A/N: Welp. This is the first story I ever wrote for Royai (and FMA in general), which is really a shame, because Royai has been my no.1 OTP since I first watched FMA some five years ago, or so. Anyway, I've had this story in my laptop for a while, but I didn't post it - I was too embarrassed and scared, I guess. But, since it's Royai week, I decided to publish this story (and maybe one more that I wrote, though I'm not sure about that other). It doesn't really fit into any of the prompts, but I still hope you'll enjoy it! :) I apologize in advance if some of the characters seem a bit OOC - I tried my best.

Anyway, enough of my rambling! Please tell me what you thought of this story! :)

The reception hall was magnificently decorated in shades of blue and gold, the furniture made of finest wood. The building itself was a piece of art that took your breath away as soon as you stepped in. It was no wonder, then, that this exact location was chosen to host one of the most significant events of the year.

The marriage of the Fuhrer of Amestris.

There were hundreds of guests waiting in the big hall, and many more were expected to come – the most important people in the state, their entire families, representatives of other countries, they all gathered to witness one of the most awaited moments since the Fuhrer's crowning, which took place a bit more than a year ago. Everyone tried to look their best, wearing elegant clothes (most of which were extremely expensive), showing off their suits, dresses and accessories. The men had their hair combed and slicked back, while the women wore either buns or some other classy (and sometimes overdone) hair-does. Many expressions could be seen, from the looks of pure joy, to the looks of slight confusion, and even the looks of (poorly) hidden disapproval. Among such a large crowd, it was no surprise that everyone had different opinions about this, so called, marriage of convenience. However, the security was tight and strict, and the military did its best to ensure that the Fuhrer and his future wife would be safe.

The preparations were almost done, so the ceremony would start in about an hour. The officiator was rehearsing his speech and coaching the bridesmaids and groomsmen on some last minute details, making sure that everything was perfect. Though they tried hard not to show it, it was obvious that the group was barely paying attention.

In a corner of the hall, a man with long, golden hair tied in a ponytail argued with a short, black haired woman. Their companions, another golden haired man and a blonde woman, tried to calm them down. Eventually, the long haired man accidentally hit his wife on the head, which prompted her to get angry, and hit the man right back, even with her growing stomach.

"I told you to stop it! People have already started giving you the weird eyes!", Winry said, hands on her hips. Edward scoffed, and pouted childishly.

"Like I didn't get used to attracting unwanted attention.", he retorted, but shut his mouth as soon as he saw his wife getting angry again.

"Winry is right, brother.", Alphonse said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It wouldn't be good if you started making a scene now. The same goes for you, May."

May nodded her head, a bit ashamed, but Alphonse smiled at her and she brightened up right away. Ed rolled his eyes at the small gesture of affection, but he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from moving upwards. He looked around, then, and when he didn't see who he was looking for, he turned to his wife.

"Where are the kids?", he asked, as their two eldest couldn't be found.

"They're with Miss Gracia and Elicia, don't worry.", Winry answered, and Ed nodded his head. He once again looked around, this time focusing on the decorations. He made a sour face and clicked his tongue.

"But seriously, they sure didn't care about money. Look at all of these ridiculous looking, goddamn expensive things that serve for nothing."

"It's the Fuhrer's wedding, brother.", Al reminded him, but Ed just scoffed.

"Tch. The bastard doesn't deserve the tenth of this."

"Edward!", Winry reprimanded him, looking around to make sure nobody heard him. "First of all, you can not speak about the Fuhrer in such manner, and second of all, you of all people, with your god awful taste, have no right to complain!", she said, and Ed tried to defend himself but the glare Winry sent him sealed his mouth. He had married a fearsome woman.

"The hall does look a bit…tacky.", May said, then grimaced at the fact that she agreed with Ed. Al nodded his head, thinking the same, and Winry sighed, before guiltily nodding as well.

"I'm sure this wasn't what either of them wanted, but… You can't fight against the upper ones.", she said, ignoring Ed's mocking comment of "Isn't he the Fuhrer now?". "And the bride's not even allowed to wear a white dress! That is ridiculous!"

"Plus, the groom has to wear his military suit!", May agreed, and the two women mourned over the fact, saying "What a shame, what a shame!" and "Ridiculous!".

