Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist - it belongs to Hiromu Arakawa. All the OCs belong to me though :)
* Several months later *
Edward Elric swore softly under his breath. He was on the roof, replacing broken shingles and had just hit his left thumb with the hammer held in his right hand. It was so different, not being able to use alchemy. Before, he could have finished the job with a single clap of his hands. Now, he was struggling with the hammer and hitting his own hand five strikes out of ten. He sighed softly and stared ruefully at his right hand. He had gone through so much to get it back, but the choice he had made, that had seemed right at the time, bothered him more than he would like to admit. Ed stared out at the horizon and watched the golden sun, almost the same colour as his hair, sink beneath the rolling hills in the distance. It was so peaceful. Suddenly Ed frowned. A cart was outlined against the falling sun as it trundled down the road towards his house. Nobody came to visit this time of year, not to mention this late in the evening. Tucking the unused nails and his hammer into his pant pockets, Ed nimbly leapt from the roof onto the balcony underneath.
"Winry, we have company!" he called out to his fiancée who was working in her room.
The constant drone of metal against metal stopped and Winry Rockbell, Ed's fiancée, stuck her head out from her workshop.
"What did you say, Ed?"
"We have company!" Ed bellowed, rushing down the stairs to the first floor.
"You don't have to shout!" Winry protested. "I'm not deaf!"
Ed reached the door right as the cart stopped in front of the gate. He watched as a tall, elderly man opened the gate and limped toward to the porch. The man wore the typical military uniform with which Edward had become so familiar. He also bore the stripes of an officer. He came to a stop at the foot of the porch and struck a smart salute.
"Captain Charles Broadstone to speak to Mr. Edward Elric" he announced in a warm baritone that seemed far too big for his frail body.
"How can I help you, Captain?" Ed asked cautiously, leaning against the frame of the doorway.
"You have received an invitation from Brigadier-General Mustang to accompany him during his stay in Central." Captain Broadstone's aged face showed no expression as he pulled out an envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to Ed.
Ed examined the envelope with interest. It was a simple, plain letter-sized envelope, but the seal on the back removed any doubt that Ed had about the authenticity of the letter. He flipped over the envelope and read the address on the front. It said:
To: Chibi Ex-Alchemist
Resembool
Ed had to take several deep breaths before opening the letter and when he did, the content did not help sooth his temper.
Edward Elric,
How is life as a former alchemist? Broken any fingers yet? Instead of spending your life researching and fixing broken roofs, I have a proposition for you. If you are interested, return to Central with Captain Broadstone. If not, well, the roof waits.
Brigadier-General Roy Mustang
"Ed, what's wrong?" Winry asked anxiously, seeing Ed's prone form standing in front of the door. "Who is this man?"
Captain Broadstone watched impassively as Ed turned around to face Winry with a snarl.
"I'm going to Central!" Edward snapped, storming up the stairs to the room he shared with Winry.
"What? Right now? But, the roof…"
Ed stopped in his tracks and glared down at Winry, his golden eyes narrowed into slits. "I'm not going to let him have his way. I'm going to Central to refuse his offer!"
"His? Ed, what are you talking about?"
The slamming of the bedroom door was her only answer. Winry looked at Captain Broadstone apologetically. "I'm sorry about that. He has always had a short temper."
Captain Broadstone graced the young lady with a warm smile that suited his weathered face. "I should be apologizing to you, miss, for being the bearer of bad news."
Winry smiled back. "Would you like to come in for some tea?" she asked, taking a liking to the solemn soldier. "I have a fresh pot. It's my grandmother's favourite."
"Thank you for the offer, but…"
"Winry, I'm leaving!" Ed yelled, interrupting the captain. "Come on, Captain. I want to get back home as soon as possible."
"How long will you be?" Winry shouted after her husband as he sprinted out the front door to the cart.
"A few days, max! I should be back in a week!"
"Well, then, Ms. Rockbell, it was a pleasure meeting you." Captain Broadstone saluted Winry sharply and then limped over to meet Ed.
Winry watched from the doorway as her fiancée and the cart slowly vanished from her sight. Despite Ed's promise to be back soon, she was worried. Ed had a habit of attracting trouble and Winry was afraid that this time he may not come back.
Edward gazed at the old man sitting across from him with curiosity. Mustang had sent Captain Broadstone on a personal errand to the remote countryside, which meant that the captain obviously had Mustang's trust. But Ed had never seen evidence or heard of a Captain Broadstone during his time in the military.
Captain Broadstone smiled thinly, noticing Edward's inspection. "Is everything alright, Mr. Elric?"
Ed crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively. "I don't remember you on Mustang's team. Are you new?"
"Indeed, I am. I was assigned to Brigadier-General Mustang's team shortly after he was promoted."
"Oh? Is that so?" Ed made it clear through his tone that he was not convinced.
