Chapter 14
A year has passed since East City was invaded by Drachma. Fortunately, Xing's military arrived and helped Amestris obtain East City back in 2 months. Winry and the children returned 9 months afterwards. Edward wanted to be sure that Drachma didn't stand a reinvade East City before he allowed his family to return, and Winry wholeheartedly agreed.
When Winry and the children came back, they were greeted by Sylvia. She had watched over the house while they were in Xing, and the house had been left alone by Drachma since the house seemed to only be occupied by a widow. They walked into the house and were relieved that it looked the same.
Winry said as she walked "We're finally home."
Because Winry had been gone for so long and left so suddenly, she lost her contract with the Veteran's hospital. But she was happy to stay home for a little while. She contacted her patients and informed them of her return. Most weren't happy but she gave them a heavy discount if they came to her home.
A few months later, Edward and his team were in North City. The war had been going on for 2 years, and they were over it. The only Drachmans that were in Amestris were in Fort Briggs. With Xing's help, Amestris had been able to gain most of their country back.
Edward was grateful to Emperor Ling. He may have to make a visit out there once everything was settled. Though it was hard to think of what would happen after the war was over. Because each day there was a chance for someone to die. They had suffered some casualties. Edward had lost 4 of his team members, though only one had been with him since Kiva, and that was Henry Grey. He had started off under Edward as a warrant officer but had been promoted to First Lieutenant before his death. Afterwards, he was promoted to Captain. Edward still shuddered when he thought of Grey being shot in the neck and bleeding out in his arms.
Edward had also been promoted to Brigadier General. He wasn't that proud because promotions meant other soldiers higher than him had died, which made room for him to move up. But he had extra income for his family, and with Winry losing her job, it was necessary.
And Edward missed her so much. His heart ached to be held by her, especially on those cold nights when he dreamed of watching Grey and the other 3 members die. These extra members had been assigned to him after his promotion. He had a larger team under his command. Most were very new to military having been drafted from the masses.
Edward was sitting with Jean in a bar having a drink. He warned Jean not to drink too much because tomorrow was a big day. Edward just wanted a drink to help him sleep tonight. Most of them were nervous and were using alcohol as their coping skill. Jean was also using cigarettes. Edward almost wanted a cigarette but Winry would kill him if he came home with a nicotine habit.
Edward took a few letters from his pocket. He looked at Alphonse's latest letter, which included a picture of Edward's new nephew. Winry had been there for his birth and shortly after to help Mei adjust to motherhood. He was happy to be an uncle and he couldn't wait for the day that they would meet. Edward might corrupt him a little bit and teach him how to swear just to make his brother angry. Though Winry might hit him with a wrench so he may have to hold off for a while.
Edward showed Jean the picture again. Jean sighed but humored Edward. Looking at letters and pictures were part of Edward's coping mechanisms. After those pictures were shown, Jean showed him some naughty pin ups that he kept in his pocket, and Edward blushed some. "Jean, you need a girlfriend, or better yet a wife."
After a few drinks, Edward left the bar and went to his hotel for the night. They were using various buildings as lodges for the troops. Fortunately, he was a high-ranking officer and got to have a nice room. As he was walking to the hotel, he saw a covered military truck that they had been using that day. He could hear something, or rather someone in it.
Edward sighed. He hated this part of the job. He had a feeling he knew what two people were doing in there. It was their way of coping with the stress. But still, it was part of his duty.
Edward opened the flaps on the rear of the truck and found a man and a woman making out. This didn't surprise him but he was shocked at who he found. "FUERY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THERE? AND WITH MILA?!"
Fuery was on top of Mila, and they were both shirtless. Mila still had her bra on so they hadn't gone too far.
"Sir, I … um" Fuery stammered while Mila struggled to put her shirt on.
"I'm sorry sir!" Mila said, buttoning her shirt in haste.
Edward groaned and put his hand on his forehead in grievance. He shook his head. "I was not expecting this from you two. Do you realize that there are consequences for this? We still have that damn fraternization law."
Fuery got out of the car and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, it's just it got out of hand pretty quick."
Edward folded his arms across his chest and thought about what to do with these two.
"Listen, I'm not turning you two in. I understand there's a lot of stress, and this is how some people deal with it. But you need to be careful. Not everyone will go easy on you. Now go report to your rooms. We have an early day tomorrow."
Edward escorted Mila to her room and then went to his own. He took a hot shower and got into bed. He lay in bed and was jealous of Fuery and Mila. They were using his favorite coping mechanism. If Winry was here right now, he wouldn't hesitate to take her. But she wasn't there. At least he had his whiskey in the bar.
The next day, Edward met with his team in front of the truck that he caught Mila and Fuery making out in. Edward said nothing about the previous night's events. He didn't want anyone to catch wind that two officers had been having relations with each other.
