Chapter Text
Roy Mustang’s brain had officially short-circuited. The absurdity of the situation was beyond anything he’d ever seen before, which - considering the things he’s seen - said a lot.
Führer Grumman laughed when his normally calm façade broke into an incredulous expression. “Don’t feel bad, Mustang. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t seen it.”
Surely this had to be some weird sort of hazing on the Führer’s part. He’d been in Central for only a week reporting on the status of the Eastern State as well as renewing his state certification when he’d been called to meet with the leader of Amestris. He’d been expecting a discussion on eastern affairs at best (and a reprimand on how Meox was handled at worst) and not… this.
Roy struggled with how to ask for clarification without sounding completely insubordinate. “Sir… you do realize how preposterous this sounds?”
“Of course I do, Mustang. As of fifteen days ago, the closest thing to magic that I knew existed was alchemy. Then I had some foreigners waltz into our country escorted by some Xingese delegates claiming that not only was magic real, but an entire world existed apart from our own. And not only did they claim it – they proved it! I’m actually surprised that you didn’t run into them in East City – although I suppose they wanted to get to the top of command as quickly as possible. Skipping the middle man, as you will.” Grumman shifted in his chair. “Tell me Mustang – have you ever heard about the ‘Western Gate’ that the Xingese have?”
Roy struggled to find words. It wasn’t often that he could be thrown off – and it irritated him when he was. Carefully and quickly ordering his thoughts he responded. “No. Even with all of the interaction I’ve had with the people of Xing, I can’t recall ever hearing about it.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. From the information that I’ve been given, the old emperor of Xing kept it under tight wraps. The Western Gate is a gateway that allows people to pass from our world to this other world. A place called England, where people practice magic. ”
A bit of Roy’s sanity crumbled at hearing the Führer state that last sentence with such finality. Nevertheless, he pushed it to the bottom of his ever-growing mental list of things to follow up on and asked what he thought was more pressing at the current moment. “What changed? Why are we hearing about it now?”
“Their representatives are saying that their government – their ministry – is struggling to – how did he put it – ‘maintain order amongst vicious rumors that are spreading dissent and fear amongst the people.’ They’ve said that some major figures who hold a lot of sway in their society are telling everyone that some fascist has risen from the dead and is about to start running around killing people again. They originally went to Xing because of prior interactions with them and that their experience in autocracy could help give a unique viewpoint on how to handle the situation. They were asking for alkahestrists. What for? I can’t imagine why they’d need healers, but Emperor Yao didn’t want to let them go, being so few in number." Grumman sat up and rested his chin on his entwined hands. “He instead turned them to us with glowing recommendations. Said that since Xing couldn’t spare what the foreigners needed, the next best thing would be Amestris.” He let out a small chuckle.
Roy’s brow furrowed even deeper as he spoke. “What exactly do they need from Amestris? And frankly… I fear the answer, but… why does this concern me?”
Grumman’s small smile grew into a large grin. “They want a group of foreign dignitaries to become advisors to help them with their little problem, as well as serve in the capacity of building up stronger relations between our countries. I, for one, feel inclined to give them what they want. And that’s where you come in.” His grin sharpened into something a little more fierce. “Amestris knows nothing of their country – of their world. A world where magic is law, and not equivalent exchange. And Mustang – I hate not knowing. You and your unit will be formally going under the proposed terms. However, your main objective will be gathering intelligence. I want to know everything. How technologically advanced they are, how far magic allows them to break the laws of the universe, how aggressive they are towards their enemies, what their Minister eats for breakfast. Everything.”
Roy’s mind started frantically racing. How does he get out of this? “I didn’t think that foreign diplomacy fell under the responsibilities of a Brigadier General.” He hoped his pleading didn’t show on his face.
“Normally, you’d be correct. However, after the events of five years ago and the fall of Bradley, I find that nowadays it’s very hard for me to find an officer that I trust. You, Mustang, are someone I trust. Maybe not to not steal my job, but I trust you to follow orders and to do them well. I’ve been impressed by you since you came out of the academy. You’ve shown great resourcefulness, intelligence, and ambition. You were a good soldier when you worked directly under me in East City, and I saw you become an even greater one during the events of the Promised Day. I can think of no one more qualified to head this mission.”
