Chapter 4
They walked up to one of the houses at the end of the cul-de-sac. The exterior struck Winry at once as a very pleasant aspect. Two large meskaa trees stood at each corner, not quite symmetrically, indicating that they were there first. A variety of succulents had been planted below the windows. Although nowhere nearly as ornate as the entrance of the temple, the simple carvings on the front door spoke of the same craftsman.
Scar turned the latch on the door and pushed it open. Winry followed him inside onto a floor made of large red clay tiles. Now that she was inside, Winry could see how deeply the windows were set, indicating how thick the walls were. To the left was a sitting area with a long bench that ran the length of the windowed wall and around the corner to the other side of the room. The benches were decorated with colorful woven covers and scattered cushions and they surrounded a low, round table of carved wood. On the other side of this room was a door that led to what looked like it might be the kitchen. On her right was a set of stairs leading up to the second story.
Winry actually only had a few seconds to take in the surroundings before she heard two high-pitched, happy squeals. She gave a gasp as two little white-haired toddlers waddled toward Scar with their arms outstretched. They wrapped themselves around a leg each, babbling and gurgling excitedly.
Scar bent down, trying to not lose his armload of shopping, and he spoke a few words in Ishvalan to the children, his normal gravelly tone softened. A woman's voice replied to him in the same language, and Winry looked up to see the speaker kneeling on one of the rugs. She had a gentle, serene beauty, her thick, silvery hair tied back loosely. She got to her feet and walked up to them, regarding Winry with interest, a pleased smile spreading on her face as she studied the girl for a moment.
"You must be Winry!"
Winry gave a little jump. "Oh!" She looked up at Scar, then back at the woman. "Yes! How did you know?"
The woman smiled at Scar. "My husband wouldn't bring just any Amestrian girl home." She looked back to Winry. "And of course, Alphonse already came to see us. It was really only a matter of time." She reached for both of Winry's hands. "I'm so glad you've come!"
"I'm sorry!" Winry said quickly. "My hands are sticky!"
The woman gave an understanding smile. "You must have had some candied almonds."
"We stopped at the marketplace," Scar told her. He twisted a little to present the elbow that held the roses. "Here, my love."
"Oh, Andakar!" his wife breathed with delight. "You're so good to me!" She raised herself on her toes to kiss Scar and Winry had to glance away for a moment, feeling her cheeks grow warm. Wow, her flexor muscles must really get a workout. "And you bought tea! Here, let me take those things." She plucked the shopping from Scar's arms. "Silly! Why didn't you come home for the basket?"
"I…didn't think about it," Scar had to admit. With his toddlers still attached to his ankles, he had to twist a little to turn to Winry. "This is my wife, Rada."
Winry gazed at the woman for a moment. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but she had to figure that with his own imposing presence, any woman Scar would be attracted to, let alone persuade to marry him, would have to be someone fairly extraordinary. Winry found herself feeling a little shy. "I'm very glad to meet you!"
Rada smiled warmly at her. With her arms full of flowers and oranges, she nodded toward the opposite doorway. "If you like, you can wash up in there. Then I'll show you your room."
"Thank you!" Winry went into the next room, which was, in fact, the kitchen. It was large and rustic and it had a heavy wooden table sitting in the center. There was a brick hearth at one end, copper pots hanging from a rack on the wall, and a collection of herbs drying on another rack. It smelled good and clean and homey.
"Your needles came," she heard Scar say.
"Oh, good!" Rada replied. "And olive oil, too! You certainly saved me a trip!"
"I thought it best, since I was bringing a guest home."
"That's fine!" Rada leaned in through the kitchen door. " You are staying with us, aren't you, Winry?"
Winry was in the process of turning the spigot on the faucet over the sink. It took a few moments for the water to come gurgling out, just like at home. She looked over her shoulder. "If that's all right. I didn't call or write—"
Rada waved her hand. "Of course it's all right! I wouldn't let you stay anywhere else!"
Winry rinsed her hands under the stream of water, then cranked the spigot closed. There was a towel hanging from a hook at the side of the sink, right where she would expect it to be. Just like at home, she thought with a smile.
As she turned away from the sink, Rada carried up a red clay vase and filled it with water. "Do you have any luggage with you?" she asked Winry.
"It's at the fort," Winry replied.
"It's being sent for," Scar added, carrying the babies into the kitchen.