Even more people gathered, and the hall was staring to get crowded. Ed frowned at the amount of people that were invited, but he knew that if the soon to be newlyweds had had any say in this (which should be so), they'd invite maybe fifty people, maybe less – just the closest friends and family. Escorting Winry and May to their seats, Ed and Al searched for Gracia and the children before taking their place in the second row. Ed was about to sit down, when he noticed a very fidgety best man sweating a bucket. Ed raised an eyebrow and excused himself, going over to Jean Havoc. Before he had the chance to join him, though, the man's wife, Rebecca, arrived with a similar expression on her face. Already getting worried, Ed hurried his step and caught up with the couple. They noticed him and said hi with too much enthusiasm, which made Ed even more suspicious.

"Hey Chief, how's it going?", Havoc asked overly cheerfully, and Rebecca grinned from ear to ear.

"How do you like the hall? Riza complained and said it was too much, but she should be honored, her wedding is the biggest one Amestris has had in years, she should be happy…", she started blabbering, and Ed caught and undertone of annoyance laced within this speech, but before Rebecca could say anything else, Ed stopped her.

"What happened?", he asked, trying not to let his worry show. "Is there a problem?"

"A-a problem? G-geez, Chief, what makes you say so…", Havoc said, with a complete lack of persuasion, then gulped under the intensity of Ed's gaze. He turned to Rebecca, and they both sighed before hanging their heads in shame.

"I only left him for a minute, I swear, I made him promise he wouldn't go anywhere, and there was supposed to be a guard in front of his door but the bastard went for a bathroom break without reporting to anyone, and when I returned the room was empty…"

"…It was the same with Riza, she asked me to give her some time alone, I figured she was nervous but she didn't want to show it, you know her, and when I returned the guards were gone and Riza was missing and- "

"Wait, wait, wait a minute!", Ed said, now very upset. "You… Are you trying to say they were kidnapped?! With all this security?!"

Rebecca and Jean traded looks before Havoc took a note out of his pocket and handed it to Ed, completely exhausted.

"See, that's the thing…", Havoc started slowly, aware this would cause a violent reaction from the ex-alchemist. Ed carefully read the note, his eyes growing wider by the second, and a vein started pulsing on his forehead. His hands started shaking - in absolute anger, Havoc would guess - and when he finished reading the note, Ed gripped the paper tightly in his hand.

"That… That stupid bastard!", he yelled, attracting the attention of the people around him, and Rebecca and Jean resigned to the fact that this would not pass in complete secrecy like they had hoped.

"We weren't kidnapped. No need to search for us. Roy."

…

"I don't think anyone will find us here."

"Good."

Roy and Riza walked carefully through the woods of the recently built park in Central. The trees were densely planted, so they proved to be quite the hiding spot now that they grew big. The couple walked in silence, searching for a place where they could sit, and they soon came across a hidden spot Roy had secretly built in, just in case.

It was a small, round building with an arc-shaped roof and some flowers around it. Inside there was just enough room for two, and Roy would be lying if he said he didn't make this spot with him and Riza in mind, dreaming about secret escapades. They sat down next to each other, and silence stretched for a few minutes.

"I hope they're not too worried about us.", Riza finally said.

"We left them a message.", Roy replied shortly, and they fell back into silence, with the only sound surrounding them the gentle rustling of the leaves shaken by the wind. Roy sighed and took off his military cap, before running his gloved fingers trough his slicked hair and messing it up. He was wearing his Fuhrer uniform, modified only a bit, and he felt suffocated by it. Riza, on the other hand, wore an elegant, but quite simple beige suit and low-heels, and her hair, which was slightly longer than her jaw line, was combed neatly. Roy scratched his jaw lightly, starting to feel uncomfortable, and turned towards Riza.

"I'm sorry.", he said simply, hanging his head. Riza was, at first, surprised by this sudden apology, but she soon offered him a small, gentle smile, and she placed her hands over his gloved ones.

"There is nothing you should apologize for.", she replied, still smiling, and Roy started caressing her knuckles with his thumb.

