Summary: Now that Edward and Winry are a proper couple, they get to enjoy all the delights of romantic relationship - the good and the bad. Let's see how they manage to navigate all of this new stuff. At the same time Edward and Alphonse have to get used to the fact that their several year journey is over and the former is no longer an alchemist - as if losing a gate would stop him. (This stoty occurs concurently with Green Phoenix and White Chrysanthemum, which is more about politics of Amestris and Xing.)
Notes: As promised, Azrael's Stories return with a double upload. 'Green Phoenix' went up a minute before this one. I will not update both stories at once, rather I will go back and forth between them. We should finish at some point in early January. This one will deal primarily with the development of the Edwin relationship, but will also include more generic domestic scenes, because the brothers trying to adapt back to a normal life will be something to behold. Preparation for their travels around the other countries should start about half-way through. The first chapter shows them attending the play spoken about at the end 'From the Ashes,' which both shows my invented story of Amestris' origins and will serve to launch research that will lead to the international travels mentioned above.
"I swear, Mustang is going to pile so much ash on his head that he'll start chocking," Edward muttered as their quartet started walking away from the concluded burning of Ishvalan War military honours. "Actually," Winry asked, "did you notice how he looked completely uncomfortable during the whole thing? He was constantly touching his glasses, for one." "He was," Ed asked with a confused look on his face. "Yeah, like at least once a minute, he would move them a bit and then continue staring into the flames."
"Do you think he still hates having to wear glasses," Alphonse asked, receiving a look from his brother that felt like the visual equivalent of asking if he was stupid. "It is a dumb question, isn't it," he admitted. "I bet he would have got used to it quicker if it wasn't for that fact that it was ultimately Truth's punishment for his pride," Edward pointed out. "Oh, that's one thing I forgot to ask," Winry suddenly realized. "What will happen to the stones?"
"I would presume they will be destroyed," Pinako suggested. "Uh... Eventually that will be the case," Ed admitted, "In the short term..." He shrugged. "One went with Ling into the Empire of Xing, and he promised to return it back here as soon as he is in power. Marcoh took one, but used up almost half of it, restoring Havoc's ability to walk and part of Mustang's sight. Those are the two left over unnatural stones."
"Unnatural," Al said with a hint of disgust, "Ed, would you mind informing me, which philosopher's stone do you consider natural," he asked, while doing a broad gesture with his cane. "Our souls," his brother answered without a delay and got three confused looks. "How do you think I managed to turn Selim into an actual child? Technically, anyone's soul can act like a Philosopher's Stone and vice versa. So I used Marcoh's stone dissolving trick to leave him with one soul's worth of energy."
"Isn't this supposed to be a state secret," Pinako suddenly said, and when they looked at her, she gestured at the surrounding street of them. "A fair point," both brothers said at once, and all four started walking again. After a moment, Winry leaned closer to Edward's ear. "I might be missing something, but wouldn't transmuting with your soul mean that the person would be trading his life," she whispered. Her boyfriend looked at her with a slightly surprised look.
"Yeah, usually they would," he admitted, and she gave him a strong frown. "I said usually. I used my soul as a medium with Selim. He had a big stone himself, so there was no need," he quickly informed her, and she mostly relaxed. "I had to check. That is not some little thing to just casually ignore," she said and held his hand a bit closer. Edward loudly swallowed and immediately got another odd look. They suddenly slowed down and then outright stopped. His jaw cramped a bit.
"Remember, when Kimblee speared me through the side with a beam in Baschool," Ed reminded her as his brother and her grandmother got some distance from them. He was not expecting the inhale and immediate hug. "ED!" There was a small pause as the other two people turned around at that outburst. He looked down at her with a sad look. "I got hit in the spleen and the left kidney. The alternative was bleeding to death," he admitted, and she just grabbed a hold of him even harder.
The look she had was absolutely bewildered, and he closed his eyes so he didn't have to see that anguish on her. He felt bad for causing it to appear in the first place. She deserved to always be smiling. "Why didn't you say anything afterward?!" "Because it wouldn't do anything. It was a sadistic choice that I was forced into." "What was," Alphonse asked as he walked closer with a look that somehow merged annoyance and dread together.
