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Riza's eyes were soft but serious as she made up her mind and gave Roy her answer.
"I've told you many times over the years, Roy." She spoke, squeezing his hand that still grasped hers, "I'll follow you anywhere."
Roy's onyx orbs widened in happy surprise.
Yes, Riza and he had always shared a close bond and unspoken feelings towards each other that both silently acknowledged….
But for some reason he had been gripped by fear that she would spurn him tonight.
…...That she would say she could not forgive him for discharging her, even though his intentions were honorable…
…..That she would say those unspoken feelings between them had withered with time and Roy was only imagining them now…..
There were so many things Roy was afraid she would say that he didn't truly know how to respond to what she actually did say.
He stared at her for a long minute with a smug but happy smile on his face.
Riza smiled back.
One minute turned into two.
Riza kept on staring back at him, waiting for him to speak.
But Roy was silently hoping she would be the one to say something else because he wasn't really sure what to do now.
He had been surprised by the difficulties this evening had presented….…...
Planning a battle strategy was easy, but planning tonight had been one of the most onerous tasks he had performed in recent years.
"Colonel…." Riza began before she corrected herself. "Um, I mean Fuhrer….."
"Roy." He corrected her. "Just call me Roy now, Riza."
"Of course." Riza nodded. "I feel like you're waiting on me to say something…...but I was expecting you to….."
"Oh, right!" Roy replied sheepishly.
"Well," he said, as his cheeks turned a little pink with embarrassment. "To be truthful, Riza, I'm not sure what to say now."
Riza's smile softened into a grin. "And all these years, you've always seemed so smooth with the ladies."
"Yes, but you're my lady." Roy said genuinely, glancing down at their interlocked hands. "And that's different."
Riza chuckled at him.
She always enjoyed the times she got to see him not just as a leader, not just as a soldier, but as a man….
A man who was at least somewhat sensitive and vulnerable behind all that stoic robustness.
She looked forward to having more of those times with him, more intimacy, and less formalities.
As she thought silently, Roy gazed at her, falling quiet again.
Riza was clearly going to have to advance the conversation this evening or Amestris may never get its Fuhrer back.
"So then, what's next?" Riza asked, prompting him.
Sometimes Roy just needed a little nudging.
Riza had learned that about him over the years.
"With your permission, I'll be able to officially announce you as my fiancé. The government will make us go through a brief period of courtship and then…" Roy's voice trailed off and the smile on his face turned into a grin.
"And then?" Riza asked.
"And then we'll…..be married." Roy said, not being able to fight off the joy in his eyes as he spoke.
The way he was looking at her made Riza blush this time and she gave his hand one last squeeze as she spoke, "Then let's get started."
—
Roy did not elaborate further that night.
He offered no details about when anything concerning their courtship or marriage would occur.
While they sat at the patio table, Roy and Riza shared a few intense looks and for a moment, she thought he may close the small distance between them and kiss her.
But he didn't.
He did want to, though, he was just trying to be a gentleman.
They were also being watched.
Roy knew his subordinate that drove Riza would be peering through the curtains to see when he needed to get back to the car.
And, this was technically only their first date, not to mention Riza had been through a lot over the last few hours…...
No, no kisses, not yet.
Instead, Roy shared a romantic candlelit dinner with her.
Once it grew late, she stood to go.
"Well, I should be getting back now." Riza said politely.
"Why?" Roy asked.
Riza felt her head spin in realization.
She no longer had a job, which meant she didn't need to get up early.
"I…...um, well, Hayate will be missing me and besides, I need to let him out." She said quickly, thinking of her pet.
Oh yes, Hayate.
During the events of the evening, Roy had almost forgotten about him.
Riza saw the disappointment in Fuhrer Mustang's eyes when he knew that she did have a good reason to leave.
'I'll walk you out." Roy said chivalrously, standing and staying beside of her as they made their way across the path, back through the house, and out to the car.
