I apologize in advance for any typos, missed words, or other writing faux pas I might have overlooked. This chapter was a real bitch for me to finally get hammered down. I hope it doesn't suck. Thanks for reading! I appreciate all of the wonderful reviews and feedback. You all have no idea how much that helps get me through the tough times when the words won't come easily. Thank you!
Reyna was standing in the corner of the patio watching the people rush around in a mad dash to make the preparations for her party. The dining table had been left on the veranda but the chairs had been removed since it was going to serve as a buffet table tonight. More potted trees and lights had been brought in along with a fountain that was being set up in the backyard. Hundreds of strings of tiny lights were being strung on the hedges that comprised the maze. A full team of chefs was in the kitchen preparing a feast fit for a king - or rather a queen. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide that smile of amusement from her own silly thoughts. Then another, more stimulating thought, materialized in her head. The sight of Roy Mustang's gorgeous face, his exotic narrow eyes that had the power to penetrate her to her very soul filled her mind's eye. His silky white skin had been underlain by powerful muscles that were refined like those of a greek god carved in marble rather than defined in a crude, somewhat primitive manner like a caveman. His hands had been large and warm, exploring her sensitive skin with a gentle and oh so enticing touch. She closed her eyes, unintentionally groaning with the remembrance of what those hands, among other body parts, had done to her last night. Goose bumps raised across her body as a distinct tingle erupted at the base of her spine and spread around her sides and hips, dipping lower to fill the deepest part of her body with a fire only Roy Mustang could put out.
Maes had easily walked in amongst the herds of people going in and out of the front door bringing in decorations and food. The Führer was being shockingly lax with security measures. He meandered through the foyer, glancing around for Reyna. Passing through the dining room, he caught a glimpse of her on the patio through the crowd of busy workers. She was leaning against the banister with her eyes closed, a contented smile on her lips, and such a rapturous expression on her face she practically glowed. She looked like a woman who had experienced a special once in a lifetime event. A lascivious grin broke across Maes' face. He mumbled to himself, "Oh, Roy's been a very bad boy." Or rather a very good boy according to the look of ecstasy she wore like a banner. Folding his hands behind his back like a mischievous child who knew he was about to get into trouble, he crossed the patio to stand in front of her. He was standing so close to her he was breathing on her, but he was unceremoniously ignored. When she did not respond to his proximity, he decided to make his presence known.
"What could you possibly be thinking about?" Maes asked, startling his friend so violently she screamed and fell backwards over the banister she had been leaning against. His hands shot out, grabbing her right wrist and her left forearm to keep her from falling into the bushes below. Gritting his teeth, he hauled her back over the wide cement guard rail whose purpose he had totally defeated. She was deceptively heavy; must be all of that muscle she carried on her lithe frame.
"What the hell are you doing?! " she yelled. When dozens of shock widened eyes turned on her, she immediately silenced herself and cleared her throat before she unleashed a string of dirty words that would make her father blush. The curiosity that had been stirred up by her outburst instantly fled when no other words came out of her mouth. When the people were once again busy with their work, she hissed at Maes, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I just wanted to stop by to see how things were going. How was the dinner last night? The dinner might not have been great but something happened later that was absolutely earth shattering," he deducted, watching her face deepen from a light pink to a crimson red as he continued to talk. He wiggled his eyebrows over the rectangular frames of his glasses when she did not say anything.
"A lady never kisses and tells," she mumbled, turning her head so she would not have to meet his intensely curious gaze. Those green eyes of his had a way of extracting the truth from her whether she liked it or not.
"Oh, I'm sure you did a whole lot more than kiss," he teased her, receiving a painful punch in the arm. "Ouch! That hurt!"
"Well, yeah," she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. She gave him a deadly glare before pushing past him to avoid his inquisitive scrutiny. "It was supposed to hurt."
"You succeeded in spades then," he muttered, rubbing his sore bicep. That would turn into a horrible bruise for sure.
