And I'm Back! I'm sorry this chapter is so small, but I hardly had any time to get it done, so I wrote it while travelling. I hope you like it and I'm looking forward to your reviews! I love y'all!
Chapter 3: Jealous Rage?
The following morning, Windy awoke in her bed as the curtains were parted by one of her chamber maids.
"Good morning, my lady."
Winry said nothing, just stretched and yawned, straightening out her nightgown.
"We have ham and turkey sandwiches with Darjeeling tea for breakfast," the maid said while pulling out clothes from the closet.
"Would you like me to bring it here?"
The blue eyed maiden nodded and proceeded to the changing room to dress herself. Although she wished the happenings of the previous night were but a dream, her body was refusing to believe so as she could still feel the tips of his fingers caress every part of her body where skin was visible.
He had looked completely different from his usual jolly demeanor, appearing more arrogant, more serious and more teasing.
But the matter that ignited a fire in her heart was that she had probably not been the only woman he had danced with and another may have even warmed his bed, for that is how the system worked.
It was despicable.
Winry had never let a man have his way with her like so, but somehow she was unwilling to separate from him, most certainly due to how gently he had handled her.
This was the first dance she had wholeheartedly enjoyed.
And this idea was enough reason for her to never see him again.
"Lilianne," The maid came shuffling into the room with breakfast on a tray.
Winry handed her a letter.
"Please deliver this to Grand mama. I shall not visit the eshoppé today."
Lilianne bowed and left.
If she were to disappear for a while, he would soon give up on her, after all that was all she meant to him.
A muse.
Tying her bonnet and fastening the pelisse, she skipped past her bed into the long hallway and then out the house, for today, she had somewhere else to be.
She stepped into her carriage, informing the carriage man of her desired destination and departed for some much needed peace of mind.
Edward sat on the tree branch assuming that he would catch a glimpse of his new lady friend, but it did not seem to be his lucky day. Somehow, he had just believed that one look at her and he would forget the incident last night that had kept him up till dawn.
His hand still tingled in excitement at the creamy flesh he had felt, as he clenched and unclenched his fist unconsciously.
He needed to see her. And soon.
As the carriage halted, Winry ascended from it into the hills on the outskirts of Amestris.
She walked past the gate into the familiar environment for it was a place she had visited since time immemorial.
The cemetery.
Having had lost her parents at a young age, the child had spent most hours crying by the tombstones, the cold ground drinking her salty tears.
She placed her hands atop it, unconsciously wiping off the mould that had covered it.
"Mother, father," she choked, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill.
"I miss you dearly."
She spent time talking to them, wondering just how brilliant her life would have been had they been alive. This was not to say that she wasn't proud of them for having sacrificed their lives for the sake of others, but she was allowed to be a selfish child at least once in her life.
At least on their death anniversary.
A loud bark startled her out of her trance and from behind their graves stepped out a canine. It limped to where the maiden stood and rubbed it's snout on her peach dress.
This adorable sat and pepper dog had protected all the graves in the cemetery from ever being vandalised and most felt their deceased relatives were safe in his protection.
And as repayment, Winry had taken it upon herself to create an automail leg for him when it would be ready, she only hoped he'd survive till then.
The alone child walked out of the lonesome graveyard as the chilly air did not allow her to stay any longer, but as she walked past a dozen more headstones, a particular one caught her eye.
Here rests Lady Trisha Elric
Beloved Mother, Wife and Daughter
17XX - 18XX
Eric?
She placed her hand on it and found it to be clean, as if recently washed. And then it hit her.
'They wouldn't permit me to roam as I wished.'
This is where he had wished to come. And most probably, he hadn't lost his way, but had sought her company to soothe his aching heart.
And how cold she had been to him!
Almost instantly she felt apologetic as a wave of guilt washed over her. She rushed to the carriage and directed the carriage man to where she wished to go. Even after having told herself that she would never see him again, she could not go through with it.
She felt sympathetic after all. Yes, that was her only reason.
Edward sat in his carriage, blowing small rings of smoke in the air as it stopped at the tiny bar on his side.
Getting off, he pushed past the bustling city inhabitants, to the stools at the other end.
"You're early."
He paid no heed to the comment, seating himself on a stool and asking for his usual choice of drink.
"What a sour mood you are in, pipsqueak."
The Lord snapped at these words, turning to look angrily at his dark haired companion.
"You should consider yourself fortunate that we are in public, Colonel," Edward said through gritted teeth.
"Else you would have been burnt to a crisp."
"Oh but I always am, when Risa comes into my -" But the younger boy interrupted this flow of thoughts, his face crunched up in disgust at the lewd comment that was the usual and whether he did it to induce discomfort or for his own amusement, Edward couldn't tell.
"I am hardly interested in the maiden's you occupy yourself with or any maiden's for that matter."
These were probably the exact words the colonel was expecting as he pulled out his big guns.
" But it seems you rather enjoyed a good dance with an unknown lady in last night's ball, if I am correct."
The amber eyed boy flinched at his words, clearly not expecting to be hit by an argument on a matter he still couldn't get his mind off of.
"I have an image I am to maintain. Anyhow, that mistake shall not happen again."
The colonel simply smirked; he knew he had hit the right spot.