"I've dreamt about this day for years, you know.", he said, still not looking her in the eye. "Even though, after everything we've been trough, after who we've been for years, the chances of us being together were slim, I still hoped that somehow, we'd get to this day." He sighed, feeling the words he wanted to say next get stuck in his throat.

"Even though… We didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve it."

Riza gripped his hand.

"Don't try to cut me out. Everything you've done, I've done it too. You're not the only villain here. Don't act like that, sir.", she said, in her professional tone, but Roy could sense the familiarity in her voice, even though she'd called him by a title she hadn't used in a while, ever since her retirement from the military.

Roy finally raised his head to look at her, sending her a small smile, and the lines around his eyes and his mouth became more visible. He certainly looked younger than his age, thanks to his baby face, but not even he could escape the signs of getting older. There were a few gray strands in his hair, too, though he desperately tried to hide them. Riza found that endearing, though she would never tell him that.

"Still, you know, I want this. I really want to marry you. I want to be selfish.", he confessed, kissing her hand. Riza blushed, but said nothing. Roy then cupped her face with his free hand, and Riza leaned into it. Roy continued.

"I want to be selfish, but maybe it's because of that that I feel the ceremony the upper part of the military organized for us just…"

"Doesn't feel right.", Riza completed his thoughts, and Roy nodded.

"It's too extravagant, there are too many people and it doesn't feel intimate at all. I know we have no right to complain, and we should be thankful we're even allowed to be together- "

"Though the public believes it was the previous Fuhrer's, my grandfather's request, as well as a convenient union between two of the most important men in Amestris.", Riza joked, and Roy couldn't help but laugh.

"We both know the truth, though."

"We do."

They leaned their foreheads against each other and enjoyed the other's warmth and the peace, before Riza sighed and pulled away.

"So, what should we do now? By now, many people are probably aware of the fact that we are missing.", Riza said before shaking her head. "I can't believe we did something so reckless."

Roy grinned.

"I can't believe you agreed to something this reckless."

"Unfortunately, lately you've started to rub off of me."

"Considering how long we've been together, I think it was about time."

Riza flicked his forehead, feeling silly for doing something so childish and unlike her age, but she smiled nonetheless. "So? What is our next move, Fuhrer?"

Roy was about to suggest they return to the hall and apologize to everyone for worrying them, when suddenly a very angry Edward marched over to them, his brother and May in tow. The couple looked very surprised, but before Roy had the time to ask the man how they found this place (it was very well hidden, after all), Ed grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and started shaking him.

"You stupid, irresponsible, selfish bastard! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Brother!", Alphonse shouted behind him, but May stopped him and shook her head.

"Don't look for us, you say. We're not kidnapped, you say. Tell me, do you know who you are and what did you run away from?! Because if you do know, you're the stupidest idiot I've ever had the displeasure of meeting!"

"Let me go, Edward.", Roy replied coolly. "Do you know who I am, or is your brain too small to remember that fact?"

"Why you!", Ed yelled, but let go of Roy. "Fine. Fine! But you better believe you have some explaining to do!" He then turned towards Riza. "You too, Hawkeye. I didn't expect this from you."

Riza sighed, feeling slightly ashamed, but nodded her head. Al stepped closer to them, and started questioning them instead of his brother, who was still muttering all kinds of things under his breath.

"Fuhrer, Miss Riza, if you could please explain to us what happened. You really had us worried. Miss Gracia and Winry stayed behind with Madam Mustang, Fuhrer Grumman and Lieutenant General Armstrong to assure everyone that there are no problems, while Havoc, Miss Rebecca, and a few others are still looking for you.", he said calmly, though with a slight undertone of anger. "Considering you're together, I don't think one of you changed his mind, right?"

"No.", Roy answered shortly, but Riza decided she would do the speaking.

"We are very sorry for what we did. We know it was very irresponsible and inappropriate of us, and we are ashamed.", Riza said with a bowed head, and Roy had the decency to look like he felt bad. "We didn't want to worry anybody, but the pressure of the ceremony got to us, and we did something incredibly stupid without thinking."

"Damn right you did!", Ed shouted.

"Brother!", Al silenced him again. "Continue.", he said to Riza. She looked at Roy, then at Ed, Al and May, and continued talking.

