August 27th, 1970

Ethan packed the last of his things back into his bag. He had tried to pack fairly lightly for the trip, just out of habit. It had been a long time since he'd traveled like this though. The last time he had been to Xing, he lived there. During the war he had been dressed to work at all times when he wasn't sleeping. That had been easy. This, was not so much.

"Done yet?"

Ethan turned and saw his father standing in the doorway. "Just about. You?"

"Almost," Ed nodded. "Except for whatever it is Mei told us to leave room for."

Mei had been very secretive about something she wanted them to pack, though she hadn't said precisely what it was. Ethan suspected it was a gift of some sort that they would all find useful.

"Well I'm curious," Uncle Al joined them.

"We won't have to wait long," Will chuckled as he entered. "Our benefactor is coming down the hall now, servants in tow."

A minute later, Mei joined them, with two servants each carrying two piles of cloth in red, black, white, and bits of gold, and one of her usually-annoyingly-present guards behind them. This one looked particularly sour, and Ed thought he remembered seeing him when they were greeted upon arrival a few days before.

Mei smiled. :These are for you, and I hope you will enjoy them. Every clan in Xing has a symbol by which it may be identified at a moment's notice. For a long time now, the clan of Elric has been recognized as a loyal ally of Xing and, to appease the old-fashioned,: she chuckled, :has been named a noble family in rank from outside the Empire, in order that an Imperial Princess not marry beneath her station.:

They all knew what Mei thought of that idea. Will was grinning.

:It is traditional in formal situations for the men and women of the clan to be robed and marked as such. I took the liberty of having these made. I think… that you will approve.:

Ethan watched curiously as his father stepped forward and was handed the outfit off the top of one pile. It was not outwardly complicated; a basic set of pants and shirt set of Xingese cut, black, the edges where it folded across the front of the body and around the neck were trimmed in a thin border of white.

:It's very you, Ed,: Al chuckled.

:Yeah, I noticed.: Ed draped it over his arm and accepted the second piece of the formal outfit, an over-robe in a black brocade, trimmed in thin metallic gold, and embroidered in thread in a deep red. It was belted in black. And then, there was the formal coat that went over it, a brilliant red thing, trimmed in black and gold, and as his father held it up, Ethan almost laughed when he saw the symbol that Mei had orderedembroidered on the back in painstaking perfection.

The crest of Flamel popped brightly, black against red. The coat might be Xingese, and without a hood, but it was not too far different than the one Ethan knew still hung in his father's closet, and occasionally made an appearance when his father wanted to be instantly recognized.

Uncle Al was looking highly amused. :Thank you, Mei. It's perfect.:

After all, didn't Ethan have a green coat with the same symbol? And Sara had one in purple.

Ethan moved forward then, and soon all four men had outfits of their own – made surprisingly well to their measurements, and all variants of the theme of colors and styles. Ethan's coat was black, save for a broad band of red on which the crest sat, for example. Will's and Al's were similar. Only Edward's was the full, bright red.

:He is the head of the Clan,: Mei explained simply when asked. :In a formal situation, this should be immediately clear. You can, of course, wear the other garments without the coats in less formal settings, and I also have some other, simple traditional Xingese clothing for you as well in less dramatic colors.:

Ethan might have asked why, except that he had already gotten plenty of earful as to just how rigid the Tsen were on keeping things 'the old way.' They did not like the Western influence of Amestris, Aerugo, and Creta on the clothing, music, and other cultural elements of the big cities. Not that their influence was all pervading. If there was a culture that could sit for a thousand years with minimal change, Ethan would bet on Xing.

:They're beautiful,: Al complimented.

:Thank you,: Will hugged his mother-in-law.

Ethan couldn't describe the amused joy on his father's face. :Where did you get the idea?: he asked, awed.

Mei smiled. :Winry.:


Once everything was really packed, Ethan took a last moment to call home using the phone in the little anteroom that connected the four rooms they were all using, between their rooms and the hallway. He knew it was still fairly early in the day back home, but he wanted to talk to Lia while he could. Who knew when he'd have the time to make a call again?

