TITLE: Fearing The Ice Queen
AUTHOR: Otaku Maiden
SUMMARY: Roy feels like he's reaching the end of his rope dealing with Ed's string of male admirers. Who does he turn to for help? Quick note: there are elements combining the manga and the first anime series (and a bit of Brotherhood) in this tale.
RATING: Teen.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist and its affiliating characters. This awesome series belongs to Arakawa Hiromu. I'm just having some twisted amusement with Ed and torturing Roy.
Fearing The Ice Queen
This was one of the most frustrating days of Roy Mustang's life.
The day started out with a high; being promoted to Brigadier General. But everything went downhill from there. His loyal subordinate and closest friend First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was promoted as well (which he was happy for her) but her new responsibilities as a Captain meant that she would have to be transferred elsewhere, probably out of Central City; an endless stack of paperwork was left on his desk; his date for that night actually cancelled on him; and by far the worst thing that Roy could have possibly encounter — catching three military officers flirting with his young subordinate, the child prodigy, Major Edward Elric – The Fullmetal Alchemist.
"You continue to sulk like that; your face will freeze in that position."
The voice at his office door almost made Roy jump out of his seat. "You'd look like this too if you had the type of day I had." Roy said to his unwelcomed guest. Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong was a cunning person when it comes to ambushing. Times like this, Roy was (almost) glad that they were friends – to an extent, instead of enemies.
"Not very likely..." Olivier had an evil, yet playful, glint in her eyes. "My time at Fort Briggs as kept me youthful." She took a seat across from Roy's desk. "The fresh cold winds of the North are a natural youth rejuvenator."
Roy sighed. How the Northern Wall of Briggs – the Queen with a heart of ice (or Ice Queen as some soldiers have called her behind her back) – can actually joke at a time like this had him bewildered. "Major General, not to sound rude or anything, but do you have a real reason for being in my office?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Came the serious reply. "I have been hearing complaints that a certain raven-haired Brigadier General, an alchemist with the ability to manipulate fire, has been misusing his power to threaten lower-rank officers."
"Well," Roy said, giving Olivier a steady glare. "A certain Brigadier General wouldn't have to use his alchemy if certain lower-rank officers weren't acting inappropriately with a minor."
This caught Olivier's interest. "You have my attention. Explain."
"Just this morning, I caught a Military Police officer, a Corporal, and a Colonel making passes at Ed."
A flash of anger reflected in the young Major General's blue eyes. How dare military personnel, especially a high-ranking officer like a colonel, dare attempt to seduce a child? Olivier attempted to compose herself, although Roy already knew that she was pissed.
"Tell me, Major General Armstrong, if you were in my place, wouldn't you try to do the same thing?"
"Yes." Olivier stated evenly. Even though she was referred to as the Northern Wall of Briggs, she did have a sensitive side; although Ed was an officer in the military, he was still a child. A child that she had come to admire and wanted to help from the time he first visited her at Fort Briggs, asking for help. "But answer me this, Mustang..." Olivier looked Roy in the eye. "Why this interest with Fullmetal? Why are you protecting an alchemist with his power, intellect and reputation?"
Roy let out a sad sigh, moving away from his desk and headed towards the window, staring at the view of Central that his office had. "Hughes."
"The late Brigadier General Maes Hughes?" This confused Olivier. What connection does a deceased officer have with the Flame and Fullmetal Alchemists?
"Hughes and I were best friends from our days as cadets in Military Academy." Roy explained. "When Fullmetal was studying to become a State Alchemist, Hughes looked out for him; he was practically a father figure for the squirt and his brother." Olivier found herself softening to the story. "When Hughes died, I took it upon myself to care for Edward and Alphonse. It's something that Hughes would have wanted."
Although Olivier hid her emotions well, she felt sympathy for the man that she somewhat tolerated. Yes, she thought Mustang was an idiot as well as a promotion-seeking womanizer; but the fact that he would stick his neck out to cover for his subordinates and look after two teenagers who weren't even related to him was commendable. It was the reason why they were slowly becoming friends.
Interrupting her thoughts, the phone rang. Roy sat back in his chair and answered. "Hello?" Whatever was said to Roy made his expression darken. "I'm on my way." Roy quickly pulled out his pyrotex gloves and ran out of his office. Olivier became curious and followed.
"What was that about?" She inquired. It must be something dire for Roy to slip on his gloves.
Fuming, Roy said, "That was Sergeant Bloch. He said that he saw a Major General propositioning Ed." This time, it was Olivier's turn to fume. How dare an officer of equal rank to her dare force himself on a kid?
As Roy and Olivier turned a corner in the large building, they saw an older gentleman with sandy hair and a few grey strands, the lapel of his uniform clearly identifying him as a Major General. He had Ed cornered against a wall, a hand playing with the boy's golden locks. Roy and Olivier caught the look in Ed's golden eyes; he was obviously shocked and alarmed of this man's advances. Just as Roy was about to snap his fingers to incinerate the old pervert, Olivier moved with lightning speed, unsheathing her sword, screaming, "How dare you touch that child? You vile creature! You shall pay for such a crime!" Her sword stabbed the Major General at his shoulder; she followed her attack with a powerful punch to the man's jaw, him slouching off the sword's blade, clutching his wound tightly. In a sinister tone, Olivier continued her sword attack, the Major General narrowly missing her blade. "Your blood shall quench the thirst of this sword which has been passed down The Armstrong Family for generations!"
A crowd of military personnel began to gather in the hallway, watching with interest and fear as the Northern Wall of Briggs lose control and attack the older Major General; her sword thrusts successfully defacing the man's uniform with his blood.
Roy watched with awe, and fright, as his 'friend' continued her attack. He felt Ed move beside him, a hand grabbing his uniform and slightly tugging on it, obviously terrified of the female Major General's ferocity. 'Note to self', Roy thought. 'Convince Olivier to transfer to Central to help take care of Ed or have him transferred to Briggs; there is no way in hell anyone would try something with him with that horrifying woman around!'
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Let's face it Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong is scary as hell! She would be the type who can successfully scare away anyone eyeing Ed.
I figured that Roy and Olivier would eventually become friends. They're opposites of each other, yet very career driven. She could be a good candidate as Roy's closest friend, well besides Riza, as a replacement for Maes. (Rest in Peace, Brigadier General Maes Hughes!)