Just a drabble (that ended up being longer than I intended) about a young Ling choosing a personal body guard (I wonder who it ends up being?)
This was also posted on my Tumblr, but this is the slightly extended and polished version.

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Pairing: Lingfan (Ling x Lan Fan)
Anime:Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.

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Destined Choices

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It was ridiculous really; choosing a body guard like he might choose a new pair of shoes. And yet it was so ingrained into the very culture of his country that it was to be 'expected' that he should require a body guard, because it was to be 'expected' that his royal siblings would want to kill him. How terrible and sad. But he just had to remind himself that it was the very reason he was even going along with it all. To make any kind of changes he had to be the person at the very top. No other position would do. So he would undergo the traditions and the expectations of the Twelfth Prince of Xing, and he would become Emperor, for his people.

The body guard was necessary then, he supposed, to live long enough to get to that point.

"The potential personal guards are lined up for your inspection Your Highness." An old Yao House Servant bowed and made a low sweep with his arm toward the entrance to one of the smaller courtyards. Ling nodded to him as he passed but the old servant just bowed his head lower, only following the Prince when he had entered the pretty garden. Ling knew his 11 older siblings would have already chosen from the potential body guards, in accordance with Xingese tradition, so what was left for him was a rather small line.

There stood a line of about seven people, perfectly poised and with respectfully lowered eyes. They could have been made of wax for all the movement they made. Ling felt silly really, walking along a line of people to pick out the one he wanted to accompany him for the rest of his life. How was he supposed to know if they would get along? Or that they would enjoy the same foods as him? Or get his sense of humour? Or have any sense of humour at all!? He moved down the line as he thought, letting his qi roam over the candidates to sense their own, but found nothing but the usual desire to serve in men who had been trained in combat and stealth.

Ling stopped. There was an eighth candidate, hidden by the side of an older man at the very end of the line. She was so small he hadn't even noticed her, but when his qi had hit hers he felt the force of it like a physical blow. The desire to serve was almost a part of her very being, it bubbled inside her like water in a kettle - she wanted do her duty and do it as well as she possibly could. Ling moved closer, past the man with the severe eyes, and took a closer look.

The young girl could only have been his age, but he could see that she had been trained hard already just in her posture and her unflinching gaze at the floor. Her qi felt similar to a stray cat Ling had snuck food from the kitchens to for a time; stubborn with a will like iron, but loyal (so loyal) and fierce. He couldn't believe she hadn't been chosen yet. Her short hair was pulled into a small bun, though her bangs fell in front of her face, and she wore black loose fitting clothing similar to those of the man beside her.

"This girl," he said, trying to hide the admiration for ambition as strong as his own, "she's been in the line this whole time? Any of the other Heirs could have picked her?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Came the standard reply from the old servant. Ling frowned slightly at the four toneless syllables he heard so many times a day, but he had long ago stopped trying to get the servants to be less formal.

"What's your name?" He asked the girl directly with a friendly smile, ignoring the loud gasp of horror from the House Servant. Ling knew that addressing the potential body guards himself was unacceptable in the eyes of his culture, but while he ultimately had to go along with these traditions as Prince, he wasn't adverse to bending the rules either. At first he thought she was simply going to ignore him, but he looked closer and realised she just didn't know how to respond. Her eyes were still locked at the floor just before his feet, though they had widened considerably and her mouth clenched together as if she was trying to figure out how to form words. "Well I'm going to need to know your name if you're going to be the personal body guard of the future emperor of Xing?" Ling added playfully. She was the perfect choice.

He got the added pleasure of her head snapping up and her dark eyes finally meeting his own in surprise, and couldn't help but grin when her face began to colour in a mingle of embarrassment and shock. Her hands twitched at her side and Ling got the feeling that she wanted to cover her face with them to hide her flustered appearance. But she was better trained than that.

"A-ah, my name is Lan Fan, M-my Lord. I live to serve you."

"Mine's Ling. Nice to meet you, Lan Fan."