New moves

Lan Fan sat in front of her older, more perfect sister and was surprised by the understanding Jun Li held for the whole situation. Some tears were shed for Fu's death but all in all, Jun Li proved to be the probably most mature and efficient guard a Xingese Emperor had ever had. Lan Fan couldn't help but envy her sister's perfect, unmarred pale skin which seemed to be smooth as ever or Jun Li's body that was curvy enough to lure many men into believing that she meant no harm because it seemed to be nearly impossible that she was still as agile as before.

"…you became really beautiful," Jun Li said as her hands continued to cup her sister's face. "I mean … you look way better than I will ever look, Lan-Lan. Xing can be happy that you will go back … and our dearest young lord too…" She wistfully looked at Ling who ate another bowl of rice before she buried her own face in her hands. "I have missed the both of you," she admitted.

Ling looked up for a second while he frowned. "Have you any idea where grandfather Yao hid his key to the treasures of our clan?" he asked. "As far as I remember, we possess a nice necklace which I always wanted to give someone really dear to me…"

Jun Li looked at him, slightly confused. "The key to the chamber?" she asked as she tilted her head. "Honestly, that man had issues! He had it always at his side … and I had a copy…"

The young prince frowned. "You were hardly allowed to keep a key to the chamber," he stated.

She glared at him. "In case you didn't notice, young master, the Golden Dragon was hardly a man who played a game by the rules when he could make his own," she said. "And since I was his most trusted servant all those years, he gave me a key to thank me for my services."

"Do you miss him?" Ling asked. He knew how loyal the young woman had been to his grandfather, all those years she had never left his side. She had read books to him. She had been his shadow whenever he had decided to leave the Imperial Court to visit another castle. She had been closer to him than any of his children or grandchildren.

Jun Li's hand froze as she looked up. "He … he will always be with me," she whispered. She knew that she was about to become a liar but she had made a promise, many years ago. Her eyes were trained on the stars above her. "It's night now," she muttered, "and sometimes I liked to pretend that the spirit of life … well that he is still there, watching over his country. And the voice I can sometimes hear at night … when I am afraid of the darkness like the child I never was allowed to be … the voice that answers me whatever I ask … I like to imagine that it is him, fulfilling his duty to his people." She smiled wistfully. "Because … after all … there is no mountain too great when you listen to a wise man's words and have a little faith.
Our great emperor, the best we had so far … he lives in you, Ling, as much as he lives in me. He watches over everything we see when we cross our beautiful country. When I remember looking into the clear springs in our mountains … when I stared into the water, I also stared into the truth." Jun Li's smile was peaceful. "And in your reflection, I can see him, Ling. He really lives in you. The Yao-blood makes you one."

Ling smiled at the smart woman. He had always liked her even though she had shattered his heart when he had been a kid. She was a worthy rival and he somehow wished that he could make her coming back to Xing to cause havoc and confusing among the members of the Council. He could remember that his grandfather had used this trick more than once and since this had been the only council Ling had ever attend, he could still remember Jun Li in her tight, black dress with the golden dragon on her chest among the old men who had stared at her in lust.

Jun Li chuckled as she took a bite of her bread. "How is your baby brother?" she asked.

Ling sighed deeply. "Obsessed as always with his studies and everything," he said. "I really wonder how this serious little boy can be my little brother … but I love him."

The former guardian nodded slowly. "He was always a nice boy," she said before she tensed and got up. She walked over to the old man in the corner who was reading and sat down next to him. Ling whose eyes had followed her was surprised as she lowered her head in some strange kind of bow. It was crazy. This was Jun Li, the one who had never bowed for anyone but her old master, the one she had followed through hell and further. This was the woman who had been called bold for years. This was the woman who had always felt superior to everyone. And now she served for an old man? Alright, his grandfather had been old when she had served him but this had been her duty and she had been proud of it. And now she had focused her devotion and her loyalty to another old man? That wasn't something Jun Li would do. She would feel like betraying her dead master … and still, she seemed to be years younger again and full of pride for the honour was rare and she had always been an ambitious little girl with more dreams with real friends or real happiness.

But still, the old man looked familiar with his short silver hair and his wide smile. Of course, it was Lan Fan who got it first. She gasped and nearly kneeled down as her sister's hiss stopped her. The old man got up with Jun Li supporting him a little bit, more out of duty than out of need, and walked over to them.

"My favourite grandson finally found me," he chuckled as he sat down.

