"Sir set the tent up!" Riza called over the roar of another crack of thunder. Her hair was already darkened and sticking to the side of her cheek and she wished ruefully that she'd thought to bring her bobby pins so she could get her hair out of her face. For now, she would have to deal with the strands as she pushed them away to focus on the unconscious, bleeding boy in her lap.
Behind the curtain of the rain, the Fire Mage grabbed the small tarp and thick pole they had been using as a tent. He dug the stake into the ground and threw the tarp up before quickly pushing bags underneath to prevent all of their belongings from getting soaked. He then pulled out a thin, but dry, blanket from the bags and laid it down on the muddy ground.
Riza gently laid him down, watching as his pale face contorted with pain. He was conscious, unfortunately, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the agony that engulfed his tiny body. He twisted and turned on the blanket, gripping the sheet with his one hand while Riza worked to stop the blood with bandages where his other arm should be.
"What's his name?" Roy asked, glancing at the boy standing beside him. He didn't know if he'd asked before, or if Alphonse had said so in the rush of everything happening.
"Edward," Alphonse responded in that shaking voice of his. "Is he going to be okay?" he added quickly but got no response. Roy didn't want to say he didn't know, and Riza was too busy wrapping bandages around the child's arm and leg.
"Roy, I need help," Riza said sternly, her sharp amber eyes looking up to pierce him. Roy found himself staring back into a wild, determined, and hardened face and furrowed his brows in confusion. He didn't know what he was supposed to do to help. They were alone in the middle of the woods with a boy hurt worse than Roy had ever seen anyone hurt before. Even in his years in the King's Guard, he hadn't seen an injury like that. And, he'd never seen Riza look the way she did. Her jaw was set like stone, but she looked like she was about the cry or scream or both.
"What could I do?" he asked as lightning dimly lit of the sky and thunder cracked once more.
"Use your magick," Riza replied. Roy looked back at her incredulously.
"I'm a fire mage, Riza, what could I possibly do to help?" he asked her. "Burn the wounds? That would kill him!" He didn't see Alphonse flinch harshly at the idea of his brother dying.
"My father always said all magick comes from the same source within you, right?" she asked. "You should be able to do something. I have the bandages on but they're not stopping the bleeding. If you could close the wounds even a little bit, he'll have a chance."
Before Roy could respond, Alphonse stepped forward, his mouth in a brave, thin line, but his eyes betraying how scared he was. "I could try to help," he offered.
Riza stared. "You have a gift?"
"Yes," the boy confirmed. Riza briefly wondered how in the world they had managed to find not one, but two gifted children alone in the woods in just a week, but she decided now was not the time to question it. Roy also exchanged a shocked glance but realized too that there were more important things to attend to.
Both males stepped forward. Riza noticed how timid they both seemed, Roy likely due to lack of confidence in his healing abilities and Alphonse because he was scared of losing his brother. But, they still knelt down, their knees turning brown with the mud instantly and placed their hands on the shaking, bleeding boy. Riza watched in awe as a blue light formed and they carefully healed the boy, using much of their own strength to mend the wounds. The bleeding soon clotted and then stopped altogether, though he certainly would need more medical attention once they reached the next town. But, Edward's face softened and he seemed to fall asleep, which was a great relief to everyone as none could bear to hear his whimpered cried any longer.
Everything had happened so quickly that the world rushed around them. Now, it was silent, an eerie silence that made all uncomfortable and tired. Still, for a long minute, they just sat there, eyes glued to the child whose breaths moved his chest more evenly now as the rain poured around them.
Roy was the first to break the silence. "What happened to him?" he asked accusingly, turning a harsh gaze onto the younger boy who looked back with wide, but tired eyes. Riza wanted to jump in and defend the child. Surely it wasn't him that caused this to happen. But, she was curious and didn't speak.
"It was an accident," Alphonse told him wearily. Roy's frown deepened.
"An accident? Well, I hope so," he said sarcastically. "An accident with what? A saw? A sword?"
Alphonse shook his head and turned to stare at the soupy muddy ground. He couldn't look at the man's frightening gaze and he couldn't bring himself to look at his brother. He might have sought refuge in the softer features of Riza, but she was behind him and he was too tired to move. "It was magick," the boy finally responded.
"Magick?" Riza asked worriedly. Of course, she wasn't so naive to think that magick couldn't be used with bad intentions, but she couldn't believe that evil had touched the lives of children as young as these two were. "Was it something you did?"
