[FMA Big Bang fic] Down the Road - Chapter 9
Title: Down the Road
Author: bay115
Beta: The lovely and great alchemyotaku75
Artists: seta_suzume, ghosthax (thanks so much you two!), and bay115
Genre: Drama, Action, Flashback
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 36,028
Pairing/Characters: Ling/Lan Fan (UST), May, Shao May, short appearances from various OCs and canon characters (including one from the Daughter of the Dusk FMA Wii game)
Warnings: Violence, deceased body being carried throughout this story.
Summary: Ling, Lan Fan, and May took the long road back to Xing by passing through Aerugo and crossing the ocean, carrying Fu’s deceased body with them. As the group was traveling, they got to know Fu better by reading his journal. Unfortunately, the journey doesn’t go smoothly as a water alchemist, the Aerugo royal family, and thieves make sure to delay the trip.
Author's Note: For the 2010-2011 fmabigbang . Again, thanks to alchemyotaku75 for giving me ideas over how to preserve Fu’s body while the gang is traveling to Xing. Also, Fu’s journal entry in this chapter is a reference to my fic Trapped, which is my take over what happened while Maria was away at Xing. You don’t have to read it to get what’s going on in the entry although reviews for Trapped would be loved, haha!
Okay, this chapter I keep banging my head over because I would always have an idea how I’ll go though by it, only to then not able to write the scene out for some reason. I then thought of another way to get through this chapter, same thing. x_x I then decided to write the last chapter first and then go back to this chapter and this is the result. We’re getting close to the end!
Chapter One: Before the Trip
Chapter Two: Meeting With May
Chapter Three: All Quiet on the Southern Front
Chapter Four: Ada of Rainington
Chapter Five: The Camiburn Tale
Chapter Six: King of the South, Prince of the East
Chapter Seven: The Five Thieves
Chapter Eight: We Encounter Wind
Chapter Nine: Tender
“And after May and I defeated those thieves, we were able to exit the forest and waited for Ling and Lan Fan.”
“Wow, what an interesting trip! I’m glad you had put your water alchemy to good use.”
Clement and Ada were in the living room, his daughter telling him what had happened during her journey with Ling, Lan Fan, and May. She came home later than expected because of a huge downpour at Aerugo, forcing her to stay at Padrid City for a week. He was surprised the four had experienced a lot in a short amount of time, but at least the trip was fun for her and she was able to make new friends.
“Well, you have taught me well,” Ada responded, laughing sheepishly.
The elder alchemist gave her an encouraging smile. “Keep that up, and you’ll be able to surpass me soon.”
That made the girl frowned. “I don’t think I can be as great as you, father.”
“Nonsense! I’m getting older and my alchemy is starting to get rusty. Trust me, Ada, you have potential.”
The aging father realized something-young people grew up too fast, but were able to handle any situation thrown at them. The world was changing and they would be able to adapt to it. He knew he would need to struggle to catch up.
“Thank you,” Ada said, smiling. “Hopefully they made it safely to Xing by now.”
Clement smiled back. “I’m sure they had.”
+++
Three days passed since Ling, May, Shao May, and Lan Fan made it to Xing.
The group had to take the long route to the Yao Palace because of Fu and the wagon. Going through the mountains would be much faster, but much more dangerous. During their trip they passed through several towns, but needed to stay hidden each time they entered one or else someone might recognize them.
They were now inside a cave not too far from a forest, Ling lying on the ground, helpless.
"Food..."
Luckily when they traveled with Ada, she had brought some canned foods with her. Well, food was food. Canned food had been the only edibles during the month long trip across the water, but Ling was still glad for something to eat.
Xing was known for having an abundance of food, but the group couldn't buy any without the risk of revealing themselves. Not only did they steal supplies, but needed to hunt, too. May was an expert at tracking and dispatching animals; it was a necessity, considering her clan’s lower status and lack of funds. Lan Fan was a quick learner, becoming a very good hunter in a very short time, but Ling had trouble catching rabbits, even though he was good at martial arts. It was the traps he needed improvement on.
"My lord, why don't you catch one yourself if you're that desperate?” Lan Fan asked sternly, eyes narrowed.
"And have another trap of mine fail again? I think I would rather steal food at the nearest town."
"Well, the sun is beginning to set and there is still time to catch something."
It was then Lan Fan saw Ling’s pitiful ‘feed me’ eyes; apparently, the prince thought his little show would help get him out of hunting. She frowned.
"I don't mind getting something for you!" May said cheerfully. "Besides, you're right in that your traps tend to fail."
May left the cave with Shao May, kunai in hand. Lan Fan giggled while Ling stared at her in puzzlement.
"What's so funny, Lan Fan?"
"Sorry my lord, but I couldn't help but think the princess would make a fine little sister to you.”
The prince grinned and rested his head on his arms. It would be nice if May stayed with him in his palace. There were so many fun activities they could participate in together. That might not happen, but at least she could visit him once in a while.
"Yes, she would make a great sister."
+++
Early the next morning, the group traveled until they reached a bamboo forest carpeted in lush grass. A fog had already rolled in, making the place harder to see.
"This forest reminds me of my place," May said. "My clan lives in the Tang forest, next to the mountains, and it would rain a lot there."
"My lord, what is the name of this forest?"
Ling pressed his lips, trying to remember the name of the forests, cities, and mountains from the map he read yesterday. When the prince finally remembered, he gave a slight smile.
"Hei Forest. I’ve never been here before, but after we pass through here, there’s a bit of open country, and the palace isn’t much farther beyond that.”
Lan Fan's eyes blinked in surprise. "Wait, after this forest we'll be able to get to the palace quickly?"
The prince beamed. "I'm sure by tomorrow this long trip will be done and over with..." Ling's tone changed from hopeful and excitement to dread when he said, "At least, until we have to go to my father's place."
