Author's Note: Following Chapter 14 I'll be taking a week off from posting this story and post a few chapters of a new on instead. Normal service will resume the following week.

Chapter 13

Yang woke up to a sharp pain in her left arm. Still groggy, in the twilight between sleep and waking, she tried to flex the offending limb, assuming she had just slept on it wrong. It refused to budge. Something was surrounding it, holding it in place. She held her arm in front of her face and as her vision focused she could see it was encased in ice. "Weiss, why is my arm frozen?" Yang yawned.

"I told you not to touch me while I was sleeping." Weiss said. She was already up and dressing. "Your arm was draped over me when I woke up. I figured amputating it would be a little harsh, so I decided to give you a little warning."

"This is one heck of a warning." Yang said. She slammed her frozen arm against the stone floor but it only chipped the ice. "Would you unfreeze me already?"

"Alright, but only because I like you." Weiss laughed. She tapped Yang's arm with Myrtenaster and the ice disappeared.

"Next time just smack me or something." Yang said. She rubbed her arm until the color and normal feeling started to return. Still looking down at her arm Yang was caught off guard as her chestplate slammed into her head. "Ouch!"

"Stop complaining and get dressed." Weiss commanded. "We need to get going if we want to reach the capital today."

"You were a lot nicer to me before you were my girlfriend." Yang complained as she started putting on her armor.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you." Weiss said with a wink.

"Who are you and what have you done with the princess?" Yang said.

"What, I'm not allowed to be flirty?" Weiss asked.

"It's more than a little jarring." Yang replied. "And besides, I thought you were against flirting."

"No, I'm against you flirting with every vaguely attractive person you come across." Weiss said. "I thought you wanted me to lighten up anyway."

"I guess I do." Yang said. She finished fastening her gauntlets, the last of her armor.

"Alright then." Weiss said. "Let's get going."

"After you princess." Yang said.

As Weiss stepped ahead and reached for the door a gauntleted hand clamped around her rear. She drew Myrtenaster and spun around, dragging the blade across Yang's hand. In an instant it was encased in ice. "You never learn, do you?" Weiss laughed.

"Worth it." Yang said. "Now unfreeze me already."

"Not this time." Weiss said. She opened the door and stepped out, leaving Yang standing there with her hand still frozen in a solid block of ice.

"Gods she's sexy." Yang gasped. She slammed her fists together and the ice shattered and fell away.

The day's march proceeded very much like the previous days' had. Ruby and Pyrrha rode the Pegasus while the others took turns riding Zwei, two at a time. There were a few differences. The group kept closer together in case of another attack, and Weiss did take the opportunity to occasionally ride instead of walking the whole way. The weather was good and the trail began to improve. It was still poorly kept, overgrown with weeds and in some places almost indistinguishable from the surrounding ground, but it was far more level and had fewer obstructions.

The group kept going after nightfall. The forest started to thin and finally ended as the path rejoined one of the main roads to the capital. The city was within sight. The walls that surrounded it were imposing, and the gate facing the group was topped with a statue depicting a snarling dragon, presumably Grima. From a distance the palace was visible, towering over the walls. Somewhere within was their target, the King of Plegia. If he could be captured or killed it could end the war immediately. Infiltrating the enemy capital with a group of seven warriors was a crazy plan, borderline suicidal, but it was their best shot.

The group set up a hide in a copse of trees not far from the city. Now was the time to work out their final plans. "I say we attack immediately." Blake said. "We still have the element of surprise and every moment we wait is one in which we may be discovered."

"We just spent the whole day marching." Ren said. "I would recommend waiting until tomorrow night. We need to be sharp."

"Ren's right." Yang said. "Tonight we can observe the guards, see their patterns, when they change shifts. We need to get past the walls unseen or we won't even make it to the palace."

"But I don't want to wait." Nora complained. "Let's attack now."

"No, we should wait." Pyrrha said. "Haste could get us killed. We only get one shot at this and we need to be as ready as we can be."

