So sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter, I've been a little bit busy but I'm here for a new chapter! I think I might start moving back my publishing dates to every two weeks to give me more time. I hope that's alright. I really appreciate all of the follows, favorites, and readers to this fic, and we just hit over 3000 views. I'm so grateful that y'all like this fic. It means so much to me. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment and tell me what you think if you want!
It couldn't have been, but a little later, when Ed's tears finally stopped. When they did, he felt a little less dense, like a small weight had released itself from him. He'd felt hopeless for the last little bit like nothing was ever going to turn around.
He glances down to his chest, smiling when he sees Ryler's small body nuzzling into him. Carefully as to not wake up the little boy, he picks him up gingerly. He quietly opens the door and makes his way to his bunk.
"Ed!" A voice yells, startling him and making Ryler whimper in his sleep. He gently places Ryler down on the bunk and turns around to the voice. Jack breathes heavily over his knees as Ed levels him with a glare.
He hisses at the man. "You could've woken him up." He growls through gritted teeth. "Sorry, we're having an emergency meeting." Jack is already walking to the door, Ed following at heels.
"Why? What's going on?"
"You know how we said a while ago we were going to wait to see before working on a plan to slow them down and work a way to escape the place?" Jack says in an out of breath voice.
"Y-Yeah." The alchemist stutters, wondering why Jack was in such a rush.
"Roua overheard two soldiers talking, their planning on killing the sick and elderly again," Jack said in a panicked voice.
"They can't do that!" Ed yells, outrage flowing through his veins. Oh, but they could, he'd learned that they could do whatever they wanted without consequence. Their captors had no problem treating them as if they were less then human. It was as if the sick were rats, rats waiting for extermination.
No, rats would've been treated better in these conditions.
Jack sighs softly, stopping and turning his gaze to Ed. Ed's stomach jolted when he saw the emotion on the man's face.
The man smiled at him, a sad, pitying smile. It was a smile that Ed had become all too familiar with after he had automail surgery. The look sent chills up his spine, and he stared at the man in anticipation of what he was about to say.
"Edward," He began, placing his hand on Ed's shoulder. "This has happened before. For two years, I've watched them do things like this. I've seen them kill so many people. I've watched them murder children as they clung to their parents. I've watched them line up the elderly who were so sick that they could barely move and shoot them." The man paused, swallowing down the emotion that was swelling within him.
"So believe me when I say that they don't care about us. The Drachman's only want us for our labor and nothing else, and if we can't supply them that, then they'll begin killing us." He continued.
"Jack Iー" Ed tried but paused when the man shook his head. "I don't expect you to understand, Ed, you haven't been here all of this time we have. All we can do is try to focus on getting them out of here." The man clapped Ed's shoulder and continued walking.
Ed followed quickly behind him, trying to find the right words for what he wanted to say. He opened his mouth to say something, but the voice of an older man silenced him before he could tell Jack anything.
"What the hell took the both of you so long! We need to figure this out before sunrise!" A white-haired man came out of the barrack that they'd been headed to, his face twisted with annoyance and worry.
"Sorry, Rian, had to get Ed," Jack said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he walked into the barrack. Ed smiled sheepishly as he walked past Rian, internally wincing as the man scowled at him in annoyance.
The number of people that surrounded him almost immediately stunned him. They watched him with various expressions, many of concern or worry.
I didn't expect there to be so many people here.
As far as Ed could tell, many of those there the meeting were of all ages, many young and old, a few looked sick, and a lot of them consisted of skin and bones. These people needed help, help that he was determined to try and give them.
Jack motioned to him to follow him through the crowd of people, followed by the man to the front of the building. The crowd quieted at the appearance of the two of them and waited for Jack to do what he needed to do.
His stomach tumbled through nerves. Everyone's eyes were on him, which was something he wasn't used to. He forced himself not to shrink under the eyes. He straightened himself to his full height (which wasn't much) and held his head up.
