Here's Chapter 12. Enjoy.
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"Does the name Elric mean anything to you?"
Al's jaw dropped. Words completely failed him as he stared at the old woman in front of him. To his side he could hear Alex having a similar reaction.
Pinako glanced between the two men. "I take it by your reactions that it does." She coughed a little as she moved to take a seat.
Al snapped out of his stupor and spoke in a shaky voice, "How do you know that name?"
Pinako gave Al a sympathetic look before she coughed into a handkerchief. She finally spoke, "I knew a young man named Edward Elric."
"Edward Elric!" Al practically shouted as he moved to sit across from Pinako. "You know my brother?"
"His brother?" Pinako said thoughtfully. "Edward did say that he had a father and brother somewhere."
"Did he ever mention a mother?" Al asked desperately. "A woman named Trisha?"
Pinako nodded solemnly, sad that all she had for this young man was bad news.
"Slow down son…" Pinako took a breath. "I'm sorry."
Al went silent, dread filling him as he waited for Pinako to continue. Behind him Alex was holding his breath as well.
"Your mother passed away about ten years ago." Pinako said, pity in her eyes. "Edward died two years ago."
The blood drained from Al's face as the impact of these words hit him. He sat back, running his hands through his hair. His eyes wide as he stared at Pinako.
"No...you're lying." He whispered.
"I'm sorry, son." Pinako shook her head sadly.
"No!" Al shouted as he stood up, knocking the chair down. "This is bullshit! It's all bullshit!" Al began pacing erratically as he pulled on his hair.
"Al?" Alex reached out to his friend.
"Don't touch me Alex!" Al shouted at him, stepping away from the large man. Al stood there for several moments, holding his face in one hand as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"How?" Al said, a little more than a whisper.
"Excuse me?" Pinako didn't hear what he said.
"How!" Al shouted, looking up.
Pinako nodded, unperturbed by Al's behavior. "Your mother, Tricia, became ill and passed away. Edward...died at sea. Killed by the pirate Greed."
"Died at sea." Al repeated with a humorless laugh. "All this time and I never thought about checking the fucking ocean."
Alex gave his friend a worried look before turning to Pinako. "How did you know Edward?"
"He worked on the farm as a hired help, before he came it was just myself and my granddaughter Winry living here."
Alex nodded, raising an eyebrow at the mention of the name Winry. 'It couldn't be...' He thought.
"Tell me about him." Al said from across the room.
Pinako reached under the table and took up a bottle of ale. Alex looked around and saw many empty bottles lying around on the floor.
"Where to begin?" Pinako said with a sad smile. "Edward looked a lot like you; similar hair, eyes. A little shorter though."
"What was he like?" Al stared off not really looking at anything.
"Ed...was a good person." Pinako said. "Short tempered though. And a total blowhard. But he was kind and loyal to the ones he loved. After he died, my granddaughter Winry...she was never the same. It seemed like every day she was drifting farther away from me and herself. You see, they loved each other. He was off getting money to save the smithy. And more importantly he was getting money so he and Winry could get married."
"Winry huh?" Al mumbled, "I guess that name is more common then I thought. Where is your granddaughter?" He looked at Pinako, interested in meeting the girl who had almost been his sister-in-law.
Pinako sat there solemnly for a few moments. "She...left. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe she went with him because he could take her away from this place and the sad memories." Pinako's gaze hardened. "Or, he forced her come with him. I don't know."
"Who's this he?" Alex asked, a frown on his face, behind him Al seemed lost in his own thoughts.
Pinako went silent, she grabbed a table cloth a dabbed her forehead before turning to Alex. "The damn Prince, that's who."
"What!" Alex said as his eyes widened. He turned to Al who also looked stunned. "So...your granddaughter is the Princess?"
Pinako gave a humorless chuckle. "I know, I must be so proud of her." She took a big swig of ale, only to spit it all out when a violent fit of coughing overcame her. Alex came forward concerned as Pinako had to steady herself on the table.
"Ms. Rockbell, I recommend you lie down." Alex said.
Pinako raised her sweaty face to look at him. "Quit your yammering and help me get to my bed." Pinako stood out of the chair, only for her legs to give way and she fell to the ground. With lighting fast reflexes, Alex was able to catch her before she made impact. Alex then effortlessly picked Pinako up and turned to Al.