Winry turned to get a better look at them, now that they were at eye level. The girl wore a yellow dress with flowers embroidered around the neck, and the boy had on a simple shirt and shorts. The girl nestled her head in the hollow of her father's shoulder, shyly peering sideways at Winry. The boy let out a babbling squeal and waved his arm, his other hand tightly clutching his father's sash. They were chubby-cheeked and adorable, and they made Scar look so very normal.
Winry took the little boy's hand. "What's your name?" she asked him playfully, to which the little boy replied with a raspberry.
"His name is Mattas," Scar replied. "After my brother."
"Oh!" Winry breathed. "The one who wrote all those notes?"
"The same." Scar gave his son a little bounce, which made him let out a lusty giggle. "I have high hopes for this one."
"And how about your baby girl?"
"My hopes are just as high," Scar said, kissing the little girl on top her head. He hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "Her name is Winry."
Winry drew in a sharp breath and stared up at the scarred face before her. "I'm sorry about taking such a liberty," Scar went on, a little ruefully. "A person's name is a sacredly held thing. I should have asked you first, but…" He shrugged rather than finish the sentence.
Rada walked past them, carrying the vase, now filled with roses, and set it in the center of the kitchen table. "We'll have to call her Little Winry while you're here," she said with a smile. "Just to avoid confusion."
Winry gazed at her little namesake in wonder and held her finger out to her. The baby grasped it tentatively, turning it back and forth before putting it into her mouth and gnawing on it. Her teeth were pretty sharp, but it tickled rather than hurt, and Winry let out a laugh.
"I guess I understand why you couldn't tell me," Winry said as the baby girl waved her arm back and forth, Winry's finger still firmly in her grip. She gave Scar a slightly chiding look. "It would have been nice to know, though."
"Well, you're here now," Rada declared, coming up beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders.
Winry tugged on her finger. "Can I have that back?" she asked the baby girl. In reply, the girl let go of Winry's finger and held her arms out. "Oh, you want to come with me?" Winry held out her hands and Scar obligingly passed her over. Little Winry promptly grabbed a handful of Winry's hair and pulled. Winry gritted her teeth, and Rada quickly freed her hair out of the baby's grasp, scolding her softly in Ishvalan. She brushed Winry's hair behind her shoulder and smiled at her.
"That's why I keep my hair tied back," she said. She steered Winry out of the kitchen and made a left turn past a stairway and into a hallway. "This way!"
There were four doors, two on each side, and Rada opened the second one on the right. They stepped into a small room, about six by eight feet, that was simply furnished. There was a bed, which was a mattress on a low wooden platform, a small table with a chair, and a wooden chest. The bed had a creamy white bedspread with a geometric pattern embroidered around the edges, and there was a cloth over the table with a similar design stitched on it. Everything in the room looked new, and there was even a hint of the scent of fresh wood.
"This is really nice!" Winry exclaimed, looking around.
"You're lucky, actually," Rada said. "Up until a few months ago, this was just a storage room. When the administrative building was dedicated, Fuhrer Grumman and Brigadier General Mustang and his wife came out for the ceremony. Miles was asked where they could stay while they were here, since they only had one guest room at the fort. I told him that if he could get us a mattress, we could get this room ready. As things turned out, the Fuhrer himself stayed here."
"Wow!" Winry remarked, rather impressed. "That must've been…"
"Strange," Scar said from the doorway.
Rada waved away the comment. "I thought he was very nice. He was a very thoughtful guest and he said we had beautiful children."
"It was still strange."
Rada proceeded to give Winry a tour of the rest of the house, of which she was very proud. Scar followed them, almost shyly quiet. Winry got the impression that he was anxious for her approval. She was shown the twins' room with their little matching beds, their other daughter's room with its brightly embroidered coverlet, and their own room, which was larger than the others and boasted of the addition of a small vanity table with a mirror.
Heading back the other way, Rada led the way upstairs, which she explained was still a work in progress. At the top of the stairs was a short hallway from which emanated the smell of fresh cut wood and drying plaster. Directly ahead was a door that stood ajar. "This is Andakar's study," Rada said, pushing the door open.
It was a very simple, uncluttered room, with a large desk and a chair, and a couple of tall bookcases. Only a few of the shelves had books on them, but it was clear that there was hope for growth here as well.
