only sacrifice was to sit and read in confinement while we fed and cared for them, but there were yet more who continued to fight – and some who did so with great honour and ingenuity.*

*Some sought to gather their forces and rally the men, and were routinely crushed. Others stalked and attacked our convoys, stealing food and inconveniencing us, and they too were hunted as best we were able. Yet more, however, simply waited in silence, remaining hidden away, and for the most part the decision was to leave those men be. So long as they did not make themselves a threat, there was no need to waste resources hunting them.*

*But there was always a chance they might grow into something more, and it was warning of that which Nora Valkyrie, head of the Valkyrie Unit, brought to the high command one morn.*

"*There I was," she said, eyes shining. "Surrounded by men – at least thirty of them!"*

"*Thirty?" High Queen Pyrrha Nikos asked, shocked.*

"*That's madness," Brigadier General Weiss Schnee agreed. "We would have heard of a force that large gathering, and you're suggesting these were led by Jaune of all people?"*

"*Excuse me. Am I telling the story or are you? Right, thanks. So, there I was, surrounded by at least forty-five men, each of them driven mad from hunger, each of them driven even madder by my fierce and unrelenting beauty."*

"*Erm-" Yang, Captain of the Dragoons, tried to intervene, but was silenced by HRH Nikos, who simply pushed her hands down and shook her head meaningfully.*

"*The situation was bad," Nora continued. "I had no idea what to do, and worse, Jaune said how he was going to keep Ren to himself, preventing us from being together once more. Well, not together-together, but-"*

*(This continues for a paragraph or three, of which I shall mercifully spare you – Lie Ren)*

"*And Jaune stood before me, at least six foot-five."*

"*Six-five?" Yang asked. "What?"*

"*He's grown," Nora said.*

"*Even taller?" Pyrrha asked, eyes shining.*

"*Yep. You'll love it, Pyrrha. Trust me."*

"*Oh, I think I will…"*

"*Anyway," Nora continued. "He had fire in his eyes and wielded his mighty sword in one hand, his stalwart shield in the other. I was closed in on every side, left without any hope of retreat, and with his vast horde bearing down on me." Nora paused and swept an arm before her for dramatic effect. "I was trapped!"*

*The Brigadier General sniffed. "I am not convinced Jaune Arc could trap a fly."*

"*Yeah," Yang agreed. "And fire in his eyes? Are you sure you weren't fighting a Grimm or something?"*

"*Look, I know my team leader, okay? It was Jauney, he was armed to the teeth, and he was at the head of at least sixty men."*

"*How does the number keep growing!?"*

"*Because of his reputation," Nora explained, as if to a small child. "Duh. People are flocking to his banner, and the fact he managed to get past me and grab the supply drop is only going to help."*

"*Wait, you didn't even explain `how` he got past you."*

"*Oh, he jumped out the window," Nora said, waving a hand.*

*The Brigadier General was left open-mouthed. "And the sixty or more men surrounding you?"*

"*They ran away."*

"*Why on Remnant would they run away!? Your story makes absolutely no sense!"*

"*It's not a story," Nora defended, sounding equally offended. "It's a battle report."*

"*And we're expected to believe this," Weiss said. "We are expected to believe that Jaune Arc, weakest fighter in Beacon and all-around stalking leech, is somehow able to inspire the defeated men of Beacon into a tribe capable of threatening our rule? Jaune Arc," she repeated, as if that somehow was the main focus. "Jaune. Arc. Tall, blonde and scraggly."*

"*It makes perfect sense to me," Pyrrha Nikos declared, standing. "Jaune has always been leader material."*

"*No, he hasn't been!" Weiss howled.*

*"He's charismatic-"*

*"He absolutely isn't!"*

*"Inspiring-"*

*"You're not even listening, are you?"*

*"And if there was anyone who could defeat me, it would be him."*

"*Are we even talking about the same guy anymore?" Yang asked, sighing.*

*Pyrrha smiled dreamily. "I always knew he'd be a leader of men one day…"*

"*Okay, never mind." Weiss threw her arms into the air. "I suppose it can't hurt to take this seriously on the off-chance – the very, very, slim chance – that it might be real. At the very least it's better to be safe than sorry."*

*The Captain of the Dragoons shrugged. "Works for me, Weiss-cream. What do you have in mind?"*

"*We'll send a few units after him, drag him back and clap him in chains."*

"*We don't have chains. The prison is a hall filled with bedrooms."*

"*It's a metaphor. We'll put him in a room, close the window and tell him he isn't allowed to leave."*

