"I did something awful- and this is my punishment. I'm paying the price for going against-" Ed stopped abruptly. "I've gotta go. Sorry for distracting you, you must be busy with the leaving." With that, he was gone through the door.
Ed wandered the city, occasionally swerving as he walked. He loosely held a half-empty bottle in his left hand and his golden eyes were dulled.
They really should put a legal drinking age, even in this time, he thought vaguely as he made his way into the stables.
Inside, stable hands and villagers were running around and preparing to leave. Ed sat himself in a corner and brought the bottle to his lips. The liquid burned his throat on its way down but he had become numb to it. He was becoming numb to everything. Soon he'd be able to be like that bastard colonel- cold and heartless.
In front of him, Aragorn was carefully talking to a rowdy horse, calming him. Ed wanted to place words but he was too far to hear and the alcohol buzzed through his head, blocking his ears.
"Damn, I love this shit," murmured Ed, drinking more.
The horse calmed down a bit, but was still snorting. Aragorn touched its neck and released one of the ropes. The horse continued to stand still. Eowyn watched him carefully, eyes wondering. Ed felt his mind become fuzzy and he lost time.
He woke up to Eowyn standing in front of him, looking amused but trying to pull of angry.
"Well, it seems you've found the alcohol," she said.
"Ow! Not so loud, damn it!" he said, grabbing the sides of his head.
Eowyn laughed at his unfortunate state, and then reached down to help him up.
"Ah! Go away! Gah!" Ed cried as she more or less picked him up and walked him from the stables.
"You're going to sleep off your drunkenness until we leave," she said sternly, laughter in her voice.
"OWWWW! Damn it! That's bright!" Ed had exited the stable, the sun still up and high in the sky. "Someone needs to turn that down."
"I don't think anyone can. The sun is so far…"
"Not that far. I'm pretty damn close to it," Ed mumbled.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing…" Ed stumbled away and info the hall, where he made his clumsy way to a pillar. Carefully he sat down and leaned against it, and instantly fell asleep. Eowyn smiled, then sighed and walked away to finish helping the villagers gather their belongings.
"Master Elric, wake up. We are leaving now. Wake, or I shall have to step on you," said a gruff voice.
Ed grunted and groaned. Great, now the dwarf is trying to make fun of me. "I'm up, I'm up, keep your pants on." Ed unsteadily stood up and almost collapsed on wobbly legs. He grabbed the pillar.
"What? I don't see how that has to do with my pants being on. And I have made no move to remove them," Gimli reasoned, confused by Ed's comment.
"It's a… saying where I come from. Don't think on it too long, it doesn't mean nothing," mumbled Ed grumpily. His head still hurt and his stomach was rumbling- he wasn't sure if from hunger or the want to throw up (A/N: I really don't know the affects of drinking, so I'm just going by like TV and books and movies- someone tell me, if you want. If not, don't worry and try not to hate it).
"Ah, well, Lady Eowyn is waiting for you out front. We should be on our way," Gimli said, leading the way to the doors. Ed followed, and when he got outside, he squinted through the sun at the scene before him.
The exodus of the people was a sight to see- they had looked like so few when they all were hiding in their homes. Add to that the refugees from the Westfold, and you had more then ten times the population of Resembol. Sighing loudly, Ed made his way slowly down the stone steps.
"Edward!" called a voice. Ed turned to see Eowyn coming towards him, her face smiling in the dreary setting of the city.
"Hey," he calmly responded, raising his hand in a friendly gesture.
"You are looking better- far better then yesterday."
"Well… I wasn't having a good day… week… life," he mumbled to himself.
Eowyn looked concerned at his attitude, but did not comment. "Come, let us leave. It is a long walk to Helm's Deep, and we do not want to get caught too close too late. It is about three day walk."
"Three days in the open? You could be attacked and you would have nowhere to go for protection." Ed watched her in wonder. He wondered about her bravery at the possible loss of her home, the fact that her brother was missing and her uncle was possibly losing his mind. He wished he had had her sense and hadn't messed with nature.