She hadn't meant to sound accusatory, but Alphonse flinched again before shaking his head wildly back and forth. "No!" he all but shouted. "No, I didn't." He tried to calm himself down, get his emotions under control, but he couldn't. With a stolen glance at his brother, he was undone. Tears came flowing down his cheeks, but neither Roy nor Riza could really see them since they mixed with the rain still pelting his face unforgivingly. But, they could hear the anguish in his voice. "He wanted to bring back our mother!" he sobbed. "He made a deal. But he couldn't do it so he had to pay the price. He wouldn't let them take my arm, so he gave his!"
Riza found herself frozen to the ground, and across from her, Roy was too. Cold shock filled them as they struggled to comprehend the struggle Edward had gone through to try to bring their mother back, only to lose two limbs in the process. It was a wicked energy for sure, and Roy felt his blood boil at the thought of someone using magick for something so terrible. How could anyone do this to two innocent children?
"Who did you make this deal with?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. He was only angry at the person who caused the boys all this pain, but Alphonse was frightened and he didn't say anything else. Riza glanced across at her traveling companion and in the moonlight, Roy understood the look she was giving him. That would have to be enough for now.
"Come here," Riza said, moving for the first time over to Alphonse, who finally turned to look at her. He hesitated but decided she was safe enough and came over so she could wrap him in the only other blanket they had left in their packs. She felt how cold he was and hoped the thin sheet would do. Alphonse, longing for comfort, and still shuddering from tears moved close enough for her to almost hug him. Riza didn't, unused to children and being so gentle in general, but she did guide him under the tarp and out of the rain. He was soaked through and the blanket wouldn't help much, but at least he was out of the worst of it.
Of course, with both children under the tent, there was no room for Roy or Riza who looked at each other forlornly. Neither could believe what had transpired and both were completely exhausted. They didn't speak but instead sat there, their eyes either on each other or on the sleeping boys.
An hour later, the rain stopped. Riza stood immediately, stuck her palm out to be sure, and then began to walk around, feeling her legs pop and crack with every placement of her foot on the mushy ground. Roy did the same and they ended up within sight of the tent, but a few yards away.
"What are we going to do with them?" Riza asked as the rung the water out of her hooded cloak. Roy was doing the same with his and shrugged.
"We get them to Risembool. Hope to god there's a doctor there," he said. Really, what else could they do? They couldn't leave them in the woods, but they also couldn't take them further than the next town. They were traveling soldiers, not a traveling daycare!
"But Alphonse has a gift," Riza said, her tone even. She wasn't trying to persuade the man one way or another but was trying to give all perspectives. "And it sounds like Edward does as well. If we leave them in Risembool, someone could out them and they could be taken away or worse. They're obviously the sort to get into trouble."
Roy whipped his cloak out, snapping it up and down quickly to rid it of more water. Of course, it wasn't anywhere near completely dry, but at least it wasn't sopping wet. "Well, they can't come with us," he said. "We have business to take care of and information to find that doesn't involve them. Maybe we can find someone there to take them in, protect them. Maybe they know to keep their gifts a secret."
"We don't know that, though," Riza countered as she moved on to her socks. "That boy just lost an arm and a leg messing around with dangerous magick. I bet they'll get into something again, and it might cost more next time. And we can't just pawn them off on some random person in Risembool. We don't know anyone there. How will we know they're safe?"
The mage scowled. "You know, I get you're playing devil's advocate, but you make things really fucking hard," he said ruefully, though Riza knew he wasn't angry at her. It was what she'd always done, talked both sides just to be sure Roy was making the most levelheaded decision. What he chose didn't concern her, she just wanted him to make a decision that wasn't based solely on emotions.
"I'm just presenting all sides, sir," she said professionally. "I'll follow your lead."
"Well, what do you think we should do?" Roy asked. Riza just shrugged, a small smirk gracing her lips.
"I don't know. That's why I'm following and you're leading."
He couldn't help but crack a smile at that, especially after everything they'd gone through that night. He looked at her, then up at the moon and stars before finally letting out a long sigh. "I guess we'll just see what happens," he said. "The first order of business is getting that kid some real medical help."
And with that, they finish ringing out their clothes and then made their way back to the tent in the clearing. Alphonse was fast asleep as was Edward, who still looked pale and gaunt but wasn't bleeding profusely anymore. Riza knelt down outside the cover of the tent and ran a hand through Edward's long golden hair. It was caked in mud and blood and she wondered what horrors he had seen. She felt a pang of guilt and an overwhelming need to protect the children, not unlike the same protectiveness she felt for Roy. And she would, she knew. But now, she would sleep under the dazzling stars as she tried to forget a world that would be so cruel to those so young.
