Love and War Arc

SPOILER WARNING! This article may contain major plot details for the SPY x FAMILY manga. This article may contain unmarked spoilers. Read at your own risk.

“	I was the most hard-headed of idealists back then. I still believed that the world would change as long as I heeded my principles. so I dug in to defend something that was worth nothing. Education is, at its heart, the act of influencing and inspiring others. But, like a clown in a farce ...I, the man who waxed poetic about the value of education, had failed to refute a single one of Martha's arguments. It wasn't education that was powerless. I was powerless.	”
— Henry Henderson

Love and War Arc
Manga
Volume(s)	14
Chapters	97 - 102
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Note that the arc title and following sub-headings are fan-made and used to better organize the story.

The Love and War Arc is the sixteenth story arc in SPY x FAMILY.

After Eden Academy's first end-of-term gala of the year, Henry and his old friend Martha Marriott reflect on their common past, starting with their meeting at school and continuing with their life experiences of the war on and off the front lines.

Summary

The Ballerina and Mr. Elegant

Henry sees Martha at Cecile Hall's talent show

The day after the gala, Henry is teased about his dance with Martha the night before. Henry then recalls his time as an Imperial Scholar at Eden, when nearly fifty years ago, his seventeen-year-old past self first met Martha. She was a new student who had transferred in through a scholarship, and he witnessed her ballet performance at a talent show for his dorm's New Year's party.

Henry returns to Eden Academy as Martha's History teacher

The two later had a run-in when Martha found Henry having tea in the school's gardens one morning, and from that day onward, she would stop by every morning on her way to ballet practice before class to chat with him. After more than a year, several students came to assault a then-nineteen-year-old Henry, but Martha came to his aid in disguise. Henry is disgusted that they had to resort to violence and try to get himself punished, but it was hushed up for political reasons. Believing that he had failed as a gentleman, Henry then decided that he would become a teacher, and Martha, on the other hand, was still planning on pursuing a career in ballet. Soon Henry would graduate, but he told Martha to continue their tea party tradition by becoming an Imperial Scholar. Martha took the opportunity and asked about his partner for the graduation party, but Henry was too focused on his ambition and turned her down.

In the present, Martha, who has been recounting her side of the story to Becky, explains that she failed to understand the concept of love or her own feelings at the time. After Henry's graduation, a young Martha was devastated to find him gone. However, during the final term of her final year, she was shocked to be reunited with Henry as he had returned to Eden as a teacher.

At the Crossroads of War

Martha's interrupted confession

Henry told Martha that he was allowed to graduate half a year early due to a shortage caused by the war, and the two then caught up at the tea parties like they used to. However, life had become different due to the war; there were air raid drills, and even Henry was drafted, which had been deferred due to his job as a teacher. Martha, meanwhile, had her dream shattered as the ballet troupe she was hoping to join was going to disband after multiple members were killed during an air raid. This in turn spurred her to join the armed forces shortly after, causing a rift between her and Henry. As her graduation approached, Martha overheard Henry talking about his relative being a casualty of the war and that his parents were pushing him to get a spouse before getting drafted. Martha was shocked upon hearing this, but as she pondered what to do, she witnessed a couple agreeing to be partners for the graduation party. At the party, Martha approached Henry in her military uniform, asking for a dance. The two shared an awkward dance, and eventually Martha decided to confess her feelings, but her confession was interrupted by the air raid siren.

Martha's asking for Henry to meet her

To the relief of many, it turned out to be a false alarm, but the teachers still decided to end the graduation party. Henry asked Martha what she was going to tell him earlier. Instead of confessing her feelings as planned, Martha wavered and asked for a send-off from him, which she sobbed about a little later in her room. Martha got into the idea of writing a letter to Henry, but she was too embarrassed to write about her feelings on paper. Eventually, she was able to complete her letter, telling Henry the time and place of her departure, hoping for another attempt to confess in person. Martha's letter was heavily redacted, and Henry did not meet her at the station, which upset Martha but, upon learning about the reason for his absence in the next letter, she took heart again, after which their long exchange of letters began. As Henry continued to teach, Martha went about her business in her regiment. Their correspondence continued, and it resembled their tea parties at school.

The news about the Women's Military Unit

As the war grew more dire, Henry began receiving fewer letters from Martha, and at one of the dinner parties, he overheard the military making plans to send women to the front. The news eventually filtered to the soldiers. However, the choice is a facade as everyone would all be forced to go to the front anyway. Despite the looming threat, Martha decided to fight, loudly declaring to her fellow soldiers her desire to kill at least one enemy, even if it would cost their own lives. In due course, Henry would learn of the news from the newspapers and was horrified. He was so absorbed in his dark thoughts that he did not hear one of the students, Donovan Desmond, make an opposition speech about the impossibility of avoiding war during a debate competition. When Henry finally received a letter from Martha, where she revealed the hardships at the front and admitted that she had made a mistake and wanted to see him again. Henry finally realized his feelings and tried to write back to her. However, it was too late as Martha's regiment had been wiped out. In anger and grief, he staged an outburst during the enlistment campaign at Eden Academy, which prompted the military to imprison him.

