Ed took Mei back to the forest clearing where he'd first appeared.
"Why do we need to come back here?" Mei asked.
"Well, the pendant seems to react to alchemy or alkahestry, but when I used my alchemy in the canyon, nothing happened, so I'm guessing it's location-dependent," Ed answered.
"Now that you mention it, the dragon's pulse does feel a little different here," Mei said. "It's almost like the corruption is weaker here."
"Good to know," Ed said. "Look out for other spots like this, will you? They could be the key to getting home."
"Okay," Mei said.
Ed used his Alchemy to open the gate, and he and Mei went through. When they emerged, they were back in the empty clearing at the fair. Colonel Mustang was nowhere to be seen—understandably, as Ed and Mei had been gone for hours—or days, in Mei's case. Ed didn't know what the effects of the time travel would be—it was possible that several days had passed in 1000 A.D. too—so he decided they should ask around about the colonel.
He found the old man near the entrance of the fair, the one they'd talked to when they first got there. "Hey, it's you again. How's the fair?" the man asked.
"Good," Ed said. "Hey, have you seen the man that was with us earlier? The one in the blue coat."
"Sure have," said the man. "He left a few hours ago."
"Any idea where he went?"
"No, sorry."
"Alright, thanks. C'mon Mei, let's go," he said, leaving the fair.
"Where are we going?" Mei asked.
"I'm guessing the colonel went to the castle to find a map. That was our original plan, after all."
"Wait, I can't go to the castle! They tried to capture me!" Mei said.
"Right, I almost forgot about that," Ed said, running his hand through his hair. "You can wait here if you want."
Mei nodded.
"Alright, take care of yourself, I'll be back soon," Ed said.
"Okay," Mei said.
Ed took the long walk back toward the castle. The path led into the woods, where there was a maze-like set of pathways, but he eventually found his way through. The castle, like the one 400 years earlier, was huge and impressive. The central keep was tall, with four towers—two more than the castle in the middle ages—rising even higher. He went inside, where, like before, there was a staircase leading to the throne room. Two soldiers stood at either side.
"Halt!" one of them said. "Who are you?"
"My name's Edward," Ed said. "I was just looking for someone. A man in a blue coat with black hair."
The man narrowed his eyes. "And what's your relation to him?"
"Well, I wouldn't say we're friends..." Ed said, putting his hand on the back of his head. "Co-workers, more like."
"What's all this commotion?" a voice said from the top of the stairs. A short old man in green robes and a large green hat, with a long white beard appeared there, carrying some kind of staff.
The soldier turned to the man. "He claims to be an acquaintance of the one we arrested earlier, sir."
"Arrested?" Ed said.
"Well, don't just stand there! Apprehend him as well. He's obviously in on the plot!" the old man said.
"Hey, wait, what plot?!" Ed said, stepping back defensively. More soldiers started to pour in from the top of the stairs, surrounding him.
"Don't play dumb!" said the old man. "Thought you'd waltz in here after abducting the princess, did you?"
"What? I didn't—"
"Seize him! Seize the terrorist!" the man said.
The soldiers moved forward and grabbed Ed by the arms. I could fight, but if I let them take me, I'll probably find the colonel, Ed thought. He relented as the men pinned his arms behind his back and started moving him through the castle. They took him up a tower, then across a bridge to a different tower, then back down into a hallway full of prison cells. Colonel Mustang was sitting on the bench in one of the cells. The soldiers opened the door and pushed Ed in with him, then closed it again.
"Geez, you could be a little gentler, you know?" Ed said, standing up and dusting himself off.
"Shut it," one of the soldiers said. "Your trial's tomorrow." They left, leaving Ed and Mustang alone with the two guards who were already there. These ones, oddly enough, were wearing armor and holding swords. There
"You too, huh?" Mustang said.
"No kidding," Ed replied. "How'd you get in here in the first place?"
"Well, the chancellor is apparently not very trusting of foreigners," Mustang said.
"Is that the old man with the big hat?"
Mustang nodded.
"And you didn't decide to just blast your way out?"
"These soldiers are just doing their jobs, Fullmetal. I don't want to hurt any innocents. Not again," Mustang said.
"What do you mean by that?" Ed asked.
Mustang shook his head. "Now's not the time. More importantly, can you get us out of here?"
"Sure thing," Ed said. He walked over to the small window the tower had, which was really more of an arrow slit, and looked out. They were high up, but that wouldn't be a problem. He clapped his hands together, then touched the wall, causing the stone to move, widening the window and creating a platform on the outside of the tower.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" one of the guards shouted. "Quick, get this door open!"
"Oops, forgot about them," Ed said. He did another transmutation, this time causing a wall of stone to appear behind the cell's bars. "That oughta hold them. C'mon, let's get going, colonel."
Mustang stood up and followed Ed out onto the platform, where he used his alchemy to create a spiral staircase running down the outside of the tower. They rushed down, and just as they reached the ground, a group of soldiers came running out of the front of the castle.
"There they are!" the soldiers shouted.
"Better run!" Ed said. He and Mustang fled the castle for the forest beyond, pursued by the soldiers. As they reached a fork in the path, they saw Mei walking toward them.
"Mei! What are you doing here!?" Ed said.
"Well, I—"
"Nevermind, no time!" Ed said, grabbing her by the arm. The soldiers were almost on them, so he dashed to the left, where the path ended in a clearing.
"Great job, Fullmetal, you led us to a dead end," Mustang said.
"Oh, shut up!" Ed said.
"Edward, there's a gate here! I can feel it!" Mei said.
"Really?" Ed said. "Perfect!" He clapped his hands and pressed them to the ground. As expected, a large blue gateway opened up.
"C'mon, let's go!" Ed said.
"We don't even know where that leads!" Mustang said.
"Your choice," Ed said, jumping into the portal. Mei followed.
"Dammit, Fullmetal," Mustang said. He looked back at the approaching soldiers, then dove in as well, before the gate closed.
One disorienting trip through space and time later, the three of them landed on a hard metal floor, in a room illuminated by flickering lights in the ceiling. A strange door with a golden lion's head on its front stood behind them, while a corridor extended in front of them, supposedly to the outside.
"What is this, some kind of bunker?" Ed said, standing up.
"This place looks pretty advanced. Maybe it's the future?" Mei said.
"The future?" Mustang said. "Fullmetal, what happened when you went through that portal? You've got some explaining to do."
I realize this chapter's pretty short compared to the rest, but that's just the best division point, so what can you do?