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scriveynerTitle: Beyond the Horizon
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Sceptre of Flamel
Characters/Pairing: Roy/Ed, Hanna
Rating: T
Length: 1299
Summary: It's lonely, without Ed.
Roy Mustang stood amid the tall bare trees, quite a bit away from the checkpoint up the road. He knew it was there - it was the border between countries, and as hostilities grew every vehicle that passed the border was subjected to intense scrutiny. His long hair and lack of eyepatch wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference if even one person identified him for the fugitive that he was.
He sighed, leaning against the tree with his forearm, as he watched a military vehicle putter down the road, backfiring once. He had been out of the country before, a few times for military banquets and as part of diplomatic delegations, but he had never had that wanderlust that seemed to permeate certain young men. Perhaps it was because by then his course in life was already set, by eighteen he had already killed his first man as a dog of the military.
But now, the allure of travel had set in. He couldn’t settle in one place and feel at ease - here in Amestris there loomed the constant threat of discovery. The Flame Alchemist was a wanted man in the worst way; he had been safe in their sanctuary in the mountains, but now that too was behind him. There was a pang of regret that he swallowed down - (Edward) - but he had to keep moving forward. If he stopped, if he languished in one place for too long, eventually his secret would be discovered.
It was a perfect time to see the world.
The crunch of footsteps through the underbrush brought him back to the present and he turned his head sharply, but he knew the person approached, so he relaxed. “Hanna,” he said. “What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?”
She stopped a few steps away from him, and smoothed her travel skirts silently. Hanna had the appearance of a young girl, fourteen at the most, but that wasn’t her true countenance Roy could tell, even without her identifying herself as such, that wings such as his own lurked beneath the surface. An added benefit - and curse - to his new station in life meant that he could see everyone’s true face. No matter how angelic or horrific their true faces may be.
He had a feeling that she was sent to keep an eye on him. Roy had not bothered to ask her outright … she rarely spoke, and never divulged more information than he needed. All he knew is that she was an angel, and she was here with him, for good or ill.
“The border crossing will be easier at night,” she said simply.
Roy rubbed his hand over his chin, feeling the three day’s growth and looking forward to getting to a town where he could shave and shower.
The ends of his hair brushed his collar now, his bangs long enough to be tucked back behind his ears. He did not appreciate this ultra-shaggy look, but it was an entirely different image than the one the once-proper Colonel Roy Mustang would present … and often that was just enough to keep his identity under wraps.
“You figure?” The twilight skies showed heavy grey clouds. They were not far enough north to get caught in the raging blizzard he had heard tell of from the military radio in the pub a week back, but that made the skies no less ominous.
She nodded her head and moved to stand beside him. Roy cast the girl - woman, angel, whatever she was - a sidelong glance. She had long dark hair, not true black but brown in the sunlight, that she wore in twin braids that fell from under the hooded shawl she wore against the biting winter chill.
“Hanna,” he asked, and she did not bother to look at him. “What are you?”
Not that he expected an answer from the taciturn youth; but she had traveled with him almost two weeks now, always following but rarely offering insight or even simple conversation. It was a relief to his burdened mind to have another person beside him, but her presence raised even more questions.
She cocked her head a bit, shawl obscuring her face and her expression. “I am grigori,” she said. “As is Sariel.”
“Grigori,” Roy said, repeating the word to cover his surprise at her answering him. “What is grigori?”
She sighed heavily, and turned her face to him. “A fledgling’s education is sorely lacking,” she said sharply. “Has he not instructed you, as is proper?”
Roy felt a sharp spike of indignation on Edward’s behalf. “Sariel taught me what he knows,” he responded tersely. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much of an education himself.”
“That is unfortunate,” Hanna turned her attention back to the road, watching as some uniformed men, wearing the winter version of the Amestrian military uniform, strolled up the road, obviously off-duty. “Perhaps that is why I am here.”
“You don’t even know why you’re here?” Roy was surprised by this revelation, and a little angered. He had been putting up with her following him all this time, tolerating the fact that someone felt the need to put a leash on him at all times. He wasn’t even a fucking archangel like Edward.
“I am sent where I am needed.” Her voice was serene, probably meant to be calming, but it just got under Roy’s skin more. He let out a ragged sigh of exasperation and stood back, away from the tree.
“Where you’re needed,” he said. “Well, you’re not needed here, I am doing quite fine on my own, thanks. You can scurry along to whomever’s next on your magic list."
His own anger surprised him sometimes. Once he had had a firm grasp on his emotions, but it seemed like that foundation had been torn apart by the demon, rebuilt on a layer of burning, seething rage. Strangely, the person who once caused him the most aggravation - Edward - tempered him better than anything else.
But now Edward was gone, and there was no guarantee that Roy would ever see him again. Supposedly all angels knew when one of their leaders fell, but he had had no indication if Edward was alive or dead so he just had to keep believing that he was alive.
"I am needed here,” Hanna said softly. “A grigori is meant to teach; we are the oldest of the angels and there are so few of us remaining.” She lifted her head and stared out, looking far away, to something that Roy could not see. “Your friend has inherited a legacy he does not even begin to understand.”
“Do you know where he is?” The words tumbled out before Roy could restrain them.
“He is beyond your reach at present, Earthborne,” Hanna said, and it made a chill run down his spine. That was what the other angels always called Edward, never him. No, he was “demon-borne.”
He was beginning to think that Hanna wasn’t like the other angels.
Roy caught the barest glimpse of a smile as she turned away, tugging the hood around her face as the wind picked up. “No,” she said softly. “I’m not.”
