A/N: Hello! Have you missed me? Well I'm back now for a little while.

Few words of comment concerning my other stories. The continuation to "The unforgotten one" is still to be written. But don't worry, I'll definitely do it, and I mean in. In the meanwhile, I've taken care of "The Challenge." The last chapter has already been sent to my Beta, and as soon as it returns to me, I'll post it. As for now, yesterday my friend sent me a beautiful ballad called "The Highwayman." The song is sung by Loreena McKennitt and is absolutely adorable. It set my inspiration on fire and thus I started writing this one. No, it's not related in any way to the story told in the ballad, the song was just an inspiration. So here is what has come out of it.

Now, as I have said, I've sent the 11th chapter of "The Challenge" to linguistic correction. Since I don't want to laden my Beta with all those stories, I decided to spare her the trouble of getting through this one. My Beta is already doing a great job, correcting all those texts, but I just didn't want to make her work too much. That is why the fic below is not corrected in any way, it's just the way I have originally written it. So forgive me any linguistic errors.

Oh, and I hope the characters are speaking the right kind of language. Because you know, the time is about 17th? 18th century? I don't know, I've never been keen on history.

Disclaimer: Heh, as if we all didn't know it already. I don't own FMA.

Now, I'm going to tell you who is who and what the situation looks like so that you won't get confused.

- Riza and Winry are daughters of a rich nobleman. Riza is currently 'free', but Winry is engaged with sir Ling.

- Sir Ling (I hate Ling…at least I don't like him) is a rich foreigner, who wants to marry Winry because she's pretty and most of all rich. He's mainly after her dowry.

- Edward Elric is an impoverished nobleman, head over hills in love with Winry and vice versa. But Winry's father doesn't agree for her to marry him because he's too poor.

- Sir Mustang is a nobleman, currently living in sir Hawkeye's (Winry and Riza's father) mansion as a guest. As usual, he's a womanizer and has an unimaginably gigantic ego. In Winry's opinion, he would make a great brother-in-law, but Riza tuns her nose up at his advances.

Hope I have explained everything I needed to explain. Now you can read the story.

A Royai love story

"And then they killed the knight, never allowing him to even see his lady's dead body. The end," Winry closed the book and stared at it, preoccupied.

"Why do you always have to pick the ones with a sad ending?" whined the older sister, laying comfortably on her bed.

"Sorry," the younger one lifted her head to look at her and shrugged, "it just happens."

"Whatever."

"Hey," Winry said suddenly, "Hey Riza, do you think that sir Mustang would go after you if you were kidnapped, try to rescue you, and should he fail, cry over your dead body, and then stand against the people who killed you all alone?"

"I don't care," Riza shrugged. "And you should stop being so romantic. It never happens in real life."

"Maybe if you acknowledged sir Mustang, your life would be just as happy as those of the girls in fairy tales," pointed Winry, slipping off of her large bed.

"He's a buffoon. And a lady's man."

"But he seems to be interested."

"No, he doesn't. He just likes flirting with me, maybe not to be out of practice."

"How can you talk about it in such an indifferent manner?" Winry stared at her sister, who lazily turned over a page of her own book.

"And why should I not?" Riza replied with a question. "I mean, look at him. He's handsome, but nothing more. He's a moron."

"Actually, he's a very clever man," Winry frowned slightly.

"Oh yeah, he is. It's just a pity that he doesn't show his brilliant intelligence."

"You're impossible!" stated Winry and scowled.

"And you're overreacting. Just because you have found the man that you love doesn't mean that everyone has to do so."

"But you are my sister and I want you to be happy…"

"I am, my dear," she assured her as a gentle smile crossed her lips. "I am perfectly happy."

Then something hit the shutters, as if a stone was thrown at it.

"Oh!" Winry squeaked, almost jumping. "It must be him already!"

She rushed to the window and leaned out. Below her, next to the wall, stood a blonde man with his hair in a neat braid. When he noticed the girl his eyes shone with happiness.

"Greetings, miss Winry," he said quietly, bowing his head a little.

"Edward," she smiled at him widely. "I'm so glad that you've come."

"Just as I promised, my lady," he replied playfully.

"But you can't come in," she said, her contended face dropping. "I still haven't convinced my father…"

"It's fine, Winry. I didn't expect that you would be able to do it actually."

"But if I don't do anything quickly, he would make me marry that sir Ling," she grimaced with aversion. "I hate him."

