The next morning, they were both awoken when an attendant walked into their compartment and said, "Excuse me, officers, but we're approaching your destination."
They stretched awake, and Amy quickly arose to go change out of her uniform. "What?" Havoc said after she explained where she was going. "Why are you changing?"
"I don't want to do anything that will make them distrust us," she replied with a smile. "I suggest you do the same, especially since they've never met you before. They at least already know me. Now come on. Get up and go change."
He did as he was asked, and they both came back into the compartment to grab their bags just as the train was coming to a stop.
They were the only ones to get off at the station, and they were pleased to see that the military jeep that was supposed to meet them there was just as early as the train. The second lieutenant saluted them, and for the first time Havoc felt the first real perks of becoming a first lieutenant. He was finally getting saluted to by other officers.
"Lieutenant Havoc and Colonel Mustang," he said, still keeping up his hand in a salute. "I've been instructed to only take you as far as a half a mile away from Ishbal. From that point you will walk the rest of the way, where you will be greeted by the High Priest and a few of his followers."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Amy said, putting her bag in the back and climbing into the car. "Let's get going then. We don't want to waste anymore daylight."
The three piled back into the car, and headed off toward Ishbal with nary a peep out of either of them. The second lieutenant who had come to pick them up was far too nervous around higher officers to say anything, Havoc was too nervous about meeting the Ishbalans, and Amy was too excited about seeing them all again. Thus the entire trip was passed in utter silence except for the sound of the rushing wind passing by as the car sped across the sand.
Finally, the city of Ishbal came into view, and they stopped approximately a half a mile away. Amy immediately got out of the car and grabbed her bag, urging Havoc to do the same with the utmost urgency. "Come on," she said excitedly. "We're almost there. I can't wait to see them all again."
He hurried out of the car, grabbing his bag just as the second lieutenant sped off with the car. He then turned to Amy and said, "Now what? We just walk? Do you honestly think that we're going to receive a warm welcome from these people? Last I checked, they hated anyone and everyone who was a part of the military, especially State Alchemists."
"How many times do I have to explain this to you?" she said with a little laugh. "They trust me even though I'm a State Alchemist because they know me. Scar was more or less my best friend during the war, and they know how close we were. Besides, the High Priest knows me very well, and he knows that I would never do anything to endanger his people. As for you, you're going to have to earn their trust simply because they don't know you. I'll help in any way that I can in that department, but my word will only go so far."
He nodded, understanding completely. "They're still reluctant to trust military personnel, and that's completely understandable. If I had been born into the same situation, I'm sure I would hate people like us, too."
She smiled and said, "That's for sure. Even I started to hate State Alchemists during the war when I saw some of the chaos that they were causing. Imagine how these people must feel."
The walked and talked for just a little while longer before reaching the outskirts of the city and seeing the welcoming party approaching them. They arrived in front of the High Priest, who was surrounded by several of the elders of the community, and Amy immediately bowed, Havoc following her lead.
He bowed back and said, "Colonel Amy Mustang. It is certainly a wonderful pleasure to see you again." He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. "You haven't changed in all these years, my dear."
She smiled back and hugged him tightly. "It's my pleasure to be here, Master," she said excitedly. "I can't wait to see everyone and to get started rebuilding. I promise that my help will make this project go much faster, and I can't thank you enough for letting me come and use my alchemy."
"Of course we wanted you to!" a little voice called, and she looked down to see Rick running toward her with his arms outstretched.
She hugged him and his brother Leo and said, "Hi, boys! It's so good to see you! I feel like it's been ages, even though it's only been about a year!"
"It's good to see you too, Amy," they said happily.
She then stood up and said, "Master, Leo, Rick, I'd like for you to meet First Lieutenant Jean Havoc. Havoc, these three are a few of my closest friends from Ishbal. Havoc won't be helping out with the alchemic part of the reconstruction, but he'll be helping out with just about everything else."
Havoc bowed again and said, "It's my great pleasure to meet all of you. Amy has told me so much about you and your culture. I've been looking forward to this so much."
The High Priest smiled, seeming satisfied with his answer. He nodded and said, "If you'd both please follow me, we've set up a temporary hut for the two of you until we can get some homes built."
They followed him to the hut they'd set up inside the city, and were very grateful for the hospitality they were receiving. Honestly, Amy had expected much more hostility, or at least some. Instead, they were showing them nothing but courtesy and kindness.
