Hey everyone (:

So I've been sort of on a writing hiatus the last several weeks, because I misplaced my muse someplace. But now I am finally getting back in the swing of things and will hopefully be updating quicker. Funny since school started today and I should've been able to update much quicker in the summer than during the school year... yup.

A/N: Don't own FMA. I do, however, own this story idea and all the extras you don't recognize.

No beta. Only Word spell check.

Rating: T
Warnings: Strong religious undertones

Alright, so I'm going to put a little warning/briefing right here just to make it clear to everyone reading. If you hadn't realized by the title nor Roy's talk of a paradise in the first chapter to such extent, then I will go outright and say that this story, from here on out, will have strong religious undertones guiding it. It is what the story is about, sort of like a whole 'Eden' setting. Now, I'm not bashing religion in any way. I'm Catholic myself and I've been going to Catholic schooling all my life. On the other hand, I'm not pushing anything religious on you. if you find this offensive, stop reading.

Now, the whole thing isn't about heaven and the bible, but many concepts, names, and themes will be pulled from the whole story of Eden, Adam, and Eve.

This is just a warning, to put out the flames before they begin. Thanks. Oh and if you really don't care at all, pay this no mind. (:

-Mazzie

Finding Eden

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Chapter II

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"And some argue whether the garden is an actual location or just a symbolic reasoning for what humans grasp paradise to truly be…" Miss Riza droned on, much to the displayed fatigue of Roy. He leaned back in the plush chair, feet sustained on a stack of study book on the floor. Riza had brought up a study desk, to place next to the side of Roy's, so that she could inevitably see his every move.

She was currently reading something about a garden, as he tipped his head back and looked out the window. Even with him evidently not paying attention, she still went on. Outside, it seemed the garden, both the one outside his window and the one that his tutor was speaking of, was faring out much better than he was. The one outside of his window, on the other hand, were quite well-taken care of, since his mother was always quite the fanatic of the plants, especially the growing crocus off on his left side. Beds of dozens grew in rapid life, their cup-shape opening and showing off to the garden around it.

"Roy? ROY!" Said prince jumped at the sudden call of his name, snapping out of his wonderland as the woman showed her disapproval openly to him dozing off.

With a sigh, she began again. "I know that you would rather be entertaining yourself with other details, sir, but while you are in this room under my jurisdiction, you will be catching up on everything you have missed. Now, have you listened to anything I have been saying?"

There it was again, that scary look that could frighten the scariest monster away. Roy often wondered if she was born with an expression like that, or if she had worked as a tutor for so long that it became a handy talent.

"Uhhh…u-um…something about a garden?" He ventured, slouching his shoulders down, gritting his teeth and preparing for the cut-low blow.

But none came. And when Roy looked up, Riza was just staring at him with a blank face. "Well, you're half-right, sire, but you would be more correct if you added a name to the garden. Perhaps if I say it's the most important one in this book, it would be of more help?"

He glanced over, rolling his head to squint at the title. The bible.

"Oh, so Eden right?"

"Second time's a charm, sir."

Riza immediately looked down, avoiding the crisp gaze that Roy was delivering her way at the moment.

"Well, shall we actually begin where we left off? I do hope you at least remember something of your verses or what the first chapter of the book is called, sir." She didn't look up, much to his relief and he speculated it was because she didn't want to be disappointed.

It wasn't like Roy was a complete failure at anything that did with religion. It wasn't favoritism on something else either, but more along the lines that he didn't care for half of the studies Riza was instructed to teach him. But to his parents, it was something he needed to know. Every detail memorized, no matter the most gruesome death nor the most obvious betrayal. His father schooled him in the fact that anything that happened in the thick book, could happen to him especially during his ruling. So Roy had always figured it was to prepare him for the throne.

"Genesis. I remember that since you whacked me in the head with the bible last time I got it wrong." The prince winced at the memory, rubbing the back of his head to see if there was still a bump.

"Good." Miss Riza answered shortly, turning the pages to where she had marked it, and propping it up in the crook of her arm so she could read it better. "Now, listen up. Genesis, chapter two, verses seven through eight. 'And He formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And he then planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.'".

Silence on Roy's end through the whole thing made Riza continue until the end, before she turned the page and scanned the verses underlined there. With a sigh of dissatisfaction, she turned back to what she had just read; gazing down to see a flicker of bore flash through her master's eyes, before she set the book back on the desk.

But just as he was about to speak up, something out the large-glass windows caught his attention. With a quick turn of his head, he was looking out and down, at the garden below where two people were walking briskly from the far left towards the right.

'Hmmm…" He muttered to himself, his eyes following them at every step. The first man was an old gardener, his graying hair falling in soft tuffs down his neck. Even through old age, he set a steady pace that was taking the other person behind him two quick steps to every lunge of the old man to keep up.

On the other hand, the young person following him, a blonde with hair tied in a loose pony tail, wasn't familiar to him at all. When had this woman started working his palace? Probably when he was gone, though he would've thought Riza would debrief him by now. She wasn't dressed in feminine clothes, much like Miss Riza cared not to, but more rugged ones that almost made her appear as a boy from way up on the second floor.

