"Must you wear that? I can easily make you something nicer." Qrow held open the door for Clover, which lead to the royal city of Atlas. 

"I look fine. Now stay here and rest, Ruby will take care of you." Clover turned to the young girl, who saluted jokingly, a grin as wide as the entire kingdom of Mistral covered her face. 

"Wait!" Qrow said, stopping Clover from walking out to the sidewalk. He took Clover's wrinkled hand and slipped a ring, one that Clover was sure he had seen on Qrow's fingers, on Clover's index finger. 

"Think of it as a good luck charm. It will guarantee that you return safely. I'll follow you there in disguise, so don't worry." Qrow smiled down at Clover, who lost focus for a second as he looked in the captivating red eyes of the wizard. Clover forced himself to blink, breaking eye contact with the handsome man who was still holding his hand.

Clover pulled away gently and waved goodbye to his new friends. He traveled through the city slowly, taking in the sights, noting this gorgeous architecture and sights. The city had this life that Clover had never seen before. everyone moved faster than anyone from Clover's small town would think of going. When Clover noticed an entire street dedicated to fashion and clothing stores, he remembered his sister. He hoped that she was doing all right, maybe she had accepted a proposal by now.

Clover's mind was brought back to the present situation when he saw the towering gates to the royal palace. Clover walked through the gates and began the journey across the incredibly long courtyard. 

He looked around at all the people standing in the courtyard. Some talked to others, while some people seemed to be working. 

"I wonder which one of these people is Qrow," Clover muttered to himself. A pigeon flew in front of Clover, stopping to stare at the old man for a few seconds. "He wouldn't come as a pigeon, it's too plain for him." Clover said, continuing on towards the castle. 

He had walked half way across the courtyard when he heard the patter of paws right behind him. Clover looked over his shoulder and saw a tiny dog struggling to keep up with him. The dog had long black fur with a strange greenish tint to it that Clover had never seen in a dog before. 

"Qrow, is that you? Did you really disguise yourself as a dog?" Clover whispered to the tiny dog following him. The dog let out a small yip, which Clover took as confirmation. "Couldn't you have chosen something a bit more useful?"

"Coming through" a powerful voice said, demanding attention. Clover froze when he heard the voice, it was one that was burned into his memory. As a tall woman passed him, he saw the owner of the voice. A tall, black haired woman who had visited Clover's shop just a few weeks ago, and who had caused all this trouble. The Wicked Witch of the Waste, who Clover now knew as Howl's sister Raven, had walked right past him. 

Raven Branwen seemed to realize something and stopped her walk towards the palace. She turned and assessed Clover. "I remember you." She said. "You're that tacky little boy from the tackle shop. Aren't you working for my baby brother now? What brings you to the palace?" She stood, waiting for an answer, a smirk on her face. Clover realized that Qrow had the same smirk, although when Raven did it, it looked way more evil than when Qrow did it. 

"I am working for him, but he's treating me like a slave, so I came her looking for work." Clover lied. 

"Maybe you could take me to visit him after this. I haven't seen my sweet little brother in years and I miss him." Raven said, walking alongside Clover.

The dog at Clover's feet let out a small yip, one that was barely audible. 

"I don't plan to go back there, it was too much work for these old bones." Clover said, looking forward so that he didn't have to stare into Raven's menacing red eyes. Even though they were so similar to Qrow's eyes, Raven's carried this blood-lust shine, one that spoke much about how merciless and cruel she was. 

"What brings you to the palace?" Clover asked, changing the conversation so that he was more comfortable. And Clover was a bit interested in what the answer would be. From what Qrow had said, Clover had thought that Raven wouldn't be welcomed in the royal wizarding community. 

"I got a personal invite from King Ironwood himself. It seems Madame Winter finally realized that she needs me and that it was a big mistake to banish me. I am a very powerful witch and Winter would be lucky to have me." 

"If you're such a powerful witch, why don't you just break the curse you put on me? What good does it bring you to make me old?" Clover asked.

"Sorry darling, My talent lies in casting the spells, not breaking them." Raven speed up her walk and gave a small wave over her shoulder. "Bye grandpa." 

