[This book is almost done, I promise. Maybe another 10-15 chapters or so.]

The others all returned to their own homes and resumed their normal activities.

Except that they had trials to conduct.

Most of the team's witness reports were secondhand or not as detailed about the main bandits as they would have wished, and they submitted them by email, not in person.

But Emerald, Mercury, Cinder, Royal, and Kate all were asked to give recorded accounts of what happened for the court to use.

Hypnosia and Mino also gave reports.

Watts was questioned, and he seemed to cooperate this time with no attempt at trickery.

It took Robyn weeks to sort out the testimonies from the bandits themselves who were captured. Most of them tried to lie, and she had to work hard at how she phrased things to get real answers.

Some of them, as time went on, and the Grimm had been removed from them forcibly, began to feel some remorse as their minds cleared from the Avarice influence, and they began to realize, truly, what they'd done.

Sadly though, half of them didn't even remember all of it. They had basically been doped up while in the cavern, and after a while, Robyn began to think their assertions that they had no memory of many events were just the truth. No matter what she asked, they never answered differently. But even what they did remember was enough to get them sentenced to death for the most part.

The trials were begun about a month after they were captured. Minerva Athens had speedrun the process because the Council was worried that the culprits would escape or some hidden allies would come for them.

But in the interim, the bandits ratted out some conspirators they had, in hopes of getting leniency, and the team had no issue capturing them. Mala's death meant the Grimm had mostly stopped assisting any of them, and they didn't put up as much of a fight.

There might still be some out there, but they would be weaker ones.

Ali? He recovered slowly from his shock and was starting to tell them more of what happened to him and just how much involved in the Menagerie attack he'd been, that he could remember.

The bandits had tortured him and brainwashed him into doing it, and a lot of it he couldn't recall clearly now, but he was deeply ashamed of his part in it.

The Council, however, acquitted him of any guilt after hearing his story. They couldn't believe anyone who was so torn up over it had really done it on purpose.

Mino and Hypnosia were harder. They confessed to many crimes even before they were brainwashed, but they had helped bring Mala down, especially Hypnosia.

In the end, the Council sentenced them to house arrest at the base, with community service, provided they would consent to wearing Aura-blockers on them at all times, so that they could not escape.

If they behaved well in that time, they would be reconsidered later for a pardon.

Until then the base soldiers would guard them closely.

This was the best they could hope for, really.

Watts? Well, he got sentenced to death, as predicted. Though he cooperated with questioning, the Council was livid that he'd double-crossed them all, and Vacuo's council brought plenty of charges against him also, and witnesses, including Victoria's own witness account.

Victoria herself had narrowly escaped being convicted because Robyn was able to confirm she'd not known about any of this, but she did lose her access to more high clearance areas of the lab.

She wasn't happy about that, but at least she was free, she said.

The attitude for how much Grimm influence affected someone's responsibility for their actions was settled almost exactly the way Shine had said to settle it, as Raven had passed on that advice to the Council.

People who were forced into the tribe, of which there was only a handful, were given a pardon conditionally, as long as they committed no further infractions or violent actions.

Those who chose it, by their own admission, were not given mercy, with the exception of Hypnosia and Mino.

This meant that Dolly Fina was eventually released, but her mental state was still not recovered, and that made the heroes wonder if she'd really be able to take care of herself.

Once the trials were concluded, the sentences were to be carried out all on the same day, which was set for another few weeks afterward, to get that paperwork settled.

* * *

The more pleasant change in those 6 or 7 weeks was that Esmeralda got more settled in Argus.

Winter was starting by now, but she didn't mind the cold and snow.

Cinder, now that she's decided to stay, wanted a bigger place than she'd been using and was able to move, with some help from the others, to one with two bedrooms and a better living area.

She had been on the news for her helping stop the tribe quite a bit once the official story was released. 

At first not everyone believed it, but gradually people who remembered seeing her around the base confirmed that she really had been involved.

Winter made sure to get her case reevaluated by the council while they were working on the bandits case.

It took a little prodding, but Glynda and Theo both put in their input also, as well as Raven and Winter, to reassess her standing.