"Ruby?" Weiss said.

"Don't ask me." Ruby said, holding up her hands. "You guys know better than me."

"Then it's three to two in favor of waiting." Weiss said. "For the record I would have voted to wait as well. We'll sleep during the day tomorrow and attack after dark."

"Just one problem." Yang said. "How are we going to get over the walls? We don't have any ladders."

"I can ride my Pegasus to the top of the wall and lower a rope." Pyrrha suggested. "We have plenty."

"I don't think I can climb a rope in this armor." Yang said. "I'd bet Nora would be hard pressed too."

"I can help." Ren said. "I can levitate you. The magic's not enough to lift you on its own, but it should make it much easier."

"That might actually work." Yang said. "Wait, why don't we use Pyrrha's Pegasus to ferry us all to the top?"

"That's not going to happen." Pyrrha replied. "He doesn't let just anyone ride him. It took a lot of work just to get him to accept Ruby. And I don't think he can fly with the weight of two riders on his back anyway."

"Ren, will you be able to climb the rope once the rest of us are up on the wall?" Weiss asked.

"It won't be a problem." Ren answered.

"Yeah, Ren's spent a lot of time climbing trees with me!" Nora added.

"Then we have our plan." Weiss said. "Once we're over the wall we get to the palace as fast as possible, hopefully before the Plegians even know we're inside. Then we deal with the king."

"And what will we do with the king?" Blake asked.

"I'd prefer to take him alive." Weiss replied. "If that's not possible, we'll have to kill him."

"What if we're surrounded and can't escape?" Yang asked. "We can probably get in undetected but getting out will be much harder."

"The king will be our bargaining chip." Weiss said. "If things go really wrong we'll barricade ourselves somewhere hold out as long as we can. One of Ylisse's armies will get here eventually. But I really hope it doesn't come to that."

Qrow had arrived at the Plegian defensive position the day before. Instead of attacking immediately he decided to let his army rest. They had been marching for days and were exhausted. The Plegian position looked formidable. The road ran through a narrow valley between a pair of steep mountains and the Plegians had erected a palisade all the way across the valley floor. Soldiers lined the top of the wall, mostly archers mixed with heavily armored spearmen. Qrow's Pegasus riders reported that the enemy had no reserves, so any successful breakthrough would likely defeat the whole position, but just getting that breakthrough would be incredibly difficult.

Qrow had his army wake before dawn and eat breakfast. Then he had them deploy into battle order. They were split into four parts, the center, two wings, and a reserve force. If a breakthrough was achieved, Qrow would throw in the reserves to exploit it. He had a pretty good idea of where his army would have the most success. To the left of the road, near the junction of the the center and left wing, was a cluster of trees. They would provide good cover from the enemy archers, allowing his soldiers to get close to the wall without being under fire.

Qrow launched the attack just as the sun peeked over the horizon. His army had the added advantage of having the sun at their backs, blinding the defenders. His front ranks were slowed by the Plegian archers. Plegian mages also produced some nasty surprises in the form of magical traps that engulfed his men in fire or ice. Still the army pressed on. Near the cluster of trees the soldiers reached the wall. Qrow's archers kept up a constant fire, forcing the defenders back and troops began to scale the fortification. Once a few made it over the wall, they formed a defensive position of their own, allowing their fellows to begin tearing the wall down. In minutes the breach was several meters wide and Qrow's soldiers began pouring through the gap. He committed his reserves to the fight, knowing there was now no stopping him.

Qrow expected the Plegians to hold on for dear life. Plegian commanders often executed soldiers who fled the field of battle. Even once beaten they would cling to their positions, often fighting to the last man. To Qrow's surprise the Plegian army collapsed as his men breached the wall. Plegian soldiers surrendered in droves while others fled. In less than an hour the battle was over, a resounding victory for Ylisse's forces. Qrow was shocked and suspicious, but his scouts reported that there were no ambushes or any further defensive lines ahead. The road to the capital was open.