Clover huffed in frustration. He walked as fast as his tired body would allow him to, but he could not catch up with the witch. 

He looked down at the little dog at his feet. "If I didn't have to worry about you Qrow, I'd clobber her. She drives me insane." 

Clover finally made it to the stairs, where Raven was arguing with a soldier. 

"I'm sorry my lady, but weapons are not allowed in the palace. You must leave your sword here." The soldier said.

Raven put her hand on the katana on her side, ready to pull it out. "I take it everywhere, it's part of my magic. Madame Winter needs to get off of her high horse and accept that if she wants my magic, she needs to accept all of it." 

As Clover started up the steps toward the palace, the Captain of the Royal guard came out to Raven. "I'm sorry, but I must ask you to leave if you cannot accept the security measures we have installed here at the palace. If you would like to speak to Madame Winter about it when you see her, I suggest you leave the weapon here." 

Raven gave on sigh, followed by some unintelligible mumbling under her breath, and took the katana off her her belt, handing it to the soldier. "If I find out you even looked at that blade, I'll have your heads," she threatened before heading up the stairs. 

She quickly caught up to Clover, who was carrying the dog up the stairs, since it was too small to make the walk up them itself. 

"Why are you carrying that dog like an idiot? It's unbecoming of you." Raven asked, glaring intensely at Clover and his companion. 

"It's complicated." Clover set the dog down for a second to catch his breath. He was almost at the top, but with Qrow, it would be difficult to make it up there. He picked the dog back up and finished the last of the steps, sighing with relief when he got to the top. 

A footman greeted Raven and Clover at the top of the stairs, escorting them through the large doors. The inside of the entrance was large and had a shininess from being kept in a near perfect state. There were less people here than there were in the courtyard. Clover couldn't help but notice the expensive fashion the people in the palace were wearing. These were all well-to-do people.

"The Witch of the Waste and Mr. Harbinger," someone announced over some sort of speaker. 

"Harbinger? Why does that name sound familiar?" Raven asked.

Clover thought up a lie quickly, knowing that he couldn't betray Qrow. "It's the name of my tackle show. Harbinger's tackles, remember?" 

Raven squinted her eyes, clearly not believing him. "Is it now? Hmm." 

The two were shown into a room separate from the public area of the castle. The room itself was empty of people, and the only furniture has a single chair in the middle of the room. The walls were covered with giant curtains.  

"Wait here please." The footmen bowed and then left them in the room. 

Raven immediately went to the chair and sat down, sitting in it like it was her throne and she owned the place. Clover walked over to the wall and began to pull away a curtain when he heard Qrow the dog sneeze. He looked over and saw the tiny dog walk out of the room and quickly followed him, calling the dog to him. 

The dog lead Clover to a greenhouse, big enough to house a small forest. Clover was lead to a clear space where a woman sat in a chair, all alone. The dog sat at her feet, curling up on his side and sneezed again. 

"Ah, Mr. Harbinger," the lady said. "Please, come sit with me." 

Clover did as he was asked and sat face to face with the woman. She was stern looking, with steely blue eyes and hair as white as snow. She smiled at Clover, but it was a tight smile, as if she was forcing it. 

"I don't mean to be rude, but is that your dog?" Clover asked, indicating to the dog that he had been so sure was Qrow only a few moments before.

"Yes, he is. His name's Marrow. He's sort of an errand dog, I sent him to escort you here." Madame Winter said. Marrow looked up at Clover, who was unsure of what to think. 

"I take it Qrow won't be joining us today?" Madame Winter asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. You see, he's such a lazy son, he sent me instead. I'm afraid that the King won't find him helpful in this war."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. They was the last apprentices I ever took on, him and his sister.  Your daughter, Raven, you remember her?" Clover nodded. "Anyways, they showed such great potential, Qrow in particular. But then his sister was consumed by a demon of greed and she made her own path, a dark path. Qrow practically worshiped his sister and he followed her down her dark path. 

"I convinced him to desert his sister, but his heart was stolen by a demon. Not one like Raven's, his demon is much more powerful. He was supposed to return to me to complete his apprenticeship, but he never did. And since then, he has only used his magic for selfish reasons." 