"Why are you here again?"
"Being nosy as always."
"No surprise there."
"Seriously though," he said, his demeanor turning somewhat glum. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
Reyna turned to look at him when he did not say anything else. He rarely had a somber moment and when he did it was never a good thing. She walked down the steps into the backyard filled with burly men constructing the dance floor around the fountain. Her attention never turned from her destination as she headed in the direction of the maze. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Maes was following her as she wanted him to. 'Hmmm, solemn and quiet. This can't be good at all,' she thought to herself, hugging her arms around her body. Apprehension took hold of her, making her feel chilled despite the warmth of the sun soaking into her skin. They walked along without a word which made it feel as if the stifling air was closing in around them. Not a single word was spoken until they reached the further reaches of the maze far from where the workers were hanging lights. By this time, Reyna was so nervous she was trembling. When Maes abruptly turned to begin speaking to her, she immediately jumped back from him, raising her arms in a defensive stance.
"What's wrong with you?" Maes questioned her, one of his dark eyebrows raising toward his hairline. He was somewhat entertained but also worried by her overtly defensive reaction. She was usually so calm and restrained.
"Just nervous about tonight," she lied, lowering her hands. She wrapped her arms around her chest to hug herself in a comforting gesture.
"Me too." He took off his glasses and began cleaning them with a handkerchief from his pocket. After putting them back on, he looked at Reyna who was staring at him expectantly. "I want to ask Gracia to marry me tonight."
Reyna's mouth dropped open in surprise after the words were out of his mouth. No wonder he was so nervous. If she had been able to breathe, she would have exhaled a sigh of relieve. She watched him with tears gathering in her eyes as he self-consciously pulled at his collar. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she held in the squeal of joy so he would continue speaking.
"Would it offend you if I asked her during the ball tonight? It is your birthday celebration after all and I wouldn't -"
Reyna flung herself at him, enclosing his neck with her arms. Once she was satisfied she had rendered him breathless from her powerful hug, she hopped up to kiss him on the forehead. With him being at so much taller than her, it was no easy task to place a chaste kiss on her friend's forehead to convey her happiness. "Don't be so silly! I'd be thrilled if you asked her at the ball!" she exclaimed, hugging him again before she released him. "Besides, I'm like your big sister right? I'm actually honored you would be willing do to such a thing to allow me to share in your happiness."
"Reyna," he sighed, getting a bit misty eyed himself. He pulled her into his arms to hug her warmly and protectively. Ulterior motives where she was concerned was not usually something Maes harbored much less acted upon. However, the circumstances dictated such underhanded measures. Although Maes had known before he had even asked Gracia for the first date that he wanted to marry her, popping the question tonight was only part of his motivation. He had dug around through personnel files under the guise of doing research on how to develop a deployment plan to find out if soldiers were being sent out any time soon. He also shamelessly bribed the gossip mongers among Central's paper pushers with cigarettes and coffee until they loosened their lips about the rumors of the Führer's plan to promote Reyna to Captain before sending her out to the front-lines with a small group of soldiers. The time for deployment was listed as 0400 hours tomorrow morning. So early that she would not even had time to go sleep between the end of her party and the train's departure time before she would be bound for the godforsaken borderlands rife with tension between the Amestrian army and the Ishvalans. He had told Roy of the scheme this morning and the plan he had come up with the whisk Reyna to safety. Thankfully, Roy knew the value of acting on a well thought out plan rather than jumping into an emotional frenzy that would lead to rash actions which could harm or kill them all. It had been difficult for Roy to maintain a calm, calculating demeanor. He knew how Roy felt - to an extent. The emotional bond that had formed between Reyna and Roy was even stronger and more complicated than the ties he himself had with her. He tried to imagine what it would be like if Gracia were in the same position of being in imminent danger. The emotional ramifications of something horrendous happening to his beloved Gracia was too much for him to imagine even on a hypothetical level.