"He traded his lifespan to heal the wound Kimblee gave him." "You did what," Al screamed so loudly that Ed tore his left hand away from Winry and put both his hands on his ears. "The alternative was to die there," he pointed out. "I traded about a year of my lifespan for the decades left over. That was not a wound that I could have naturally healed without a stone, which I did not have at hand. You can scream at me, but I will not change my opinion, that it was the right choice. The other option was bleeding out to death in an abandoned mine."
There were a few moments of quiet, and he opened his eyes and unblocked his ears. Winry was looking down with some tears in her eyes. "Here," he immediately offered as he took out a napkin. "Thanks." She sniffed into it. "I want to scream at you for stupidity," she admitted, and he nodded. "I probably deserve it," he admitted. "Probably," his brother grumbled with a sarcastic tone. "On the other hand, I get that reasoning. Of course, we are happy you are alive. Doesn't mean we have to like what it cost."
"I am not asking you to like it. Of course, it pisses me off that I had to trade a part of my lifespan to not die." "Is there anything else you did not mention in an attempt to not hurt us," Winry asked him, and she was giving him a look that promised recompense for lying. "I personally try to forget most of that stuff, so I cannot remember off the top of my head." She started frowning more. "Would you prefer it if I lied to you," he asked, and she sighed.
"Truth does hurt sometimes," Alphonse said to no one in particular with a shrug. "But sometime it's better to take the pain." "It is," she agreed. "It really hurts not knowing this stuff and finding out you hid it from... us," she said. He could guess that in her head, the first person was singular. "You are going to have to help me kick that habit to the curb. I am sorry. A part of me doesn't like disappointing people, and thinks lying about my failures or lapses of judgement will somehow make it better."
"We'll make sure you knock that shit right off," Alphonse forcefully announced and after a brief distraction by the wording Winry gave a firm nod in agreement. "Do you want to take a moment," Ed offered to his girlfriend. She took another calming breath. "Yeah." "Sorry," he whispered to her. "Do you want us to not hold hands for a moment? I will not impose it, if you do not feel like it right now." She finally gave a slight smile.
"How on Earth are you doing so well with emotional stuff? I heard teenagers were utterly atrocious, and until recently you seemed a fine example of that." "Harsh, but ultimately fair. I guess the recent events finally forced me to grow, the fuck, up." She snickered. "I think I'll manage to calm down before we reach the theatre. I don't know about the hand holding. On the one... er, hand," she said and gave a slight smack on his back, when Ed snickered. "I want to do this semi-privately. On the other SIDE," she continued before being interrupted by another snicker.
Edward was pleased to note she was starting to smile more. "It is a remainder of what I could have lost if you didn't do that trade." He leaned closer to her ear. "I will be the first person to admit, that I am an idiot. But any action of my, that hurts you, was either not done with that outcome in mind or the alternative would be worse. There are things, which I didn't tell you about, that will hurt you, when you find out," he whispered before taking a breath.
"Since I really want this to work out, I promise to answer any question you give in one of two ways. Either according to what I believe is the truth or I will admit that I not yet ready to talk about that thing for some reason. Even if, legally, I am not allowed to tell you about some of that stuff, I will tell you if you want it and I feel ready to speak about it." She gave a small nod and took his hand back in hers. "I will give you mercy for now. Now, it's your turn to prove that you mean that."
Central Theatre had been built during the massive building works conducted during the tenure of Führer Peterson. Indeed, this place had seen the premiers of most works that Alois Samson had written as the man's personal playwright. Riza Hawkeye had snatched the tickets early on and managed to get two balconies next to each other reserved. Edward and Winry took the one closer to the centre of the auditorium, while Alphonse and Pinako sat down to their right with a slightly angled view of the stage.
"Try not to swear out loud," Winry whispered into Ed's ear as the light went down. "I make no promises," he replied. "I don't know what this play is like and all things considered, even Al might loudly swear if it is egregious." "My lines are harder to cross," his brother quiet voice came from the balcony next to them as the curtain went up. His girlfriend slightly shifted her chair slightly forward, and a group of men in old uniforms entered.
On the right was a man that looked at least in his sixties. He wore a much fancier uniform than those entering from the left. However, even among that group, one was dressed in a distinct uniform compared to the others. The old commander raised his prop sword and the group kneeled down in front of him. "In the name of King Lewis XII of Amestris, taketh thine oaths as the soldiers of our nation. Alloweth thy desire beest our people's hath continued prosperity and triumph."