When's he going to start talking? He groaned inwardly, the stares making him more and more nervous.
He glanced at the man beside him and was relieved to see the hand he held up to the crowd to quiet them down. Ed didn't know how the man looked so calm in a group this large. He felt like he was ready to run and hide, Jack, however, looked unmoved. He waited with bated breath along with all of the others as he began to speak.
"I'd like to apologize first and foremost that all of you were called here so late at night." Jack began. "Earlier this evening, Ren overheard two soldiers. He told me that he believed he heard them say in Drachman that they were going to start 'putting down' the sick and elderly." He said.
The room exploded with outraged voices. Parents held their children in their arms; men held their wives as they cried out in outrage. These people were just as outraged as he was, if not more. They'd been living through this hell for at least two years. They'd put up with countless horrors, things he's never experienced before.
Jack was right about me, but that's not going to stop me from helping them. He thought as the voices calmed in preparation for Jack's next words.
"I know we've tried rising before, but this is not what we will this time. This time, an escape for the elderly, sick, and young will be created. We should not have to live in a place that doesn't take care of them!" Jack spat, his ordinarily calm eyes glowed with barely suppressed rage.
"There's no escape from this place! We've looked everywhere!"
"They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this!"
Many voices called out their approval and outrage. It looked as if everyone agreed, but how would they find an escape? Escape would be impossible during the day, at least a hundred guards stood watch during the day.
Except, not as many guards are around at night
If they wanted to escape, night would have to work. It was something he'd noticed on nights when he'd sit outside. At most, fifteen soldiers were watching at night.
If they wanted to escape, night would have to work. It was something he'd noticed on nights when he'd sit outside. At most, fifteen soldiers were watching at night. He frowned at the thought that occurred to him next, destroying the previous idea.
How would they escape?
Ed bit down on his lip and glanced at the man beside. Jack's previous expression of defiance and determination had left him. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes contained anxiety. As if he didn't know what to do.
Ed bit down on his lip and glanced at the man beside. Jack's previous expression of defiance and determination had left him. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes contained anxiety. As if he didn't know what to do.
He doesn't know how to get them out.
Ed nudged the man, gaining his attention, and Jack leaned in to hear what he had to say. "Let me speak." He suggested. "I want to know if there's a way to get out of here that you might not know." The older man gave him a relieved look and nodded.
Ed took a step forward and glanced back at Jack, who nodded and gave him a smile of approval. He took a deep breath, letting his gaze scan over the crowd who had quieted down and turned to their attention to him, probably wondering who this unknown person was.
"You may not know me, but I'm Edward Elric-" He didn't continue because the room lit up in excited voices. He was surprised, not many of those that he'd interacted within this place seemed to know him, yet most, if not all, the people here knew who he was.
"So I see that all of you know me," He chuckled nervously. He felt his heart pick up, and his palms became clammy as he stared at the crowd. He'd never felt this nervous before in front of a group of people.
"Someone told me something earlier that I didn't understand all that all of you have been suffering for the past few years. I realized that they were right, but that's not going to stop me from helping. I'm going to get all of you out of here; I just need to know how."
Ed's heart pounded excitedly in his chest as he stared out at the crowd, watching as many put their hands up to answer him. The feral feeling that sprung up in his chest surprised him. He hadn't felt it in a while, and he welcomed it back.
Feels good to feel this excited again.
He fought down the feral grin that tried to force its way on his lips and glanced around the ground and pointed to the person for the first idea.
"You," He pointed to a man close to him. "Any idea on how to get the sick and elderly out?"
The man startled and looked up at Ed's scowling face as if he was surprised that Ed picked him. "I-I-I-" He stuttered. "I, um, thought that you since you're an alchemist and all that you could bring down the part of the gate that isn't well-protected at night."
Ed frowned, part of the fence that went unguarded at night?
