A/N: Short chapter this time... Not a big one, but it's got some good foreshadowing. For what, I will not tell you. :3
Quietly-Insane12: This whole story makes me feel sorry for Ender... I started this bit out to be a bonding oneshot, but then Ender happened and... Yeah. I'll try to do some more in the ones to come... Which, the further I go, the more I come up with... I have several prompts written down, and I've been trying to combine them when I can, so you guys don't have to wait too long for the main plot. XP 'Cause that's when things get interesting...
Evilkitten3: An interesting idea to be sure, but I'm afraid that Ender won't be having any near-death experiences... at least, not yet. *evil laugh*
Naruto4Evar: I'm glad you like it! :D I was a little worried about how people would react to the genre hop, but so far, people seem to like it, and I'm trying to keep the flavor of the homunculi while exploring a little bit more with some of the blank areas of their character development (you know, growing up, past happenings that we don't really know) and stuff. I'm glad it seems to be working. :)
Digi-fanCapp: Yeah, she's past 14, but if you'll recall, Aslan said after 14 years of them all living as humans. The base ages - the ages they were when they first came to live in the palace - was Lucia at 6, Gredian at 5, Ender 3, Sorin 1, and Glundil about 3 months. So then the respective ages when they remember will be 20, 19, 17, 15, and 14. :D
An Arm and a Leg: *evil cackle* :}
AiJay: I'm glad you like the fic so much! Hey, I like the idea of Ender being able to manipulate his voice... I might stash that away for later. And as far as lookalikes go, I actually didn't plan on this world having any. I know that was a concept in Conquerors of Shamballa (which I haven't seen, only heard of), but I'm not keeping it. This world doesn't have the whole 'alternate reality' thing going on, it's just another world, like Narnia. AND this bit was based on your 'family day' prompt. XP An entire winter in a smaller estate... Yeah. The antics that would happen... I plan on exploring a few.
Wi: Yeah... As a Christian myself, I've always loved the allegory behind Aslan, and this fanfic idea has become very special to me because of it... I'm not sure what the R. Drow series is, but yeah, the drows/dark elves were mildly inspired by the Ishvalans (though they don't really "represent" them), as well as the slaves during the American Civil War period.
Kasani: *whew* I'm so glad. XD I think Lucia's been the most intimidating for me to write out of all of them... Not sure why. But she is. So I was concerned about portraying her well, yet without her homunculus pride and cruelty...
I'm-Too-Insane: *in River Song voice* Spoilers! *zips lips* ;) But seriously, I'm super glad you're enjoying this fic!
Thank you all SO, SO MUCH for the reviews, as well as all the many, many faves and follows! You readers and reviewers help keep me motivated to update. I'm so happy that people seem to be enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it. I hope you continue to do so! Let me know what you think of this short little installment, and God bless y'all!
~Penelope
P.S. Considering I haven't done these as often as I should have... DISCLAIMER: FMA nor any of its canon characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa, not me. That is all. *poofs again*
Interlude 10 - Winter
*Lucia: 17 Gredian: 16 Ender: 14 Sorin: 12 Seaver: 11 Glundil: 11*
Now, Sorin knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But even he could tell that his family had issues.
And packing them all in the same winter estate didn't help anything.
For starters, the manor was much smaller than the palace – less nooks and crannies that the antisocials like him and Ender could creep off to and be left alone. It was like trying to fit too many cookies in one small quart jar – the tension was palpable. And then there was the Triangle, as he had unspoken-nicknamed it. His father, Gredian, and Ender. Da and Gredian always got along – Ender seemed like he wanted to, but he never acted like it.
People thought Sorin didn't notice much. But he was quiet, not an idiot. Ender looked lonely when he thought no one was looking, but then when the chance to be civil with his family came along, he blew it time and time again. He was cruel, harsh, with barbed words and rude actions. It was dumb, really.