Roy jumped to his next defense. “Who’s going to take charge of East City?”
Grumman stood up from his seat at his desk and moved to look out his window. “Colonel Took as well as a few others will be moving from Central to look over the affairs of the Eastern State.” Grumman didn’t turn around to look at him.
His heart fell. “Sir… I… but…” He frantically tried to find the right question. “Magic?” he finally settled on; desperation coloring the edge of his voice.
“The English delegates are still here to give you a demonstration as soon as you formally accept your task. I promoted you to a General and let you keep your squad six years ago, Mustang. In return, you gave me your word to follow my orders. I expect there to be no more problems regarding the subject.”
Resigned, Roy responded. “Yes, sir.” After a pause, “May I ask how long this is expected to take?”
The Führer finally turned around and shot him a glance before moving back towards the desk. “That will be entirely up to you. We’re saying about nine months for the time being. If all goes well, the unrest will cease and you will be able to observe them with little complication. But, knowing you, something will go wrong. You’ll be able to extend your stay as long as you feel will be necessary to keep their Ministry happy as well as to gather relevant information. You will have two weeks to wrap up affairs here before you get shipped out east.”
It finally started to sink in for Roy. This was happening. He would be leaving for a foreign country that no one in Amestris had been to before. He started thinking about all of the things he would have to do before leaving. He’d have to give a run-down on the Meox situation to Colonel Took before he left, as well as make sure that the Ishvalen reconstruction would operate smoothly in his absence. Roy thought about the little wild rose that Riza had brought him back from somewhere in the Western State that he’d have to give to his elderly neighbor to take care of and appreciate in his absence. Who’s he kidding. Any plant he gave to Mrs. Daniels would be dead within the week.
Grumman cut Roy out of his musing. “Oh, I almost forgot. They have a school there… for… wizards. They don’t have a very good alchemy program. Once they learned that Amestris was a major alchemical power, they requested an alchemist to teach there. The man who’s spreading the rumors is actually the headmaster of this school. They want us to keep an eye on them while there. In return, we’d get access to their extensive library to study at our heart's content. Since I need you at the English Ministry, I suggest you take Major Elric with you. He has a teaching license, yes?”
“He would do regular seminars at Eastern University on Alchemy. But I don’t think he ever got licensed for it.”
“Well, he’s going to be the best option we’ve got for what they want. I don’t think we’ll find anyone more knowledgeable in alchemy, who also has teaching experience, and who’s also employed by the military.”
Roy breathed a mental sigh of relief. At least he wouldn’t be surrounded by snot-nosed children twenty-four-seven. Instead, it’d be bureaucrats creating obstacles for what he’d be trying to do. Never mind. He would rather take the kids. No matter where you went, government was a pain in the ass.
He also knew that Fullmetal wouldn’t be happy about this new development. The kid had really mellowed out over the years. He followed orders more willingly than he did in his youth but still carried a healthy disrespect for authority – at least where Roy was concerned. He also wouldn’t like the distance it put between him and his wife.
Edward had retired from the military after the promised day and traveled west towards Creta to research even as his brother traveled east to learn Alkahestry from the Xingese. He came back after two years to marry Winry and then started teaching off and on at the Eastern University due to his restlessness and burning need to be doing something. He wasn’t used to staying in one place. All it took was one call from an irritated Winry who was tired of him lurking in her workspace and Roy was on a train to Resembool convincing Edward to reenlist and get back to being busy. Eventually, Winry moved her automail business to East City and Ed couldn’t have been happier.
This mission would definitely put a wrench in his perfect world.
And Roy was not looking forward to having that conversation.
He decided that he had shirked propriety for long enough. Standing up and then standing at attention, he said, “I would be honored to accept this mission, Führer Grumman. I will inform my team and we will be ready for our departure in two weeks’ time.”
Grumman looked up from the documents and maps he had been glancing over. “Very good, Brigadier General Mustang.” He walked around his desk and moved towards the door.
“Now let’s see if we can’t find that wizard.”