Chapter Eleven

"That damn Ling. What a waste of time." It seemed to be getting dark outside at this point and Ed wondered where the day had gone. Another day where nothing productive had happened. He was no closer to rescuing Alphonse. Thinking over the day he wondered how late he had slept that morning. He just couldn't figure out where all the hours in the day had gone. And what was worst about it was the fact that he still wasn't all that sure how to get back to his room. The palace halls all looked alike and with each new hallway he just seemed to get more turned around. He let out a growl as another hallway left him clueless. Why he hadn't bothered to ask Ling where the heck he was and how he was suppose to get back to his room, he couldn't understand. After getting out of the hot springs, Ling had convinced him to have dinner and even had his clothes cleaned. As nice as the silk robes were, he felt more comfortable in his own clothing.

Passing several female servants, he noticed how they were all staring at him and smiling shyly to themselves. Not sure what else to do, he smiled back and waved. They all giggled in response. He wondered if they would know where his room was. "Hey do you think you could help me?" Before he had the chance to say anything else, they all hurried off, keeping their heads down and not making eye contact with him. Crossing his arms, he let out a breath. "Well that wasn't very nice." Dropping his shoulders, he turned in the opposite direction, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Somehow he found himself in front of a huge set of doors, even bigger then the ones to the throne room. As he got closer, two large lion statues on either side lit up with alkehestry and pulled the doors open.

Ed stared in awe at the amazing sight. The city stood on the other side, lights sparkling as the sun set in the distance. He knew there was a reason Al liked coming here. It was a really pretty place to visit. As he stood in the doorway taking in the sight, he felt a twinge of sadness in his chest. Everything seemed to be a distraction. First with Ling and now the beauty of the city. All of it made things appear better then they were. Made it feel like this was a vacation and that he wasn't here for any other purpose. He wanted to believe what Ling said about whoever had taken Al didn't want to hurt him, but then why force him in such a harsh manner. Allow him to make the choice if he wanted to go voluntarily. From what Mae said, that had not been the case. It wasn't like Al was as disagreeable as Ed was. He sighed heavily, feeling completely helpless.

"So this is where you went." He turned to see Mae standing behind him.

"Actually I've been wondering all over this place, trying to get back to my room. Guess I should think twice before stalking off like that next time."

"I'm sorry I can't be more help." The Xingese princess bowed her head slightly and Ed noticed she seemed on the verge of tears. Despite how he felt, he didn't want to make her anymore upset.

"It's okay, Mae. It's not your fault." She nodded quietly, a sniffle escaping her. Ed forced a smile and shifted his weight on the wall in order to face her more. "So, the city is really pretty." Mae glanced up and her expression softened.

"Yeah it is this time of day. Now that I think about it, you haven't even gotten a chance to see any of the city. Of course, I don't know if it would be okay. I mean because you're from Amestris and you know." Edward sighed again and slouched as he turned and walked down a couple of steps.

"Yeah, yeah. I already had practically every female servant acting weird around me. How does Alphonse deal with all this attention?"

"Well he's usually with me and I guess he just isn't as outspoken as you are, maybe." By this point she was staring at the ceiling, afraid of the look on his face now.

"Gee, thanks." Deciding he didn't want to go any further outside, he turned back to her. "So tomorrow, we really need to figure out a plan. As much as I hate it, the best idea so far is following that little fur ball of yours."

"Her name is Shao Mai."

"Whatever, she's the only lead we've got. So go talk panda with her or whatever it is you do."

"She understands me!" Mae was getting huffy now.

"Sure, sure." As he started to head back inside, there was the feeling of someone standing behind him. Mae's expression turned to fear as she recognized what was about to happen all to well.

"You must be the older brother." Edward's head jerked to the side as he noticed two huge men in black standing on either side of a skinnier tall man. "One of Hohenheim's sons." He couldn't help but grin to himself, finding this situation ironic.

"You just saved me the trouble of finding you." The other Amerstian smiled back, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes, and you saved us the trouble of going across the desert. However if you think we're going to underestimate you, you're wrong. We know all about you." Finally the blond turned around, as arrogant as ever.

"Good, I wouldn't want this to be boring."

Author's notes-finally some action. Sorry this has been kind of boring but the next chapter will be awesome. This week is going to be hectic so I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. Send some love!