Hello, everyone! This is the final chapter! For my American friends, I know this is a scary time, but we will get through this. Now, without further ado, the last chapter. Enjoy.

Roy rode his horse as fast as it could go. He needed to reach the wall before the caravan did, otherwise the plan would have a higher chance of failure.

The sun was nearly in the center in the sky, a sign they had made good time during their seemingly slow travels. No clouds were in sight, that meant there would be no rain hindering Roy's abilities. A light breeze blew in from the north, filling the air with a slight chill. Roy reminded himself where he was and what his goal was. He was not in Drachma anymore. He was fast approaching the wall to the east and he had to protect his people at any cost.

A small outpost appeared on the horizon, nestled against the stone and barb wired wall. There were only five guards at the station; this was going to be easy. Before they knew he was there, Roy snapped his fingers and set the outpost on fire. He held back, careful not to kill the men, but the sudden attack was enough to incapacitate them. The injured men were incapable of fighting, but Roy approached them as if they'd jump him at any moment. To be safe, Roy transmuted some of the chain linked fence into regular chains and used it to tie up the Cretans.

One of the men regained consciousness and rapidly spoke in his native language, clearly terrified. Despite his hatred towards Creta's actions, Roy could not bring himself to cause any more harm to the captives. They were soldiers simply following orders. It would be hypocrisy if he were to hold that against them.

Roy found a telephone mounted to the wall along with a list of contact numbers. His grasp of the Cretan language was abysmal, but he understood enough to recognize the word 'command'. He dialed the number and counted five rings before the other line picked up. A Cretan voice answered him, Roy could feel his own breaths growing heavier.

"My name is Roy Mustang, I'm a colonel in the Amestrian army. You might have heard of me under the name Flame Alchemist, I assure you it's well earned. North City is under our control, as is Central. To the east is the desert, where you'll be met with death if you try to flee into it. Your only hope is to travel south to Aerugo. Get out of my country, or stay and face the consequences, you have half an hour to decide." He hung up the phone and marched up the path.

He didn't know what trials awaited him ahead. The Cretans he'd captured easily could have given him the answers he desired, but Roy didn't have that sort of time. As he strode along the side of the wall, he made sure to destroy it as he went. Anger nor hatred clouded him; he simply felt tired. Once Amestris was liberated, he could rest all he wanted. There'd be no relaxing until everyone was free.

Two Cretan men emerged from the brush, both freezing when they saw the detached alchemist. Roy posed his fingers, ready to snap if need be. The men raised their arms to show they were unarmed, both were clearly fearful for their lives.

"Many sorry," one of the men spoke in broken Amestrian, "we didn't want this." It could be a trick, but Roy didn't believe that to be the case. The remorse and pain in their eyes was genuine.

"Don't stray from this path. You'll find five of your men detained at an outpost, bring them with you. Keep travelling south and don't stop for anything." The two nodded and cautiously walked around Roy with their hands still in the air. The one who spoke the first time paused and talked to Roy once more.

"The last place is cellar." a few gunshots rang out in the distance. "Follow noise. Your people behind the wine, safe. Understand?" Roy put the pieces together and nodded his head.

"Thank you, now go." Roy watched the men as they disappeared through the tall grass, then he continued on his way.

The gun fire grew louder, and he could make out the sound of Cretans yelling in their native tongue. His heart pounded as adrenaline washed over him. Roy snuck through some bushes and hid himself underneath a pine tree to watch the commotion in relative safety. A large group of Cretans were taking cover behind vehicles and storage crates while being shot at by an advancing force of other Cretans. Most of the shouts were in a foreign language, a few were in Amestrian. It made sense after all, especially with Creta being a federalist country. Those living near the border of the two countries were often bilingual, which was a handy talent.

A majority of the yells were incomprehensible for him to understand, but he did manage catch a few 'traitors!' and 'sympathizers!' from the oncoming Cretans.

"Stop!" one of the Cretans hiding behind a car shouted in a thick western accent, "Why are we here? There's no point to this fighting!" Roy could tell the ones hiding were low on ammo, seeing as they had stopped shooting at the advancing soldiers.

"Dammit!" another one hiding called out. The rest of his cry was in Cretan, so Roy couldn't make out what was said.

