Chapter Four: Disclaimer
Lor: I've come to realize a lot of the line breaks aren't showing up on Sorry guys, will find a way to fix that ;;
Dustin: And by that, of course she means even if she figures out how to fix it, I'll do all the fixing. What with posting it under my account.
Lor: that's not really the point though.
Dustin: Anyway, in a convenient plot twist to keep these little disclaimers interesting, Ganon "escaped" from whatever we were holding him in. This fic is now on full Red Alert, or some other urgent color.
Lor: DUN DUN DUUUUUN! (see? I built up the suspense )
Dustin: (You're not supposed to tell them that…) Now, on with the disclaimer.
All copyrighted characters are owned by their respective uhh… owners. Same with the different locations. However, Lor and I own the whole idea and plot and stuff. So don't steal it. Also we can't be held responsible if Ganon, who was "accidentally" released hurts, maims, or other wise guts you like a fish.
Lor: and +gasp+ we got our first flame! How dare they+melodramatics+
Enaru: she doesn't really feel that way anymore. It only took about an hour to get over the initial shock… Anywho, the shout-outs are at the end of the chapter.
Dustin: Well I think that's about it. If I'm not missing anything, on with the fic.
Chapter Four: All Explanations Necessary
It had taken some work, but a few exchanged words with Lieutenant Maria Ross and Zelda was dressed like most other women did in the streets of Central City. In Roy's office she sat quietly, waiting anxiously for the decisions he decided to make with her.
He tapped his pen against the folder on his desk, brooding to himself. What was he going to do with her? He hadn't sent word to the Fuhrer, or any higher ups yet, until he was sure of a plan. The people he had traveled with, he trusted their silence. The colonel was ready to pull out his hair. He couldn't hide her in the corner forever. She had to eat and sleep eventually, right?
There was a knock on the door, and Roy looked up, half expecting Riza to walk through with seven or eight folders, with a calm look on her face as she told him to get to work. When it was only Hughes that opened the door, Roy returned his attention to the blank piece of paper. They had been traveling for a few days, and Riza hadn't sent any reports…if things were so different than Amestris, how sure could he be that her party wasn't captured or something?
"You haven't done anything have you?" Hughes asked, pushing up his glasses suavely as he sat across from Roy.
Roy ignored him. What to do, what to do, how was he going to keep his word…
"You know, that foreign girl is pretty cute," he whispered in a low voice, winking. "Maybe you should settle down and start a family with her!"
It was a moment of blank staring at his friend did a calculating expression flash across Roy's face and he stood up, slamming his fists against the desk. "THAT'S IT!"
"Hehe, I knew I'd get to ya someday, Roy. So when's the wedding?"
He watched as Roy moved briskly toward Zelda, and glanced down at her with a slight smile on his face. "I've got an idea to keep you undercover, but I'm only going to do so once you explain to me what's going on." Zelda stood up, nodding.
"What is it that you'll have me do?"
Roy flashed his handsome smile. "You, my princess, are going to pose as my girlfriend until other arrangements can be made. That will be alright with you?"
Before answering, she glanced at the giddy Hughes at the other end of the room. "Yes of course…and I will answer all of your questions in a place with more seclusion. I have a feeling of unease here."
"You're not the only one," Roy muttered as he turned away, pacing. "Don't trust anyone besides Hughes, my first lieutenant Hawkeye –who is away right now, or myself. The more we keep hidden, the better…" He'd barely finished speaking when the door opened. With a smile on his face, the Fuhrer stepped in, Juliet following.
"So Mustang, I assume the search for Fullmetal was a failure?" he asked as Roy and Hughes stood up to salute. "Your lieutenant is still out searching, is she not?"
"Yes sir," Roy replied steadily. "My report will be in shortly."
"No need to look so stiff Mustang, both of you at ease." He glanced toward Zelda, who had remained quiet and somewhat shy. "And who is this? Certainly not a soldier."
