A/N: Trigger warning for abuse near the end of the chapter.

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Many years had come and gone, but the warring kingdoms did not rest. The lines that divided the nations had turned barren and dead, the ground dyed dark from the blood of fallen soldiers. The Aged Queen grew sullen, and her subjects' anger over the loss of their beloved prince and princesses only grew with the passing time.

The Hollow King, however, grew even more avaricious as the war waged on, claiming the lands of smaller estates and slaughtered the natives, using their homes as battlefields. He relished in the chaos and destruction.

It was a terrible time for the people of both nations.

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However, far off in the uncharted forests, still untouched by the warring kingdoms, the child of the prince and princess grew to be a lovely young woman. Her kind heart and sharp wit mirrored that of her mother's, as well as her beauty, and her thirst to learn could only be rivaled by her father's.

Although Kimblee's interest in the girl was solely for her mystic power, he was as kind to her as a man with a dead heart could have been. He brought her books and taught her things so that she could stand to be on her own, earning the nickname 'Master', but kept her naive with his forked-tongue.

"The world is cruel and will destroy such a pure creature, like yourself." He'd tell her whenever she'd look to the sky. "You're only safe here. You must never leave this place."

And she obeyed; for Kimblee was her protector, or so she thought.

During the times when his bloodlust needed to be satisfied, he would prick the tip of the precious girl's fingers, and bottle her blood to use as a weapon. This way he could harness her power, but keep her hidden. It was a devious plan that had never failed him throughout those years, and Winry never rejected participating in the tradition, for she did not understand that it was perverse and immoral.

Kimblee studied tomes on the mystics and sciences of the world, and through his research learned of ways to use Winry's sacred power. His favorite being that of alchemy; it had proven to be quite useful in keeping their haven hidden. He kept the girl ignorant of these studies and refused to allow her to learn about it, using his manipulative talents once again to keep her under his control.

Yet, the girl never resented the overbearing man. Her only wish was that the world was safe enough for her to explore, or that she was strong enough to face its evils.

She never thought that such evils were embedded in the very man that kept her hidden.

That is, until one day…

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Winry sat in her newly restored bedroom, reading a text on mechanics. She had loved the idea of new-aged technology; machines that could take a human to the skies, or the depths of the seas-ah! It was so exciting to her. She wanted deeply to be like one of the sound minds in that field, to create something astounding.

"Hello, my little lotus."

Winry became joyous upon hearing those words, and when her eyes landed on her protector, she leaped and bounded to him.

"Master!" She shouted in glee and wrapped her arms tightly around his middle as a child would upon the arrival of their father. "Oh, I've missed you so!"

Kimblee did not hug her back, a fact she was quite accustomed to, and she pulled away to shine at him her dazzlingly smile. "What was it like this time? Did you see any new places? Learn new things?"

He remained silent as she asked her questions, keeping his focus on something that had ever so recently been grasping his attention: her body. Her movements were pure and innocent, but the softness of her body became more tantalizing with every passing day. Even in the darkness of their underground domain, she glowed like a star in the blackest sky. He knew that his body had become addicted to the power her blood would give him, but he was starting to crave her in ways he hadn't before, his sinful heart taking in another form of darkness.

The idea of taking her as his had been planted in his mind many years ago. Having such a power devoted to him even deeper than it was now? Why that just made his body warm in ways the young girl had never even learned about. A twisted smile captured his face as his eyes moved to the girl's lips.

"…. another dream. I know you find these things trivial, but this one was so real."

His eyes narrowed.

"I thought I've told you before, my little lotus, those dreams mean nothing."

Her eyes were pleading for him to listen, and he motioned for her to continue. Should he take her as his, he supposed that feigning concern could help his wooing her.

Her smile grew wider. "Well, this time, I was a princess."

A surge of caution struck Kimblee.

"I was going somewhere, it was dark, and I was with my family. Our carriage was attacked, and I was so scared." She took in a breath and looked into the eyes of her protector. "Before I woke up, I was staring at a man. I-I'm certain that man was you."

