AN: I always find inspiration for writing from quotes. These are just going to be short oneshots. I also need to get back into writing Royai. I always forget how much fun it is to write about Roy and Riza. :-)

This chapter's quote was originally said by Ann Richards. The quote was... "I've always said that in politics, your enemies can't hurt you, but your friends will kill you."

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"Your enemies may try to hurt you, but it's your friends that will eventually kill you."

When Riza first heard those words all those years ago, she didn't really understand them.

It was her father that had said them and it was one of the few times he had spoken to her after becoming obsessed with his alchemy. He had lifted her from the ground and put her in his lap, showing one of his rare smiles. He had laughed softly and said the sentence before patting the blonde hair on her head and lifting her down. Riza had only been a little girl at the time, no older than eight years and yet she remembered what her father said even after his death and Ishbal.

And after all those years she had found friendship and even romance in one man. Someone she could put her trust in and vice versa. And know that his dreams and goals would be worth the hard work that not only she put in but the patience she held for the man that was once a small boy, wanting to learn the secrets of alchemy so he could save the world.

It wouldn't be until years later when Riza would actually get the joke her father told her and laugh about it.

She got some weird looks from the men in office.

She told them to get on with their work.

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AN: One down, a lot more to go...