"Well, what do we have here?" the large man known as Sir Mustang asked, studying Edward before turning to his son for an explanation.

"This is the boy I told you about, Father," Roy answered. "He wants to train to be a paladin."

It was bright and early Monday morning, and Ed was in the Paladin's Hold meeting the Master Paladin for the first time. After stopping by the Guild Office to get the appropriate clothes for the job, he had set off to begin the first day of his new Life. It didn't start without its problems, though; because Roy had been so vague about where to go, Ed had gotten lost for a little while before figuring out the Paladin's Hold was actually outside the castle, not in it.

"Very well," the master paladin said. He turned his attention back to Ed and said, "To the average person I am Sir Mustang, but from now on you shall know me as Captain Mustang. The pleasure is yours."

Was that a joke? Or is he just vain?

"I'm Edward Elric," Ed responded. He couldn't resist adding, "And this time the pleasure is yours."

The shocked look on Roy's face made Ed worry that maybe the Master Paladin hadn't been joking before, but Sir–that is–Captain Mustang only laughed. The teen breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"You're rather spunky, I see. I like that. However, I must warn you." He narrowed his eyes. "I do not tolerate mustache-related jokes. Keep that in mind."

"Y-yes, Sir."

"That said, we should make sure you are fit to be a paladin. Tell me, Edward, do you know what a paladin's duty is?"

"Yes, a paladin's duty is to protect Castele."

"And?"

"And..." Ed closed his eyes and tried to think. He had just studied this yesterday before he went to sleep. Had he been so distracted by what happened on Mount Snowpeak that he didn't fully take in what he was reading? He opened his eyes again and finished, "And maintain a state of peace."

Captain Mustang nodded. "Very good. As long as you remember that, you'll go far. Now, without any further ado, I offer you the tools of our trade."

He took a sword and a shield out of his Inventory and held them out.

"Take with your right hand the longsword, dispenser of glorious justice. And in your left, grasp firmly an oaken shield, symbolizing a paladin's oath to protect."

Ed did as he was told, and he felt excited. Up until now the thought of starting a Life seemed like a dream, but now it was really happening; he was going to be a paladin.

"With these instruments of righteous justice," Captain Mustang continued, "you shall become a humble servant to peace. Never forget: protecting our fair kingdom is your top priority."

"Got it." Ed held up his sword. "When do I learn how to use this thing?"

Captain Mustang laughed again. "I see you're eager. Don't worry, your training begins now. Roy, take your new trainee to the horse stables and teach him how to properly use his sword and shield."

"Understood. Let's go, Edward."

"You can just call me Ed," the boy said as he followed Roy out of the building.

"If that's what you'd prefer." The older man glanced at Ed and commented, "You might want to put those things away in your Inventory until you need to use it. It would be a hassle to carry them around all the time."

"Oh, okay."

"Haven't you ever used a weapon before? This is basic stuff, you know."

"I don't have to use it often, but I have a dagger."

"Most people do. But a dagger isn't like a sword; it's easier to carry around." Roy sighed. "I see we have a lot of work to do before you can become a fledgling. Let this be your first lesson then: always put your sword and shield away when you don't need to use them. Then they won't get in your way and you won't hurt anyone."

"Okay, I think I can remember that."

They walked up the dirt path leading to the stables and Ed smiled at the familiar sight. It had been a few years since he last visited the horse stables; the last time he had been there was when his mother used to work there.

"Hello, Roy," the owner of the stables said walking towards them, carrying a bucket of oats. "Come to brush up on your sword skills?"

"No, ma'am. I would fight out in the field if I wanted to do that. I came here today to train Edward, a new recruit."

The stable owner look surprised as she turned to Ed. "Edward Elric, is that you? Why, I haven't seen you since you were about ten years old! My, how you've grown!"

"I take it you two know each other?" Roy asked.

"Indeed we do. Edward's mother used to work for me, and whenever her neighbor couldn't watch the kids during the day she would bring them here to run around and play so she could keep an eye on them. I haven't seen much of them since their father died, though. But now just look at this boy! Training to be a paladin! I hope you'll do well in your Life, Edward."

