TO BE KING—A FMAB FANFIC
A/N: Congrats to TheWarriorPony and a Mysterious Illusion for coming up with the correct answer! *claps*
And so, you guys get the opportunity to name a new OC (and a character design, both physical and mental if you wanna ;) ) and ping them in my inbox. Get them done soon so that I can use them as soon as possible *smiles*
And since the FMAB hangover is set on my head, I am apparently ignoring my other fics and writing more chappies of this one...this particular chappie is longer than the previous two and before anyone asks, yeah...I would posting the next chappie a bit later-gotta get the other fics updated too!
Without much ado, I present to you the third chapter of TO BE KING.
Enjoy! and yeah, you could review too, after reading... ;)
CHAPTER 03: THE PENDULUM
PRESENT DAY
MILITARY HOSPITAL, CENTRAL COMMAND
"So Ed left for the West and you met him a couple of days ago," Mustang concluded, rubbing his temples with a sigh.
"Yeah, I have no idea what Brother was up to," Al added, despair still clouding his voice. "If only I had known!"
Mustang clapped the younger Elric awkwardly on the back in an attempt to soothe him.
"Major Hawkeye, can you get Fullmetal's itinerary from the Western Command Centre? I believe you can contact Sheska for help," he said slowly, as if contemplating the thought.
"Right away, sir," Hawkeye saluted before leaving the premises.
"Permission to speak freely, General?" Havoc began, a bit uneasy.
"Permission granted, Lieutenant. And stop being so formal outside the Command Centre," said Mustang a trifle snappily.
"If you say so, General. But I met Ed once last year..."
"You met Ed?" Al interjected in disbelief.
"Yes, Al. I was in the Western Command during that training and drill week—you couldn't attend as you were down with fever. Breda and I met him, in the hospital..."
"Hospital?!" Al squeaked.
Havoc gave a tired nod.
"I thought Chief got himself banged up over a goose chase or something but Breda apparently overheard the doc-in-charge say something on the lines that 'the illness is getting worse day by day'. We couldn't figure out what that meant and when we tried to ask Chief, he blew it off. Well, we all know how he hates being mollycoddled. Wish I had paid more attention," he finished guiltily.
Al buried his head in his hands.
"And he didn't even mention the fact in the monthly letters we wrote to each other. That blithering IDIOT!" Al yelled, making Mustang jump. "Which reminds me, what am I supposed to say to Winry?"
N.A.Z.R.A.T.H
THREE YEARS AGO
WESTERN COMMAND CENTRE
"I am Edward Elric..."
"Oh gosh! It's Fullmetal in the flesh!"
"Seriously? Fullmetal's here?"
"The hero of Amestris is here!"
Ed cringed at the bevy of secretaries that began to flock around him when they heard his name. And as for the secretary with whom he was talking, she promptly fainted.
"Oh jeez, I am not that a celebrity," he muttered, his cheeks slightly pink. To say he wasn't enjoying this attention would be a blatant lie.
Wait till Colonel Bastard hears about this!
After obliging perhaps a hundred autographs, he was finally able to get to the reason he was there for.
"A border pass for Table City and a permission letter to visit Milos in the capacity of a State Alchemist, would that be all Major Elric?" the secretary, this time a sharp faced efficient looking one, said.
"Yes ma'am, that would be all," Ed sighed. All the addressing to his "fan club" sapped away his energy.
The secretary gave him a gentle smile.
"You must excuse them, actually they had been terrified when they heard what was happening down in Central. Unlike the Northern and Eastern Command, we of the Western Command felt a bit left out of the drama in Central—and coupled with the fact that we had no idea, we felt pretty helpless. Many of our families and loved ones live there and they almost consider you to be up on a celestial pedestal," she said.
Ed grinned at her.
"I understand perfectly well, ma'am," he said.
The secretary stood up, taking the documents with her.
"Why don't you wait in the refreshment area for a while? I must pass this through Brigadier General Rei Alstenheim, the one who helms the Western Command. I will call you when it's ready."
Ed shrugged in compliance and shuffled to the refreshment area.
He had heard rumours about Alstenheim—she was known as the Dancing Alchemist and was supposed to be very quick in transmutation. Though she was quite young, younger than a certain Colonel he knew, she rose up the ranks quickly. And was a source of constant headache to the Colonel.
