Everything reeked of death. He was in the middle of a war zone so what should he expect?
When Order 3066 was passed he wasn't surprised they decided to send him out into the war zone. He was known for being a very skilled alchemist, able to create fire with the snap of his fingers. It was a dangerous alchemy that only people with the right skills could use. If in the wrong hands it would go out of control and probably burn the user to death.
The creator of flame alchemy was his teacher, Berthold Hawkeye. It took him years to perfect the alchemy. When he died Roy still never got the secrets to the alchemy. Instead, the secrets of the alchemy were passed down to his daughter Riza. When he gained the trust of Riza and gained the knowledge to learn the flame alchemy, he mastered it the best he could. When he took the test to become a state alchemist he swore to use that power for the good of the people and protect the country and the people he cared about.
Roy didn't realize becoming a State Alchemist meant he had to kill innocent people.
Maybe it would have been different if he was in a real war against one of the other countries and fighting people who signed up to the army to fight for their country. Maybe it would be different if the people he were killing did something absolutely horrible and deserved the death that was coming to them. No. He had to kill innocent people. Elderly, women, even children. He was doing his duty as a human weapon.
And he hated it.
When he was assigned into the military he didn't sign up to become a living killing machine. He wanted to help people and make Amestris the powerful country it deserves to be. Instead of that he was being thrown into eastern part of the country and killing the citizens that lived in Ishval. It was easier for him mentally to kill the men who were rebelling and fighting back with guns and knifes. It was harder to march into the town and turn a building filled with terrified people into ash.
This was what he truly signed up for when he decided to become a dog of the military.
He was assigned to the farther side of the city to kill off Ishvalans that strayed away from the fighting and went into hiding. The assignment had irritated him. Why attack the ones who ran and hid? Why does he have to kill the people who never wanted to be part of this war in the first place? Because they were Ishvalan. That was all there was to it.
He was walking through the ruins of the town. The thought of what the town used to look like calmed his nerves a bit, but it also made him feel guilty for taking part in destroying it. It was better than looking down at the ground and counting the bodies that laid over the ground. What hurt the most was when he was doing these jobs and he finds a burnt body. He has to look at it and think 'that person was a living breathing being, before you burned them to death. Their blood is on your hands'. It made him sick to his stomach.
Roy was told to search the houses specifically. Most of the buildings he came across so far were so destroyed he just had to peak in through a missing wall to know that nobody was there. Every once and awhile there would be a house that escaped the destruction. He searched them and found nothing. At this point he wasn't expecting to find anyone. Just a couple more houses and he could go back to the tents and maybe talk to Maes if he doesn't get sent out again the moment he comes back.
He finds a house that leaves him suspicious. The windows were covered up like nobody wanted anyone else to see inside. When he approaches the house he notices that the door was intact. Roy attempts to just open the door, but something was put in front of it so nobody with any arm strength could open it. Even more suspicious.
Being the flame alchemist, he could just burn the house down and be on his way. He wanted to know if anyone was actually inside the house before he decided to burn it down. Since the table that was shoved against the door was not that big it was not very hard to get the door open. After a few hard pushes he was inside. He steps in and instantly knows that someone has been here.
Since the floor was dirty with dust and sand he noticed footprints in the ground. He cringes at the sight of them. They were small, obviously the footprints of a child. Roy is suddenly very glad he decided against burning the house down. The footprints were recent, but there was nobody inside of the house as far as he could tell. He could just leave, but he needed to know if there was a kid here.
First he checked the kitchen, then small dining room and living room. Roy had to admit, the kid that was living here was smart. The way they tried covering up the windows and barricading the door. They probably even had some sort of secret way to escape. Who knows, the kid could be long gone by now. He checks the bedroom, taking a peek under the bed just in case, and then checking the bathroom.
Looks like nobody was home.
Roy was about to leave when he notices a door cabinet in the bedroom. It was small enough for a smaller kid to fit inside. After hesitating for a moment, he goes towards the small door and places a hand on the doorknob. He thinks about it for a moment. What if the kid was in there, then what? He can't personally kill a kid. If he ever did end up killing a kid it would have been because they were in a building that he set in fire. His flames were never sent at a kid specifically. Roy just lets out a sigh. Whatever happens, it happens. The alchemist opens the door with his right hand, his left hand held up incase the kid was armed and decided to attack.
And… well. He found the kid.
It was a boy. Maybe he was young or maybe it was because the war left him malnourished. He had the usual Ishvalan traits; brown skin with white hair and bright red eyes. The kid was obviously terrified. His eyes were wide in fear and he looked like he was about to cry. Roy didn't blame the kid. He probably thought he was looking death directly in the face. He slowly puts his hands up so the kid could see that he was not armed with a gun was not planning to attack him. The kid's response was to curl into a tighter ball.
He sighs, talking to the kid in a soft voice so he doesn't startle him. "Listen kid I'm not going to-"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The scream startles him. He took just enough time to notice that the kid was not coming from the kid in the drawer, but from another kid running at him with a rock. He did not look happy.
Roy quickly steps back before the kid has a chance to hit him on the leg. The rock wasn't sharp enough to do any real damage, but if he didn't move it would have left one hell of a bruise. Before the kid could try and hit him with the rock again he grabbed him by the wrist. The kid continued thrashing about, trying to hit or kick despite the grip he had on the kid's arm.