They walked with the crowd of villagers across the plains. The background was astonishing, and Ed couldn't keep his eyes off of it. Rolling arcs of green grass coated the hard ground, with spring flowers dotting the landscape. The sun was low over the snowy mountain peaks, and already the air was warm enough to deplete the thin layer of fog left over from the night before.
"Have you never seen the plains before, Edward?" asked Eowyn gently, pulling him from his revive.
"Hm? Oh, well, I was raised out in an area like this… just not so… open. And the mountains… it's peaceful. I miss it…" Ed fell back into his thoughts. He missed a lot of things- Winry, his mom, his brother most of all. He missed the familiarity of having that large suit of armor always watching his back and keeping him in check. Now… he was alone. Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. He quickly blinked them away and turned to look at the children running ahead of their parents, playing a game to pass the long and arduous journey.
Not now. Protect Rohan first. I can't think about Al right now, as much as that kills me… not now. Ed took a deep breath and turned to look at Eowyn. He smiled.
"What about you? Your family… the only thing I know is you're niece of the king. What about your parents?"
"What of your parents, Edward?" Eowyn shot back, her smile faltering slightly.
"My father left when I was younger, my mother dying a few years after that." Ed was surprised he was so blunt over what had happened.
Eowyn nodded. "My father was killed by Orcs when I was barely ten. My mother died slowly of a broken heart."
"I'm sorry," he responded quietly.
"As am I." There was a pause. "Do you know if your father is still alive?"
Ed stiffened. "I don't give a rats ass about that bastard. Even if he was, he has no right to be referred to as my 'father,'" growled the young alchemist. Eowyn stared in shock and fright. "Edward…" she whispered.
"I'm sorry… excuse me." With that, Ed moved quickly away from Eowyn's side, just as the villagers stopped for the night.
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Ed had wasted as much time as he could, wandering between the villagers and watching the children play. As he got closer, he noticed a tense atmosphere around them, even though they should be carefree and innocent. It was as though they too understood what was happening to their home. Ed pitied them, and wished they hadn't had to deal with this.
He continued walking until he saw Eowyn speaking to Aragorn, a look of awe across her face. He moved closer to hear what they were saying.
"Eighty-seven," said Aragorn, a bit embarrassed.
"You are one of the Dúnedain. A descendant of Númenor, blessed with long life. It was said that your race has passed into legend," Eowyn said with shock.
Aragorn nodded. "There are few of us left. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago."
They finished speaking and Eowyn left, giving Ed the chance to talk to the –apparently much- older man.
"Eighty-seven, eh? I wouldn't have guessed a day over forty." Aragorn jerked his head and looked at the alchemist, whom had a smirk plastered on his face.
"A gift of my bloodline. I am a Ranger. I-"
"No explanation necessary. We all have our little secrets to keep… some more personal then others." Ed stood, nodded to the man, and walked away to find a place to sleep for the night.
-----! Scene Change!-----
"Edward… I apologize for yesterday. I did not-"
"Water under the bridge, my Lady," said Ed, cutting her off. They were walking again, the trek coming to an end as they reached the small hills and watery ponds in the area of Helm's Deep. He silently watched as two of the king's men rode forward to scout the area over the upcoming ridge.
"Alright," she responded. A small smile crept onto her lips, and she turned away.
"Alright," he agreed, reaching out and running his gloved left hand across her cheek. He could feel her face warm through the cloth as she blushed furiously. He turned her face to his own and leaned in closer, his eyes closing of their own volition. Their lips were about to meet when the moment was shattered.
"What is it? What do you see?" called the king, a sense of urgency in his tone.
"Wargs!" shouted Aragorn. "We are under attack!"
At the alarm, the villagers began to cry out in panic. Ed and Eowyn jerked apart, both turning to the horses behind them, preparing them for the fight.
"Get them out of here!" Aragorn called, waving his hands at the people still caught up in the panic of the sudden attack.
"All riders to the head of the column!" shouted Théoden to his men. Ed could hear Gimli struggling with his horse, but was not able to help him at the moment- he was comforting a stricken older woman, and was trying to coax her to keep going to safety, instead of clinging to him.