"*Alright, alright," Yang chuckled. "I get it. Still, don't you think we should ask Pyrrha if that's okay? She is technically the leader here."*

*The two paused and turned to the High Queen, who was busy mumbling to herself with two fingers held against her lips. "-and he'll become a King, and I'll be the Queen, and we'll have to make a diplomatic agreement for peace. Oh no, what if he asks for me? W-Well, if it's for the good of the land…"*

"*Never mind," Yang said, sighing and raising to her feet. "I'll marshal the army. You tell the others."*

"*And then he grew great leathery wings and started to spit fire!" Nora crowed, going completely ignored as the meeting came to an end.*

## Chapter 8

*Though I was not there, I felt the reverberations of what occurred in the North Wing. It happened without warning, though that is perhaps too arrogant to say. We knew of the insurrection, after all. It was the reason the army had been sent to quell the rogue male, Jaune Arc. I had not met him in person before, though I had seen him once or twice and not thought too much of him. Perhaps I misjudged, for it was his name I would be hearing for days to come.*

*On hand ant at the main Academy Building, I reacted as I should to the noise coming from the North and led a unit of scouts to investigate. What we found was both a shock and a nightmare, though we knew it not at the time and even if we had, I doubt we would have believed it.*

*Women, bedraggled and low on aura, bereft of supplies, weapons and food. They stumbled from the North Wing with vacant expressions and eyes that spoke of great loss. Many were bruised and showed clear signs of combat, but their defeat did not make sense. What lone man could have taken them? What terrible Grimm had they discovered in the hallways?*

*I asked them, but their words – I believed – were nonsense.*

"*The King in the North," they would say.*

"*He comes," another would add.*

"*A tide of men – a horde from the North."*

*The warnings continued on, and through the fevered and hushed whispers we pieced together a picture. They spoke of an uprising, of a mysterious King who had united the tribes and somehow formed them into a Kingdom of their own. They spoke of squads of men – ten to twenty in number – streaming down the halls and challenging any they came upon.*

*They spoke of arrogance and conceit, their own in all cases, and told us stories of how they had laughed in the faces of the defeated – only to find themselves roundly trounced in turn.*

*They spoke of the despair of loss, of the shock that the man could beat them, and how they have been stripped of food and drink, then expelled from the North Wing, told never to return lest they face the fury of the Arconaughts, whoever they were supposed to be.*

*Now, I recognise the name. At the time, I did not.*

*I too was arrogant. I too felt we were invulnerable. I had become glut from out success and it was with that foolish arrogance that I directed our team into the North Wing. I would find this `King of Men`, this `Warchief`, and I would drag him down with my bare hands.*

*I was a fool…*

*When my teammates found me later, I was huddled outside the North Wing, rocking back and forth as I stared down at my empty hands. The scouts I had entered with were all beside me, and all had lost their weapons, supplies – and more importantly – their self-respect.*

"*What happened?" Nebula asked, crouching down to touch my shoulder. "Octavia… who did this to you?"*

"*He has come…" I whispered.*

"*Who?" she asked. "Who's come?"*

"*The King in the North. I… I need to speak to the High Queen. I have a message to deliver."*

"*We'll take you to her," Nebula promised. "What is it, though? What's the message?"*

*I swallowed heavily. It was… difficult to admit, and still hard to grasp even though I'd seen the results with my own eyes. Our team had been beset upon by men, by men I recognised. Team SSSN, Yatsuhashi the Giant, and even Cardin Winchester – the man who would later be known as the Right Hand of God. We'd fought so hard, but they… they had been unreal.*

"*We no longer have control of the North Wing," I said. "It… It's lost to us."*

*And as the third day of the Beacon Civil War came to an end, not a single woman could claim to reside within the North Wing. We had all of us been forced back, our tails tucked between our legs and our minds shattered by the possibility that this war might still be losable.*

*But we knew deep inside that this would not be allowed to stand.*

*The War had just begun…*

## Chapter ???

"*This is madness!" Brigadier General Weiss Schnee pounded a fist down onto the wooden table, spilling some cordial from a mug. "How is it possible that our first assault force was driven back without so much as a single prisoner to our name?"*

"*The men were waiting for them. That's all I've been able to get from Nora so far," High Queen Pyrrha Nikos said. Her hands were sticky from her time healing the defeated, and many were the girls washing out their hair right now. "She's taken it hard, Weiss. She's all but catatonic. You know she's undefeated in Team JNPR Pillow-fights for a reason. This has really shaken her confidence."*