As soon as he saw them get up, Roy's subordinate ran outside.
He made it in time.
By the time the couple walked out of the mansion's front door, Riza's chauffeur for the evening stood dutifully next to the car, waiting.
"Riza, " Roy started to say after his subordinate opened the door for her and she climbed into the seat.
The blonde woman turned around, eager to hear what he had to say.
"Thank you." Roy said with a genuine smile.
Of course, he didn't need to thank her and it was quite an awkward thing to say.
Roy didn't need to thank her for loving him.
Roy didn't need to thank her for agreeing to marry him.
Roy didn't need to thank her for her service to the country.
No, but there was something besides a simple "thank you" or even "I love you" that he was trying to communicate to her.
Fortunately, for him, Riza knew Roy very well, and she knew what he was trying to say.
She just knew.
Instead of "you're welcome", Riza responded by saying, "I'll follow you anywhere, Colonel."
Her words made Roy's heart skip a beat as the car door closed.
Then his subordinate saluted Roy, got in the car, started the engine, and pulled away.
—
Once she was back at her apartment, Riza cuddled with Hayate after she let him out.
The fluffy dog licked her face as tears of happiness, sadness, and pure emotional exhaustion rolled down her face.
Back at the Fuhrer mansion, Roy walked up the stairs to his new bedroom suite.
He took a shower and laid down on the expansive bed with a sigh.
He frowned.
Even though he was an experienced soldier who had seen and committed atrocities beyond imagination, he found the estate to be quite eerie, especially since he was now all alone.
Roy rolled over and tried to close his eyes.
It was such a large bed…...
What a shame he had no one to hold….
After laying awake for some time, he finally fell asleep.
Fo the rest of the night, Roy dreamed of the day when Riza would be lying there beside him.
Riza did not manage to sleep well at all that night.
The shock of the day's events sent her mind spinning into overdrive with feelings and questions that tormented her and kept her from rest, even though she was so drained.
It was a good thing she had been discharged.
Had she not, she would have been severely reprimanded the following morning.
Roy called at a quarter till nine and jolted her out of her sleep.
She sat up in a panic when she heard the phone ring, her blonde hair frizzy from her tumultuous tossing and turning, dark circles under her eyes from the hours she had spent lying awake, thinking.
"H...hello?" Riza asked, sleepy and startled, as she picked up the receiver, bewildered.
"I hope you don't think you're going to get to sleep all day after we're married." Roy's strong, masculine voice flowed into her ears.
Riza's eyes widened in surprise.
'Roy!" Riza gasped.
They had just parted a few hours ago.
Roy had declared his love for her and stated his intentions, yes, but last night before she left, he hadn't given her any further details as to how fast things would be moving.
"Get out of bed and get dressed, Riza." Roy commanded. "Today's the day we announce our engagement."
Riza felt her heart speed up in excitement.
What?
Already?!
"Roy, listen." She said into the phone. "I love you, and I know that you love me, but, we've spent all this time….Isn't this a little fast?"
On the other end of the phone, Roy smirked.
Wait until she heard the next part…
"Well, my apologies, Lieutenant, if all this seems a little forward….but…... I'm afraid the new Fuhrer was told yesterday afternoon that his wedding will take place in one month's time."
Riza almost dropped the phone in shock.
"I want you, Riza. I want to be with you. I don't want to marry some woman the state assigns me to. So, you should probably go ahead and think about what kind of flowers you'd like to carry. Maybe stop and buy a couple of those bridal magazines on your way over today?" Riza could almost hear the cocky smile on his face as he spoke. "Now, get dressed. What are you waiting on?"
"Yes, sir!" The former lieutenant said reflexively, before she could stop herself.
She quickly hung up the phone and went to get ready for the day.
As she dressed, she couldn't help but try to process what Roy had just told her.
They had spent years with silently acknowledged feelings, while neither made any advances towards the other, and now in thirty days she was going to be his wife?!
These next few weeks were going to be very interesting…...