The fence in question was well known for how hard it was to get over. Many people had tried before to scale it, only to be met with barbed wire if they climbed high enough. Those who didn't get high enough, however, were killed. No one had ever escaped over the fence; the risk was too high. He'd watched a young woman die from attempting to climb it.
"Isn't the perimeter of the compounded closely monitored at night ?" He pointed out, looking around the room for confirmation.
"There is a place where it goes unguarded!" A voice called out, turning his attention away from the man he'd been addressing.
That voice─it sounded so familiar. Where had he heard it before?
Come on, remember. I know that voice. Where have I heard it before?
The crowd shifted as the speaker made their way forward, and Ed stiffened. Standing in front of him was Rose.
"It's been a while, hasn't it Edward?" Rose smiled up at him, taking pleasure at the shocked look on his face.
"R-Rose?" He breathed, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and horror. Why was she here? She shouldn't have been here; she should've been in Liore rebuilding the city. Hell, she wasn't even an alchemist.
"Y-Yeah, its been a while." Ed chuckled nervously, ignoring the bemused whispers and stares that people gave him. He nervously cleared his throat; he would be able to greet her after the meeting ended.
"So," He cleared his throat, "What did you mean when you said that there was a part of the fence that goes unguard at night?" He questioned, voice rising for the crowd to hear.
Rose nodded, ginger bangs bouncing. "It's behind these barracks; it goes unguarded each night between 4 AM and 5 AM. That leaves an hour where we can get the sick and elderly out." Rose answered.
Ed nodded, eyes traveling from Rose to the crowd of people listening intently. If this was true, then it was these people's big chance of getting out. The old, sick, and young wouldn't have to worry about being killed.
"Can anyone confirm what Rose has to say?" He asked the crowd, hoping for some confirmation so that these people wouldn't have to feel any false hope.
"I can," Jack loudly confirmed beside him. Ed nearly sighed with relief. "I occasionally look around at night, and I never see anyone out and about at that time." The older man finished to Ed's relief.
He shifted over so Jack could take back over, quickly shooting a smile to Rose in thanks. "Should we ask for more plans, or does everyone agree? If you agree, raise your hand." Jack announced.
Ed's heart pounded in his chest as he watched people raise their hands one by one. He couldn't believe it! He'd never seen a group of people vote unanimously on anything, let alone plans to escape a prison compound.
"So I see you all agree," Jack chuckled, and for the first time since Ed had met the man, he looked slightly relieved. "I will need some time to plan the escape with some others, but expect to be back here within three days, and then escape will be possible!"
The crowd cheered at their leader's words, many cried, many cheered, and some were so stunned that they couldn't speak. The very idea of freedom after so long had to be shocking to them.
The crowd began to clear within a few minutes, carefully as not to make any of the guards suspicious. Large gatherings weren't tolerated, and if one was discovered, then it was broken up by force.
The late-night air chilled his skin as he began walking back to his barrack. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, picking up his pace. He wanted to get back quickly before Ryler could wake up. A sigh quickly escaped him, the sudden feeling of sadness rushed in on him, reminding him that he was truly alone.
Aren't I always alone? He sniffed, staring up at the half-moon. Well, that's not always true, he corrected himself, frowning at the thought. Before the past two months, Al had been a constant at his side. He missed his younger brother, wishing he was here with him, but grateful at the same time that Alphonse had been spared from this. Unlike Edward, Al wouldn't have been able to put up with the cruelty he witnessed.
"Edward!" A voice called, pulling him from his depressing thoughts. He turned, Rose walked quickly toward him, her face split in a small smile. "I was hoping to catch you before you left." He shrugged. "I had to get back," he said simply, taking his flesh hand from his pocket and running it through his messy blond hair.
The next few minutes or so went by in awkward silence. A time or two, he saw Rose open her mouth to say something, but she seemed to decide against it each time as she would close her mouth and shake her head. To his relief, they arrived at his barrack, not a moment too soon.
