Chapter One:
The Green-Thumb Alchemist
Ed and Al were traveling on their journeys in search for the Philosophers Stone, in hopes of returning to their original bodies one day. Ed was now seventeen and seemed just as short. Al was sixteen and was starting to forget what it was like to have a human body. They were passing through a small town where they decided to stop and rest after a lot of time on the road. While they were walking around the town exploring a bit and looking for the in, they saw a girl, around the same age as them sitting near the middle of town.
She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she had a pleasant aura about her. The girl had fiery red hair that was braided into loose pig-tails that lay on her shoulders. Her blue eyes were behind a pair of small glasses that made her look cute in a school-girl sort of way. She wore a long, beautiful blue sundress with a few white lilies embroidered on it. A large wicker basket sat in her arms as she talked to a few people around her. Brimming from the basket was a variety of large, beautiful flowers as well a bunch of homemade jewelry.
Ed didn't pay much attention, nothing seemed unusual about the girl or her basket, but Al watched her as they walked slowly. He saw a young girl of about five or six run up to the red haired girl teary eyes, carrying a flower pot with a droopy, bug eaten plant.
"Lily, Lily, Lily!" the little girl exclaimed running up to red-haired girl (whose name was apparently Lily), panting at bit. "Please help my plant, its sick!" Lily smiled and took the flower pot, sitting it gently on the bench next to her.
"Well we can fix that, now can't we?" answered Lily warmly with a smile on her face
"Uh-huh…" sniffed the little girl, wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling a little.
"There you go Lisa, don't cry now. First let's give it a nice good drink ok?" The little girl Lisa, with Lily's help poured a large amount of water into the flower pot, until the dirt was soaked. Al walked over, standing behind Lily to watch. Ed went after him, to see what was going on.
"C'mon Al, it's just some stupid plant." Whined ED a little impatiently
"I want to see, look what she's doing." Said Al, pointing to Lily who was using something like a pen to draw a transmutation circle in the dirt around the plant with crushed chalk. "It's a transmutation circle." said Al as he watched curiously
"Hey Alchemy, now I'm interested." Replied Ed crossing his arms with a little devilish smile on his face.
Lily placed her hands on the pot and there was a glow and the plant in the pot now stood taller and firm, no bug holes in site. Several small buds even adorned the plant, with one large one near the top.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you Lily!" squealed little Lisa, jumping up and down, hugging Lily before running off down the street with her flower pot to show her mother.
"Well Lily," said a man standing near by, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "That's why you're the green-thumb alchemist."
"Green-thumb alchemist ey?" added Ed coolly, "That's a new one."
"Why hello." Said Lily sweetly, turning her attention towards the direction of Ed and Al. "Can I help you?"
"So you use Alchemy to grow stuff?"
"Well yes. That's why some people around here decided to name me the Green-Thumb alchemist."
"That's kinda weird, growing plants."
"I think it's sweet the way you helped that little girl." Added Al. Lily looked towards Al, a slight blush on her face.
"Thank you, your very kind. I like using alchemy to help people, I don't think I'm very good but… using alchemy to grow plants is rather simple and it can bring people so much joy."
"Really?" replied Al curiously
"Yes. A lot of people burdened by the troubles this world faces allow themselves to smile when they see a bunch of brightly blooming flowers. It just brings a little bit of joy to people, and I like that. Not to mention alchemy can also be used to help crops grow. Of course, I don't think my alchemy is strong enough to help a whole field of crops grow, but…"
"I still think its very sweet." said Al kindly. Right now was one of those moments where he wishes he had his own body. He felt like they could really connect, but he felt he wouldn't stand a chance given his current form.
"Yea, I guess that is pretty cool." admitting Ed, leaning against a nearby wall. "So what's your name?"
"Me? My name is Lily Densai, what are your names?"
"I'm Edward Elric."
"And I'm Alphonse Elric."
"Wow, the famous Elric brothers, I can't believe your here, it's so nice to meet you."
Lily was obviously very excited to meet them. Well, at least not everyone hated state alchemist. It got redundant for Ed to always be called a 'devil' or a 'dog of the military'. And although he didn't always act it, being treated like that could also be very hurtful.
"Thanks it's nice to meet you too." said Al offering Lily his hand. Lily giggled a little and took his hand and shook it, looking up at Al with a sweet blush on his face.
"So are you two looking for a place to stay or are you just passing through."
"We're looking for a place to stay, we've been out on the road for a long time and haven't run into a town for a while" said Ed stretching his arms "Plus I'm starving." he added as his stomach let out a voracious grumble.
"Well, I can show you two where the inn is, you can get something to eat there too if you'd like."
"Thank you," replied Al politely "We'd really appreciate it."
Lily smiled and sat down her basket and picked up a walking stick in her right hand and pulled herself up. Ed and Al did not notice until she stood up, but Lily was missing her right leg. Once she stood she grabbed her basket and smiled at the two brothers and said;
"Follow me, its right this way."
Ed and Al looked at each other and then followed Lily down the main road of the town where they happened upon a quaint little inn. It was small, but nice with a wooden porch furnished with a bench and some rocking chairs. Inside was a small counter which served food and drinks, including alcohol.