"We… We felt overwhelmed. As I'm sure you all know, the ceremony was organized completely without us. Our opinion was basically unimportant, even though we are the ones getting married. The whole event was turned into a spectacle, and it became uncomfortable for us."

"It's not what we want, nor what we deserve.", Roy cut in. He stood next to Riza and put his hand on her back, letting her know that he was taking it from here. "We wanted a small, simple ceremony with only the closest friends, family, and the most important military personnel, but instead, we got a grandiose party with more than thousand invitees (Ed chocked), and every single one of them with different attitude towards us. It's not an overstatement if we say that at least a third of them hates us or disagrees with this marriage."

Ed, Al and May turned quiet, knowing that they couldn't deny anything that Roy had just said. Nevertheless, Ed couldn't keep quiet for too long, and soon started waving his hands in annoyance.

"Still, you could've said something more than just "We're not kidnapped"! You put Rebecca and Havoc in an awful situation!"

"We are very, very sorry about that. After all, they barely allowed us to take those two as our best man and maid of honor and we've acted with no respect towards them.", Roy agreed. "If someone could inform them that we are fine…"

"I'll do it.", May said. "I am the fastest one, after all.", she said, and was about to go when Ed stopped her, looking like he finished conjuring up some sort of a plan.

"Tell them to come here.", he said, surprising everyone. "Also, call Winry, Miss Elicia and the team. Make sure they come secretly. And ask Fuhrer Grumman to postpone the ceremony a bit. Check if he and Madam Mustang can come as well."

Roy and Riza had an idea of what he was doing, but still weren't sure enough.

"Edward, what- ", Riza tried to ask, but before she could do it, Ed answered her.

"You want a private wedding, you'll get a private wedding. If you ask me, that hall is too tacky anyway. This place is much better.", he said and grinned at the two. Al laughed, and Roy and Riza wore looks of bewilderment, but also happiness.

"They'll have to get married there as well, though. I don't think any of us are true officiators.", Al said, but Roy shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. We'll do it. But this is just what we wanted. Thank you, Ed.", he said, honestly, and Edward blushed a bit, not used to the Fuhrer's sincere voice.

"Geez, it's nothing. Al, you have the camera, don't you?", the older brother asked, and Roy put his hand around Riza's waist as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They were truly grateful for the friends they had.

…

"So, uh, you know why we're gathered here- "

"Ed!"

"Fine, we're gathered here 'cause the bastard and- "

"Edward, I swear, if you don't do this the way you should, you're sleeping on the couch for the next two weeks!"

Laughter broke out at the antics of the married couple, and Ed pouted before clearing his throat (muttering something along the way), and resuming his role as the unofficial officiator for this wedding. Roy and Riza stood in front of him, turned towards each other, and Riza was wearing a veil Alphonse had transmuted for her from the fabric that May and Winry smuggled. Roy took off his cap and put on a black coat, courtesy of Havoc and Breda, so that it hid most of his military uniform. Next to the two were Havoc, Breda, Falman, Fuery and Al as groomsmen, and Rebecca, Gracia, Winry and May as bridesmaids. Elicia, the Elric children and Havoc and Rebecca's son stood next to their parents, while Lieutenant General Armstrong stood behind the camera, bawling.

"Are you sure Madam Mustang and Fuhrer Grumman aren't coming?", Al asked May, who shook her head.

"They said they would take care of things there, and that it would be a problem if they were missing as well.", May laughed and winked at Al. "They said they want to see the pictures, though. I'm sure Li- the Emperor would love to see them as well."

"We'll make sure to send some.", Roy said, but he didn't look away from Riza.

"Right, right, right, let's get this over with, I don't think we have that much time.", Ed said, and then he started his speech. "Friends and, uh, family? Yes, anyway, friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Roy Mustang, otherwise known as bas- "

"Edward!"

"Brother!"

"…to celebrate the union of Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. Now, I'm not sure but I think this is the part where you say your vows…? They say their vows now, right? It doesn't matter anyway, this isn't official, let's just get on with this. You first, Mustang.", Edward said, waving his hand at Roy, and the older man chuckled.