He suddenly wanted to meet Alstenheim in person.
He dashed to the office only in time to see the secretary exiting.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but could I meet General Alstenheim? I want to talk with her on Milosian alchemy," he said, slightly breathless.
She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully before relenting.
"If she's free, I don't see why not."
Ed followed the woman through a series of corridors lit with the sunlight pouring from outside. Unlike the Eastern Command which was clouded over the better part of the year, the Western Command was drier, sunnier. Yet there was a nip in the air which proclaimed chilly nights.
Soon, they stood outside a door on which was an embossed plaque:
DANCING ALCHEMIST REI ALSTENHEIM, BRIGADIER GENERAL
WESTERN COMMAND
She would be a force to be reckoned with. Ed gulped.
"Wait here, I will announce your presense to General Alstenheim," she said before knocking and entering the room. A few minutes later, the door opened for him to enter.
Alstenheim's office had the grandeur which both General Armstrong and Colonel's office lacked. Rich burgundy upholstery adorned the walls and the darkwood floor was well-polished. The cherrywood desk too shone brightly, so did the shelves overflowing with books of alchemy. A collection of photos adorned the left wall while a large map of Amestris was on the right. In front of him at the desk sat the person he wanted to meet.
Alstenheim looked a few years older than him—he would peg her to be no older than twenty-four. Her long black hair was tied in a neat ponytail while light bangs fell over her burning amber eyes. She had a sharp, hawk-like face which was lightly tanned and lips which were presently pressed in a thin line.
She looked serious. And dangerous.
But at the moment, her eyes held frank curiosity.
"Lira tells that you expressed a desire to meet me," she stated. Ed couldn't help but notice the slight lilting accent. It was almost musical.
"Er...yeah...I have heard about you, and when I realized you were here, I wanted to meet," Ed said awkwardly. He knew he sounded stupid.
"Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, permit me to welcome you to Western Command. Why don't you seat yourself?" she said pleasantly, motioning him to occupy the empty chair in front of her.
Ed gladly occupied the offered chair. From the corner of his eye, he saw the secretary leave.
Alstenheim rested her chin on her interlocked fingers as she gazed coolly at him; he felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car. He quickly understood the reason she rose quickly up the ranks.
"I am researching Milosian Alchemy. I wonder if you knew something about it," he said slowly.
Alstenheim's eyes lit up—nothing could pave the way to an alchemist's heart quicker than a discussion over it.
"It is a pretty obscure branch, Fullmetal. Care to tell why you want to know?" she asked guardedly.
Ed gave a light shrug before answering. "During the events of the Promised Day, Xingese alkahestry saved our lives. Then I realized that we need to know more about different sorts of alchemy in order to keep ourselves safe from future harm. So..."
"Hmm..."
She smiled a little.
"You are friends with Julia Crichton, aren't you?"
N.A.Z.R.A.T.H
PRESENT DAY
PERSONNEL DEPLOYMENT DIVISION
CENTRAL COMMAND
"Okay...okay...that would be fine. Thank you Sheska, I appreciate your help."
Major Hawkeye replaced the receiver of the phone with a sigh. Ed was certainly hopping about all over the west and had driven Western Command nuts with his antics. She remembered the old days when she served Mustang in the Eastern Command. A part of her mind wondered whether the door of the office had been replaced or not.
She thanked the Sergeant who was manning the desk at the Personnel Deployment Division and carried back the armful files to the General's office.
According to Sheska, Ed had checked into Western Command and stayed there for two days before departing for Table City. Hawkeye remembered Table City—who could forget that battle after all? With Creta being so hell-bent on declaring war towards the end, she knew she had Julia Crichton to thank for not letting the situation escalate. Milos was soon seceded out of Creta as an independent nation which had full support of Amestris.
She wondered how Julia fared—she hoped that girl was okay.
After staying in Table City for sometime, he departed for Milos where he spent almost a year. After that, he spent six months in Creta, a year in Drachma before coming to the Western Command. But what confused her were the sheaf of hospital records—Ed did have a particular affinity of landing up in hospitals but still, she had an uncomfortable feeling.
She hoped the General could make some sense out of it.
N.A.Z.R.A.T.H
"So you think he would have gone to meet Julia Crichton, eh?" Mustang said, reading through the files Hawkeye placed on his desk.