Finally, all of them agreed to lift her probation. Cinder would be given the same rights as anyone else to act in a situation, as long as the evidence was in favor of it being for good reasons.

She would also be allowed to become a huntress, if she wished to work for them.

Her previous transgressions were now pardoned in full.

Raven had almost hoped Cinder would apply to be a huntress in Argus after that, as she could have used her, but, to her surprise, Cinder declined.

"I've given it some thought," she said. "I'm glad that the probation is lifted so I can act however I choose...and maybe if you really need the help, I'll consider doing it in the future. I guess someone has to track down these Grimm...but as a career? I don't think it's for me after all."

"You have a real talent for fighting," Raven said. "I hate to admit it, but with more years of experience, you could be as good as me, even."

Cinder took that surprisingly well. "Well, it's true," she said. "But I realized that all I've ever done is fight. I might be good at it, but I was good at it because I had to be as much as having a talent for it. Honestly, I never actually liked it as much as I used it to get ahead. Now that I don't want to overpower people, I don't really enjoy the suspense of it. I've gotten used to having other options."

"I think you're making sense," Raven admitted. "It's a shame in a way, but if it's what's best...and I guess avoiding temptation might be for the best also. But Royal will miss his partner."

"He's not going to have time to miss me when he's been seeing me almost every day," Cinder said hotly. "I suppose if you can't do without me, I can join you--once in a while."

"I guess we'll keep you in reserve," Raven said. "But what will you do? Keep on sewing?"

"For now," Cinder shrugged. "I might have other ideas for the future."

So that was that.

Actually, Cinder convinced Mr. Shoemaker to let her operate Hot Thread's new Argus chapter out of his shop, since he had need of some extra cash. Faye basically rented it for their use. She said that Argus would get her more business than Eurus would.

And it did seem to work. People liked the slightly different fashions that the small town style had to offer.

Esmeralda, who was learning how to make clothes, true to her word, soon showed she had a talent, if not for sewing itself in particular, at least for being a fast learner, and she was naturally dainty and careful with what she did. She was able to handle the basic stuff in just a matter of weeks.

And while she found it grueling at times when she wasn't used to it, she enjoyed making something that would actually be useful...and was pretty.

At least it was easy work. She began to get stronger, now that she didn't have to slave away doing things for ungrateful people. She spent as much time outside as she could, no matter how cold it was, and her complexion improved. Her hair got a healthier sheen to it, with better food, and she gained some weight.

Her energy began to improve, and she could work longer or walk longer. 

She took up dancing again, though as if the moment she would usually only do it in private, but practicing her Semblance made her stronger also.

In Argus she was a big hit. Pretty soon everyone who lived anywhere near her knew her by sight, and they recognized Cinder also.

Cinder was afraid that this would drag Esmeralda's reputation through the mud, but to her shock, it more of elevated her own. Emerald and Pyrrha probably had something to do with it: They told their friends that Cinder was helping the poor, mistreated woman out.

Esmeralda was so clearly much happier and healthier that no one could think Cinder was actually mistreating her herself, and that made them think that Cinder was kind.

People finally began to say that that 'Fall woman' must have changed in all this time, and after all she was one of the heroes now.

Some even said maybe she'd never been as evil as people thought and it had been blown out of proportion.

While that was not true, if you looked at the facts of her actions, Cinder began to accept it more philosophically.

She also had to adjust to finally dating Royal. She thought that would be harder than it was, but the whole thing was almost too easy.

It was really what they did before, but now they did it without company. And instead of that making it harder to talk, it began to make it easier, not having anyone to distract them.

Sometimes they did double date with the others, but Mercury had a way of getting on their nerves when they did that.

After only about 2 months of that, Cinder already felt maybe she'd worried too much about it. To be sure...she still had her doubts.

She still had phases when Royal did need to reassure her several times a week that he liked her and that she wasn't being impossible--even when she was--but she fought it less than before.

It would be a while before she'd really be accepting of the relationships being lasting, but Royal had made up his mind to wait it out.

He seemed content. He told the others he was just glad she'd said yes finally.

