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A visit from the emperor

After an hour's worth of cooing and coddling, swinging and bouncing around, praying and negotiating, and even resorting to bribes that fell on uncomprehending ears, Edward had finally succeeded in getting the baby to fall asleep, a tiny thumb planted firmly in her mouth as she yawned, settling down to a peaceful slumber. He breathed a sigh of relief, smiling at the little form bundled up in his arms.

"She's sleeping!" he whispered happily to his wife, who had already taken the liberty to lie down in bed, the covers wrapped tightly around her. She gave him a tired smile as he put their daughter down in her crib. Patting the side of the bed she said, "Come here"; glad to finally have some peace in the house.

Edward hurried to get in beside his wife, snuggling close to her and sighing with contentment. Moments like these were damn near precious. He hadn't even realized how much he had taken silence for granted, till their kids were born. It was so rare nowadays, for the two of them to get a chance to sleep in early.

Winry turned around in his embrace and kissed him softly on the lips. Putting her own arms around his neck she started peppering him with small kisses all over his face.

Edward hesitated. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea to be doing this right now, especially with the kids in the room", he said, glancing at the other side of the bed where their two year old son was sleeping soundly, a bit of drool hanging from his wide, open mouth.

"Well", Winry whispered, her fingers edging close to the buttons on his shirt, "It's either here, or the couch in the living-room. Take your pick." She unbuttoned the first two buttons and slipped her hand inside.

All thoughts of being discreet flew right out of Edward's head. He bent forward eagerly, crashing his lips down on hers as Winry let her hands slide in further, caressing his chest.

"Oh. We seem to have arrived at a very interesting time indeed!" a loud voice exclaimed from somewhere nearby.

Several things happened almost instantly. Winry let out a deafening shriek as she scuttled towards the edge of the bed, grabbing the wrench that she kept at the bedside table and pulling back her arm to throw it at the direction from where the voice had been heard. Immediately, a strong metallic hand caught hold of her wrist, tightening its fingers to make her drop the heavy tool, while the voice cried out, "Hey, hey. Take it easy now!" The commotion woke up the kids. The baby started howling at the top of her voice and her brother sat up, rubbing his eyes and mumbling, "wha happen mommy?"

Edward sat staring at the open window, speechless. There, crouched on the sill and holding onto a curtain for support, sat a hooded figure, his face hidden behind a cloth, wrapped carefully around his head. Another figure similarly dressed, but seemingly more slender in shape, was holding on to Winry, trying to restrain her from flailing wildly about.

"Ling!?" he exclaimed, as said person leapt from the window to land casually beside their bed. He shifted to remove the cover from his head and gave them a wide grin. "Hello Ed. Sorry to drop by unannounced."

Winry's captor let go of her, as she stopped struggling, and then proceeded to take off the cloth covering her face to reveal what the two of them had already guessed. "Edward. Winry." Lan Fan greeted, bowing her head before them.

Edward blew a fuse. "Every. Damn. Time! Can't you just come through the DOOR like a normal person for once?!" he cried.

"Tsk tsk. That's no way to talk to the Emperor of Xing you know" Ling said pleasantly, plopping down beside them on the bed. He glanced at the young child who had been looking up at him with interest and exclaimed, "My, haven't you grown, from the last time I saw you!" The boy smiled at him, putting his finger promptly in his mouth. Ling took out a beautifully wrapped package from inside his robes and handed it over to the boy, who gasped excitedly. "A gift from Xing." He said, grinning down at him.

Winry had taken their baby girl out from the crib, who by this point had gone red in the face from wailing. "And who is this precious little bundle of joy?" Ling cried happily. "Give her over here, I'll make her stop crying".

Smiling, Winry placed the baby in his outstretched arms. "There, there little girl" Ling cooed. "Don't cry. Your uncle Ling is here now. He's the emperor you know, he'll bring you lots of nice presents."

The baby responded by screeching even louder.

"Um, I think I broke her" he said, quickly handing her back to her mother.

"Ed, why don't you take our guests to the living room while I try to put the kids back to sleep" Winry said, rocking their daughter in her arms.

Lan Fan, who had been standing quietly by the bed, spoke up. "I best go outside and stand guard then. The emperor decided to come here all by himself, without letting his bodyguards follow him. We traveled wearing disguises to insure a safe passage, but you never know who might have ended up following us."