"Where is her room?" He asked.
"That way, I think." Al pointed towards the stairs. Alex went up and entered the room that he thought was Pinako's. Going to the bed, Alex placed her down. Pulling the covers over the old woman, Alex placed a hand on her forehead.
"Al go to the kitchen and get a wet cloth." He yelled downstairs.
Alex turned back to Pinako whose breathing was becoming hoarse.
"Ms. Pinako, how long have you been ill?"
"It's just a cold, I'll be fine." She said, with some uncertainty.
Alex frowned, "Ms. Pinako your granddaughter..?"
"A few months ago Prince's carriage broke a wheel, Winry went to fix it." Pinako mumbled in a miserable voice. "Later he came to our house, had dinner with us...I saw the way he looked at her and I didn't like it. A few days later, I came home and Winry was gone. Soon enough I hear about this 'Princess Winry' who is going to marry the Prince."
Alex stood in silence as Al entered the room and placed a wet cloth on Pinako's forehead. She started speaking again.
"Why did she leave? Did he force her? I don't know and it's killing me. Her grandfather, her parents, and Edward; all gone. She was my everything, the only one I had left!" Pinako's voice cracked as tears escaped her eyes. Pinako quieted down after this, but when she breathed it ended with the breath becoming a crackling sound.
Al and Alex stepped back as they looked upon the broken woman with pity.
Alex turned to Al, "What do we do?"
"I don't know." Al shrugged sadly. "This woman was kind enough to give us shelter and...she was a friend to Edward. We have to help her."
"I agree." Alex said. "Especially after what we put Winry through."
'Winry.' Al thought with a sigh. 'She knew Ed, she was going to marry him. That practically makes her family and I helped kidnap her!'
Al looked back at Pinako, "I don't like the way she's breathing."
"Neither do I." Alex said.
Al thought for a moment, "Do you know how to make soup?"
"Of course." Alex said.
"Then make some." Al said. "Nice and warm. I'll keep her company."
Alex nodded and walked out of the room. Al turned and sat in a chair. With Pinako seemingly unaware of her surroundings and Alex downstairs, Al was once again left alone with his thoughts.
Your mother passed away about ten years ago. Edward died two years ago.
'Damn it.' Al rested his face in one of his hands. 'I should have known they were dead. It was foolish to think that they were out there somewhere." He leaned back in the chair he was in and stared at the ceiling. 'I'm the only one left. I'm the only member of our family who's still alive.' It was a strange realization to have. For years he'd lived in the hope of finding his brother and mother. But life always did seem to enjoy taking things away from him. First his family and for several years now, his revenge. The latter was likely never going to happen. For all he knew the man he sought was already dead himself. Or he could be on the other side of the world. Either case, it meant that Al was chasing a ghost. One who he would only ever see in his dreams and never in the flesh. He was broken out of his thoughts by Pinako speaking again.
"Ed is that you?"
Al looked up, Pinako wasn't looking at him, but staring straight up at the ceiling.
"Ed?" The old woman croaked again.
Al walked over and put his hand on her forehead. It was burning up.
'Shit!' He thought. 'That's one hell of a fever.'
He moved to get a fresh wet cloth to put on her head, but was stopped when his hand was grabbed. He looked back down at Pinako.
"Ed, please say something." Pinako begged in a weak voice.
Al gave a sigh, this probably wasn't the best idea but what else could he do?
"Yes." He said. "It's Ed."
Pinako smiled a weak crooked smile. "Ed." She said with a happy sigh, "It's about time you came back. Winry's been waiting for you."
"I-I know." Al said in a shaky voice. "I saw her earlier. She was very happy to see me."
"Good...good." Pinako mumbled. "Where is she? I want to see her."
"She's...out at the moment." Al said. "Sleep for now. By the time you wake up she should be back."
Pinako mumbled something that Al couldn't hear, then appeared to go back to sleep. Al jogged downstairs to grab a cloth. He wet it then ran back up and placed it on Pinako's head. Satisfied that she was asleep, he walked back down to the kitchen. Alex was still working on the soup.
"Put the soup on standby, Alex." Al said. "She fell asleep."
Alex nodded and put the soup to the side. "I'll warm it up when she wakes."
The two of them stood there in silence. The only sound being the rain tapping on the roof.