His father, uncle, and Will were bringing out the last of their things as Ethan dialed the phone.

"Hello. Elric residence."

That was one beautiful voice. Ethan couldn't help smiling. "Good morning. Is there a sexy woman of the house available?"

"I don't know," her voice sounded coy. "Do you think my husband will let me say yes?"

"You'd better," Ethan laughed. "Good morning, sweetheart. I didn't wake you did I?"

"Not even close," Lia assured him. "Ren came over and we've been doing some gardening while the kids play."

"What, oh Ren's there?" Ethan glanced over his shoulder at Will and grinned. "Yeah, tell her she might want to go ahead and start letting Will's pants out a few inches."

"Why you…" Will grabbed at Ethan, who dodged, laughing.

"Yeah, he's really been chowing down!"

"Ethan!" Lia's voice came over the line, half-scolding. "Can you two rough-house later? I want to talk to you."

A serious edge in her voice made him stop. "What is it?" Was something wrong with the kids? Or maybe something had happened at the office, or at the school. Or-

"I'm pregnant."

Ethan almost dropped the phone. "Wha… again?"

"Well given that last time was about five years ago, that would make this again," Lia quipped, though she sounded more amused than anything else.

"That's great!" Ethan managed as his mind wrapped around the concept. Of course it was great; they had talked about having another (or two if their luck with the first pregnancy turned out to be the norm). "How are you doing?"

"I'm just fine," she chuckled. "Relax, and don't worry about coming home before you finish your trip. I'm not due until at least the end of March, so I'll still be pregnant when you get home." There was heavy irony in her final words.

"Well, good," Ethan said. "I'd hate to miss it. Take care, okay?" he added, his voice softening.

"You too," Lia replied. "Don't worry, Ren says she's sure it's only one this time! Oh, and Ren would like to talk to Will when we get off. Love you."

Relief hit him over a worry Ethan hadn't really been aware he was thinking. Just one… not another set of twins. "All right. Love you too." Ethan reluctantly held the receiver up. "Your turn to talk to your wife," he said.

Will was grinning as he took the hand set. "Hi, sweetie. What? No, Ethan was joking…trust me…"

Ethan smothered a laugh and turned to find his father and uncle both grinning. It didn't take much to guess why. "You heard, huh?"

"We've all had that feeling," Ed chuckled. "Congratulations. How many this time?"

"Just one," Ethan replied, not bothering to hide his relief. "Though that's plenty."

Al snickered. "I'm sure Lia thinks so."

If it had been another set of twins, Ethan wasn't entirely sure Lia would have ever let him touch her again. "Oh I'm sure too," he agreed. "We wanted another one, but really, we're not interested in challenging Aldon and Cassie for most prolific family."

His father laughed. "That's probably for the best."

September 3rd, 1970

The train that took them deeper into the Xing Empire was similar to the one that traveled between Amestris and the Imperial City except that this was the personal train of the Imperial Family; fewer cars and much more finely appointed. The scenery outside the windows was also not that much different: mountains, bamboo forests, fields. As it was, Edward found himself paying more attention to the people on the train – the Imperial retinue – than what was passing outside.

Ed roamed up and down the train when he wasn't engaged in conversation with Mei or one of the other members of his family. There was just one thing he noticed more often than the others. Qiao Tsen took a lot of duty shifts guarding Mei, and he also spent a lot of time glowering at Ed.

Finally, he'd had enough. As he sat across from Mei in the private dining car one afternoon, he started up a conversation in Amestrian. He had discovered that none of the guards on this trip knew very much of the language, and that worked to his advantage.

"Mei, I know this is going to sound strange, but I think Qiao has a crush on you."

"I'm aware of it," she smiled, sipping her tea. She did not seem bothered.

"But you don't feel the same," he guessed by her reaction.