So he expected it when Da began to tell them a story as they gathered in the warm study, hiding from the near-blizzard outside, and Ender stood to leave. Mother sat straighter in her seat, looking like she wanted to call him back, but she didn't. Deodra, who had Glundil and Seaver sitting on either side of her, had that same look of longing hesitation on her face, but she was a servant, so she closed her mouth too.
Before Gredian could, though, Da surprised them.
"Ender, sit back down, please."
The young teen's shoulders tensed, and he shot a glare at the man over his shoulder. Da's face remained civilly impassive with a hint of a gentle smile – not mocking or anything, more encouraging. He didn't react to the dagger look in the least. He simply raised a hand to beckon the second-oldest prince.
Ender's maroon gaze flickered over them all one by one, before he slowly, robotically turned around and marched back to his place at the far end of the sofa, the side closest to the door. He flopped down onto the cushion, and sunk down like he could disappear into it.
"Thank you." Then Da settled into his own chair by the hearth, and got what Sorin called his 'fableweaver face' on.
"Some legends say that a fallen star, millennia ago, brought the very first winter upon an unsuspecting new world. His name was Gelus, but he soon became known as Senex Hibernia – or 'Old Man Winter'." Da smiled now, as he always did when he invested into a tale. "He covered the world in frost, ice, and snow, killing flora, fauna, and all manner of creatures, human and all like. His winter lasted many years, never ceasing, bent to his will, for he had control over all things cold.
Then, along the southern border, the snow began to melt. Hibernia was furious – no one could end his reign of winter! He froze the southern regions over anew, this time twice as thick and deep. But the very next day, the ground was soft with melted snow, covered in puddles and muddy children dressed for warm weather. They all spoke of the Great Lion, Elohim, who had come and thawed the ice. Nobody could tell the enraged star where the Lion had gone, and so he turned five children to statues of ice as punishment, sent a blizzard over the villages, and stormed back to his center of power, only to find that it, too, had been thawed.
There, he met the Great Lion Himself, and He charged Hibernia for his crimes to be the annual bringer of the winter season. He ended the lasting winter, and defeated Senex Hibernia with a fearsome roar and a shake of his mighty mane."
Sorin watched everyone during the story. How Glundil leaned close to Deodra, and how Seaver watched with wonder. How Gredian simply smiled at the tale, Mother looked serene, and Ender just did his best to ignore them all. Sorin loved hearing Da's stories, but he loved watching his family even more. Even if their reactions weren't always positive.
"Each year, Elohim allows Hibernia to bring his winter, but keeps a close watch on him. And then, in the spring, He returns again, thawing the earth and chasing away the snow and ice with His warmth."
"I hate winter," Ender grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "If 'the great lion' is so dandy, why didn't he get rid of the stupid star altogether, huh?"
Da frowned at the disrespect in the boy's voice, but answered nonetheless. "Because, as it is with many things, there is a cycle. Life must often come to the point of death before it can rise again anew."
"Hooray for life…" Ender glared at the wall, before shifting his gaze to Da, with less venom and more disgruntled annoyance. "Can I go to my room now?"
A long silence answered at first, and Sorin watch Da carefully. Disappointment warred with reciprocating irritation at the second-oldest prince, carefully masked with stoic pondering. Finally, the king nodded once. Ender didn't need any more prompting; he shoved off the sofa to his feet and marched out of the room without a word.
Sorin sighed. They really did have issues – more specifically, Ender did, in his opinion. The boy just refused to be happy, especially around his family. The only person he seemed to smile around anymore was-
"Ender, Ender, wait for me!" Seaver scrambled out from under her mother's arm and darted after him. Sorin watched her go, wondering why she hung around him. Perhaps it was something of a little girl crush on the teenage boy? He couldn't tell; he wasn't good with girls at all.
Not that Ender was either. If it was a crush, Sorin's brother was probably utterly oblivious to it, just like he seemed oblivious to the concern of every member of his family. Why couldn't he just stop and think? About what he did, what he said, the consequences of his actions?
No, palm tree head couldn't be bothered not do enact every stupid idea that cross his mind.
Although… heading back to his room for a nap did sound quite nice… Maybe not all of Ender's ideas were bad ones…