"Spare none of the deserters." an oncoming solider, likely a lieutenant, demanded, then repeated the phrase in Cretan. The men approached with their guns raised, looking similar to how hounds acted before chasing after a rabbit. Roy had enough of this. He scooted himself from under the tree and snapped his fingers, careful to immobilize only those who had been advancing. He scurried out of his hiding place and quickly disarmed the injured men. With a clap of his hands, he transmuted a crudely made cage to entrap them.

"Ete vou le Alchimiste Fiera?" Roy turned his head and saw that the soldiers who had been hiding were now standing in front of the crates with their hands raised in the air, weapons on the ground.

"Are you the Flame Alchemist?" a man translated for him, his voice was hoarse. All of them seemed weary and frightened, as if they'd be struck down at any moment. Their green uniforms were covered in mud and dried blood.

"Yes I am." Roy walked towards them and noticed several of the soldiers flinched

"We surrender to you. Before you punish us, there's something you must see."

"I'm not going to punish you."

"We're your enemies."

"I don't think it's that simple. Show me whatever it is you want me to see."

The man lowered his arms slightly and motioned Roy to follow him. The rest stayed where they were and nodded at him as he strode by them. A metal bunker door opened, and Roy descended down the dark stairwell, the only light coming from dimly lit flickering bulbs.

"What's your name?" Roy asked, breaking up the smooth rhythm of two people clopping on stone steps.

"Private Adam Louis." the stairs ended and they continued along the narrow path. The corridor smelled strongly of gunpowder; this place was likely a storage hold for ammunition.

"Your Amestrian is excellent, I can hardly tell you're Cr-"

"I'm from Eltai," Adam cut in, "it's a border city. My native language is Amestrian. Sorry, I forgot my place." the young man braced himself for a verbal or physical attack that never came.

"No, I shouldn't have assumed." the soldier had spunk, Roy appreciated that. Still, he wondered if walking in an enclosed space with a Cretan had been a foolish idea. Of course it was, this was obviously a setup for an ambush.

The grimy hallway led into a spacious room filled with crates and barrels. Ammunition once filled the crates, but they appeared to be empty now. Large oak barrels rested on a shelf against the far wall, though they surely didn't have weapons or bullets inside of them.

"Cretan wine and spirits," Adam explained as they approached one of the barrels. "We export it to the eastern countries in exchange for spices. Perhaps you'd like a taste?" Roy narrowed his eyes as the man pulled out the rack and revealed a trapdoor. He remembered the words the Cretans he encountered earlier told him; were his people really here, and safe?

They descended the short ladder and Roy was blinded by a bright flash of light. He blinked and realized there were several flashlights trained on him.

"General Mustang, is it really you?" that was right, he'd been promoted before the invasion. He was ashamed he'd forgotten, there were many things he couldn't remember. His memories often blurred together, time moved irregularly. Despite that, he knew for sure he had one duty that must be fulfilled. Protect.

"Yes." once his eyes adjusted, Roy had a better look at the woman. She wore a simple brown robe, which was covered in dirt. She led them to a door and opened it, revealing a large and brightly lit room, full of men, women, and children, all wearing clothes similar to hers. The Amestrians all stood up and cheered when Roy entered the room. Some clapped, others cried, a few saluted him. The loud eruption of noise startled him and he took a small step backwards, but he reminded himself that these people were his people, they didn't mean him any harm.

"We're saved!" someone called out.

"We're free!" another cried.

Roy took a deep breath and stepped forward, he managed to raise his arm to give a quick wave to the Amestrians. He couldn't let them know that their savior was suffering from traumatic stress; he was their hope.

"What's going on?" Roy asked Adam quietly while he fidgeted with his shirt.

"We've set up places across the country to hide Amestrians. This is the final stop before we send them to Xing, we've been helping them escape for months now." Roy stared blankly at Adam for a moment before returning his gaze to the Amestrians. He wondered how many of his people had been saved because of these Cretans. They had risked their own lives to protect and help people they had no connections to.

"We're not entirely out of the water yet," Roy spoke up while walking towards the center of the room, "the Cretan army is still here. Feel free to fight with me, otherwise stay here in safety until an 'all clear' is given."

Roy was surprised when a few people stepped forward to join him. They weren't in the best physical condition, so he wouldn't have held it against them if they weren't up for a fight. Together, he and the few Amestrians walked out of the bunker and stood amongst the surrendered Cretans above ground. Roy clapped his hands and transmuted several of the metal storage crates into various swords and daggers. They may be out of ammunition, but they could still fight.

