People! I need to warn you, this has really nothing to do with the story line, this is just explaining about how and why Lan Fan and Ling got married (Ahem, they are Iaso's and Lucky's parents). Another thing, please be warned, there is an OC, however she is in there only to represent a clan, and she is completely nice and an eventual friend of LanFan. Comment if you would like me to post this as a seperate story instead of in this story. -Miki

LanFan sat outside the door, the thick ivy growing around the door that Lanfan was sitting next to. LanFan had long since gotten tired of waiting for this chick to show up... if she ever was going to. The concrete she was sitting against was cold, and she thought she was going to forever smell like mud and those poor lilies that surroundered her.

"Hiya! Bored yet?" Ling was leaning against a tree, his legs swinging midair while he ate an apple. He looked uncomfortable too, sitting on a tree, looking around solemnly.

LanFan shrugged. She wasn't supposed to show feelings of anything beside concern for the one she was supposed to be protecting. Ling hopped down from the tree, straightening his emporer robes as he padded across to LanFan.

"You know, it's ok to show emotion." he looked around at the small patches of grass and overgrowing ivy. "So, let me think this girl... from the Genojji clan or something-"

"Genji. Her name is Mauri." LanFan said icely. The girl was supposed to be appointed Ling's first wife, but, for some odd reason, she sounded suspicious. For one: Mauri was usually a name given to the lower class, like LanFan herself, not really for a princess. But, she never knew how rich or poor that clan was.

A minute after she spoke a carriage pulled up, a pale buttercream color, and mahogany wood for wheels, they certainly didn't look poor. A man jumped down from where he had held black the reins to two large horses and opened the side of a the carriage. A girl with colored hair, jumped out, not waiting for help, and landed with a thud against the soft tan earth.

Fourteen or fifteen the girl was extremely pretty, wearing a blue robe designed with little butterflies ovet it, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and a few whisps of it framing her face in curls.

"Are you the guard here?" She asked pointing at LanFan, a huge smile plastered against her face, her hands delicate and fragile. LanFan nodded, looking down to the princesses shoes. They were a black slipper with a little butterfly and pin attatched near the end of her foot, where her toes began.

Suddenly her hands were thrown around the bodyguards neck, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Wow! My name is Mauri! I want to be your best friend, and we will, I just know we will! Won't we LanFan!"

"How do you know my name?" LanFan asked, wiggling away from the insane psychopath, who just kept hugging her closer.

"A princess always knows everybodys name, oh Mast- Emperor Ling! Hello!" Mauri let go of LanFan quickly, dropping to her knees quickly, shaking her head and standing back up to shake Ling's hand. It looked like it almost came out of it's socket.

"Oh! Flowers!" the she dropped down to the ground and picked the lillies, pressing them against her nose to smell them. Ling and LanFan looked at each other and shrugged, looking at Mauri pick the flowers.

Ling and Mauri were seated up at the highest point of the ballroom, watching all of the guests. Mauri jumped out of her seat so often to play with the children you would think that the chair was on fire. LanFan was standing next to Mauri, since the girl had insisted upon it, saying that she would need LanFan to escort her to the bathroom eventually.

The ball had been thrown to celebrate Ling going to be married to princess Mauri. Lots of people had come up to congratulate them, but Ling had simpily walked away and Mauri had asked why they were congratulating her.

"LanFan, I have to pee, can you take me down to the bathrooms?" Mauri asked suddenly, pulling on LanFan's elbow. LanFan let out a breath of exhaustion and nodded. She dragged Mauri down a hallway to the end where the bathrooms were held. She positioned herself outside of the door to wait for Mauri to finish.

Instead, Mauri had pulled LanFan inside.

"What the h- Mauri, what are you doing?" LanFan stuttered, watching Mauri start to take off her black and red kimono.

"We'll be switching for the rest of the night... we do look alike." Mauri explained, dropping the cloth down to the floor. She held out and an outstretched hand to LanFan. LanFan snarled under her breath, now she had to listen to Mauri is was in code nine section four:

All guards, maids, servants, and ect. must report and listen to those of higher place. If not done so said guard, maid, servant, or ect, shall face certain consequences, see page eighty-nine.

LanFan stripped quickly, hoping to dear god that nobody walked in to see this humilation. Mauri slipped into the black cloth pants quickly, almost like she had been doing t her whole life, then she puled the skintight shirt over her head followed by the heavier overcoat. LanFan pulled the silk over her body, tieing a knot in the back of it. It took her a moment to realize it was several inches above her knees.

"Ok, lets go LanFan!" Mauri said, grabbing LanFan's arm and begging to race down the hall. For a princess, she was rather fast.

"Wait, you don't know anything about being a guard!" LanFan exclaimed, reaching for Mauri as they stopped in front of the door to lead to the ball. Mauri plastered a grin on her face and pulled out a kunai from the pocket to Lanfan's clothes. She spun it around on her finger and held her finger to her lips.