The other big news in the team over the winter session was that Nora and Ren announced they were going to move once spring came.

Ren had decided that the big city was just too busy for him, and he thought Storm would do better if she was raised somewhere calmer. And that Nora would have less distractions.

Nora was a very affectionate mother but not a perfect one. She was easily distracted. Always had been. Ren couldn't always be around to reel her in. But he thought the best solution was to take her someplace that this wouldn't matter as much.

The country would be a safer place for the kid to have a little more freedom, also.

He'd always wanted to be able to settle down in a small town like his parents had lived in, so they would be moving out to the east of Argus.

Pyrrha and Jaune were very sorry that they were going, but they understood that it was the best thing for them.

[I wonder if anyone even recalled that the first book's final chapter said that they did move eventually, and if you'd thought I just forgot about that.]

Shine and Wally didn't visit them in all that time, but their visits usually weren't so close together anyway. It had been an anomaly for them to be there so often this year.

Over those couple months, Pyrrha also made a decision.

She decided that she was not content to just be a housewife anymore. She loved being that, but she had seen enough from the bandits to think that they weren't teaching people fast enough how to deal with the Grimm and with each other.

She started offering lessons from the safety of her own living room, to anyone who wished to learn about these things.

Jaune was in support of it and thought it was high time.

Pyrrha didn't think that many people would sign up for her offer though, but her very first student was actually Esmeralda, who by now was dying to know more about their ways.

And Esmeralda was trying to learn how to read better. Cinder was not the most patient teacher, as predicted, and while Esmeralda was ready to forgive her for her snippiness at times, she began to think it would be better to find someone who liked it more than Cinder did.

Pyrrha clearly loved teaching and was happy to help.

But, to Pyrrha's surprise, Esmeralda wasn't the only one. Several more people who heard about it from the other team members became interested.

Even some members from team DAPA and team CTTS.

And Kate and Taylor, who had remained in Argus after all. Taylor intended to go to the huntsmen academy once he had some money laid aside for it. Winter had offered to give him a recommendation, since she'd seen his potential.

Kate got a job working as a waitress and intended to find something better... She was still recovering herself, but she handled it better than they thought. It seemed to help her that she was able to help get herself out of it, even if only a little bit, and that she had a loving family member who'd never given up on her. 

Jasmine and Ali stayed in the city for a while; Jasmine wanted Ali where he could get faster help. He still had PTSD, nightmares and flashbacks, and other symptoms.

She was worried that he might never be the same...or, no, she knew he wouldn't be, but would he ever be whole again? Would she?

The team did wonder about that. They felt like there should be something they could do about it.

The other news was that the orphan shelter that was being built on Mercury's old property was gotten more underway. Since the Menagerie one had been toasted, they needed to hurry up on the other one.

It had been pretty much finished before, but the paperwork finally came through to start moving people into it and their caregivers.

One of them was Trixie, Emerald's old charge who had lived with her for a while. She'd been inspired to get involved with it after her own experience and had become one of the supervisors.

So in this way they passed the winter.

About in the middle of it, Pyrrha had an idea that they could celebrate. She wanted to try something call "Christmas".

It was a thing Shine and Wally had told them about before. It appeared to be the holiday that their Non-Descript Winter Holiday was partially based on, like when people had first come to Remnant, but they had long forgotten the real reason for it.

Pyrrha really wanted to start having more faith-based holidays since she'd discovered the meaning behind some of them. And she liked the traditional aspect of this one.

Not everyone shared her enthusiasm for it, but it seemed like a good chance to get together and catch up, so they could at least try it.

Unfortunately the date of it wasn't that long after the planned executions, which was not the most festive event.

But it was when people were free, unfortunately, so Pyrrha made the most of it.

"We'll keep it small," she said. "We'll just have dinner, and maybe we could try the gift exchange idea or something like that? Just to commemorate all of us being safe and together still after all that's happened."

Weiss said that it would also be a good segway to celebrate Winter's birthday, since Winter always downplayed its importance but it was in the same month. She'd have to let them celebrate her if they were already having a party.

This seemed like a good enough excuse to the others, who weren't as sure about the holiday aspect of it.