He knew where this would lead. His darling little lotus would ask 'why'. Why would he be in her dreams, in such an awful scene?

His sharp and sinister mind-forged an idea, and he softened his face as much as could, taking the girl's small hand into his own.

"Was I your savior?" He asked, his false attentiveness was so well-played, and Winry believed it.

"I don't know." She replied, looking thoughtfully to the ground. "I woke before the dream could tell me."

A soft hum passed through his twisted lips, and he placed his other hand on the delicate curve of her jaw. An uneasy feeling blossomed in Winry's chest, and it frightened her, for she had never felt such a feeling before.

"Maybe your dreams are trying to tell you something." He whispered, and pushed a lock of her soft hair behind her ear. "Perhaps, about me?"

He watched shock and confusion brighten her eyes, and left the room. He had planted the seed in her mind, he just needed to let it bloom.

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Day after day, Winry grew more apprehensive towards her protector with every encounter. The slight touches, the way he'd stare, it caused a panic inside of her that couldn't be calmed. He was as close to family as any human could be to her. He had told her about when he saved her from death as a baby and raised her as his own. She never thought she'd have to ignore the advances of the man that she could consider to be her father. She never thought she'd feel so unsafe in what was supposed to be her safe haven.

She was hiding in her workroom, fiddling with a piece of metal that her 'protector' had brought her back from his last trip. She wanted to flatten it and used it for a small beam in her room, to keep the earth from falling through the cracks in her ceiling. She didn't hear him walk in as she worked.

He crept behind her, blew lightly at the skin of her neck, and whispered. "Hello, my little lotus."

She froze. The uneasy feeling that erupted in her nearly making her sick.

"H-Hello, Master." He managed to say, and the man released an oily chuckle.

"I'm not your master anymore, little lotus." He said, running the back of his hand lightly across her fair cheek. "You haven't been my student for many years. Why you insist on calling me that?"

"I've grown accustomed to it." She answered, and his eyes went hard.

"Grow out of it." He growled, then softened his voice. "You will call me Kimblee from now on. Do you understand, my little lotus?"

She gulped and nodded her answer.

His hand traveled down her neck. It went over her shoulder, down her sides, and landed on her work table. The lightness of the touches made her insides shudder. She hoped his advances would end here, as had been.

But then he leaned in smelled her hair, his bottom lip dampening the tip of her ear, and her body reacted without her consent.

The metal clanged to the floor as Kimblee's head snapped back from the strike.

Winry's eyes grew large from terror as he slowly turned back to her, rage contorted his features into something inhuman. She gasped at the sight.

He grabbed her by the wrists and flung her into the wall. She let out a wail in fear as his nose touched hers.

"You dare deny me? I am your protector-your only chance at safety in this wicked world." He brought his face down to her neck, sniffing the skin. "You will be mine…"

Winry flailed her body with all of her might, successfully breaking the sickening contact with Kimblee. His stare was wild with disdain, and he slapped her with such a force that her entire body was struck back.

Kimblee's rage was becoming too strong, her rejection was starting to eat away at the little sanity he had. He grabbed the raw metal off the floor, took the girl's hand, and sliced it open. Her screams did nothing to affect him. He pulled a vial from his chest piece and filled it with her crimson blood. He licked his lips absent-mindedly as he watched the container fill.

"I'm going away." He stated. "I will be back in three days' time. You will make your decision then; be alone forever, or be mine."

He left the room as swiftly as he had entered, smiling wickedly to himself. She would be his no matter what she decided, he just wanted to play with her a little more.

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Winry stared emotionlessly at the wrist Kimblee had cut. The skin had healed, and there was no scar, but she had been greatly damaged. She didn't feel the tears that ran down her face as she curled into herself, whimpering like a lost animal, hoping their calls will be heard.

But no one could hear her, she was all alone.

She wondered if she always would be.

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