Riza had never slept so terribly in her life. Although traveling around the forest wasn't exactly five-star accommodations, this night had been the worst by far. She awoke sitting up against a thick tree stump, her bottom sunk into the muddy ground, and her hair littered with twigs and leaves. She felt disgusting and had never longed for a shower more in her entire life. For a brief moment, as the sunlight hit just below her eyes, she wondered where she was and what she was doing. And then, she remembered the children they had found in the woods and the bleeding boy that had barely saved.
She felt herself freeze with fear, worried that their efforts had not been enough. Slowly, she moved, feeling her joints pop and her muscles scream in protest, but she crawled over to the tent. Her heart was in her throat as she came upon the children, her attention first captured by Edward.
Riza didn't realize how tense she was until she let out a breath and felt herself sag with relief at finding the child still breathing. He was asleep, pain still showing on his young face, but he was alive. She then turned to the younger boy, Alphonse, who was curled in a ball next to his brother. He hadn't shown any signs of injury, but he was shaking like a leaf in a strong wind, and a quick hand to his forehead revealed a fever. That wasn't much of a surprise, Riza felt, considering they had been out in the woods for who knows how long. In fact, she was surprised that she wasn't sick herself after being caught up in all the rain.
"Achoo!"
Riza jumped, startled and remembered the mage who had fallen asleep against another tree. She turned, her hand leaving Alphonse's forehead to rest on the ground as she twisted her back to face the man.
Mustang's eyes were open and he was furiously swiping at his nose with the backside of his hand. He looked agitated, and Riza could tell from a distance that he'd also caught a cold, but thankfully didn't seem as ill as the boys.
"Good morning, sir," Riza said, upping her pitch so she sounded much cheerier than anyone needed to be at this hour in this situation. Her chipperness earned her a scowl and a glare from Roy who mumbled something that she couldn't hear, but she guessed it was not a pleasant greeting back.
"How are the kids?" he asked in a nasally voice giving away the fact that his nose was plugged up with mucus.
"Well, the shorter one is alive," Riza replied grimly. "The other one has a fever now." She looked back at the two sleeping boys. "It's funny how Alphonse said his brother was older than him, but I think he's taller." Roy didn't respond to her comment, though he agreed and he scooted over to the tent and peered in. Sure enough, both children were fast asleep. He noticed that even in his unconscious and painful state, the shorter boy had managed to kick off the blanket and had his only hand resting on his bare stomach. A sort of protectiveness filled him, similar to what Riza felt the night before. It wasn't quite fatherly, but it was familial in nature and he wanted nothing more than to see these boys get somewhere safe.
For now, though, he had to push all that aside. There were, unfortunately, more dangerous things to worry about. "We need to get moving," Roy said, standing against the protest of his sore muscles. "We're almost to Risembool, I think." And hopefully, he added to himself silently, they were almost to a warm bath and food that wasn't stale.
"We'll have to carry this one," Riza said, brushing her hand through Edward's bangs again. "We'll be lucky if he even wakes before we get to Risembool."
"I'll get him on my back, just wake the other one up," Roy said gruffly as he began packing up their little camp. Riza nodded and woke Alphonse, who looked and felt awful, but confirmed he could walk on his own. While the adults put away the tent and blankets, the young boy gazed at his brother worriedly, though he tried to avoid the gruesome images of the bloodied bandages.
"He'll be alright." Alphonse jumped a little and turned to find Riza with a hand on his shoulder. "We just have to get him to the next town." Initially, Riza felt bad for promising the boy's well being, which she really couldn't do, but all the guilt washed away when a flood of relief crossed Alphonse's face. "And we need to get you there too," she continued moving her hand to his still hot forehead. "How long were you out here?"
"A week and a half," Alphonse responded shyly. "But brother didn't… didn't end up like this until two days ago." A shadow crossed his face and Riza briefly considered questioning him further, but he looked so frail that she didn't want to upset him. Besides, she realized when she looked up to see what the mage was doing, they were ready to go. So, she just ushered him along, taking note of the grateful look on his face when she didn't ask more questions.
They moved along the path, Edward resting on Roy's back as they walked. Riza was behind him with Alphonse in the middle, who worriedly kept his eyes focused on his brother. It was a quiet morning and the sun rose as though there hadn't been a tremendous rainstorm the night before. Riza was almost angry at the lack of acknowledgment of the hell they went through the night before and just hoped they would reach the town soon. At least, she thought, the air was warm, and the parts of their clothes that hadn't dried yet soon would be.
And soon, about two hours into walking through the forest, they saw the end of it. Light shone through the gap in the trees just ahead of them and within minutes they were out of the woods and gazing across the rolling fields of East Amestris. There would be no more forest for cover, but the hills seemed deserted enough and they could veer off the regular path as they continued on to Risembool.
