Drabble
Here's a little one-shot I wrote. It's about Roy Mustang and Cornelia li Britannia in the setting of Imperial Saga.
It was late. Midnight had already come and gone. The fortress was as quiet as a tomb, and the lights in the barracks and in the officers' quarters had all gone out for the night.
Except for one. Roy had noticed that the lights in the general's quarters were still on. That seemed odd to him, because even if Cornelia had a lot of work, she still understood the value of rest as it applied to carrying out one's duties in the military. As for Roy himself, he had woken up to pay a visit to the latrine. Deciding to check up on his fiancée, Roy tossed on a robe, grabbed a lantern, and walked out the door of his quarters.
It didn't take Roy very long to reach the general's quarters -- after all, they were but a flight of stairs away, and Roy had made it a point to recognize the layout of the fortress as soon as he had arrived. This was familiar. What was unfamiliar, however, was the slightly ajar door at the top of the stairs. If Cornelia were still awake, she most certainly would have shut and locked the door, and this caused Roy to have a theory as to what was going on. Quietly, he pushed the door open and peeked inside.
Immediately, he saw that he was right. Cornelia had fallen asleep at her desk, documents scattered about.
Roy paused. This scene brought back a memory he had long since shoved to the back of his mind.
-Ten years earlier-
The door slowly swung open, and a teenage girl's face poked in. "Roy?"
Cornelia's eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for its occupant. He wasn't in his bed, nor was he pacing the length of his room. Instead, she spotted him sitting in his desk chair, head resting against the desk, fast asleep.
Cornelia gave a small smile. Really, it was just like him to be so engrossed in his studies that he would fall asleep at his desk. Quietly and carefully, she walked over to where her fiancé sat. Strewn about the desk were notes. Alchemy, she presumed, though she couldn't make heads or tails of it since it was all in code.
Then she looked down at Roy. "Honestly. You'll catch a cold if you sleep like this." It wouldn't look good for Roy to show up to his state alchemist's exam sick, either. Swiftly, Cornelia walked over to the bed and pulled the sheets off. Carefully folding them, she gently wrapped them around Roy's body. Then she returned to the bed, took the pillow, and gingerly lifted his head up enough to slip it in beneath.
Once she was done, Cornelia took a step back. It wasn't an ideal position in which to sleep, but it would do. Cornelia smiled again, wistfully this time. She carefully moved back, leaned over, and whispered in his ear, "Good luck tomorrow." Then she slid out of the room and quietly shut the door.
***
A wistful smile crossed Roy's face as he recalled the memory. Of course, he didn't remember Cornelia coming in and fixing him up for a better night's sleep, but he immediately figured out who was responsible for doing so when he woke up.
"Now the tides have turned, haven't they?" Roy uttered quietly and quietly slipped into the room. Like Cornelia had ten years before, Roy pulled a sheet off the bed, folded it, and gently draped it over her body. Then he took the pillow, and, using extreme caution, lifted her head up, slid the pillow under, then rested it on the pillow. He also provided the added bonus of picking up all the papers and arranging them into a pile. Once he was done, Roy turned to leave, but once at the door, he looked back.
"Pleasant dreams, Cornelia."
The door quietly shut.
***
A sore spot in her neck caused Cornelia to stir. Confusedly opening her eyes, she lifted her head off the pillow. "I fell asleep?"
Cornelia lifted herself up so that she sat straight. As she did, the sheet fell off her back. Between that and the pillow, it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened.
"Still clinging to the past, Mustang? Such a sentimental fool."
As Cornelia stood up and picked up the pillow and sheet, though, she thought back on the memory herself. She wouldn't admit it openly, but it was a pleasant memory. But like Roy, she too had not thought about it until the moment she realized what was going on.
Unfolding the sheet, Cornelia tucked it properly beneath the mattress, and laid the pillow on the bed. She then sat down and turned out the light that rested on the bedside table, then slid under the covers.
As she lay, her mind continued to focus on the memory. Really, it wasn't that bad that Roy still cared. If anything, she appreciated it -- though she would never say so to his face, preferring to let him figure it out on his own. She felt that Roy would need a degree of compassion if he ever fulfilled his ambitions and became the Fuhrer. Amestris needed a moderate ruler after the militaristic reign of King Bradley, after all.