They got in the truck and were driven to a rendezvous point. Edward got out of the truck behind his team. He immediately grimaced when he saw her. The Queen of the North, Olivier Armstrong.
Olivier saw him and glowered at Edward. "I see they actually let the child come play in a man's war."
"Oh, shut your trap. I joined the military when I was 12," Edward rolled his eyes and leaned his head back annoyed with her already.
But then he realized something. She was angry because he had such a high rank for being so young. He then told her "I just got another promotion though it doesn't feel like I deserve it. It's just that others that are above die and they need someone to take their position. The only reason I have these stars is because someone else died and I'm alive. It doesn't seem fair."
Olivier was surprised at his acknowledgement of how he had received a promotion. "You're more mature than I thought. But there's nothing wrong with being promoted. Staying alive is difficult on the battlefield, and that deserves a reward. Maybe not some stars but that's all we have right now to give."
Edward saluted her as did his team. Olivier saluted back and told them to be at ease. They proceeded to get ready for their plan.
Olivier and her team had made a way into the hole that Sloth had dug under Fort Briggs. Olivier and Edward's team climbed into the hole that had been formed by a new alchemist that was under Olivier's command. They made their way through the tunnel until they were directly underneath Fort Briggs. The alchemist drew a transmutation circle on the floor to make stairs to the ceiling. Then he proceeded up the stairs to draw another circle on the ceiling that would be their eventual opening. Oliver then told the alchemist to wait to activate that circle. Olivier and Edward checked their watches and the teams had to wait because it wasn't quite time.
Up above ground, Mustang's team was part of a much larger group that was attacking Briggs from the Amestris side. This was meant to be a diversion so the underground team wouldn't have to deal with as many Drachmans.
While they were waiting, Edward was getting impatient, and he was getting anxious. He had crossed his arms and was tapping his foot. This was the big day. The final push to get their country back. Since they were waiting, Jean lit a new cigarette. Edward lifted his hand to ask for a cigarette. "Jean, you mind if I have one?"
"Here. Though isn't your wife going to be mad?" Jean whispered.
"It's just one cigarette. I won't come home smoking."
"Just breathe it in slow. Not too deep."
Jean lit one and handed it over to Ed, who put it into his mouth and slowly breathed it in. He heeded Jean's warnings. He coughed a little. It didn't taste great, but he could see why people do it. It was something else to focus on besides their impending confrontation.
Edward almost finished his cigarette when Olivier announced everyone to be ready. Edward and Jean threw their cigarettes on the floor and stamped them out. The alchemist waited until Olivier gave the signal. Edward held his gun and took one last look at his team.
He told them "Have each other's backs. We're going to get through this. Everyone is depending on us at home."
Some members of this team nodded. The newer ones shaking and their eyes held a look of fear. Edward saw this. "Stay low and alert. Your team will help. Just keep up with us."
The new members nodded.
Olivier yelled for the alchemist to open the ceiling, and he did. The floor opened. They could hear some voices that were distant and shouting something. The alchemist then took out a piece of paper and set it on the floor of the Briggs fortress and activated it. It made the floor turn into a shallow wall that would be enacted as a shield for the Amestrian soldiers.
Oliver's team went up and shots started being fired. Edward signaled for his team to go up once there was room above. They took positions along the shallow wall and started firing at the Drachman soldiers. Once the room was clear, they moved to different floors. Eventually, they cleared a few more floors and Drachman soldiers were finding out that Amestrians had gotten into the fortress.
Edward was leading his group down a corridor. He goes ahead to make sure it was safe to proceed but an explosion happens behind him. The smoke clears and then shots are fired from a hole above in the ceiling. Someone had thrown a grenade on the floor above which caused it to collapse onto the floor below. There was a lot of rubble and Edward was separated from his group. The gunshots were loud, but he yelled that he would find them on the next floor. He heard them agree in response.
Edward continued with his gun drawn down the corridor. He went in the stairwell and was suddenly grabbed from behind. Edward dropped his gun due to the surprise. He struggled against his assailant, but he was strong. He got Edward into a headlock.
'Shit, I can't breathe,' Edward thought.
He didn't panic but instead grabbed the assailant's arm and pulled so the hold released enough for him to breathe. Edward then stepped to the assailant's side and freed a hand to hit him in the genitals. The assailant yelped in a high pitch. Edward used his other hand to go behind the assailant and reached up to grab his face. The assailant released him, and Edward punched him in the chest. He grabbed his gun off the ground and pointed it at the assailant.
The assailant put his hands up and yelled "Please don't hurt me!".
Edward's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "Are you Kivian?"
The assailant looked up in shock. "Yes! How do you know to speak Kivian?"
"I was there on a food mission," Edward said. He felt more at ease, but he still had the gun pointed at the man. He couldn't trust him yet. The Kivian looked a little relieved but still stressed.