"But you know, he's at least rich…" Edward dropped his gaze to the ground. Winry noticed it and responded:

"It doesn't matter how much money he has. I will never marry him. I love you, remember?"

"Yeah," he smiled again, looking up at her. "I remember."

"Good."

"So what now? What are we going to do?"

"Riza says that the only way is for us to run away together, because there is no bloody way in hell that our father would agree for my marriage with an impoverished nobleman. But you know, she's too tough on people sometimes," she quickly added.

"Hey!" protested her sister, being a witness of their conversation all along.

"That's true," said Winry and faced the boy again. "For the time being, we must conceal our relationship. I promise that I'll be working on my father."

"I believe you."

"Good night then," she sent him a kiss through the air.

"When am I going to get a real one?" he teased with a smirk.

"I'll think about it," she replied, also smiling. "Now go to sleep."

"You know I'll be dreaming about you."

"That is your problem."

"No, miss Winry," he said as he walked away into the night. "This is not a problem at all."

She took one last glance at his back disappearing in the darkness before she carefully closed the window.

"Father is never going to comply," said Riza nonchalantly.

Winry sighed heavily. "I know. But what can we do?"

"Run, run, run away…" Riza sung under her nose.

"Yeah," Winry pouted. "Thanks for the advice."

"Oh. You're welcome, my dear."

"Hey. Sir Ling doesn't seem so much repulsive. Maybe it's you who is wrong."

"Nope. I'm never going to marry him. Just look at him."

"I did. And what?"

"Compare him to Ed."

"Uhm…done."

"And?"

"What's the difference?"

Winry dropped her head in defeat. "You're never gonna understand if you don't fall in love."

"Spare me," Riza waved her hand. The banquet was so boring. The sisters had been chatting for a longer while now just to kill time. Sir Ling was sitting on the opposite side of the table and was stealing stray glances at ther younger one. Two chairs to the left was sir Mustang, who was currently flirting with some buxom woman.

"Look at him," Riza pointed at him, whispering to Winry. "He's just a womanizer, and that's all about him."

At the moment sir Mustang happened to glance at her. He noticed that the sisters were apparently talking about him. He excused the bosomy lady and walked up to them.

"Greetings, miss Winry," he kissed her hand. "And miss Riza."

"Sir Mustang," said Winry. "How nice of you to come to the banquet."

"Oh, believe me, I could never forgive myself if I missed looking at such a beautiful young lady as you for the whole evening."

"You're embarassing me, sir Mustang," a slight tinge of pink touched her cheeks. "You forget that I am engaged."

"If so," he turned towars Riza, "then maybe your sister would agree to accompany me in the next dance."

Riza cocked an eyebrow. Oh how much she would love to turn him down on the spot. But it would be inapropriate. And she was a noblewoman, after all. So she needed to behave like one.

"It would be my pleasure, but unfortunately I am so tired at this late hour that I am afraid I would not be able to keep up with you," she answered politely.

"Why won't you try, my lady?" he insisted.

"Oh, I truly do not see any reason to call me that, sir Mustang. I am no superior over you."

"Believe me, your sparky eyes tell me that I should bow to you each time you come into my vision. Thus I shall call you 'my lady'," he said courtly.

"I am flattered, sir Mustang."

"This is just pure truth, miss Riza."

Winry's eyes wandered from one to another as she listened to the excessive politeness in their voices and wondered who would give up first. Finally it proved to be Mustang, who sighed in defeat.

"I see that all my efforts are in vain. Well then, I shall grief over my being out of your favor."

He then bowed one last time to her and to Winry and walked away.

"So that would be it," Riza relaxed in her chair.

Winry eyed her disapprovingly. "Just what is wrong with you? If I were you, I'd fall for him…if I didn't love Edward, of course."

"You see, I just don't like being one among many," Riza pointed at some direction. Winry followed with her gaze and saw sir Mustang talking and laughing with another lady.

"Ok, maybe you're right," she shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, I'm going to the garden. I need a break from all this."

She stood up and walked out of the crowded room. She managed to get through the hall unnoticed. But as she was to reach the front door, someone covered her mouth from behind.

"Do you think that I don't know where you are going?" someone hissed into her ear. She recognized the voice of sir Ling. "I know everything about your peasant and your supposedly secret meetings. But you are mine, and I'm not going to share you with anyone. You're coming with me to my castle. And no one will find you there. I am good at lying, you know."