"Of course not. He is younger than my daughter. But he is a good guard, and not a bad man. He just does not yet understand that he has no chance of marrying me."

"You could remarry though right, if you wanted to?"

"Oh yes. The Imperial line is now claimed only through the children of Mao, or Renxiang if some tragedy should befall the entire family in Xing. So yes, I could marry, though my husband would have no more claim to the Empire than I do."

Which was to say, really none at all. "But you don't want to."

Mei chuckled. "There is no man alive with whom I would be more than good friends. But I am content with that."

Ed smiled back. "You remind me of Gracia."

"I like Gracia Hughes. When we have spoken, I have enjoyed it," Mei nodded.

Ed took a sip of his tea. "So Qiao's crush doesn't bother you?"

"Not particularly."

"Perhaps you can explain then why he keeps glowering at me whenever I talk to you… and even when I'm not for that matter." It was definitely starting to bug him. What had he ever done to the guy?

"That's simple. He believes you are a rival."

Edward tried not to choke on his drink. "Doesn't he know I'm married?"

"You must remember, Edward, that until recently this kingdom was run by a man who had many wives. Other men of influence have also done so with no repercussions because of their position. It is rare, but not unheard of in our society. Particularly not for families that need heirs for political purposes and dynastic succession."

"I don't think the Elric dynasty is in danger," Ed snorted, thinking of the pile of grandsons he had back home.

Mei laughed lightly. "No, I think not. Qiao Tsen simply does not see that you and I are only friends, and that you do not think in terms of political gain in the ways most men here do. Add our family closeness and your unconventional Western attitudes, and that is more than enough for Qiao to dislike you. I do not think anything will come of it however."

"I hope not," Ed picked up his tea again. "I'd hate to have to put him face down in the dirt to get him to stop glaring like that."

"He's quite the warrior, and in his prime," Mei chuckled. "Are you sure you could take him, Edward?"

Ed laughed. "There's not a doubt in my mind."

September 6th, 1970

They all changed into their traditional clothing, and wore only those outfits, from the time they disembarked from the train at the stop on the edge of Tsen territory in Kauta Province.

Mei smiled approvingly. :You look like ancient samurai,: she chuckled. :Particularly you two,: she gestured to Edward and Ethan, whose long hair seemed to go particularly well with the clothing. :Though Alphonse's facial hair is more appropriate.:

:Forget it,: Ed laughed.

Other than a few horse-drawn carts and wagons, they mostly walked through Kauta. Mei walked as much as she rode, a fact that seemed to drive Qiao nuts, which made Ed amused. He often walked beside Mei and talked with her for hours about various finer points of alchemy, whenever Will wasn't regaling her with the latest brilliant exploits of her Amestrian grandchildren.

Qiao broke faster than Ed expected, and in a way he hadn't anticipated.

They were sitting around the campfire at one of the rest ways along the road – all carefully set precisely a day's cart ride apart – when Qiao approached Ed and loomed above him. :I challenge you.:

Ed looked up casually. :To what?:

Qiao stood there in his full military armor. :To combat.: he snorted, as if he thought Ed too stupid to have realized the obvious. :Real combat.:

It took Ed a moment to understand the implication. :No alchemy.:

:No cheating.:

So that was how he saw it. :Hand-to-hand then?: Ed asked as he stood.

:We will fight with weapons,: Qiao scowled. :Unless you are too much of a coward to fight honestly.:

Ed had to fight to keep a straight face. :You pick the weapon, and I will fight you with it.:

Qiao seemed to find Ed's apparent arrogance in character. He immediately held out one of the long weapons he held. :Fight me with this then,: he said.

Ed took the weapon – essentially a sword on a pole, a Xingese glaive though this one was a bit different in style. He had no doubt it was probably Qiao's best weapon. :Looks good to me.: This time, Ed did grin. :Just give me a minute to get ready.:

:I will await you,: Qiao stalked away to a space between camp fires where he immediately turned and stood, waiting.