As she went to introduce herself, Roy smiled arrogantly and put his arm around her waist. "My girlfriend, Adele. We met some time ago, haven't I mentioned her?" he asked smoothly, hoping Zelda didn't give herself away. "I was planning on taking her out, mull over where Fullmetal could be. According to the body count, he isn't dead."
Laughing, Fuhrer Bradley folded his hands behind his back. "Of course not! A train wreck is hardly enough to take out our young state alchemist." He looked to Zelda and took her hand gently, seemingly unbothered by her otherwise different appearance. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?"
"Katarine," she replied softly with a smile. "The pleasure is mine."
She's good, Hughes thought as some of the tension in his mind lessened. Had me worried for a bit…I don't even want to think of the consequences of being caught…
"It's good to see a new face around here, whereabouts are you from?"
Zelda hesitated, before speaking again. "A small village, probably nothing of concern. I only came to Central City recently."
Nodding, the Fuhrer turned to leave. "Well I'll leave you to your business then, Mustang. Good luck with finding Fullmetal."
Roy saluted. "Thank you sir."
When the door closed, Roy sunk into his chair with a sigh of relief. "I wasn't expecting a visit from him…Princess, as soon as I get this report in, I'll…"
"Perhaps it would be best if even behind closed doors you called me by…Adele, was it?" she interjected before he finished, glancing toward the only exit in the room.
Hughes stood up, stretching before moving toward the door. "Hey Roy, after work, why don't you two come over for dinner? That way Miss Katarine can meet my darling little Elysia!" He waved cheerily as he left.
"Idiot," Roy muttered under his breath with a knowing smile. After locking several things in his desk drawer, he picked up the briefcase Zelda had put her things in. "Let's go. I don't know how long you're going to be staying and I need to find out where my lieutenant is."
"Lieutenant?" she repeated. Roy jerked his thumb in the direction of a group picture on the wall.
"The blonde woman…well, the only woman." Roy tried to make his desk look like he had been working. "I sent her with the big guy, a Warrant Officer and a Sergeant Major to look for one of our state alchemists. That would be the short kid next to the suit or armor."
Zelda traced her fingers over the faces before a heavy sigh escaped her lips. "As I thought…"
"What? Say something?" he asked her, eyebrow raised.
"No, nothing," she returned cheerfully. "Is there a certain way I should act when we leave?"
Roy put his arm across her shoulders. "Hm, I don't know, just stay next to me. Wouldn't hurt to seem a bit shy around others…" Stepping out, he ignored the 'no-fucking-way' look that had conquered Havoc's face. Sometimes he gave the people who knew him a light smile. He was Roy Mustang. Of course he had a beautiful woman hanging off of him. Were they stupid?
They probably were, because she wasn't very good at looking interested in him.
"Exactly where are we headed?" she asked after a moment, glancing around the many pedestrians.
"Central City library. I need to arrange for Lieutenant Ross and Sheska to take you to get some more clothing. It's not exactly something I have in my home."
"O-of course. They both work at this library?" She didn't quite understand the military's way of running things around here. "I thought the lieutenant…"
"I sent her to look something up for me at the library," Roy cut her off, turning up the alley. Zelda was quickly coming to the conclusion that her guardian was more of a nuisance now that his "better" personality was showing through. "Then I instructed her to meet me where there won't be any other military officers, and no one of any importance."
He was greeted with her silence. "I'll return to you three in an hour," he added after turning another corner. There Sheska and the lieutenant were waiting. "After that, I'll be expecting some sort of explanation."
He saluted, speaking quietly with Lieutenant Ross before leaving.
"Well," she began indifferently as Sheska pulled her jacket closer around her. "We've only got an hour to blend you in. Let's get started."
- - -
"Are you okay?" The small blue fairy circled around Ed as he stopped and sat down.
