Chapter Eight
"Thank you for coming, dear." Bob gestured to the table where a modest meal of sandwiches was laid out. "I know you don't get a lot of time for lunch."
"No, I borrowed a horse from the base stable, to give us a little more time since you said it was important," Riza said uncomfortably. She knew when she got sent on a temporary duty assignment from the academy to Portsmouth that she'd have to deal with her past and all that remained of her family but it wasn't as if a cadet could say no, no matter how much she wanted to.
"Yes, very important. You know, Riza, that technically your care is my responsibility until you're of age. No one asked me if I wished for you to enter the military academy." Bob's brown eyes hardened. He didn't touch his food. "You just up and followed that fool boy."
"You've never had any reservations that I was aware of," Riza said, unable to sample her lunch. She didn't like where this was going. She had in her mind a host of ideas as to what he was going to say, each uglier than the other. "I've been at the academy a year already."
"A year that would have been better spent at Rennsalaer," Bob countered, drumming his fingers on the table.
"I'm happy where I am now, Uncle," Riza said, trying to keep her voice even though she felt the swell of panic in her.
"In the military? You don't need to be in that uniform, carrying weapons. It's not befitting your station," Bob argued.
"And if I wasn't, people might have died last night." She tried to let her pride in her accomplishment show, as if it might persuade her uncle to see things her way.
"You shot a man," Bob slapped a hand on the table. "What would your father think? He hated the military."
"He'd be happy that I'm making my own way," she said uncertainly. Father hadn't thought she was ready for that, hence him giving her to Roy. "It's my choice...and it's Major Mustang's. Father left my fate to him."
Bob snorted imperiously. "That boy? I'm your uncle. Your care falls to me."
Riza shook her head. "That isn't what Father wanted. He made Roy promise to take care of me and he has."
"Dumping you in the military is not caring for you." Bob sighed, his face morphing into the benign worried uncle expression. "Please don't be difficult, Riza. I'm putting my foot down. I'm having you withdrawn from the military academy. You'll come back to Rennsalaer."
"I will not!" She dropped her glass, heedless of the spilled water.
"And you'll marry Keddrick Thorne and that's the last we'll speak of this," Bob growled, moping the spilled water away from him.
Riza couldn't speak for a moment. Of all the scenarios she had in her head for Bob and Keddrick's meetings, maneuvering her into this position hadn't ever entered her head. While half the purpose of Rennsalaer was to arrange good marriages, she hadn't expected to be bartered off without so much as a by your leave. "No, I won't." She slammed her hands down on the table, griping it tight as she fought for control of her emotions.
"Listen, girlie, Thorne wants you and I want his money. Your father might have cared nothing about restoring the family fortune but I'm not him. You will do as you're told. I'm not going to let some deathbed arrangement by my idiot brother take away the one chance I have to do that. There's nothing on paper saying Mustang is your guardian and I'll be damned if I stand idly by and have you snub your chance at a fortune."
"No." Riza jumped up, her legs shaking. "I won't do it. There is nothing you can do to make me marry Keddrick."
"What if I lodge a complaint against the good major with General Householder after his conduct last night?" Bob was on his feet, hand locked over her wrist, faster than she knew her uncle could move.
"What are you talking about? It was a blizzard. You were the one who insisted Major Mustang stay the night in his old room. You even gave him the bedding!" Riza said, trying to yank free.
"And then that dreadful boy took advantage of my generosity and my niece's naive nature to seduce her in direct violation of the law. There is a law against that, I'm fairly sure of it." Bob smiled coldly.
"He didn't..." Riza whispered, wondering if they had somehow not heard her uncle listening in at the door. It was certainly possible or Keddrick could have told him about Roy's foolish insinuations in their game of one upmanship yesterday. The only real proof, the bloody sheets had been taken care of; Roy had transmuted whatever it was and turned it into a powder that shook out.