But these thoughts were soon enough overtaken by sleepiness. Without realizing it, Cornelia again drifted off to sleep.
It was late. Midnight had already come and gone. The fortress was as quiet as a tomb, and the lights in the barracks and in the officers' quarters had all gone out for the night.
Except for one. Roy had noticed that the lights in the general's quarters were still on. That seemed odd to him, because even if Cornelia had a lot of work, she still understood the value of rest as it applied to carrying out one's duties in the military. As for Roy himself, he had woken up to pay a visit to the latrine. Deciding to check up on his fiancée, Roy tossed on a robe, grabbed a lantern, and walked out the door of his quarters.
It didn't take Roy very long to reach the general's quarters -- after all, they were but a flight of stairs away, and Roy had made it a point to recognize the layout of the fortress as soon as he had arrived. This was familiar. What was unfamiliar, however, was the slightly ajar door at the top of the stairs. If Cornelia were still awake, she most certainly would have shut and locked the door, and this caused Roy to have a theory as to what was going on. Quietly, he pushed the door open and peeked inside.
Immediately, he saw that he was right. Cornelia had fallen asleep at her desk, documents scattered about.
Roy paused. This scene brought back a memory he had long since shoved to the back of his mind.
-Ten years earlier-
The door slowly swung open, and a teenage girl's face poked in. "Roy?"
Cornelia's eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for its occupant. He wasn't in his bed, nor was he pacing the length of his room. Instead, she spotted him sitting in his desk chair, head resting against the desk, fast asleep.
Cornelia gave a small smile. Really, it was just like him to be so engrossed in his studies that he would fall asleep at his desk. Quietly and carefully, she walked over to where her fiancé sat. Strewn about the desk were notes. Alchemy, she presumed, though she couldn't make heads or tails of it since it was all in code.
Then she looked down at Roy. "Honestly. You'll catch a cold if you sleep like this." It wouldn't look good for Roy to show up to his state alchemist's exam sick, either. Swiftly, Cornelia walked over to the bed and pulled the sheets off. Carefully folding them, she gently wrapped them around Roy's body. Then she returned to the bed, took the pillow, and gingerly lifted his head up enough to slip it in beneath.
Once she was done, Cornelia took a step back. It wasn't an ideal position in which to sleep, but it would do. Cornelia smiled again, wistfully this time. She carefully moved back, leaned over, and whispered in his ear, "Good luck tomorrow." Then she slid out of the room and quietly shut the door.
***
A wistful smile crossed Roy's face as he recalled the memory. Of course, he didn't remember Cornelia coming in and fixing him up for a better night's sleep, but he immediately figured out who was responsible for doing so when he woke up.
"Now the tides have turned, haven't they?" Roy uttered quietly and quietly slipped into the room. Like Cornelia had ten years before, Roy pulled a sheet off the bed, folded it, and gently draped it over her body. Then he took the pillow, and, using extreme caution, lifted her head up, slid the pillow under, then rested it on the pillow. He also provided the added bonus of picking up all the papers and arranging them into a pile. Once he was done, Roy turned to leave, but once at the door, he looked back.
"Pleasant dreams, Cornelia."
The door quietly shut.
***
A sore spot in her neck caused Cornelia to stir. Confusedly opening her eyes, she lifted her head off the pillow. "I fell asleep?"
Cornelia lifted herself up so that she sat straight. As she did, the sheet fell off her back. Between that and the pillow, it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened.
"Still clinging to the past, Mustang? Such a sentimental fool."
As Cornelia stood up and picked up the pillow and sheet, though, she thought back on the memory herself. She wouldn't admit it openly, but it was a pleasant memory. But like Roy, she too had not thought about it until the moment she realized what was going on.
Unfolding the sheet, Cornelia tucked it properly beneath the mattress, and laid the pillow on the bed. She then sat down and turned out the light that rested on the bedside table, then slid under the covers.
As she lay, her mind continued to focus on the memory. Really, it wasn't that bad that Roy still cared. If anything, she appreciated it -- though she would never say so to his face, preferring to let him figure it out on his own. She felt that Roy would need a degree of compassion if he ever fulfilled his ambitions and became the Fuhrer. Amestris needed a moderate ruler after the militaristic reign of King Bradley, after all.
But these thoughts were soon enough overtaken by sleepiness. Without realizing it, Cornelia again drifted off to sleep.