Chapter Text
The waves of the sea were tumultuous that day, of course, to Ed’s incredible luck.
“Are you alright, Brother?” Alphonse asked, his metal arm squeaking as he placed a hand on the back of his diminutive brother. Both Elrics were seated inside a small ferry sailing across the sea.
“M’fine,” Ed groaned, clutching his stomach, “Just a stomachache.”
“You ate too much for breakfast. Boats always make you seasick.” Al responded, “Maybe once we get to the island you’ll feel better.”
“I said I’m fine. We have bigger things to worry about anyway,” Ed responded, glaring out the window, “The biggest being whether or not Mustang sent us on a wild goose chase with this lead.”
The smell of brine and fish permeated the mostly empty vessel. The only people outside of the brothers were a few military officers arriving from the mainland for their morning shift to replace the guards from the overnight watch.
Neither Edward nor Alphonse expected to be on a boat traveling to a faraway island the night before, but the morning meeting with Colonel Mustang about a philosopher’s stone lead naturally prompted the trip. An alchemist named Merry Craden was apparently a scholar on the stone and had even created a philosopher’s stone herself. The boys packed their bags immediately.
“Craden disappeared years ago, right around the time she got on the military’s radar. However, word around East City is that she was spotted on the island of Ignis by some trusted officers who know how to be discreet when it comes to the higher-ups.” Mustang said in his office that morning.
“So we’ll need to track her down.” Ed said, “Whatever it takes.”
“I thought so. But Fullmetal, I’d advise that you try to keep a low profile when investigating this. And try not to scare Craden off before you get any information from her.” The colonel stated firmly.
It took an immense amount of willpower to keep Ed from telling the man to stop trying to control him, but settled for a glare. The colonel had given them a piece of information that was clearly risky to divulge, which Ed had appreciated.
The island was recognizable by its majestic mountain, which the brothers had learned was once an active volcano. Once the ferry docked on the shores of the island, each passenger filtered out of the vessel down the walkway of the ship to the sandy pathway underneath.
“So this is Ignis?” The shorter brother commented, looking around at the beach, leading uphill to a thicket of trees, where a few officers walked towards. The brothers followed the officers away from the beach until they reached the top of the hill, where a small town stood.
The small houses and shops that made up the village sat closely to each other. In the distance stood the giant mountain-like structure on the far side of the island. A few citizens were outside, primarily children playing catch with a ball. After asking the children where the inn was, the Elric brothers found a beige house with a coral-colored roof.
Al nearly knocked his helmet off entering the small building, instead crouching down when entering the doorway, something that Ed had envied.
“Howdy, boys. How can I help you today?” A very short elderly woman asked, her eyes and forehead peeking over the counter.
“We’re here to get a room for the next four nights,” Ed responded smiling, feeling a surge of confidence as he looked down at the shorter lady.
“Of course. There’s a room available with two beds, in fact.” The elderly innkeeper replied before telling the brothers the price of the room.
“What brings you boys here to Ignis? There’s not much to do around these parts,” She asked as the blond alchemist fished money out of his wallet. The woman shook her head, “Of course. You boys are probably here for the Festival of Fire.” She beamed.
“What’s the festival of fire?” Al asked as Ed handed over the money.
“The town gets together and has a grand old time. There’s music and games. Ooh, and the most delicious seafood you’ll ever eat.” The elderly woman said.
Ed licked his lips, “Sounds like my kind of celebration.”
“That’s not even the best part. The mayor, bless his soul, has the gift of sight. He can tell your fortune, whether good or bad. If you’re lucky and line up early, he may be able to tell you what fate has in store.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun.” Al replied, nodding, before glancing at Ed. ‘Just let it go, Brother.’
Ed folded his arms and scoffed, “There’s no such thing as having a psychic ability. Never has been in all of human history. Respectfully, it sounds like this guy is taking you all for a ride.”
“A lot of people say that until they actually meet our mayor. He’ll prove you wrong. Just see for yourself this evening at the festival.” The elderly woman chuckled before handing over the room key.
“Brother, you didn’t have to mock that lady,” Al commented once they made it to their room, “She just wanted us to be excited for the festival.”
“As scientists, it’s our responsibility to tell people the truth, Al. People get so caught up in religious mumbo-jumbo. It keeps them from facing reality,” Ed smirked, “Besides, someone her age should know that fortune-telling is a load of crap.”
“You said that the Colonel wanted us to keep a low profile. Let’s not ruffle too many feathers while we’re here, okay?” The younger brother scolded.
“Oh please. That know-it-all knows by now how I operate. Not to mention he sent us here to do his military dirty work again,” The older brother shook his head, as he stripped off his red coat and laid on one of the two beds in the room.
“Little does he know that we aren’t here to be his little lap dogs. We’re not touching anything that even smells like the military while on this mission. We’re here for us only.”
–
After settling in, the brothers discussed how they would find Craden.
“She has to be living out in those woods. The question is if any of the villagers know about her.” Ed said.
“Possibly. They might be keeping her a secret from the military. To protect her.” Al replied.
Errrghh…..
“Was that your stomach?” Al asked, a bit of humor in his tone.
Ed groaned, clutching his stomach, “Yeah. It’s been forever since I’ve eaten.”
“You were just complaining about a stomachache from eating too much, Brother. Now you’re hungry?” The younger brother shook his helmet head.
“Get off my back, Al. It’s been a couple hours.” Ed responded grumpily, before sitting up, “Hmmm, you know that festival would be a great place to ask people about Craden. Not to mention the seafood we were told about.”
Al sighed, “Let’s go. But remember, we can’t attract too much attention.” Ed rolled his golden eyes, begrudgingly agreeing as he got up and put his coat back on.