"Riza."
There is a lot to be learned about the character of a man in his dying words. They alone, uttered in the very last moments before passing, come as a direct consequence of all the trials and triumphs he has faced in his time, no matter how long or short, comparatively, that may have been.
Some speak of power, wealth and the division of assets; others are consumed by grief at the thought of leaving the earthly world and the ones they hold dear. Some men die in dignified silence; and others, just in silence. Bitter and alone- also a consequence of the way in which they lived their lives.
Roy Mustang died alone on the battlefield: a hero, a martyr, a beloved friend and confidante. Many in the military would attest to the belief that such a death was easily the most glamorous- a preferable end- but none of them went out to war not wanting to come back.
Still, though his past had finally caught up with him- though he perished in the flames that he had created- General Mustang's last words were not the bitter words of a lonely, miserable man. Yes, he died alone. Yes. But the very last words to escape his pale, chapped lips were not spoken in acrimony. He spake, with a smile on his face, only a whispered apology to the woman whom he loved. An apology, but also a thanks- for all she had done and said, and the difference that she had made in his life over the fifteen years he had known her.
He died alone, but his last words were those of a man completely resigned to the Ultimate Truth before him.
"Riza."
He died alone but, in doing so, he secured his place by her side forever. He was happy because, in dying, he was finally able to see her smiling face once more.
Fin