The prince shuddered at that thought. After they buried Fu, there wouldn't be much time for relaxation. He had to next go meet with his father so that he could claim the title of emperor, and that trip would take another week. Exhaustion finally caught up with him.
"We shall worry about meeting our father later. For now, let's focus on burying Fu," May said, smiling.
Ling smiled back. The sooner that was over with, the better.
+++
By late afternoon, the group was still inside Hei Forest. They stopped to rest and eat lunch, which were leftovers from last night's dinner. After they finished, Ling stood and stretched.
"You know, there are a lot of bamboo here that can last us until we get to the palace tomorrow. I'll go get some now."
Lan Fan's eyes grew wide with concern. "Do you need any help?"
"Nah," Ling said, shaking his head. "I won't go far, so everything should be fine."
"Good luck, brother!" May said, giving Ling a thumbs up.
Lan Fan saw Ling looking flabbergasted. She knew the prince couldn't believe his sister had called him that. The guard would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised by that, either. After being awestruck for a moment the prince chuckled and ruffled May's hair.
"Don't worry little princess, I won't be long."
Ling waved the girls goodbye and left them alone. Lan Fan and May were silent, unsure what to say to one another. The only time the two had a conversation with one another was back at Aerugo when everyone stayed at the cave.
"So...I guess we're finally getting close to Ling's palace, huh?" May finally asked, drawing her knees to her face.
"Yes." Lan Fan paused and looked towards the gray skies. "I'm sure you'll like it there."
It was awkward for Lan Fan to be talking to May right now. She wasn't sure yet what things she wanted to know about her. Ling seemed to have an easier time talking with her because of them being half-siblings, so at least they would try to get to know one another as much as possible.
"So, you knew Ling since you were born?”
The guard gasped, surprise coloring her face. This was unexpected; no one asked her how long she and the prince had known each other. For some reason, that subject caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Not wanting to make May wait any longer, Lan Fan spoke and cough.
“He is only a few months older than me, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to you since my family served the Yao clan for many generations, including my grandfather.”
“Wow! That’s neat your family served the clan for so long.”
Lan Fan couldn't help but smile. “It is. I have come to respect everyone there, even though I am just a guard.”
“Do they respect you, though?”
Lan Fan was speechless. Her job protecting Ling kept her very busy, which rarely allowed her time to talk to anyone else in the palace. Despite that, she learned to respect the people there because many of them were well-regarded diplomats for the clan.
“I admit, I’m not sure. But that’s okay. I’ll get punished if I go against them.”
“Yes, that is true. I wouldn’t want that happen to you,” May said with a sad smile.
The girls fell quiet after that, the silence between them stretching out for so long that the guard felt uncomfortable. Eventually, Lan Fan’s thoughts wandered back to her grandfather; his body’s decomposition had been slowed due to being in the refrigerated room and not long after Nicolas had him packed with salt for preservation. There was still doubt the decay would resume faster than expected, though.
Just hang in there, Grandfather…
“Lan Fan?”
The female guard blinked, already forgetting May’s question. “Excuse me? Sorry, I was thinking about my grandfather again.”
“It’s all right,” May said with a giggle. “I just asked if you want to read more of your grandfather’s journal. We can read an entry real quick before Ling comes back!”
The guard’s eyes turned wide. “Wait, how do you know my grandfather has a journal?”
Droplets of sweat ran down May’s face. “Well, back when we were at Aerugo, during the rainstorm, I read some of his entries while you were asleep. I was curious about what Fu was like. Sorry.”
At first, Lan Fan simply stared at the princess. How could she read something without asking her first? Her expression then softened. The guard couldn’t blame May for not being able to resist reading the journal; she, herself, shouldn’t have read it.
“Don’t worry, I’m not mad.” She smiled. “I wasn’t supposed to read my grandfather’s journal either, but I was also curious. Speaking of the journal, the first entry was of you and your guards invading the Yao palace. Curious, what happened to your guards?”
“My clan came under attack not long after I entered the Yao palace. I was almost killed by one of the soldiers, but my guards were able to save me. Unfortunately, they both died by his hands. The soldiers of my clan were able to run the invaders off, but the palace was in heavy ruins and needed to be rebuilt. Not long after, recruitments for soldiers and guards began, but I left Xing before I was assigned new guards. That attack made me realize something must be done for the Chang clan to not vanish from the face of the earth.”
“The Philosophers’ Stone,” Lan Fan whispered in realization.
The girls went silent again, but it wasn’t long until May spoke. “You know, when I read one of the entries, I thought Fu was there with me, telling one part of his life story,” May said, getting back to the man’s journal.
Lan Fan’s smile became wider. “So do I.”
That smile faded when the young woman looked up at the gray skies again, while thinking about whether or not to read Fu’s journal out loud to May, but was afraid Ling might return and find them reading from it. Then again, it might take him some time to collect the bamboo.
“All right, we’ll read one entry real quick, but only one.”
+++
October 1st, 1914
Today Lan Fan had to move her fingers again as part of her rehab. Each time she did she screamed in pain, but I told her that she would get used to it. This was the first time in a while I was annoyed at my granddaughter for complaining about pain. Warriors trained themselves to not think too much about their scars.
A few days ago, Roy Mustang came to talk to me about the Promised Day, an event in six months time. He said that day was when the world would be in chaos. I became frightened after hearing that. Would I be able to return to Xing alive? Not only that, I'm worried about Maria too. I don't know if Xing will be affected by this event, so I'm afraid she'll be ill prepared. The man told me he wouldn’t let her know because he wanted her to enjoy Xing without any worries.
When I saw my granddaughter struggling with just her finger, my heart ached. At first I was angry at her for not being able to protect our lord and for recklessly losing her arm. However, it was wrong of me to be angry at her. Instead, I was furious at King Bradley. I hated him for taking my granddaughter’s arm, making her unable to protect Master Ling. He almost killed whom I consider my second daughter. There was nothing more I want now than to kill him for that. Perhaps we might fight one another on the Promise Day, which I would like very much. I'll give him the battle of his life.
