The Other Elric

The Other Elric. Chapter 1: Meeting

Lightning flashed above her as the ice-cold rain was seeping through her clothes, chilling her to the bone. She ran as fast as her weakened and tired legs could take her, not even noticing the rain as it pelted her with every drop. Her only thought was to get as far away from the desert as fast as she could before collapsing from exhaustion and hunger. Her mind was a blur as she pushed herself further, and she could only guess as to where she was in this foreign country known as Amestris.

She slowed her pace by a small margin and took a glance at her surroundings. What she saw surprised her. Around her were small houses, with acres of bare land and many large trees. She was not expecting something like this when she was traveling to this country. She expected to see tall buildings and bustling cities, not…this. Although, a small part of her was happy, because this place reminded her of home. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she ran further into the town.

Her lungs felt as if they were on fire as slowed herself to a stop, kneeling down to the ground as she tried to regulate her breathing. When she was finally able to breathe correctly, she tried to stand up. She did so too quickly, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. As if hunger and exhaustion weren’t enough. She stood up all the same, and began to walk into the town. Not soon after, she saw a small, two-story home with a large tree at it’s front. Through the windows, she could see a small table and a few chairs. There weren’t any decorations to speak of and the room was dimly lit due to the candlelight. She faintly heard two boys calling to their mother, asking for dinner. She smiled sadly, and with a final glance at the house, she began to walk away. There was a flash of light as lightning fell through the sky, and her world faded to black.                                                                 

                                                                                 ~ o ~

 “Mom!” “Mom!”, two young boys called, gaining the attention of their mother. She turned and smiled at them from her place in the kitchen. 

“Yes, what is it?”

“What’s for dinner, Mom?”, the older boy grinned.

“Stew, your favorite.”, she answered with a small laugh.

“Alright, stew!” “Yay!”, the two cheered, jumping with their arms in the air. Their mother laughed and shook her head. At that moment, a loud crack of thunder sounded, the rain pounding mercilessly against the roof. The boys jumped, startled by the loud sound.

“I hope no one is outside in this storm.” , the boy’s mother said sadly. The boys nodded, though the older boy could have sworn that he saw something outside.

“Al, go stand by mom.”, the older child told his younger brother. The younger of the two, Al, nodded and stood by his mother’s side.

“Edward, where are you going?”, his mother asked as he began to walk toward the window.

“I thought I saw something.”, he answered as he reached the window. Edward’s eyes widened at what he saw. On the path at the front of his home, was a person laying face down into the ground, unmoving. 

“Mom! Mom, there’s someone outside! They’re not moving!”, Edward exclaimed, concerned for the person. His mother rushed to the window to stand behind him. Her eyes widened as well and she ran toward the door. 

“Edward, stay with your brother.” Edward nodded and stood near his sibling. Their mother ran outside and picked up the fragile person in her arms and hurried back into her home. As she closed the door behind her, she kneeled on the ground, only to have her children run up to her. “The poor thing, she’s freezing. Edward, hurry and get me some blankets. Alphonse, please get some spare clothes.”, their mother panted. They nodded and ran in different directions of the house. With a sad glance at the frail figure in her arms, she stood up to prepare a bed for her unexpected guest. As she arrived at the guest bedroom, she sat the weak person, whom she noticed to be a young girl, on the floor, having her back rest against the wall.