The next morning Riza woke up very unwillingly. The banquet ended so late in the night that she could hardly see anything when she was going to her warm bed. She supposed Winry had much more fun than her, because she couldn't be found anywhere. Riza knew that Winry had probably had a prearranged meeting with that Edward guy. Riza decided not to wait for her little sister and went to sleep alone. But now that she looked at Winry's bed, she noticed that it was empty. Had she already got up?

And then Riza realized what it was that woke her up. Because in the silence lingering in the room she heard a tapping at the window shutters. She stood up and opened it just to see Edward, as always standing under it.

"Miss Riza," he said in surprise.

"Edward, do you really have to wake me up that early?" she whined at the boy.

"Well, actually I just wanted to see miss Winry, I didn't intend to interrupt your sleep," he answered humbly. "I apologize, miss Riza."

"You're unlucky today, she's not here. Actually, what is it that is so important to tell her now? You've been together yesterday for a fine couple of hours. Couldn't you tell her it then?"

Edward blinked and said: "But she didn't meet me yesterday. I had been waiting for a long time, but she wouldn't come."

Now it was Riza's turn to be taken aback. "What do you mean 'she wouldn't come'? She must've been with you, I haven't seen her ever after the moment she went to the garden!"

"Miss Riza," said Edward tentatively. "I'm pretty sure she had never reached the garden last night."

There was a long moment of silence as they were staring at each other.

"Are you absolutely sure?" asked Riza after awhile.

"Yes, miss Riza," his tone was now coloured with anxiety.

And it was then that they realized that Winry had been kidnapped.

"I'll kill him, whoever he is!" muttered Riza as she paced down the corridor. "Kill him, and then maybe I'll consider forgiving."

As she was practically being blinded with her wrath, she hadn't noticed a raven-haired man walking from the opposite direction. She bumped into him, and actually got even more angry when she realized who the guy was.

"My apologies, miss Riza…"

"Get out of my way, sir Mustang!" she shoved him aside forcefully to continue her quick walk. But he swiftly grabbed her arm, taken aback by her unceremonious behavior.

"You seem agitated. Has something happened?"

"Let go of me!" she tried to writhe her arm off of his grip, but he held her tightly. "I'm in a hurry and you are being a hindrance!"

"Miss Riza, tell me what is going on," he demanded, looking her into the eyes. She sighed angrily and finally complied.

"My sister has not returned from her yesterday night walk until now. I suspect that she has been kidnapped."

"What?!" he stared at her in shock. She briskly took advantage of it and freed herself from his hold.

"These are facts, sir Mustang. Now if you excuse me, I will go tell it my father."

"I'm going with you," he said, but she refused fiercely. He just smirked at her reaction and added: "It's not an offer, it's a statement, you know."

She shook her head, but she had wasted too much time to argue with him right now. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked away. He followed her suit.

"Father!" she entered the room without even knocking. "Father, Winry is gone!"

"What?" the old man rose in his large chair. "What do you mean 'gone'?"

"I don't know," Riza walked up to her dad, a worried expression on her face. "I think she might've gotten kidnapped or something. Father, we have to look for her."

"Wait, wait," the girl was apparently speaking too fast for him to process the information. "How do you know that?"

Riza bit her lower lip, but decided to be honest.

"Yesterday, during the banquet, she went to the garden to get some rest from the noise. But she never got there…and she hasn't returned either. Something must've happened to her."

"How do you know she wasn't in the garden yesterday?"

"Um…someone told me that."

The old man's features became stern with anger.

"I know who told you this. It was that Elric boy! She's still seeing that peasant! And now look what has come out of it!"

"Father, this doesn't matter now," pleaded Riza. "Please, let me go and search for her."

"You're right," he agreed, putting an anxious look onto his face. "But there's no need for you to go anywhere. I'll send some men…"

"Father, I think I know who could've kidnapped Winry," she interrupted. "I think it's sir Ling."

"Nonsense!" he raised his voice, astounded by her suspicions. "He's an honest man, and remember that he was the one to marry her. Why would he want to kidnap her? Isn't that right, sir Mustang?" he adressed the one still standing behind his daughter.

"Sir Hawkeye," Mustang bowed his head slightly. "I am not sure myself, but I think that miss Riza may actually be right…"

"Father, who else could do it?" she reasoned, paying no attention to Roy's reply.

"I don't know, but we're going to find out soon enough," the old man turned to his servant. "Get captain Havoc here."

The servant exited the room.