"Show me the ring," Reyna demanded, wiggling to squirm her way out of the overly tight hug. She bounced with anticipation as Maes began to dig in his pockets.
"Here it is," he announced, withdrawing a picture of Gracia from the inside breast pocket of his coat. "No, that's not it," he mumbled, tucking the picture carefully back inside. He purposely wasted time rummaging through all of his pockets knowing darn good and well the ring was safely hidden in the small pocket sewn inside the waistband of his pants.
"Oh, for god's sake, Maes," she muttered, pushing open his jacket to begin checking his pockets for herself when he never produced the ring, only picture after picture of the cute Gracia. Her impatience had gotten the best of her along with boredom because she already knew quite well what Gracia looked like. In her haste to help find the ring, common sense and propriety fled, which it had an unfortunate habit of doing in her moments of impetuous eagerness. She ignored his loud laughter as she frisked him down his sides, mercilessly tickling his ribcage. The laughter came to an abrupt halt when she shoved her hands in his front pants pockets.
"HEY!" Maes hollered, seizing her hands to pull them out of his pockets. Although he regarded her as a sister, he was still a man and she was a pretty woman with her hands way to close to somewhere they shouldn't be. "Whoa there, Missy! Stop that!" he playfully scolded her, slapping the back of her hands as if she were a naughty child. "Be still, close your eyes, and hold out your hands."
"But Maes - " she started to protest but was silently shushed when he held up an index to her lips. She snorted with agitation, causing him to chuckle. Doing as she had been told, she stood still, closed her eyes, and held out her hands like an obedient sister.
With an ear to ear smile, Maes retrieved the ring from the pocket. He carefully sat the ring the middle of one of her flat palms. What Reyna did not know was this was HER engagement ring. Roy had asked his sister Chris for it last night. After a short and very loud argument had ensued, Roy was given their grandmother's ring to propose to Reyna. Chris was already in her early forties and had no intention whatsoever of getting married. She was incredibly shocked by her brother's wishes to do so. Roy had proclaimed to her long ago that he would never marry, that he planned to be a single bachelor all of his life without suffering the emotional entanglements of a woman and the woes of marital bliss. Then the moron falls in love with the Führer's daughter of all people. Out of all of the single women in Amestris - and other countries for that matter - why, oh, why did it have to be Reyna Bradley?
Reyna opened her eyes to look at the ring. It was a basic, simple engagement ring with a gold band and a single diamond. To her, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She studied the ring before slipping it on her left ring finger.
"I can't believe it fits perfectly," Maes whispered to himself.
"What?" she asked, her attention only momentarily pulled from the ring.
"I didn't say anything," he fibbed, smiling at the blushing woman. Her eyes were shiny with tears and her bottom lip quivered with emotion before she pulled the ring off and handed it back to him. "It's gorgeous. Congratulations," she sniffed, reaching to give him another hug. "I can't think of two people who would be happier together."
'I can,' Maes thought to himself, patting her back to comfort her. He knew she detested being overwhelmed by emotions. Too bad she did not know she had been looking at her own future. She would find out soon enough.
~...~
Reyna stood beside her father greeting every guest as they arrived. Her cheeks were already sore and the insincerity of her smile was beginning to show as she attempted to hold it into place. Kicking off her shoes beneath her floor length skirt with at least twenty layers of taffeta, she breathed an audible sigh of relief as the coolness of the concrete patio soaked into her hot, tired feet. Her knees were also feeling a bit cramped from curtsying so much. After standing for forty-five to minutes to personally greet every guest, she would be expected to dance with every man at the masquerade ball. That would take hours! 'Happy Birthday to me!' she groaned inwardly, feeling her smile and her body weakening with the thought.
"So," her father murmured in between waves of incoming guests. "Where's your boyfriend?"
