One Foot In Front of the Other

Chapter 10 The Journey Ahead

It was a clear, bright day as I stood by the river in Resembool, the wind catching a few loose strands of my hair and whipping them against my face. I rubbed the scarred flesh of my right shoulder absentmindedly, trying to ease the slight ache there. It would rain soon. Soon, but not today; the ache wasn't bad enough for it to rain today. Ed stood beside me, his golden hair pulled back into a braid that matched my own. The sound of the river was peaceful, and I'd grown to love it during my recovery. It brought me the same tranquility the rain had, but without the ache storms now caused me. It had been one year and two hundred and sixty-five days since my auto-mail surgery, and this morning Granny had finally given me a clean bill of health. I'd worked hard to get here; fought until I was spitting blood simply to walk on my own two feet. I hadn't recovered quite as quickly as Ed had, but I'd beaten records set by people far stronger than me. I could never have done it without Ed. True to his promise, he'd stayed by my side the whole time. He'd taught me to write again, and, when my wounds had started to mend, to walk again. After that, he'd retrained my fighting skills, until I was just as formidable as, maybe even more so than, before I lost my limbs. He'd helped me to stand on my own again, then taken a step back; out goal was met and his promise was fulfilled. Yet even then, he didn't leave my side. He made me a new promise: that if there was a way to get my limbs back, he would find it. He swore he wouldn't rest until the day both Al and I were whole again. I in turn swore I would do everything within my power to help him and Al get their bodies back, even if it cost me my life. He wasn't too pleased at the thought of my dying, but I reminded him that if I was not wholeheartedly dedicated to a cause then there was no point in caring at all. I reminded him that in his heart, he had promised the same thing; even if it meant his life. It was a long road that had led me here, and I was lucky to have even made it this far, but the path stretched miles ahead of me still. I didn't know how far I'd have to travel to find what I was searching for, but I wasn't afraid to find out. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I had faith that, just like my nightmares, the fear and pain would always fade the moment I looked into Ed's eyes. He was my purpose; reminding me exactly what my goal was. I wouldn't give up, no matter what. I'd simply have to put one foot in front of the other until I reached the end of this road. And as the colors of dawn danced across the rippling water before me, Ed smiled at me, and I knew I'd made the right choice.

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So that's it! The final chapter. I really had a lot of fun writing this story. I'd like to say thanks to my proof reader, who I know will end up reading this again eventually, lol. Like I said before I'm writing two more so hopefully those work out. If so I will post them when I finish writing them. I'm thinking my prequel will focus mainly on the origin story of my OC, who, if anyone is wondering, (since one of my friends asked me this already) I've decided to name Blaze. Thank you to everyone who's read this and stuck with it until the final chapter. I will keep writing and hopefully post soon. 

~Wolfsblood5712