I’m actually angrier at myself. I was away, unable to protect my only granddaughter. That dream I had when King Bradley killed her almost came true. Every night I thank Doctor Knox for saving her life, but seeing my granddaughter without an arm hurts me.
I also blame myself for not preventing Greed from getting inside the young lord. I never met that “person”, but the Elric brothers told me about him and he sounded menacing. I consider the lord my child also, my son.
I failed looking after the two people I love most and brought the Yao clan to shame. Lan Fan, Ling, I’m sorry.
+++
Lan Fan was speechless. Her, Fu’s daughter. For fifteen years she had always considered their relationship as a normal granddaughter-grandfather one, but apparently Fu thought of her as more than that. Her heart swelled with both confusion and joy. Not only that, he was sorry for being away, even though he didn’t need to feel that way. She appreciated that.
“I think it’s wonderful Fu considered you and Ling as his children.”
The guard, still shaken up from what she just read, slowly turned around and saw May and her panda smiling at her. She wasn’t able to smile back at them, though.
“I actually thought of him as my father instead of grandfather sometimes. He had done so much for me. Now he’s gone and I wasn’t able to tell him how much I appreciated him taking care of me.”
Tears rolled down Lan Fan’s cheeks. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry for Fu again, but this entry was too much for her. The young woman glanced at May, the girl’s smile fading.
“I’m sure Fu knows you appreciate all his hard work he had done,” the princess said. “It must have been difficult to take care of you all by himself.”
“And the lord,” Lan Fan pointed out, smiling slightly.
May chuckled, but her facial expression changed as a realization came to her. “Wait, did Ling know that Fu considered him as his son?”
“Considered what?”
Lan Fan and May startled when they saw Ling approaching them, both his hands full of bamboo bark. He put them down and shot the girls a puzzled look.
“Lady May asked me if you knew Fu considered you as his son.”
Ling froze, a horrified expression painted on his face. Not since Fu’s death had Lan Fan seen the prince like that, and it scared her.
“Ling!” May shouted, very distressed.
“Son?” He paused. “How do you…”
His eyes glanced at the journal Lan Fan was reading. Without asking, he snatched it from her hands and skimmed through the page. Lan Fan didn’t protest. When Ling finished reading the entry, his face turned pale.
“My lord, are you all right?” the young woman whispered urgently.
Nothing. Ling walked back toward the forest without turning to look at the girls. May and Lan Fan stood where they were for some time, bewildered.
“Why is Ling upset?” May asked, voice shaking.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out. Wait here and watch over my grandfather’s body.”
May nodded. “Right.”
Lan Fan got up and left. As she dashed after Ling, she hoped he didn’t mistakenly hurt himself.
+++
The prince sat on a large boulder, legs crossed. His eyes were closed and he took deep, shuddering, and very likely painful breaths.
Finding out Fu had felt sorry over being unable to protect Ling all this time caused him to realize his rash actions had serious consequences. This quest for immortality wasn’t what he expected. He knew there would be enemies and he and his guards could be killed, but what had happened at Amestris threw Ling a curve. Everything that had happened to Fu and Lan Fan was his fault, and that thought made him feel ill.
“My lord!”
Ling mumbled “Lan Fan?” to himself and turned around to see her watching him with worried eyes. He winced; it hurt too much to see her like this.
“Why are you upset?”
“It’s my fault Fu died.” Before Lan Fan could open her mouth to ask, Ling continued. “If I hadn’t let him take Maria to Xing, he would still be with us and I wouldn’t have let Greed take over me.”
Lan Fan shook her head, causing Ling to gasp silently.
“Maria needed our help and my grandfather knew where he could hide her. As for Greed, you found immortality, but didn’t know even though you didn’t know it meant you would have another person inside you.”
“And that’s the reason why all of this is my fault!” Ling snapped, baring his teeth.
Lan Fan blinked. “What you mean by that?”
“Since you two left Xing with me, I was worried that bad things would happen, and they did. You lost an arm and Fu lost his life. If I hadn’t gone through with this immortality plan, none of this would have happened. I…”
Ling wasn’t able to continue on, dissolving into sobs, instead. He turned away, too ashamed that Lan Fan was seeing him like this. Guards shouldn’t see their kings cry or they might think their leader was weak and an easy target. Everything changed quickly, though; he didn’t notice Lan Fan creeping beside him until her head rested on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his midsection. Ling hadn’t button his shirt, so he could feel both warmth and cold tingling on his chest. His sobbing stopped, but he still found it difficult to breathe. He felt the young woman’s heart beat drumming furiously against his back.
(Art by seta_suzume )
Lan Fan has never held me like this before.
“My grandfather and I knew what we‘re getting ourselves into, but we accepted it,” Lan Fan whispered, holding Ling tighter. “I’m glad to have journeyed with you this whole time, my lord.”
A tinge of pink flushed his cheeks. He was uncomfortable, but at the same time he loved this embrace, especially one coming from her. Dark thoughts suddenly melted away and he was at peace.
+++
On the cart, May rested her head on her hands and sighed heavily. She wondered what was taking Lan Fan so long. Perhaps Ling was really depressed, but he seemed to be the kind of person that rarely stayed upset for very long. That was unlike him. The princess wasn’t sure why it bothered her, but it was.
May didn’t see the bored look on Shao May’s face or she would have known the little panda wanted to play. Knowing her friend wouldn’t look at her, the animal decided to do something about it. She noticed Lan Fan’s pouch sitting close to the canvas covering Fu’s body; a corner of a book peeked out from the guard’s bag. Shao May immediately ran toward it and grasped the tome in her teeth, pulling at it with all her might. After struggling for some time to free the book, Shao May sat back, panting to catch her breath. After a couple more hard pulls, she managed to free the journal, then took off at a run.