"I always kind of knew." Al said quietly. "There was always a part of me that knew that they were dead. I just didn't want to listen too it."
It pained Alex that he couldn't do anything to help his friend. As he watched Al sit down in a chair he couldn't help but think of a certain princess.
"So Winry was forced by the Prince into the marriage." Alex said aloud, breaking the sad silence.
"It appears so." Al said as he looked at Alex. "If things had gone right she would've been my sister-in-law."
"Small world." Alex mumbled.
"Especially for you." Al joked half-heartedly, before sighing. "What do you think Ed feels when he looks down from wherever he is and sees me? Do you think he's damning me to hell for kidnapping the woman he loved. Is he cursing me for doing nothing while the Prince is doing God knows what to her right now?"
"There was no way you could've known her connection to him." Alex tried to reassure him.
"Well I do now." Al groaned and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again.
"I want to help her." Al said, in contrast to his attitude in the forest,
"Al.." Alex said cautiously.
"Ed would have wanted me to save her. And I just can't walk away, knowing who she is. If I leave her there, it will haunt me for the rest of my worthless life."
"How are we even-?" Alex stopped talking when there was a sudden knocking at the front door. Both him and Al stared at the door in surprise before they heard knocking again, this time louder.
"There appears to be someone at the door." Alex said.
"Should we answer it?" Al said.
"It would be rude not to."
"This isn't even our house."
"Does it matter?"
The person outside was now banging on the door.
"Alright!" Al called. "We hear you, I'm coming!"
Al walked over and unlocked the door. When he opened it he was surprised to see a soaked, yet very pretty, Xingese girl standing outside.
The girl's eyes, which were already pretty big, widened at the sight of him. She stood there staring at him, then without a single word, she pushed him into the house and closed the door behind her.
"Who the hell are you?" Al asked, looking down at the stranger.
"Are you Edward Elric?" She asked quickly.
Al's eyes widened, before his face became grim and he shook his head.
"No, I'm his brother Alphonse."
The girl looked confused. "His brother? I didn't know he had one."
"How do you know Ed?" Al asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.
"That's not important." The girl said. "It's crucial that I speak to your brother as soon as possible. Is he here?"
Al shook his head. "He's dead."
The girl gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh no." She said.
"I'm sorry." Al shrugged as he walked over to the table and picked up a bottle of whiskey.
"What are we..I'm sorry Winry." The girl whispered sadly, some tears forming at her eyes.
"Wait, what did you say?" Alex asked from across the room.
The girl wiped her tears away. "How did he die?" She looked at Al.
"I believe Alex asked you a question." Al said as he took a swig.
"How did he die!" The girl said aggressively.
Al raised his hands in mock surrender. "If you're looking for my brother, you're two years too late. He died at sea."
The girl now had a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about?" She asked confused.
"Edward." Al said, a little irritated. "He died at sea."
The girl looked at Al for a few moments before realization dawned on her. "Oh my, you think he was killed by Greed."
"Wasn't he?" Al said.
"No, he's alive." The girl said. "My name is May Chang. I'm the handmaiden of Princess Winry and I came here looking for Edward. Winry sent me."
"Winry?" Alex said in surprise.
"Wait a minute." Al said. "Ed died two years ago. That's what the old lady told me."
"No, that's what everyone thinks happened." May said. "He's still alive and right now Winry needs his help."
"How do you know he's alive?" Al said as he walked forward. A hint of hope in his eyes.
May looked between Alphonse and the man named Alex. She took in Alex's height and Al's sword.
"Wait." May took a step back as one of her hands curled around a knife in her pocket. "You're two of the men who kidnapped Winry, aren't you?"
Al and Alex exchanged surprised looks.
"How do you know?" Alex asked.
"Winry told me about you." May turned to Al. "She said you're hair was brown."
"I dyed it." Al said. "I like to wear disguises."
"What exactly did Winry tell you about us?" Alex asked.
"She said that you two were kind to her and that you didn't know of the plot to kill her." May said.
"We didn't." Alex confirmed.
"Can we get back to Edward?" Al cut in. "How do you know he's still alive?"
May looked at the two of them, "Do you two recall a man dressed in black?"
"Yes." They said in unison.
"That was Edward." May said.
There was a long moment of silence as May and the two men stared at each other.
"Bullshit." Al said finally.
