Ahahahahahahaha update.

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It was much later when Aragorn went to check on Edward before going to sleep. He entered the room quietly and approached the bed in the same manner, not wishing to interrupt the boy's sleep. Edward was lying on his stomach, his left hand resting on the bed in front of his face. He would have looked very peaceful, had his eyes been closed and devoid of tears.

Aragorn sat on the bed next to him and gently pushed the golden hair away from Edward's face while muttering, "Man raeg, erneth?"

Edward sniffled once more before wiping away his tears and looking up into Aragorn's eyes. "What's that mean?"

"Why were you crying?"

Edward rested his head on the pillow again. "I'm scared."

"What are you so afraid of?"

"What if Al thinks I'm dead? He could be all alone right now and I can't do anything for him."

"He would only feel this way until you return, and considering how quickly you're recovering, it will be very soon," Aragorn answered reassuringly.

"Well, yeah, but… what if you hadn't been there? Then Al would really be alone…"

"Don't you have someone taking care of you?"

"Yeah, and they're really nice. They're like a family, but… it's just not the same. Al's the only family I have left, and I'm all he's got." Tears collected in Edward's eyes again. "I don't want him to feel sad."

The boy's worries were not unfounded, Aragorn knew. He had every reason to be concerned about his brother, but even so, it was too much for a child, especially at such a tender age. With a father such as his, it seemed hardship of some sort would be inevitable, but Edward deserved to at least be able to sleep at night.

However, it seemed there was little Aragorn could do to convince Edward that his brother would be all right. Though he was still a child, he seemed almost capable of adult reasoning. Any words Aragorn could say would be wasted on this child. He would have to find something else to comfort him.

It didn't take long for him to think of something that would work, and as he ran his hand through Edward's hair, he began to sing.

Tinúviel elvanui

Elleth alfirin edhelhael

O hon ring finnil fuinui

A renc gelebrin thiliol...

The tears ceased to fall, and the golden eyes closed, and soon Edward was sleeping peacefully once again. Aragorn watched him for a moment before quietly leaving the room.

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Ed woke up early the next morning, and he was happy when he didn't feel dizzy and ucky. He heard singing coming from somewhere, but he didn't know what they were saying. Oh well, he didn't understand the people, no, elves, here half the time anyway. As long as he could talk to Strider, though, he figured he'd be okay.

He sat on the bed for a while, looking at the clothes he was wearing now. He was pretty sure they knew he was a boy, so why were they making him wear something that had to be a dress? Except that one guy- Elf, he corrected himself again, Lord Elrond, was wearing funny clothes too, so maybe it was something like that? But then why did Strider wear more normalish clothes? Well, he was a human, so maybe they just didn't have anything else for Ed to wear. Yeah, that made sense.

But he really, really wanted his old clothes back. Even if they had blood in them, he wanted them back. He was so not gonna go back home wearing a dress. Al and Winry would laugh at him.

He poked at the bandages on his shoulder, trying to see if it still hurt, and it definitely did. He decided to stop after a minute, which was a good thing, because that's when Strider walked into the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and Ed immediately dropped his hands.

"Nothing." He'd had enough lectures from Uncle and Aunty Rockbell about touching something that was hurt. Why was it always such a big deal?

The room was quiet for a minute. Ed held his breath, wondering if he'd been found out. Finally, Strider knelt in front of him like he'd done when he'd checked Ed's shoulder before. Ed let out a silent sigh of relief. So he hadn't been found out.

He sat as still as he could while Strider pulled off the bandages. It hurt a little, but Ed did his best to ignore it. He didn't want everyone thinking he was a little kid.

A couple minutes later, Strider finished up and Ed unwillingly pulled the funny clothes back on. Then they ate some food and walked around outside, since Ed was feeling good enough to walk now. He was happy to be outside again.

They walked up to a balcony, but Ed's foot got caught in the clothes he was wearing, and he fell to the ground with a startled yelp, but he landed on his left side so his shoulder didn't hurt.

His face burned as he stood up, and he tried to pretend that it didn't happen, but Ed knew Strider had seen. He cursed under his breath as he dusted himself off and walked up to the railing.

"Are you all right?" Strider asked.

"I'm fine," Ed replied without a second thought. He wasn't gonna think about it. He climbed up onto a bench beneath the railing and looked out at the view. It was really pretty, and he could see more Elves walking around. There sure were a lot of them, and he looked up at Strider curiously. "Did you really grow up here?"

"Yes," Strider answered.

"Did you have to wear this too?" Ed asked next, glaring down at the clothes he was wearing.

"Does it bother you?"

"I like my clothes better. Winry would laugh at me if she saw this."

"Who's Winry?"

Ed knelt down on the bench and rested his arms on the rail. "She's my friend. Her parents take care of me and Al now." Ed thought about it for a minute before continuing. "But they might have to go away soon."

"Why is that?"

"Cuz there's a big civil war going on and they need doctors and stuff," Ed replied. "Winry's scared because they might get hurt, but I don't think they will. It's not like they're soldiers or anything."

Ed looked up at Strider again, but he was looking out at the valley now. He looked a little sad. Ed turned his eyes back to the valley too. "Do you know someone who was hurt in a war?"

"In a way, I have. My father was ambushed by Orcs. My mother brought me here so I would stay safe. And though she was always there for me... I could see in her eyes great sadness."