"Uh, thanks," Ed said, blushing. He silently hoped she wouldn't say anything too embarrassing about his childhood in front of Roy. He could only imagine the stories she might decide to share.

"I heard about your mother's death," the owner went on, looking sympathetic. "I'm so sorry, dear. It must have been hard on you boys to lose her only four years after your father's passing.

"It was, but we're doing okay."

"Glad to hear it. If you and Alphonse ever need anything, you can always come to me, you know."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

Roy cleared his throat. "Not to be rude, but we really should get to work now. Ed has a lot to learn before he can start taking on missions."

"Of course, I won't keep you any longer." The stable owner gestured with her free hand at what looked like wobbling punching bag attached to a pole in the ground. Instead of being made out a cloth, though, it was made out of wood. "Nobody else is here right now so you're free to use the training dummy all you want."

She went off to feed the horses, leaving Roy to begin his lesson on fighting with a longsword.

"Alright, now you can take out your sword. To start, just practice your attacking technique on the training dummy. We'll move on where we need to from there."

Ed took out his sword as his mentor stepped aside to watch. He felt a little self-conscious about being watched, but it wouldn't look good to stand there doing nothing, so he held out the longsword and swung, adding another scratch to the already worn wood. It was pretty fun, so he swung again. And then again.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed noticed Roy nodding in approval, and he forgot about being self-conscious. If that jerk who had called him short right after meeting him was giving him approval on the first day of training, Ed figured he had to be doing a good job. Maybe working under Roy wouldn't be so bad, after all.

Left, right. Left, right.

Ed lost himself in the rhythm he had created for swinging his sword. It was amazing how one could lose track of time while swinging a weapon around. After a while, Roy spoke up, snapping him out of his focus.

"Very good, Ed. That will do for now." He folded his arms across his chest. "In time you'll learn to swing faster so you can take down monsters quicker, but you can attack pretty well, so I'll think about taking you out of town soon so you can get used to fighting targets that fight back. But for now I have another lesson for you: You'll find that, unlike the claymores a mercenary will use, a paladin's longsword is light and can be used with one hand."

"Is that why paladins use shields and mercenaries don't?" Ed asked, putting his sword away.

"Exactly. I hoped you would come to that conclusion." He gestured for Ed to join him in the shade of the stables. "I'll teach you how to use your shield later today, but first you should take a break. I want to know more about my new trainee."

Ed sighed as he flopped down onto the ground. "What is it you want to know?"

"I'm mostly interested in your currant living situation. You and your brother do have someone looking after you two since both of your parents are dead, right?"

"Yeah, our neighbor checks in on us once in while, but mostly we take care of ourselves."

"Speaking of neighbors…why is it that your neighbor used to watch you and your brother while your mother worked? Wasn't your father ever around? Or did he–"

"Of course he was around!" Ed snapped angrily before quickly calming down. "Sorry. I hate when it people suggest he was never home to take care of us like he was a bad parent or something."

Roy's eyes had widen slightly, surprised by the teen's angry tone. "I didn't mean to suggest that. I was just going to ask if he worked a lot."

"Oh. Well, he did work a lot. He was able to take care of us most of the time, but he had to leave town for a week or two every month. When he was away our neighbors, the Rockbells, would look after us."

"What did he do?"

"He was a Master Alchemist. I guess he had a student out of town and that's why he left every month. He died in a plane accident on his way home from one of those trips when I was ten and my brother, Alphonse, was nine. After that we stopped coming here and kept to ourselves for a while."

"How about your mom? What happened to her?"

"Geez, you're nosy!" Ed complained before answering anyway. "She died last year. She had gotten sick, but no one knew what kind of sickness it was again they couldn't help her..."

Roy cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Edward," he said softly. "You didn't have to tell me anything if hurts that much to talk about."

"It's no big deal. I'm fine."

"I can see the pain in your eyes, Ed."

"You know, I've had enough of a break," Ed jumped to his feet and forced himself to sound cheerful. "Why don't you show me how to use this shield now?"