They paused to take in the view, and Riza took the opportunity to check on Edward. Nothing had changed, and he still hadn't woken up, but his breathing was even at least. Turning to Alphonse, she noted the younger boy looked a little worse for the wear.
"How are you holding up?" Roy was asking him as Riza checked Edward. Alphonse just shrugged, still a little nervous around the mage.
"'m alright," he mumbled tiredly. He rubbed his eye with a balled fist and looked around the fields. "Where are we going in Risembool?"
That was a question neither Riza nor Roy had considered, as the boys came crashing into their lives before they could discuss next steps. "I'm not sure," Roy said, posing an implied question to Riza as he turned to her. Riza pursed her lips in thought. Neither had been to Risembool, so they didn't know what they would find there.
"I suppose we'll go to an inn," Riza suggested. "And then call for a doctor." Roy nodded in agreement and she turned to the young boy. "Do you know what's happened over the past few weeks?" she asked, referring to the ban on magick. Alphonse nodded. "Good, then you know not to tell anyone you have a gift. That goes for you too, sir. Obviously. To be honest, you should lay low."
"I'll be fine, Hawkeye," he said dismissively as he gently readjusted the boy on his back. Riza gave him a look but didn't protest his comments. There was no use arguing on the side of a hill anyway. They began walking on, but it was only a short time later that Alphonse stumbled and almost fell, but Riza was able to grab his arm first. He pulled limply against her and she knew he had fainted. Hearing the commotion, Roy turned and saw Riza lifting Alphonse onto her back.
"He's down," she reported evenly, trying to hide the concern in her voice.
"Is he alright?"
"It's the fever, sir," she said, lifting her legs quickly and readjusting him on her back. She felt his warm breath on her neck and strangely felt a little better knowing he wasn't pushing himself anymore. "He needs sleep. We probably shouldn't have made him walk this long."
"He didn't say anything," Roy replied, trying to ease any guilt the woman might have. Riza just nodded, not feeling particularly guilty, but also not particularly good about having a sick kid walk miles.
They continued on and soon approached a few houses littered across the countryside. They weren't sure where the center of town was, or if there even was one. Perhaps Risembool was so small, there was no real central part of the village. Thankfully, after another mile and another few houses passed them by, the found a sign advertising the "Rockbell Inn and Automail Shop." They noted to each other how strange it was that those two services were in the same building, but then again it was an extremely small town.
They walked up the short, dirt and gravel path and Riza knocked on the door. In Central, Inns always had their doors open, but this one looked more like a private residence than an actual house. Perhaps that's because it truly was and they made extra income from their inn service.
There was puttering behind the door and the creaking of floorboards before the knob on the door turned and opened. Riza glanced down quickly, as both she and Roy were surprised to find themselves looking at another young child. This one was a girl of about ten years of age with blonde hair and big blue eyes and she looked positively adorable in a little pink dress, but Roy sighed in frustration.
"Am I never going to see another adult again?" he groaned, a little louder than he meant to which earned him a confused look from the girl and a sharp glare from Riza.
"What he means," the woman corrected, turning her attention back to the child. "Is that we desperately need a room and medical attention for two small boys." She didn't want to go into any further details because she didn't want the girl to see the state that Edward was in. No child should have to see something so awful done to another child. "Are your parents home?"
The girl suddenly looked distressed beyond words, but bit back her tears and shook her head. "No, but my granny is," she said. "Let me get her." And before either adult could say anything, she turned on her heel and hurried to a back room out of sight. They waited, Roy bouncing anxiously from foot to foot and Riza standing there stoically, until a short older woman, no taller than her granddaughter bustled to the front of the house.
"Well, what do we have here?" she asked, a brown long pipe between her fingers. She placed it back in her mouth while she awaited an answer and let out a small ringed puff of smoke.
"Ma'am, we desperately need help and a doctor for these boys," Roy began as he turned around to let her see Edward on his back. The older woman gasped and adjusted her glasses as she stepped forward so she could take a better look. Roy's back was stained a little with blood seeping through from the bandages and Edward's breath was relatively even but hitched with stress. He was absolutely not out of the woods yet.
"We also have his brother," Riza offered, showing the woman the other boy on her own back. "He's relatively alright, but he has a high fever. They were out in the cold and rain for a week."