Reyna did not let her smile falter. That was a question she had been asking herself for quite a while now. She would like to know where Roy Mustang was hiding. "He's - " She was about to embark upon making a lame excuse when he appeared in all of his splendid glory right in front of her. "Right here," she finished her sentence, daring to curtsy one more time despite her throbbing joints. Her smile widened despite her hurting cheek muscles. Holding out her hand to him, she kept her eyes on his that were almost hidden behind the black feathered mask. A vision in black, dark and mysterious, so handsome he made her tremble. The golden-yellow vest brought attention to him like it would the stark yet beautiful bird he was dressed to mimic.
"Hmph," the Führer grunted with boundless agitation. He had just convince himself the man was not going to show up and was happily throwing that fact in his daughter's face. Somehow this irritating young man always had a way of proving him wrong and crushing his fondest hopes. A sideways smirk tilted his lips. If only he could have made this boy an ally...however, circumstances being as they are, Roy Mustang had made himself the enemy that day when he came to take away Reyna for a picnic. His unshielded eye focused on the duo with avarice and disdain as the man led his daughter away. 'Without a doubt, he has shown himself to be quite a formidable foe. I'll have to watch him closely,' the Führer thought to him self, rubbing his chin.
"Thank you," Reyna whispered to Roy as he turned her to face on the dance floor that had been constructed around the temporary fountain.
"For what? Stealing you so I could have you all to myself?" he asked, carefully leaning her back into a deep dip.
"Something like that," she giggled, allowing her lips to graze his as he brought her back up to a standing position.
"Tonight is a special night. I plan to do everything I can to make you the happiest woman in Central," he said, allowing his hand to drift over the watch pocket of the vest where the ring was safely nestled. "In Amestris," he added, taking her hand firmly in his. "In the world," he declared confidently, gently pushing her away into a spin.
"That's a very lofty promise, Mr. Mustang," she countered as he turned her like a ballerina. She closed her eyes, enjoying the dizzying feeling of being spun before he twirled her back into his arms.
"It's one I intend to keep. Always." His lips drifted over hers with such a delicate contact it made the sensitive skin prickle from the excitement of the implied kiss.
So far, her twenty-first birthday party was off to a fantastic start. At least Roy had been able to get the first dance. After that, she would not find herself back in arms for quite a while. For two hours she was passed around the dance floor from dignitary to high-ranking soldier to the next man eagerly awaiting his turn on the dance floor with the Führer's daughter. General Grumman was a shockingly good dancer, exuberant and energetic like a man half his age. He kept her entertained with lively conversation as well. She liked him. Somehow she already felt comfortable trusting the little old man who like to rest his head on her shoulder as they danced since he was shorter than her. She hated to see him go until she found herself back in Roy's arms.
"Miss me?" Roy asked, hooking his arm around her waist to press her body to his.
"Oh, yes, I missed you very much," she returned, sliding one arm securely around his neck as her other hand slid down his arm to take his hand. Pressing her cheek against his neck, she could feel the steady pulse of blood through the prominent artery on his neck. She closed her eyes when he folded their hands between their bodies; the back of his hand rested against her heart and the back of her hand rested against his heart. The beating of their hearts in unison was so loud it drowned out the music, and they were dancing to their own mystical and amorous tune.
"It beats for you...you know that right?" he whispered in her ear, his lips lingering to catch a taste of the tender skin beneath her earlobe.
"What a fantastically romantic thing to say," she whispered back, her lips placing a kiss against the artery through which his blood pounded more fiercely than it had before. "I will live and die for you, Roy."
"Hey, Reyna," he said, his voice somber. He stopped moving, reluctantly releasing her waist to raise his hand. He placed his fingertips against her jaw to make her look up at him.
Reyna stared into his eyes that glittered in the amber ambiance of the thousands of tiny lights. The dimness of the illumination prevented her from accurately reading his emotions but the fact they were intense was unmistakable.
"Promise me one thing." He waited to continue speaking until she had nodded mutely. "Always live for me. There is no other choice. Do you understand?"
