When Welkin told the squad that they were heading for Bruhl, a grim determination came over them. With the medics being tight-lipped about Isara's condition, they resolved to at least have Bruhl in Gallian hands so Isara could recover at home. Alicia laid in his arms that night, neither wanting to be far from the other at this time. "It's only been about three months since the war started and already we're almost back to the pre-war borders."

Welkin nodded, "I know, I thought it would be at least another two to three months before we'd get anywhere close to this point if we lasted that long. But that was before we knew about the Germans and the British."

It didn't take much longer before the conversation turned to Isara, "Do you think she'll be alright, even after she's physically recovered?" Alicia asked.

Welkin sighed, "I don't know, if it was just her wound, I'd say absolutely. But with everything else that's happened, I don't know if any of us will ever be 'alright' ever again."

Alicia hummed quietly, not sure what to make of that. However, a few minutes later, a more pressing issue arose, "Welkin, I feel like I'm about to be sick…"

Welkin, with more energy then he thought he had at that late an hour, rose and carried her to the toilet, just in time too as that's night's dinner made its reappearance. Choosing to remain quiet, Welkin just kept her hair out of her face and rubbed her back until she finished retching, at least for the moment.

Alicia would make four more trips to the toilet that night, eventually just throwing up bile and acid. Welkin did his best, helping her get there, making some tea in the morning that had anti-nausea properties in it, and just generally trying to help Alicia as best he could since neither of them knew what was wrong. The squad could tell that she wasn't feeling well, but there was little they could do since they needed to march.

It took them several days before they finally made it within sight of the ruined windmill of Bruhl. The morning of June the Fourth, before the first rays of dawn, Welkin drew his battleplan quickly and with his vast knowledge of his hometown. "Snipers seem to have taken roost in the Sister's Windmill and that seems to be one of their two bases in the area. Since that is the easy one to take on, we converge on it from three angles: the side-street, the main road, and Belgan Gunther Road. Edelweiss shall take the main road since it is most exposed to sniper fire. The rest of you, stick to the buildings and cover as best you can, once the Imperials figure out we mean to retake the town, they'll either try and hold the plaza or fall back to their second base."

Largo frowned, "Where's is their secondary base then?" having a bad feeling about the answer.

Welkin sighed, "They're using my home."

That quickly put a damper on things and not much more was said as everyone knew what to do. The battle that followed was short and barely took an hour. Most of the Imperials were routed as soon as they reached the main plaza and it seemed to have been a token force as it was only a small group they had faced. After which, they made a short journey to the Gunther house to find a white flag hanging out of a window and the Imperial Command Staff standing in front of the house with arms raised. Granted, once Welkin dismounted a few of them paled significantly and one actually fainted, causing a few in the squad to smirk.

Soon, everyone was relaxing in the main plaza. Well, almost everyone, Largo had been lost in thought when Captain Varrot walked up, "What' bothering you Largo?" she asked.

Largo sighed, "Bruhl's an important crossroads town, there should have been more than a few command squads and the like defending it."

Varrot hummed, "Well, we are pushing them hard on every front, and so is the Federation," she remarked before looking around, "Where's Susie, Alicia and Welkin?"

Largo smirked, "Evans is with her boyfriend, she was a bit emotional after liberating her hometown." he replied before looking down, "Welkin and Alicia wanted a moment alone in the house."

Welkin looked through the kitchen where barely three months ago, Isara defended Martha from Imperials, the lack of dirt and dust indicating that even though the Imperials occupied the place, they were at least tidy. The fact that the beds hadn't been used, rather the officers had slept on cots in the main room also showed that at least the Imperials showed some respect to their home.

Alicia walked over to him, resting a hand on his back, "You doing okay?"

Welkin took a deep breath, "I'm not sure." he murmured, "A part of me wishes that I had just dropped Isara off somewhere and fought this war myself if only so this moment wasn't so bittersweet."

Alicia grew a small smile, "You know that Isara would have found her way to the fight, and you might have damaged your relationship with your sister." she replied before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder, "Have faith that the medics will succeed."

Welkin knew she was right, but it still wasn't easy. "We should head back, don't want them to send out the search parties."

Alicia sighed, "As much as I want to argue, you're right."

As soon as they reached the plaza, they were approached by Susie Evans, "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you now sir…" she began before realizing that most of the squad was listening in, "but I'm afraid I've been medically discharged from the Militia."

Both Welkin and Alicia were shocked, "Medically discharged?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

Susie winced, and Faldio came over to see what all the fuss was about. Deciding to continue, "I was feeling slightly off and certain… normalcies weren't happening so I asked the medics if they could dispel my suspicions and they could not." she replied, trying to dance around the matter but only succeeding in receiving a slightly annoyed glance from Welkin, "It turns out that I'm pregnant."

A sudden whoop was heard and everyone looked over and saw Faldio looking far more ecstatic than normal, "I'd get down on a knee, but I don't have a ring right now…" he began, but he didn't get any further as Susie leapt on him.

While most of the members from Squads One and Seven cheered, a few other members were quieter than the others as the seeds of concern took root in their minds. The war, suddenly, looked a lot closer to being done than ever before…

Though Miss Evans would be missed from the squad, the war marched on. Entrusting her with the Gunther Estate until their return, Welkin and the rest of the Gallian forces turned their gaze upon the last two holdouts of Imperial Power in Gallia: the Naggiar Plains, and Citadel Ghirlandaio. The Climax of the war and the final nail in the coffin of the Imperial ambitions in Gallia would be nailed at Naggiar, only four days later…

(Excerpt from "EWII: Gallian Front; Squad 7 and Allies" Irene Koller)