The Island of Narid
Chapter 13: Illness
Ho ho! I am right in my 2 week period, and this is my normal chapter length! (does a jig)
Here you are:
Oh, I don't own FMA
"Ed. . . where is Ed. . . ?" Winry choked out of her dry, cracked lips. Her face was flustered pale and her skin was clammy with cold sweat. Since early morning, she had done nothing but moan and clutch Al's hand tightly. Her fever reached a new, dangerous height. "Where is Rose?"
Alphonse, who was still loyally posted at her side, hesitated. Shakingly, he lied, "Ed is getting you some breakfast." He knew where his brother was, but it would be no use to worry the poor sick girl further. Especially on the matter of Rose. Winry had never been told that Rose was gone, and had been for a while.
"I. . . need to speak with Rose." Winry said softly; her muscles tensed as if she would try and sit.
"Don't get up! You're too weak still." The boy soothed softly, voice betraying worry.
The girl shook her head vehemently. "Rose!"
"She's not here. She went on a walk with Hierra, just relax. Please. You're scaring me." His voice became high and childish then, as if a sob was near to escaping him.
"It wasn't her fault." She murmured, quieter now, knowing not to frighten her friend. "Tell her."
Alphonse was quiet for a moment, knowing he might never see Rose again. "I will," he promised shakily. Though he was curious to know what Winry meant, he was far knowledgable enough to know that the message was simply for Rose alone to understand.
"How is she?" Riza pulled aside the fabric door and entered the shack.
"Horrible." Came the answer, not from Alphonse, but from Winry herself. "Since when did. . . fevers hurt this much?"
"Winry, I'm going to ask you to not talk for a while. We don't want you to get worse."
The girl bit her lip and cast her gaze aside in a characteristic pout.
Riza returned her face, at the moment emotionless, to Alphonse and said briskly, "Al, would you come outside for a moment?"
The boy's eyes strayed a second's time to Winry, then returned to the lieutenant. "Yeah." He followed the military woman out.
"Al, your brother—" Maria began when they walked over.
The boy addressed suddenly felt a frustrated annoyance well up. "I know where he went." He snapped shortly.
Mariet shook her head. "I would not doubt that. You, of all of us would know your brother's mind. That is not what we meant."
Riza stepped forward. "Do you want somebody to look for him?"
There was silence.
"No." The answer came softly. "If we try to bring him back, it'll only strengthen his resolution to keep going."
The women nodded.
When Alphonse returned to Winry, he found himself strangely silent. He had no wish even to comfort Winry with his words. How could he? He wasn't well himself.
"Al."
"Winry, you're not supposed to spea—"
"What is going on?" Whne the boy did not return her, she opened her eyes and forced her voice louder, though the action made her throat throb. "I know something's not right!" She paused between sentences. "I've known you. What's going on?"
"Winry, nothing—"
"No!"
Alphonse looked around quickly, making sure he saw nobody's shadow near the door. The voices heard were far away. "Rose and Hierra left on a walk some days ago. That was not a lie. But they had not returned—not together, at least. When Edward went looking, he found only Hierra. The girl was. . . tied to a tree. Gagged."
"And Rose?"
"No word since."
For a long while, within the shack the only noise heard was their own breathing, and the wind whistling past. Alphonse inwardly cringed. He knew he should not have let loose so much information. And yet, he knew, if Winry did recover, that he would feel most guilty when she found out the truth for herself. She would feel wronged.
"Do me a favor."
Al returned his gaze to Winry. It wasn't a question. Their eyes locked and Alphonse felt her strong will rise up inside them.
"There is. . . a cave."
"The one you had found many weeks ago?"
She nodded. Her eyes darted to a lavender sac by her side. "Second pocket—small one."
Alphonse obeyed the order without question. Reaching inside the small pouch, his hand met contact with only one object. It seemed small. Carefully, as he could not tell how fragile it was, Alphonse enclosed his palm and drew his hand away. When his fingers parted he saw a stone the size of a fingernail. Its color was a rich, yet delicate blue, soft and seemingly glowing with a faint light. He turned questioningly to Winry.