"Father…"

"Go to your bedroom," he ordered. "And don't worry, we'll find Winry. I promise."

"What are you going to do now?"

Roy watched as Riza was packing her stuff in her room.

"I'm going to look for her, of course," she tightened the strip on her bag. "Those idiots, I am absolutely sure it is Ling, why won't they believe me? I've never liked him…now I know why."

"This could be dangerous, you know."

"I don't care. Winry is in danger too."

"And you're going all alone?"

"Yeah," she straightened herself, admiring her deftly tied bag. "What other choice do I have?"

He watched in amusement as her beautiful features coloured with determination.

"I'm going with you," he stated calmly, as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

"No, you're not," she replied in the same tone.

"Yes, I am. I'm not going to let you go all by yourself, miss Riza. It is too dangerous."

"And why should you care, sir Mustang?" she retorted. "I'm pretty sure that even after my death there will be many women always ready to flirt with you. The loss of me should not bother you that much."

"The loss of you would be one of the greatest losses to the world, miss Riza," he answered gallantly, turning a deaf ear to the malignance in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm sure about it," she waved her hand nonchalantly. "Now I hate to say it, but I have a favor to ask of you, sir Mustang."

"I'm all ears, miss Riza."

"Don't tell anyone about my leaving. They'll find out anyway, but I want to buy myself as much time as I can. Would you do this for me, sir Mustang?"

He bowed slightly. "I will be honored to fullfil your will, miss Riza, the more so because I will not have to do anything. I'm leaving with you, and I couldn't possibly be in two places, travelling with you and at the same time telling about it your father."

"I told you you're not going with me, sir Mustang," her amber eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Why won't you let me accompany you? You will need protection, miss Riza. I am sure you are clever enough to know that yourself."

"I am perfectly able to take care of myself, sir Mustang. You would be just a disturbance."

"Why do you keep being so mean to me?" he whined eventually. "What have I done to you to irritate you to such an extent?"

"I assure you, sir Mustang, that it is not about anything that you have done. It's just about the way you are."

"Great," he muttered to himself, his shoulders dropping.

She took the bag and walked past him to the door. "Please remember about your promise, sir Mustang."

"Wait, miss Riza!" he rushed after her. "I haven't packed my things yet!"

"No need for you to do so," she said over her shoulder and headed to the stable. He cursed under his breath and run in the opposite direction, to where his room was.

Riza scrupulously inspected every horse, till she chose a mare with chestnut hair and golden mane. She saddled the animal and prepared to leave. But just as she walked out of the stable, she noticed someone approaching her, leading a horse by the reins.

"Edward!" she said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled tentatively.

"I knew you wouldn't leave your sister alone, miss Riza," he explained. "I was sure you would want to look for her…and I thought that since I was going to do that too, there was no point in us searching separately. Am I right, miss Riza?"

She shook her head, grinning widely. "You're absolutely right, Edward. Actually, I should've expected that you would wait for me."

His smile widened too as he helped her sit in her saddle. "Shall we get going then, miss Riza?" he asked.

"Of course," she pulled the reins and spurred her horse. "We should not make Winry wait."

They trotted away and soon they disappeared behind the hill. Just as Ed's horse's tail brushed the air for one last time before getting out of sight, sir Mustang stopped in front of the stable, panting heavily. He cursed to himself.

"Dammit! She's left already…"

A/N: Ok, that was the first part. I don't think it would be a long fic, just three or four chapters maybe. I just sat down and wrote it because I came to the conclusion that it would make an interesting fic. Tell me if I was right. I don't know when the next chapter will be coming since I've kind of cheated on my studying and taken a break (which I shouldn't've done, obviously, but it's done now anyway, so who cares). I really need to study.

Just for you to know, if you are a Bleach fan, there is a fic based on the same song concerning Rukia and Ichigo. I can't remember the title now, but the author is IMBSA. Actually, my friend (we're both slowly sinking into Bleach, though we have seen only 20 episodes so far) found that fic first, and only the did she download the ballad. Anyway, go and read it if you like.

Moreover, IMBSA has written an absolutely adorable fic called "The Logic of a Child." It is a Royai/Edwin fic and is the cutest one I've ever seen. You'll see what I mean if you read it. The sequel to it has unfortunately been discontinued, but is also worth reading (at least those 3 or 4 chapters that are there).

Now, if something is still unclear in this fic, feel free to ask about it.

Review please and 'till the next time!