Roy frowned a little at how the boy had changed the subject, but nonetheless he picked up a long stick and began to help Ed practice his shield skills. As he moved his shield this way and that way to block the stick from hitting him, Ed didn't think about anything but what he was doing. This was just how he dealt with emotional pain; he kept himself and his mind busy so he didn't have to pay attention to it. Because if he ignored it, he could pretend it didn't exist.

"So...tired..."

It was late in the evening, and Ed was just getting home after another long day of training. He had been training with Roy for almost week and today had been his first time testing his skills in the East Grassy Plains just outside of town.

"How was your first day of fighting in the plains, Brother?" Al asked, looking amused as his older brother collapsed on the couch.

"It went pretty well, I guess. It was more tiring than training at the stables, though.. Ugh…I'm gonna sleep really well tonight."

"I can see that. Do you think you can stay awake long enough to eat to dinner?"

Ed smiled as he sat up. "Yeah, I guess I can manage that." He slowly pulled himself off of the couch and went to the kitchen to sit down and eat.

The brothers had just finished their dinner when there was a knock at the door. Ed went to answer it, and was surprised to find that it was his childhood friend and neighbor Winry.

Winry Rockbell lived with her grandmother while her parents, who were doctors, traveled around the world overseeing the construction of hospitals in places they were really needed. Her grandmother, Pinako Rockbell, was the one who had often looked after Ed and Al while their parents were working. She was also their legal guardian, but since the Rockbells and the Elrics both lived in different sides of a duplex she let them stay in their side so she could check in on them while letting them have their space.

"Hi, Winry," Ed greeted, blinking in surprise. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you and Al," she replied.

She tried to smile, but sounded unusually sad about something, making Ed worry that something was wrong. He quickly invited her into the living room and called for Al, who was cleaning up, to join them. The three minors sat down and the boys waited for their friend to speak.

Winry sat on the couch next to Al and stared at her feet before saying, "Granny and I are moving to Port Puerto in a few weeks. You guys might have to come with us."

"What?!" Ed sat up straight in his chair. This was completely out of the blue; Granny Pinako had never brought up the idea of leaving Castele before. Not even hypothetically.

"How come?" Al asked, looking just as shocked.

"My parents need to take a break from all of the traveling so they wrote to say that they're going to settle down there and work at a clinic for a while. Granny wants to move there so we can be together again."

"And you said we might have to leave, too?" Al raised an eyebrow curiously. "Do you mean there's a chance we can stay here on our own?"

"Granny is going to try to find a trustworthy person to rent our half of the house and keep an eye on you two," The blonde girl explained as she wiped her eyes which had begun to glisten with tears. "I'm sorry, Ed, Al. I know the thought of having to leave the place you grew up must be a shock, but since Granny is your guardian there isn't much she do if nobody wants to rent our half of the house."

Al gently put his arm around Winry's shoulder. "It's okay, Winry, this isn't your fault. We understand that you want to be with your parents again, and I'm sure Granny will do everything she can to make sure we can stay here."

"Right," Ed agreed, holding out a tissue box to the crying girl. "I don't like the idea of leaving, but all we can do is stay strong no matter what happens. So quit being a crybaby."

Winry accepted a tissue and wiped her eyes again. "Thanks for understanding." She gave a tiny, mirthless laugh. "I'm sorry for crying; I just feel bad knowing I can't do anything to guarantee that you two don't have to leave your home."

Al looked sadly at his friend, and then he suddenly smiled. "I know what will cheer you up. Ed, tell her the good news."

"Oh, yeah, I haven't you and Granny yet, have I?" He grinned. "I'm a paladin now, Winry. I've been in training for about week."

Winry gave a genuine smile. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? That's great, Ed! It's about time you started a Life. After all, Al has been an alchemist since he was ten, and I've been helping Granny mine ore since I was eight."

"In fact, most kids start their first Life when they'rethirteen at the latest," Al added. "No matter how you look at it, you're slower than most people when it comes to starting a Life, Brother."

"Hey, stop picking on me," Ed grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "I just took my time finding a Life that I like so I don't end up jumping from one to another, that's all."