Winry gasped. "You came here without being escorted?! That's positively dangerous! What could have possibly possessed you to do such a careless thing?" she asked angrily, looking over at Ling.

"Don't blame me, it was Edward's idea after all" Ling replied, to which Edward reacted with an angry "WHAT!?"

"Oh yes." The Emperor continued. "While I was at the Central, Brigadier General Mustang told me all about his last visit here and how you wanted me to come over and meet your new daughter. I guess he didn't think I would take it too seriously though." he added thoughtfully.

Lan Fan sighed. "In any case, now that your majesty's whim has already been acted upon, I can't let my guard down. I'll be outside, watching the perimeter if anyone needs me. I trust things will be alright here." Thus saying she gave them all another short bow and, climbing out the window, disappeared into the night.

Grabbing Ling by the scruff of his neck, Edward started dragging him out of their bedroom.

"Hey! This is no way to treat an Emper-"

"Shut up" Edward muttered darkly, pulling the man behind him.

XXX

"Before you start badgering me about how I ruined your pleasing night, bring me something to eat." The young king uttered calmly to a very disgruntled Ed, sitting cross-legged on the living-room sofa and leafing through the pages of an automail magazine that had been lying on the table. Grumbling angrily, Edward went to the kitchen to rummage through the shelves and returned with a bag of crackers and some cheese.

"These will have to do" he said, thrusting the food into the Emperor's already extended hands and taking a seat. Ling looked at the selection in dismay. "Well, I guess I deserve that for visiting during the wee hours of the night, without prior notice" he sighed, tearing open the bag with his fingers.

Edward grunted in response, leaning back on the couch to get comfortable. He watched as Ling started going through the contents of the bag with lightning speed, judiciously spreading the cheese on each cracker before taking a bite. "Don't you want to save some of that for Lan Fan?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry, we had packed a lot of food before we headed out here." Ling stated through a mouthful of food. "We actually stopped to eat, a little while ago."

Incensed, his golden eyes flashing with anger, Edward erupted, "Then why are you stuffing your face again at MY house?!" to which the king happily replied "Oh, but you forget, unlike Lan Fan, I happen to have a very large appetite!"

Edward cursed.

"Fine. But since you're a King now, I expect you to pay back for ALL the free meals that you have scrounged from Al and me all these years. And that adds up to a LOT, just so you know"

Ling made a face.

"How rude. Alphonse never asks that of me when he visits my court." he complained.

"Yeah, well I've always maintained that my brother is way too big a softie for his own good." Edward stated, leaning in to help himself to a cracker. "How is he doing there anyway? He told me he would be returning soon the last time we spoke on the phone. Didn't talk much about his studies though."

"Ah. Your brother is quite a gifted lad." Ling replied with a smile. "Not only did he pick-up the practice of Eastern Alchemy within a very small amount of time, but he has also been training himself in the martial-arts."

The ex-alchemist let out a low whistle. "Weird, he never told me about that. Why wouldn't he at least mention it to me?"

"I think he worries that you will start remembering the old days, and all the things that you have given up. He blames himself, you know. For the sacrifice you made to bring him back to his body."

"That's crazy! I decided to give up alchemy on my own volition. It isn't his blame to take! I'd have done anything to have my brother back, I don't regret it one bit!"

"I tried telling that to him once, but I think he really needs to hear it from you."

Sighing, Edward bent his head back to rest it on the couch. "You're right. When he comes home, I'm going to sit him down and make him understand that none of it matters, as long as I have my family by my side."

They remained quiet for a while, Edward deep in his thoughts while Ling munched away on the last few pieces of crackers. He upturned the bag to collect any remaining crumbs, and then crushed the bag in his hands.

"Speaking of family", he finally said, his customary grin back in place, "Congratulations on the new addition to yours."

Edward blinked, breaking out of his thoughts.

"Haven't you already congratulated us on my daughter's birth?"

"Oh, it's not her that I'm talking about." Ling returned, chuckling mysteriously.

"Then who…?"

"I meant the girl who is to be your new sister-in-law"

It took Edward a while.

"My new sister-in-law? What are you - ? No. Wait a minute. You can't honestly be talking about that little midget!"