Amy nodded her thanks to the High Priest as they were left to get their things unpacked, and then she walked out saying she was ready to get started whenever they were. He nodded and said, "Anything that you need, you are welcome to use."
"Hmm," she said. "Well, what were you thinking of rebuilding first?"
He brought out the blueprints they'd been working on and explained. "We were looking at the temple first, since it's really the center of the entire city. I'm sure you remember what it looked like. We wanted the columns and dome top to be authentic. Basically, we're planning on making the city look just like it did before."
She nodded her understanding. "Of course," she said. "This will be no problem. Master, please gather all the people in the center, and we'll get started."
About ten minutes later, all the people were gathered around Amy, Havoc, and the High Priest in a circle. She smiled as she said, "It's wonderful to see you all again. I know that building the grand city of Ishbal is going to be difficult work, but working together we can do it with no problem. Now, Master has informed me that he would like to rebuild the temple first, so I'm going to need a few things.
"First, I need four volunteers to help me build a transmutation circle in the area where we're going to erect the temple. Because it's illegal to transmute gold from anything, I'll also need all the gold you want to use on the temple to be put in the center so that I can transmute it into the working. Any others who don't wish to volunteer on this project can go back to their own work. There will be plenty for all of us to do. Now, who will my four be?"
Rick and Leo instantly volunteered and ran up to her in the center of the circle. Havoc also stepped closer, saying that he would be more than happy to help. Finally, another young man Amy had never met before walked up to her and bowed politely. "My name is Marc. I'd be honored to help you, Colonel Mustang."
She smiled and said, "Please, Marc, just call me Amy, and I'm very glad to have you with us."
The five of them walked out into the center of where the High Priest told them he wanted the temple, and Amy smiled as she pointed in all four directions and said, "All right. Rick and Leo go to the north and south until I tell you to stop. Marc and Havoc, go to the east and west until I tell you to stop. Go."
The four kept going out until they were several hundred feet away from Amy. She was growing more excited now as she said, "All right. Now each of you move in a circle to where the person on your right is standing." Once they had done that, she went on, "Now Marc and Havoc, make two large triangles from one end of the circle to the other. Rick and Leo, draw a big line from east to west and meet me here in the center."
After those tasks were completed, she asked them all to step carefully out of the transmutation circle they had made so as not to mess up any of the work. She then drew a large circle in the very center and stepped out herself.
At that moment, the gold she had requested was brought to her and laid in the center of the circle. She nodded in approval and knelt in front of the large drawing. Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on the circle, releasing the alchemic reaction.
The people standing around watched with wide eyes as the temple was erected right before their eyes, and in the span of a few minutes the building that had once stood for everything that the Ishbalans believed in was now rebuilt and more magnificent than it had been years before.
Many of the Ishbalans fell to their knees when it was finished and began praying to their god, while others were far too dumbstruck to do anything.
When it was all finished, the High Priest walked up to Amy and put a hand on her shoulder, staring up the steps of the beautiful new temple. "It's wonderful, Amy," he said with a smile. "Thank you so much."
She smiled as she stood up, but immediately fell back down. Havoc quickly went to her side and put his hands on her shoulders. "Amy, what is it? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Havoc," she replied, standing up with his help. "This was a big job. It was more than likely that it would take most of my energy to complete it. I'm afraid I'll need to rest for a while before doing anything further alchemically."
The High Priest nodded, understanding. "Lieutenant Havoc, would you please take her back to the hut and let her rest for a while? I'm going to make it your personal duty to make sure that she's taken care of."
He bowed and said, "Of course, Master." He then picked Amy up, seeing how weak she had become with raising an entire temple, and carried her back to their hut on the other side of the city.
He laid her down on the bed she had claimed with her bag and put a cold cloth on her forehead. It was only a few minutes later that she woke up and said tiredly, "Well, well, well, what's this?"
Havoc smiled and replied, "The High Priest gave me the task of making sure you're well taken care of, and you're always saying that if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. I wouldn't trust anyone else to take care of you, at least not yet. Maybe after I get to know them better and vice versa."
She smiled and said, "Thanks, Jean. I knew there was a reason why I wanted you along."
Without replying, he bent down and kissed her on the head. "You know I'd do anything for you," he finally said. "And not just because you're my superior. You have to know that I've loved you for years."
She nodded. "I know," she said weakly. "I love you too, Jean." She then fell back asleep to regain the strength she'd lost, still holding onto his hand as she drifted into dreamland.