"*Pillow Queen… gone… not like this… not like this..." Nora rocked back and forth on a chair.*

"*Damn it!" Weiss slammed the table again. "We had everything under control. All of Beacon was ours for the taking. What went wrong!?"*

"*Jaune Arc," Yang said, arms crossed.*

"*I refuse to believe that… that idiot could be responsible for all of this!"*

"*Believe it nor not, Weiss-cream. I just listened to Ruby tell me how he's commanding all those men and how they answer to him. You want to hear the really bad news? Two Capture Points are now blue."*

*The War Council gasped in shock. To note, the Capture Points were the Objectives that Ozpin had scattered around Beacon to judge the outcome of the war. There were nine in total, an odd number to prevent a draw, and the colours were blue for boys and red for girls. Some liked to say it was pink, but some had said that was too patronising and that it was magenta at best. Others just rolled their eyes and didn't care about the colour.*

*Either way, the news that the boys – who had traditionally (in so far as tradition can exist in a five-day period) had zero Capture Points – now had two to their name? It was enough to bring silence to the Council.*

"*It's not enough to win," Pyrrha said.*

"*No, but it's a start," Yang countered. "They've gone from none to two. What happens tomorrow? Do they jump up to three, four – or maybe even five?"*

"*Not on my watch," Weiss hissed.*

"*We can't afford to take any more risks, Weiss-cream. That lien is getting further and further away and mommy needs new tyres for her motorbike. We have to take them seriously. There's maybe a day and a half left. I don't want us to lose at the last minute."*

"*We won't, Yang. We'll crush this ridiculous rebellion."*

"*That's what Nora thought," a voice whispered from behind, "and look where that led her."*

*The Council paused and turned as a new figure entered the hall, gracefully passing by the guards who had been startled at her very appearance. Her hair fell in raven waves down her shoulders and she was flanked by two women dressed head to toe in black.*

*Yang smiled and nodded to the newcomer. "Blake."*

"*I heard what happened," Blake said, stepping up to the table. "They've done well to forge a home for themselves and dig in. We've already seen that a direct assault is fruitless. It would probably take everything we have to break through and bring them down. That would be a costly endeavour.* *I came when I heard Ruby had been taken. I intended to slip in and free her myself but I see Yang's already taken care of it. I would have helped but I was busy rounding up some straggling men in the East Wing. Some were trying to reach the North Wing, but my Kunoichi caught them first."*

*None dared doubt her claim and none would, for Blake's unit – the Kunoichi of Love, were renowned across Beacon. It was said they had skills that others might have called unnatural… and that they followed the teachings of some mysterious tome no Kunoichi would dare show to another. To even ask about its contents would earn a red-face – doubtless from rage – and stammering responses. Their techniques were "art", they were "misunderstood", and most importantly – though I know not why it was even raised – their techniques were "not smut".*

"*It seems to me that the problem with this latest insurrection is apparent," Blake said, tapping one finger on the table. "Up until now the men have been without direction and easy to deal with. It was only when they were joined under one banner that they became a problem."*

"*And you know how to deal with that?" Yang asked, smirking.*

*Blake smiled back.*

"*Why, it's simple. We'll simply cut the head off the snake. And thanks to what Ruby just told me, we know not only where he is, but where he sleeps.* *My unit will slip into Jaunehalla tonight."*

*She drew forth her weapon and slammed it point down into the map – pinning the exact room Ruby Rose had told them she had been kept within. Jaune Arc's personal quarters. The master Kunoichi chuckled and strode back to the door, waving one hand over her shoulder.*

"*We'll see how long they hold without their beloved Warchief."*

*As Blake strode away, chuckling to herself, Weiss turned to Yang.*

*"Is no one going to comment how weirdly into this she is...?"*

*"Given what she reads? I can't say I'm surprised."*

## Chapter ??? (II)

*It was noon on the final day of the war when the female warriors returned victorious from conquest. Stomachs rumbled and limbs dragged heavily with fatigue, and yet their heads were held high, for even if the perfidious leader, the King of the North, had escaped, his forces had been shattered. Eighty or more were those who had been captured, their hands laced together by shoelaces as they were marched in the middle of the column, their heads bowed in defeat.*

*The women were raucous in their victory, laughing and shouting between one another. They had every right to be, for in just twenty-four hours victory would be achieved at last. The High Queen had promised a feast that would never be forgotten for our achievement, and many were the stomachs that rumbled in anticipation. The Queen herself was pensive, marching at the front. I personally knew she had expected the capture of the King, Jaune Arc, and the means for how he had escaped still remained a mystery.*