Lan Fan looked like she was close to fainting. The old emperor who should be more than six feet under by now was sitting on the same table she sat and looked at her boyfriend like he had expected them to come to the restaurant. The young bodyguard glared at her older sister. The emperor who noticed that smiled gently before he patted Jun Li's hand. "No need to be upset, Lan Fan," he said calmly. "I am no ghost. I am pretty much alive … even though I had no nerve to be emperor any longer and left for this beautiful country…"

The former emperor, Jun Yao, had always been too nice for his job. He still wondered how he had ever made it to the throne in first place but he remembered that his little sister from the Ming-clan had helped him. They had been smart and had stayed out of all the murder among their siblings, waiting for the best chance to strike. She had refused to become empress because she had fallen for a low-born man and she had turned in her privileges as a princess to marry him and to find her own happiness.
Oh, perfect little Lan Li.
She had been too fragile in the end and a guard from one of the clans they had fought personally had stabbed her one day, shortly after her son's birth. Jun Yao had been upset upon hearing that she had passed away but he had kept his promise to keep her true identity a secret. Of course, her son had followed his father's way and had been murdered shortly after his little daughter's birth but Jun Yao had been able to get her eldest granddaughter out of the whole mess. Yes, the girl had inherited Mei Fan's pale eyes and her stubborn attitude but Jun Yao had been happy to know someone he could really trust.

Roy awake to the scent of Laila's hair and he slowly realised that he had fallen asleep on the couch as well. He sighed deeply as he realised that she was trembling. He knew this problem by now: she was having a nightmare even though she didn't scream this time. He gently shook her awake and waited until she came down a little bit. "Pssch…" he muttered. "It's not real…"

She clung to him like another child would cling to a favourite blanket and pressed her head against his shoulder. "Thanks for being here, daddy," she muttered, still half asleep.

Roy felt how he tensed up but at the same time, he started to smile a little bit. She was still a little child and he highly doubted that she was aware of what she was saying right now. He gently stroked her hair before she awoke completely and returned to her usual, energetic self. "So, what are we doing now?" she asked while her fingers drummed rhythms on the cushion of the couch.

"Well, I was planning something for weeks now and since I am a little bit incapacitated right now, it would be great if you could help me a little bit," he said. "As you may have heard, your uncle and his mother want to throw a party sometimes next week and … well … I thought about proposing to Riza during this event. The problem is that I have no ring yet and that I wanted to ask Bendix first if I have the permission to use one room of his mansion…"

She squealed in pure glee and clapped her hands. "That's a wonderful idea!" she said. "I will help you; of course I will help you! Alright, I will make sure that Ben allows you to use the green salon – it's the prettiest room in the whole house because … well … everything is green." She jumped up to walk around in the living room. "And you will need beautiful flowers … I believe mommy likes fire lilies the most…" she looked back at him and chuckled. "It makes sense somehow," she added with an afterthought. "And … of course … you will have to ask great-grandfather."

Roy had always thought that there was no one as obsessed with the plotting of a perfect proposal as Jade – but he had to see that Laila Hawkeye was nothing better than his cousin.

The next day, Fuhrer Leroy Grumman was working in his office as his actual aide walked in to tell him that the newly-promoted major general Roy Mustang had come to talk with him. Leroy was actually very surprised when the blind man entered the room. The surprise was that he was led by Laila who looked really serious and her strict gaze reminded Leroy a little bit of his wife's glare when she wanted him to be nice. Sometimes it was nearly insane how much Laila looked like the young Charlotte since they weren't blood-related.

"Good morning, great-grandfather," Laila said politely as she let go of Roy's hand. "I'll wait for you outside," she added before she patted the man's upper arm, smiled a last time and left.

Leroy waited until the door was closed behind her and looked at Roy . "Well, what can I do for you, Mustang?" he asked amused.

The black-haired man bit his lower lip. "I wanted to ask for your granddaughter's hand in marriage," he said as calmly as he could. The good thing in being blind was that his eyes couldn't betray him any longer.

Leroy smirked. It had been a while since a man had been bold enough to ask him for permission to marry someone, but he still knew his old lines. "And why do you want do marry her?" he asked with a little frown.

Roy smiled lightly. "Because I love her," he said, "and because I am pretty sure that she loves me too … and because I hope that I can make her happy one day."