Clover sat in silence as he processed this. He had known some of it, but hearing it all from an outside perspective was strange. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Madame Winter as she spoke again. 

"Mr. Harbinger?" 

"Yes?" Clover asked nervously. 

"That boy is dangerous. Surely you understand that. If he doesn't give up his current selfish ways, I'm afraid he'll end up like his sister." She turned to the door. 

"Bring her in," she called. A footman brought a wheelchair in, where a limp Raven sat.

"What did you do to her?" Clover asked as the footman stopped the wheelchair next to Clover's seat. 

"I stripped her of her magic powers. She relied on them too much, so she's practically helpless without it. This is her new form." Raven coughed, her whole body shaking in weakness. 

"This kingdom can no longer turn a blind eye to wizards and witches who do not use their magic for the good of the kingdom. They are ruining the image of magic users everywhere. If Qrow reports to me and vows to use his magic to honor his king, then all will be well. I can show him how to break his curse and rid himself of his demon, but only if he submits. If he does not, then his fate will be the same as his sister's."  

"That is enough!" Clover shouted, standing up on his feet. Madame Winter raised an eyebrow. 

"I now understand why Qrow was concerned about coming here and seeing you! It's all a trap! You lure wizards and witches who dare oppose you with an official invitation from the king and then you strip them of their powers! Sure, Qrow can be stubborn and selfish and cowardly, but he is not heartless. Sometimes, yes, he is impossible to understand, but his intentions are good! He just wants to be free! He doesn't need your help, he's come to terms with his demons. He can fix his problems on his own!" 

As Clover spoke, his physical appearance shifted from his old form and slowly became his true, young, beautiful form. His hair changed from grey to it's natural chestnut color, his eyes gained their original twinkle. His skin grew vibrant and his cheeks flushed with color. Passion and emotions surged through Clover.

"Ah, I see now." Madame Winter said, not letting Clover's outburst affect her. "You're in love with Qrow."

When the words had left Winter's mouth, Clover's passion seemed to immediately disappear. He returned to his old form and stumbled for the right words to say.

"Qrow..." was all Clover could get out. He had never thought about what his feelings for the wizard were exactly, but when it was shoved in his face like this, he was at a loss for words. 

Raven looked up when she heard Clover mutter Qrow's name. "Qrow? Is he here? I'll kill him!" She tried to stand up, but her weak body couldn't hold her and she collapsed into Clover's arms. She fought Clover as best she could, but Clover just held her, begging her to calm down.

Madame Winter ignored the former witch in Clover's arms. "Thank you, Mr. Harbinger." She emphasized the name in a way that sent chills up Clover's spine. "I now know Qrow's weakness. You have been very helpful."

Suddenly, a whirring sound came from overhead and the King landed his aircraft right outside of the greenhouse. The King made his way inside and stopped in front of Madame Winter, saluting her. 

"Your majesty, as you were." Madame Winter nodded her head, not leaving her chair. 

"King Ironwood." Clover said, taking in a breath before bowing to him.

King Ironwood nodded to Clover and shook his hand. 

"These are your guess Winter?" King Ironwood asked.

"Yes, this is Qrow's father, Mr. Harbinger." 

King Ironwood faced Clover once more. "I thank you for coming today, but I'm afraid your visit was in vain. You see, I've decided to fight this war without using magic. We've been using Winter's magic to protect the palace from enemy bombers, but the bombs just land on civilian houses. That's the problem with magic. Don't you agree Winter?"

Madame Winter smiled coyly, "You're so eloquent today your highness." She said. 

"Winter!" Someone called out, walking into the greenhouse from the palace. A second King Ironwood walked into the open area, holding a paper. "Iv'e come up with a new battle plan, I'd like you to go over it." He turned to the first king and stiffened a little.

"Your copies of me get better every day." He said stiffly, as if he was unsure of how to speak. He left the room quickly, as if he had somewhere he'd rather be than in a room with himself. 

Madame Winter turned to face the first King. "It's a pleasure to see you again Qrow." 

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A/N: This chapter took a bit longer to write, I've had serious writer's block. I'm glad that I have finally gotten around to finishing it, this is one of my favorite parts of the movie. 

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked it and will continue to read it as I continue to write it!