Wow! Hey everyone! Starr here with another new fanfiction. I just want to start off by saying that you dont have to know anything about the Young Wizard Series to read this. Its helpful, but you dont have to know, though it is HIGHLY reccomended by me that you read the books for the entertainment. They are an incredible series.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Young Wizard Series or any of its counterparts. They belong to Diane Duane, and we are glad for that because she is an incredible writer.
I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist, either. Hiromu Arakawa must take full credit, because she rocks like that.
I do NOT own Dublin, Ireland...Okay, thats a ridiculous and highly unnesecary disclaimer...
Enjoy!
Edward Elric walked up the steps to the large library in Dublin, Ireland. The large brass doors opened smoother than expected as the warmth of the light from the windows and the burning lanterns on the wall hit him. The smell of books, unopened and waiting, wafted to his nostrils as he took it all in. Behind him, his younger brother, Alphonse, chuckled lightly.
"Where should we start today, brother?" He said, a big grin pasted on his face.
"Well, I guess we can start with the Agriculture..." He began, but his brother cut him off as they made their way to a table in the corner that paled in comparison to the large bookcase that started the row of shelves, holding bits of unknown information and more.
"Actually, I kind of wanted to look at fiction today. Its been years since I have read a good story and-"
"Al, come on. Aren't you a little old for that?" Ed laughed at his younger brother's suggestion. Alphonse frowned. "Come on, Al. We are only in Ireland for a few weeks. Dont you want to learn as much as possible?"
"Well I think I can learn a lot about this place by reading stories and myths. Ireland was built on the grounds of folklore, brother." Al said, still frowning. "You can read what you want. I want to find a good legend to read about." And with that, Alphonse placed his coat on one of the chairs, and walked off to a different section of the library.
Gone were the days of alchemy for the rambunctious duo. Somehow, their time in the Alter universe, and what would be called Europe, had made their memories of everything from Amestris, to Central and the military and everything else had faded with time, and were now completly gone. For all they, and the rest of their cohorts in Germany and around the world, knew, they were Edward and Alphonse Elric, two brothers, and aspiring scientists. Edward, who was 24, had no recollection of any battles, alchemy, or a thing called automail. Here, it was the Nazi's fight, somthing he did not want to be apart of. Alchemy was the study of plants and medicines, not transmutations and deformations of the body and mind. And automail was prosthetic limbs, a concept still in testing.
Alphonse was a whimsical 23 year old, following in his brothers footsteps. He had always looked up to Edward, but always stayed more optimistic than him, exploring more folklore than fact. It was actually only recently that he had taken interest in legends and myths and such. The people and land of Ireland all fascinated and inspired him. As he ran his hand along the shelf of the fiction section of the library, his finger caught on somthing. The loose threading of a burgendy leather-backed book with the golden title written in a script. He ran his finger down the spine and read the words written on it to himself; Wizardry.
Plucking the book off of the shelf, he slowly opened it to the title page. Again the title was written in gold lettering, and script. It wasnt the word that fascinated him; he had heard of wizardry, and like everyone else who didnt practice it, saw it as a fluke. It was the fact that it was the title of a book, and looked oddly serious. He opened it up to the table of contents, and read, bewildered. "Preliminary Determinations", "Wizardly Preoccupations and Predilections", "Basic Equipment and Milieus", Introductory to Spells, Bindings, and Geasa", "Psychotropic Spelling"...
Psycho-what? Alphonse thought, reading over the strange words. As he read, he became more and more oblivious to the world around him, as if the book had sucked him in. Usually he read fast, but the words and details of this book slowed him down. Some sentences even left him dazed, and he had to take a few minutes to himself to recover. It was incredible. He got such a sense of accomplishment while reading it, yet it made him feel empty, like he wanted more.
"Alphonse?" Al could hear Edward calling his name, but wasnt fully concious of it. As he noticed his brother walking toward him, he looked up from the book.
"Alphonse, its time to go." Ed said, smiling, and handing his brother his coat.
"But Ed, we just got here..." Al said, bewildered, as he still sat on the floor, coat in his lap.
"Al, that was more than two hours ago..." Edward looked at Alphonse, confused.
"Oh...I guess I must have lost track of time." He grinned, and closed the book.
"Whats that?" Ed remarked about the book that Alphonse held in his hand.
"Nothing. Just somthing I want to finnish reading." Al said, walking to the checkout desk and then out the door. It was raining, as Ed and Al hurried down the block to their hotel.
As they reached their hotel room, Alphonse plopped down on the bed.
"Ya' hungry, Al?" Edward asked, hanging his wet coat on the hook behind the door.
Al took off his boots and threw them to the side, retrieving the book from his coat, and threw the wet garment on the floor. "Not really." He said, smiling.
"Alright, your loss. I'm going to go down to the hotel resturaunt and get a bite. I might bring you back somthing." Edward said.
"Okay!" The younger brother replied.
As Edward closed the door, Al reopened the book to where he left off. Turning the page, he found a small block of text on an otherwise empty piece of paper. It seemed important. Al remembered somthing about reading aloud, so when he was certain that Edward was gone, and before he could feel ridiculous, he took a deep breath, and started...
"In Lifes name and for Lifes sake..."
Wow, I just got the idea for this about an hour ago, so I wanna just try it out. If I get some positive feedback, I will definatly write more. I hope you guys enjoyed it!
-Starr