Hearing someone jump off the wagon, May looked at the back and saw her panda running away with Fu’s journal in her teeth. The girl’s eyes went wide with alarm.
“Shao May, come back!” she yelled.
The panda made squeaking noises, as if to say to the princess that she needed to catch her first, then climbed the nearest bamboo stalk. Shao May quickly made it to the top and smiled, the journal still inside her mouth. May bit her lip in frustration.
“Look, I can’t play games with you now. Also, that journal isn’t mine, its…” May stopped, a horrified look on her face.
The tiny animal smugly looked down at the girl, only to have her expression instantly change when she heard footsteps approaching. Down below, there was another panda, much bigger than Shao May, growling threateningly. The tiny panda shrieked and without thinking, dropped the journal onto the other panda. She then jumped out of the tree to land on May’s shoulder. The larger animal snatched the journal with its teeth and began ripping it apart.
“No!” May frantically said. The girl felt a surge of panic inside her; she was going to be in so much trouble once Lan Fan came back with Ling.
The other panda had finished tearing the journal to pieces, and charged at both May and Shao May. May’s panda squeaked in fright and hid her head behind the princess’ neck. Knowing she needed to act quickly, the girl drew an alkhestry symbol on the ground with her feet and slammed her hands onto the ground, causing an explosion between her and the larger panda.
+++
The prince wasn’t sure how long they sat holding one another, but the moment ended abruptly when they heard an explosion. He and Lan Fan looked back to see smoke rising into the air not far from them and exchanged worried looks.
“That must be Lady May! She’s in trouble!”
“Indeed. Let’s go!”
The two slid off the boulder and dashed back to where they parked the wagon, fear in their eyes.
Ling wouldn’t forgive himself if May got hurt before they made it there.
+++
It didn’t take long for Ling and Lan Fan to reach May, but stopped when they found the young princess, kunai ready in hand, and kneeling in a fighting stance. Not far from her stood a giant panda, teeth bared and snarling viciously. On the girl’s shoulder, Shao May growled back at the much bigger creature.
“Lady May, what’s going on?” Lan Fan asked.
“Shao May went up on a bamboo tree then this panda appeared and wanted to attack her, so I distracted her with my alkhestry.”
Ling’s face was blank. “Wait, how did you know it’s female?”
“Pandas are very territorial, but female ones are not tolerant of other females,” May explained. “I guess she thought Shao May was invading her home or something.”
The young guard couldn’t slow her rapid breathing. She had heard stories of pandas being huge but friendly creatures, but the one she was looking at now didn’t seem too happy. After glancing at Ling, Lan Fan knew the prince was scared too. The guard then watched May, still in her battle stance; she was amazed at how tough the young girl was.
The panda started making grunting noises. Shao May squeaked in annoyance, signaling to Lan Fan and the others that the two pandas were communicating. They exchanged noises for a while, and all the three teenagers could do was look on. Lan Fan hoped their conversation wouldn’t get out of hand.
When they finally stopped talking to each other, the other panda huffed and turned around to leave. Everyone sighed in relief.
“Guess Shao May was able to convince the other panda that she’s doing no harm,” May said.
“I think we should leave now before we disturb more bears,” Lan Fan suggested. After what just happened to them, she didn’t want to experience it again. Not only that, it was lucky the panda hadn’t done anything to her grandfather’s body. She would hate it if something that horrible had happened.
“Definitely,” Ling said, nodding in agreement. May and her panda did the same.
Everyone climbed onto the wagon. Lan Fan got up first and glanced around, making sure the coast was clear. She was about to settle down, but she noticed many ripped pages of paper scattered on the ground. This sent a chill of foreboding down her spine.
“Lady May…did something happen with my grandfather’s journal?” Her tone was bitter, like soured food.
May hung her head down and twitched her fingers. “Shao May got a hold of your journal, trying to make me chase her to get the book back. Then the other panda came and she threw it at her in self-defense. I’m sorry.”
The young woman hopped out of the wagon and ran to where he ripped pages were scattered over the grass. She held some of the pages with shaking hands. The blood in Lan Fan’s veins boiled. Many of them were torn and it was hard to tell which was which. Fu’s journal, destroyed. Ling and May, both still on the wagon, looked on with concern.
“Lan Fan, are you okay?” Ling asked, fear cracking his voice.
The guard turned around to face Ling, grief etching her face. “This journal is all I have of my grandfather and now it’s destroyed.”
She kneeled down, breaking into tears. She knew she shouldn’t cry, but Lan Fan couldn’t help it. Fu was gone again. Ling and May got off the wagon to comfort the young woman, each one touching her shoulders. Everyone stood still and became quiet.
“I’m sorry,” Ling whispered, breaking the silence.
Lan Fan gave Ling a slight smile. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Where do we go from here now?” May said.
“Well, we should get out of the forest as soon as possible,” Ling pointed out. “We should be able to get to my palace by late night tomorrow.”
Both girls nodded. Yes, Lan Fan thought, tomorrow they would be finally home. It still hurt that Fu’s journal was gone, but she also knew sulking here forever wouldn’t help her to return home. The young woman quickly gathered all of the torn pages and held them close to her chest.
“We should get moving now or else we might have to stay in this forest for one more night.”
“You’re right,” Ling said in agreement. “Let’s get going.”
The group quickly climbed onto the wagon, Ling taking the reins. He shook them and the horse moved forward. Shortly after, Lan Fan tucked the pages into her pouch.
“Lan Fan, what are you going to do with those pages now?”
The young woman sighed and shook her head. Should she keep them, or burn them, when they reached the palace? The pages were torn beyond repair and of no use anymore, but she couldn’t bear seeing the tiny pieces turned to ashes. She wasn’t sure Fu would want that, either.