"I need to adjust my leg," he retorted, swatting at Navi. "Which I'll add, could have been completely avoided if I didn't have to chase you on your stupid horse!" He pointed a finger accusingly at Link before glaring down at his left leg. He pulled the pant leg up and peered down at the automail.
Link's blue eyes had widened considerably. He looked much more like a surprised child now instead of a mature adult. "W-what is that?" he asked after a moment as Ed attempted to reset the leg back into place.
"My leg," Ed repeated. "Stuff happened and I needed a prosthetic arm and leg. Ow! Jeez, we're going to have to go to Risembool before heading to central."
"You can't set it back, Brother?" Al kneeled next to him. "Maybe it means you've grown, so it's not long enough?"
A small smile crept to Ed's face as he pulled the pant leg down and stood up. "Hehe, maybe. So why are we at the castle?"
Link climbed up the hill and across the front gate to the castle. He wasn't sure they'd allow him and Zelda any privacy to speak.
…that, and he hadn't seen her in several years. Chances were they'd throw him out.
"I need to speak to the Princess, without any guards to overhear any of it." After leading them around to the side, Link looked at the small hole.
There was no way in all hell that he could fit in there now.
"Well…I used to get in that way…it only makes sense I couldn't get in there now. But how…" He glanced over toward Navi as she circled above Ed's reach.
Al was staring at Ed. Link was staring too.
"I can't think of any other way to get in," Link said to himself, loud enough for Ed to hear him.
"Keh!" Ed folded his arms. "I can get through there no problem. Bit of alchemy, and I can get to that princess faster than you ever could."
"I doubt it," Link challenged as he adjusted his gauntlets. "I don't think you could fit through there, let alone get past the guards and to the garden where Zelda spends her time."
"Wanna bet!" Without waiting for exactly what Link wished to tell the Hyrulian princess, Ed jumped across to the ledge and crawled through.
Link was halfway between a laugh and a sigh when Ed disappeared. "What an idiot…"
"People say that a lot," Al added, sitting next to Link. "But Ed's really smart, and creative. He might get lost, but he won't get caught."
Link looked doubtful but made no further remarks on his brother. "How exactly did the two of you become banned from the city?"
"Um…it happened really fast…" Al looked to the sky as he relived the experience. "We went to pay for a meal, and Ed asked if there was a bank where he could change his money. They just came out all mad, so we ran away."
Link's grave expression solidified. "That's unusual…the people of Hyrule have always been respectful…" He looked like he might say something more but didn't.
"Link! Look!"
Navi had managed to get inside Al without him paying much attention.
"He's empty!"
"Leave Alphonse alone…" Link began, before the fairy began to thump against the metal shell. Link hadn't asked questions before, but thinking back…the voice had seemed slightly hollow.
"But Link, he's empty!"
"Um, I can explain!" Al said quickly before anymore words could be exchanged. "Brother and I did something a long time ago. So I don't have a real body right now, and Ed's right arm and leg are prosthetic. But that's why Ed became a state alchemist, so we could find how to get those things back." Al regarded Link, and if the armor could convey his feelings, a deep-set expression of anxiety would be etched on his face.
As Navi exited the suit of armor as Al opened up the chest plate, Link smiled and shrugged, leaning back on his hands. "Fair enough. Edward is older than you, right?"
Al nodded.
"I thought you sounded like a kid too." Link looked over and was surprised by the suddenly happy mood of the younger Elric. "What?"
"I didn't think anyone who didn't know our secret thought I was a kid!" he exclaimed gleefully.
"It's not too hard to tell," Link continued, glancing over toward the castle. No noise or sign of Ed being thrown out. That was good. "You don't act like an adult. The Kokiri wouldn't have paid you much attention if you were."
"Really?"
Link nodded empathetically. "Yes. They're children. If any adult can manage to get into the forest, they would completely ignore him completely."
"How do you know that?" Al pressed, curious about this country and their weird people.