"No it's not." May said. "That was really Edward. He was just wearing a mask and using an accent." May then looked at Al who looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Alphonse are you-?" May was cut off when Al went limp and fell to the ground.
"Oh dear." May ran over to Al and flipped him over into his back. A large shadow over her showed that Alex was hovering over them.
"Is he ok?" Alex asked.
"Yes." May said. "He just fainted."
She looked up at Alex. "Can you lift him? We should put him on a soft surface."
"There's a couch in the living room." Alex said.
Alex easily scooped up Al and carried him into the living room as May followed. As May watched Alex place Al on the couch, she couldn't help but notice that Al looked rather cute when he was asleep.
Ignoring that thought she turned to Alex.
"Winry has a grandmother, where is she…" May trailed off as she checked the chi in the house. "What's wrong with her?" She looked up at Alex.
"How do you know-?" Alex began.
"Take me to her." May said.
Alex nodded and lead May up the stairs into Pinako's room. When they entered May ran over to Pinako's side.
"How long has she been sick?" She looked over her shoulder at Alex.
"I don't know." Alex said. "We arrived less then 15 minutes ago."
May checked Pinako's pulse and gave a sigh, "She's very, very ill."
"How ill?" Alex asked.
"I can't be sure." May mumbled, before looking at Alex. "Are there any herbs here?"
"A few." Alex responded.
"Maybe I can make something for her." May said. "Keep an eye on her:" May got up and headed downstairs. As she looked through the cabinets, she heard a groan come from the couch. She looked over to see Al pushing himself into a sitting position.
"How long have I been out?" He asked.
"Just a few minutes." May responded.
Al saw her putting different herbs and such into a bowl. "What are you working on?"
"Something for Pinako." May said. "It should help keep her symptoms down."
"That's good, I guess." Al slowly stood up from the couch. When he was his full height he looked back at May. "So you're friends with Winry?" He asked.
"Yes." May nodded.
"How's she doing?" Al asked. "You said she was in trouble."
"It's...complicated." May said.
"I'm not going anywhere." Al gave a small smirk.
"She's pregnant." May said.
Whatever response Al had planned to say quickly died in his throat. Instead he just stared at May in shock. Eventually he found his voice.
"Is it Ed's baby?" He asked quietly.
May turned around to look at him and nodded with a sad smile.
"And I guess.." Al began to say quietly. "..that I'm going to be an uncle."
"I guess so." May mumbled before turning back to her work.
"Can I help you out with that?" Al asked as he came up from the side.
"Chop these up, then beat them with a mallet." May handed him some kind of green plant.
The two of them worked in silence. Al had a lot more questions on his mind, but he was going to wait until later to ask them. Eventually May declared that they were done with whatever they were making. Al looked down at the thick substance that they had created and winced.
"Is she supposed to drink that or eat it?" He asked.
"Neither." May said. "You rub in on her skin and it hopefully keeps her symptoms in check."
"Ok." Al picked up the bowl of goop and followed May up the stairs.
Alex was still standing in the room next to the bed. May sat down next to Pinako and dipped her hand into the bowl as Al placed it next to her. May took the cloth off of Pinako's head and began to apply the liquid to Pinako's skin. Pinako gave a sigh and opened her eyes.
"Winry?"
May froze in her actions and looked at Pinako. "I'm sorry, she's not here."
"Figures." Pinako said. "Who are you?"
"My name is May Chang." May said. "I'm a friend of Winry's."
"Wh-where is she?" Pinako mumbled, her eyes half lidded.
"Winry...is safe, don't worry she is going to be okay." May said hesitantly.
"Why did she leave me?"
"She didn't have a choice." May said sadly as she took Pinako's hand. "Winry loves you Pinako, she loves you so much. She wanted me to tell you that she would never willingly leave you."
Pinako's eyes opened fully as she listened to May.
"And also, she wanted me to tell you that Edward is alive. I know you think he died two years ago but he didn't. He is alive!" May said with a smile. "And I have something else to tell you. Everything I have told you so far is true and what I am about to is as well. Winry is pregnant with Ed's child. Winry is going to have a baby."
Pinako let out a shaky breath as tears pooled in her eyes.
"Thank you." She whispered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. May checked her temperature before standing up and turning to Alex.