“I don’t know.”
Onto the last chapter!
Author: bay115
Beta: The lovely and great alchemyotaku75
Artists: seta_suzume, ghosthax (thanks so much you two!), and bay115
Genre: Drama, Action, Flashback
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 36,028
Pairing/Characters: Ling/Lan Fan (UST), May, Shao May, short appearances from various OCs and canon characters (including one from the Daughter of the Dusk FMA Wii game)
Warnings: Violence, deceased body being carried throughout this story.
Summary: Ling, Lan Fan, and May took the long road back to Xing by passing through Aerugo and crossing the ocean, carrying Fu’s deceased body with them. As the group was traveling, they got to know Fu better by reading his journal. Unfortunately, the journey doesn’t go smoothly as a water alchemist, the Aerugo royal family, and thieves make sure to delay the trip.
Author's Note: For the 2010-2011 fmabigbang . Again, thanks to alchemyotaku75 for giving me ideas over how to preserve Fu’s body while the gang is traveling to Xing. Also, Fu’s journal entry in this chapter is a reference to my fic Trapped, which is my take over what happened while Maria was away at Xing. You don’t have to read it to get what’s going on in the entry although reviews for Trapped would be loved, haha!
Okay, this chapter I keep banging my head over because I would always have an idea how I’ll go though by it, only to then not able to write the scene out for some reason. I then thought of another way to get through this chapter, same thing. x_x I then decided to write the last chapter first and then go back to this chapter and this is the result. We’re getting close to the end!
Chapter One: Before the Trip
Chapter Two: Meeting With May
Chapter Three: All Quiet on the Southern Front
Chapter Four: Ada of Rainington
Chapter Five: The Camiburn Tale
Chapter Six: King of the South, Prince of the East
Chapter Seven: The Five Thieves
Chapter Eight: We Encounter Wind
Chapter Nine: Tender
“And after May and I defeated those thieves, we were able to exit the forest and waited for Ling and Lan Fan.”
“Wow, what an interesting trip! I’m glad you had put your water alchemy to good use.”
Clement and Ada were in the living room, his daughter telling him what had happened during her journey with Ling, Lan Fan, and May. She came home later than expected because of a huge downpour at Aerugo, forcing her to stay at Padrid City for a week. He was surprised the four had experienced a lot in a short amount of time, but at least the trip was fun for her and she was able to make new friends.
“Well, you have taught me well,” Ada responded, laughing sheepishly.
The elder alchemist gave her an encouraging smile. “Keep that up, and you’ll be able to surpass me soon.”
That made the girl frowned. “I don’t think I can be as great as you, father.”
“Nonsense! I’m getting older and my alchemy is starting to get rusty. Trust me, Ada, you have potential.”
The aging father realized something-young people grew up too fast, but were able to handle any situation thrown at them. The world was changing and they would be able to adapt to it. He knew he would need to struggle to catch up.
“Thank you,” Ada said, smiling. “Hopefully they made it safely to Xing by now.”
Clement smiled back. “I’m sure they had.”
+++
Three days passed since Ling, May, Shao May, and Lan Fan made it to Xing.
The group had to take the long route to the Yao Palace because of Fu and the wagon. Going through the mountains would be much faster, but much more dangerous. During their trip they passed through several towns, but needed to stay hidden each time they entered one or else someone might recognize them.
They were now inside a cave not too far from a forest, Ling lying on the ground, helpless.
"Food..."
Luckily when they traveled with Ada, she had brought some canned foods with her. Well, food was food. Canned food had been the only edibles during the month long trip across the water, but Ling was still glad for something to eat.
Xing was known for having an abundance of food, but the group couldn't buy any without the risk of revealing themselves. Not only did they steal supplies, but needed to hunt, too. May was an expert at tracking and dispatching animals; it was a necessity, considering her clan’s lower status and lack of funds. Lan Fan was a quick learner, becoming a very good hunter in a very short time, but Ling had trouble catching rabbits, even though he was good at martial arts. It was the traps he needed improvement on.
"My lord, why don't you catch one yourself if you're that desperate?” Lan Fan asked sternly, eyes narrowed.
"And have another trap of mine fail again? I think I would rather steal food at the nearest town."
"Well, the sun is beginning to set and there is still time to catch something."
It was then Lan Fan saw Ling’s pitiful ‘feed me’ eyes; apparently, the prince thought his little show would help get him out of hunting. She frowned.
"I don't mind getting something for you!" May said cheerfully. "Besides, you're right in that your traps tend to fail."
May left the cave with Shao May, kunai in hand. Lan Fan giggled while Ling stared at her in puzzlement.
"What's so funny, Lan Fan?"
"Sorry my lord, but I couldn't help but think the princess would make a fine little sister to you.”
The prince grinned and rested his head on his arms. It would be nice if May stayed with him in his palace. There were so many fun activities they could participate in together. That might not happen, but at least she could visit him once in a while.
"Yes, she would make a great sister."
+++
Early the next morning, the group traveled until they reached a bamboo forest carpeted in lush grass. A fog had already rolled in, making the place harder to see.
"This forest reminds me of my place," May said. "My clan lives in the Tang forest, next to the mountains, and it would rain a lot there."
"My lord, what is the name of this forest?"
Ling pressed his lips, trying to remember the name of the forests, cities, and mountains from the map he read yesterday. When the prince finally remembered, he gave a slight smile.
"Hei Forest. I’ve never been here before, but after we pass through here, there’s a bit of open country, and the palace isn’t much farther beyond that.”
Lan Fan's eyes blinked in surprise. "Wait, after this forest we'll be able to get to the palace quickly?"
The prince beamed. "I'm sure by tomorrow this long trip will be done and over with..." Ling's tone changed from hopeful and excitement to dread when he said, "At least, until we have to go to my father's place."