"Leave him alone you bastard!", The kid screeched, trying to kick him. "Stop that!", Roy snaps at the kid. Why wasn't this damn kid listening? He takes the rock out of the kid's hand and drops him on the ground, taking a couple steps back just in case the kid decided to leap at him. Roy's eyes widen a bit when he notices the kid's injuries.
The first thing he noticed was that his right arm is missing. What used to be a limb was replaced by a bandaged stub. He looks down and notices that the kid was also missing his left leg. The leg was replaced with a poorly made prosthetic. Roy was surprised a kid with those kind of disabilities could have survived a war this long. The kid was glaring up at him in anger and it was obvious from the look in his eyes that this kid has seen things someone his age shouldn't have to witness. There was fire in his eyes though. Traumatized? Probably. Mentally broken? Definitely not.
The other boy that was previously hiding in the door cabinet jumped out and ran towards the other kid. "Brother!", he shrieks. Roy sighs, looking down at the kids who were now looking at him nervously. He knew they were probably terrified of him. He had a military uniform and that was all that the kids needed to see to know that they were in danger.
He stays silent for a moment, thinking of what to do now. Was he really expected to kill two young children in cold blood? Roy knew he couldn't. He knew he couldn't just get up and leave either. Maybe he could tell the other soldiers at the camp that he found no survivors, but then what? The kids would end up being killed by someone else or dying from starvation. Roy could get into some trouble with the military if they ever found out that he let these kids live, but killing them was not an option.
Eventually he goes to sit on the ground, sitting the rock that the crippled kid was using to attack him behind him just in case the kid got the idea to try and make a run for the rock. Roy tried to make himself as unintimidating as possible, setting his hands in front of him to show that he was not planning on grabbing a gun. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."
The crippled boy holds the other kid closer in a protect manner, shooting him another glare. Roy could not pretend to be surprise that neither of them trusted him yet. He lets out a soft sigh, shifting so he was a bit closer to them. Roy had to gain their trust enough to get them to talk somehow.
Then he remembered the small packet of food soldiers were told to carry with them just in case they got hungry and couldn't make it back to the camp. Roy never used it, but they insisted that it was taken with them anyways. Who would even want to eat in a place like this? It already made him sick just being out there practically surrounded by corpses.
Roy slowly reaches into his pocket and pulling out a packet of crackers. He noticed how the kid's eyes lit up when they saw the food. It's probably been a long time before they have eaten anything. He could tell from just their appearance that they were starving. Roy holds it out to them. "Here."
The crippled kid was the first to reach out for it, trying to snatch it quickly out of his hand. He moved his hand a bit so the kid missed. "I'll give it to you, but you have to answer any questions I ask you. Got it?", Roy says. The crippled boy glares at him stubbornly, but at least the other kid seemed more willing to actually cooperate. After a moment of silence the other boy nods and he hands them the food.
It was kind of sad how quick they were to open the package and start eating. Roy was pretty sure this was the first time they've eaten something that was actually meant to be edible in a long time. "Alright", Roy says watching the two. "First question. Are there any adults with you or are you alone?"
Surprisingly the crippled kid was the first to reply. "Why? So you can kill them too?", he snaps. Well. That kid had an attitude. Roy frowns at them. "I want real answers", he says firmly. The other kid finally shakes his head. These kids were alone. He wanted to know what happened to their parents, but decided against asking just in case it brought up some bad memories.
"Alright. Well can I at least know your names?", He asks them. "I'm Alphonse… and my brother is Edward", The other kid says. Okay. So the boy's name was Alphonse and the boy with the missing limbs was Edward. "Alright Alphonse" He stops the questions, knowing that the kids just wanted to eat.
Roy interrupts the silence after a couple minutes of watching the kids eat. "I'm going to be honest with you two.", he says. The two kids lift their heads to look over at him. "I was sent here to kill any Ishvalans I found. You two were the only ones I found in this area." Ed scowls and Al's eyes widen. "I'm not going to hurt either of you. I'm not expecting you to trust me quickly either. I just want you to know that I want to help you two live."
"We don't need your help!", Edward snaps back. Roy frowns at the kid. "Didn't seem that way when you tried to snatch food out of my hand.", He replies. Edward looks away from him, glaring at the floor. Roy lets out a sigh and turns to Alphonse. "I'll tell you this. You must be really smart to have survived this long by yourselves. I'll help you two.", Roy says getting up from where he was standing. "I encourage your survival, but remember that on the battlefield we are enemies. I want you both to stay in this house and hide. Don't try going outside or looking for me. I can try to come back tomorrow.", He says walking towards the door. "You two stay inside. Understand? If you suddenly move somewhere else tomorrow I won't be able to find you and you'll be on your own."
Alphonse looks up at him and nods. "Okay."
"Good. As I said, I'll try and check on you two tomorrow.", Roy says, and that was the last thing he said to the two before stepping outside the house and closing the door. He was ready to go back to the camp to report no signs of any survivors in the area.
Ed and Al watch as the strange military officer walks out of the house, leaving both of them confused and relieved at the same time. Edward looks over at Alphonse. "Can we really trust that guy? He could be coming with more soldiers!", he says to his brother. Al shrugs. "We're just two kids. If he wanted to kill us he would have just… done it!" Ed sighs and gets up, walking towards the bed.
"I still don't trust him."