"Please stay with her, at her age an illness like this could be fatal." May told him to which Alex nodded.
May suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Al standing there.
"We need to talk." He said bluntly.
May nodded before exiting the room with Al behind her. Once they got to the kitchen she sat down at the table with Al sitting across from her. "Yes?" She asked.
"What happened to Edward?" He asked.
"Pardon?" May blinked.
"If he truly was the man in black and rescued Winry, how did she end up back with Selim?"
May sighed, "They were separated in the Fire Swamp and Winry was captured by Selim. She told me that Edward got away so I'm looking for him."
"Okay...you said Winry is pregnant with Ed's child?" Al asked.
"Yes."
"But how do you know? I'm mean they were only reunited last week?"
May blushed, "Ever heard of chi?"
"No." Al said.
"Well basically it is energy that comes from within the earth and flows through the human body and- Hey! Don't look at me like that!" May crossed her arms while Al stared at her like she had two heads.
"Anyway, some people from Xing can feel another person's chi. That's how I knew Pinako was so sick, her chi was affected by the illness." May explained.
"So you can feel that Winry is pregnant?" Al asked.
"Yes."
"Okay..I'll take your word for it." Al mumbled, before he looked up at May. "You thought Brother might be here?"
"Winry said this was a potential place to find him." May informed him.
"Well he isn't here." Al said. "Did Winry mention any other places where he could be?"
"No." May said. "But Edward is a pirate."
"A pirate?" Al raised an eyebrow.
"Remember the pirate Greed?" May asked.
"Yeah." Al responded.
"Well Edward is the pirate Greed." May said.
"Wait...what?"
"I didn't get it either." May shrugged. "It took Winry a while to explain it to me."
Al signed. "I can honestly say that the last 20 minutes has been the strangest of my life."
"I'm sorry for dropping all of this on you." May said. "When did you find out that Ed supposedly died at sea?"
"About 5 minutes before you arrived." Al said.
May winced, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Al said. "Thanks to you, the amount of time I spent mourning for my brother was the equivalent of making a sandwich."
May giggled at that. "I guess it could have been worse."
"Definitely." Al said.
May nodded, "Ok where was I?"
"Ed's a pirate." Al reminded her.
"Oh, thank you." May said. "So since Ed's a pirate he would probably try to contact his crew for backup."
"So...he'd go somewhere so he could contact his crew." Al said. "Where is that?"
"There's a port on the river that travels through the capital." May said. "It's right next to the ocean."
"That makes sense. He'd want to be near Winry." Al said. "Wait, if you came from the capital, why didn't you check it while you were there?"
"It's closed now." May informed him. "And I couldn't stick around because there were sentries posted in the area."
"When does the port open?" Al asked.
"In a few hours." May informed him. "We can go there and ask anyone if they saw Ed."
"If he did go there, where would he stay if he was waiting for a response from his crew?" Al asked.
"There's dozens of inns and taverns that he could be staying in." May said.
"Ok then." Al said. "Maybe if the three of us split up we could cover more area."
"That sounds like a plan." May smiled.
"Hopefully by then this weather clears up." Al glanced up at the loud ceiling.
"I hope so." May said. "So until then what do we do?"
"Wait it out." Al shrugged, then looked over at May."
"What can you tell me about yourself Chang?" Al asked with a grin. This girl interested him and he wanted to know more about her.
"What do you want to know?" May couldn't help but grin too. To her, Al's smiles were contagious.
"Let's start with...your favorite color?" Al asked.
"My favorite color?" May said to herself. "Salmon." She answered.
"Salmon, unique." Al said playfully. "How about your favorite animal?"
"That's easy." May said. "Pandas."
"Pandas." Al grinned. "So you are from Xing."
"What gave it away?" May laughed.
"Pandas hail from Xing. You also have a very slight accent." Al said. "You've shed most of it. But there's still some there."
"I guess I'll have to try harder." May said. "How about you? What's your favorite animal?"
"Cats." Al answered.
"Why cats?" May asked.
"I really don't know." Al said. "I like their fur. It's soft."
"That's cute." May said.
"I like to believe that I make that up with my sword." Al raised his sword in the air and put it back down on the ground.
"That's a very good looking sword." May said.
"Do you know a lot about swords?" Al asked.
"Just basic knowledge. I prefer knives." May took out one of her kunai knives and placed it on the table.