The prince shuddered at that thought. After they buried Fu, there wouldn't be much time for relaxation. He had to next go meet with his father so that he could claim the title of emperor, and that trip would take another week. Exhaustion finally caught up with him.
"We shall worry about meeting our father later. For now, let's focus on burying Fu," May said, smiling.
Ling smiled back. The sooner that was over with, the better.
+++
By late afternoon, the group was still inside Hei Forest. They stopped to rest and eat lunch, which were leftovers from last night's dinner. After they finished, Ling stood and stretched.
"You know, there are a lot of bamboo here that can last us until we get to the palace tomorrow. I'll go get some now."
Lan Fan's eyes grew wide with concern. "Do you need any help?"
"Nah," Ling said, shaking his head. "I won't go far, so everything should be fine."
"Good luck, brother!" May said, giving Ling a thumbs up.
Lan Fan saw Ling looking flabbergasted. She knew the prince couldn't believe his sister had called him that. The guard would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised by that, either. After being awestruck for a moment the prince chuckled and ruffled May's hair.
"Don't worry little princess, I won't be long."
Ling waved the girls goodbye and left them alone. Lan Fan and May were silent, unsure what to say to one another. The only time the two had a conversation with one another was back at Aerugo when everyone stayed at the cave.
"So...I guess we're finally getting close to Ling's palace, huh?" May finally asked, drawing her knees to her face.
"Yes." Lan Fan paused and looked towards the gray skies. "I'm sure you'll like it there."
It was awkward for Lan Fan to be talking to May right now. She wasn't sure yet what things she wanted to know about her. Ling seemed to have an easier time talking with her because of them being half-siblings, so at least they would try to get to know one another as much as possible.
"So, you knew Ling since you were born?”
The guard gasped, surprise coloring her face. This was unexpected; no one asked her how long she and the prince had known each other. For some reason, that subject caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Not wanting to make May wait any longer, Lan Fan spoke and cough.
“He is only a few months older than me, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to you since my family served the Yao clan for many generations, including my grandfather.”
“Wow! That’s neat your family served the clan for so long.”
Lan Fan couldn't help but smile. “It is. I have come to respect everyone there, even though I am just a guard.”
“Do they respect you, though?”
Lan Fan was speechless. Her job protecting Ling kept her very busy, which rarely allowed her time to talk to anyone else in the palace. Despite that, she learned to respect the people there because many of them were well-regarded diplomats for the clan.
“I admit, I’m not sure. But that’s okay. I’ll get punished if I go against them.”
“Yes, that is true. I wouldn’t want that happen to you,” May said with a sad smile.
The girls fell quiet after that, the silence between them stretching out for so long that the guard felt uncomfortable. Eventually, Lan Fan’s thoughts wandered back to her grandfather; his body’s decomposition had been slowed due to being in the refrigerated room and not long after Nicolas had him packed with salt for preservation. There was still doubt the decay would resume faster than expected, though.
Just hang in there, Grandfather…
“Lan Fan?”
The female guard blinked, already forgetting May’s question. “Excuse me? Sorry, I was thinking about my grandfather again.”
“It’s all right,” May said with a giggle. “I just asked if you want to read more of your grandfather’s journal. We can read an entry real quick before Ling comes back!”
The guard’s eyes turned wide. “Wait, how do you know my grandfather has a journal?”
Droplets of sweat ran down May’s face. “Well, back when we were at Aerugo, during the rainstorm, I read some of his entries while you were asleep. I was curious about what Fu was like. Sorry.”
At first, Lan Fan simply stared at the princess. How could she read something without asking her first? Her expression then softened. The guard couldn’t blame May for not being able to resist reading the journal; she, herself, shouldn’t have read it.
“Don’t worry, I’m not mad.” She smiled. “I wasn’t supposed to read my grandfather’s journal either, but I was also curious. Speaking of the journal, the first entry was of you and your guards invading the Yao palace. Curious, what happened to your guards?”
“My clan came under attack not long after I entered the Yao palace. I was almost killed by one of the soldiers, but my guards were able to save me. Unfortunately, they both died by his hands. The soldiers of my clan were able to run the invaders off, but the palace was in heavy ruins and needed to be rebuilt. Not long after, recruitments for soldiers and guards began, but I left Xing before I was assigned new guards. That attack made me realize something must be done for the Chang clan to not vanish from the face of the earth.”
“The Philosophers’ Stone,” Lan Fan whispered in realization.
The girls went silent again, but it wasn’t long until May spoke. “You know, when I read one of the entries, I thought Fu was there with me, telling one part of his life story,” May said, getting back to the man’s journal.
Lan Fan’s smile became wider. “So do I.”
That smile faded when the young woman looked up at the gray skies again, while thinking about whether or not to read Fu’s journal out loud to May, but was afraid Ling might return and find them reading from it. Then again, it might take him some time to collect the bamboo.
“All right, we’ll read one entry real quick, but only one.”
+++
October 1st, 1914
Today Lan Fan had to move her fingers again as part of her rehab. Each time she did she screamed in pain, but I told her that she would get used to it. This was the first time in a while I was annoyed at my granddaughter for complaining about pain. Warriors trained themselves to not think too much about their scars.
A few days ago, Roy Mustang came to talk to me about the Promised Day, an event in six months time. He said that day was when the world would be in chaos. I became frightened after hearing that. Would I be able to return to Xing alive? Not only that, I'm worried about Maria too. I don't know if Xing will be affected by this event, so I'm afraid she'll be ill prepared. The man told me he wouldn’t let her know because he wanted her to enjoy Xing without any worries.
When I saw my granddaughter struggling with just her finger, my heart ached. At first I was angry at her for not being able to protect our lord and for recklessly losing her arm. However, it was wrong of me to be angry at her. Instead, I was furious at King Bradley. I hated him for taking my granddaughter’s arm, making her unable to protect Master Ling. He almost killed whom I consider my second daughter. There was nothing more I want now than to kill him for that. Perhaps we might fight one another on the Promise Day, which I would like very much. I'll give him the battle of his life.
