#Mei never dies on quests somehow despite always going on them

[ionica01]

Day 1: SECURITY

Rejoice people, Almei week is here! I love this couple, but rarely got the chance to write them, so I’m happy I got a week=seven prompts to work on! Without further ado, here is my contribution to day 1, Security!

Secure was the last word Mei would have used to describe her position as princess of Xing. Sure, she had guards with her at all times now, but being watched 24/7 wasn’t exactly Mei’ definition of “a feeling of security”.

Security didn’t only come with having your body intact: it came with knowing you have a roof above your head and something to eat daily; it came with knowing you had someone to lean on and rely on in times of need; it came with a family.

Before Ling was crowned as the king, Mei could have never granted her clan security. Being one of the smallest clans out of the 50, they were mostly overlooked by those fighting for the throne.

Mei could have rejoiced over that fact: no one tried murdering her to make their ascension to the throne safer, as they tried with the heirs of the bigger clans. Also, no one ever tried threatening her clan.

But that also meant their requests were the last ones on the priority list. Mei had watched her grandmother die because of the lack of doctors in the Chang tribe, which came as a natural result of the lack of schools. When she made an observation regarding that to her father, she was ignored in the favour of listening to Wang’s clan request of hosting a ball to get the prince married.

That had pushed Mei out into Amestris. She had no other choice. She didn’t want to see any more people of her clan die because she was powerless. If getting the elixir of life was needed to become the Empress, she was going to do it. And then, she was going to grant the tribes equality.

In Amestris, she felt foreign. Whereas her statute as princess provided her with access anywhere in Xing, Amestrians couldn’t care less: she was just another illegitimate traveller in their country. Money, food and clothes were out of reach, and for the first time, she experienced how her people must have felt. That only served to steel her further, though, giving her the motivation to find the Philosopher's Stone.

A spark of hope lit in her soul when she heard of a genius Amestrian alchemist: Edward Elric in his quest for that same object. She even thought he might be the prince in shining armour who would grant her the security she needed oh so badly.

Reality decided it would be fun to slap her in the face when she met a shorty with a quick temper and rather unattractive face instead of the man of her dreams. Mei felt dejected, and her last ray of hope died out. What was she to do from now on? How was she going to grant her clan security if she couldn’t find it herself?

And then, she met him.

Alphonse Elric was literally her knight in shining armour. He came to her rescue in that suit of steel, and relit the fire of hope. Despite his cold exterior, he was the warmest person Mei had yet met and probably warmer than anyone she would meet from thereon out. He made her think that maybe, just maybe, if people like him still existed in this world, she could still save her clan with their help.

He once let her sleep in his armour, and that was the best sleep Mei had had in months! Ever since coming to Amestris, she had either been on the run from the Military or trying in vain to find the Stone before Yao. They were an already big clan, and would only neglect her further, she was certain of it. Such thoughts and worries never gave her time to properly rest.

Alphonse, however, seemed to exert some kind of calming effect on her state of mind. He made her forget her worries, and he always made her feel safe. Inside his armour, she felt immersed in a feeling of security. The warmth and comfort made her believe everything was going to turn out fine, because she was trying her best. And, for once, she wasn’t alone.

But then the Promised Day dawned on them, and everything she had managed to build was on the verge of collapsing. She saw people die in front of her, saw alchemy being misused and had to choose between the fate of her clan and the life of a human.

To her disgrace, she wavered. She looked at the Stone rolling away with sorrow and turned to the woman bleeding to death reluctantly. But when the man next to her hugged the almost-dead one and thanked her with a broken voice, she wanted to curse herself for ever doubting: her clan would have never accepted her as a queen in exchange for a life. They were much more noble than that.

On that same day, Mei saw her only source of security almost die. He risked his life to save his brother, and she was the one who helped him. As she performed her Alkahestry, she knew that, had Al been able to smile, he would have offered her a soft one as he lay there on the ground, ready to save Edward. Through tears and hiccups, Mei helped him anyway: it was the same as when she had saved the woman. She knew he couldn’t have lived any other way.

Unlike the other persons she had lost before, he came back to her. He looked weak, and his hair was long and blonde, but she didn’t care much about that. She just hugged him, wanted to know he was there, and he wasn't going to leave again. He was just as warm as she had anticipated.

To her dismay, they had to part soon and she had to return to Xing with Ling. She knew all too well he was going to be crowned as king, but talking to him on the way back helped her ease her burden. Alphonse had once told her that Ling wasn’t a bad guy, and he proved to be right once again: this king could actually listen to her complaints and somehow make the situation better. He was a king for the people, and Mei set a new goal for herself: to aid him.

Sure, her new position as the next in line for the throne, as Emperor Yao had named her, was much more insecure than any other she had held, even that of a clandestine. But she could now grant not only her clan, but all Xingese a roof to rest under and food to eat. She worked herself to the bone everyday to do that, and she offered her help to heal others with her alkahestry, too.

Mei had at least one guard around her wherever she walked, and even several when she attended meetings in public places, and yet…

“Princess Mei, aren’t you going to eat?” Lan asked her, wearing a concerned expression. “Breakfast is a very important meal.” She lectured her.

“I think she may be too excited for that.” Her brother mischievously explained, earning a glare from the princess. She forced herself to take a bite from her bowl of rice, hating that he was right about her feelings. She disliked being read like an open book.

“Oh, I forgot. Alphonse arrives today, right?” Lan asked, making the Emperor nod as they continued casually eating.

A faint sound of something heavy stomping against the paved road in the gardens attracted Mei’s attention: she had been anxiously waiting for that familiar noise all morning: the calming steps of camels carrying people across the desert.

“Your Majesty, I am terribly sorry to disturb your meal, but you have a guest.” A guard announced.

Mei’s blood boiled. She needed to urge herself not to run down the stairs as soon as the guard said “visitor”, yet she still stood right up as soon as he was dismissed, ignoring all courtesy rules as she ran down to meet with the one she had only wrote to for the past two years. Her ears faintly picked up the sound of Ling laughing behind her as she barged out the room and he followed her calmly.

She made it in the garden in the blink of an eye. She had so much to tell him: show him how much she’d grown, tell him about the new system here, teach him alkahestry, catch up with him… Things she had done in letters but that always felt different in reality. But firstly, she needed to do something she could only do when he was there in the flesh.

“Alphonse-sama!” She cried when she saw him, still not believing that he was there to stay. He was getting off the camel and caught her when she threw herself at him, ready for the impact.

She wrapped her hands around him and took in his scent, that she had faintly noticed before, lingering on his letters. This, however, felt real. He had regained his strength and his shoulders were wider now than before.

Alphonse was still taller than her, and much better looking than she remembered or than what the photos could convey. And that only made her all the more happier when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, too.

“Hello, Mei!” He whispered happily, pulling her closer as she smiled into his chest. “Sorry I took so long.”

She inhaled his scent yet again: it smelt like apples, and like books and also like a long travel. And it smelt like warmth, too.

And yet, he was the only one who made her really feel secure.