There were more sounds of gunfire. The Kivian looked up.
"Sounds like it's getting worse," the Kivian said.
"What's your name?", Edward asked.
"Sergei. What's your name?"
"Edward. Stand up. I will take you to Mila. She speaks really good Kivian. Mine is still not good," Edward waved the gun at him to indicate him to stand.
Sergei stood up and Edward told him to go up the stairs. While they were going up the stairs, a loud announcement came over the radio, and it was Olivier.
"The Drachman general has just surrendered. Fort Briggs is now back in the hands of Amestris! The rest of you lay down your arms and lay on the ground. Here, you tell them that, so they understand that you have lost!"
They heard someone speaking Drachman over the speakers telling the others to surrender. Edward sighed in relief. This was a big victory.
"Finally, we have our country back," Edward said.
Edward brought Sergei and met up with his team upstairs. Edward's team is relieved to see him in one piece and then they are worried when they see he has a hostage. Edward explains that he is Kivian and wants to ask him some questions to see what happened to the young men that were taken from the farms that desperately needed them.
Edward and Mila interview him in a separate room with Jean standing by the door armed. He still didn't trust Sergei. Fuery and one of the new soldiers stood guard outside the door.
They learned that Sergei along with other men from rural farms were taken to mines in search of gold. But then most of them were taken to camps to learn how to be soldiers for Drachma. Then the war began, and they had to fight. But even though they had been fighting, the Drachmans still treated them like second class members. They didn't get good food or liquor. They were given suicide missions because they were seen as dispensable.
Once Sergei had finished explaining, he asked Edward how Kiva was doing. Edward didn't know about recently, but he did tell them of living conditions that they found the Kivians in. Sergei wept. He wondered if his family was alive. His mother was a widow and he had younger siblings to take care of, but he was forcibly taken.
Edward and Mila felt sympathy for him. Edward couldn't leave it at that. Edward told him that the Kivians were doing much better before he left over there. They had helped them with livestock and planting crops. And Edward promised that he would get him back to Kiva eventually.
Edward walked Sergei out of the room and into the hallway. Olivier happened to be walking by.
"Brigadier General Elric, have you interrogated him? Was there any helpful information?"
"He doesn't know anything important. He can be sent back to Kiva when we are able to do that."
Olivier scoffed "We don't have the resources for that. If they don't have information or of no negotiating value, then they should be disposed of."
Edward's face became a deep shade of red. "WHAT THE FUCK?! DISPOSED OF?! He's a human being. He's from Kiva and was forced to fight under Drachma. HE HAD NO CHOICE!"
Olivier spat back "DO YOU THINK ANY OF THESE RECRUITS HAD A CHOICE?! There are several pipsqueaks on your team that didn't have a choice but to come up here. I doubt some of them had barely just finished drinking from their mother's teat, let alone have the balls to kill someone in cold blood."
Edward got in her face and growled "Hasn't there been enough blood shed already?!"
Olivier scowled "I will let him live if your team takes first watch over the POW's."
"FINE!" Edward turned and walked off.
"But if he makes one wrong move, I will take his head off his shoulders myself. Make sure he is aware of that."
Edward frowned. He knew she was serious. Mila translated and Sergei complied.
Edward found the cells where he had once slept, and his team took turns on their watch of the POW's.
Mustang eventually met with Edward, Jean, and Fuery when they weren't on watch, and informed him of the loss of one of their comrades, Breda. Edward backed into the wall to help support himself so he wouldn't fall. He had known Breda since joining Mustang's team when he was 12. It was hard to know that they would never meet at the bar again. They each had a drink that night. Edward even had another cigarette. He vowed it would be the last one.
About six weeks later, Drachma surrendered. Creta didn't have a physical barrier to Drachma and had taken over their capital. Part of the negotiations was that Kiva would have its independence restored, and not be part of Drachma anymore. Drachmans were also to leave Amestris, Kiva, and Creta at once.
And the war was finally over. The Kiva soldier was sent on a train back home, just as Edward promised. And now Edward and his team are finally going home to East City.
Author's note: Finally, we have almost completed the story. The last chapter contains the coming home scene and epilogue. I'm happy to see it come to an end. I have a few other works in progress that I want to focus on that I'm sure you will enjoy. I have a fantasy one that I'm about to start writing so keep an eye out for that one.
As for the story, multiple countries had to help overturn Drachma. Just like Germany in WWII, it took a great effort of multiple countries.
And Kiva is getting its independence returned because Drachma obviously mistreated them so badly.
Olivier is very coldhearted. A reader was hoping she would be in it, and I admit it was a good idea. She was a pleasure to write with. She is practical and killing POWs wouldn't surprise me, especially if they were of no use in negotiation matters. They take up space and food resources and items that could be used for Amestrian soldiers.