"Who cares if he did or if he didn't? Even without proof, they're likely to reprimand him formally and they'll probably boot you from the academy," Bob said triumphantly. "Or at least see it my why that you're better off here at Rennsalaer."
Riza pulled free, rubbing her bruised wrist. "It doesn't matter. I won't capitulate. I left Rennsalaer to get away from this place. I don't care if you do get me removed from the academy. I won't come back here. I won't marry him. This is a big country. I have friends. I'll go where you can't find me."
"Think what you want, little girl, you will do as you're told or you'll be very sorry," Bob grated out so coldly the outside felt like summer in comparison.
Riza just ran out and got the old riding mare she had taken out of the base stable. She had to warn Roy first and then, well, she did have friends. Avaron would be horrified. She's help Riza escape this fate. If worst came to worst, Riza would sell all the jewelry she managed to keep after her father's death and she would use the money to start a life anywhere but here. Nothing would compel her to marry Keddrick.
X X X
Roy didn't know what was worse, freezing his ass off out in the woods patrolling for Drachmaians or getting shoved into a tiny office with Maes assigned to tackle stacks of paperwork bigger than they were. Today was paperwork day. At least the little office was warm, too warm. Maes was face down on his stack, his glasses pushed up onto his forehead. Roy was like a cat in a sunbeam, all liquid, pouring into every nook of his chair, thoroughly relaxed. At the sound of his name, Roy jerked fully awake. The look on Riza's face made him sit up right, slamming his feet down, startling Maes awake. The fact that Riza didn't yell at them for goofing off was proof enough, even if he hadn't seen the fear in her eyes, to tell him something was dreadfully wrong.
"Hawkeye, what is it?" he asked, barely remembering to keep it formal just in case.
Riza made it to his desk then collapsed against it, nearly sending a towering stack of paperwork to the floor. "He's trying to force me out of the academy."
"What? Who is? What are you talking about?" Roy took Riza's shoulders. Maes was on his feet, coming around the desk as if to get between her and whatever might be coming for her.
Riza took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Uncle Bob has decided to finally take an interest in my life as my legal guardian now that he's realized he can sell me to Keddrick for profit."
"What?" Roy grated out, his fingers digging into her.
"Uncle Bob informed me I'm now engaged to Keddrick and he'll be rich," she spat, shaking under Roy's hands. "That had to be what Keddrick's oh-so-important meeting was about."
Roy's hands dropped and his legs went weak. "This is all my fault," he whispered. "If I hadn't kept trying to get the better of Keddrick..."
"No, Roy, it's not. Keddrick's always wanted me," Riza said, putting a hand on his cheek.
"It doesn't matter why it happened," Maes broke in and they jumped, all but forgetting he was still in the room. "What matters is what do we do about it."
"It's worse than you know," she said, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "If I don't agree, he's promised to tell Householder that you forced yourself on me, Roy...or seduced me..." Riza shook.
"How could he know?" What little color Roy had drained away. "I could have sworn he was way too drunk."
"He doesn't know," she interrupted. "He doesn't care that he has no proof. The allegations alone will ruin us and you know damn well Keddrick would gladly fill in details that don't exist from the dance."
"Son of a bitch," Roy growled, taking out his rage on a stack of paperwork, toppling it over off the desk.
"You're in a mess," Maes said, laying a gently hand on Riza's shoulder. "There has to be something we can do to help."
"If I have to, I'll run off once they throw me out of the academy. No matter what happens, he's not forcing me into a marriage. Even if I never get to see my friends again...I'll do what I have to." Riza wiped at her eyes, trying hard not to cry.
"Maybe a direct approach would be the best," Maes said, giving Roy a knowing look.
"That was my thought," Roy replied, gathering up the files.
"I don't understand," Riza said, looking between the men.
"You and I go to General Householder right now and tell him what your uncle is trying to do to you," Roy said.
"But no one but you and I heard Father's dying declaration about you taking care of me," Riza said, too rattled to think clearly.
