AN: New chapter! Let's have a party! Go tell your friends, go tell your mum, go tell everybody! :)

I think the way I will be working having two fics on the go would be to publish a new chapter for each around the same time. So a few days after a new chapter for Comes and Goes is published keep a lookout for the new chapter of this fic!

Hope you enjoy it :)


RIZA

Elizabeth pushed this morning's events from her mind. There were more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. Try as she might though, it still lingered. It was safe to say what had happened that morning had affected her greatly. However, this would be expected if one saw their dead fiancé standing before them, very much alive.

"Where were they last spotted?" She shook herself mentally. Focus on the task at hand.

"Last night we received the report they had attacked Ren, a small village ten miles outside East City. Moments ago another runner arrived informing us they were moving west through the kingdom to Central. The group had left East City by morning. The local army had drove them out of the City itself, but the smaller villages had not been so lucky. They had been raiding through the night," he relayed grimly. They exited the hallway into the warm sunshine. Castle staff milled about, going about their daily routines. They all paused and greeted Riza as she made her way to the stables.

"Do we know how many?"

"The last count stood at about seventy men, My Lady."

"Alert the team," she announced after some thought. "We will also require at least ten archers and ten mages."

"Of course, My Lady. At once." The soldier rushed off in the direction of the barracks. Bandits had been disrupting the peace within the kingdom for several months now. At first it was a raid on a small village here and there, nothing that the local soldiers couldn't handle. But their continued and increasingly more frequent actions infuriated the King, and Elizabeth also. Then there was this whole "war" they had declared with the kingdom. A small group of rebels had rallied against the Hawkeye family, however their identities were unknown. Elizabeth had gathered however that they were using bandits and mercenaries to do the dirty work for them. Even if her father hadn't pushed the notion himself, Elizabeth would have left the castle to deal with them herself.

"What a day to be hunting bandits," Jean Havoc sighed loudly behind her. She turned slightly to see his frown. "I was hoping we would get some peace. It is too lovely a day to go to war," he commented in disappointment.

Elizabeth snorted and smiled. "I would hardly call it war, Havoc. We are merely taking care of a problem." The stables were full of activity as stable hands readied the horses. Soldiers were mounting up, awaiting Elizabeth's command. Her horse stood proud in the centre, its jet black coat shining brightly in the sunshine. It nickered as she approached, welcoming her.

"Are you all right?" Havoc asked casually as he ran through the final checks on his mount.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Elizabeth questioned, avoiding his gaze. Her team knew her well. She had no doubt Havoc would be able to tell what had happened was still bothering her. He wouldn't push it though. She was grateful for that.

"This morning must have been quite a shock," he answered, probing further in an attempt to get her to open up.

"I don't know what to think about this morning," she sighed. It was the truth. She had watched Roy die in front of her and now she had found him alive, in the forest outside the city. She tightened the saddle more forcibly than she meant to, trying to push the memory of that day out of her mind. She would not go there. Not right now.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Havoc murmured.

"This is not the time, nor the place," she answered curtly. "Sorry," she replied with a small smile. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh."

Havoc held up his hands, as if to tell her not to worry. "Of course. But the offer will always stand," he smiled. Elizabeth nodded, remembering it was not only she who had lost someone important that day. Her team had lost a leader and a friend.

"So where are we off to today?" Vato Falman asked as he approached her on his own horse. Elizabeth's horse greeted the grey mare affectionately as she pulled up next to him. Elizabeth pulled herself together, mounting her horse.

"To the East," Heymans Breda announced as he approached on foot. The team's strategist held a map in his hands, indicating where they were headed. "They have been raiding through the east towards Central during the night. It will take us a good portion of the day to reach their current location."

"They must be coming to Central for a reason," Elizabeth mused. "We will bring the fight to them." She nudged the black mare forwards and began their trek east. A cry went up and a company consisting of one hundred men and women moved towards the castle gates. The crowds parted in front of them as they walked the short distance to the front gates. Their ride through the city had caused quite a stir. Small crowds had gathered along the road, desperate to catch a glimpse of royalty and the royal guard.

"Give them hell Princess," a citizen yelled as they rode passed. Others agreed with him as various yells echoed through the crowd.

"Wow, that is a lot of people," Kain Fuery muttered nervously. Not one to be fond of being in the limelight, he nervously gripped the reins.

"What did those reins ever do to you Fuery?" Havoc joked. "Relax. Just focus on the task ahead."

"Easy for you to say," he muttered quietly.

"Leave the boy alone Havoc. At least he didn't piss himself on his first mission," Breda announced loudly, attempting to lighten the mood for the younger soldier.

"I did not!" Havoc cried, outraged.

"Oh, so you just spilled some water then?" Breda smirked. Everyone knew they had no water with them during that mission.

"It was sweat," he growled, his face going a bright shade of red.