"Because we're from there!" Navi exploded in her tiny voice as she peeped out of the green hat. Link looked off again.
"I know the Kokiri children never grow up. I'm Hylian."
"Okay." Al didn't really understand the difference, they still looked the same. "So I guess you guys don't use alchemy, do you?"
"What's alchemy?" Link had ignored Ed when he mentioned it. It didn't sound quite as important when he said it.
"Er…well..." Al pulled out a piece of chalk to begin his tutorial. Not only were they technologically behind, they didn't know alchemy either…
If one peered closely to the far left of Link and Al, they'd see Ed sneaking up the side of a tower. He had used alchemy to make small steps to get up. Yes, he had though about sneaking through the courtyard. But no, no Ed didn't think that a princess would be outside.
He slipped through the glass-less window and walked toward the door. After six or seven hard turns of the handle, he determined that it was indeed locked. Well...no need to put effort into this problem.
It was a good thing no one lived in the stairwell that led to that tower room. They might have gotten hit as Ed kicked the door off it's hinges. Hurray for powerhouse automail! He sauntered down the stairs, looking at the bare walls and wondering why there was an unoccupied tower in a big happy white castle. He stopped walking down the stairs and peered at something engraved in the wall. Circle…triangle thing… He rubbed away some grime with the hem of his jacket sleeve.
Gasping, Ed traced his fingers over it. What was an alchemy circle doing here? He hadn't seen any alchemists in his time in Hyrule. Unless there was another state alchemist nearby. Ed did not put it past the military to want to expand it's territory as far as it could, yet…
Somehow it just didn't look like the kind of circle an esteemed alchemist would make.
"It…wouldn't be them…there's nothing in here they would want unless…the Truffle thing actually exists!" There were only two of the homunculi that Ed could think of that might have obtained that information. The rest he had met were either stupid, or incapable of obtaining such a secret.
Ed glanced over to his left and closed his eyes, smirking. "We might just have some competition to get our hands on this thing, Al…" Leaving it alone, he continued down the spiraling staircase until he met with a door. The heavy footsteps of guards echoed on the other side. Slowly he pushed down on the latch and pulled toward him, sending a look down toward the squeaking hinges. He took one step out, glanced in both directions before bolting down the corridor ahead of him. He slowed down at the next door to catch his breath. Now if he was a princess, where would he be? High up, all princesses stayed in rooms that took some time to get to. So he needed to find more stairs. Lovely.
And Ed did find stairs. He also found lots of guards. There was a path of destruction leading to the princess' quarters. Broken weapons and unconscious guards littered the floor. As far as the alchemist was concerned, they were not his mess. He pushed open the first grand-looking door in the hallway and peered in. Grand furniture adorned the room, which was mostly white with the odd touch of violet and pale blue here and there.
"Well this was a waste of time," he said to the walls. "There's no one in this room." He paused and glanced back as the lock on the door slid shut.
"Princess Zelda is no longer in the castle." A dark skinned woman with light hair stood in his way to the door. "She's no longer in Hyrule, however, it is imperative that Link finds her as soon as he can."
"Just who are you?" Ed regarded her seriously. "And why should I trust your word?"
An almost wry smile made its way onto the woman's face. "My name is Impa, I was the princess' attendant and body guard." She moved closer to Ed, holding out a letter. "This is for Link from the princess. By that balcony there is a ledge. Follow it out to the way you came in." As Ed took the letter and moved to leave, she gripped his shoulder and her expression had turned much more threatening. "The item you're looking for isn't going to change a thing. You're wasting your time searching."
Ed brushed her off with a glare. "You don't know what you're talking about." He slid the letter into an inner coat pocket before walking out onto the veranda. When he looked back, she had disappeared. Ed narrowed his eyes. The door was still locked…unnatural woman.
Following the ledge, he leapt to outer wall then down onto his brother's shoulders. He looked at Link snidely.
"The princess isn't in the damn castle. So the bet doesn't count."