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Sceptre of Flamel
Characters/Pairing: Roy/Ed, Hanna
Rating: T
Length: 1299
Summary: It's lonely, without Ed.
Roy Mustang stood amid the tall bare trees, quite a bit away from the checkpoint up the road. He knew it was there - it was the border between countries, and as hostilities grew every vehicle that passed the border was subjected to intense scrutiny. His long hair and lack of eyepatch wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference if even one person identified him for the fugitive that he was.
He sighed, leaning against the tree with his forearm, as he watched a military vehicle putter down the road, backfiring once. He had been out of the country before, a few times for military banquets and as part of diplomatic delegations, but he had never had that wanderlust that seemed to permeate certain young men. Perhaps it was because by then his course in life was already set, by eighteen he had already killed his first man as a dog of the military.
But now, the allure of travel had set in. He couldn’t settle in one place and feel at ease - here in Amestris there loomed the constant threat of discovery. The Flame Alchemist was a wanted man in the worst way; he had been safe in their sanctuary in the mountains, but now that too was behind him. There was a pang of regret that he swallowed down - (Edward) - but he had to keep moving forward. If he stopped, if he languished in one place for too long, eventually his secret would be discovered.
It was a perfect time to see the world.
The crunch of footsteps through the underbrush brought him back to the present and he turned his head sharply, but he knew the person approached, so he relaxed. “Hanna,” he said. “What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?”
She stopped a few steps away from him, and smoothed her travel skirts silently. Hanna had the appearance of a young girl, fourteen at the most, but that wasn’t her true countenance Roy could tell, even without her identifying herself as such, that wings such as his own lurked beneath the surface. An added benefit - and curse - to his new station in life meant that he could see everyone’s true face. No matter how angelic or horrific their true faces may be.
He had a feeling that she was sent to keep an eye on him. Roy had not bothered to ask her outright … she rarely spoke, and never divulged more information than he needed. All he knew is that she was an angel, and she was here with him, for good or ill.
“The border crossing will be easier at night,” she said simply.
Roy rubbed his hand over his chin, feeling the three day’s growth and looking forward to getting to a town where he could shave and shower.
The ends of his hair brushed his collar now, his bangs long enough to be tucked back behind his ears. He did not appreciate this ultra-shaggy look, but it was an entirely different image than the one the once-proper Colonel Roy Mustang would present … and often that was just enough to keep his identity under wraps.
“You figure?” The twilight skies showed heavy grey clouds. They were not far enough north to get caught in the raging blizzard he had heard tell of from the military radio in the pub a week back, but that made the skies no less ominous.
She nodded her head and moved to stand beside him. Roy cast the girl - woman, angel, whatever she was - a sidelong glance. She had long dark hair, not true black but brown in the sunlight, that she wore in twin braids that fell from under the hooded shawl she wore against the biting winter chill.
“Hanna,” he asked, and she did not bother to look at him. “What are you?”
Not that he expected an answer from the taciturn youth; but she had traveled with him almost two weeks now, always following but rarely offering insight or even simple conversation. It was a relief to his burdened mind to have another person beside him, but her presence raised even more questions.
She cocked her head a bit, shawl obscuring her face and her expression. “I am grigori,” she said. “As is Sariel.”
“Grigori,” Roy said, repeating the word to cover his surprise at her answering him. “What is grigori?”
She sighed heavily, and turned her face to him. “A fledgling’s education is sorely lacking,” she said sharply. “Has he not instructed you, as is proper?”
Roy felt a sharp spike of indignation on Edward’s behalf. “Sariel taught me what he knows,” he responded tersely. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much of an education himself.”
“That is unfortunate,” Hanna turned her attention back to the road, watching as some uniformed men, wearing the winter version of the Amestrian military uniform, strolled up the road, obviously off-duty. “Perhaps that is why I am here.”
“You don’t even know why you’re here?” Roy was surprised by this revelation, and a little angered. He had been putting up with her following him all this time, tolerating the fact that someone felt the need to put a leash on him at all times. He wasn’t even a fucking archangel like Edward.
“I am sent where I am needed.” Her voice was serene, probably meant to be calming, but it just got under Roy’s skin more. He let out a ragged sigh of exasperation and stood back, away from the tree.
“Where you’re needed,” he said. “Well, you’re not needed here, I am doing quite fine on my own, thanks. You can scurry along to whomever’s next on your magic list."
His own anger surprised him sometimes. Once he had had a firm grasp on his emotions, but it seemed like that foundation had been torn apart by the demon, rebuilt on a layer of burning, seething rage. Strangely, the person who once caused him the most aggravation - Edward - tempered him better than anything else.
But now Edward was gone, and there was no guarantee that Roy would ever see him again. Supposedly all angels knew when one of their leaders fell, but he had had no indication if Edward was alive or dead so he just had to keep believing that he was alive.
"I am needed here,” Hanna said softly. “A grigori is meant to teach; we are the oldest of the angels and there are so few of us remaining.” She lifted her head and stared out, looking far away, to something that Roy could not see. “Your friend has inherited a legacy he does not even begin to understand.”
“Do you know where he is?” The words tumbled out before Roy could restrain them.
“He is beyond your reach at present, Earthborne,” Hanna said, and it made a chill run down his spine. That was what the other angels always called Edward, never him. No, he was “demon-borne.”
He was beginning to think that Hanna wasn’t like the other angels.
Roy caught the barest glimpse of a smile as she turned away, tugging the hood around her face as the wind picked up. “No,” she said softly. “I’m not.”