"Besides all your unnecessary rambling, do you have any information to deliver or have you summoned me to amuse yourself?"
"Well, I can do both."
Edward rolled his eyes at the older man who simply laughed, pulling out a note from his coat pocket and handing it over the the younger Lord.
"There is a shop to the East of the city where the mechanic's wife resides," Ed listened in pure silence.
"She has certain notes that might aid you in your endeavor."
Was he referring to the girl? She was surely too young to be a bride! And in the case that she was, why had she not told him so? She had responded to him so openly too!
"Edward, what is the matter?" The boy shook his head very unconvincingly. His lips twitched in anger.
The colonel eyed him in concern for a second.
"As I was saying, you should probably find a way to befriend her."
The boy got on his feet, paying for both their bills and donning his hat, tipped it at the gaping man. He looked very dangerous, murderous even.
"That should not be difficult."
Of course, his assumption would be proven very very wrong in but a few hours time.
The maiden looked out the window, hoping he'd come by any second even though she had long since missed their usual time of meeting.
Was it that wrong to desire his presence?
As she was about to pull the curtain to take her mind off him, she saw him walking in through the gate. Nearly ripping the curtain apart, she began to fuss over her attire and the neatness of her room.
As the curtains flew open, she tried to behave as though she wasn't so eager to see him, but it would be a big fat lie.
Yet she couldn't say he returned those feelings because at the moment all his face portrayed was rage.
"You look very delighted to see me."
His voice was terrifying, scaring her to her core.
She promptly turned red at his comment and made a very weak attempt to deny it.
" N-not really."
His jaw tightened at her reply and she was certain if he didn't stop, his teeth would turn to powder.
"Are you hiding something?"
Her mouth hung open and she gulped, the nervousness that had begun to take over her being. She inched a few steps behind as he came closer and closer.
He had found out? But they had made contact for but a second!
"N-no," she started in a voice of fake confidence.
"No I am not."
In a flash of a moment he was standing in front of her, one hand caging her against the wall she had unconsciously backed against and the other by his side. Up close she could see flames in his eyes. He was angered beyond control.
"It is not befitting of a maiden to spout falsehoods." There was a fearsome edge to his voice as his jaw twitched.
What even had him so furious?
"And a gentleman is permitted to?"
The boy raised his eyebrows at her response.
"Do not misinterpret my words."
"Do not accuse me of falsehoods!"
She flailed her hands, trying to escape from the prison of his arms.
Soon after she began her assault with her fists, he grabbed her wrist, and caged it above her head as she struggled to escape. She wriggled, but not once did she call out for help, as if she did not really wish to be caught at all.
She was now completely defenseless.
He edged closer and as his breath began to touch her neck, she whimpered, shutting her eyes and her lips quivering.
"Why," he asked silently, kissing her exposed collar bone, once again making her body tingle.
"Why do you react to my touch so much?"
She could not conjure up a response as he did not stop, pulling her flush against him by the waist and tracing her back with his fingers.
But she did question herself. Why did she react to him so? She had met plenty a beautiful men but never been attracted to any in this manner.
Then why?
He pushed her against the wall, his lips dangerously close to hers and she squeezed her eyes shut. Two seconds passed by and nothing happened.
When she opened her eyes, all she could see was his pained expression as she stood watching her from a distance. He looked hurt, broken, torn.
"Why would you lie to me?"
She didn't say a word as tears threatened to fall down her face.
"Why didn't you tell me you were married?"
Winry's eyes widened at his words and her mouth fell open.
"Married?"
"You are the mechanic's wife, are you not?"
Winry openly stared at him without a word escaping from her mouth. And a second later, she burst out laughing. Even though the situation was serious, she looked a mess, her hair was all frizzy thanks to his assault, yet she couldn't hold it back.
"Oh you jest!" She held her stomach and crouched attempting to breathe through her giggles.
He looked surprised to say the least.
"Why do you laugh?"
She walked to her drawer and pulled it open, revealing a tiny painting in it.
It was of a young woman standing beside her supposed husband in a wedding gown.
"The owner of this shop is the mechanic's wife," she managed to say through her laugh.
"And my foster grand mama."
He blinked once. Then twice. Then thrice and raised a hand to his mouth.
That cursed colonel!
"Th-then you're un...married?"
She nodded her head and stood in front of him. For some reason, he had the desired to heave a sigh of relief, but of course he could not.
"Oh, thank the Lord. I thought I had been getting too personal with another gentleman's wife."
Winry stood trying to crack a smile, but a tear slipped down her eye. And another and on and on till she began to sob. Almost immediately Ed rushed to her side, holding her to him and rubbing her back in a soothing motion.
"Forgive me," he whispered in her ear as she cried into his chest. She began to realise how afraid she had become the minute she had seen the dark irises of his eyes, how terrified she had been of his attacks, but there was something that had the blonde more worried than everything else.
She had enjoyed every last bit of it.
"Edward..." She whispered through sobs bunching up his shirt in her hands, trying to tell him that she was alright by now.
But she had made a large error. When they had first met, he had introduced himself as "Ed" and had said nothing about his name being "Edward". Only those of the ton who had attended his welcoming party would have known this.
He pushed her by her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
"How do you know my name?"
And done! I hope you liked it! Let me know your thoughts in the reviews. Thank you for giving me your time!