Beauty and the Armor- Alphonse x Reader

Chapter 1- The Castle

Winry and you leaned on the large iron gate, pushing it open. A creaking sound resounded as it swung forward.
Den immediately ran into the court yard, leaving Winry and yourself to follow behind. At least, after you closed the gate again.
"Den! Wait for us!" You shouted after the dog.
"Maybe we would move faster if you put down your books and used your arms rather than your back!" Winry shouted over the howling wind.
"Well it's not my fault Den showed up when they were in my arms!" You had carried your stack of books through the forest as you had run after the dog. When you were all already deep into the woods, you realized you had unintentionally brought them along. Being the huge bookworm that you were, there was no chance of you leaving your stories out in the midst of all the trees, you would never be able to find them again!
"Let's just get inside already, it's freezing," Winry commented.
The gate closed with a bang, and you two ran to the door of the large castle.
When you had first seen it from a distance, the castle appeared dark and foreboding. There appeared to be no lights on, but apparently it was where Aunt Pinako was located. Den wouldn't lead you to this place if it wasn't.
You went up to the door and knocked gently. A minute passed, then Winry decided she wasn't waiting anymore, and kicked the door open with a great amount of force. She stormed inside without another word. You and Den quickly followed her in, desperate to get out of the cold.
"Sometimes I forget how scary you can be when you're pissed," you muttered, looking around the dimly lit entrance way. A grand staircase was the center of attention, leading up to two different wings of the castle. Other doorways and hallways were viewable, and you could tell the building had a large interior. However, it also looked surprisingly empty.
You cupped your hands by your mouth and yelled, "Hello? Is anyone there?"
No response.
Winry continued forward, peering down hallways for any signs of her grandmother. "Granny!?" She yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth in the same manner you had.
It sounded as though someone, or something, was having a whispered conversation, but neither you nor Winry could understand what they were saying, nor pinpoint the origin of the sounds.
"Hello? We can hear you, so don't pretend you're not there. We're looking for our grandmother," Winry paused. "She apparently came here! Our dog Den led us here. Do you know where she is? Is she okay?"
Movement was heard in two different places, one from a staricase leading upwards, and the other down one of the many hallways. Winry and you looked at each other, knowing either way could be a liable route. You quickly made a decision for both of you, walking towards the hallway.
"I'll check the hall, you check the stairs."
"But (Y/n), we shouldn't split up!" She shouted after you.
"This isn't a scene from a horror story, it's a castle. I'll be fine. You have a wrench to defend yourself with anyway. And if anyone tries anything, I can attack them with my books!" You took one of your books and waved it in a kiddingly-threatening way.
"What are you gonna do, kill them with knowledge?" Winry asked sarcastically.
"If I must," you playfully bowed, then turned back and walked towards the hallway.
Winry let out a sigh, looking down at Den. "That girl's gonna get herself killed one of these days."
***
You creeped towards the hallway, holding a book in one hand threateningly. If anything was going to try to hurt you, you were hoping for the element of surprise to defend yourself. The book wouldn't do much good in reality.
You silently turned the corner. All that appeared to be at the end of the hall was a suit of armor, exactly where you'd expect one to be. It looked to be on display, but something felt slightly off to you.
You continued creeping down the hall in the same position, keeping your eyes on the hall's end. You were trying to be as ninja-like and stealthy as possible, but were failing miserably. The floor was creaking with every step you took, and it didn't seem as though it was going to stop anytime soon.
You looked down at the ground as a particularly loud creak resounded.
"SHADDAP!" You whisper-shouted.
After about a minute, you eventually made it to the end of the hall. Suddenly it dawned on you that all that sneaking had been completely pointless. You sighed and returned to your normal walking position.
Glancing up, you noticed the armor appeared to be in a slightly different position than when you looked at it before. You stared at it for a few seconds, then shook your head, chuckling to yourself.
"I could have sworn it looked different. Maybe I am reading too many stories." Silence ensued for a few seconds as you contemplated what had just come out of your mouth.
"BLASPHEMY! There's no such thing as too many stories!" You declared loudly.
Your habit of talking to yourself was becoming apparent, again.
You kept your eyes on the armor, walking towards it to have a closer look. You had always loved armor, weaponry, and knights, even when you were younger. When you played make-believe with the other little kids, you would get into arguments with the boys, who said you had to be a princess instead of a knight. Eventually you agreed to be a princess, but you demanded to be allowed to wear armor and defended yourself rather than wearing dresses and being rescued by a prince.
You looked the armor up and down, then held your gaze on it's head. It felt like you were being watched, and you panicked a little when you thought you saw glowing red eyes in the helmet. You shut your eyes and shook your head. When you looked back, they weren't there.
"I must be seeing things," you commented to yourself, slowly moving to lift the helmet off the suit for a closer look. Your hands were only a few inches away from their destination, when Winry called you from down the hall.
"(Y/n)! I found Granny! She's- What are you doing?" She questioned in a panicked tone, observing your position. "Are you looking at armor at a time like this?"
You gave a guilty look, your curiosity apparent. "Maybe."
You quickly turned around and followed after Winry. She had found Aunt Pinako! You could go home!
But before you left you decided you were gonna look at that armor later. There was something about it that perked your interest.
Winry half led, half dragged you by the hand up the spiral staircase leading to one of the tall towers.
On the way up, you reflected on Winry's worried tone from when she had found you. If she was worrying about something, it couldn't be good. The steps to the top rushed by as kept your eyes downward in concentration.
At the top was something you had certainly not expected.
Aunt Pinako was on the ground, coughing, inside a room reminiscent of a prison cell.
This was bad, her health didn't look good at all. Who could've done something like this to her?
Whoever it was, you were sure Winry was going to give them a piece of her mind when she found them.
"Help me get the door open, (Y/n)!" Winry shouted to you, trying to force the door from its locked position.
You rushed over to the door, attempting to offer assistance. Aunt Pinako was talking in her usual stern tone to you two as you attempted to free her in vain.
"Girls, listen to me. I want you to get out of here and not come back. Something's here. It did this to me. I've lived my life, I don't want you two to be stuck here," her stern tone was laced with worry. She was scared for the two of you.
"Granny, we're not leaving here without you! Just give us a chance and we'll get you out! Hold on a little-"
"WHO'S IN MY CASTLE NOW!" A great roar cut off Winry's pleading.
Whatever creature had done this to Pinako was now here.