I’m actually angrier at myself. I was away, unable to protect my only granddaughter. That dream I had when King Bradley killed her almost came true. Every night I thank Doctor Knox for saving her life, but seeing my granddaughter without an arm hurts me.
I also blame myself for not preventing Greed from getting inside the young lord. I never met that “person”, but the Elric brothers told me about him and he sounded menacing. I consider the lord my child also, my son.
I failed looking after the two people I love most and brought the Yao clan to shame. Lan Fan, Ling, I’m sorry.
+++
Lan Fan was speechless. Her, Fu’s daughter. For fifteen years she had always considered their relationship as a normal granddaughter-grandfather one, but apparently Fu thought of her as more than that. Her heart swelled with both confusion and joy. Not only that, he was sorry for being away, even though he didn’t need to feel that way. She appreciated that.
“I think it’s wonderful Fu considered you and Ling as his children.”
The guard, still shaken up from what she just read, slowly turned around and saw May and her panda smiling at her. She wasn’t able to smile back at them, though.
“I actually thought of him as my father instead of grandfather sometimes. He had done so much for me. Now he’s gone and I wasn’t able to tell him how much I appreciated him taking care of me.”
Tears rolled down Lan Fan’s cheeks. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry for Fu again, but this entry was too much for her. The young woman glanced at May, the girl’s smile fading.
“I’m sure Fu knows you appreciate all his hard work he had done,” the princess said. “It must have been difficult to take care of you all by himself.”
“And the lord,” Lan Fan pointed out, smiling slightly.
May chuckled, but her facial expression changed as a realization came to her. “Wait, did Ling know that Fu considered him as his son?”
“Considered what?”
Lan Fan and May startled when they saw Ling approaching them, both his hands full of bamboo bark. He put them down and shot the girls a puzzled look.
“Lady May asked me if you knew Fu considered you as his son.”
Ling froze, a horrified expression painted on his face. Not since Fu’s death had Lan Fan seen the prince like that, and it scared her.
“Ling!” May shouted, very distressed.
“Son?” He paused. “How do you…”
His eyes glanced at the journal Lan Fan was reading. Without asking, he snatched it from her hands and skimmed through the page. Lan Fan didn’t protest. When Ling finished reading the entry, his face turned pale.
“My lord, are you all right?” the young woman whispered urgently.
Nothing. Ling walked back toward the forest without turning to look at the girls. May and Lan Fan stood where they were for some time, bewildered.
“Why is Ling upset?” May asked, voice shaking.
“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out. Wait here and watch over my grandfather’s body.”
May nodded. “Right.”
Lan Fan got up and left. As she dashed after Ling, she hoped he didn’t mistakenly hurt himself.
+++
The prince sat on a large boulder, legs crossed. His eyes were closed and he took deep, shuddering, and very likely painful breaths.
Finding out Fu had felt sorry over being unable to protect Ling all this time caused him to realize his rash actions had serious consequences. This quest for immortality wasn’t what he expected. He knew there would be enemies and he and his guards could be killed, but what had happened at Amestris threw Ling a curve. Everything that had happened to Fu and Lan Fan was his fault, and that thought made him feel ill.
“My lord!”
Ling mumbled “Lan Fan?” to himself and turned around to see her watching him with worried eyes. He winced; it hurt too much to see her like this.
“Why are you upset?”
“It’s my fault Fu died.” Before Lan Fan could open her mouth to ask, Ling continued. “If I hadn’t let him take Maria to Xing, he would still be with us and I wouldn’t have let Greed take over me.”
Lan Fan shook her head, causing Ling to gasp silently.
“Maria needed our help and my grandfather knew where he could hide her. As for Greed, you found immortality, but didn’t know even though you didn’t know it meant you would have another person inside you.”
“And that’s the reason why all of this is my fault!” Ling snapped, baring his teeth.
Lan Fan blinked. “What you mean by that?”
“Since you two left Xing with me, I was worried that bad things would happen, and they did. You lost an arm and Fu lost his life. If I hadn’t gone through with this immortality plan, none of this would have happened. I…”
Ling wasn’t able to continue on, dissolving into sobs, instead. He turned away, too ashamed that Lan Fan was seeing him like this. Guards shouldn’t see their kings cry or they might think their leader was weak and an easy target. Everything changed quickly, though; he didn’t notice Lan Fan creeping beside him until her head rested on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his midsection. Ling hadn’t button his shirt, so he could feel both warmth and cold tingling on his chest. His sobbing stopped, but he still found it difficult to breathe. He felt the young woman’s heart beat drumming furiously against his back.
(Art by seta_suzume )
Lan Fan has never held me like this before.
“My grandfather and I knew what we‘re getting ourselves into, but we accepted it,” Lan Fan whispered, holding Ling tighter. “I’m glad to have journeyed with you this whole time, my lord.”
A tinge of pink flushed his cheeks. He was uncomfortable, but at the same time he loved this embrace, especially one coming from her. Dark thoughts suddenly melted away and he was at peace.
+++
On the cart, May rested her head on her hands and sighed heavily. She wondered what was taking Lan Fan so long. Perhaps Ling was really depressed, but he seemed to be the kind of person that rarely stayed upset for very long. That was unlike him. The princess wasn’t sure why it bothered her, but it was.
May didn’t see the bored look on Shao May’s face or she would have known the little panda wanted to play. Knowing her friend wouldn’t look at her, the animal decided to do something about it. She noticed Lan Fan’s pouch sitting close to the canvas covering Fu’s body; a corner of a book peeked out from the guard’s bag. Shao May immediately ran toward it and grasped the tome in her teeth, pulling at it with all her might. After struggling for some time to free the book, Shao May sat back, panting to catch her breath. After a couple more hard pulls, she managed to free the journal, then took off at a run.