Already, Ed made an eye roll. "Starting off strong." Winry clicked her tongue and lightly tapped his shoulder. Given the revelations at court, some members of the audience winced. "We shalt protect this land with our very liveth. No one shalt falleth that we doth not tryeth to holp back up. No one shalt fear that we doth not tryeth to giveth relief to. We shalt maketh prosperity of our nation our one and only priority," the entire group chorused.
"Our Kingdom accepts thy oaths. Rise, as the knights thee shalt henceforth beest," the old commander said. "Darius Ackermann, thee has't proven thineself most able among thy fellows soldiers. To thee we giveth command of thy comrades. Doth not disappoint us for our choice." "I accept this duty gladly," said the one actor in a different uniform as he stepped forward. He was wearing a wig of dirty blond hair. "Most capable to lead it to destruction," Ed whispered in Winry's ear and got a resigned nod.
"He knew about the plan, didn't he?" "Probably. Although I still wonder, what he thought he would get out of it. He lived almost four centuries too early." Meanwhile, the actor had launched into a soliloquy on the subject of leadership that sounded ridiculously pretentious. When he finally finished the three-minute monologue, the curtain descended and about half a minute later came back up on a scene of a throne room.
Atop thrones, that Edward and Alphonse could tell were made out of brass and not gold, sat male and female actors with brass crowns on their heads, which had coloured glass in place of jewels. The robes were meant to imitate a royal mantle. "Not exactly a regal showing that Lewis and Marian are making there," Winry quietly pointed out. A man in a brown cloak and with thick-rimmed glasses came from stage right and bowed, when he stood before the two thrones.
King Lewis, sitting on a more elevated of the pair, began to speak. "Master Nicholas Flamel, we has't summoned thee to giveth us information regarding thy abilities, which we art informed, thee hadst hath learned at the bosom of the Philosopher of the East." The description was so out of left field that both Edward and Alphonse just barely managed to not laugh out loud and just settled for giggling. "Really," Pinako asked with a disappointed tone.
"It's Father," Alphonse explained. "That mental image is hilarious," Ed agreed. "We art toldeth that thee has't power to turn ordinary and base metal into gold and jewels of most wondrous worth," continued Queen Marian and the man rose. "Forsooth, I can doth that, of which thy Majesties speaketh, and much more still. The students of the Philosopher of the East can changeth all matter as we do desire." We wish you could actually do that, both brothers thought.
The Queen Consort continued speaking. "Then, can thee maketh our nation rich? Maketh us amazing among the people of the world and giveth us power to maketh our enemies tremble with fear and our allies falleth down ere us in revernce?" Flamel took a smaller bow. "This all I can doth, if 't be true thee asketh t of me. However, doth knoweth that thither is more to power than just gold. I cannot changeth somebody to beest a capable vaward, for I has't power ov'r matter only and not the soul."
"Because Father did not teach you, I bet," Al suggested from the other balcony. "What is a 'vaward'," Edward whispered over. "An archaic word for a 'leader'," Pinako replied. "Thanks." At this point, Lewis and Marian got into an argument with Flamel on the nature of power and authority, as well as an argument over wealth and whether it makes a good source of either. "I thought Flamel was a legend," Winry whispered into her boyfriend's ear, and he gave her a so-so gesture. "It's complicated."
The curtain came down for another half a minute pause and came up on a marketplace scene. People were offering their produce for a large amount of coins. "Wherefore doest everyone asketh for so much in returneth for as little as this," asked the actor playing Ackermann and there were shouts of agreement from the other actors, who were dressed up as peasants. "Thither is too much gold within our most wondrous Amestris, if 't be true we doth not charge more we wilt not has't anything to giveth all of thee," said one of the well-dressed merchants.
"Hence why State Alchemists are not allowed to create money," Winry said, and Edward nodded. "You broke that rule at some point, didn't you?" "You know me so well," he said with a smile, not even trying to pretend he did not. "We broke all three of those rules at one point or another," Al pointed out. "Why am I not surprised," Pinako said, and both boys laughed a bit before somebody shushed them for being too loud. On the set, the group of peasants started to argue with the merchants.
