The train had come to a stop a few miles before their final destination. The remainder of the journey would only be possible on horseback or on foot, three miles into the foothills of the Briggs mountain range. It was pleasantly warm and sunny when they began their journey, but the air had become crisp and dry as they ascended. The slight breeze through the forest brought with it a biting chill. The last dry leaves of autumn crunched beneath bootheels as the soldiers lined up for their mounts. Winter was still several weeks away, but up here in the north, it was never far away.

Ed grew up in a farming town, it wasn't his first time on a horse. But as he fell into line, he realized why he rarely rode: they didn't care for him much.

"Edward is not controlling that animal," Hawkeye observed, watching him weave back and forth on the path. The horse kept trying to throw her rider, nearly succeeding a few times. When that failed, she tried to knock him off against a tree.

"Odd, he's about the right size for a jockey." Roy mused.

"Sir," she cautioned.

"Alright," Roy rode up alongside the boy who was struggling to not go in circles, "What seems to be the problem?" He struggled to keep his own mount under control next to Ed's bucking mare.

"She keeps wanting to turn!" Ed complained, "She wants to go left, what gives?"

"It's your leg," Hawkeye told him, after watching him carefully, "Your automail leg is heavier than your other one, isn't it? She thinks you're telling her to turn because she feels the pressure of the weight."

She hopped down, leaving her horse on the side of the path to wait for her while she took the reins from Ed's hand, pulling the animal down as she tried to rear up, "Easy there," she placed her hand on the horse's neck, calming it as it trotted in place nervously, "Squeeze a little more with your right to compensate, that will keep her straight."

Ed nodded, nervously taking the reins back, "What if she tries to throw me off again?"

"They're good at reading body language," Roy told him, "Maintain your confidence and she will trust her rider." Roy stayed close, keeping watchful eyes over Ed and his skittish mare. Hawkeye rode along the other side, keeping Ed in line between hers and Roy's. The horse seemed to mellow out, falling in line with their horses rather than Ed's movements.

Ed looked down at his mount, "Sorry I yelled at you, you just got confused, that's all. I don't blame ya."


At the top of the steep climb was an open field, decorated with tents. Smaller ones for camping were still springing up, larger ones for mess halls and meeting places. An Amestrian flag flew high above it all, whipping around in the biting mountain breeze.

"First thing you'll need to do is set up our tent." Roy handed him an armload of supplies, "Get to it."

Ed looked around and noticed flashes of light popping up here and there. The State Alchemists. They were using alchemy to set up their campsites. There was a flash, and a messy heap of poles and tarps came together. It stood for a moment before collapsing under its own weight.

"You have no idea how to put together that tent, do you?" Roy shook his head and drew a circle on the ground with some chalk from his pocket, "You have to know what you're going to do with the matter you're going to transmute, a place for everything and everything in its place. After a few times setting up these by hand, you'll be able to do it this way." The older alchemist placed the supplies in the circle and brought his hands together, springing up the tent neatly.

Ed was a little embarrassed. Years ago, Teacher had left him and his brother alone on an island without the use of alchemy and a single knife to get by. They survived for thirty days in the wild. Had he really grown so lazy?

"At least I'm doing better than some people." Ed sighed, watching Fuery try to hold up all the tent poles at once, dropping them as he tried to tie the supports together.

The tent was a little cozier than Ed wanted to be with Roy Mustang but he had a feeling they wouldn't be spending much time sleeping. Still, staying with the colonel did have its advantages. While other soldiers struggled to set up campfires, the Flame Alchemist had one burning in an instant and frozen soldiers had stopped to huddle around the warmth.

The infamous military rations weren't quite as bad as he'd heard. He had eaten far worse in dire circumstances and at least it was hot. Something labelled as beef stew but nothing close to what he was used to from Granny Pinako's kitchen. Across the camp, he watched Lieutenant Havoc and Lieutenant Rebecca Catalina arguing. He couldn't make out what they were saying but it didn't look good. Rebecca disappeared into his tent and Major Armstrong half-dragged Havoc back to theirs before he said or did something he would regret.

"Be careful who you hurt.," Roy cautioned, "It's like scar tissue, you can let it heal but it will never be the same, never as soft, never as flexible. It's harder, and sometimes the pain will come back. It never goes away completely." Roy spoke slowly and deliberately, choosing his words with care.

"You've hurt someone like that before?" Ed guessed.

"Yeah," Roy nodded, "I did."

"And you regret it, is that why you're telling me this?"

"I didn't regret it, it had to be done," Roy sighed, "But I don't think either of us were the same after that."

"Who was it?"

"It was a long time ago, it's not something you need to worry about."

"No," Ed shook his head, "Not Hawkeye?"

Roy sighed, praying his Lieutenant wouldn't murder him for divulging this, "The summer before I left for Ishval, her father passed away. Before I left for the military academy, I stayed with her to make sure she was alright. We never meant for it to happen. Before I left, I decided to break it off. She buried her mother when she was just a girl. She'd just lost her father. If the military came to her door with a flag, I thought it would kill her."


"I never loved you. I only ever wanted you for sex, and once I'm over east, that's not an option anymore. There's no point in continuing this."

"Why are you doing this?!" she screamed, "What did I ever do to you?" She could barely breathe, she wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

"Nothing. You were never good enough for me. Did you think this was a relationship?"

The words felt like poison on his lips. Every word stung at his heart, he wished he could stop, tell her he didn't mean any of it, and lay down with her by the fire again one last time.


"It may have been selfish, but I truly thought it would be for the best."

"Your agenda for tomorrow, sir," Lieutenant Hawkeye was standing over their shoulders, handing Roy a sealed envelope, "Is something the matter, Ed?" The boy looked like he'd seen a ghost. He was rarely uncomfortable around her. Around the colonel, he would be tense and antagonistic, but he'd always been very open with her.

"Uh," he shook his head, trying to come to his senses, "No, nothing, Lietenant!"

Hawkeye raised a skeptical eyebrow, "You told him." It wasn't a question.

"He asked, I wouldn't lie," Roy sighed, "I'm sorry."

She sat down beside them, warming herself by their fire, "It's alright."

"But, you two are still on good terms?" Ed asked, assuming the answer was yes. The two were always together, always having each other's backs.

"It's getting late, you should consider getting to bed soon. We'll be up before dawn." She excused herself without another word to Roy Mustang.