Hearing someone jump off the wagon, May looked at the back and saw her panda running away with Fu’s journal in her teeth. The girl’s eyes went wide with alarm.
“Shao May, come back!” she yelled.
The panda made squeaking noises, as if to say to the princess that she needed to catch her first, then climbed the nearest bamboo stalk. Shao May quickly made it to the top and smiled, the journal still inside her mouth. May bit her lip in frustration.
“Look, I can’t play games with you now. Also, that journal isn’t mine, its…” May stopped, a horrified look on her face.
The tiny animal smugly looked down at the girl, only to have her expression instantly change when she heard footsteps approaching. Down below, there was another panda, much bigger than Shao May, growling threateningly. The tiny panda shrieked and without thinking, dropped the journal onto the other panda. She then jumped out of the tree to land on May’s shoulder. The larger animal snatched the journal with its teeth and began ripping it apart.
“No!” May frantically said. The girl felt a surge of panic inside her; she was going to be in so much trouble once Lan Fan came back with Ling.
The other panda had finished tearing the journal to pieces, and charged at both May and Shao May. May’s panda squeaked in fright and hid her head behind the princess’ neck. Knowing she needed to act quickly, the girl drew an alkhestry symbol on the ground with her feet and slammed her hands onto the ground, causing an explosion between her and the larger panda.
+++
The prince wasn’t sure how long they sat holding one another, but the moment ended abruptly when they heard an explosion. He and Lan Fan looked back to see smoke rising into the air not far from them and exchanged worried looks.
“That must be Lady May! She’s in trouble!”
“Indeed. Let’s go!”
The two slid off the boulder and dashed back to where they parked the wagon, fear in their eyes.
Ling wouldn’t forgive himself if May got hurt before they made it there.
+++
It didn’t take long for Ling and Lan Fan to reach May, but stopped when they found the young princess, kunai ready in hand, and kneeling in a fighting stance. Not far from her stood a giant panda, teeth bared and snarling viciously. On the girl’s shoulder, Shao May growled back at the much bigger creature.
“Lady May, what’s going on?” Lan Fan asked.
“Shao May went up on a bamboo tree then this panda appeared and wanted to attack her, so I distracted her with my alkhestry.”
Ling’s face was blank. “Wait, how did you know it’s female?”
“Pandas are very territorial, but female ones are not tolerant of other females,” May explained. “I guess she thought Shao May was invading her home or something.”
The young guard couldn’t slow her rapid breathing. She had heard stories of pandas being huge but friendly creatures, but the one she was looking at now didn’t seem too happy. After glancing at Ling, Lan Fan knew the prince was scared too. The guard then watched May, still in her battle stance; she was amazed at how tough the young girl was.
The panda started making grunting noises. Shao May squeaked in annoyance, signaling to Lan Fan and the others that the two pandas were communicating. They exchanged noises for a while, and all the three teenagers could do was look on. Lan Fan hoped their conversation wouldn’t get out of hand.
When they finally stopped talking to each other, the other panda huffed and turned around to leave. Everyone sighed in relief.
“Guess Shao May was able to convince the other panda that she’s doing no harm,” May said.
“I think we should leave now before we disturb more bears,” Lan Fan suggested. After what just happened to them, she didn’t want to experience it again. Not only that, it was lucky the panda hadn’t done anything to her grandfather’s body. She would hate it if something that horrible had happened.
“Definitely,” Ling said, nodding in agreement. May and her panda did the same.
Everyone climbed onto the wagon. Lan Fan got up first and glanced around, making sure the coast was clear. She was about to settle down, but she noticed many ripped pages of paper scattered on the ground. This sent a chill of foreboding down her spine.
“Lady May…did something happen with my grandfather’s journal?” Her tone was bitter, like soured food.
May hung her head down and twitched her fingers. “Shao May got a hold of your journal, trying to make me chase her to get the book back. Then the other panda came and she threw it at her in self-defense. I’m sorry.”
The young woman hopped out of the wagon and ran to where he ripped pages were scattered over the grass. She held some of the pages with shaking hands. The blood in Lan Fan’s veins boiled. Many of them were torn and it was hard to tell which was which. Fu’s journal, destroyed. Ling and May, both still on the wagon, looked on with concern.
“Lan Fan, are you okay?” Ling asked, fear cracking his voice.
The guard turned around to face Ling, grief etching her face. “This journal is all I have of my grandfather and now it’s destroyed.”
She kneeled down, breaking into tears. She knew she shouldn’t cry, but Lan Fan couldn’t help it. Fu was gone again. Ling and May got off the wagon to comfort the young woman, each one touching her shoulders. Everyone stood still and became quiet.
“I’m sorry,” Ling whispered, breaking the silence.
Lan Fan gave Ling a slight smile. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“Where do we go from here now?” May said.
“Well, we should get out of the forest as soon as possible,” Ling pointed out. “We should be able to get to my palace by late night tomorrow.”
Both girls nodded. Yes, Lan Fan thought, tomorrow they would be finally home. It still hurt that Fu’s journal was gone, but she also knew sulking here forever wouldn’t help her to return home. The young woman quickly gathered all of the torn pages and held them close to her chest.
“We should get moving now or else we might have to stay in this forest for one more night.”
“You’re right,” Ling said in agreement. “Let’s get going.”
The group quickly climbed onto the wagon, Ling taking the reins. He shook them and the horse moved forward. Shortly after, Lan Fan tucked the pages into her pouch.
“Lan Fan, what are you going to do with those pages now?”
The young woman sighed and shook her head. Should she keep them, or burn them, when they reached the palace? The pages were torn beyond repair and of no use anymore, but she couldn’t bear seeing the tiny pieces turned to ashes. She wasn’t sure Fu would want that, either.
“I don’t know.”
Onto the last chapter!