"It doesn't matter. We tell him what Bob is going to say. We deny being lovers and ask for his help. Maybe he can't do anything to stop this, Riza, but if we beat Bob to it, maybe you stand a chance," Roy said.
"And at least maybe we can protect you, Roy." Riza brushed her fingers over his hand. "I'll settle for that much."
"You two go and I'll handle things here," Maes said. "Riza, is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, please call Avaron, Maes. Tell her what's happening. Tell her not to do anything," Riza said, obviously fearing her friend's temper. "Just tell her I might need to borrow money."
"Of course," Maes said, going for the phone.
Roy put his hand against the small of Riza's back and guided her out of the room. He didn't say anything to her as they walked towards Householder's office. Out in the open, someone might overhear and he suspected Riza needed the time to pull herself together. Roy had only rarely been tempted to use his alchemy to hurt someone and as awful as Keddrick had been to him, he hadn't thought of it until now.
Once in the general's office, they spoke to his adjutant and were told that the general should have time to see them. They waited in Householder's anteroom, silently waiting on him like prisoners awaiting final judgment. Finally Householder's aide let them in.
"We're sorry to disturb you, sir," Roy said, standing rigidly at the edge of Householder's desk.
The general indicated for them to sit. "You two look like you have something weighing on you."
"Sir, Cadet Hawkeye has a very grievous problem and there will be serious and untrue allegations made about me and we thought you needed to be aware of them since they will effect your command," Roy said grimly then he and Riza laid out Bob and Keddrick's plan.
Householder sat back at the end of it, stroking his moustache. "This is...a very vexing problem. I'm not sure that we could block your uncle from removing you from the academy if he is your legal guardian, Cadet."
"My father wished Major Mustang to be my guardian, sir," Riza said as if hoping if she said it enough someone important would believe her.
"And you contend there is no truth to your uncle's forthcoming allegations," Householder looked at them as if he didn't quite believe it.
Riza glanced at Roy then met Householder's eyes. "Sir, I can't deny my relationship with the major goes beyond our duties. We are friends, nothing more. He was my father's apprentice for years. Major Mustang lived in my father's home all that time. Maybe it's inappropriate for me to be under his command here but we didn't see it as a problem. If anything, our prior relationship makes us work better together, witness the attack on the party."
Householder sat stroking his prodigious moustache silently for several long moments. "I'll consult with our legal geniuses and see what we can do. I would hate to lose you, Hawkeye. Even as a cadet, you're a better soldier than some of my lifers. Though, at best, we may have to separate you and the major, just to appease the powers that be."
Roy and Riza exchanged glances again. "We understand that, sir," Roy said.
"I want to remain in the military, if at all possible, sir," Riza added. "I willingly left Rennsalaer Academy. It wasn't what I wanted to do with myself."
"I'll be sure to impress that on the legal consul," Householder promised. "All right, let me handle this and I want to impress this on both of you, you especially, Flame, do not talk with either Thorne or Hawkeye. Under no circumstances do you go to their homes, have nothing to do with them. If they insist on talking to you, you do so through a JAG officer, is that understood?"
"Yes," Roy mumbled. "Sir, I just transferred a good amount of money into Hawkeye's account in exchange for a room full of alchemic texts and devices that were my mentor's."
"I'll see to it that you get it, Mustang, even if you have to go with soldiers to make sure that you get what is yours," Householder told him.
"Thank you, sir." Roy got up and headed out with Riza on his heels. "Went better than I thought," he whispered to her.
"We're still in trouble, lots of it," she replied, looking drained
"Less than we were. Householder believes us," Roy said, "or is at least pretending to."
"This isn't going to end well," she said morosely.
Roy hazarded a light touch on her arm. "But it might not end as horrible as you fear. Come on, let's see what Maes has managed to do with Avaron. She might have killed Thorne by now."
"That's the best thought I've heard all day," Riza gave him a look that chilled him