Ed looked down at his arms. "My mom was sad, too."

"Because your father left?"

"Yeah. We just woke up one morning, and he just walked out the door. Mom never said why." Ed rested his head on his arms and looked down. "She'd always cry when we weren't there, and he didn't even come home for her funeral."

It was quiet for a minute before Ed felt a hand ruffling his hair. For once, though, it didn't feel like pity. Not that he got a lot of pity anyway, at least not from the people he saw a lot. The strangers he'd met on occasion always acted like he needed pity, though, and it bugged him. A lot. But Strider was different. Probably because he knew what it was like.

But at the same time, it was different. Ed wouldn't be an orphan forever. He'd get his mom back, and then things would be happy again. He was sure of it.

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"He's healing quickly," Aragorn commented to Elrond as they stood outside Edward's room. "Faster than I thought he would."

"He is strong-willed, it seems," Elrond replied. "And he is devoted to his younger brother, but there may be more to it than that. He may have inherited it from his father. At any rate, he should be ready to travel by the day after tomorrow."

"He should be happy to hear it. He's become rather restless."

"Any child would be at that age, and he does take after his father. He may yet gain some patience as he grows."

So it seemed both father and son were lacking in patience. Trisha Elric must have had her work cut out for her.

Edward spent the rest of the day with Aragorn, listening in awe to the Ranger's various stories and sharing a few of his own. Some of them were simple, but when he spoke of alchemy, he showed an understanding that was unheard of at his age.

That evening, Edward used alchemy for the first time in Rivendell. He began by sketching out a circle on the ground with a piece of chalk he'd been keeping in what he called his 'normal' clothes. The precision with which he drew the various shapes was the first surprise of many that day; Edward had a talent for keeping his lines straight and his circles smooth. It seemed to Aragorn as well that the boy didn't even have to think about what he was doing; it was simply a part of him, something he was born with.

"There, it's done," Edward said after a while, a satisfied smile on his face. He knelt down next to the circle and placed his hands on it. Light sprouted from the circle, arcing up like lightning, but this didn't startle the child at all. In the center of the circle, the ground began to move and shape itself. A moment later, the light died down, and in the center of the circle stood a sculpture of a dog.

The end result was small, to be sure, but so was the one who had created it. Edward looked up at the two watching him, his expression showing that he was waiting for a reaction.

"Impressive," Elrond said after a moment. Aragorn nodded in agreement. The boy was certainly gifted. Edward smiled broadly at the praise, his golden eyes shining. It was a strange contrast; the gifted alchemist within the curious child.

"Who taught you?" Elrond asked next.

Ed shrugged. "Nobody. Me and Al just learned it from books."

Aragorn exchanged glances with Elrond. To be able to read at that age was not a surprise; it was the fact that Edward could understand everything he read and was able to use it in such a manner that made the boy so unusual. And if his brother, who was a year younger, had the same abilities, it seemed the sons of Hohenheim would likely surpass their father.

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And now for a section titled: What I almost ended up writing out of sheer frustration. Half of these came from Beregond5 (on lotrfanfiction), just so you know.

"The fish aren't coming for you. Sleep, little one." (this one I would have translated but I didn't feel like it)

Aragorn sat on the bed next to him and gently pushed the golden hair away from Edward's face while muttering, "Man raeg, erneth?"

Edward sniffled once more before wiping at his eyes and looking up into Aragorn's eyes. "Translation plz?"

"What's stuck in your ass, little one?"

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"Nothing." He'd had enough lectures from Uncle and Aunty Rockbell about touching something that was hurt. Why was it always such a big deal?

"You lie," Aragorn hissed, and Ed screamed and ran far, far away. Why was everyone being so OOC all of a sudden? And who was Aragorn?

Beregond5: Although I would wonder: "Why's Aragorn so Legolas all of a sudden?"

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"Do you know someone who was hurt in a war?"

"The princess is Dinner."

Ed: wtf?

Aragorn: WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE! bitchslaps

Or

"Do you know someone who was hurt in a war?"

"Yes, and you are soon to be one of them."

Ed: o.O runs

Aragorn: Get back here! -chases-

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My father was abused by Orcs. My mother brought me here so I would stay safe. And though she was always there for me... I could see in her eyes great sadness." (pause to pet Ed's head) "War affects us in many ways, Ed."

Ed: Wow, sounds like he got stuck in a bad foster home…

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"He is strong-willed, it seems," Elrond replied. "And he is devoted to his younger brother, but there may be more to it than that. He may have inherited it from his father."

"Indeed."

"Why, yes."

"Indubitably."

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"Any child would be at that age, and he does take after his father. He may yet gain some patience… no, no he won't. Never mind."

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It seemed to Aragorn as well that the boy didn't even have to think about what he was doing; it was simply a part of him, like sudden mood swings were a part of Junodog.

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Edward smiled broadly at the praise, his eyes reflecting the light from the setting sun and exuding such a beautiful warmth that any fangirls in the area were immediately drawn to his adorable presence.

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Edward smiled broadly at the praise, his golden eyes shining. He was just so damn cute that Aragorn wanted to glomp him.

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"Who taught you?" Elrond asked next.

Ed shrugged. "Nobody. Me and Al just learned it from books."

Aragorn: YOU CAN READ?

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Yes. Ed can read. Well then, time to do... something. I'm not sure what, but probably something involving homework.