"Cretans," he announced while motioning to the weapons he created, "you've helped save countless lives due to your actions. As of today, you are all honorary Amestrians. Come with me, or stay here and protect those who stay behind. The choice is yours and I won't judge you either way."

One of the Cretans translated for those who couldn't understand Amestrian. The majority of them picked up a weapon and saluted Roy, a few others smiled but stayed where they were. Once everyone was situated, Roy led his small militia up the unpaved road. They were bringing knives and swords to a gunfight, so they'd have to be extremely cautious.

Gun shots, explosions, and shouts were clearly audible; it seemed like the fighting had begun before he arrived. As they marched over a hill, they looked down upon the valley they were heading for. Cretans were shooting at each other, running around like mad. Dead soldiers littered the battleground, none of them distinguishable from friend or foe.

"Nou nou battons dija nos propres freres. Je prie pour nou tous." a Cretan whispered beside Roy, then touched his forehead with his left wrist and brought his hands together in an act of prayer. No translation was given to Roy, but he understood; the Cretans were fighting against their own families, infighting was one of the worst kinds of war.

"Our enemies are the ones defending the wall." Adam spoke up after listening to the Cretan shouting to determine who was on whose side. When Amestris was freed, Roy swore he would learn some foreign languages.

The militia stormed down the hill, some shouting as they did so. A few Cretans in the valley spotted them and stopped fighting momentarily, not sure what to make of the rag tag group. The valley was quickly encompassed in chaos as all the forces clashed against one another.

Time seemed to speed up, and Roy felt disoriented and dizzy. What felt like only five minutes of fighting turned out to be an hour. Roy clapped his hands together and transmuted two walls out of the ground so the Cretans had nowhere to flee. He snapped his fingers and an enormous wall of fire trapped the enemy in the giant alcove. He could have burned them all to a crisp easily, but he felt better morally to give them the warning display first.

There were shouts at first, then silence, save for the cackling of the fire. Gunfire ceased, everyone held their breaths. As the fire died down, one of the Cretan officers stepped forward waving a white shirt. The others threw down their weapons and stood in erie silence. Just like that, it was all over.

Amestris was free.

Ed smiled as he walked through the Xingese city, hardly able to believe he finally made it to safety. Honestly, he'd been expecting things to have gone horribly wrong, but here he was all in one piece. As they strode along the road, they were offered free drinks and food from merchants and other travellers.

One moment, Ed was standing and drinking a cup of wine happily. The next moment, he was sprawled on the ground with the drink splashed over his face and a heavy body cutting off his air flow.

"Brother!" Ed squeezed the person tight upon hearing that blissful word. The voice was music to his ears and he grinned and couldn't contain the laughter and happiness that bubbled inside of him.

"Hey, Alphonse." Ed held onto his brother as if he'd disappear if he were to let go.

"Welcome back, you dummy." Al helped his brother stand up and they continued to walk up the road, sticking together like velcro. Neither could stop smiling. Al didn't ask Ed what happened to him, which Ed was grateful for; he didn't feel ready to talk about his experiences yet. They talked instead about what foods Ed should try in Xing.

As they walked towards a small house, Ed froze in his tracks. That must be where Winry was; what would he say to her? Would she still want him around even after he abandoned her and their son?

"We're glad you're here." Al reassuringly tightened his grip on Ed's hand. "It's going to be all right." Ed breathed in and walked towards the house, only hesitating a little bit when he turned the doorknob.

He opened the door and was first greeted by the aroma of cinnamon baked apples. His eyes softened at the sight before him; Mei sat on the couch while Winry was on floor playing with a toy train with a small child. He looked to be roughly six months old with a wisp of blonde hair on his head. When he giggled delightfully, Ed's heart melted. This was his son.

Winry looked at Ed with a shocked expression, which was quickly replaced with one of happiness. She jumped up and smothered him, hugging him with enough passion that he felt short of breath.

"Hi." he said dumbly, not sure what else to say. He was overrun with a variety of emotions, it was nearly too overwhelming. Mei joined in on the group hug, as did Al. Ed was at peace, he was safe now. "I missed all of you." Sig and the rest of Mustang's team piled into the room, some of them had half eaten slices of apple pie in their hands. They all talked at once and hugged him, his senses were driven into overload. The commotion eventually died down and Winry gently grasped his hands.