Al smiled apologetically. "There's nothing wrong with trying more than one Life. Lot's of people do it, you know."

"I don't want to be like 'lot's of people', though. I just want to start one Life and stick with it."

After a little more teasing about Ed being slow, the three friends talked about other things for a while, making no more mentions of the possible move the boys would have to make. Their conversation was friendly and relaxed in the way it had always been since they were young. Finally, Winry stood up and announced that she should go. Ed stood up as well to see her out.

"I guess I'll see you later," Winry said when she had gotten outside.

"Yeah, see you later."

Ed watched her cross the yard to get to her door, and once she was inside, he leaned in the doorway and sighed. He was happy that Winry would get to be with her parents again, he really was. But it saddened him to know that no matter what happened he would either have to leave his hometown and the life he had established there, or say goodbye to Winry and rarely ever see her again. He didn't think he could favor one choice over the other.

He needed to take his mind off of this, and there was only one person who could help him with that.

"Al," he called into the house, "I'm going to take a quick walk."

"I thought you were tired," Al called back.

"I'm not as tired now. I'll be back soon."

Ed stepped out of the doorway and closed the door behind him before heading to his destination. He didn't have to go very far to find what he was looking for; the real-estate office, Homes by Pam. The attic above the office was meant to be used as a living space for the real-estate agent, who of course was named Pam, but she had turned the main floor of the building into a comfortable home for herself as well as an office so she could rent out the attic to tenants who just wanted a small home to live in.

And it was Gluttony, Pam's currant tenant, that Ed was going to visit.

As he got closer to the building, Ed noticed that Pam was out watering her flowers and talking to two men he had never seen before, both of whom were wearing white suits. As he went up the stairs leading to the attic, he overheard some of their conversation.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," Pam was saying. "But I'm afraid I don't know very much about alchemy; I just sell and rent homes to people. And I've never heard of this 'Philosopher Stone'."

"I see," one of the men said. "I guess we'll have to take our search elsewhere and find someone more familiar with alchemy. Let's go, Agent Kimblee."

"I'm right behind you," the second man, Kimblee, almost purred in reply.

I wonder what that was all about, Ed thought to himself. When he reached the top of the stairs, he was greeted by a white cat laying on the safety rail that ran around the little balcony and staircase. It meowed at him before standing up and stretching.

"Hi, Trout," the teen said, gently scratching the cat behind its left ear, causing it to purr happily. "Did you jump out the window again?"

Ed was always hearing stories about the fish-loving cat who liked to jump out of the kitchen window and onto a nearby tree branch, only to find herself unable to get back inside. At least she was smart enough to wait near the door to be let back in.

Gluttony, being either overly-trusting or just plain absentminded, rarely ever had the door locked when he was home, so Ed reached out to try the door like he usually did when he came for a visit.

Then he hesitated.

Truth be told–although he would never admit it to anyone–he had been avoiding Gluttony since the incident on Mount Snowpeak, and wasn't quite sure if he was ready to face him yet. He still hadn't decided on the best way to bring up the matter of what he had seen that night, or if he should evenbring it up at all. It would probably end up being an awkward conversation for both of them, but he felt like he had to know the whole story.

This is stupid, he thought as he opened the door. I might as well try to get to the bottom of this while I still can. If we have to move Port Puerto with Winry I'll probably never get a chance to find out what was really going on that night.

Trout meowed gratefully as she ran inside, and Ed followed her, announcing his arrival by calling out, "Guess who left the door unlocked again~"

It's not like I've ever seen him hurt another person before, so that's a plus. It's probably just animals he...does that to.

But despite those somewhat comforting thoughts, the boy's heart still pounded anxiously.

Why am I so afraid of my best friend?

Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter; I was having trouble finding ways to reach my three thousand word goal. :p
But as you can see I finally did it! And to write the parts with Ed becoming a paladin, I became one in my game and took note what was being said. XD

To the people lurking this story (don't think I don't notice you ;)), I would love it if you could drop a quick review and let me know what you think of this AU so far!

~Dawn