"Is this a good idea?" Al asked Ed quietly as Ed checked his footwear, made sure his hair wasn't going to come lose and get in his face, and subtly tested the heft of the weapon.

"Why not?" Ed grinned. "I'm not going to get hurt."

"Going around beating up Mei's guards, especially ones from this clan, may not be the best idea," Ethan pointed out.

"Turning down his challenge would be a bigger insult," Ed replied. "He thinks I'm an old man who doesn't know how to fight with a real weapon."

"Obviously," Al snickered. "Or he would never have handed you that weapon."

"I've seen him practice with it," Will added in softly. "He's good, but I don't think he's any match for Uncle Ed."

"He can learn the hard way that I'm not some out-of-date legend." Ed straightened up and turned to look across the intervening space. Apparently it wasn't a secret challenge; a lot of the other guards had formed up to watch already. Mei stood near the carriage, watching curiously, almost as if she had expected this.

She probably had. Well, no point in putting it off. Ed strolled over into the large, loose circle, planted himself across from Qiao, and smiled. :I'm ready when you are.:

Qiao made the first attack. Ed parried and back off, getting a feel for the other man's moves. He was confident, and probably as skilled as he thought he was. That didn't mean he was good enough to beat Ed. They tested each other for another minute.

Then Qiao made a sweep for Ed's legs. Ed vaulted, flipped over Qiao's head, landed, spun, and disarmed him before the other man had turned half way around. The other weapon imbedded in the ground as Ed flipped his and smacked Qiao in the chest, pinning him to the ground with the butt-end of the wood.

Qiao stared up at him for a moment, tensed as if he meant to spring up and keep fighting, but Ed held him there, and he relented. :You win.:

Ed let him up; though he was pretty sure Qiao would have a good bruise in his chest as a reminder of this. :Consider it a sign of respect that I did not toy with you.:

Qiao stood, and bowed. :You are indeed, worthy of Her Highness.:

Ed chuckled. :You can have her. My wife is cuter.:

Dumbfounded Qiao blinked, then turned and walked away, clearly confused.

The other Xingese guards chuckled as they moved off.

Mei approached Ed, with a serious expression. :He can have me?:

Ed shrugged and gave her a knowing look. :Hey, you could have stopped that whole thing with a word if you wanted.:

Mei smiled. :But then the men would have had no evening entertainment.:

:Are you sure embarrassing him was the best idea?: Al asked as the others joined them. :What if he decides to take you on again?:

:He won't,: Will shook his head. :Not without risking his honor. He clearly expected a longer fight, or to beat Uncle Ed as quickly as he got beaten instead. He lost and there's no question of it.:

Al nodded. :That's true I guess. You really didn't even let him have a try at you, Ed.:

:Of course not.: Ed handed the weapon off to one of the soldiers. :He challenged me to a real fight, not a practice match.: He'd had the kid's moves dialed in almost immediately and while he could have dragged that out until Qiao was exhausted, it would have only made the other man madder to be toyed with instead of taking him seriously. You took out a real opponent quickly.

That, he hoped, would be the end of it.

September 9th, 1970

Instead of going straight to the temple, their trip had diverted first to the Tsen Clan Compound of Maragato. Calling it a compound was a bit of a misnomer, given it was a small city. The architecture was as traditional as everything else the Elrics had seen or been told about the Tsen.

Ethan fully understood now why they had been traveling in their traditional Xingese clothes. Even from a distance, as they drew closer he could see the people going about their day, and there wasn't a single thing that he could have called Amestrian, Aerugean, Cretan, or Drachman. Ethan even found a good bit of it antiquated even for Xing; definitely traditionalists. The buildings, while in excellent repair, might well be hundreds of years old, at least in the center of the town. It had clearly expanded over time to accommodate the growing number of Clan members.

"A bit solitary aren't they?" he commented quietly in Amestrian.

"Yep," Will nodded. "Clan crest up everywhere. Almost no one outside the Clan comes here I'll bet, not even for trade purposes. It seems to be mostly internal."

