Prompt 217: Castle: "Fantasy to Reality"
Title: Fantasy to Reality
Author: Catw00man
Series: PRE Brotherhood/Manga
Word Count: 1000
Rating: PG
Characters: Roy Mustang, Chris Mustang
Summary: Roy learns there may be truth to things he thought were only dreams.
Author’s Note: Let me just say I’ll be so glad with no word limit next week! LOL
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“Yes, we did.”
Roy stares up at his Auntie and his eyes narrow. Is she making things up? Why would Papa go to Central City with her? He never talked about it and he talked about lots of places. He told him all about the lights in West City and when he and Grandpop went all the way to Middleland to see the painted canyons, but he never mentioned a place called Central City.
He scowls deeply. Papa was always a good storyteller. Every winter Roy would look forward to cold nights spent in front of fireplace because that meant Papa would tell more stories than usual. The stories would be so good he’d nearly forget about the cold wind leaking through the windows and doors no matter how tightly closed they were. Mama would wrap him up in a blanket with a cup of hot cider and Papa would tell them about places he’d been and about places too crazy to be true. At least, that’s what he thought.
Roy looks around the train platform at all the strange looking people that could very easily be out of one of Papa’s wild stories. Is it possible the stories weren’t all made up? Papa never said he went to Central City before, but he never talked about Auntie Chrissy either until that one time she came to the house. That was a little while after Nana died, wasn’t it? Is that why she was there? Why wasn’t she there when Grandpop died too? He doesn’t understand any of this!
He jerks his head up to look at his Auntie again and he doesn’t understand the look she’s giving him. It’s like she’s expecting something and he doesn’t know what. Does she want him to ask about the trip she says she took with Papa again? Why doesn’t she just tell him? Roy huffs out a breath and tries again. “Why did you go there? Why didn’t Papa ever mention it?”
His Auntie continues to stare down at him with that look that makes him feel like she’s seeing through him. Roy shifts on his feet but doesn’t look away, not this time. “If you get on the train I’d be happy to tell you.”
Roy’s eyes widen and he sucks in a sharp breath. Is that why she told him about this now? To make him get on the train monster? He grits his teeth and finally looks away. It’s not important. He doesn’t need to know. It’s just a stupid story that’s probably not even true. Roy stares straight ahead and watches the tall lady with the purple dress and giant feathers on her head climb onto the train. The man with the bird tail coat is right behind her. He has a silly hat too that looks like a tall, black pot and-
Wait a minute. He’s heard of a hat like that before!
His eyes widen because he’d almost forgotten. It was in one of Papa’s stories, the one about the big round city with a giant castle in the middle surrounded by water. He said that people there wore hats that looked like the tall, black can Mama kept the coffee in. Roy always thought it was too silly to be true. Why would anyone wear a tall can on their head? But as the man disappears into the train he has to admit his hat looked a lot like the can Mama used to have. Roy’s frown deepens. If that story’s true, could the story about the castle be true too?
He glances up at his aunt and wonders if she’s making things up to get him on the train. Would she do that? He doesn’t want to be lied to no matter what. He looks over at the train and remembers the lady’s dress again. Papa said ladies in the castle city wore bright clothes, didn’t he? Could it really be the same place?
“The city you want me to go to, does it have a big castle in the middle?” Roy tilts his head back and locks his eyes on his aunt. She pauses with her smoking stick almost to her lips. Did he surprise her? “Is it taller than everything else, like it’s sitting on a giant rock?”
Auntie Chrissy brings the stick to her lips and Roy watches the smoke come out of her nose. She pulls the stick away and tilts her head slightly. “A castle, huh? Well, Central Command is a little like a castle.” She looks away, obviously in thought, and Roy’s body tenses. Could it really be the same place? “It’s raised up on a pedestal and there’s a water channel around it. So, I guess it is a little like a castle.” She looks down at Roy again and a chill runs through him. “Would you like to see it, Roy?
A water channel? He didn’t tell her about the water. Didn’t Papa call it a moat? It has to be the same place. How else could it be so much the same with the same kind of people? But why didn’t Papa just tell him it was a real place? He said it was all made up like a dream, that it wasn’t a place they could ever go. Roy fists his hands and presses his lips tight together. Papa must have been there and maybe Auntie Chris knows about it.
He stares over at the train again. It’s still a giant monster, but maybe it’s a monster he can get some answers from. It’s not like he has to stay in the crazy city. He can always come back home. He takes a deep breath and lifts his chin slightly. He won’t be afraid. He’s not a little kid. “So, if I get on the train you’ll tell me all about when you and Papa went to that city?”
“Yes, Roy. I’ll tell you all about it.”