But another thought pegged him, about where they were heading. Why would a young, pretty girl like that be sent to work in the garden? They had enough men pulling the weeds and two skilled older women who planted and watered the flowers.

"Hey Riza," Roy said, interrupting whatever the woman had been saying before, as he continued looking towards the pair, that had stopped to admire a bunch of lilacs on a section of the lawn. "Who is that?"

Riza followed his gaze outside, narrowing her sight on the young blonde out with the gardener, Abraham. "Oh, that's the new servant, sire."

"Well, why wasn't I alerted that a new person was hired? I think I have the right to know when someone new begins working in my palace, miss." Roy said, keeping his tone even and smooth as his eyes traveled down to the new worker. Her body was mostly covered with her clothing, and the long tendrils of hair concealed her face from where he sat.

"Sir, you are never alerted when someone starts. You didn't know that more than ten people worked here until two months ago." She replied, her tone dry as scratch paper, a hopeless feeling weighing herself down with every second.

"Well, why are you having such a beautiful young lady working in the garden? I'm sure Deborah wouldn't mind the extra help in the kitchen or cleaning with Susanna. I know she's a servant, but isn't that a bit harsh?" He spoke, though couldn't recall the words leaving his mouth. What was wrong with him? He had never shown this sort of favoritism towards other people, much less his house workers before… so why was this servant so different?

"Lady?" Riza questioned, soundly confused as she stood, leaning over the small desk to get a better view, before her face scrunched up in confusion. "Sir, that's a man."

Roy had been so busy looking out at the pretty girl that he almost missed what his tutor said. It stopped him dead in his tracks, mouth slightly parted as he gawked out through the glass. The two had begun walking once again, and where almost at the corner where they would soon be out of view.

"A-a man?! Are you sure? There's no way in hell that that is a man down there!" He screamed, gaping with an incomprehensible face at the incomprehensible truth he had just learned.

"Yes, sir, from all the times I have met him I am sure. He's a pretty boy who looks more fit for a prince than a servant, but the world isn't always fair, is it, sir?" She sighed, sitting back down and heaving shut the bible on her desk. Roy hadn't moved.

A few moments later, Riza heaved a sigh, sliding her chair back to stand fully erect, a few books in her arm. "Well, you seen thoroughly distracted now sir, so we'll continue early tomorrow afternoon. I'll send some tea up, sire."

But the words, like most of the lesson today, had gone unnoticed, because just as Roy was about to rip his gaze away and comment back, something happened. The man that he had been staring at so fruitfully roughly whipped his head up, as piercing golden eyes tore through the glass pane straight into coal-colored irises. Now he could see his face, and he was a bit of a beauty.

Pale skin encircled his high cheekbones, which screamed nothing short of royal lineage. His eyes matched his hair, both as golden as the early morning sunrise and he could see them both shining as brightly. But overall, it was the way he stared up that made him almost speak before he remembered where he was in contrast to the younger servant below.

He was looking up with a bit of defiance, almost like a challenge that turned his eyes sharper and made the young man look deadly. There was an underside of something he couldn't quite name, but he was afraid it was something along the line of success, which he couldn't understand. What was he succeeding in catching the stare of his master?

The creaking of the door made him alert back to the real world, swinging around in his seat to see Riza standing with one hand on the knob, body poised to leave. He put his hand up, stopping her.

"Yes?"

"Can you send the new servant up, please? I'd like to meet him for myself." He said, speaking carefully so he wouldn't reveal anything.

Riza stared at him for a long minute, before bending herself forward a bit into a light bow. "Of course, sir. Anything else?"

Nothing.

"Then I'll send him up." She answered, stepping out and turning to shut the door.

"A-ah, n-no! Riza!" Roy yelled, waving his arms frantically to get her attention.

"Yes, sir?" She stepped back in with an exasperated sigh.

"What's his name?"

"The new servant?" A nod. "His name is Edward, or at least that is what he said it was." She replied with a shrug, not waiting one more second before she swung the door shut behind her.

Roy had swiveled back to the window by the time the door clicked in place, thinking. They were out of sight, Abraham and Edward. Hmmm… Edward, huh? Such a regal sounding name, though he was exquisite from way down there, so perhaps he did look very wealthy up close as well.

He sighed, turning his back from the window, and the first thing his gaze fell on was his unread, open bible on his desk. Riza had taken hers, but left his open for him, he presumed. Roy hadn't been listening to what she had said earlier, but better late than never, right?

Scanning the two verses once again, he was glad it was all when he was finished because Roy was neither quickest nor stingiest reader. But a word caught his attention: Eden. "Another paradise, huh? It seems that Miss Riza loves to shove everything I want in my face, while Adam and Eve had it so easy. They were placed in paradise." He added with a dry laugh. "They just had to go and screw it up."

With a shake of his head, he slapped it shut, almost disgusted at that thought. Ruining a perfect paradise? How foolish. With one last look at the cover, Roy tipped his head back, lifting his feet back up onto the pile of books before getting comfortable and ready to wait until Riza came back with his tea and Edward.

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Think of the puppies.

-Mazzie