Al raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were a handmaiden?" He said.
"I am, I'm just one with a special skill set. You?" May asked.
"Well I'm an unemployed drunk with my own special skill set." Al responded.
May leaned forward. "What more can you tell me about yourself Alphonse?"
Al was about to open his mouth when Alex came into the room. The look on Alex's face is what caught his attention.
"Alex, what is it?"
Alex was quiet for a few moments.
"Ms. Pinako has died."
Silence filled the room as Al and May stared at Alex in shock. Alex had a few tears coming down his face.
"She...just...died." Alex said. "She was sleeping and then her breathing just stopped. I tried to revive her...but it didn't do anything."
There were several minutes of silence as the two people at the table absorbed the information."How do you just die like that?" Al whispered.
"She was old Al." May whispered as well, her heart breaking for Winry. "People just die. Oh god...Winry never got to say goodbye."
"Is she just lying up there?" Al looked at Alex.
"Yes." Alex nodded.
"We need to do something about her." May said. "We can't just leave her."
"If you're talking about burying her, good luck in this weather?" Al said. "And waiting for the ground to be right would take too long."
"Al!" Alex said. "We have to show this woman some respect."
"I never said we shouldn't." Al said. "But we also need to find Edward and save Winry! Now as I recall, the royal wedding is only a few days away, that doesn't give us a whole lot of time."
"Al's right." May sighed. "We simply don't have the time to give Pinako a proper burial."
"I'm sure that there are people in the nearby village who would bury her." Al said solemnly.
Alex nodded. "I'll take the body to the village."
"Winry told me that Pinako was very respected in the village." May said. "They'll give her the burial she deserves."
"The storm sounds like it's going to subside soon." Al said. "We should head out then."
"Ok." May said. "We have a plan."
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Pain.
That's all he could feel as he opened his tired eyes. He was close, he was so close. His little finger was seconds away from finishing it.
It was done.
He brought his hand up and brought it down. The electric sound of alchemy had never sounded so good.
He fell to the ground as the chair shattered under him. He groaned in pain as he lay there panting.
Everything hurt.
Moving hurt.
Breathing hurt.
Edward Elric bit back the pain and forced himself up into a sitting position. As he steadied himself with his one arm he looked over his injuries. His chest and arms were covered in bloody cuts and slashes. In their most recent session, Bradley had cut him to ribbons with a razor. The one eyed man didn't even ask questions anymore. He'd informed Ed that he knew his identity..
Now he was just inflicting pain for the fun of it.
Bradley had just left a few minutes ago so the Gold Toothed Doctor should be showing up soon. Ed stiffly pushed himself to his feet, picking up a long and sharp piece of wood from the chair. Stumbling over to the door he found it to be locked. Groaning to himself he rested himself against the wall, next to the door, waiting.
After several minutes, Ed heard the door being unlocked. Readying himself, he waited, weapon in hand. The door opened and the grinning Doctor came in.
"Well Mr. Elric. Let's see what the damage is-"
The Gold Toothed Doctor froze when he saw that the chair was destroyed and he never got a chance to raise an alarm. Ed flung himself from around the door and jammed the long piece of wood directly in the Doctor's throat. The man fell the ground gasping and went quiet when Ed stomped on the stick, driving it all the way in. Dropping to his knees, he took the man's white coat off and put his one arm through it. Standing up he glanced in a mirror that Bradley had in the room.
He looked terrible.
His face was bruised and pale from days of torture. His body was thin and damaged. Cut and slashed all over. The skin sagged under his eyes due to sleep deprivation and his eyes stared back with a liveless glare.
Just then an image flashed before his eyes. It was the image that had kept him from falling into despair. What motivated him to keep on going, no matter how bad it got. Because seeing this image again for real was worth all of the pain in the world.
Ed saw Winry lying in the bed at the swamp house. She was under the blanket, showing off just enough perfect skin to get his blood pumping. But what stood out the most was the smile on her face. It wasn't a big smile or a small smile. It was a happy smile.
A happy smile that demonstrated all the love that he could ever want from another person. Her blue eyes shining and her beautiful, long blond hair glowing.
He was going to see this sight again. He was not going to die here in this hell hole.
"I'm coming Winry." He whispered with a broken voice. "I'm coming for you!"