- - -
Roy turned the key in the keyhole, and pushed open the door to his home. The first floor was pretty simple, a living room with a few picture frames here and there, with a kitchen-dining room in the next room. There were two paper bags with new clothes for his new guest off to the side.
Without even looking he snapped his fingers and the candles on the wall were soon illuminated. When Zelda was inside, he locked the door again. "Sit down…we've got quite a bit to go through," he told her while removing his military jacket. "I understand that Amestris is a fair bit different than your own country. But I've been suspicious of the military for a while now, and can't afford to get caught doing anything illegal." He sat next to her on the loveseat.
"Where shall I start?" she inquired politely. "There are some things I am uncertain about concerning my problem directly. I believe such things will be revealed soon."
Roy leaned back, regarding her closely. "Lets start with your background and work from there."
Zelda clasped her hands. "If you wish. As you're aware, I am the Princess of Hyrule and currently the only heir to the throne. Hyrule is overall a quiet country and it's rare that we interact with others. Hyrule has plenty of myths and legends surrounding it's people. Truthfully, I can't say that legends are all they are."
Roy moved to speak. "So you're saying on top of this 'magic' you seem to be able to use, these stories have actually happened as well?"
Nodding, Zelda continued. "One in particular about the creation of the world. To be brief, the goddesses left a sacred and powerful item behind – called the Triforce. When obtained the Triforce grants the heart's true desires. Ten years ago a dark sorcerer by the name of Ganon managed to get his hands on it; that almost cost Hyrule's existence. If it weren't for Link…he may have very well come after your country next." She waited for Roy to digest the information.
Roy put a hand to his chin in thought. He didn't remember hearing of any events to the west ten years ago. Then again, ten years ago wasn't too long after the slaughter in Ishbal. "I'm going to be honest, Princess…"
"Adele," she corrected sweetly. She wasn't taking any chances in this foreign world. What little she had seen had been enough to convince her that safety was fragile here too.
Roy seemed not to hear her. "I don't recall any report of happenings in the west."
Smiling, she brushed her hair behind her shoulders. "Of course not. After Link and I sealed Ganon, and his power, away in the dark realm…we returned to the time before Hyrule's decimation. There are only a few others outside Link and myself that recall the event. But that brings us to right now.
"I've had nightmares of late of newer powers searching again for the Triforce. I'm certain that no one could release Ganon yet I cannot think of anyone who could become so powerful in such a short time." She raised her right hand, revealing the shape of the Triforce. "Link, Ganon, and myself each bear a piece of the Triforce. I hold the triangle of wisdom; Link of courage; Ganon of power. Once brought together they will form one. I can only hope that this will not happen again."
"So you fled the country to protect the piece of the Triforce? And this Link…what about him?" Roy was liking this idea less and less. All he could spell out of this was war, something he did not wish to enter again. The magic and legends, all this fairytale nonsense was hard enough to believe, but she spoke seriously.
And she had conjured fire out of nothing. No alchemy circles whatsoever.
Zelda looked away from him, as if she were staring out at someone else. "Link is a Hylian swordsman…the only one capable of wielding the sword of light kept in the temple of time. We've not spoken for years yet I know that he feels the change in Hyrule's winds. He'll be searching for me, but there are others. Once Link finds me, you no longer need to concern yourself with Hyrule."
"Others? Anyone in specific?" He hadn't done a guard-mission since his rookie days. That felt like a long time ago now.
Zelda appeared troubled when he asked this. She stood up and paced for a few moments, calculating her response. "Of course…there are many…but Link will find himself in the company of one who I truly worry about. My premonitions haven't outlined anything evil to himself yet…I fear perhaps that it's something he's yet to realize."
"Who is he?" he pressed firmly, beginning to lose his patience. She folded her hands tightly against her breastbone, biting just slightly on her lower lip.