"Well, don't just stand there, come in! Come in," the old woman said in a slightly panicked tone as she ushered the four of them through the doorway. Without stopping or missing a beat, she hurried them through the large rural home. It was the perfect house for an inn with the communal dining room right in front and rooms in the back of the first floor. Although they didn't go upstairs, they guessed that was where the woman and girl slept. The floors were made of old wood that would likely need to be replaced soon and the house was cozy but sparsely decorated. It didn't appear that the small family was hurting for money, but they certainly were not rich. Riza even thought it similar to how her old home was before her parents died.
They were shown into a small room with two twin beds and a window at the end of the room. There was a dresser, an end table between the beds, and a chair positioned in the corner by the window. It was a charming little room, a perfect place for a weary traveler to stay. Riza went to the far bed and gently laid Alphonse down. As she pulled the blankets up over him, he shifted and wearily opened his eyes. He tried to move his mouth to form a question, but Riza placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You're safe," she said. "We're getting help. Now, sleep." He hesitated, but all the questions he had were answered in those few short sentences. He turned his head to watch Roy lower Edward down on the opposite bed and felt comfort knowing actual adults were going to help them. So he just nodded in response to Riza and closed his eyes. Within seconds he was back asleep.
Once his eyes were closed, Riza turned her attention to the other boy and moved across the room. The older woman was checking him over and changing the bandages. It was quite the bloody affair and Riza averted her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the gore.
"Who are you?" the older woman asked as she changed the bandage on Edward's shoulder. It wasn't an accusing tone, which both were grateful for. Instead, it was just a curious, business-like question.
But, the answer was difficult because they didn't know this woman and wanted to keep their identity a secret. "We're travelers," Riza ventured. "We want to see all of Amestris. But these boys, we found them in the woods last night. We don't really know what happened to them. I'm Riza Hawkeye, this is my…" she considered how she wanted to frame her relationship with the mage. "Traveling partner, Roy Mustang, and the boys are Edward and Alphonse."
The woman paused in her care and looked up at Riza, her small round glasses glinting in the light. Riza felt like she could see right through her and thickly swallowed. But, the old lady just nodded.
"My name is Pinako. Pinako Rockbell. The girl who answered the door is my granddaughter, Winry."
"You own an inn and an automail shop?" Roy asked as he glanced around the room.
"And I'm a doctor," she smirked, her wrinkles creasing her eyes in delight. She had been holding her pipe the whole time but paused to set it down on the end table. "So, I suppose you are the luckiest travelers there are, huh?"
Riza let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and a look of relief passed Roy's face. "Yes, we certainly are," the mage said. "This is quite the coincidence."
"Well, in a small town it pays to be a jack of all trades," Pinako reasoned as she moved to rewrap the bandage over Edward's upper thigh. "Although, the Inn just came about because travelers would stop at my house often anyway. But I am a trained automail mechanic."
"You don't advertise that you're a doctor though," Roy said, remembering the sign that sat out in the front yard.
"No, but the people in town know I know a little something, especially as a body mechanic." A shadow crossed her face as she finished placing down the last of the bandages. She looked a little lost and sad, and both Riza and Roy were concerned about the change in atmosphere. "My son and his wife were doctors," she continued sadly. "Best doctors around could have gone to Central and done great things, but they wanted to help here where they were needed."
"I'm so sorry," Riza said genuinely, noticing the use of past tense and correctly guessing that the husband and wife pair had died. Pinako just waved her off and didn't say anything more about that topic.
"Anyway," the older woman said, forcing a chipper tone back into her voice. "This one's going to be okay as long as those wounds don't get infected. And at least from here it looks like the other one just needs sleep." She glanced up at the two, noticing all the grime and dirt on them for the first time. She laughed and called Winry into the room. The little girl came back, looking attentive but timid and focused her gaze only on her grandmother.
"Why don't you go run baths for these two weary travelers?" Pinako suggested to her and then turned to the mage and archer. "We have a bath upstairs and downstairs, so no need to fight over who's first."
"Thank you, it is much appreciated," Roy said, excited at the prospect of getting out of these dirty, muddy clothes. Riza wished the bath could appear right there because she would have gladly jumped in, clothes and all. She longed for the warm, clean water against her skin.
"Oh, no not a problem," Pinako waved and then glanced up at the two above the rims of her glasses. She stayed like that for a while, even after Winry had gone off to draw the baths. "And then," she said in a low tone that was neither accusatory nor soft, "You can tell me where you are really from."
Finally another chapter. Forgive me for my updates coming at a slower pace-work has picked up and I'm busy and... oh okay I got Stardew Valley on my Switch, so any moment I'm not at work, I'm probably playing that! Anyway, I'll do my best to be better! Nothing is abandoned, so updates will come (eventually)! Anyway, review if you can and enjoy regardless!