The Emperor threw his head back in laughter. Wiping a tear from his eyes, he said "I'm afraid so. Seeing that Alphonse has come to be so well respected in Xing, and because of Mei's devotion to him, the head of the Chang clan, that is to say Mei's father, expressed his desire in lending Alphonse his daughter's hand in marriage."

"And you're telling me Al accepted?" Edward inquired in horror. "Not only is she a giant pain in the butt, but has he also completely overlooked the fact that she is only fourteen?!"

"Oh, he hasn't said yes to the proposition yet, don't worry about that" Ling said calmly, putting Ed's mind at ease. "He told him he needs time; especially keeping in mind Mei's age and how long it might be before they can even think about having her married off to someone. But he has also agreed to give the matter some thought in the future, since he doesn't see himself getting married anytime soon, anyway."

"I see." Edward sighed "Well, I guess I'm not that surprised. I even told Mustang about it when he came to visit. I just didn't think they would start talking about it so soon." He waved his hand. "Anyway, let's change the subject now. Tell me about you. What's it like being the king and everything?"

The emperor regarded him silently before saying, "Well, it's certainly not a bed of roses. Ever since I got called to the throne, I've been learning more about what it really means to be a ruler. Sometimes my ideals of what a leader should be for his citizens, clashes with the reality of politics. It was only after I sat on the throne that I realized that there are moments when, no matter how opposed you are to something, you need to abide by it for the betterment of the nation. You can't just chase after naïve dreams without realizing the implications. Fortunately, I have my trusted advisers who guide me through these things."

"I hear you have opened up trade between Amestris and Xing."

"Ah, yes. We had been in negotiations with the Brigadier General for a very long time, regarding this particular matter. I think it's safe to say that the events of the past have helped forge a very strong connection between our two nations; one that I'm sure will remain intact for years to come. Of course, if Alphonse happens to get married to Mei Chan, this bond will only be strengthened further"

"Not you too!" Edward exclaimed, exasperated. "This is exactly what Mustang had said too! Why can't you both stop dragging my brother into things and just be happy with what you already have? Why must you be so greedy?"

The smile on Ling's face faltered for a bit, but he quickly regained his composure. "You seem to have forgotten about the brief period in my life when I was sharing my body with a Homunculus. After all, there was a reason why I had been chosen to become that one in particular. It's in my nature to be greedy." he said, smirking.

Edward looked at him quietly.

"You still miss him." It was a statement, rather than a question.

At this Ling let out a small sigh. "Yes, I suppose I do." He said, running a finger through the fringes falling over his forehead. "It's not easy, forgetting about such an experience. It had been difficult for me to get used to him in the beginning, but later, we started sharing an odd camaraderie. He was just like me, in a lot of ways. And in the end, all he ever wanted was a place in this world, where he was accepted by people. And friends. I just wonder sometimes, what it would have been like if I could have given him all that."

"But you did, didn't you? Because of you, Greed could finally realize what he truly wanted, and he also found that close friend, in you."

The young Emperor smiled at him. "I'd like to think so, yes. And because of him, I'm willing to believe that the Homunculus Pride may still have a chance. Most people are being extremely cautious around him right now, as the General keeps telling me. But hopefully things will turn out to be alright for him as well."

Edward seemed to be in agreement with that.

XXX

"Apologies for having taken so much of your time" the Emperor said, bowing to Edward and Winry who had come outside to see them off.

"Not at all", Winry replied, grinning at him. "And you need not be so formal around us, your majesty."

Ling grinned right back, "Yes, I'll try to remember that." He wrapped the cloth he had been wearing earlier, around his face, as did Lan Fan.

"We'll be the ones visiting you next time." Edward promised. "At least that way you won't be scaring us in the middle of the night by appearing through our windows."

"Yes, I imagine it must have made you upset. But it is still quite a few hours before sunrise. Plenty of time to catch some rest" Ling said. "Or even indulge in the activities that I so rudely interrupted earlier." He added cheekily.

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. Winry blushed to the roots of her hair, and Edward made to grab at Ling angrily, who danced away just out of his reach, a mirthful laugh escaping his lips, hidden behind the cover on his face. With that the Emperor set off, heading back towards the Central with his bodyguard, as Edward and Winry waved them goodbye.