"And this is my workroom," Rada said proudly, leading the way back out to the hall and to the left. She opened the door to a room that held a large table upon which had a number of cut pieces of fabric. A very nice black and gold treadle sewing machine stood across from the table, and a set of shelves held bolts of fabric and baskets of thread and other sewing notions.
The other end of the hallway led out to a sort of terrace. It was basically the roof over the first floor, since the second floor didn't cover the same area. There was a covering that extended out from the wall that was made up of narrow tree branches tied closely together. There were a couple of chairs and a wooden bench against the wall, as well as some potted plants. There was a good view of the rest of the cul-de-sac from here.
"Now, back downstairs!" Rada announced. Winry followed her, keeping a careful hold of" Little" Winry as she descended the stairs. They went back through the kitchen and out behind the house, where there was a large kitchen garden with orderly rows of beans, peppers and tomatoes, sprawling vines of melons, cucumbers, and squash, and fragrant patches of rosemary, thyme, mint, and other herbs. Off to one side, a vast collection of diapers hung from three rows of clothesline, as well as a set of rubber diaper pants, which Rada pronounced as one of the most wonderful inventions ever. Against the back of the house was a covered pen that held a small group of rust-colored chickens that Winry recognized as Resembool Reds. The twins babbled excitedly at the clucking hens. In mid-babble, Little Winry tensed slightly, gave a little grunt, then a sigh. An unmistakable odor reached Winry's nose.
"Um…I think somebody needs a diaper change," she said.
Scar handed Mattas to Rada, then held his arms out for his daughter. "I'll take care of it."
Winry handed the baby over, and a hint of a self-conscious smile flickered around Scar's mouth. She was trying to hide a look of astonishment herself, and she watched with desperately mounting curiosity as Scar carried his daughter back into the house. This was definitely something that had to be seen to be believed, but she didn't want to appear rude by deserting Rada while she was enjoying showing off her garden.
But while Rada was settling Mattas on her hip, she suddenly looked toward the house. "Oh! He'll be out of diapers in there!" She shook her head and walked across the yard toward the clothesline.
"Here! Let me!" Winry said quickly. "I'll bring him some!"
"Oh, would you?" Rada beamed at her. "Thank you!"
Winry grabbed several diapers from the first clothesline. With a fist full of clothespins, she turned immediately to a canvas sack hanging from one of the clothesline posts, right where she had one at home. She carried the diapers into the house and followed the sound of baby babbling.
Little Winry was laying on one of the little beds, her legs waving in the air. Kneeling on the floor beside the bed, Scar had apparently made quick work of the soiled diaper and was frowning at an empty basket that he held in one hand while trying to keep his daughter from squirming away with his other hand.
"Here you go!" Winry announced as she handed over a fresh diaper.
Scar looked up at her, a little startled, then a little embarrassed, but he took the diaper. "Thank you."
Winry sat on the edge of the bed and started folding the remaining diapers and putting them in the basket as though this was something she did all the time. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Scar deftly fold the diaper and wrap it around the baby girl's bottom, pinning it in place, all the while speaking Ishvalan in a deep, soft voice and trying to keep the baby from rolling toward Winry. She seemed so small compared to her father's large hands. He then slipped a pair of rubber pants on her. He set her on her feet at the edge of the bed, and he had barely sat back on his heels and held out his hands before Little Winry let out a squeal and tipped herself forward into his arms.
"I'm home!" a voice called from the front of the house.
Little Winry got very excited and went from snuggling against Scar's chest to struggling to get down.
"Ah." Scar set the toddler on her feet and she hurried toward the door, falling once but righting herself quickly. "My eldest," he said, following Little Winry down the hall.
"Your eldest?" Winry said, a bit perplexed. The twins couldn't be more than a year old. "How long have you been married?"
"Almost two years," came the reply.
Winry looked out into the hallway to see the toddler get gathered up by an older girl of about seven or eight. The older girl wore her black hair in two long braids with a few loose wisps hanging over her face that she shook out of the way as she looked up at Scar.
"Papa!" she exclaimed happily. "You're home!"
"I came home early," Scar explained. "We have a guest."
The girl turned to look at Winry with wide blue eyes. "Oh! Hi!"
"Danika," Scar chided her gently, "how do you greet a guest?"
Danika dimpled and gave a little bow. "Doishteve!"
Winry gazed at her, receiving the merest breath of an impression, the shadow of a recollection that she couldn't quite place.