The old man nodded shortly before he remembered that Roy couldn't see him. "I am not sure if you are aware of my relationship with my wife," he said suddenly. "I have known Charlotte for many, many years. When I finally asked her, it was a question of to be or not to be for me for I knew that I would never feel complete without her. She was an angel and said yes when I asked her and from that moment on, it was always all or nothing. Both of us are daring … sometimes a little bit too much. It's hard to control another human being with such a similar attitude … but I never wanted to control her. We were young and sometimes it was hard, I won't deny that. But all those years … I don't care that we argued sometimes because we always made up." He looked at the young man. "The thing is that I want that my granddaughter finds the same amount of happiness I found when I married Charlotte."

Roy smiled. "I am always up for a challenge," he said.

"I really hope so," Leroy muttered darkly. "And believe me, if she won't be happy, I will tell Olivier that she can kill you if she wants to."

"Well, I hope that I can avoid that," he shrugged.

"Me too." The Fuhrer chuckled. "I would hate to tell my son why his precious twin is in trouble. I can imagine that Ben wouldn't like it at all."

"How is Miss Mustang?"

Olivier's voice was sharp and Bendix hesitated for a moment before he looked up from the report he had been reading and looked at her. "Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice, Liv?" he smirked as he leaned back. "Don't worry, Liv. You know the facts, don't you?"

"You are currently dating her and for the first time, you are actually serious about someone. Charlotte would be celebrating and planning your wedding right now if she wasn't so busy with bullying Riza into marrying the ex-colonel…"

"Liv…" he frowned. "I do not like the way you are acting right now. I mean … you used to be happy for me, didn't you? Weren't you saying that it's good that I finally got a decent girlfriend? One that isn't dating me for my looks or my money … one everyone would approve of?"

"See, Ben, it's not that easy for me right now. I mean … you got hurt because of her, didn't you? I am not jealous or something but … Breeze Soul is a broken woman. I am not sure if it would be healthy for you to date her for a long time. I approve of her just as everyone else … but I am worried that she might drag you down. I heard from many people that she's depressed…"

"Unlike you, she lost someone in this whole homunculi-business," he said softly. "She lost her best friend … do you remember Helena Hamilton? Tall, silver-haired, purple eyes … pretty much the most remarkable woman West City saw after you left us in the dust to go to Briggs…"

"How could I forget her? She always hung out in the Military Hospital with her black-haired friend when she wasn't in duty. I still wonder when she ever slept…"

"That black-haired friend was Jade," Bendix said as he sighed deeply. "I trust you to keep the information confidential but Jade and Lynn have been working together since the day they met – during their state alchemist exam. It was that mad year four people passed at once."

"I remember," she nodded as she frowned slightly. "The Hamilton- and the Mustang-twins … this was partially the reason why so many people will remember this, right? Silver Star, Mermaid, Breeze Soul and Breeze Heart … I even attended the exam as a proctor…"

"Yes," he said as he looked out his window. "It was basically against the rules but you know how it was: West City hosted the exam and this meant that my mother was holding the reigns at the time. And Bradley was overjoyed to have more state alchemists…"

"So, the reason why you put up with Jade's antic is that she lost her best friend?"

"If you keep your eyes open, you would see a beautifully constructed play – every day the Mustang-twins appear somewhere together. They always were the perfection of loyalty to your sibling and for fighting for the same dream, right? Well, Phil has been treating her harsh and rude at times … and I fear that this might have started a very long time ago."

"They are better at putting up this façade than Bradley and his cronies," Olivier muttered as she frowned. "Anyway, who am I to stop you? You are old enough to decide…"

"I am still sorry for worrying you, princess," he muttered quietly.

"I know…" she said as she walked away. "Yet maybe, you were right with your first guess…"

AN: Welcome to the first and last Author's Note of this story. I hope that everyone who read this story enjoyed it so far. Don't worry, this isn't the last chapter – it's simply the end of the first arc. In the next arc 'Love Madness', we will meet new characters and stories will be told. Of course, there will be more characters of the children's age as well because they will make new friends.

We will see how our heroes went on after the Promised Day passed. We will understand the reason behind Phil's weird behaviour when it comes to his sister and we will learn more about the relationships between the other characters as well. Victoria and Nick will play a bigger role as well and Elicia will appear more frequently as well. Together, they will replace the old crew (Roy, Riza, Lynn, Martin, Kay, Charles, Serena and Maes) and they will have an own adventure.

I would love to hear how you liked the story so far and for those who are re-reading it, I would like to know if it makes more sense now and how you liked the scene between Phil and Jade on the graveyard in chapter 30. I would also love to hear if you liked the way I portrayed the cannon characters and what you think about the OCs.

I wish everyone a wonderful week,
Ava
PS: I also accept short reviews of maybe three words