Well, here we go with the first chapter. (:

Title: Finding Eden
Pairings: Roy/Ed
Rating: M (might lower later on)
Summary:And when his eyes flicked across the courtyard, spying the crown of golden hair, he knew he had to have been dreaming. There was no way this paradise would exist in his boring world of marriage and prestige.
Warnings: Nothing this chapter.

No beta. Just good ol' spell check. Forgive mistakes, please.

Finding Eden

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Chapter I.

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He slammed his hands down mercilessly on the mahogany desk, making the ink pot tremble and papers fly to all around. Fingers scrunched up, scratching the fine wood with small slits over already worn in cuts and marks. A deep growl rounded deep in his throat, teeth bared and grinding together as he tried to remain the last once of dignity and cool he had left. Coal-colored eyes were drawn down, reflecting the man's weak-kneed appearance and rattling teeth with perfect diagnostician back at him.

The man, a messenger from the kingdom five days ride from here, was small and weak rounded, with an overload of bushy hair and a trembling lip. He would never see someone like this in his palace, thanks to his father the king, but it didn't surprise him since the kingdom the man was from was quite poor. It beat him why they would try and give their princess to him, when he clearly wasn't shooting for anyone of lower status then his tutor.

And it wasn't his rule, but more likely his parents. Ever since his twenty-fourth birthday, Roy had to worry about every single kingdom's maidens and the worrisome parents that were sending them towards the prince in the first place. It was quite a downfall that each time he had his hopes up, the maiden would be too ugly or not fit for the role of his wife. Sure, he wasn't dying inside every time a beautiful woman came and couldn't read a passage of literature all the way through, but he did have to remember his parents.

Even with them slipping into old age every second, they were still alive and kicking, and for the most part, Roy was still under their overall control. Keeping his eyes narrowed and measured so they made the messenger tremble a little more every second, the prince cleared his throat roughly, prompting the other man on.

"W-well, um… sire, I-I w-w-was sent by the Kingdom of the East to ask if y-you would see our princess at our palace. I-it is only five days or so away from here, sir." He droned on, making the dark haired young man grind his teeth as he stared him down.

Roy stayed quiet, looking at the messenger who was looking everywhere except for the prince.

"I see. Well, if the family of the East wanted me to see their precious daughter so much, why didn't they send someone more compatible to try and talk their way into my schedule? I apologize, but unless the princess and the family come to visit me soon, then I do not believe this will work out for the meeting and marriage they are hastily hurrying to set me up for." He replied, prying his fingers and palms from the well-scratched up wooden surface, before falling back with grace precision and landing perfectly on the leather chair below.

"Well, y-yes sir, bu—"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"No, sir, but—"

"Then you are dismissed. Tell my head servant to gather a basket to take back to the palace family, along with my best wishes." And with that, Roy turned around in his chair, facing the large paned window that looked over the courtyard and half of the gardens below. It was nearly springtime, and with that, the window gave a great view of all the blooming flowers displaying several hundreds of different colors and species.

It took a few moments until he heard a sudden outdraw of breath, before scrapping of feet on the thin carpet below. The turn of the brass door handle was music to his ears seconds later, with the final click as it shut declaring everything was over.

He sighed, letting go of a huge breath as he brought his left hand up to massage his temples. 'Just the first day back, and I'm already being swarmed with proposals and rendezvous.' Roy leaned his head back, as a great bundle of fine smoky-black hair fell in a cradle around his face, incasing the eyes of the same color and intensity in them.

The prince had been traveling in the west, following up a meeting with the head of the royal family that his parents had scheduled some months before for him. It was another try to wed him with one of the many suitable young ladies the house had to offer, but none of them exactly fit his want or need. They would vary in size, structure, shape, ethnicity, and color, but alas no one was right for him. He had been through hell for almost a year, as his parents bombarded them with the urge to marry before they both died, since they didn't want him ruling alone. And Roy wasn't keen on that fact either, especially since he would be the first in one hundred years to be a solo leader.

'One hundred years ago…wonder what it was like. Must've been a lot better than the hell I'm enclosed in now.' He mused, pursing his lips at the thought of the lives of those people. Of course, the ones who lived that long ago didn't live in his palace, but the one a bit down the road from here. It had collapsed into ruin sometime back, leaving nothing but stone and a hapless sanctuary for all those who survived. But Roy was at least glad they didn't give up hope and rebuilt their foundation, giving rise to this palace and kingdom.

"It's no paradise, though." He muttered, before giving a dry chuckle that underlined no humor. As he contemplated getting back to what he was doing before the idiotic messenger showed up, which was some boring work, two gentle knocks rang on the door. Swinging his body around just in time to see it open to the person, his smile that had immediately etched into a frown turned into a slated smile.

"It seems like you got back in one piece, sir. I'm sure the west was just as lovely as always, and you were just as humble to be there…as always." The woman said, closing the door behind her with a click. She was dressed in an elegant suit, reserved for tutors only. Even thought he and his parents were real-accepting of having a woman being his personal tutor, Miss Riza was never too fond of the girly dresses she would have to wear under the title. So, she put up with the manly attire full stride when she was on duty, and only switched to her feminine side for special occasions.

She even kept her long blonde hair swept up and out of her face when she visited him like this. Wait, she was visiting him? That could only mean…

"Yes, thank you Miss Riza. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy any meeting." Roy threw out, scooting himself further to the desk, so he could rest his elbows on the fine wood once more. "Now, I hardly doubt you are here to chat of my well-being."

"Of course, sir, that is correct. You have been away for two weeks, and that is two weeks that we will never get back. In saying that, that is also two weeks that we have lost to your studies and all the paperwork that you usually must complete. Of course, with your absence, I took the liberty to help you out with everything that needed to be signed and sent out; though I wouldn't confuse it with all the other times I help you." Riza uttered, her face blank of emotion, speaking naturally to the drooping face of Roy.

"Well," Roy began, bringing his hand back to scratch the back of his head nervously, "You see, Miss Riza, I was just going to take the day off to rest from the journey. Can't we start tomorrow?" He tried, knowing the plea fell on deaf ears as Riza stared at him without blinking.

"I'll be back with everything in ten minutes, sir. Please prepare yourself for all your missed work." And with that, the blonde woman turned away from the prince, opening the door to leave him in complete silence. 'And she was the one I hoped hadn't heard I had come back…' He thought, though added a sigh out loud to express his sudden misery.

Thanks for reading!

Any comments/reviews are gladly appreciated.

-Mazzie