Big flashback scene to start off this chapter. Which also means big spoilers, which I've already mentioned, but nothing wrong with a friendly reminder. Also, there's a teensy bit of plothole monster usage in this fic, mostly in the area of how the two worlds (FMA and LotR) interact. It's minimal, though, and I tried to make it make as much sense as possible.
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"This here," the bald alchemist continued, gesturing to a flask with a dark mist floating inside. "Is what I was telling you about, Lord Elrond. This is the homunculus."
The dark mass developed an eye and a grin. "Oh? A visitor? How rare."
Elrond spoke for a moment with the being before he and the alchemist left and walked through the halls. "Quite the accomplishment," he said.
"A mere accident," the alchemist admitted wryly. "The base is the blood of one of my assistants."
"I would like to meet him."
"Of course. He should be finished with his studies for the day." They stopped at a door and the alchemist knocked on it. "Hohenheim! Come out here!"
A brief moment passed before the door opened, revealing a clean-shaven young man, his long golden hair pulled back in a ponytail. He was clad in the traditional Xerxian wear, a light length of cloth lying on his right shoulder and crossing over to his left hip. He wore a plain white tunic underneath, and a much thinner length of cloth crossed over his left shoulder, leaving his left arm bare. His pants were also of a light cloth, and he wore simple sandals on his feet. "What is it, master?"
"Someone wishes to speak with you. Why don't you give him a tour? I have more work to do."
"Yeah, sure," Hohenheim replied. His master took his leave and marched down the hall, leaving Elrond alone with the young man.
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"So you are the one who was used in the creation of the homunculus," Elrond said as they walked through the building.
Hohenheim laughed and scratched his head. "Yeah. That was a while ago, back before I became an assistant."
"What were you then?"
They passed by a window, and Hohenheim gestured down to the courtyard beneath them. "I used to be one of them," he said. "I still speak with them a lot; most of them are good friends."
"How did you come to understand alchemy if you were a slave?" Elrond asked.
"Actually, the homunculus taught me," Hohenheim admitted. "He said he was grateful for giving him life, so he gave me knowledge and a name."
"He is knowledgeable in many areas, it would seem," Elrond remarked.
"He is. I've heard that he's even sharing the way to immortality with the Emperor."
Elrond paused at this. A high price was paid whenever a mortal attempted to become immortal, and oftentimes it was unsuccessful. However, that homunculus gave Elrond an unsettling feeling. It most likely knew something, but if this way would come about through alchemy, then a price would be paid. Nothing good would come of this plan, he felt.
"Is something wrong?" Hohenheim asked.
"Nothing," Elrond replied. No, he would not share his suspicions with this young assistant. It was his word against the homunculus's, after all, and while the people of Xerxes had treated him with kindness, any attempt to argue with them would be seen as an attempt to overthrow the emperor. No, even he could not do anything. Besides, nothing he'd heard about the emperor had been negative. Perhaps whatever sacrifice was made would ultimately benefit the people of Xerxes.
"Are you good friends with the homunculus?" Elrond asked as they continued on their way.
"You could say that. It's thanks to him that I can live this well, after all."
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Years after this visit, Elrond had returned to Xerxes to find it in ruins. Bodies littered the streets, and while many had been respectfully disposed of, the rest showed that whatever had happened had affected the entire country. None of the bodies were marked in any way. He had left the place in horror. He had expected a sacrifice, but this was beyond his beliefs. And, when he had seen the dead body of the emperor in the capital city, he knew that the homunculus was responsible.
Now, he saw this boy in front of him, this innocent child whose eyes shone in the same manner that Hohenheim's had, and he came one step closer to the truth. What if Hohenheim had been the recipient of immortality instead? After all, immortality was a fair gift to give someone whose blood gave one life. However, he couldn't have known until the incident occurred. Had he known, he would never have gone through with it; Elrond was sure of that.
"Is your father an alchemist?" Elrond asked next.
Edward nodded. "He was always studying when he was home. We learned it from all the books he had."
"You can use alchemy?" No, the boy was much too young to know the ways of his father. He was barely old enough to read.
Edward nodded again. "A little bit." A sad smile crept across his features. "Mom was really happy when she found out."
"I should like to see it sometime."
Edward looked up, excitement shining in his eyes. "Really?"
Elrond smiled. The boy was as eager as his father had been about alchemy. "Yes. But first, we must get you fed."
"Okay."
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Once Edward had put on some new clothes and eaten, he was given instructions to stay in his room and rest. Aragorn stayed with him to ease the child's boredom, but not before he spoke with Elrond.
"It seems this child is more unusual than I had thought," the Elf said. "I doubt he knows the truth himself, and perhaps it would be best to keep it that way."
"What did you discover?" Aragorn asked.
"Unless I'm very much mistaken, this child is the son of Hohenheim, the same Hohenheim I met in Xerxes long ago."
"But how can this be?"
"I am not sure, but it has to do with the fall of Xerxes. It's possible he gained immortality instead of the Emperor." Elrond looked outside. The mid-morning sun passed behind a cloud, casting the valley in momentary shadow. "I'm afraid he was tricked. A shadowy being fooled him as well as the emperor, but this being favored Hohenheim, and so he must have given him immortality instead. However, his child retains the features of a mortal, albeit an unusual one."
Aragorn nodded in understanding. He understood what this meant. This Hohenheim would be forced to watch his loved ones age and perish. Perhaps this is why he had left? He thought about it for a while as he sat with Edward, but the boy's antics proved to be wonderfully distracting.
They spoke for hours about many things. Edward was very curious when it came to the Elves; Elrond had mentioned that only Men lived in Edward's world. He learned quickly, it seemed, and he took in everything Aragorn said.
It wasn't until Edward's stomach made a very loud complaint that Aragorn realized how long they had spoken. After they ate, Edward began to nod off as they spoke, and soon enough, he was sound asleep, his head having somehow maneuvered itself onto Aragorn's leg. Aragorn watched the sleeping child for a moment before gently freeing his limb and laying the boy down on the bed. He then returned to his own room and began sharpening his sword, occasionally flexing the muscles in his leg to try and regain feeling.
Edward's mother must have had enough patience to easily match an Elf's.
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Before I forget, much credit for this story goes to Beregond5 over on lotrfanfiction. She's been extremely helpful in making this story not be crap, and prevented many an instance of OOCness. Also, read her crossover FMA/LotR fic. It's sheer brilliance, and I'm her beta (these two facts are actually what led to the creation of my fic, actually…)
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Also: I got my hair cut this weekend. It's chin length, which I haven't done in years. I've never had it shorter than shoulder length or so, but I now appreciate how much I love short hair now. Except when I have to go outside and it's snowing. That hasn't been much fun this weekend. And is anyone else slightly scared by movie!Elrond? He always seems so angry...