It was four days to the north-most city in Amestris, North City, from there it would be a two day journey to the southern Drachman city of Camapa. Mischa sighed heavily, leaning her head against the frosty glass, it was three more hours until she saw her brother. Three more hours until she would see Aleksi.

The last time she had seen her brother was days after the accident, his mop of coppery hair had been damp with sweat, his eyes clouded with pain, she had held his remaining hand and wept. A few of his stitches unraveled and he had begun to bleed heavily, soaking the crisp white sheets of the hospital bed with his scarlet blood.

Shaking her head Mischa banished thought from her mind and looked at the driver of the sled, who simply continued through the snow towards the horizon, where the citadel awaited them. The air was refreshing against her face, the cold stung her lungs, in a prickling sort of feeling that revived the spark behind her eyes. This was it, this was where she would see her brother and make amends.

"Miss Svetlana?" The sled driver asked in their native language "Is your family expecting you to return?"

Mischa shook her head, replying in the same tongue "Not at all, I think they'd be rather upset to see me sir"

"Do you know where he is in Camapa?" He asked as they slowed to a brisk walk

Looking ahead at the sled dogs she nodded "I've written him a few times, he's with a friend"

The rest of the trip was silent, pulling up to the gates they were greeted by Drachman guards, wearing their iconic ushanka.

"State your business" The taller of the two guards ordered gruffly

Mischa pulled back the hood of her parka, "I have no need of business"

The two guards paled considerably and waved up to the porter to open the gates, Mischa smiled jovially, waving goodbye to the men before the sled driver let out a massive:

"Hike!"

The citadel of Camapa was beautiful, covered in snow there was a certain amount of cheer from the residents, most of them readying for the holidays which lasted roughly a month. Gliding through back ways the young woman's eyes glowed with wonderment, she had dreamed of this day for so long. Aleksi would have his arm again!

She could see it now, her brother doing menial tasks with both hands, he would wash the dishes and help her fold laundry. He would be able to catch lightening bugs and do cartwheels. All because she had dedicated her life to machinery, because of her, he would have an arm, because of her, he was getting a new arm.

Letting herself into a house in a modest neighborhood she called out "And no one cares to meet the prodigal sister?"

The sound bare feet pounding against the wooden floor sent Mischa's heart into overdrive, holding a hand to her chest, as if to calm her drumming heart. A boy, roughly seven, nearly tackled her in a one-armed hug.

"Oh Mischa! You came back!" Mischa laughed at the adolescent's statement

An elderly woman leaned against the doorframe "You have no idea how angry your father is with you"

Shooting her a stern look she silenced the aged lady, she knelt down and looked the little boy in the eye "Now Aleksi, we're leaving tomorrow okay? I'm going to put an arm on you"

The boy's sienna locks covered his eyes for a moment and pushing them out of the way with his hand she smiled brightly "Where are we going?"

Mischa looked down at the Aleksi for a few moments before grinning "It's a far away place called Resembool, now go pack your things dearest, we've got to leave early if we want to make it back in time"

Aleksi nodded happily before taking off down the hall, "Adventure! Adventure!"

The adolescent got up from her place on the floor and took off her coat "I'll take him to the inn tonight if you don't mind, I'd rather not run into Niklos"

"Your father raised you better" The lady spat

"He is no father of mine" She returned with venom

"Treachery!" The elderly lady screeched in horror "You could be executed for your words!"

"I am here to ensure that Aleksi lives to do what I cannot" Hissing, the crackling fire lit her eyes, making her look deadly

"Then face your father and you will do what he can"

Mischa's grey eyes went cold, she turned from the woman and made her way down the hallway to her old bedroom, there was a thick layer of dust covering most of her belongings, no one had entered this room since she had left. The coverlet was folded the same way that she had left it that morning, the top left corner folded down ever-so-slightly. There were canvases stacked in the corner, art that she had worked so painstakingly on during the summer before, the summer that had ruined everything in her opinion.

Pulling out a drawer in her vanity she smiled, seeing that everything was still in it's place, reaching into the drawer she hastily shoved her hand's content's into her pocket. Shutting the door quietly she came face to face with a bundled up child excited to be with his favorite person again.

It was hard for her to admit that she had cried into her pillow some nights, enveloped in guilt that she had ruined her brother's life. Taking his bag she slung it over her shoulder, and took the small mitten clad hand in hers.

"Let's get of out here yeah?" The words were Drachman and sweet on her tongue, but what made every moment worth it was Aleksi's expression of reverence when he looked up at his sister

They had made it back to Amestris without any problems, it was the four day train ride that Mischa was worried about, the child had never traveled extensively, besides to the major cities in the fatherland. Another issue she was about to face was how to explain things to Aleksi, he spoke no Amestrian, and translating everything would be a hassle. She prayed that he would adjust well in the two years it took him to rehabilitate his left arm. Two years that they would be just out of the grasp of their father. He seemed to be almost omnipresent, shaking her head she looked down at the child curled up in her arms. He could be mistaken for her child, the long lashes and piercing gray oculi were strong indicators, along with the same delicate nose. Mischa pressed her lips to the top of his head and smiled softly as he yawned, much like a kitten.

"How far away is Risepool, 'Cha?" Aleksi asked looking up at her, he used the abridged version of her name in his sluggish state

She smiled at his mispronunciation of the Amestrian village, every little bit of this journey was worth it, the two weeks of non-stop traveling where worth it for her. A warm feeling emitting from her heart made her ever-so-aware that she loved this child, not as a brother, but as her own. This was her baby, her son, and damned if her father was going to do anything about it.

"Not too far away now baby, not too far away" She laughed softly as the train's gentle click-clacking rocked him back to sleep.

Two towns away from Resembool, their train broke down, after having a short conversation with the conductor, Mischa learned that their train wouldn't be fixed until tomorrow morning. She took this as an opportunity to find the nearest inn and wash up. And maybe find a decent meal for her ward.

"Are we here?" Aleksi asked confused as he looked around the small town

Shaking her head she laughed "No, no dearest, the train broke down"

The child's steel eyes widened in horror "Bandits?"

Throwing back her head she guffawed at the boy's question, she simply swung him up onto her hip and made better time towards the inn.