They hoped the DJs would join them, but their letters had been less frequent, so they wondered if the time schism had changed again.

* * *

A few days before the planned celebration, Cinder did something she'd considered doing for a while, which was...actually going to visit Watts.

Emerald, Mercury, and even Hazel had all been. They had various reactions to talking to him, but they had mentioned that Watts asked if she was recovered.

Royal walked her as far as the outer hallway.

"You know, you don't have to do this," he said.

"I know," Cinder  said. "I'm choosing to."

She paused. "Wait for me?"

"Of course," Royal said. "But if he starts up, just call or leave. Don't take that from him. Or I might have to go beat him up."

Cinder smiled dryly but walked in without another word.

The guards let her. She'd gotten it okayed from Raven already.

Watts had been moved to a cell for already sentenced prisoners, which was behind a glass wall to have more full observation of him from his guards, who stepped back a little when Cinder came in, but they weren't allowed to leave. It would have been unwise to anyway.

Watts had been allowed books, since they were not technology, and he looked up from one as Cinder came up to the glass enough to be seen.

"Oh...Cinder," he said strangely.

Cinder tilted her head. "Well, you look like s---," she remarked.

"I see your language has deteriorated." Watts stood up.

He was thinner since being locked up, but otherwise didn't seem to be in bad health, for a condemned man.

"So why are you here?" he asked, awkwardly. "Alone? No boyfriend."

"He's outside." Cinder narrowed her eyes.

"That was a joke...but you seem serious," Watts noted.

"Your stunt didn't work," Cinder said. "And yes, we're dating now."

It had taken her weeks to be comfortable saying this, but now it was hardly anything, even to Watts.

Or maybe it was because she knew Watts was beyond being able to hurt her at this point.

"Huh...well, I suppose there is some irony here," Watts noted. "So--" He snapped his book covers together. "--you didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"You're being executed tomorrow," Cinder said flatly. He already knew that. "I thought I would see you off."

"After all that. You must be rejoicing at my demise," Watts said.

"No," Cinder said seriously. "I've stopped caring about it. In fact, I stopped caring in the Baba's lair. You couldn't compare to Mala. I don't know why I'm here. I suppose I thought I should say something. I'm told you've accepted your fate, which I never thought would happen."

"Perhaps your Mrs. West has mentioned her visit to you," Watts said.

"Only briefly."

"Well, after she came, nay, even before she came, I knew it was no use. But she made it official. Only they could have taken me out of here. I still don't know where they go, or where they come from, but I won't be going there." Watts tugged his collar. "If you came to hear me admit this is my own fault, I will admit it."

Cinder shrugged, not sure this was what she wanted.

"And," Watts said after a moment, "I'm sorry."

She raised her eyebrow.

"I know that's worth absolutely nothing," Watts said, "but I'm aware that I took needless revenge on you. I see now why they chose you. I was too proud to admit it before. I've been my own destruction because of that. I am a little surprised that you're not rubbing it in."

"I don't need to, if you're going to say it all yourself," Cinder observed. "To tell you the honest answer, Arthur, I've wasted most of my life being angry at different people. I've only recently realized how much of a waste of time it is. I never thought I'd stop hating you, but I have, because it's not worth the energy."

She flexed her fingers. "If you had gotten spared, I don't know if we ever would have really worked out our differences. But I can't punish you further, and I didn't come here to twist the knife. I suppose I came here to wish you a peaceful journey into the next world. I've been told you've bought it."

"You mean this?" Watts held up the book. "It turned out to be far more fascinating than I expected. I should have read it long ago, for more than just idle curiosity, that is. Yes, I suppose I've Iearned now what is the measure of a man...and I missed it all. Maybe in the next life I will finally find it. I regret now that my mark on the world is going to be only a warning to future generations. I wasted my life, and for what?"

"Perhaps." Cinder shrugged again. "But if you put that on your record, maybe there's hope in it also. At least there had better be. We've staked everything on this being correct and our way being wrong. I didn't give up magic for some idle dream."

"And what will you do, now?" Watts asked. "Live as an ordinary citizen? Get married? Have a family? Forget you ever were the terror to Beacon?"

