The Frost Alchemist

Chapter 14: Visitor

My training was hell for all involved, I ran them until they started to collapse and then ran them more. I wasn't going to let these sorry excuses for soldiers represent my country in the battlefield.

"Uh Levy, maybe you could stop now," Trisha said, I was having the men run laps. Some were throwing up, but none had yet to pass out. 

"My mother has all recruits do laps in fresh snow while it was snowing. Do you know what fresh snow is like up north? It's feet deep within hours and we have to make our own paths and condense it and by the time we get back to where we started there's already more snow built up. This is the equivalent down here," I replied.

"Levy," Maes stated.  

"Fine," I sighed and blew the whistle releasing the men. "Drink water, eat, rest, we start up again at dawn." What men were left standing collapsed onto the ground, except one. The man that used to be my father stayed standing and stared rather intently at me. 

"Frost, I'd like a word," Miles said and I tore my eyes from Mr. Deen and walked over to Miles. He motioned for me to walk with him. "I understand having to work them hard, but I wonder if you're doing this to break Xavier Deen."

"And why would you think that?" I asked.

"Because Ross mentioned something to me," he replied and I sighed.

"It's nothing Miles. I learned how to separate my feelings from my work from our Ice Queen, I'm not trying to punish him," I replied.

"The Lieutenant General uses her emotions, she does not separate them. But you are punishing the entire regimen for one's actions against you," he pointed out and somewhere deep inside of me knew he was right.

"I'll go easier, okay? So drop the subject," I replied.

"Going easier won't help. You need to deal with him," Miles stated.

"I have."

"Obviously not."

"Miles," a deep voice said turning our attentions back to our surroundings. The person who spoke was Sc-The Ishvalan. 

"Yes?" Miles replied.

"Bradley is coming," The Ishvalan said and Miles looked less than pleased. Bradley must have been Selim Bradley, a once homunculus now innocent human. No one who was alive during the incident really knew how to deal with the child who was once Pride, but they all knew they couldn't hold him to the actions of his technical previous life. The situation just got rather complicated when it concerned him, I never really met the boy. 

"Is he part of the military now? The Fuhrer allowed that?" I asked.

"He's not part of the military, but he likes to the visit the branches every once in a while," Miles explained.

"He's never come up North," I argued. I had never met the kid, I say kid but he's older than me by a few years. 

"The Lieutenant General never allowed him, she never likes outsiders anyway," Miles replied, he didn't need to add the last part, it was no secret that she hated people from other parts of the country, they were all weak in her eyes. Edward and Alphonse were the exceptions. "I need to go prepare for his arrival, we are not done talking Frost." Miles walked away with the Ishvalan. 

"Uh Le-Frost Alchemist," a voice said and I turned around and saw Mr. Deen standing in front of me. 

"Yes?" I asked.

"May I speak to you?" he asked.

"No, I believe I said everything I needed to say the other day," I replied.

"Please, just listen," he begged.

"You have two minutes," I replied and he sighed in relief.

"There isn't anything I could say that would excuse my actions. You were right I left you all and I can imagine the pain you felt-" he began.

"No you can't. You can't imagine it. I watched my family die. One by one until I was left with nothing, so there is no way someone who abandoned his family could understand it," I interrupted.

"You're right again. I wish I was there, but I know wishing won't bring them back and it won't erase my actions and it can't make you forgive me. But I am your father," he said.

"My father?" I shook my head. "No. You don't get that honor. You do not get to claim me when I'm at the best I've been in years, when I'm successful and powerful. But do you know who could ask for that honor? Miles, Colonel Alex Armstrong, Colonel Falman, a hundred men at the Northern Wall, even Edward and Alphonse Elric. But you, you cannot say that. Because I was raised by those men who I listed. They helped me, supported me, loved me, they care about me and if I'm okay and hell I just met two of them recently. Isn't that sad? That two men I just met recently care more about me than my own flesh and blood? I find that sad. But you know what they all loved me before I became this women standing before you and they will love me long after I've fallen. 

"But you also know what. I may have lost mom but I gained Olivier Armstrong, Winry and May Elric and they kept me alive and kept me fighting so I could meet the men I could call fathers. And yeah I lost Nadia and that still kills me every day but I have Maes and Sarah and Trisha and they help fill that void I got after losing Nadia. So I don't need you, I don't need you in my life because I have people who love me and I don't need to be reminded of what you did whenever you're around.

"So return to your tent, you have a long day tomorrow," I said.

"I'm sorry, I really, truly am sorry," he apologized.

"I wish that was enough," I replied and he walked away.

"You know you're lucky your dad is still around," a voice behind me commented and I turned around and saw a man a little older than me. His hair was black just like his eyes, but he didn't look frightening and he wasn't even in uniform. 

"You have no idea what you're talking about, so don't act like you do," I replied and he smiled.

"My dad was killed before I was born," he commented.

"He left us and my family died, so forgive if I wish he was dead like I had thought he was for most of my life," I replied as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Forgive me, I suppose you are right in this situation," he said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Forgive my rudeness, my name is Selim Bradley," he replied as he held out his hand. I stared at the hand. Selim Bradley. Pride. Formally Pride, I corrected.

"Levy Armstrong or the Frost Alchemist," I said as I shook his hand. 

"A State Alchemist, that's an interesting name and that last name... are you related to Alex or Olivier Armstrong?" he asked.

"Olivier's adopted daughter and I got the name from my preferred style of alchemy and because Olivier is known as the Ice Queen," I replied.

He smiled. "That's interesting, I've always wanted to go up North, but I've always been turned down."

"We don't like outsiders," I replied and he nodded like he understood, but I don't think he did. It had been agreed that Selim's previous life was to be kept secret from him, in case it would trigger something inside of him and make him Pride again. If that ever happened we were supposed to kill him and permanently this time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING!!!! FORGIVE ME!!!! I've had the biggest writer's block concerning this story and I'm still not totally over it, but I was finally able to write this chapter. Hopefully it will not be another six months until my next chapter post. But I would like to thank you all for sticking through and reading my story. I am truly sorry for sort of dropping off the face of earth with this story, so thank you again. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and keep voting and commenting, things like that keep me motivated. So goodbye until next time