"An unarmed soldier. He doesn't seem to have any loyalties, and the his skills greatly surpass your own. I can't allow him to get close to the Triforce...only those who have witnessed it's power can understand it. You mustn't let this alchemist find me or who I am until he has realized what his search is going to finally bring him to!"
"Alchemist? What does he look like?" Roy stood up and reached for her shoulder to keep her still. "Most all alchemists are known by the state. If we can apprehend this guy ahead of time, now would be better than later."
"Gold eyes. That was all I saw." She looked up at him. Roy had paled considerably. He sat down with a blank stare in his eyes.
He looked down to the circle on his glove. "I can only think of two alchemists by that description," he told her quietly. It was almost a whisper. "And let me tell you, Princess Zelda, you had better hope you misinterpreted that if either one of these is correct."
END/CHAPTER
Lor: whoo…that was long…and it took a while too. Sorry bout the wait!
Enaru: And now its shout-out time. Yay. haha. Well…won't give anything away, but you may or may not have inspired a little something later on.
Meneil: there's no way Dustin would allow me to let Ed transmute the Master Sword. He'd never let me back into his house, or play the FMA game, or let me talk about FMA….oh god! I don't even want to think about it! And of course Ed enjoyed that friendly race with Link!
Amy Jones: Well…chapters are a bit slower, but we're trying
Quandtuniverse: The Kujo pun was amazing. I only thought of it cause the movie was on TV. Lucky I was scrolling through the guide, eh?
Vladimir the Hamster: may I remark that your SN is very long? Just kidding. You need to watch even more FMA. Yes. Its healthy. You just can't have Ed.
Lunatic Pandora1: well…I hope this chapter answered your question and well…yes…trouble is the essence of fiction. No really, this would suck without all the problems we're heaping onto the characters
X Piastol X: You can't have Ed. I'm sorry, but I don't share. I'm horrible. You can have Link though. That's okay. But not Ed. And you may most definitely have Yasha-kun
Lor: now, this last one is to the lovely flamer who couldn't even put a contact email for us to direct you wonderful people to! And by wonderful, I mean everyone else! )
Dustin: And now a special shout-out from our good friend me! Also, Lor, refrain from any comments on my ego please.
Kyia Star: Wow… First I'd like to address this as what it really is. A flamer. Now you tried to seem better then your average flamer by pointing out "flaws" in the fic, but in all reality, when it all comes down to it, you're still an anonymous moron on the internet. What's the most amusing, is that these "flaws" are not that at all. They fit in with the characters just fine. Well, the brothers didn't explain what exactly Al was to other alchemists. You know why? Because these alchemists understand what it was they did, and could get them in serious trouble. Now, what would be the harm in explaining such things to curious, isolated children? If you still want to argue this, too bad. You lose. And as for Ed complaining about the hijackers. Well it only happens once in the anime. Go play the game. He complains. A fair bit actually. Once again, you lose. Now if you would please refrain from continuing with the flaming it would be greatly appreciated.
Dustin: Phew… Well that's a lot there. I also hope I didn't break any rules or something with that. I wanted to do that since I first read this "review". Anyway, as far as that goes, I'd also like to say to any other flamers that we won't acknowledge them. We'll just laugh at you. No matter how annoyed it may make certain people. Right Lor?
Lor: I got over it. I'm not annoyed. I'm disappointed in the stupidity that plagues our poor continent. Ahem! Let's also be frank about the manga…you either
actually don't own it, judging your remark's information
have really shitty fan-trans. (you shouldn't be downloading it now that it's licensed anyway) or….
you can't read very well.
Enaru: You're done Lor.
Lor: oki doki.
Enaru: now for the sake of having more lines, I would like to insert an apology for all the attention put on Kyia Star (who has a totally generic screen name…). But I think if anyone knows his/her/it's email, they should share it and we can draw out this proving-ourselves-right even further!
Lor: okay. NOW it's the end of the chapter. Ciao!