He turned to Rose and placed a finger to his lips, a silent command for Rose to be quiet. She nodded and slipped inside quietly when he when opened the door, nodding her thanks. As quiet as a mouse, Edward made his way to his bunk, sighing in relief when he saw that Ryler was still asleep.
Ed move carefully onto the bunk, arranging himself so that Rose could sit beside him. He combed his fingers through Ryler's fluffy hair, aware of Rose smiling at the act. Annoyance grew in him as Rose returned to studying his face again, what was she so interested in?
"If you have something to say, then say it," He finally snapped, scowling at the expression on her face. Rose sighed then took his face in a hand. He froze as she studied his face. Something flashed in her eyes before it disappeared, and she dropped his chin.
"I heard how you arrived here," She began quietly, "Edward, I don't know what you've been through here, but you're different. I can sense your rage and sadness and anger, so much anger." She paused and Ed was surprised by the sorrow he saw in her eyes. "I've only been here a few weeks, Edward, and it scares me how similar your eyes are to them, yet your eyes still hold their fire, but it's a fire that grows then dies quietly." Her voice trembled.
His eyes shifted away from her, drifting to the far corner. His jaw clenched as he tried to think of a response to give her. Finally, he shakes his head, lips twisting into a cynical smile. "I don't know what to tell you, Rose. It's hard not feel all of those emotions when you're hundreds of miles away from the only family you have left, taking care of a kid, who is literally the only bright spot in this miserable hellhole and who frankly deserves so much better than me, and be expected to get all these people out eventually," He all but yelled.
He panted as he caught his breath from his outburst; the anger was quickly flooding out of him. And who's fault is it that you're stuck in here, to begin with? He mentally scolded himself. He couldn't expect her to understand what he'd been through, and frankly, he didn't want her pity.
"Oh, Edward," She whispered, wrapping her arms around him. He tensed, mind freezing. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
For some reason, Ed couldn't explain the lump in his throat that her statement caused. "Yeah," He croaked. His eyes suddenly stung as tears pricked the corners of his eyes, and the lump grew harder to swallow down.
Damn it, why did he want to cry so badly? There was absolutely no reason for him to cry over something this stupid. Why was he so weak?
As if she could read his mind, Rose pulled back to look at him, a sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. He turned his head so she couldn't see the tears that slid down his face as they sat in the dark.
"Ed," She whispered, and he quickly swiped at the tears on his face. She couldn't see how weak she was; nobody could.
"Hmm?" He mumbled, eyes lifting to her face. The sympathy in her brown eyes surprised him.
"I want you to think about your home. I want you to think about who you're fighting to come back to, and why you haven't given yourself up to the Drachman's."
He opened his mouth to protest but snapped it shut by the shake of Rose's head and her small glare.
He swallowed down the remaining tears and allowed his eyes to slide close, surprised by how tired he was all of a sudden. "Now visualize those that keep you going." Rose's voice grew distant as he began to think.
He swallowed down the remaining tears and let his eyes slide close, surprised by how tired he was all of a sudden. "Now visualize your home in your mind." Rose's voice grew distant as he began to think.
Al came to his mind first, and he smiled internally. He saw himself and his little brother playing together as kids, his brother the one beside his bed when he first woke up from automail surgery, his little brother letting him sleep in his lap after a bad nightmare.
Oh god, how he missed him. He missed the wrestling that they sometimes did when he had excess energy. He missed his brother's warm voice.
His thoughts traveled to Winry. If Al was his life and world, then Winry was his strength, what kept him going. He thought about how she comforted him when he was younger after nightmares, how she quieted his anguished sobs from the pain of his automail surgery. She took care of him.
He could feel himself calm down as thought of them. The crushing pressure in his chest lifted a little; he felt that he could breathe again if only a little. His eyes fluttered open, and he inhaled and exhaled. He did that a couple of more times before his heart finally slowed in his chest.