"A stone from that cave." She answered his unsaid inquiry. "It was filled. A night—Rose and I. We left and looked. We saw. . ." She shuddered in remembrance. "Something horrible."
"What?"
She avoided his word, "I shouldn't have taken it. Tonight—will you take it and throw it in? Back inside?"
"Winry, I can't—"
She shook her head, knowing what he objected about. "Then stand on the shore. And throw it. Hard. Throw it far away. I don't want it."
"Okay." For a brief moment he said nothing more. Then, "What did you see? You and Rose?"
"People. Like her. Like Hierra."
Alphonse knew she would not say more, and so nodded in solemnity.
When darkness fell upon the island and everyone had succumbed to the ruse of sleep, one boy, quiet as possible, inched past the sleeping forms on the sand. He was not tired, since there was no body about him to rejuvenate. So it was not difficult for him to rise quietly without clumsiness from where he had pretended to sleep. Taking a quick glance back at the others, and seeing that their positions barely shifted, he walked forward on the soft beach sand. He stopped just before his feet reached the gentle night tide.
Alphonse took, from one of the many pockets in his armor, the shining crystal out. In the darkness now, the light glew intensely. The boy marveled at it for a swift second before bringing his arm back, and thrusting it powerfully forward. The stone was released from his hand and drifted a while in the night sky before plunging and dropping into the cold ocean water.
"Sera Chto! Sera Chto!" Hierra cried, hanging to the trail of Edward's shirt in desperation. Floods of clear tears passed down her cheeks.
"Hierra. Hierra! Calm down!"
"Rawse plé Sera Chto! Ka thzrashni hesh!"
Edward grasped the girl firmly around her shoulders until she let go of his jacket. She still wept violently, and her breathing was irregular. Hierra cried out a coupld non-understandable words until Ed put a hand to her lips, quieting her.
"Do you know where Rose is?" He moved his hand aside to let the girl answer.
"Rawse plé Sera Chto! Havurtkna blofistr. . ." He covered again.
"Calm down." Ed said slowly. "What is" He fumbled over the words, "Sehrah Chtuh?"
Behind his hand Hierra began to talk again, her eyes wide. It was many minutes before she calmed once more. Edward's patience had thinned—the small screaming girl had not helped to ease his mood. Hierra had now stopped her crying and was sitting silently next to Edward, her eyes narrowed and her breathing slowly returning to normal.
The small girl's light voice broke the awkward air of silence. "Ed?"
He turned to her and nodded so she'd understand.
Hierra climbed to her feet and walked around his side so that she faced him. "Ed cör Rawse. Hierra cör Rawse salfya." Edward drew up his brows then, noting how serious her tone had become. He found himself feeling their places had suddenly reverted; as if he was the young child who needed to understand.
"Rawse plé Sera Chto. . . Ed fash klya tï Rawse fash Sera Chto." She spoke slowly, as if he would know what she meant. "Taka, Ed." She leaned forward and clasped his palms in her tiny ones and lifted them up. Ed got to his feet, but Hierra didn't let go. Instead, she nodded and released one hand for a brief moment to point through the trees. "Bloch."
"Bloch?" Ed said incredulously. He hadn't know they had conversed ever before.
Hierra nodded once before starting into a sudden run, dragging Edward behind her. He couldn't say that he understood what the girl meant, but it seemed she was determined and had Rose in mind.
"Colonel, lieutenant! Maria!" Alphonse cried joyously.
The sun was rising above the ocean, creating an unbearable glare that had woken everyone moments earlier. So they were already awake when Al came running toward them, his arms raised in the air.
"What is it?" Maria questioned, taken back by the sudden happiness that filled the boy's voice.
"It's Winry. She's getting better!"
As if cued, the blonde-haired girl waved the curtain by and stepped out into the morning sunlight. She looked still a tad pale, and undoubtedly fatigued, but she was standing, and on her face was plastered a genuine smile.
Yay there you go. I also baked another platter of cookies for my lovely reviewers. Whee!