"Danika," Scar went on, "this is Winry Rockbell."
The little girl drew in a dramatic gasp of amazement and stared. "Really?"
Winry had to smile. "Yes, really."
Danika was profoundly impressed. She jiggled her little sister in her arms. "That's who you're named after, zhiiya!" she said in an awestruck whisper.
"Zhaarana Winry is going to be staying with us," Scar told her.
Danika's mouth fell open. "Where's Mama? Does she know?"
"Yes, she knows. She's in the garden. Put your sister down and help your mother with the laundry," Scar said. "When you're done, there are some candied almonds on the table."
"'Kay!" She carefully set Little Winry on her feet and sprinted down the hall, her braids bouncing. The toddler gave a cry of dismay and started to follow her. Scar scooped her up and headed toward the back door. After a moment of hesitation, Winry followed him.
"Is…" she began cautiously. "Is Danika…um…"
"Mine?" Scar finished her question for her. He looked back at her with a slight smile. "She is now."
Dinner was a vegetarian affair, since meat required a bit more planning ahead. Rada apologized, but Winry thought the meal was wonderful. There was an ample supply of flatbread and tangy goat cheese, rice from Xing, hard-boiled eggs, slices of melon, and a delicious cold soup of tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, and cucumbers. The toddlers were fed a mixture of mashed beans, rice, and goat's milk. Winry helped feed her small namesake while watching Scar perch his son on his lap and patiently coax food into him.
When the little ones had eaten their fill, they were allowed to cruise around the sitting room while the adults finished eating. The two toddlers seemed to be highly amused with the simple act of walking, and they kept up a constant giggling until they walked into each other, banging their heads together. Then the mirth turned to deafening anguish. Scar got up and gathered the wailing toddlers into his arms, gently consoling them. Five minutes later they were ambling around the room again as if nothing had happened.
Throughout dinner, Rada talked with Winry as if they were old friends catching up with each other, asking her questions about what she'd been up to lately. Scar must have described her to his wife in great detail, which Winry found rather flattering, if a little strange. Danika also kept up a lively discussion about what she was doing in school and about her daily life and about all the things that Winry needed to see while she was in Ishval. The dark-haired girl was still a puzzle, one that Winry hoped Scar would explain to her at some point. He seemed to have made a point of knowing all about her; he ought to return the favor. He sat back quietly and kept an eye on the babies.
Winry's baggage had arrived before dinner, and she unpacked the apple pies that she had brought. They'd gotten a little mashed from the trip, but it didn't affect the taste. The twins gobbled up more than Winry thought they could hold.
She insisted on helping with the cleaning up, and she and Rada continued to chat over the sink. In the other room, Scar sat on the floor while his children climbed all over him. It was all a cheerful, warm, domestic scene that continued to take Winry by surprise, not just because of the figure at the center of it, but at how easily she felt herself being drawn into it and how comfortable she felt there.
Once the dishes were washed, they went outside into the courtyard, which was filling up with the other residents of the cul-de-sac. This was a nearly daily occurrence, especially during the cooler periods of the year. Winry met the remaining members of Scar's family as well as the rest of Dejan's lively troupe of musicians. They all seemed to be related to each other in one way or another, and they all made much of Winry. Scar sat by the fountain talking with Miles, who had put aside his uniform for more comfortable Ishvalan attire.
At one point, Winry went to stand in front of them with a stern look on her face. "You're a sneaky man, Colonel Miles," she remarked.
Miles looked up at her innocently. "Well, of course I am, Miss Rockbell. I'm a soldier. Always catch your opponents off guard."
"Opponents!" Winry scoffed. "Thanks a lot!"
"You did take something of a gamble, Miles," Scar said.
"I never bet on anything if I'm not certain of a substantial payoff." Miles gave a quiet laugh. "It was worth it just to see the looks on your faces. God, that was rich!"
"It could have gone badly."
"But it didn't." Miles looked from Scar to Winry. "Honestly, did it?"
Scar exchanged a somewhat guarded look with Winry. "Not for my part," he said.
Winry considered him for a moment before shaking her head. "Me, neither," she said firmly, as though having accepted a challenge.
Across the courtyard, Dejan and some of his musicians began to tune up. Scar's cousin Damyan unrolled what looked like a leather bag with tubes attached to it and began to blow into one of the tubes, inflating the bag. In a matter of moments, the group started playing at a quick tempo, each instrument taking a brief solo part to show off their skills. Winry gazed at them in utter delight.