*But such mysteries had a tendency to reveal themselves. So, too, did this one as we rounded the corner to the cafeteria – and found ourselves faced with a wall. It was a wall of blue lockers, but also a wall of flesh and steel, all aimed towards us. Shock ran through the returning army and the column halted, the news being passed further down the line to those who had not yet seen the travesty ahead.*

"*What… what the hell is this!?" Captain Yang Xiao-Long demanded.*

*A commotion began in the men's lines and a figure appeared from the front. I didn't recognise his face but others must have, for they gasped in shock. "Jaune…" the High Queen whispered, and again the news was whispered through our ranks.*

*Jaune Arc was not as many had imagined. He was tall but no giant, and while his eyes roved over them critically they did not burn with eldritch fire. He did command a certain presence, however. Even if that might have been accentuated by the rocket lockers he stood upon.*

"*Welcome to the cafeteria, Pyr," he said. "I'd offer you a sandwich but I'd have to ask you to surrender first." He grinned as gasps flew through the female line. "Turnabout is fair play after all."*

*Yang pushed past the Queen before she could reply. "Oi, vomit boy. Where's Weiss?"*

"*Weiss?" he asked. "Well, she's around here somewhere. Ah, there she is." He pulled someone up on stage beside him. She was held by Lie Ren and Yatsuhashi Daikon, and Weiss Schnee would surely have had colourful words for which to describe her situation.*

*Unfortunately, or fortunately, she couldn't speak past the strip of cloth stuck in her mouth.*

*Brigadier General Weiss Schnee – one of the leaders of our empire, an empire which had stood victorious until this time, had been captured. The shock of that revelation spread like wildfire and I was not alone in taking a nervous step back.*

*The High Queen, however, did not. "The cafeteria is ours, Jaune."*

"*And the auditorium was ours but it looks like you smashed the place up. Things change, and besides, you lot kept the cafeteria to yourself all this time. It could have been a neutral place where everyone could peacefully eat, but you turned it into a weapon. Or she did," he added, nodding to Weiss. It had to be a guess on his part but yes, it had been the Brigadier General's idea. "Now it's our turn, Pyrrha. Anyone who surrenders will be allowed food. Anyone who doesn't? Well, there's a perfectly good auditorium up north."*

*He smiled at the last, and his words were echoed by the jeers of those who stood beside him – men who were, as far as we could tell, prisoners rescued from the library. But a day ago they had been cowed and defeated - quick to follow any instructions - but now they brayed for blood like wild animals. They had armed themselves too, and suddenly the rocket lockers which formed their hastily built wall made more sense.*

*The numbers were, for the first time, even. The High Queen had taken three hundred or so with her, and there could not have been much more than that which stood before us, perhaps even less. Despite that, the men held a defensible position and were well-rested, while the girls had just fought a gruelling campaign to fight their way past six rows of fortifications, each laden with traps and hidden tripwires that splashed flour and water in their faces. The women were exhausted, bruised, and also very, very, hungry.*

*They could not fight. The women knew it, the men knew it, but still they would not sally forth for even if they had been freshly freed, they too were not at full strength. It was, by all definition, the perfect stalemate.*

"*We have your defenders prisoner," Pyrrha called. She gestured for the men to be brought forward and they were, such well-known commanders as Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias. They were pushed to their knees.*

*King Jaune's eyes narrowed. "You do."*

"*We'll trade them for food, their weight in food for you to have them all back. It's the same deal we made for Ruby a few days ago."*

*It was a good deal, a necessary deal. The food would give the women the strength to recover and plot their counter-attack, and then to seize the cafeteria on the final day, crushing the resistance once and for all. King Jaune would have no option but to accept as well, lest he face the wrath of his-*

"*No."*

*The silence that ran through the two armies was indescribable. The single word, callously given, condemned the captured men to life as prisoners. Sun Wukong's head fell, while those behind the wall of lockers shifted and traded awkward glances. Even we were surprised, and those that seemed to know Jaune of Arc were the most so, gasping open-mouthed.*

*Ruby Rose stepped forward. "W-What? Are you saying you'll give us less?" she asked.*

"*No. I'm saying I won't trade food for them at all."*

"*Prisoners, then? You'll give us Weiss?"*

"*No." His words were like the tolling of a distant bell. "I won't make a prisoner trade."*

