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They broke in through the stone flooring, listening intently for the footsteps of guards before hurrying off to the castle's treasure room. The coverage of soldiers was surprisingly minimal, it caused a bit of uneasiness in the trio.
"Are the guards that stupid?" A large man whispered to the others.
Another inspected the area diligently, then shrugged. "Maybe they've been cut back by the war."
The third, a much smaller man with golden hair, scoffed and hurried down the dark corridor.
"This castle doesn't need heavy guarding," He snapped, guilt lacing his sharp words, "because there's no need to break in."
It was apparent in their small-time within the kingdom's boundaries that not one person would think of doing what they had planned. It sickened the golden-haired man that he had to succumb to this, but he needed to do it.
The three men ran swiftly through the shadows until they reached their destination.
"After you." One of the large men said, and the golden-haired man clapped his hands, and upon touching the door, unlocked it immediately.
They entered the treasure room and quickly began their search, tossing aside gems and gold as they searched for a relic of legend.
"Why aren't we snagging some of this as well?" One of the large men said, his dark features reflecting off the gold piece in his hand. "We could give it to the poor back home."
"This country doesn't owe our people anything." The golden-haired man replied, his eyes searching desperately for the item in which he pined.
The man shrugged and continued his search.
The golden-haired man scanned the room and spotted a dark corner off in the distance. He hastily made his way to it, noticing immediately that the items stowed away were obscure and, more than likely, hid what he so desperately desired. There was a small chest on a mantle and, as he did before, he clapped his hands and opened it.
The smile that took his face was wild and full of splendor as he reached in and pulled out a small, silver pocket watch. He dangled it in the air, admiring the old piece as it twisted and turned inches above his nose.
"Guys, I found it." He croaked, but his mind was taken by a portrait that hung above him.
There was no doubt the family in the portrait was royal, but never had he seen a painting of a royal family that looked so happy. The woman was an unbelievable vision, her happiness radiated that of a new mother as she held a small baby close to her heart. The man wore a proud smile as he wrapped an arm around his bride, his other cradled the newborn's head.
"Alright, let's go!" One of the men called out, pulling the golden-haired man out of his trance.
He pocketed the watch and ran towards them. They left the room, relocked the door, and headed back to the place in the floor that would lead to their escape. One by one, they entered the secret door. The golden-haired man was last to go through, for he had to close the opening. As he lowered himself into the hole, a guard turned the corner.
"Halt!" He shouted, but the man slipped down and sealed the passage.
"We've got to run!" He shouted as he got to his feet.
"Huh? Why?" The large man with light hair asked, running behind him.
"Because, Idiot!" He snapped. "Alchemy isn't outlawed here!"
A loud boom was heard behind them, and guards began to drop down into their tunnel.
"SHIT!"
They ran into the darkness as fast as they could, the golden-haired alchemist making barriers in the walls to help him escape. Eventually, they reached their ending point.
"Lift me up!" He shouted to the men, and one tossed him in the air.
He clapped and smacked the ceiling, and another opening appeared.
He climbed through the hole and offered a hand to his comrades.
"Hah! Like you could lift us out of here, Pipsqueak." One laughed.
"Shut up!" He yelled. "Now c'mon! They're going to catch you!"
The two men looked to one another, and back to the alchemist with smiles on their faces. "We'll hold them off." One said. "You get back to your brother."
The alchemist froze. "Darius… Heinkel... I-"
"GO!" They shouted, and the alchemist nodded, running off towards the kingdom's border.
Their sacrifice, however noble, didn't help as much as they would have hoped. The palace guards must have alerted the kingdom's soldiers, for he was running for his life as he crossed the border into uncharted land.
He swore loudly as he cut in and out of trees, dove under thick brush, and jumped over small streams.
He was starting to lose them, but he was growing tired fast. He needed to find a place to hide. He pivoted to the right and rolled down a steep hill, quickly taking cover behind a large boulder embedded into the earth. He leaned back into the moss-covered side as soldiers began to approach and, to his extreme surprise, fell through a hidden opening.
"What the hell?" He muttered, and stood to find himself inside the boulder.
He placed a hand against the wall, and immediately looked to it after feeling strange engravings under the tips of his fingers. His eyes grew wide with shock; there were markings of a transmutation circle etched into the stone! He analyzed the little bit of the circle that remained and realized that parts of the symbols looked like it was meant for opening a hidden door.
The alchemist smirked. Most people wouldn't be able to enter this hiding place, because the transmutation was missing half of its circle. Lucky for him, he didn't need it.
He clapped and placed his hands on the wall, and an opening to blackness appeared. He was hesitant to enter, but he could hear the sounds of the soldiers' footsteps getting louder and louder. He swallowed his pride, headed straight into the darkness, and closed the entrance behind him.
The air was stale inside the secret door. He felt the walls in blind hope that, maybe, there would be a torch somewhere. Lucky for him, his left hand fell upon one.
"Good thing I keep matches on me." He thought out loud, and lit the torch, revealing a passageway that led deep into the earth.
A part of him didn't want to go further, but a bigger part of him was scared to stay by the entrance and possibly be caught by a soldier who knew alchemy. He gulped and made his plunge deep into the secret tunnel.
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It had been two days since Kimblee's departure, and Winry grew terrified of what would happen upon his return. She knew she couldn't love him, at least not in the way that he desired. It sickened her to think of how he might approach her, and frightened her to think of how he might handle her saying no.
She paced the halls of her underground home as she thought about what was to come. Oh, if only there was another way around this!
Then, she heard a strange thud in the distance, followed by swearing from a voice she didn't recognize. She paused, then continued her pacing. It was often that she'd hear voices echo in her head. They often belonged to the people in her dreams, simply replaying themselves over again.
But then she saw a small light approaching, and that was something she had never experienced. She squeaked and slipped into her workroom to hide.
It couldn't be Kimblee, could it? He still had one more day on his journey! He never arrived back early, and she hoped he wouldn't break that tradition, especially with what was happening.
She could hear footsteps, a low whistle, and her body froze. Quickly, she grabbed one of her tools that laid stranded on the floor. She took in deep breaths as the footsteps grew louder.
Her heart was beating rapidly, but she wasn't afraid. She couldn't comply with his wishes, and she wasn't going to be weak. She wasn't going to let him harm her again.
She scooted to the doorway as the footsteps sounded only a foot away, and when they reached her, she screamed and wailed the man straight in the head!
She opened her eyes when she heard the body fall to the floor, and let out a scream.
That man was definitely NOT Kimblee.
She ran back into her shop and panted heavily. How in the world did someone get down here? Was he going to hurt her? Did he want her for her power, like Kimblee said so many had before? Now, more than ever, she wished the demented man were there to help her, but she couldn't rely on him anymore. Could she?
"No." She whispered.
She needed to take care of herself.
She steadied her breathing and peaked out into the hall again. The torch that he held in his hand must have died out when she hit him, but the lights from the candles in the rooms were enough for her to see his features. His hair was like hers, only a little darker it seemed. He didn't look to be very tall, perhaps a smidgen above her height at most. His shoulders were very broad, a feature her eyes continued to fall on. She took her tool and pushed away a mess of long bangs that covered his face, revealing a strong jaw and pointed nose. Despite these sharp features, there was something soft about him, something—
She shook her head immediately and hardened her face. A man that breaks into a safe haven to steal an innocent girl's powers is not soft, or any other silly fancy that tried to pop into her mind. This was no time to be weak or naive, she needed to be brave and take care of herself if no one else would. She grabbed the unconscious man by the arm and dragged him into her workshop.
She was going to make sure she knew exactly why he came for her.
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