Then there was the final person that kept him going. His eyes drifted down to the small boy beside him, sleeping silently and had somehow managed to get a grip on Ed's shirt in his sleep. He gently brushes his fingers through the boy's hair, a small smile coming to his face.
If he was honest with himself, Ryler was the only thing keeping him from not being reckless and defiant. He was the main thing keeping him from burning this entire place to the ground. In the past two months he'd been here, he'd gotten close to the boy, he didn't know how or why he allowed the small boy to worm his way into his heart right along with the sense of fierce protection.
Ryler was as smart as he was sweet. From what he'd learned from the kid, his parents had taught him basic alchemy to use whenever he was in danger. Ed was impressed whenever he sat the boy aside to teach him. He caught on quick, and Ed was surprised by how quickly and easily got into the more advanced stuff when it took Ed more than two years.
"Who's the little guy?" He lifted his eyes to see Rose staring down at Ryler. He sighed, bringing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "Ryler. They brought him here a little less than two months ago."
"A boy of his age? Its madness!" She exclaimed, staring at him in horror. Ed shrugged, sighing. "That's what I thought when he first arrived. He's such a smart kid, Rose. I taught him a little alchemy, and he understood!" He exclaimed.
"His parents," She began, "Are they dead?" He nodded, he wasn't sure they were dead, but there was no way they would've let him go without a fight.
Rose inhaled and began to brush through Ryler's hair, a sad smile on her face. "There are some days where I look at his face and I wonder what the future holds for him." A sad smile came to his face.
"He's going to grow to be a hero with you being the one to raise him." She joked. He hid the frown that statement caused him.
He'd spent many sleepless wondering what would become of the small boy after they escaped. He always came back to one particular thought; would Ryler be able to be in his life? Being a state alchemist meant that he made so many enemies, who would try to get at him any way possible.
It was hard to imagine Ryler being a permanent fixture in the far future. He had to be realistic; it was very likely that he and Ryler would be separated once they got out. Those thoughts shouldn't have hurt as much as they did, because he knew in the beginning that it was almost inevitable that it would turn out that way.
But on rare nights, he allowed his mind to feel hopeful. Those nights were when he dreamed of Ryler, bright and healthy, playing with Al. In his dreams, Al would be chasing Ryler, and the small boy would be squealing and looking for a hiding spot, one that he'd find behind Ed's legs, and Al would pretend he couldn't see him.
His dream seemed so far from reality now. Tonight had made him realize that. There wasn't anything keeping the Drachman's from killing kids; they'd killed them before. He couldn't let Ryler go through that.
There was hope on the horizon, at least for Ryler. Thanks to the plan set to go to effect in three days, Ryler could escape. He could grow up to be an amazing, young man.
It's for the best, He thought. Separating from Ryler would be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do. The kid wouldn't understand that it was the best thing for him, but maybe one day he would understand.
Heh, sounds like something Mustang would say, he thought with a humorless quirk of his lips.
He'd tried hard not to think of that bastard the two months he'd been here. The man slipped through his mind more times then he'd care to think about. The anger was still fresh in his mind, and Ed doubted that it would disappear anytime. He snorted at the thought, hell it probably would just add onto his 'reasons Mustang is a bastard list.'
He didn't know why he felt a fondness for the bastard after what he did. It would be a long while before he forgave the man. It was unfortunate that he was beginning to understand the man's motives. He was mostly doing the same thing to Ryler.
He sighed, shaking the thoughts from his head. His plan wouldn't work if he didn't have anyone to look after the kid. He rested his eyes on Rose. She looked at peace brushing her fingers through Ryler's hair, the way she watched him reminded him of the mothers he'd seen in the camp calming down their children.
"Rose, what would you say if I told you that I was considering having Ryler leaving in three days."
He looked over and took her in. She looked thoughtful, considering what he was saying. Finally, she looked up at him, and her eyes were surprisingly sad. "I think it would give him a chance to grow up and live," She stated.
He nodded, the lump in his throat returning. "But," She continued, "young kids, they don't adapt to change well. You said he arrived here two months ago after being separated from his parents, right? She questioned.
