"Engaged?" Ed squeaked out. Engaged? Mustang had been engaged?

Abigail's eyes flicked over to him briefly before they returned to Mustang.

But Mustang looked like he was having trouble believing what he was hearing. Ed could see him swallow stiffly before speaking. "Abigail. I didn't mean for us to run into each other like this."

"Of course you didn't, but it's happened, so we probably need to discuss what is going to happen from here."

Ed looked at Roy slightly sullenly, "I guess we're not having our talk now then?"

Roy looked down at him, "I thought you didn't want to have it?"

Ed tried not to sulk, because at eighteen, you're not supposed to sulk. Man up, he thought.

"Discussion?" Abigail asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Ed felt himself get a bit queasy. How exactly did you tell someone that you were sleeping with their former…fiancé who also happened to be a man?

Roy seemed to know though. "How about we have lunch, discuss what you and Edward came to discuss, then we retire to my suite and we all talk."

It didn't to be phrased so much as a question, but more of an order.

Abigail narrowed her eyes, "There you go! Giving orders already!"

Edward really liked her now.

Abigail sat down again with a little humph, before turning her attention to Edward.

"Now, what do you want to know exactly?"

"Anything related to legends here, there are some stories I'm doing research on."

Abigail tapped her chin for a few moments as she pondered all the stories she'd heard.

"Well…I suppose there's one about a monster that live underground."

Ed cocked his head to the side even though Mustang was hissing near his ear, "Nothing to do with the problem at hand!"

"What is that one about?"

Abigail licked her lips before beginning, "It is said that a long, long time ago there was a man. He was made of gold and silver, and he acted as if he were a God. As God he decided to create a creature. It was human except for its eyes: they were inhuman. But apparently he tired of the creature and left it to die in the sun. However, the creature managed to burrow itself into the ground. There it languished for an untold sort of time. It promised not to attack the village that sat upon these sands as long as it was fed human children. But after a time it became more demanding, it wanted those human children who could do alchemy. The villagers were horrified and they began to refuse it. The creature grew furious and slaughtered half the town. Some say he did it out of envy, but after that slaughter he is said to have left and never been seen again." Abigail finished the brief story just as the food arrived. "There's more to it than that, but I figured if you wanted the story you could just go to the library and find it somewhere. Was that the type of story you were looking for?"

"Yes and no. Have you ever heard of anything else beneath the ground here?"

Abigail bit off a piece of steak and wiped her mouth before talking. "Not to my knowledge. Well, only an ancient folktale." She smiled. "It's rather lovely, but sad at the same time. And I highly doubt any of it is true, so I wasn't going to mention it."

"Why not tell it anyways? We have some time."

Abigail took several more bites of her food before responding with a slight sigh, "I'm not positive on all the details because I haven't heard it all that often, but here it is." She cleared her throat and began, "In a time before time really began there was a man, a man of great power. He desired to build the most beautiful city for his beloved, his intended. And so he called forth the greatest builders there were. He told them 'Build me a great city – a city greater than any other that has ever been or ever will be built'. And so, it was started. The architects and engineers argued often and horribly. The beloved girl, the Princess, was not to marry the powerful man until the city was finished. Not only that, she had to approve the city.

So, two years passed and the city was completed. The city was made out of a substance of stone, a pure white stone. The Princess hated it. She thought it stark and dull. 'I don't like it!' she complained and refused to move into the city. In embarrassment the powerful man turned on his workers and shouted, 'Make me a better city!' The architects tired of the past two years reluctantly went to work on the new city.

Two more years passed and the city was completed. Again the Princess was unhappy.

And so, two more years passed. Then two more. Four years, then eight.

And finally after four more years, the city was completed. It was a beautiful city, one of pure gold and gems. Brightly colored jewels flashed from the highest steeple and the paved ground. It was stunning. It hurt the eye to behold.

The powerful man sent a convoy to pick the Princess up and return her to the most magnificent city.

However, the convoy returned without the Princess. The explanation was rather short. They spoke of how the Princess, although unhappy with the cities had loved him more than anything in the world and desired to be with him. But to live in a dark city was not for her, she needed light, brightness. While she waited for him to complete the city her father engaged in a war with an opposing territory. The opposing territory overwhelmed the Princess's father's army and destroyed the city. The Princess fled to the highest tower whereupon she found herself trapped.

'I will not be slave to you!' she had shouted at the advancing men who had simply laughed at her. She'd smiled a cruel little smile and waved a bottle at them. 'Poison. I'll die very soon. Perhaps I will never see my love again, but at least I shall not have been tainted by men like you!'

And she collapsed into a stupor before finally dying.

The powerful man wept over the death of his beloved princess. The city seemed to be empty, hopeless and he no longer desired to live in this palace.

He packed his bags to the horror of the architects and left his sister in charge. It was his sister who was to rule for the rest of the time the city existed."

Abigail gave a light cough as she finished the retelling. The three of them had finished their lunch and were now sitting quietly. "Is there anymore to the tale?" Ed asked.

Abigail shrugged. "I'm not aware of it."

Ed sighed and rolled his head, cracking his neck. "Are those two the only stories you know?"

Abigail shook her head. "No, those two are the only two that focus on the underground though." Her eyes turned to Roy's. "Well."

"Well." Roy restated. "I suppose it's time to talk about the real issue."