She led him to the center rug and had him sit down next to the child. Ed cautiously raised his hand and let the boy hold his finger in his small fist. Winry held onto Ed's free hand and she placed their son on her knee.

"Charlie, say hello to your daddy." their son, Charlie, waved his hand excitedly and babbled with delight. The room quieted down, Ed could feel all eyes on him. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, rather it made him feel safe and comfortable being watched by his friends and family. With great care, Ed shifted Charlie onto his lap and ruffled his short hair.

"That's from Mustang." Ed whispered as Charlie wriggled in place. Winry wrapped her arms around Ed's shoulders, which he appreciated despite his soreness.

"Da." Charlie cooed. That one word was enough to bring tears to Ed's eyes. He held Charlie tight against his chest, not minding when his son tugged a loose strand of his hair. He was never going to let go.

Two Years Later

The timer on the oven buzzed, Ed found a pair of pot holders and put the hot tray of cookies on the counter. Charlie raised his arms and reached for the tray, but Ed gently swatted the greedy little hands away.

"No, they're too hot." he chided and chuckled when his son grumbled and sat on the floor with his arms crossed.

The kitchen was small with hardly enough space to fit in a dining table. Compared to other apartments in Central, however, it was a great place to live. Many of his neighbors were ex-Cretan soldiers, made Amestrian citizens after the end of the war due to their actions. If they had returned to their own country, they would likely had been killed due to their desertion, so the Amestrian government gave them full citizenship, no questions asked. In his free time, Ed helped teach Amestrian to those who didn't speak it fluently.

The walls were full of photographs of his family, both close and extended. In one of them, Mustang stood with his team while sporting a black eye. He'd gotten it apparently when Hawkeye confronted him when Armstrong's army reached the collapsed wall. Ed was almost sorry he missed out on that. Then again, his teacher nearly did the same, but she held back because Ed was carrying Charlie when they met up with each other.

Creta was currently having a civil war, and Aerugo closed its borders when their president was assassinated. With those two potential threats preoccupied, Amestris had plenty of time to heal. Rebuilding was a painstakingly long process, but at least Central was back to its former glory.

A sudden knock on the door startled Ed. While he spent a considerable amount of time in counseling, he was still jumpy at times.

"Now, who could that be?" he questioned and grabbed Charlie's hand so they could answer the door together. When he swung the door open, Charlie lept forward and hugged the guest.

"Auntie!" he squealed and Hawkeye lifted him up. She hugged him and set him down, he started spurting out words faster than Ed could make out.

"This is a surprise." Ed stated as he invited Hawkeye to come inside. They sat on the couch and watched as Charlie played with his toys on the floor.

"I dropped Roy off at his appointment a little bit ago. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd make a quick stop." it wasn't a surprise, not really. Mustang had appointments with a counselor twice a week, always at the same time. Hawkeye often stopped by to chat until Mustang's appointment was over. Charlie loved his Aunt Hawkeye, so Ed was more than happy with her visits.

"Is Winry not home yet?" Hawkeye asked.

"No, she had four automail tune-ups scheduled this afternoon."

"When does she plan on taking maternity leave?" Winry was seven months pregnant, although she didn't act like it. Ed smiled and laughed.

"She'll be tinkering with automail right up until she goes into labor." Hawkeye chuckled at that and Ed slumped off the couch to join Charlie on the floor. "I'm making chicken casserole for supper, you and Mustang are more than welcome to join us."

"Thanks, we'd like that."

"Hear that, Charlie? Your Uncle Roy is visiting us tonight." upon hearing that, Charlie cheered and hugged his dad.

While things would never be the same, Ed was happy with how things turned out. His family supported him and helped him when he was down. He was strong, not only for his wife and son, but for himself. Some days he needed a mental break, sometimes he regressed and panicked about past events. And that was okay. Ed hugged his son tight and nestled his face into his soft hair.

Everything was going to turn out great.

Fin

Thank you so much for all of your follows, favorites, and reviews. I appreciate all of you so much for sticking with me. This story had lots of twists and turns, lots of moments I would write differently. (I cringe at my past self a lot). Still, I loved writing this story, and I love you guys for staying with me on my adventure.

Now, if you like pirates, you might like my next adventure, 'The Peacemaker'. It's both on here and on ao3, so I hope you join me!

Thank you all! ~Sokkasm