It was a risk but Qrow left behind a large chunk of his army. He took his cavalry and lightly armed soldiers and raced ahead. His nieces were heading for the capital on an incredibly dangerous mission, but if he could get there first they would not have to take that risk. He would rather risk his own death than theirs. He would probably not be able to make it to the capital before nightfall, but that would not stop him. He and his small advance force would not stop until they had reached their destination.

The night of observation had proved valuable. There were few guards atop the city walls. They rarely left their posts to patrol the walls. The group found a spot with a sizable gap between guard posts. As long as the pattern continued and the guards remained stationary, it would be rather easy to slip through unnoticed. Once inside the city it would be easy to reach their destination. All the major roads led directly to the palace. Unfortunately they could not see inside the city from their position outside the walls. Pyrrha tried overflying on her Pegasus but she had to stay high to avoid being detected and was unable to see anything useful. Hopefully it would be as poorly guarded as the walls.

Just after dark they set their plan in motion. Pyrrha flew to the top of the wall, fixed a rope to the crenelations and tossed it down. Weiss, Blake and Ruby quickly scrambled up as Pyrrha set up another rope and lowered it down on the inner side of the walls. Even with Ren's help it was something of a struggle for Yang and Nora to climb up. Yang in particular had difficulty. Not only was her armor quite heavy, her gauntlets did not allow for a very good grip on the rope. Still, she managed to struggle her way to the top just after Nora. Ren followed. By the time he reached the top the others were on their way down the other side. Only Pyrrha and her Pegasus remained atop the walls. Ren untied the rope, wrapped it up and tossed it over his shoulder. They could not afford to leave behind any evidence of their infiltration. Then Ren slid down and into the city. Pyrrha undid that rope, wrapped it up and took it with her as she flew to the ground astride her Pegasus. They were in, and the lack of alarm bells indicated they had made it undetected.

Pyrrha sent her Pegasus away as the group started into the city. The sound of hooves on stone could give them away and the risk was not worth the added combat effectiveness. The streets seemed deserted but the group stuck to the side alleys, winding their way through the maze of streets toward the palace. After an hour of sneaking, they reached their destination. A metal fence was all that separated the palace grounds from the rest of the city, but once past that barrier there would be no cover. They could see no guards, but that did not mean they were not there.

They would need to get through the fence as quickly and quietly as possible. "Light me." Yang said.

"Your girlfriend has the body of a twelve year old." Blake taunted.

"Take that back." Yang growled as her gauntlets burst into flames.

"That felt so good to say." Blake said.

"At some point we're going to have a long talk about showing respect for your liege." Weiss grumbled.

"Sure we are." Blake said.

Yang grabbed the bars of the fence near the top with her flaming gauntlets. The metal turned red hot, then white hot as it started to melt away. Yang then moved her hands to the bottom of the bars, again holding them until the metal softened. Then she took a deep breath and the flames that had engulfed her gauntlets died away. She grabbed the bars near the center and pulled, popping them out with hardly a sound. The group slipped through the gap and crossed the space between the fence and the palace itself in seconds. Still no alarms. No shouts.

They rounded the building, looking for an entry point. They would fight their way in if they had to but it was preferable to remain undetected. Eventually they arrived at the front door. There were no guards posted. A pair of soldiers chatted nearby at the front gate, but they were far enough away that they did not notice the intruders. Hoping against hope Weiss pulled on the door. It opened silently. A quick peek inside revealed no one, so the group entered. They found themselves in a large room with a red carpet running down the center of the floor. The walls were covered in paintings and ornate carvings. Even the ceiling was richly decorated with more artwork. At the far end was a pair of towering gilded doors. If the information they had on the layout of the place was accurate, the throne room was beyond. A little beyond that would be the king's private chambers.

