Hey! I hope this isn't too creepy for anyone!!
I should probably say something about the spelling of "Ishvarlans" and "Ishbal". I switch back and forth between the v and the b, which might be annoying... But anyway, when I watched the anime, it sounded like "Ishballan" but then I read the manga and it says "Ishvarlan". For those of you who aren't studying Japanese, I thought I'd just defend myself with the fact that, like L's and R's, V's and B's can be confusing in Japanese. For the most part, English V's are pronounced like B's, which might be why a word that sounds like it has a b in it should end up printed with a v. Anyway, I thought "Ishbal" sounded better than "Ishval", but I've seen the word "Ishvarlan" printed in the manga, so I switch back and forth.
I should also warn you that in this chapter I have some characters speaking in "Ishvarlan". In truth, I don't really think that the Ishvarlans have their own language, and I've certainly never heard it, so don't pay much mind to it. I made it up myself using a combination of words-spelled-backwards, elven from the Lord of the Rings, a tiny bit of Japanese, and some misspellings of all three of those due to my bad handwriting. But it's all on purpose anyway.
The pronunciations I had in mind were very similar to Japanese in that an A sounds like "ah" no matter where it is, E sounds like "ey", and F sounds like "whhoo" sort of. Like a whoosh of air through the mouth. I've used the Spanish interpretation of two L's, which just means that "ll" sounds like a Y. R's are hard. J's are hard. (Like in Jug and Jail)
And if you think the language sounds stupid, I'll understand.
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Al picked the young girl up and carried her outside to see if she would answer his questions about herself and hopefully, Ed.
"Hey there. It's going to be alright, okay?"
"You're a bunch of military dogs! Couldn't leave anyone alive and now you're back to finish the job!" she screeched and spat the words.
"We won't hurt you if you cooperate, OK? For real." Al countered.
"No you won't! Kill us, and all you have to do is make up an excuse and it's fine!"
"If we were going to hurt you, do you really think I would've carried you outside?"
"Damn military dog. Damn you." she was losing it. Al knew she wasn't really thinking about her words.
"Damn damn damn. Why? Why everyone but me? Why?"
"Hey, it's okay now." Al hugged her tight. "I won't let them hurt you." he cradled her and took a good look at her face, eyes squeezed shut trying not to cry. She was maybe 12?
"Hawkeye. Watch Alphonse. Be discreet." Roy snapped. "The rest of you, follow me."
He charged back down the stairs and through the doorway. The Ishvarlans were all crouched, holding hands, in a corner.
"Don't be afraid unless you're guilty. Stand up and tell me why you kidnapped FullMetal." Roy growled. A woman stood shakily. Havoc, who'd been looking around the dark corners of the large basement whistled suddenly.
"Colonel, I found FullMetal." Roy dashed over to see what Havoc was dragging into the light the single lantern in the room gave off. A bundle wrapped in a coarse gray blanket. Roy unwrapped Ed hastily and gasped at the sight of his marked body. His hands were bound behind his back. Roy stood, turning to face the Ishvarlans. They were shocked at his words.
"Kelin rae karn?"
"What is his name?"
Al still held her with one gentle arm around her shoulders.
"Can I ask you some questions?" he asked.
"Ask away. Whether I answer or not is my choice." she snapped. She was embarrassed that she'd almost cried, and Al knew she didn't want to talk about what had happened to her in the past.
"Do you know why they kidnapped that boy? The one in the basement?" She nodded.
"They kin him." she said.
"Ajer Dae." One man finally answered Roy. Havoc and Fuery stared at Mustang. Falman was looking Ed over carefully next to Roy.
"Nnnnn." Ed opened one eye.
"Roy?"
"It's alright now, Edward." Ed sat up suddenly.
"Where's Al! Did they get him? How did you get here?" he cried softly then as the ropes bit his wrists again. "Untie me!" he demanded, looking at Roy.
"Al escaped. He called me for help. But it's okay. It's my fault really. I should have seen this coming, but you're okay." Roy knelt down to put an arm around Ed's shoulders.
"Untie me!" Ed fought the ropes.
"Calm down Ed. You're okay." Roy was pulling his jacket off. "Do you remember what they did?" he asked.
"They-they...Yeah. I remember."
"Can you explain it?" Ed shook his head.
"They were saying my name, but it wasn't. And they were...all around me."
Roy pulled off his shirt. Before Ed could ask why, Roy asked him "They accepted you, didn't they?" Ed nodded, eyes wide.
"Do you remember your Ishvarlan name?"
"Uhmm. Ah-. Ajer Dae." the words felt strange in his mouth.
"That's right. It means 'Little Steel-Scarred'."
"What?"
"I'm not sure how to explain. Perhaps they could do a better job. It's in that book somewhere." Roy gestured at the huddle of Ishvarlans.
"How do you know all of this?" a woman asked. Her voice was slightly fearful, but accusatory.
"May I?" Roy picked up the pot of ink from the floor. Wetting the brush thoroughly, he brushed it over his own body.
"Sir?" Havoc, Fuery and Falman were all very confused and nervous. Ed watched as the ink moved sideways and upward, defying gravity until it settled. A pattern, very much like Ed's own, now covered Roy's body.
"My name is Tae Fos Mallute." he said. "It means The Dying Flame. Like a funeral pyre. They kin you, Ed."
