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English
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Published:
2021-07-12
Updated:
2022-11-29
Words:
9,613
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12/?
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Cold Truths

Summary:

Edward Briggs Armstrong is the son of Olivier Mira Armstrong.
Some know him as the Heart of Briggs
Others, the Fullmetal Alchemist or even Colonel Armstrong
What most don't know is he's a 14 year old kid
Even Edward forgets sometimes

Not many people know Alphonse but those who do say that he's a kind kid
Alphonse Elric is on a search for his long lost sibling and he won't stop until he finds them

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The frost bit at his skin, ice-cold metal meeting flesh. Footsteps sounded behind him and he turned to see a Private coming towards him. Feeling his hair dance in the wind, he exhaled a long sigh and took a breath of the chilly air of Fort Briggs.
The Private before him was as stiff as a rock as he saluted to him. He nodded his head, giving the man permission to speak.

“Colonel Armstr-” The Private was interrupted by the Colonel.

“Look Private, unless someone ranked Brigadier General or higher is nearby and isn’t the Major General You can call me Edward or Fullmetal, take your pick,”

“Yes si-” The man was cut off again.

“Also, don’t call me sir,”

“Understood Fullmetal. Uh, Major General Armstrong wanted you to meet you in her office,”

“Thank you. You may go,”

With one last salute the Private left.

Edward moaned. He was tired of grown men calling him sir and colonel but it couldn’t be helped. He started walking though the familiar fort. Grey metal walls he knew as well as the back of his hand greeted him as Edward walked though the halls of the Fort. Stopping at the white door in front of him. His automail hand opening the door. Edward snapped into the familiar salute as his eyes scanned the room, looking for any unfamiliar faces. After finding no foreign people, he let his hand fall and relaxed his muscles.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, I did. Take a seat,” She gestured to the chair facing her desk.

Edward took a seat and crossed his legs, making sure his metal leg was under his flesh one.

“Your assessment is coming up soon,”

“Yep, my train leaves in two days from now. Is that all you wanted to ask?” He was too tried to have small talk at the moment.

She smiled at him, her ice blue eyes warm with love and affection.

“Straight to the point today, are we? Well, I won’t take too much of your time, I hope. So, because your assessment is coming up and you will be in Central for a while, I thought you should maybe stay for awhil-”
“What good would I get out of from leaving?” He snapped back. Clenching his fists in annoyance.

“I was going to get that before you interrupted me. Now as I was saying, you could study more about alchemy, you could see more of Amestris, maybe meet some new people,”

“But what if Drachma attacks again!

“They won’t,” Olivier crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair.

“How do you know! They had a full-scale attack 14 years ago!” Edward slammed is hands on the desk, causing the once organized items to be in complete disarray.

Olivier’s eyes grew cold and she raised her voice “They have only attacked twice since you joined the military and both times were random and stupid, and we destroyed them. Other then that they have been little cowards for as long as I have been in change of Fort Briggs. The full-scale attack was because I couldn’t fight so they thought they could win,”

“But-”

“No buts! If Drachma attacks, we will be fine. Did you forget that I have been protecting this fort long before you were born!”

Edward sighed in defeat as he sat back down, he could never win in an argument against his mom.
Olivier took a deep breath and spoke in a kind and loving tone
“Edward, you have spent your whole left in Briggs. Other then your yearly assessments and the joint training with the east you never leave Briggs,”

“You don’t leave Briggs that much either,”

“True but I’m an adult who had a relatively normal childhood,”

“I’ve had a normal childhood!” Olivier raised an eyebrow.

“You finished homeschooling at age seven and joined the military at twelve and became a colonel at age thirteen,”

He looked down. The chair he was sitting on just suddenly became very interesting.

“Your fourteen Ed, you can’t spend the rest of your life in Briggs. If I can’t convene you as your mother, then I will have to order you to leave as your commanding officer,”

He looked up at his mom “No, no! You don’t have to, I get it,”

She smirked in triumph “Good, your dismissed Colonel Edward Briggs Armstrong,” she teased him.

As he was about to open the door he turned around.

“I love you mom,”
“I love you more,”
“I love you most,” he said back but before he could close the door behind him his mom said.
“You wish my little alchemist!”

He smiled and closed the door. As Ed walked down the hall, he went from Ed, the son of Olivier Armstrong to The Fullmetal Alchemist, The heart of Briggs.


The sound of the warning horn blared in Al’s ears as he sat down in the set opposite of his dad. He looked into his dad’s gold eyes and smiled at him. His dad just stared at him for a moment and then he opened his mouth.

“Alphonse,”

“Yes dad?”

“What is the real reason you wanted to travel with me?” he questioned.

Al looked sheepish but didn’t break eye contact as he responded

“Well, you know how you, uh, had intercourse with that military lady?” He didn’t know how to bring this up without this being awkward. But Al guessed that no matter what he said, this conversation would still be awkward.

“Yes…” Hohenheim said looking like he would rather be talking about anything else.

“Well, I want to see if she has a child,”

“Okay, but what would you do if she did?”

“Try to find my long-lost sibling” Hohenheim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

“You know your mother wouldn’t be happy about this. What will I even tell her? ‘Hey your son is not coming home for a while,’ she’ll kill me!”

“You could make something up...” Al trailed off.

“I can’t just leave a thirteen-year-old in Central all alone. You don’t know how the city works. How would I know if your okay?”

“I can protect myself,” his father groaned and after a few seconds responded

“Look Al, I know you can protect yourself so I’ll make a deal with you. We will go to Central library and if Olivier had a child, I will allow you to travel alone. There would be some ground rules but we could talk about it if it came to that,”

“Deal!”

He honestly thought his father would just say no and be done with this conversation, but luck must have been on his side today. Alphonse smiled and looked out the window watching the Resembool countryside pass by in a blur. The calming movement of the train lolling Al to sleep, his head pressed against the cold glass of the window.

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I tried by best to not write anyone ooc. Thank you so much for reading