Cinder shook her head. "I can never forget. And I don't know if I'll do those things, or if I can. Ordinary isn't that ordinary, not for people like us. That would almost be the most extraordinary outcome for my life. I don't know what it will be."

"You have a point. It would not be expected," Watts said. "But--" He laughed dryly. "--I've known you to defy the odds before. Wouldn't that just be the most irony? Maybe that's a fitting end for you. The normal idea of domestic bliss and good citizenship."

"I intend to find some satisfaction in what I do," Cinder said. "Whatever it is. I won't be the monster people thought I was. I don't see myself as the hero either."

"Just as well, getting delusions of grandeur again would be so cliche." Watts stroked his moustache. "Well, perhaps you can accomplish it for both of us. I lost my chance to learn from my mistakes and make history. You're still going. I suppose if I can't do it myself, the next best thing is the other person they thought never would manage in succeeding."

Cinder raised an eyebrow again.

She understood. Watts was sending her off. It was his way of asking forgiveness and confessing that all the tension between them had always been foolishness--his way of asking her to make the future better so that their efforts would not have been to waste.

Somehow, she couldn't really feel disgust for Watts anymore. He was no good friend of hers, but...everyone else from Salem's forces had either died or already changed their path... He was the last one and the only one who had never really transformed.

This was the end of an epoch, so to speak. After this, no one would be left to remind her of her old self.

Yet, that self was still a part of her life. 

She knew she was never going to forget Watts, not for affection, but for simple consequence of their history. It had still gotten her here. Maybe that was Shine's philosophy about the good and bad in life coming together.

Thinking all this, she nodded slowly.

"I will succeed," she said, with a hint of her old boastful tone, but more tempered by some acquired humility and realistic view of life. "And I suppose I will remember your rather hackneyed role in my rise out of the ashes, Arthur Watts. They won't forget you as long as they don't forget me. If that's any consolation."

Watts raised an eyebrow in his turn. "I suppose this is the end then. Don't waste your chance, Cinder. I told you, I'm not a fan of failure."

Cinder smirked ironically.

"In fact--" Watts brushed himself off. "--if you enter the next life too soon, and I hear of it, I will be quite put out. I'll speak to management about it. So don't disappoint me."

"I have never strived to please you," Cinder said. "Then or now. But if our goals coincide here, then I'll accept those terms. I won't be following you in any big hurry if I can help it, Arthur."

She folded her arms. "If you get there and find Salem, you should tell her that we're still ridding the world of the curse of the gods and we're not going to stop till all the Grimm have been wiped out. Evil may not be removed, but, we're going to ensure that it doesn't take the same form again, as long as we live."

"Good, that form was ghastly," Watts shuddered. "See to it that you make sure of that. Well...farewell, I suppose."

"Yes, farewell." Cinder nodded.

She had no reason to stay longer, and she left directly.

Royal was waiting outside, leaning on the wall.

"Was it bad?" he asked.

"No..." Cinder said absently. "Somehow it wasn't like I thought. I don't feel any sense of triumph or relief. It's just over. Watts...seems to have finally let go of his grudge against me."

"Gee, only took him nearly getting us all killed." Royal was still salty about it.

Cinder wasn't used to being the calm one and gave him a weird look.

"I guess you really have accepted it," Royal observed. "I wish I were that mature. I still get mad about it even now."

"Maybe if you spoke to him you'd see that there's no point. He's too aware of it to be worth being mad at."

"No thanks. I'll let it go eventually," Royal said. "But I don't need to talk to him. We have nothing to say to each other... Still, that was big of you. Even after what he did, you still wanted to face it."

"Maybe that's why I did," Cinder said. "Arthur did to me what I did to him. If I didn't let it go, would I ever really be any different?" She clenched a fist to her chest. "It's taken this long to feel that I've run out of enemies. I'm not sure I have yet."

"If you stay on this new kick of being the hero, maybe it'll stay that way."

"Heros have enemies."

"Fine, enemies for the right reasons," Royal shrugged. "I'm trying to look on the bright side."

"I'm being realistic."