Théoden rode swiftly up to Eowyn, talking to her as she was mounting her steed. "You must lead the people to Helm's Deep. And make haste!"
"I can fight!" Her response was shocked and angered at his command.
"No!" he angrily shot back. He took a breath and looked at his niece. "You must do this... for me."
Éowyn held Théoden's gaze for a moment, and then turned to attend to the villagers, leaving her horse to be used by another soldier. Ed froze, unsure if he should help her with the people, or aid Aragorn in fighting the Wargs- whatever those were.
"Edward." Ed turned at his name, and saw Aragorn calling to him from across the plain. "Go with Eowyn. Protect her." With out hesitation, Ed nodded and handed his horse's reins to Alax, who was passing to head to the fight. He ran to Eowyn's side and began to get the people moving.
"Follow me!" shouted the king, leading a charge over the hilltop.
"Make for the lower ground!" shouted Eowyn to her charges. "Stay together!" They began to push the people harder and faster, getting them as far away from the danger. The two began to run at the sides, relaying the message for everyone to help each other make it to their destination. A child tripped, and Ed reached down and picked him up- saving him from being accidentally trampled.
The people raced for their lives towards Helm's Deep- their one salvation.
-----! Scene Change! -----
The Rohan villagers drew closer to Helm's Deep. Cries of relief sounded from through the throng as their refuge was in sight. Ed could not fight the relief that flooded through them, putting down the boy he had been carrying on his back since they separated. Murmurs ran through out the crowd.
"Helm's Deep!"
"At last!"
"There it is!"
"We're safe!"
Ed made his way to the front of the crowd to stand beside Eowyn as they pushed open the doors to the military hold.
Inside, villagers from the Westfold were already beginning to prepare for a siege, and integrated the supplies from Edoras into their work. The two children- Eothain and Freda- caught sight of their mother and ran for her, the embrace powerful, loving, and highly emotional. Turning away from the tender moment, Ed helped Eowyn check the food supplies they had for the entire- or most of- the people of Rohan. There were baskets of bread, potatoes, dried meats and foods of the like- one's that would last a while. To Ed though, it seemed as though there wouldn't be a sufficient amount to sustain all the people staying there- as well as the soldiers who were still coming. It seems Eowyn also saw the problem.
"Where is the rest?"
The old man looked at her, his face falling. "This is all we could save, my lady."
Ed and Eowyn stared for a moment, both wondering to themselves how to make it last for such a number. "Take it to the Caves," Eowyn said. Her voice sounded about to break and Ed reached for her hand.
All of a sudden, Ed and Éowyn heard the voice of Gamling, one of the kings' men. "Make way for the king! Make way for Théoden!"
The two looked at one another, and Eowyn pulled Ed to the main entrance, where the company was returning from the Warg battle.
"Make way for the king!" shouted Gamling once more. Théoden rode up, and then dismounted to help the wounded from their steeds. The pair rushed to meet them.
Eowyn looked about her. "So few. So few of you have returned."
"Our people are safe," said Théoden. "We have paid for it with many lives." He pulled the soldier from his saddle with care, handing him off to another before going to the next man. Ed began to arch his neck to search the crowd for his companions. He had left them behind- he never left a man behind. Now he needed to know they were safe.
"My lady..." grumbled a low voice. Both looked down to see Gimli walking up to them, slowly and leaning on his axe.
"Lord Aragorn, where is he?" asked Eowyn, as afraid of the answer as Ed, though already knowing what he was going to say.
"He fell..." Gimli's voice caught as he reached the final syllable of his half sentence.
Éowyn began to shake and raised her teary eyes to look at Théoden. The latter looked back down, and then walked away, confirming her unasked question. She slowly fell, Ed catching her in his arms; his own eyes swimming in unshed tears.
"Another gone…"
----- End of Update -----
Okay, took me long enough, correct? I'm so sorry for that, but I hope this update was up to your standards.
Thanks for all the reviews, and please keep them coming! I enjoy the encouragement. Until next time!