*Eighty men… that was how many the King of the North was willing to sacrifice. That he would sacrifice any at all cemented him as a monster, but the number alone was inconceivable. It would be a sizeable addition to his force and bought in something he had a limitless amount of, and yet for ultimate victory he would cast them away, starving us but also condemning his own to suffer.*

*The High Queen's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Very well, Jaune. We'll return to the North Wing for now, but make no mistake – we shall return. The cafeteria is ours."*

"*It was yours," he said. "Things change."*

*He stood there like an immovable statue as Pyrrha Nikos signalled for her forces to turn and march in the opposite direction. The prisoners were tugged along.*

"*One moment," he called, stopping them.*

"*Have you changed your mind, Jaune?"*

"*Not quite." The King checked something on his scroll and whispered some words to Lie Ren, who we knew to be his Spymaster and left hand. The Spymaster nodded back, pointed to something, and then melted back into the ranks of men. King Jaune Arc turned to his right hand, then, The Iron Beast, Cardin Winchester. The burly man nodded back, and the King of the North turned to us with one eyebrow raised. "I was just wondering how you intended to feed those prisoners." he said.*

"*What do you mean?"*

"*Well, it's just that by the laws of the war you have to keep your prisoners fed. Correct me if I'm wrong but you don't have any food other than what you took with you, which wouldn't even be enough for yourself at this point." His smile grew. "So, how do you intend to feed those prisoners?"*

*There was no answer. Pyrrha looked to Yang, and Yang looked to Blake, and Blake looked for Weiss except that she was trussed and gagged next to their enemy. Ruby and Nora shrugged, while many of the other girls whispered in confusion.*

"*Maybe you never thought about it before since you had the cafeteria next door," he continued, "but the rules state that if you can't feed your prisoners three meals a day then you have to let them go. Since we're right next to the tower of Beacon I'm sure Miss Goodwitch is watching right now. So, how do you intend to feed those prisoners, Pyrrha?"*

*The High Queen's hand clenched into a fist. She was trapped. They all were. With a pointed sigh Pyrrha turned to those around the prisoners and waved one hand. The message was clear even if no words were uttered. The men were released, their bindings undone.*

*Sun Wukong rubbed his wrists and looked around in awe, like a man who had been deprived of sunlight and whom had just seen it again once more. He stared at the King on the wall, and after a brief second he whooped and rushed forward. Their fellows followed, cackling wildly as they leapt up and were hoisted over the wall by their allies. Cheers were raised from the men, and the distant chanting reached them once more.*

"***Jaune. Jaune. Jaune. Jaune."** It repeated, over and over.*

"*This won't make a difference, Jaune," Pyrrha Nikos called, raising her voice so that it could be heard over the din. "Even with those returned to you our numbers are even. Once we've had a chance to recover our energy we'll return, and you know full well we eclipse you in terms of quality." Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl, stood tall and proud. There were few who dared doubt her words, or her skill.*

"*Maybe you're right," Jaune Arc said, "and maybe you're wrong. I guess we'll find out. Have fun in Jaunehalla, ladies. If you need us… we'll be having a little victory feast."*

*The men roared and clashed their weapons together, while we were left to scuttle away to the North, our prides bruised and our egos shattered. The men's jeers and taunts followed us, and they seemed to haunt from every corridor and window. All too many of us had become complacent in victory, certain that nothing could stop us. For many it was a wakeup call. For some, it was a devastating blow. For Beacon, it marked the final stages of the Civil War.*

*The war had at last truly begun.*

## Chapter ??? (III)

*News of the ceasefire spread like wildfire among the camp, and more so the smell of freshly cooked food. The sentries were alerted long before Weiss Schnee appeared, and at first none could understand how the captured prisoners might have returned laden with fresh food. Had they escaped? Had Brigadier-General Weiss Schnee somehow defeated the King of Men on her own?*

*No, she had been set free – and with a message.*

*HRH Pyrrha Nikos was quick to accept the ceasefire, and to call a temporary peace that led many to celebrate, for food had been scarce and what had been gifted to us was rich indeed. We feasted, but even then, our guards were not dropped, and sentries were placed to watch the cafeteria and alert us should any attack be mounted. None was, however. It seemed the men were serious, and rightly so.*

"*Is this for real?" Captain Yang asked, one elbow leaning on the table. She was half-eating a meal, and no one cautioned her for it. They were all hungry. "I mean – um – you don't think it's another trap or anything?"*