Stumbling out of the room. Ed looked looked left, then he looked right. Choosing left, he proceeded with caution. All too aware he was leaving a trail of blood behind him. The hallways were like a maze, but thankfully he didn't bump into anyone. After a while he stopped to rest against the wall. As he rested his head back, his eyes opened when he heard rain behind him. Turning around he put his hand on the wall.
Outside of this wall was freedom and Winry.
Drawing a big transmutation circle with his blood. Ed made quick work of the wall.
Ed stepped out through the new hole that he had just made. The scent of fresh air filled his nose and lungs. A breeze blew against his skin. He stood there for a moment and let out a sigh, closing his eyes and raising his face to the downpouring rain. Turning his head he saw the royal castle not too far away. His ears heard the sound of water moving quickly, glancing down Ed saw a river several feet away.
Suddenly a kick to the back of his right leg brought him to his knees. A pair of hands grabbed his one arm, while another pair grabbed his right shoulder.
"Mr. Edward Elric, I presume." Came a voice from the darkness.
A hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head up. Looking in front of him he saw a man a few years older than him. This man had pale skin with black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a brown coat for the rain. Next to him there was a soldier holding an umbrella above his head. Ed recognized him instantly.
"Selim." He snarled, fury filling him at the sight of the man who had made Winry's life a living hell.
"Commoners should say 'your Grace' when they are bestowed with the privilege of talking to royalty." Selim said. "It's a simple sign of respect."
"How about you tell your thugs to let me go. Then I can really show you the respect you deserve." Ed glared up at Selim.
Selim chuckled. "Tough talk from a man with one foot in his own grave." Selim gave him a look over. "King certainly did a number on you, I'm surprised he never got you to crack."
Ed smirked. "I guess I'm just full of surprises."
"Yes, I agree." Selim said. "I was on my way to visit you and instead I find you coming out to greet me. How polite of you Edward."
"If I knew you were coming. I would have dressed appropriately." Ed said through gritted teeth.
Selim sighed, "It is a pity. I was hoping that King would have reduced you to a mere shell. You would have made a wonderful wedding present to my dearly beloved."
Ed growled. "Why? Why are you so cruel to her? All she ever did was fix your damn wagon."
Selim chuckled again. "Because I can. And besides there's just something about her that pisses me off. At first she was nice and submissive, but then she formed a backbone. No doubt that was your doing. Now why did you do that? After all that hard work I put into making her the perfect Princess. A prince needs a perfect princess."
Ed shook his head. "You're no true Prince. A true Prince wouldn't need to torment his bride to make himself feel strong. Compensating for something?"
One of the men holding Ed raised a fist to strike him, but Selim dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
"Now that was rude." Selim said turning back to Ed. "And in a few short days on our wedding night, I'm sure Winry will disprove that last statement."
Selim stepped forward until he was a foot away from Ed and then kneeled down so that they were at eye level.
"Now here is how it's going to go." Selim said. "You are going back into that dungeon. Bradley will continue to work on you until the night of my wedding. On that night after my new bride and myself have retired to our chambers, you'll be there. She'll recognize you and call out to you, but you won't recognize her. All you will do is sit there and stare. You will keep staring as I rip her dress off; as I pin her down on my bed; as I make love to her for hours. She's not going to enjoy it, I can predict that. So she'll be calling out to you. Screaming and begging for help, begging you to save her. But you won't. All you will do is stare."
Ed was torn between unimaginable fury and disgust. His arm was being held with an iron grip, he couldn't move. If he could, then nothing on this earth would stop him from killing the smug bastard in front of him.
Selim continued, his eyes gleaming with sick delight. "And after I have satisfied myself with her body," Selim paused to lick his lips. "I'm going to kill her."
Ed's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in fury, he'd never felt so much rage against one person. The rain continued to pour down on him, while Selim stayed dry under his umbrella.
"I'll kill you as well." Selim said, relishing every word. "I don't know what the order is going to be. I should probably kill you first because at that point her death will mean nothing to you. And when she sees whatever life remaining in your eyes disappear, she'll beg me for the sweet release of death. And as a final wedding gift, I'll grant her request."
Ed glanced at the two men holding him, the one holding his stump seemed less attentive than the other.