In due course, the whole scene turned into a brawl as Ackermann tried to calm everyone down. The curtain went down as the cart stated to be thrown around, and the fake produce spilled on the ground. A guy with a large broom came and swept the wax fruits that were in front of the curtain to some quiet laughter from the audience. The curtain went up again and this showed an old man with a grey beard sitting in a chair with a book opened on his lap.
Flamel entered from stage left. "Mine Disciple, what troubles thee," the old man asked. "Oh, wise philosopher, the King Lewis and Queen Marian hadst hath asked me to maketh for their court a multitude of coins to cause our nation to becometh amazing in power, but now the common folk struggle to consume enough for those folk to liveth," Flamel answered. "That is not even close to what Father looked like, is it," Winry asked.
"Unless he bothered changing his looks, then definitely not," Alphonse answered. "Plus, he is not a prideful asshole like the real deal," his brother added. "I don't think Samson could write that, even if he was aware of it," Al pointed out, "Peterson would probably through him to the curb if he wrote the Philosopher of the East saying 'What doth thee wanteth from me, thee lowly and pathetic worm, who doest not cometh up coequal to the pinkie digit of the foot of mine own greatness'."
Winry quickly covered her mouth, before she laughed out loud. "That is quite mild for that bastard with a God Complex," her boyfriend pointed out, and she gave Edward a questioning look. "No, it really is. He was a sociopathic dickhead of the highest order." "Can non-humans be referred to as sociopathic?" "Don't know or care. If it fits, I'll use is as a description." Meanwhile, the characters on stage got into discussing of the use of alchemy for the sake of the populace.
"We must at each moment worketh for the sake of the people, for the abilities I has't hath taught thee cause both immense joy and most painful despair," the Philosopher of the East said, and both brothers took loud calming breaths as they almost swore. "That is torture," Ed muttered, "I can see why Hawkeye decided not to go and gave it to us instead." "Yeah, this is not exactly what I would consider a date," Winry agreed. "I mean, if you are up to distracting me, I won't mind," he teased and got a combined pout and a slightly annoyed look in reply.
The play started to quickly take a turn towards the tragic. The next scene showed the royal couple living in opulence. Child actors, who were playing their son Robert and daughter Theresa, pretended to swim around in fake coins and jewels. "A valorous life forsooth we leadeth. From our very house flow rivers of gold that covereth the nation in wealth. Surely, prosperity must reacheth every corner of this our land," Lewis proclaimed, "Asketh mine for anything mine beloveds and t wilt beest given to thee."
The next scene was the exact opposite. A peasant family dressed in drags, with their own couple of children, sitting at an empty table. "We cannot afford bread or water any more. What are supposed to eat?! The air provides humans with no sustenance to live off," declared the poor mother. "Soon the people wilt start to consume each other out of desperation. Our kingdom wilt drown in gold and consume itself, while the royal family grant to themselves all that those gents wanteth," the father agreed.
"Do you think Father set them up," Winry asked. "I would not be surprised if he did," Edward admitted. "The problem is that it was Father, or rather his lackeys, how were responsible for transmitting history to us. We will probably never know if Lewis XII was like that." "That's why I was totally justified to not bother listening in class," he added and got a quick snicker from his girlfriend. "Excuses, excuses," she teased. "Hey!" He got shushed again for being loud.
"Did you even know about Samson or any of his plays before Hawkeye offered us the tickets," Winry asked. "I am not that much of a hick," Ed said with an offended tone and his right arm against his chest. "Since when," Alphonse whispered from the other side of the divide, and he and Winry laughed. "I knew about Samson, because I met enough high class people, who would gush about how great the works of our 'Amazing Playwright' were." "Now you can see that they are indeed a great work of Propaganda," Al noted. "Yeah, that they are."
"Brothers, we must act. Our nation is dissolving itself ere ov'r very eyes. Each day we bury more than the one ere. The King and Queen has't ceased to care. I can no longer maintain oaths to those folk instead of to the people. I swore to aid those folk at all times, as has't all of thee. Join me in fixing the immense wrongs," Ackermann declared to a group of soldiers in the next scene, and they all raised their fake swords and cheered his name. "Down with the greedy tyrants, that killeth us with their arrogance and avarice," someone shouted.
