Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU.
Lady of His Heart
Riza was not quite comfortable in Xing's most formal regalia. Then again, she hadn't ever worn a full formal kimono before. Of course, she hadn't ever met with minor royalty before either. She and Roy were off to see one of the highest ranked of Roy's supporters among the Xing nobility today. Ling Yao was one of the Emperor's sons. He was also related to Roy in some manner or another, though Riza wasn't quite sure how. At any rate, it was a fairly important meeting as evidence by both Roy's and her own clothing. In fact, Roy's mother had selected both outfits herself.
And while Riza might be comfortable in the kimono of cream silk patterned with fiery phoenixes, she could fight in it, and that was what was most important. She also did prove a striking contrast to Roy would was dressed in dark blue. Riza kept pace a step behind him as the entered the ornate home. She was on high alert. Just because they were visiting an ally didn't mean they were necessarily safe. Especially given Xing politics. Riza was quite aware they if they got caught in an attack here, there was a good chance that they were simply collateral damage and not even the actually targets.
The two of them were escorted into a less formal receiving room than Riza had expected. There was the usual intricate dance of formalities and greetings before they actually got down to business. Riza couldn't help but noticing that Ling's bodyguard, while faceless to the traditional mask, was rather petite in stature and slightly curvy in shape. Interesting. So the prince's primary bodyguard was female. That explained at least one of the reasons Roy had been particularly insistent that she come today. It would be a common point between the two men.
As she really played very little role in the discussion at hand, Riza kept her attention focused on any possible threats. She polite sipped at her tea and kept an eye on their surroundings. The prince's bodyguard did the same, except she hadn't been given a cup of tea. Riza kept her face neutral, but she inclined her head just slightly at the other woman. The bodyguard returned her salute.
That was all they had time for before the door burst open. Riza had her guns out and was shooting seconds later. The three attackers were down before more than a minute had passed. Once Riza had made sure that there were no more attackers, she surveyed the damage. Both Roy and the prince were fine. The bodyguard's mask had cracked, revealing the face of a woman who had to be younger than Riza. She offered Riza smile.
"Nicely done," her Amestris was hesitant and accented.
"I can't take all the credit. You got at least one of them."
The prince shook his head and grinned at Roy. "I see your point. She's just like Ranfan. No wonder you wanted backing on this."
Riza raised an eyebrow. It sounded like Roy was looking for something besides support for his plans. Roy smiled back at her then spoke to the prince again.
"One of these days Hawkeye is going to be my full partner in every sense of the word, and we can't afford to lose support just because some people can't get over antiquated prejudices."
The prince nodded.
"You're right. I'll see what I can do about it." Then he looked at her and smiled. "We definitely want to keep you on our side."
Theme: Love You for a Lifetime