So that’s that. He’s taking the train.
Author: Catw00man
Series: PRE Brotherhood/Manga
Word Count: 1000
Rating: PG
Characters: Roy Mustang, Chris Mustang
Summary: Roy learns there may be truth to things he thought were only dreams.
Author’s Note: Let me just say I’ll be so glad with no word limit next week! LOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Yes, we did.”
Roy stares up at his Auntie and his eyes narrow. Is she making things up? Why would Papa go to Central City with her? He never talked about it and he talked about lots of places. He told him all about the lights in West City and when he and Grandpop went all the way to Middleland to see the painted canyons, but he never mentioned a place called Central City.
He scowls deeply. Papa was always a good storyteller. Every winter Roy would look forward to cold nights spent in front of fireplace because that meant Papa would tell more stories than usual. The stories would be so good he’d nearly forget about the cold wind leaking through the windows and doors no matter how tightly closed they were. Mama would wrap him up in a blanket with a cup of hot cider and Papa would tell them about places he’d been and about places too crazy to be true. At least, that’s what he thought.
Roy looks around the train platform at all the strange looking people that could very easily be out of one of Papa’s wild stories. Is it possible the stories weren’t all made up? Papa never said he went to Central City before, but he never talked about Auntie Chrissy either until that one time she came to the house. That was a little while after Nana died, wasn’t it? Is that why she was there? Why wasn’t she there when Grandpop died too? He doesn’t understand any of this!
He jerks his head up to look at his Auntie again and he doesn’t understand the look she’s giving him. It’s like she’s expecting something and he doesn’t know what. Does she want him to ask about the trip she says she took with Papa again? Why doesn’t she just tell him? Roy huffs out a breath and tries again. “Why did you go there? Why didn’t Papa ever mention it?”
His Auntie continues to stare down at him with that look that makes him feel like she’s seeing through him. Roy shifts on his feet but doesn’t look away, not this time. “If you get on the train I’d be happy to tell you.”
Roy’s eyes widen and he sucks in a sharp breath. Is that why she told him about this now? To make him get on the train monster? He grits his teeth and finally looks away. It’s not important. He doesn’t need to know. It’s just a stupid story that’s probably not even true. Roy stares straight ahead and watches the tall lady with the purple dress and giant feathers on her head climb onto the train. The man with the bird tail coat is right behind her. He has a silly hat too that looks like a tall, black pot and-
Wait a minute. He’s heard of a hat like that before!
His eyes widen because he’d almost forgotten. It was in one of Papa’s stories, the one about the big round city with a giant castle in the middle surrounded by water. He said that people there wore hats that looked like the tall, black can Mama kept the coffee in. Roy always thought it was too silly to be true. Why would anyone wear a tall can on their head? But as the man disappears into the train he has to admit his hat looked a lot like the can Mama used to have. Roy’s frown deepens. If that story’s true, could the story about the castle be true too?
He glances up at his aunt and wonders if she’s making things up to get him on the train. Would she do that? He doesn’t want to be lied to no matter what. He looks over at the train and remembers the lady’s dress again. Papa said ladies in the castle city wore bright clothes, didn’t he? Could it really be the same place?
“The city you want me to go to, does it have a big castle in the middle?” Roy tilts his head back and locks his eyes on his aunt. She pauses with her smoking stick almost to her lips. Did he surprise her? “Is it taller than everything else, like it’s sitting on a giant rock?”
Auntie Chrissy brings the stick to her lips and Roy watches the smoke come out of her nose. She pulls the stick away and tilts her head slightly. “A castle, huh? Well, Central Command is a little like a castle.” She looks away, obviously in thought, and Roy’s body tenses. Could it really be the same place? “It’s raised up on a pedestal and there’s a water channel around it. So, I guess it is a little like a castle.” She looks down at Roy again and a chill runs through him. “Would you like to see it, Roy?
A water channel? He didn’t tell her about the water. Didn’t Papa call it a moat? It has to be the same place. How else could it be so much the same with the same kind of people? But why didn’t Papa just tell him it was a real place? He said it was all made up like a dream, that it wasn’t a place they could ever go. Roy fists his hands and presses his lips tight together. Papa must have been there and maybe Auntie Chris knows about it.
He stares over at the train again. It’s still a giant monster, but maybe it’s a monster he can get some answers from. It’s not like he has to stay in the crazy city. He can always come back home. He takes a deep breath and lifts his chin slightly. He won’t be afraid. He’s not a little kid. “So, if I get on the train you’ll tell me all about when you and Papa went to that city?”
“Yes, Roy. I’ll tell you all about it.”
So that’s that. He’s taking the train.