"What a bad officiator you are.", he teased, and Ed quite childishly stuck his tongue at him, prompting Winry to roll her eyes, though affectionately. Roy took both of Riza's hands in his, free of gloves because he wanted to feel her skin, and started his speech, while looking her straight in the eye.

"Riza, you're the only one I ever loved. We've known each other since we were clueless teenagers, and since then we've seen a lot, been through a lot, and we've ceased being the ignorant children full of unrealistic dreams. You've seen me at my worst and my best, as I have seen you, and you never once showed any signs of wanting to leave me. You were always there, my guiding light, my crutch, and without you, I never would have gotten to where I am now. I never would have fulfilled my, no, our goals. I asked you once, so many years ago, if you would follow me. I left my back in your hands, for you to protect me, from others and from myself. I ask you now, again, to watch my back, and to follow me. Will you?"

The women were already crying, and Fuery and Falman were barely stopping themselves. Armstrong was unashamedly bawling while taking pictures, shouting "Beautiful!" every now and then. Riza smiled, a small, but sincere smile, and turned their hands so now Roy's were in hers, then she started her speech.

"From the moment you walked into my house I knew you'd be trouble. You were a boy with such shining eyes, full of dreams and innocence, I wanted you to stay like that forever. Unfortunately, your eyes lost the innocence soon enough, partially by my fault, but you still let me follow you. And I followed you, because I saw that, even though your eyes were now void of innocence, they were still the eyes of a dreamer. I swore I'd protect those dreams. I swore I'd protect you. Somewhere along the line, the childish crush I had reawakened, this time much stronger than before, as the trust, respect and friendship turned into something more. So much more."

Now both Riza and Roy's eyes were watering, and soon everyone stopped fighting their own tears, letting them fall freely. There wasn't a dry cheek in sight, not even with Ed and Winry's two year old daughter, who barely understood what was going on.

"You… You asked of me, all those years ago, to watch your back and I promised I would. I still stand behind that promise. And you asked me then, and you ask me again, will I follow you. I think that, by now, we both know the answer to that."

Riza let go of Roy's hands so she could cup his face, and he did the same. They leaned their foreheads against each other, and softly, Riza replied to Roy's answer.

"Even into hell."

Ed messily wiped his tears and cleared his throat, trying to regain his voice (and to pretend he wasn't affected at all).

"Right, uh, do you, Roy Mustang, take Riza Hawkeye to be your wife, through good and bad?"

Never leaving her eyes, Roy whispered, "I do".

"And you, Riza Hawkeye, do you take Roy Mustang to be your husband?"

Wiping tears from Roy's cheeks, Riza closed her eyes, feeling like this was all a dream, like it was too good to be true.

"I do."

"Then, uh, you- you may… Oh you know what, just kiss her dammit!", Ed shouted, unable to think coherently anymore, and the couple laughed before they leaned in for a long, passionate but sweet kiss. Everybody started clapping, and the children threw flower petals in the air, which made for some magnificent pictures the "newlyweds" would always fondly look at.

"Their speeches were beautiful, though I can't believe they would say all of that in front of so many people!", Winry said, thinking about the real ceremony that was still supposed to be held.

"They changed their vows.", Rebecca answered, wiping at her eyes. "Their real vows are something stupid like "I promise to be a good husband, Miss Riza", and "I promise to be a good wife, Mister Fuhrer" or whatever, you'll hear soon enough. I like these better."

"Me too.", Gracia agreed, looking over the couple with a fond smile. "Maes would have been so happy for them, and so proud. I'm glad they finally got the happiness they deserve."

"We all are.", Havoc agreed as he hugged his wife, and the group fondly looked over at the couple who was now taking pictures. They joined in later, and for the last picture, Armstrong transmuted a stool on which he put the camera, so that everyone could take a picture together.

"Now let's go, the real, crappy ceremony should start any minute and it can't start without its main people, right?", Edward said, but Winry hit him for using bad language in front of the kids.

"Ah, yes, the vultures need to be fed, right?", Roy joked, hugging Riza, and the group split into smaller groups (to be less conspicuous) and they made their way to the hall.

Years later, the ones who witnessed the small ceremony would still think of it as much more beautiful than the extravagant show the military organized. Roy and Riza would agree.

(As would their children.)