Ed sat on the quarterdeck, quietly scrubbing dirty clothes in a vinegar solution. It was supposed to prevent the spread of diseases since life aboard the ship wasn't exactly the healthiest. Al was learning how to control and work with the rigging, while Ed was stuck with laundry duty. It was boring and he'd rather be doing something else, but he didn't feel like enduring through another one of the captain bastard's spiel on how important the job was.
Halfway through the rant, Ed stopped paying attention, that only earned him another scolding. Mustang was obnoxious and arrogant, he didn't understand why Al liked him so much. There wasn't much he could do about his situation. Mom was gone.
Without her, Al and he were alone. If Mustang hadn't rescued him, he likely would have died. Al would be on his own in their demolished home town with no one to look after him. Ed truly was grateful for that, but that didn't mean he had to like the captain. Hawkeye was nice, but she could be fairly strict. He had to share a room with her since there wasn't enough room in Fuery's cabin to fit three people. She made sure he made his bed every morning and his few belongings were put away in their proper spots.
The clothes he received were far too large for his age, so he had to bunch up the bottom hem of his shirt and tie it off. He also wore a blue bandana over his forehead and hair to protect himself from the sun's rays. It made him look like a ruffian, but he didn't stand out when compared to the majority of the crew.
With the last of the clothes strung up to dry, Ed moved towards the railing on the edge of the deck. He left his crutch next to the basket, hoping he wouldn't need it. His amputation incision had been deemed completely healed by Knox, but he was told to take it easy for a while longer. Sometimes when he walked, his leg would give way and make him stumble. Other days his stump pained him enough that it hurt to walk with his wooden prosthetic on. On some rare occasions, he could walk without his crutch and not feel in any lasting pain. Today was one of those lucky days. As he sauntered to the rail, he didn't stumble, his stump only felt a little sore. Pleased with the result, he walked to the opposite side of the ship with no issue.
He leaned against the rail and looked at the sea. It seemed silly to him, especially since he'd been raised next to the ocean, but he was slightly afraid of the water. When he looked down, he could see at least fifty feet until the clear blue water faded to black. Fish of all sizes darted around below the surface, jellyfish gently floated along with the slow current. A sea turtle drifted with the current, eating the invertebres before disappearing into the dark depths. What made him nervous about the sea was the unknown. Who knew what monstrosities lie in the deep, watching above for passing ships to hunt. Deep down he knew it was a ridiculous notion, but it was called an irrational fear for a reason.
Instead of dwelling on the uneasy thoughts anymore, Ed started walking from railing to incident with the Cretans two months ago left him determined to recover as fast as he could. Both Hawkeye and Havoc promised him they'd teach him how to properly use a sword once his leg was completely mended. That encounter opened his eyes to his situation; he was an orphaned amputee living on a ship full of vagabonds. At any moment they could be attacked again by more people like those Cretans. If Hawkeye, or even Mustang, weren't around to defend him, he could find himself in peril. Besides, he didn't want to have to rely on others for his safety. He wanted to be able to protect himself and Al by his own means.
Before the raid, Ed was able to scare off his and Al's bullies using only his ferocious attitude. Some of his classmates used to make fun of him and his brother for being a little different, apparently their looks were similar to a barbaric race of people to the east. Others gave him flak for not having a father present, they said he was nothing more than an ill-tempered bastard. He did have memories of his father living with him, so it wasn't like he ditched his mom as soon as Ed was born.
Whenever the kids started teasing him (or especially his brother), he'd always lash out by either yelling at them or tackling them. That of course earned him a fair amount of detentions and his mom needing to come to the school to talk to his teacher. She'd always tell him to ignore the words. He was her brave son, he could disregard those who tried to get a rise out of him.
While his peers could be cruel at times, Ed never truly wished harm upon them. They were young and didn't fully understand the weight of the words they spoke. None of them deserved the fate they received. Ed was going to find out why his town had been mercilessly slaughtered, and he planned on making sure everyone, even those who mocked him, had the proper justice that was warranted.