"Oh, gosh! This is amazing!" she breathed. "I feel guilty about not buying a ticket!"
"They do this nearly every evening," Scar replied. "Dejan and his group have made plenty of money, but they're just as happy playing for free."
The musicians finished their number and Winry applauded enthusiastically, then stopped and blushed when she realized she was the only one clapping. "That was wonderful!" she gushed.
Stoyan, holding his flute, leaned closer to Dejan and spoke in a low tone. Dejan nodded and said a couple of words to the other musicians. Then he started a slow tremolo on his lute, joined by one of his other lute players. After a couple of moments, Stoyan raised his flute to his lips and began to play a sinuous, haunting phrase, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed in concentration. The tune then went into a more rhythmic, syncopated cadence, joined by Dejan's daughter Mika on her finger drum, but Stoyan was still the star player for this number. The tune gradually sped up and modulated, and Stoyan dressed up his playing with trills and intricate variations. When it came to an almost abrupt end, Winry gave a wistful sigh, wishing that it would go on.
"I can't tell you what a treat this is for me!" she told the musicians. She gazed up at Stoyan with a smile. "That was so wonderful!"
Stoyan reddened somewhat and gave a little bow of his head. "Thank you, Zhaarana. You're very kind."
Dejan gave the young man a flick on the back of his head. "Kind, my ass!" he chuckled. "It's the truth! You were practically born playing that thing, Stoyan!" He turned to Winry, jerking his thumb at Stoyan. "I taught him everything I know, and he's better than me! Anything you put in his hands, he can play! Just like my dad!"
The hint of a pleased smiled played on Stoyan's lips at his mentor's praise and he stole a glance at Winry, meeting her admiring gaze. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Zhaarana Rockbell."
Winry waved her hands. "Oh, you don't all have to be so formal!" she cried. "Just call me Winry!" She turned to Dejan and clasped her hands together. "Could I please ask you to sign my book?"
"You don't even have to ask!" Dejan exclaimed. "Bring it on out here! We'll all sign it!"
Winry eagerly fetched her book as well as a pen from her room in Scar's house and it made the rounds of the entire troupe. She watched with delight as it passed from hand to hand, and when she got it back, the entire inner cover and flyleaf was crowded with signatures and even a few doodles.
Soon it was time to get the children ready for bed. The tub in the bathroom was filled and all three of the children were deposited into it. Winry volunteered to supervise, but this was a ritual that Scar would not relinquish. After a lot of splashing and giggling emanating from the bathroom, the children emerged clean and dry, and Scar was soaked. It was all Winry could do to keep from bursting into laughter.
By the time she went to bed late that evening, she was tired from such a long, eventful, bemusing day. The bed was quite comfortable, but she lay awake in it for some time, thinking. The shutters were open, letting in the cool night air and the comforting night sounds of crickets and distant voices. She turned from her back onto her side, drawing up her knees.
It wasn't until several days after Ed and Al finally came home that she even thought to ask about Scar. Ed just shrugged and said he'd heard that Scar was missing, presumed dead. He gave a slightly grim, rueful smile.
"I guess that means you can finally close the book on that story," he said.
She just smiled and nodded, but deep down she had never felt so conflicted about anything in her life. That story would never get finished.
And now the book was open again.
"Can't sleep?"
Scar turned his head to meet Rada's eyes in the dim light of their room. He didn't know how long he had been staring up at the ceiling. He shook his head.
"It could have been such a wretched disaster," he said. "It was such a shock, seeing her again."
Rada smiled. "Was it, really? Don't you think she would have made her way here someday?"
Scar moved his shoulders. "I suppose...I often wondered what would happen if she came here...no..." He smiled a little. "On my soul, Rada, I hoped she would come someday. I'm not even sure why. I don't think I could ever talk to her about what hap- - what I did."
"Then don't. If she wants to bring it up, wait until then," Rada said sensibly. "In the meantime, we'll make her feel welcome and safe here. That's our duty."
Scar gave a nod in reply. That really was all he could do. There was still a fine, thin barrier between him and Winry Rockbell and they were both aware of it. Perhaps that was as it should be. Winry had her own life and he had his and there was no sense in letting those lines get blurred. The best he could hope for was that when she left, she would think of him as something other than a monster.