The play turned blood quickly. A scene showed Ackermann's forces and the royal retinue fighting. Each time somebody was cut through with a sword, they threw out ribbons of red grape paper. "Truly, a lot of money was given to this production," Edward muttered, while Winry looked at the scene with a frown. "Are you going to cry because of this," he asked after noticing that grimace. "I shouldn't. They are actors and this happened long ago, but a part of me just feels so sad for all the people that actually died."
She suddenly got another peck on her cheek. "And that is why I love you. You can't help, but want to show kindness even to those, you cannot," her boyfriend explained. The curtain went down again and came up on the throne room again. "Flamel, cometh to us at once," the King yelled, and the man came in with his hood up. "You hath asked for me, your majesty," he asked. "What is wrong? The multitudes art rebelling against our most benevolent rule. The peasants scream about us deserving death for our actions.
How hath this cometh to pass? Whither and who hath madeth the error?" "Mine lord, I has't warned thee that creating more gold would not maketh our land flourish and thee has't insisted that I doth t concluded, be it," Flamel answered, and the Queen started to scream at him. "Art thee saying this is our fault?! Behold, the land is rich in coin. How can anyone suffer?! Our coffers art so full, that the precious metal gushes from them like rivers onto the basest peasants!" "Inflation is a bitch," Edward pointed out and got agreeing nods from the other three.
"If 't be true thee has't no solution for useth, then wend hence from us, for we has't no useth of thee," Lewis yelled at him and Flamel left the stage before the curtain came down again. Next was another battle scene. "Oh, come on," Winry groaned, and this time she got shushed. She ignored it and leaned against Edward. "Shh, shh, it's not real. They are just acting. The blood is literally grape paper." She nodded against his left arm and closed her eyes.
The next scene was a meeting of the King's generals. The sides of the stage were covered with two flaps of fabric each to imply the scene was happening inside a tent. Lewis XII came barging through from stage left in a set of armour. The general all went to their knees. "Gentlemen, I has't cometh to leadeth thee to victory at last. The heir of Robert the Conqueror cometh to bless thee with the power of victory," he declared, and while some hailed him others looked a bit confused or concerned. After a brief discussion, it became clear why. Lewis ignored all of their council.
"His Majesty claims that as heir of Robert the Conqueror, they naturally doth knoweth how to leadeth. But I sayeth, that if 't be true that gent survives tomorrow I wilt beest very surprised," one of the generals said before the curtain fell and onto another battle scene they went. "Oh, why," Winry groaned. This time Lewis was in the background shouting instructions. Suddenly, his forces were routed. "Why are you running, you cowards," he screamed as the entire left side of the stage emptied, and the right side rushed in to take their place.
"For all whose death thee caused, I sentence thee to death," Ackermann yelled as he charged at him and pierced his neck. Lewis made chocking noises and threw a large glob of red grape paper on the floor. Winry actually hitched as he fell to floor, pretending to be dead. His brass crown fell off his head and rolled across the wooden floor of the set. Darius Ackermann put his sword through the middle of it and picked it up. "Who would you all rather see leadeth Amestris, me or this tyrant's son," he asked and everyone shouted 'Darius.'
Edward was patting his girlfriend's face as she leaked tears on his sleeve, and put his left cheek against the top of her head. "You really don't like tragedies, huh?" "Can we never go to another play like this again," she asked. "You are taking words right out of my mouth." "I should have thought about this," Pinako said from beyond the divide, "I am sorry for this." "It's fine," Winry told her. "I thought I could stomach fake fighting, but clearly not. It is just too close to the real thing for me."
When the curtain came up, Prince Robert was wearing a smaller brass crown on his head, and behind him stood Queen Marian. "All hail, King Robert VI of Amestris, long may they reign," she shouted, but nobody answered, and she sat down on her throne with a haunted look. "All has't betrayed us! We motley-minded gaveth those folk all their desires, and everyone turned against us still. Traitors, upon thy heads shalt we reign furry," she yelled. She then got up, grabbed Robert, and they ran off the set.
Shortly after, pyrotechnics went off to signify that the throne room was filled with flames. Screaming was heard as the many extras shouted from the backrooms to make it sound like a battle was taking place outside. The curtain fell and stayed down for an entire minute. Finally, it rose on a scene of ruin. There were fake remnants of burned buildings everywhere. Flamel stood on the side of Darius Ackerman.