The group moved as quietly as possible to the doors. Nora and Yang each took hold of one, silently counted down, and pushed them open. The throne room was even more ornately adorned than the previous chamber and much better lit with candles and magical lights lining the walls and ceiling. At the far end of the room, at the top of a set of stairs, was the throne. To their surprise, the king was there. A quartet of heavily armed and armored guards flanked him. He looked old, tired and sad, far from the villain the group was expecting.

The guards readied their weapons. "Don't bother." The king said. "The game's up."

"But we're sworn to protect you with our lives." One of the guards protested.

"I've no life left to protect." The king sighed. "Go on and save yourselves. I hope our guests are generous enough to let you go."

"It's been an honor serving you, Your Majesty." One of the other guards said. The quartet bowed in unison and walked away, heading off into a side room.

"I surrender." The king said. "Lead me away in chains, kill me, do whatever you please."

"Why aren't you putting up a fight?" Weiss asked. She was beyond suspicious. "Surely you have more guards. You're a king."

"I'm a king in name only." The king sighed. "I've not wielded any power in a long time. Come on then, do what you will."

"Capture him." Weiss commanded. Yang cautiously approached the king. He stood and turned around, holding his hands behind his back. Yang tied them together and stripped him of his sword.

"Do you want our pity?" Pyrrha asked. Her anger was bubbling just below the surface but she was doing a damn good job of hiding it. "Do you have any idea how many lives your war has taken?"

"My war?" The king said. "No. I couldn't have ordered it if I tried. I'm afraid I'm but a pawn." He looked at Pyrrha. "I can see the rage in your eyes." He tilted his head in curiosity. "Those eyes, I've seen them before." He thought for a moment. "You must be the Countess of Nikopolis."

"I am." Pyrrha confirmed.

"I am truly sorry about your parents." The king said. "It was truly despicable what happened to them."

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked. "They died of plague."

"They did not." The king said. "They were murdered. Cursed. All because they slighted the wrong person."

"Who?" Pyrrha asked. "If what you say is true, and they were murdered, who killed them?"

The king opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance. The towering doors at the entrance to the throne room burst open and a squad of soldiers rushed in. At their head was a woman with a bow. She took aim and fired. Her arrow missed Pyrrha by inches but hit the king in the chest. The man struggled for a moment, his eyes wide with terror, before he went limp and collapsed to the ground.

"Oh no, it seems I've missed my target." The archer said flatly. "What a tragedy." The tone of her voice made it clear that she had been aiming at the king.

Pyrrha knelt at the king's side and felt his neck for a pulse. "He's dead." She reported.

"Did you hear that?" The archer asked. "The king is dead."

The soldiers all around the archer dropped to the floor, prostrating themselves. All at once a cheer rose up. "Long live the queen!"

"I think we've been played." Weiss said.

"I knew it was too easy." Blake groaned. The group readied their weapons, taking positions with the more heavily armored in the front and the less armored in the back. The soldiers accompanying the queen appeared to be well equipped. The group was heavily outnumbered. It looked bad.

"I surrender." The queen said. She tossed her bow aside and held out her hands. "I intend to accept whatever terms the Exalt wishes to impose."

"Who are you?" Weiss asked.

"The Queen of Plegia." The woman said. The soldiers all around her laid down their arms. "You came here to end the war didn't you? Well, I'm giving you what you want. All that remains is for me to sign a formal surrender, which I will do once I've met with the Exalt."

"I don't like this." Yang said. "At all."

"Agreed." Pyrrha said. "Something is very wrong here."

"Unfortunately I don't think we have much of a choice." Weiss said. "Please step forward Queen…"

"Queen Cinder." The woman said with a smirk. "Oh, I do like the sound of that."

"Yang, restrain her." Weiss commanded. "Just in case." Yang approached the queen. Cinder held out her hands, allowing Yang to tie them.

"Thank you for helping me overthrow that awful tyrant." Cinder said. There was no emotion in her voice. "Now our lands can finally be at peace."