"Sure." He patted her shoulder affectionately. 

* * *

 The execution day was a somber affair.

Raven and Winter had to oversee it, and while they were used to seeing people die, the weight of having to mete out justice in this case was still heavy.

Minerva and some other council members were present, to make it official and sign the certificate of it being carried out.

They were a quick affair, done early in the morning, so as not to take too much time leading up to.

Winter handled it professionally, as usual, but Raven surprised her by becoming very pale during the proceedings ,and then suddenly she rushed out of the room and down the hallway that had the bathroom in it.

"I declare," Minerva said, after a moment, "I didn't think Miss Branwen--or should I say, Mrs. Rhinehart now?--was so squeamish."

"She's not, usually," Winter said. "I suppose the gravitas of this moment sunk in. Still, it's not like we liked any of these people."

"I understand the Watts man made a full confession though," Minerva said. "Willingly. Strange how these things work out. He was brilliant mind. I'm sorry he didn't use it better."

"We'll do without him," Winter said. "He made his peace with it in the end. That's all any of us can do at our time. I am sorry for him, but it had to be done."

"Whenever Mrs. Rhinehart returns, you'll need to sign off," Minerva added. "I have other engagements to attend to."

"I believe she never actually changed her name," Winter reflected. "It's still Branwen. My sister-in-law is not the type to be under a man's authority."

"I never understood why she married at all," Minerva said. "So few people do these days, and she's not one for tradition."

"That's her business," Winter said. "But our way now is to do things by the book, so to speak. I believe that these laws are in place for a reason. It seems odd to shirk marriage laws, of all laws we could discard, don't you agree? Why would they be the exception when they are there for families? Do you not think some protection is necessary to family, Miss Athens?"

Minerva became embarrassed. "Well, of course I do... I just meant, she is a little old to be worried about that now. I understand that she already has a daughter with a different man. Isn't it a little late to be married?--but it's none of my business, as you say."

"No." Winter was icy. "It isn't. I think we could be better engaged in serious matters rather than gossip."

"Quite right...Commander Schnee," Minerva said meekly.

After she'd gone, Winter heard her say to one of the other council members, "You know that Winter Schnee really proved to be made of more metal than I thought, for her age, when they first discussed her leading Argus. I guess I see why Qrow Branwen married her after all."

"Your becoming quite popular," Raven noted, looking pretty wan still.

"Are you all right?" Winter asked. "I didn't think you had such a weak stomach."

"I don't normally," Raven said. "I think I may have a virus. I've been tired all week, and I just felt ill today. I thought it was nothing, but perhaps the day's work wasn't the most helpful."

"Then you should go home. If you're ill, you can't spread that around." Winter said. "And you need to rest."

"There's still work," Raven said. "And you only work half the time now that you used to."

"I look forward to when Mr. Zapato is finally willing to take on more responsibility," Winter said. "His training for a high rank will be complete soon, won't it? Why did he insist on doing it the hard way?"

"He thinks if he's going to be promoted he should know more than he does now," Raven said. "I admire his drive to improve. Don't tell FalI I said this, but she's been a good influence on him. I never saw a spark of ambition in the man before he met her. Or much leadership qualities, though he was good in a crisis. But their relationship prompted him to take more active roles, and it turned out he was suited to it."

"They've been dating for nearly 2 months, which is several weeks longer than I thought they would manage to stay together," Winter said. "But so far it seems to be going well. It's not interfering with his job at all?"

"No, I suppose he's distracted at times, but he would never allow her a reason to lecture him for doing something stupid." Raven shrugged. "I guess Fall can crack that whip when she needs to. Who would have thought it would work out so well?"

"Well, it's too soon to call it," Winter said. "But I hope for their happiness. After what they both endured with the tribe, they've earned some good moments. Now go home."

"Fine," Raven said.

"And stop by the clinic and get checked out first," Winter insisted. "Maybe they can give you some medicine to ward it off. I hope you're recovered in time for the party... It's a big deal to Pyrrha, if nothing else."

"She always get so worked up over things like that, but I'm sure by then I'll be over it." Raven waved dismissively.