Ed jumped up onto one of the stools and rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Alright what do you have to eat?" he asked hungrily as Al sat next to him and Lily sat her basket on the counter next to Al.
"Well Lily, who are these two fine young boys?" asked the woman behind the counter who looked to be in her late thirties with long brown hair, brown eyes and glasses with a motherly disposition.
"Mama this is Edward and Alphonse Elric. Edward, Alphonse, this is my mother."
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Densai." said Al politely "And Lily, you can just call me Al."
"And me Ed, no need to be so formal."
"You boys are so sweet, just call me Ms. Liz."
"Alright Ms. Liz" said Al with a smile.
"So what can I get you fine boys?" asked Ms. Liz kindly
"Mmmm I'm starving, what do you have to eat?"
"Well right now were serving some steak, potatoes, carrots, corn, fresh baked
bread and homemade butter."
"Alright, bring it on!"
"And what can I get you?" said Ms. Liz to Al.
"It all sounds delicious but nothing thanks you" replied Al, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Let me know if you change your mind" said Ms. Liz kindly before going in the back to get Ed his food.
While Ed happily ate away, Lily say next to Al and the two of them began talking happily.
"So did you grow all those flowers you sell using alchemy?" asked Al, looking into her basket curiously.
"I have a big garden out back and I use alchemy to help most of the plants grow, especially the ones that are small and are having trouble growing. It doesn't take a lot to grow a plant with alchemy. Just some soil, water, and either the plant or just a seed" said Lily beaming a little.
"Really, I'd like to see your garden."
"Alright, I'll take you out back, follow me."
Lily took Al out the back door of the inn where a beautiful garden lay out before them. Al looked around in amazement at all the beautiful flowers. It seemed like there was every flower ever imaginable there. Roses, Petunias, Daffodils, Daisies, Lilacs, Hyacinths, Ivy, Carnations, Irises, Orchids not to mention Water Lilies which floated on a small pond, Lilies of the Valley, and just Lilies to name a few.
"Wow…" said Al in awe of the brightly colored garden "It's beautiful…"
"Thank you…" she smiled blushing a little as she walked next to Al through the garden. "The plant is my favorite." She said stroking the leaves of a very large plant whose leaves were of a bright green but they shimmered iridescently with all the colors of the rainbows. "It's a really rare Lily called 'The Flower of Eden'. It's so beautiful and it only blooms for one week every other year."
"Wow it sounds lovely. Is this a flowering year."
"No, next year is. I really wish you could see it though, it's so amazing."
"Well, we'll just have to come back and see it then."
"I'd like that." A big smile came across Lily's face at the thought and if Al could, he'd be blushing.
"So, have you always done alchemy like this?"
"No, I started alchemy when I was in the hospital after I lost my leg."
"You don't mind if I ask what happened to your-"
"To my leg? No I don't mind" she smiled at Al sweetly. She really liked him and didn't mind sharing her story. "Well, growing up I always loved to swim a lot, it was my favorite thing to do. Well during the summer a whole bunch of us would go swimming out at the lake. It's really beautiful. The lake is surrounded by trees and on one side there in a great big cliff with lots of ledges and niches.
Every year everyone would see who was the bravest and could climb up to the top ledge and jump into the lake. Well, we were told never to climb up the rocks after it had rained because they were slippery but I was fourteen and didn't listen. Well I must have climbed up that rock more then a dozen times that day and everything was fine.
Well the last time was near the end of the day, the sun was setting and after I jumped we were all going to go home and clean up for dinner. Well I guess because I was tired and not being to careful I clambered up there and I slipped hitting a big pile of large rocks. Well I guess they were slippery from the rain and one big rock sitting up top shook and fell. I tried to roll out of the way but I panicked and wasn't fast enough so the rock came crashing down onto my leg.
I screamed and panicked, the other kids ran to get a doctor but when one came I wouldn't let anyone near me, I was screaming screamed and panicking. My father came in from the fields as quickly as possible, I let him come to me and he held me close so the doctors could give me something for the pain. Everything went foggy shortly after that and I must have gone unconscious.
When I woke up a bit dazed and confused in the hospital a few days later I was without my leg. The doctor said there was no way they could have saved my leg and they had to amputate it. I was really devastated and was depressed and moping in my room while I was recovering. Well, one day some of my flowers were looking a little droopy and nothing seemed to work so the idea of using alchemy popped into my head.
It took several tries but when I finally got it to work, it worked really well. So I tried it on my roommate's flowers and that seemed to really cheer her up so I started doing to for all the patients. I really liked how happy it made people. I decided I wanted to use alchemy like that to make people happy like I did in the hospital but, I can't travel with only one leg so I decided that I would sell flowers, and jewelry that I also made in the hospital to passersby in order to save enough money to buy an automail leg. They are so expensive and I insisted on paying for them myself since my parents were taking care of the medical bills."
"Wow… that seems really good of you to want to do something nice like that." replied Al after listening intently to Lily's long tale.
"Well, the world could use more nice people."
"I think so too."