He nodded, remembering those first few nights when he woke up to Ryler crying for his parents. She sighed, "He' s—well, he's not going to take it well." She explained.
"So, this isn't going to be easy for either of us, great." He muttered sarcastically.
She nodded, pity on her face. "You know that one saying about love?' She asked.
He nodded. "The one about letting someone go?" He asked.
"Sometimes, you have to lose someone if you love them."
That quote shouldn't have hit him as hard as it did. Heat rose behind his eyes quickly, and he forced them away before Rose could see them.
"It's going to be hard," He croaked.
"I'm so sorry, Ed." She whispered, and she hugged him again. This time, though, he buried his face in her shoulder and mourned the one thing that held him together.
Two days went by quickly, and Ed didn't know how he held it together so well. He tried his best not to think about saying goodbye to the small boy. It was even harder to look at Ryler when he smiled his biggest smile and tried to get Ed to laugh.
And oh my god did he try to get him to laugh. It was like Ryler could sense how he felt. The small boy wanted to please him in attempting to help him out in the mines when he couldn't even really lift the pickaxe and collecting rocks he found that he thought Ed would find helpful. It hurt so much.
All Ed would do was thank him. He didn't miss the way his face would fall but then perk up again. It hurt to see.
Whenever he wasn't with Ryler, he was with Jack, where they decided that they would use his alchemy to open a hole in the fence. "This collar prevents me from transmuting, and there's a key, but the supervisor has it." He had said.
Jack had hummed in annoyance and nodded. "Consider it taken care of." The man had clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Ed dumbfounded.
He was also looking for a woman who would be willing to bring Ryler with them. He ended up finding this older man and woman, Byron and Clarissa. Byron had Arthritis, which meant that he couldn't get off his bunk on some days, which made him a prime target.
He didn't know why they agreed to take Ryler, they'd looked apprehensive at first, but then it disappeared suddenly. Maybe it'd been when he explained that Ryler was such a good kid, or perhaps it was how he got choked up a time or two, he didn't know. He was so grateful, though.
After that, he found Rose, and they sat, Just sat. He needed quiet, and she allowed him to do that. He told Rose about the people he'd found, surprisingly she'd gotten there with them. "Their good people." She said.
That was all that she'd said, and Rose then went off to meet up with Someone who had materials from a different part of the compound.
The eve of the third day had come too quickly for Ed's liking. His stomach was a ball of nerves, even as he reminded himself that it would be the next evening that he had to say goodbye to Ryler.
He sighed, running his hands down his face. Beside him, Ryler was unusually quite. His big blue eyes stared blankly up at the metal ceiling, and he wondered what was running through that small boy's mind.
He must've dozed off because he didn't remember opening his eyes or Ryler turning to his side. Ryler looked sad, the pale moonlight making his eyes gleam.
"Ed?" The small boy asked, poking his flesh arm. Ed yawned and turned over on his side. "Hmm? He mumbled. Ryler opened his mouth once, then twice, then he shook his head.
"What's wrong, bud?" He asked, brushing his fingers through the small boy's hair.
"I heard from Malachai that he and his family were escaping tomorrow and that you were helping them," Ryler's voice quivered. "You won't leave me, right?" He burst out.
"Of course not!" He exclaimed, wrapping the boy into a hard hug. "I would never leave you." He whispered, resting his chin on the boy's head. The lie made him feel sick. It felt wrong to lie to the boy, but he knew Ryler wouldn't want to go.
"You're squeezing me, Ed." The boy gasped. "Sorry." He said. He ruffled the small boy's hair.
"Are you tired?" He asked as the boy yawned. Ryler shook his head, and Ed chuckled. "Just try." He coaxed. Within ten minutes, the boy was asleep with his head on Ed's chest. He curled protectively around the boy. It was going to be a really long night.
What do y'all think will happen with Ryler?