Reyna nodded without a word. She could not find any words at the moment because her brain could not capture them any easier than her lips would be able to form them. Her attention was not even diverted by the sound of someone clanking a knife against a glass. Time for dinner and a toast - and Maes' big moment. She could not move a muscle or break free from Roy's mesmerizing gaze.
"There's something I need to ask you," Roy began, oblivious as her that the world around them had stopped moving and grown silent. At this moment, no one existed but them and they were completely unaware of the sea of people swirling around them. Squeezing a hand between them to reach into his vest pocket, he withdrew the ring to hold it up in front of her eyes.
Reyna inhaled sharply; so sharply it made a choking sound and she forgot to breathe afterward. But that was the engagement Maes had shown her. Why was Roy giving it to her? Ever so slowly, her bewilderment began to melt away as he slid the ring on the finger of the left hand that was firmly gripped in his between them. 'Oh, my god! It's mine! He's going to ask me to marry him! The ring is mine!' her inner voice screamed. The words bounced around on the inside of her skull but did not begin to sink in until he called her name.
"Reyna." His voice held a tremor of emotion that made him pause. He cleared his throat and pressed a kiss to her lips to give himself the shot of courage he needed. "Will you marry me?"
About that time, they heard the same words echo behind them in Maes voice. Maes had purposely drawn the attention to him and Gracia to allow the big moment to unfold for Roy and Reyna. Right in the middle of a crowd, they had managed to share a private, intimate moment - the moment of a lifetime.
"Yes...I'll marry you," she answered, her voice a mere raspy breath. If Roy had not been so close to her, the hushed sound would have been lost among the clamor that arose after Gracia had said yes. She remembered to breathe just before Roy claimed the lips of the woman who would become his wife. A buzz of congratulations surrounded them for the happy couple who had confessed their intentions publicly. Roy and Reyna would have to enjoy their momentous occasion in secret while the attention was focused on their friends.
"We need to get out of here," Roy announced, pulling her toward the labyrinth of bushes.
"Wait! Why?" she demanded, jerking her hand out of his.
"Do you love me?" Roy held her face between his hands, his gaze puncturing her all the way down to her soul.
"Y-yes, b-but - "
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes," she replied with conviction, holding his hand firmly as he led her away. "Where are you taking me?"
"Some place safe. Some place where we can be together," he told her, confidently leading her through the maze.
It was as if a million fireflies danced around them as the garlands of lights twinkled amongst the thick branches of the tall hedges. Once they were out of the bushes, a car awaited them on the other side of the fence. But first, they had to find the hidden gate that would allow them to get out of the Bradley compound.
"It's down here," Reyna announced, taking the lead once they broke through the wall of hedges. She led him down to the far corner of the fence, pushing back what basically amounted to a door covered with ivy that matched the vines that had grown over the ten foot concrete wall in the area. "Damn," she cursed upon seeing that the latch had rusted shut from disuse. She had not used this escape route in so long she had nearly forgotten it was here. Apparently her dear friend Maes had acquired the original blueprints for the whole property to find it. That man had a scary way of finding out things that no one else could. She was glad he was on her side and not her adversary.
Roy kicked at the latch, barely budging it. He kicked it again, cursing vehemently when he scuffed one of shiny black dress boots. The burst of anger induced upon seeing the nasty mark on his boot gave him the power he needed to kick the latch free to open their gateway to freedom. They had to run to get back up to where the car had been parked. Two packed suitcases were safely housed in the trunk of Maes car. Gracia had assisted with buying the clothes and necessities for Reyna that she would need.
"Now, tell me what exactly is going on," Reyna ordered Roy. She waited somewhat patiently as he revved the engine loudly before the tires made a satisfying screeching sound when the car lurched forward into motion.