Martha survives the battlefield

Henry's father came to jail for him, called him a sully of their family, and demanded to fix his attitude lest he lose his teaching job. Henry returned to Eden to resume teaching. During this time, Henry was confronted by Donovan, who accused Henry of foolishness, but he reminded the future Prime Minister that human history would come to an end if people gave up on everyone. At long last, the war came to an end, and Henry waited for Martha to return to Berlint, but she never arrived. Later, Henry's father arranged a marriage for him; resigned to his situation, Henry agreed to marry this woman. Unknown to him, Martha survived the extermination of her regiment and ended up in a lone cabin on the other side of the border.

Anabel

Mrs. Anabel's story about her late daughter

Martha, who has been recounting her side of the story, remembers how her battalion fought at the front. A young Martha survived the explosion and returned to her trench, where their captain began executing deserters but was killed by enemy fire. The lieutenant who replaced him decided to lead the soldiers through the woods to enter the field in the south. Martha got lost and, having been attacked again, received new injuries and fell off a cliff into the water. By the time she came to her senses at an unknown house and was greeted by a friendly dog, Baron, and his old owner, Mrs. Anabel. Upon learning that she was in Westalis and that her status as an Ostanian soldier was known, Martha tried to escape but could not do so due to her wounds. Mrs. Anabel was curt and always scowling, buok care of Martha. Over time, Martha learned more about the old woman, including the death of her daughter during the war.

Martha's farewell

After recovering the point when she can walk again, aware of the country's anti-Eastern sentiment as well as her desire to go home, she decided to make her way back East. And that same night, after bidding farewells, Martha set off from the house in which she was sheltered. Suffering from cold and hunger, she got lost again. Thinking about what to do next, she found bread, money, and a scarf in her bag. Martha realized that this was the last help from Mrs. Anabel, who showed kindness to her despite her contempt for Ostania. Martha shed tears, deciding that she would definitely return home and tell Henry many stories about Westalis, including the good people who were here.

The Way Back Home

Martha in Berlint

On her way back, Martha disguised herself as a man, overcoming hunger, cold, and fear of encountering enemies. At some point, an exhausted Martha fell to the ground in a certain wilderness, where Westalian soldiers found her. They had the opportunity to kill her due to her Ostanian origin, but they left her alone as the war was over. Sometime later, Martha finally reached a forward outpost, where Ostanian troops found her and loaded her and other surviving soldiers into cars to take them away from Westalis. Martha talked to some comrades and became close to Paul, who shocked her with a marriage proposal, and although Martha rejected him because of her feelings for Henry, she and Paul remained on good terms for several weeks of their journey together on the train. However, upon arrival in Berlint, Martha was confronted with another loss when it was discovered that Paul and several other folks did not survive their journey home. With grief at the ready, she and other survivors got off the train and finally set foot on the streets of their native city.

The End of the Story

Martha is heartbroken to learn about Henry's marriage

Martha rushed to her home and reunited with her parents. The next day, she went to meet Henry after learning his new home address from her former teacher. Upon arrival at the appointed place, she and Henry tearfully reunited, and Martha wanted to finally confess her feelings to Henry but was interrupted by the appearance of Lucia, who wanted to find out from Henry who Martha was. Henry introduced the two women to each other, and Martha was horrified to learn that he had married in her absence. Although Martha found the strength to congratulate them, this news completely broke her heart.

Martha and Henry share playful banter with another

In the present, Becky expresses her displeasure in every possible way, but Martha reveals that Lucia was a very fine person, and her uncle helped Martha fulfill her dream of finally performing on the ballet stage. This experience helped her feel alive again, and Henry and Lucia also attended Martha's performances, supporting her. Martha says that Henry was a good husband, and she was able to move forward, proud of her feelings for such a man. Becky refuses to accept what happened, believing that the war and the elite that started it destroyed Martha's life, but Martha stops her, philosophizing about the complexity of life, people's assertions, acceptance, and the search for truth. Becky does not get answers about these things but learns about Martha's fight in the second East-West war, which completely shocks her. Martha mentions the mystery "he" but refuses to tell Becky whether it was Henry or not. Under Becky's protests, Martha leaves and, after a while, arrives at the cemetery, where she meets Henry again. He thanks her for always bringing flowers for his late wife every year. They have a playful banter, after which Henry again invites Martha to tea, which she accepts.

Story Impact

• Martha Marriott and Henry Henderson's pasts are revealed.
• Donovan Desmond's youth as an Eden Academy student is revealed for the first time.

Characters Introduced

Mr. Fowler

Mrs. Marriott

Henderson

Lucia

Jasmin

mentioned

Linda

mentioned

Veronica

mentioned

Baron

Mrs. Anabel

Daughter

Paul

Tommy

Mr. Marriott

Lucia's Uncle

Trivia

• According to Tatsuya Endo, the arc's story was originally intended to be just an extra chapter, but he decided to convert it into main chapters after it became too long.