"Well there's something to be said for self-sufficiency," Ed said as they walked up the main street towards the large building in the center. The Elrics had been placed very particularly in the order of march before arrival, walking just behind Mei and two of her guards; of which Qiao Tsen was, unsurprisingly, one of them.

They got quiet as they approached the building, and Ethan could see the party on the stairs waiting to greet them. It was comprised of the Clan's leader, Riao Tsen, a man who didn't look much older than Ethan, in traditional garments in the Tsen colors of green and black. The man's eyes flickered over the party, catching briefly on the men behind Mei as they approached. Ethan thought he saw the man frown, but given his already relatively stern expression, that might have been shadow.

:Tsen welcomes the Imperial Mother, Mei Xian, to Maragato.: Riao stepped forward and bowed formally. The men behind him did the same. Ethan noticed a lack of women on those steps.

Mei inclined her head less, but in just as formal and appropriate a bow. :Your greeting is honored and appreciated, Riao Tsen. I am pleased to be able to visit the home of Tsen.:

Formally civilities went on for another couple of minutes before they were complete. Ethan stood there, looking interested, though he quickly grew bored. At least until Riao finally turned his attention to someone else. He glasped hands with Qiao. :You return with honor, my brother. I am pleased.:

Qiao's face flushed. :I am happy to bring honor to my family.:

Qiao was the younger brother of the head of Tsen? That explained a lot.

But Qiao wasn't finished. :We have other honorable guests, my brother. The highest members of the Elric Clan.:

Ethan did not bring up that, technically, Aldon would outrank him by Xingese society rules. It didn't matter, and Aldon would have laughed anyway. He watched his father step forward as Qiao introduced him.

Ed bowed formally. :We thank you for your hospitality.:

While they had been given permission to visit the temple, clearly Riao had not expected to see them directly. Still, he bowed with the exact iota of respect owed an equal, then met Ed's gaze with one of his own that Ethan couldn't quite read. :May your stay in Maragato be prosperous. Tonight, we will greet each other properly, one Clan head to another.:

"Shit."

Ethan looked over at Will. "What?" he whispered back.

"Remember your Xingese etiquette."

Ethan racked his brain. Clan politics was something he had studied, and remembered, but he hadn't had much reason to remember formalities, despite the time he'd spent in the Xingese court. "Oh, hell."

"What?" Uncle Al glanced over at them both.

Ethan swallowed. "At the end of the Neto period, when Clan heads were forbidden to duel or demonstrate prowess with violence, they changed the combat to a more subtle one. They demonstrate their equal constitution... with sake."

Uncle Al groaned quietly. "Does Ed know?"

:I look forward to it,: Ed replied to Riao. They met eyes once more before Riao turned back to political matters.

It was Qiao who came back to talk to them. :You will be shown the guest rooms. You will be summoned for the banquet this evening.:

:Thank you,: Ed replied.

Ethan sidled up to his father as they walked down the hall behind the man assigned to escort them. "Dad, do you know what Riao meant? He-"

"I know, Ethan," Ed replied with surprising calm.

"Is there any way I can take your place?" Al offered.

"Not without insulting them," Will sighed. "It has to be the head of the Clan, and whatever we think, as far as they're concerned that's the eldest male. Unless you want to challenge Uncle Ed for authority over the entire Elric family."

"It wouldn't be much of a fight," Al snickered.

Ed grinned. "That's what you think. I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine."

"You won't be able to use alchemy," Ethan pointed out unhappily. There would be no way to neutralize the alcohol without the other alchemists – there were several alkahestrists he had spotted already within Tsen – noticing. It would be cheating here, and an insult to Tsen.

"I said I'll be fine."

"You seem awfully calm about this, Ed." Al looked concerned.

Ethan wished his father's cocky smile were more reassuring. "Don't worry about it Al," Ed replied. "Have a little confidence, okay?"