"*The ceasefire seems genuine," Pyrrha said, "and I don't think Jaune would lie about it."*

"*Our fearless leader is too honest for that," Nora agreed.*

"*Not entirely fearless," Weiss said. "After all, he clearly is afraid of what will happen if we attacked him full-force. Why else would he try something like this?"*

"*Do you believe it's legitimate, then?" Blake asked.*

"*I personally saw Winchester's reaction. He was practically frothing at the mouth. The others didn't look pleased, either. Trust me; they know their days are numbered. It was obvious from the start and it's obvious now."*

"*Jaune did take the cafeteria," Ruby warned. Zwei yipped from her arms, reacting to the name and wagging his stubby tail. Ruby hugged him close when everyone stared at the treacherous hound. "Stop glaring at Zwei. And we shouldn't underestimate Jaune. He's clever."*

"*He's lucky," Weiss growled.*

"*No, he is intelligent when he wants to be, or needs to be," Pyrrha said. "We've underestimated him from the start and we won't do so now. We'll honour this ceasefire as long as he does. Everyone could use a break anyway."*

"*And the other offer?" Yang asked. "The peace deal? We going to accept that?"*

"*We don't have to," Blake said. "We can defeat them."*

"*But what if both sides could win?" Ruby asked. "Wouldn't that be a cool way to end the war?"*

"*It would be a grand way to end this," Pyrrha agreed. "I'd personally prefer it if we could all win and not just one half of the population. I'd like to attend this meeting and see if we can't make a deal. Where is it to be held, Weiss?"*

"*Jaune suggested the cafeteria but I felt that would be uneven and potentially a trap. I said we should hold it on neutral ground, the library to be specific. I arranged it for ten," she added. "That will let us stall for longer. If we can keep the meeting going we'll win by default, even if a peace deal isn't struck."*

"*The library is far enough away from the cafeteria to be safe," Blake said, nodding to Weiss. "We could react immediately if the men tried to mount an attack. It's a good location. I can have my Ninjas watch it tonight to make sure they don't try to lay a trap." Pyrrha nodded, and the faunus strode out of the room, disappearing soon after with her small group.*

*Pyrrha Nikos rose. "We shall meet for peace," she said. "Ruby, can you send Jaune a message? Tell him I accept his offer, and that if Ozpin allows it, we'll end this war as allies in a joint victory."*

*Ruby nodded happily and rushed out of the room. Those that remained were less thrilled, though not entirely against the idea. Yang sighed and tapped her fingers on the table. "What happens if the headmaster doesn't give it the okay, Pyrrha? What do we do, then?"*

"*We apologise profusely," the Queen said. "And then we do what we must. Weiss, pass a message along to the troops. If the peace deal is successful we stand down."*

"*And if it's not?"*

"*Storm the cafeteria. Yang, Nora, and I will keep Jaune from interfering."*

*That night, the women feasted – and those prisoners released from the cafeteria were welcomed with open arms, for they bore food and came well-fed of their own, eager to get back to work and watch the cafeteria for any sign of attack. Such was the cheer that few thought to count or monitor those who returned, and if more were freed than we had been aware were captured, then that was surely a good thing.*

*Even if a few of them were a little broad in the shoulder and deep in voice.*

## Final Chapter

*The final day of the war dawned with an incredible sense of anticipation. The scrolls showed that we stood victorious at six objective points to one, with two remaining neutral and one being the location of the proposed peace treaty. As the hours ticked by, the lack of movement on either side drove the girls into a fever pitch. Men could be seen through the barricaded windows of the cafeteria, staring out as though they expected an attack at any moments. Dark shadows manned the over-turned lockers and benches that made the walls separating the cafeteria from our own camp.*

*Neither side dared move.*

*Blake, Commander of the Ninjas of Love, had returned with the first light, bringing news that the library had remained secure, with not a single man attempting to infiltrate or lay a trap. Her own forces had remained the full night to ensure it. For all intents and purposes it looked as though the men were content to work towards peace.*

*But few were those who let their guards down entirely.*

*This was Jaune Arc, King of the North, they dealt with. Time and time again he had shown what befell those who underestimated him. None were prepared to do the same again.*

*When the scroll flickered at ten minutes to ten, her Highness rose.*

"*It's time."*

*I, her most faithful scribe, arose with her. I knew that history would be made this day, and that I would be most fortunate to witness it. It was to be the conclusion of the Beacon Civil War, and the victory of the female forces, one way or another.*

*By peace…*

*Or by conquest.*