"Yeah, that's what I can conclude," she affirmed, not lifting her head as she signed through her portion of the paperwork.
"Hmm...Milosian Alchemy...Fullmetal sure knows to keep himself on his toes. I think someone has to go to Milos and talk to Julia Crichton in person—maybe we can figure out if anything happened to him during that trip," the colonel mused, scratching his chin in thought.
"I get it sir, shall I dispatch Lieutenant Havoc then? I can ask Lieutenant Breda from Western Command as a personal favour. They are worried about Ed's wellbeing so they can be trusted to do the job efficiently," Hawkeye commented, finally lowering the pen and looking at the colonel straight into the eye.
"I don't mind Havoc going...he's feeling pretty beat up at the moment, thinking it's his fault he didn't report Ed's hospital event a bit sooner, but send Al with him. Heaven knows he could do with some change in scenery and being on the move will make him feel he's doing something," Mustang agreed, pulling out a piece of blank paper and swiftly writing the required letter.
"Consider it done, sir," Hawkeye nodded.
N.A.Z.R.A.T.H
"The Colonel wants me to accompany you, Lieutenant Havoc?" Al said, surprised. Dusk had already fallen and Al was sitting in the outpatient lounge since the visiting hours were up.
"Yeah, that's what the boss said at any rate. He says you know someone from Milos? Most probably the person Chief went to meet?" Havoc said, sitting next to the blond.
"Yeah, Julia Crichton. Apparently, her parents were alchemists who researched into a completely new field and thus were targeted by the Cretan army for the secrets—it almost boiled into a full-fledged war with Amestris the last time. Now, Milos is an independent country and she is currently in high position in the government. The Milosians trust her to death," Al said, recalling the adventure he and his brother had that one time many years ago.
"She sounds like someone formidable," Havoc remarked.
"Certainly not a patch on a particular General from the north," Al said, a ghost of a laugh on his face.
Havoc looked glad at the smile—Al was an Elric too, after all. After watching Ed and hearing about Hohenheim, he felt stubbornness ran in their family.
After talking a bit of local affairs, the Lieutenant stood up to leave.
"Are you sure you want to stay in the hospital, Al? I have a spare bed in my room where you can crash," he offered.
Al declined it with his trademark gentle smile. "Thanks Lieutenant, I appreciate it but I want to remain at hand if any news comes up regarding Brother."
Havoc gave him a half-salute as he left the hospital.
N.A.Z.R.A.T.H
The next day saw Al and Havoc being waved away from Central station by a stoic looking Hawkeye.
"Where's the General, Major?" Al asked with frank curiosity.
Hawkeye shrugged.
"I do not know, Al. If I have to guess, I think he is in the library, hunting for clues about Milosian Alchemy—you know State Alchemists and their quirks, don't you?" she sighed as she raised her right hand to a salute.
"I know full well what you are talking about, Major. Just say thanks to him from me, okay?" said Al, saluting her in return.
"And Lieutenant Havoc, get the job done as quickly as possible. I have sent a telegram to Brigadier General Alstenheim as a way of introduction but she is well-known for being...er...a bit temperamental. So, be careful. Get Breda and Sheska to show you the ropes as soon as possible," Hawkeye said as parting words, waving to the duo as the train chugged out of the station.
"Contact me on any updates regarding Brother's condition!" Al yelled, his last glimpse of Hawkeye being a tiny nod as the steam blotted her out of sight.
A/N: The next chapter will debut Ling! And he will be playing a major role in this fic. I like Ling and Ed's partnership, they are both similar yet very different. Not to mention the fact I love both their voices-Todd Haberkon and Vic Mignogna are way too cool!
I am planning a FMA/Harry Potter crossover so I would like to know if you people have any ideas. Feel free to PM me!
Silver Castle: I am humbled. Seriously. And I will make sure I won't disappoint you.
justaislinn: Close but far...the titles are from the soundtrack, not episode titles. But thanks for dropping a review. It feels nice to read the reader's thoughts.
a Mysterious Illusion: Agree totally! That's our Fullmetal Alchemist!
TheWarriorPony: I too love the songs from the soundtrack, my personal favorites are Ante Meridien and Stepping Along-the latter one's my ringtone!