"If that is what you have tell yourself then I will not take it away from you." Fuery guffawed next to them. Elizabeth's lips tugged upwards in amusement. She had picked her team well. Even in the toughest of situation, they had always pulled through. Each member brought their own strengths to the team. Havoc was a highly skilled fighter. Breda was an excellent tactician and diplomat. Fuery was young, but he was a good fighter. He was a mage, whom Roy had taken on as an apprentice. Falman was also a mage, but more importantly, a consultant. He studied history and current events closely, often advising Elizabeth on missions. Roy had been something else though.

Roy Mustang was one of the most highly regarded mages in the kingdom, only second to Elizabeth's father. Berthold had taught Roy from a young age, both in combat and in the art of magic. Roy's father had been a mage also, and it had been his last wish that Roy would follow in his footsteps. His mother and father had been close friends of the King and Queen. When they died, the royal family took him into their care, raising him as if he was one of their own.

The pair quickly became inseparable. Roy was the friend Elizabeth never had. At a young age she had become on good terms with the staff within their home, befriending a few. However, with no other children in the castle she became quite lonely. Then Roy entered her life. He was light in the dark. Warmth from the cold. He taught her what it was to be a child, to be young and carefree.

Once Elizabeth had become of age her father had allowed her to choose her own elite, core team. He originally planned for the team to guard her when she left for missions throughout the kingdom, however, she soon proved to them that was unnecessary. Naturally, Roy had been her first pick. The other members of the team joined soon after, each proving themselves to be a valuable asset to the kingdom.

It had taken a great amount of convincing for her parents to allow her to become a Captain. They had no doubt in her abilities. Her father used to oversee all the training of the soldiers himself, so she grew up around swordplay. A short time after starting her schooling, her father introduced her to combat, then trained her himself when she was old enough. For fifteen years she honed her skills and practised every day. Her weapon of choice was a bow, but she had been hailed by those in the academy as one of the best swordsmen the kingdom had seen in years.

It was her status they were concerned about. Being in the royal family she was very much in the public eye. Out on a patrol or a mission, people would recognise her, or would jump at the chance to take down a member of the royal family. That was what worried them.

"But I do not want to be locked up inside the castle walls all my life," Elizabeth protested for what felt like the hundredth time.

"We understand that darling," Berthold explained wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We would not want you to suffer that fate. However, it would be unreasonable to send you out there into such danger."

"But I can protect myself. You know I can!" she explained, her voice growing in volume. They seemed to have this conversation at least twice a week. She was growing tired of it. She couldn't understand why they wouldn't let her be happy.

"Sweetheart," her mother soothed. "You have to understand. You are a princess, heir to the Amestrian throne. You also have a duty here. Do you have any idea what it would do to the kingdom, to us,if we lost you?"

"Mother, I do understand, but what is the point in my life if I have to stay within a castle for all of it? Only leaving the safety of these walls when my presence is required in another kingdom? My duty is also to protect the Amestrian people. I can do that by making a difference out there."

"Elizabeth, you are being unreasonable–"

"No," she rounded on them. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but they did not fall. "You are being unreasonable. Do I not get a say in my life? Am I forever destined to sit on a throne and look pretty?" She paused, catching her breath. The King and Queen looked at her sadly. "I want to go outside. I want to see the world…" she whispered. "I always have." She stood tall, brushing away her tears. "I did not choose this life. You did Mother, but I did not. I am grateful for everything you have ever done for me, and I love you both dearly," she continued hastily. She could see the hurt in their eyes, but she was merely telling them the truth. "But I do not wish to live like this. I can't."

She quickly left her father's private study without a destination in mind. She did not want an audience if she broke down. She wandered through the castle, taking the quieter hallways. Her feet carried her to the library, one of her favourite rooms within the castle. As a child she almost lived in this room, studying the textbooks which contained maps and drawings of the outside world. She wanted to see it all. She could really make a difference out there. What was the point of all those years of training and studying if she couldn't put it to good use?

One warm arm circled her shoulders, pulling her close as she sat watching the fire. She automatically shifted her weight to lean into the warm body next to her. She knew he would find her. Laying her head on his shoulder, the tears begun to fall.

"It isn't fair," she whispered.

"I know," Roy replied. He rubbed her arm, pulling her as close to him as possible. "I know."

"Raise the gate!" one of the Gatekeepers called. Elizabeth was jolted out of her memories by the sound of the gate. It shuddered and the heavy iron gate rose up in front of them. As Elizabeth looked through the bars she watched as the rolling hills shimmered slightly in front of them. One would think it was from the heat, but Elizabeth could see the magic flowing through the barrier which surrounded the city.

"Let's ride!" she called, urging her horse forward into a gallop. It would take them at least half a day to reach their destination. Elizabeth wanted to put an end to all this as soon as possible.