"What does that mean? And why?" Roy again gestured at the Ishvarlans. The man who'd tattooed him picked up the leather bound book from before.
"Hassa, Tae Fos Mallute."
"Welcome, Dying Flame."
The man paused before switching back to Ed's language. "I've heard of you. The Flame Colonel, yes?" Roy nodded.
"Very well then." he said it sincerely, as if it were a good thing. Then he began to read from his book.
"Ishbala says here 'Do not run in circles of vengeance like a dog chasing its tail, but rather fly the straight line like a mourning dove. When a dog should finally bite the tail that has so offended it, he will find that he has bitten himself. To be a dove is to mourn peacefully. So, to fly like a dove among so many doves together, all shall, in times of grief, be given a "dove-name". Cherish it and in its use, kin those who give it to you'." he looked up.
"We gave you your dove-name just now, Ajer Dae."
"What does kin mean?" Ed asked. He'd been reassured by Mustang's presence enough to be curious now.
"It's hard to explain, Little Steel-Scarred. To some, kin means those you are related to. But in Ishbal, to kin someone is to have an understanding with them. A bond."
"Why would you pick me for that?" The man looked tired suddenly.
"Because we share a bond in grief." Ed looked to Roy for explanation. He leaned down to speak quietly in Ed's ear.
"It's because you killed Scar. They are most likely his relatives or kin. In Ishbal, if you kill someone, you grieve. It's hard to say if you're grieving for that person or their family, or yourself for having done it. So, you share a bond of grief with them."
"Why did you kidnap me? I mean, why do this against my will?" Ed addressed the Ishvarlan again.
"To help you realize that bond which you were not aware of." Ed opened his mouth again, but Roy raised a hand to stop him.
"The same thing happened to me, Ed. I can answer your questions on the way home, alright?" Ed looked young and childish to Roy right now. The danger was only starting to fade in his mind. It would be best to get FullMetal out of here to someplace where he felt safe before he said or did something rash.
Ed nodded sheepishly.
"Good then." Roy told him, pulling a pocketknife out and cutting through the thick, soft ropes. Ed must have had to fight very hard to hurt himself with these. These people had taken good care of him no matter what it sounded like to anyone who hadn't been there.
Ed stood up. Roy gave him a gentle push toward Havoc.
"Havoc, Fuery, Falman. Go ahead. Find Al and Hawkeye and I'll be right there." They all looked nervous, especially Ed and Falman. Havoc took Ed's arm and steered him in the direction of the stairs.
As they headed out the door, Roy turned back to the Ishvarlans.
"Rest assured the military will never hear about this...Thank you for taking care of him." he paused again.
"Rae el nani."
"It is a good name."
"Al!" Ed ran from Havoc's side to his brother.
"Ed!"
"I'm okay Al, what about you?"
"She told me what they were doing Ed. She says they didn't mean to hurt you." Al gestured at the small brunette next to him.
"Who's this? She was right. Mustang knew what they were doing. I think they did the same thing to him once."
"Her name's Mara. Her parents are two of the four people with masks on."
"Hey. Uhhh..." Ed didn't really know what to say. The fact that she knew exactly what had happened to him made him feel at once embarrassed and friendly toward her. After all, weren't they supposed to be kin now?
"Are you leaving now, Ajer Dae?"
"Uh. Yeah..."
"MaharaFael." She told him quietly. They were both silent for a moment then "Goodbye." They said it at the same time. Ed felt awkward as he went back to his group with Al. They waved goodbye and she smiled at Al.
Roy was with them now. Hawkeye appeared and scolded him and Edward.
"All this ink is going to make a mess of the car!" Roy grinned at Ed. Ed got the message. They both glomped Riza, marking up her blue jacket.
"Get off me! Look what you've done!" she was having trouble not laughing. Fuery and Havoc both smiled at their strict commanders lightening up. Maybe hanging around Ed was good for Roy. His sense of humor anyway.
Havoc and Falman were elected to drive the cars while Riza tried to rub the ink off Ed and Roy with Roy's button-down shirt. When they hit Rush Valley, Falman turned in the rental car he and Havoc had picked up and, with Havoc in the drivers' seat, everyone began trying to pile into the car. Falman and Fuery squeezed into the front seat, leaving Riza, Roy, Ed and Al to squeeze into the back. After much bruising and squabbling, Al sat on the right side of the seat pressed against the door. Roy was smushed up against him, trying to avoid his sharper edges and Riza was smushed very tightly between Roy and the left-hand door, leaving no room for Ed, who was forcibly convinced to climb onto Roy's and Riza's laps. At first, Ed was very stiff and embarrassed and, in general, a very unpleasant person to have sitting on you, but eventually he started to nod off. Roy pulled him back against him and pulled his legs up so he could curl against Roy. Ed started to sit up again, but Roy held him tight and Riza, smiling softly, began to sing an old Ishvarlan lullaby. Roy joined in and Ed slept the rest of the way to Central, earning many bemused smiles from the front seat inhabitants.
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The definition of "kin" that I gave here will not (I think) be found in a dictionary, or at least not mine. The idea came from the book The Education of Little Tree by Forest Carter. It's about a boy who's raised by his Cherokee grandparents. In one chapter, we see them using the word "kin" as a verb to mean "understand" or "love", which are deeply entwined in their culture. It's a good book.