Mauri opened the door, strutting out, then went and positioned herself next to her chair. Ling watched her with a wierd and odd expression, one eyebrow raised in suspision. LanFan sat down in the chair next to Ling, glancing at Mauri uneasily. She didn't hear Ling calling her name until Mauri pointed to Ling next to her. She probably didn't hear Ling since he was calling for Mauri.

"Do you feel better?" he asked, staring at Mauri. It took me a second to figure out that Mauri had forgotten to put her hair in a bun and it fell to just past her shoulders-just like mine.

I nodded and shot a worried look at Mauri, who hadn't moved an inch. I liked her calmness over this whole thing, it made me feel better about the whole thing.

Mauri took a drink from the cup, enjoyng the taste of the drink apparently, since she didn't draw it away from her mouth for a few seconds.

"You did good LanFan," Mauri said, smiling happily, she brushed her hand in front of LanFan, showing the kimono that still hung to LanFan. "Ever considering being a double?"

LanFan laughed. "No, I'm sorry Mauri, but I don't. You still have to tell me about how you were able to watch me and ... Ling without fidgeting. I'm sorry Mauri but, you can't stay still for more than two seconds."

"Oh, it's easy for a bodyguard."

LanFan spit out the water from her mouth, it sprayed out into the open air around the white balcony they were talking on. "Your a bodyguard?"

"You couldn't guess? Good, I guess that means I'm safe." Mauri said happily, she took another long drink from her glass. LanFan blinked, looking at Mauri like she had just invented psycho killing, and she was the first murderer.

"But- you came here as a princess..."

"And I felt so horrible about it. I was the only choice, all the princesses in the palace became sick and couldn't make it, and I was the only choice left... and I was the survival of the clan. When I got here... well, I kind of caught the emperor looking at you... and he swore me into secrecy about it... and it felt so horrible, knowing that I was here and that he didn't even love me. Not really that. HE WAS NICE TO ME!" Mauri now had a hold of LanFan, shaking her angerily, tears streaming down her face.

"It's not like I actually wanted to be a concubine... I mean, that's gross, and the thought of it... I mean he's a nice guy and everything... but, Lan I'm engaged! The guy asked me right before I had to come here, and even though Ling's nice and everything..."

"You thought that if you could get me to fall in love with the pri- Ling in return, they woud allow you to go without being a concubine, right?" LanFan asked. Mauri nodded.

"Mauri, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not how stuff works around here. Even if I did love the prince-"

"Are you saying you do? Or are you saying you don't?" Ling said, making his entrance by stepping out from behind a large marble column and walking calmly towards the girls. Mauri let go of LanFan's shoulders and bowed deeply. "Young master." she said in a LanFan voice.

"Give me credit. I was listening the whole time. I know that you two switched outfits too. You may look alike, but, you too have completely different personalities." his mouth twitched. "Like, for the fact that Mauri would never dance with me, LanFan never scratches her nose, and also, Mauri, LanFan eats a lot more."

Mauri slapped him across the face. "Sorry, but I don't love you, and I never have, never will."

Ling laughed "Thank you, then you are dismissed, after all, I don't love you either."

Mauri's mouth opened in an angry comeback before she closed it again and stalked off, back into the warm air of the palace.

LanFan looked uneasily at Ling. She had violated so many different rules in one night... she should probably be locked in a box, sent across an ocean, and forced to live in Dracmau for the rest of my life.

"Well... so... um, am... am I gong to be punished?" she asked finally, looking back into the lighted area of the palace, she could faintly see Mauri hiding behind a marble column.

"Oh! LanFan I forgot you were there!" Ling said. He began digging through his pockets. "Look, Al gave this to me."

It was a folded piece of paper with some words scrawled on it. "What is it?"

"It's from Ed, he got engaged to Winry, read it."

She unfolded it, keeping an eye on Ling, it seemed like somebody had let him near the alchol again... The paper wasn't from Ed at all, in fact it appeared that Ling had wrote it himself. She looked closer at the words... they had been written in amestrian so it would take a few minutes...

After five minutes she was cursing amestrian, all amestrians, Edward, and Ling's god awful handwriting. It took her a few more minutes to crack the freaking code. June 14, watch those who are closest to you, something bad might happen.

She looked up at Ling, what kind of foreshadowing was this? Maybe this wasn't Ling's handwriting anymore...

Ling did propose to LanFan. LanFan said yes. This was two months later. June 14. The day Mauri left to return to the Genji clan. Half an hour after much squeling and congratulations (she called Winry, who had actually been married to Ed recently and Ling just got his time mixed up) a guard came with a note in hand.

"Future empress, LanFan, I am sorry to interupt but... Mauri has died... it was in an accident, she fell out of the carriage. She left this note for you." The guard held out the flimsy white piece of paper and gave it to LanFan. She unfolded it and dismissed the guards.

LanFan,

If this reaches you that means I'm dead and the guards have searched my body. Don't cry and don't be afraid. I have something for you. It's a key, but you can only open it when you truly have a family. Do you got that Lan?

Mauri.

LanFan felt tears splash down onto the paper, smudging the ink. Ling wrapped his hands around her comfortingly. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."

Does that explain it? I hope so, and just so you know, the key does come into play.