"And soon the tale will be told. The tale of how the Prince and Princess, while passionately enjoying their first night as a married couple, were attacked by an assassin. You'll be playing the assassin by the way. Anyway, the Prince was able to slay this assassin, but not before the Princess herself was fatally injured. Before the assassin died the brave Prince learned of where he hailed from...Creta."
Ed's mouth opened in surprise. It all made sense now.
"It was you." Ed said. "You hired Yoki to kill Winry."
Selim smiled. "Correct. And I must thank you for compromising that operation. This ending is so much better than what I had originally planned."
"Why?" Ed asked, aghast. "Why have you done all of this? Why do you want a war?"
"It's really simple." Selim said. "The glory."
"Glory?" Ed asked incredulously. "If you wanted a glorious war then why didn't you just invade Creta yourself? Why did you have to involve Winry in any of this?"
"Because a symbol is much more powerful than a man." Selim said. "I am just a man. Yet, I could call my armies to bear arms. I could order them to march to Creta. Bradley would outmaneuver any opposition and Amestris would win a war that it had started. That I started. I would be seen as a man who wanted what he didn't have. The people would despise me. I'd be seen as a power hungry conqueror. A man who wrote his legacy in blood. But because of Winry, I'll be a legend. Winry will be a symbol of a beauty that was destroyed. An innocence that was tragically taken from this earth. On the night she is taken from me; I will carry her lifeless, blood soaked body down to the royal court and demand justice. It will not be a simple war of land or titles. It will be a war that they write tragedies and songs about. The people loved her so they will love me for avenging her."
Selim smiled one more time, before standing up. Ed continued to glare up at him.
"Well it's been fun, Ed." Selim said. "But I have to leave now. A wedding to plan, my wife to murder, and Creta to blame for it. I'm swamped."
"I'm going to kill you." Ed said, looking straight into Selim's eyes. "The last thing that you will ever see in this world, will be me."
Selim chuckled. "And how are you going to do that?"
Selim turned around and started walking away. The men holding him pulled him to his feet and started pulling him towards the hole in the wall.
The man holding the umbrella for Selim held up a piece of paper for him.
"Lord Bradley sent this." The man said. "It's about that group he's been telling you about."
"I told him to ignore that." Selim groaned. "I swear I could kill that man."
"Or I could just kill you." Ed said.
Ed snapped his head to the side, smashing the man holding his metal port. The man's nose was crushed and he fell back clutching his bleeding face. Ed turned to the one holding his left arm and head butted him as well, this lessened the man's grip, but didn't make him let go. Ed brought his leg up into the man's side, cracking his ribs. This caused the man to release him. Now with his one hand free, Ed grabbed the sword that the man had strapped to his side. Pulling it out, Ed slashed the man's throat in the same movement. Turning around Ed quickly slashed the throat of the man with the crushed nose. With these two men taken care of, Ed turned to look at Selim.
Selim had turned around and was staring at him in shock. The man holding the umbrella dropped it and pulled out his own sword and ran forward. Behind him, Selim reached into his coat. The man raised his sword and brought it down. Ed blocked it, then sidestepped, spinning around so that he was back to back with the soldier. He butted the back of the man's head with his metallic shoulder, causing him to stumble forward. Ed spun around and stabbed the soldier through the back off his head, with the blade sticking out of his mouth.
Suddenly, burning pain erupted in his side, right under his port.
Ed cried out and glanced down at his side. There was a dagger embedded inside of him. Following the arm that was holding it, Ed locked eyes with Selim.
"You just had to ruin my fun, didn't you?" Selim twisted the knife, causing Ed to cry out and drop his sword in pain.
Selim pulled out the dagger and stabbed Ed directly in the chest. Ed let out a gasping sound as the dagger pierced him. He brought his left hand up and placed it on Selim's throat. Ed grit his teeth as he squeezed. Selim looked over Ed's shoulder to see that they were standing directly over the rapidly moving river.
"I'll send her your love." Selim whispered.
Selim pushed Ed away from him, sliding the dagger out of him. Ed fell back, tripping over the ridge that surrounded the stone walkway.
He fell headfirst into the river, but he didn't feel it. He didn't feel the cold or the water filling his lungs.
He didn't feel anything.
OoO
OoO
And I thought the cliffhanger in the last one was bad. I hope you can forgive me.
We're starting to get really close to the ending, I'm excited and a little sad.