Captain Broadstone sighed with slight exasperation and ran his hand through his thick, silver hair. "Is there any way for me to convince you that I am not an imposter before we reach Central?"
Ed eyed the captain warily. "What is the name of Mustang's aid?"
"1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye" the captain answered confidently.
Ed snorted. "The next person off the street would know the answer to that. Who was Mustang's best friend?"
"Brigadier-General Maes Hughes, who sadly died three years previously after uncovering the homunculus' plot to turn the country into a Philosopher's Stone."
Ed eyed the older man suspiciously, unsure of whether he was being taken lightly.
"Would you like me to answer any further questions, Mr. Elric?"
Edward huffed out a sullen sigh. "No, it's fine. You've obviously heard the whole thing from Mustang."
"Indeed so, Mr. Elric. I was most impressed by your role in the whole dismal affair. Of course, I have only heard the tale through second hand accounts, as I was posted in a remote outpost in the Great Dessert during that time."
"You weren't in the country?" Ed asked with interest. "You escaped?"
Captain Broadstone gave a dry chuckle. "Quite the contrary, Mr. Elric. I was, in all but name, banished to that outpost. When ordered to Ishbal during the beginning of the struggle, I refused to shoot as ordered. As punishment for my insubordination, I was sent to a deserted lookout at the Xingese border, far from any civilization. I do believe that they had hoped I would die, but I persisted! After the Promised Day, with the upturning of the military, Brigadier-General Mustang sought to bring back all the exiled soldiers. I am one of two who returned. The rest, I'm sure, have either found their eternal rest or have lost their original identities and settled down somewhere nice."
Ed listened to the old soldier's tale with interest. He had not heard of these exiled soldiers before. It was part of the country's history that the previous Fuhrer had worked hard to cover up.
"Captain, you said you were one of two exiled soldiers who returned. Who was the other? Anybody I would know?" he asked eagerly.
"Perhaps you have heard of her, Mr. Elric." Captain Broadstone dug into his coat pocket and pulled out an old Polaroid. "Do you recognize this woman, Mr. Elric?"
Ed took the photo and glanced at it. The woman in the foreground was dressed in the standard military uniform, with thick white gloves covering her hands. She was not looking at the camera, focusing instead on the person behind. She had dark hair, cut short into a bob, showing off her small stud earrings. Her piercing eyes stared out from a round, strong face. Ed noticed, with some satisfaction, that she was not overly tall. In fact, she seemed to be only half a head taller than 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye, who was standing in the background.
"I don't know who this is" he answered regretfully, handing the photo back to the captain.
"This is a photo of Lieutenant-General Tara Raveneye before she went missing eleven years ago" Captain Broadstone explained, tucking the picture back in his pocket. "She is the other soldier who returned from exile."
"Tara Raveneye?" Edward cried out in shock. "The Wind Alchemist? She's alive?"
Captain Broadstone nodded the affirmative.
"But she was reported dead! They had found her body!" Ed protested. "She was killed in action during the Ishval skirmish."
"She was hit by the blast" Broadstone acknowledged, "But she survived it. Granted, she lost both legs in Ishbal, but she managed to sneak out without being caught. According to her, the blast was caused by a landmine that was supposedly deactivated. Suspecting friendly fire or an attempt on her live, she fled the country. No one knows where she hid for all these years. But, I'll tell you something Mr. Elric, that woman came back shortly after I did, and it was like she had never left at all. She is an excellent commanding officer, a tactical genius and one of the finest snipers to ever join the army."
Edward could hardly contain his excitement. When searching for clues towards finding the Philosopher's Stone, he had come across a series of alchemical books describing the relationship between the soul and the body written by the alchemist Tara Raveneye. Hoping to speak to the author in person about her work, Ed and Al had traced the book back to the publisher, only to find out that the noted alchemist had been declared dead for over seven years. Despite having returned Alphonse to his body and regaining his arm, Ed still wished to discuss the controversial research with the author herself.
"Do you think that Mustang could arrange a meeting with the Lieutenant-General?" he asked Broadstone somewhat desperately. "This could be a once in a lifetime chance!"
Captain Broadstone gave a small chuckle, amused by Edward's obvious enthusiasm. "I'm sure that the Brigadier-General would be able to arrange something. After all, you are travelling to Central for his sake, Mr. Elric."
Ed gave the captain a sheepish grin. "Just call me Ed, Captain. I'm only called Mr. Elric by Winry when she's mad at me."
A general timeline:
1901 - Tara goes to Ishval with first wave
1903 - Tara meets Priya
1904 - Tara goes missing (before Alchemists sent)
1905 - Roy graduates from Military school
1908 - Roy, Riza and Maes go to Ishval
1911 - Ed starts looking into Tara's work
1915 - Start of story. Shortly after Promised Day
Hope you enjoyed it! Please review :)