"Heareth that gent, oh multitudes, for this sir knoweth the nature of power and justice. Unlike Lewis the Greedy, that gent knoweth what is required to maketh a land prosperous," the former said. "The Royals burned everything to ash, but the present day we declare that from this our national wilt arise restored. Like the fire-bird t shalt ascend and light the world on fire with its magnificence," the latter said. The extra loudly hailed him from both sides. Long liveth our true vaward," many of them shouted.
The curtain went down briefly and after a moment the main actors walked around it to the front. The people started clapping. So did Alphonse and Pinako, but not Edward and Winry, because the former was still calming down the latter. Once everyone was standing next to each other, the group took a bow as the main room lights started to turn back on. "Apparently we are not the first group to use the phoenix imagery. At least, it's finally over," Ed pointed out, and his girlfriend gave a soft hum into his arm. "Can you do something for me?" "Anything you want." "When we get back to the hotel, I want you to hug me and not let go."
The large hotel apartment Hawkeye gave them in the hotel had two double beds. The previous night, the brothers had slept in one and WInry and her grandmother in the other. This time, the couple excused themselves as soon as they got back so that she could have a quiet cry while lying on Edward's left shoulder. "I am going to give Hawkeye an earful for this," he swore. "Please don't, I should have thought this through before I agreed to attend a play, which everyone describes as a tragedy. I know I am ridiculously sentimental," she argued.
"You're not 'ridiculously sentimental!' You are the kindest girl I know. How many times do I have to remind you, that is exactly the part of you that I love the most. You wear your heart out for everyone to see without fear, and I admire that sort of courage," he told her and gave her a kiss on her nose. She scrunched a bit as the tiny facial hairs tickled her. "Well, I guess, we really have similar taste in our loves then," she admitted.
"After all, those are the same qualities I see in you. Though, truth be told, I find it hard to see the courage you ascribe to me in myself." "It is there and all how care for you can see it." She moved herself closer to him. "You are fulfilling your promise about telling me the truth here, right," she asked with a weak smile. "Of course. Call me a flatterer all you like. I always say, what I think without a filter." "So that's why get into constant fights," she teased, and he blew a raspberry.
"Maybe," he admitted with an eye roll. "But sometimes a person needs to be told they are a bastard." She giggled and he smiled in relief. "So, think you finally got over a bunch of red grape paper?" She took another calming breath. "Maybe. We will see. Do you mind if I stay here a bit longer anyway." "You know darn well that is a stupid question," he said with a laugh. "Fair enough. I am kind of annoyed we still have to go and eat dinner, though. I wouldn't mind staying to her until we fall asleep."
"I think Granny would mind very much," Ed pointed out with an awkward smile, "I would hope she understands I am just giving you emotional comfort here and not something more untoward." "Why would she think we would be... doing that," she asked with a slight blush. "Didn't you say that she once went on a spiel about horny teenagers?"
"Yeah, she did. But she knows us. And besides, we've been together for a few days. I would hope she would not think we are the kind of couple that jumps over the romancing and exploration, to go straight to," she said before giving a slight cough. "It's difficult to think about, isn't it," he pointed out, and she nodded. "It always feels odd thinking about it, now that we are a couple. I guess that kind of proves her point, doesn't it?" He shrugged.
"Look, I am not going to lie and say I don't sometimes think about the possibility that we will eventually reach that sort of intimacy, but I want to have absolute assurance our relationship has absolute love as its foundation first. Physical intimacy is not what I want as the base, I want it to be the consequence of it." "I am so lucky," she cooed. "My boyfriend is a romantic first and teenager second." "Barely. And mostly because I am too afraid of losing my head and then you" he reminded her.
"Please, as if you would hurt me," Winry argued. "Of course, I would not intentionally hurt you. But given how interested some parts of me are in exploring not our relationship, but the object of it, I would rather not take the risk." Both blushed like tomatoes and put their head closer together. "Let's not ruin a good thing by losing our heads, then," she said, and he nodded before leaning in closer and giving her a look that was half inquisitive and half love-struck. She leaned forward too and they kissed.