Why he and Al were spared, Ed didn't think he'd ever know. The morning of the raid was chaotic, those who tried running into the forest were shot down. Some of the adults tried fighting back, but the attackers were well armed and skilled, they were able to take out the humble farmers with ease. During the confusion, Ed and Al were ushered into the barn by their mother. They hunkered down and she watched through the yellow window pane as their home was set ablaze. They could hear horses whinnying and men shouting at each other to burn everything down. Their hiding spot was not safe from the marauders, soon the barn was on fire. They couldn't leave, otherwise they'd be attacked as soon as they attempted an escape. Ed remembered his mom wrapping her arms around him and Al defensively, muttering how much she loved them, and how proud she was of them. Moments later the support beams started falling, one of them struck her and Ed. He'd been in a lot of pain, so he didn't remember much beyond that. There was one thing he was certain of, and it was that his mom died protecting him and his brother.
Shortly before the Cretan pirates attacked, Ed was a little ashamed to admit he thought about reanimating his mother. One of the captain's alchemy books briefly described human transmutation, but there wasn't much more information other than it was strictly forbidden. He'd read many alchemical and medical books in an attempt to gather all the information he could about the mysterious taboo. After the Cretan confrontation, he abandoned his research, though he was sure there had to be a way.
After thinking on it, Ed decided it wasn't worth the try for the time being. Alphonse was happy with where he was, and he benefited greatly from having the crew's emotional support. His brother always was a bit soft-hearted, so he was able to bond with his shipmates quite easily. Besides, these people were making sure that he and Al had a home and family, as unconventional as it may be. Plus, he couldn't deny how protective the adults were over him. As annoying as some of them could be at times, they genuinely cared for him and his brother.
Ed checked to make sure the clothes line was secured and he carefully walked down the stairs. Al waved to him from the crow's nest with a grin as did Fuery, Ed lazily waved back. He went into the quarterdeck and strolled towards the last room on the right. The door was already open, that was rather alarming. Inside stood Mustang holding a book tightly in his hands. He was livid.
"What were you planning?" The captain seethed and he stood firmly in the center of the room.
"Why are you in my room?" He retorted and gulped; that book had his notes in it.
"This is my ship." Mustang opened the book and started reading from the first page, "Components of an adult human; water, 35 liters. Carbon, 20 kilograms. Ammonia, 4 liters." Ed rushed forward and tried to snatch the notes. The captain easily stopped him by taking hold of his arm. Ed squirmed and tried his best to wriggle free. "Lime, 1.5 kilograms. Phosphorous, 800 grams. Sound familiar yet?"
Mustang released Ed's arms and he closed the book with force. Ed took a couple steps back but stood his ground. He refused to look like a cowering dog.
"It's none of your business." He folded his arms defiantly against his chest and glared at the man. The captain opened the book once more, then tore the page out and tossed the journal aside carelessly. With a snap of his fingers, the paper disintegrated into nothing but gray ashes. If the situation was different, Ed would have liked to know more about the flame alchemy the captain was able to perform.
"I think you'll find anything that happens on this ship is my business. So, I'll ask again, what were you planning on doing with those notes?" Ed watched the ash flutter to the ground in a disarrayed mess. The tension along with the silence seemed to grow heavier with every passing second, and Ed shifted his stance into a more slumped one.
"I'm not planning on anything, I only wanted to see if it was possible."
"What? Human transmutation? That's not something people research for the fun of." Mustang looked at something behind Ed, which turned out to be Hawkeye leaning against the doorframe. Her presence along with the captain's was making him feel like a trapped animal with nowhere to run or hide.
"I already told you, I'm not planning on doing it."
"Human transmutation is impossible, everyone who's ever attempted it perished. Its one of the reasons the Royals banned alchemy in the first place." Ed didn't like what the captain was implying; would he not be allowed to study alchemy anymore?
"I'm not doing it." Ed repeated himself. The captain's gaze did not falter as he walked towards the door.
"We'll discuss this later, I have other work to attend to." With that said, Mustang and Hawkeye left the room and closed the door behind them. Ed picked up his discarded notebook up from the floor and made sure none of his other papers were ruined. Captain Mustang, scourge of the seas? It was more like Captain Mustang, biggest of the jerks.
Sorry for such a short chapter, it was originally supposed to be longer, but it has been a couple months since I've updated and I wanted to publish something before March rolled around. Speaking of that, Zelda: Breath of the Wild is coming out shortly, so I'm sorry to say there's going to be yet another delay for the next chapter.