DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST ANYTHING. THERE IS NO PROFIT COMING FROM THIS IN THE SLIGHTEST. THANKS.

Chapter One

The cold air was a menace as it blew the fallen leaves across the dirt path and chilled the carriage driver to the bone despite his multiple jackets. A young woman stared out the window of the posh, stuffy carriage, longing to be outside dancing with the leaves in the wind.

"I love autumn. I wish I could just walk outside and enjoy the cool breeze," the young woman stated very matter of factly. Her father gave her a gruff look and shook off her comment about the weather. He wore a crisp white dress shirt with a tan vest accompanying the shirt and tan dress pants. Over the whole ensemble he donned a deeper tan jacket. Despite his well-dressed appearance, his sandy blonde locks hung in his face. He wasn't much of a talker but certainly maintained a friendly air.

"Oh Sweetie, that is not how a proper lady acts! You should know that Riza," her mother spoke in a sweet tone. She was delicate looking woman, fragile almost. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders. She wore a deep pink ball gown. The dress wasn't full of embroidery but certainly did not lack elegance. The straps fell off her shoulders and rested on her upper arms and the dress poofed out at the waist, just as ball gown should. Her caramel toned eyes stood out lovely against paler skin. She was surely a lovely, elegant woman.

Riza huffed and turned her attention back to the scenery that was passing by. She wished she could just jump out of the carriage and run in the other direction of her destination. Looking like a younger version of her mother, Riza was simply lovely. Just like her mother, she wore her hair long and it draped down her back, falling in delicate curls. Her honey colored eyes held a spark of life that no one could ever deny. Her body was full of curves, something that she embraced wholeheartedly. She loved her curvy body as it stood out in all best ways in a crowd of stick thin girls. Her dress was very figure and skin tone flattering. It was a strapless a-line gown with a light beading around her waist where the dress flowed away from her body. The fabric made it seem light as air and the olive green against her pale skin was certainly a winner. As an added bonus, to Riza's joy, it was a lovely color to wear in autumn. She truly was a beauty to be admired.

"Do I have to do this," she pleaded with her mom. Her mom simply smiled and shook her head at the young lady. Her mom knew full well that she hated being brought to Amestris. Their King always hosted their family for the fall and winter as it was customary to stay in another royal's homeland to become accustomed to their cultures and ways of life, something that every budding princess needed to do.

"Riza, you know just as well as I do, that your father and I are not going to live forever and one day we'll need a succeeder, and that is you my dear," Riza's mother, Elizabeth, answered in a dignified but motherly voice. "You need to meet the people in other lands, especially in Amestris. These people are our friends always and our allies during wartime. You going to treat them as family as they treat us."

Riza knew that. It wasn't like she was dumb, as a matter of fact, far from it. She had been tutored from birth about anything that was important to maintaining the royal order in the world. She knew everything that was everything.

"Riza, just listen to your mother and behave," Berthold, her father, stated putting the ever so opinionated Riza Hawkeye in her place. Riza, despite her opinions, was loyal as anyone and always listened to her elders or superiors. She was a model daughter by any stretch of the imagination.

Elizabeth smiled lightly as she watched her daughter observe the world outside of the carriage. Yes, she was going to make a lovely queen.

Riza fidgeted under her mom's watchful eye and continued staring out the window as they crossed the boarders into Amestris. This certainly was not how she wanted to spend her autumn and winter time, for it was her final year in the academy back home.

Allucah is a beautiful country full of vast mountains and forests and Amestris, in its own respect was beautiful, but it wasn't Riza's home and it never could be. She loved cities but Central, where she would be staying, was certainly not her type of city. People stacked upon people with no wiggle room did not appeal to her tastes. There was no way that she was going to enjoy this semester of schooling. Her father said that she was going to be going to a military academy. They schooled all of the royals there due to Amestris's rich military background.

Riza felt herself dosing off as the ride was not getting any shorter. She inwardly sighed wishing they could just take a car to Amestris, making the trip infinitely shorter, but tradition overruled convenience every time. Her father gave her a quick nod, letting her know a nap was alright. She warmly smiled back and allowed herself to get cozy on the trip that was taking her to a place she did not want to be.

"Berthold," Elizabeth whispered watching her daughter drift into a deep slumber. "Do you think she's going to be alright there? The country has changed so much and Central is not the little trader town that we knew it to be. What if something happens and things get out of hand or she gets kidnapped…or…or worse!"

Berthold quickly wrapped his arms around his delicate wife and tried to silence her fears. "Riza isn't a little girl anymore Elizabeth. She is nearly eighteen and is fully capable of taking care of herself. You know this, as well as I do love."

Elizabeth nodded, not ready to let her little girl go. "But what if they don't like her?"

He chuckled at his wife's manner. "She's not going to her first day of school, love. Besides, who doesn't love Riza? She's smart, elegant, charming, personable and witty, just like her mother!"

He watched the ever famous 'Grumman' smile appear on her face and couldn't help but smile back. He loved her so much; he did not know how he ever survived without this lovely woman at his right side. His gaze slipped over to Riza, secretly hoping that she'd find someone that would appreciate her the way that he appreciated Elizabeth.

Elizabeth snuggled into his arm and they watched the sunset as they approached the Amestris boarders. Tonight she was going to give her daughter up to the clutches of the big city.

"I only hope we've prepared her enough for this," she mumbled softly watching the cityscape come closer and closer.

Okay! Hi (: So thanks for reading this! It was kind of just a spur of the moment idea that I really kind of liked so we're gonna roll with it and see where it takes us! This was more of a prolouge/first chapter. I couldn't really decide what to call it but whatever! I hope you are at least a little interested! Please let me know! Reviews and faves and comments are always welcomed!

THANKS AGAIN. MUCH LOVE.

P.S The title comes from John Mackey's beautiful piece "Sheltering Sky". Go listen to it. So beautiful.