"You were set to leave on a train for the Ishvalan border at four in the morning. Basically, your father planned to send you to the front lines so you would be killed. You would die with honor, a soldier doing her duty for her country, its leader, and her father," he said, his voice so acidic the words tasted bad in his mouth.
"It almost sounds like a good thing when you put it that way," she mumbled, turning her head. She stared out of the window, keeping her face away from Roy as the bitter, stinging tears flowed from her eyes. The fingers of her right hand nervously toyed with the ring on her left hand. Chiding herself not to cry, not to be weak, her wordless scolding could not stem the flow of tears. Her father was going to betray her just as he did her mother. An asshole will always be an asshole. That bastard. She had wanted so desperately to believe that for once in her life he would do the right thing, that he would continue to act on those uncharacteristic bouts of paternal protectiveness and save her from a fate that seemed beyond even his control. Feeling Roy's warm hand encompass both of her cold numb ones that were haplessly twiddling in her lap, she allowed the tidal wave of fury and the grief of betrayal that threatened to drown her to subside. She had not been surprised by her father's devious plot, but being right did not make it hurt any less. The touch of Roy's hands calmed her, stilling the emotional storm that had been raging inside of her. As long as she had Roy, he would be the only man she would need for the rest of her life.
Roy pulled her across the seat to sit next to him. He put his arm around her shoulders to hold her as best as he could while driving. He made sure to keep the gas pedal of the car pressed firmly against the floor. At this time, the guests were still elated and distracted by the proposal that had taken place before dinner was served. It would take only a short while to realize Reyna was actually gone as the crowd milled about and ate their fill at the party. They would not have much time to get out of Central before the Führer put the city on lock down to find Reyna. His grip on her tightened when he felt her shift beside him. Fine droplets of sweat beaded above his lip and across his forehead. His body was cold and hot at the same time as the reality of what they had done settled into his brain. How well had he and Maes really thought this plan through? It probably did not help their fear altered state of mind when Gracia, who should have been the voice of reason and the one who talked them out of contriving such a ridiculous scheme, jumped on their train of thought fully even adding helpful suggestions such as buying clothes for Reyna. Every muscle in his body grew taut as possible scenarios of the future, some good and others downright tragic, bombarded his brain.
"Roy." Reyna lay her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes that were burning from tears. She was too stunned to think about what came next nor did she really want to think about anything anymore.
"What is it?"
"What happens now?"
"I don't know."
Reyna had a million more questions to ask him, but obviously he did not have the answers either. Silence filled the car like a third entity who had come along for the ride as an uninvited guest. Neither one of them could figure out what to say at a time like this. What was a time like this? Insanity - nothing but pure insanity inspired by a desperate attempt to find a solution to an unsolvable problem.
Reyna extended her left arm in front of her so that she and Roy both could see the ring on her finger. "Well, you did ask me to marry you. Why don't we get married first? Then we can figure out everything else."
Roy kissed the top of her head. "Sounds like a good plan."
"Speaking of plans," she sighed, leaning back to look at him. She could see the muscle of his tense jaw fluttering erratically underneath the smooth, ivory toned skin on his cheek. "Why didn't you and Maes include me in this plan considering it does affect me quite a bit?"
That was a gross understatement on her part. This dangerous and possibly deadly scheme was all about her.
"We didn't have much time to come up with this plan actually. Mostly we did not tell you because if anything went wrong, if we were caught, we wanted you to be able to disavow any knowledge of the plan. We would have claimed we plotted your kidnapping for political purposes," Roy explained, relieved that she moved back close to him. He took in a slow, deep breath when she put her arm across his shoulders and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "In the end, whatever happens, I want you to be safe and beyond your father's retribution...no matter what."
Reyna thought it was pitifully kind and extremely ignorant of him to think she could ever be beyond her father's grasp. At least Roy had given her the courage to try to defy the magnanimous Führer King Bradley, to find her own path in life. Roy would be the only one who could free her, and free a whole nation, from a terror that none of them could fully understand yet.
