Descent

Epilogue

Hey guys! This is the very last part of Fullmetal Alchemist: Descent! There will be nothing else added to it, ever, unless by some miracle God grants me with the time and patience to edit some of the first chapters, that is. If you can not guess from the context, this is a letter from Winry to Riza, written and sent five years after Edward's funeral.

Also, for those not on Wattpad, the link to the photograph mentioned at the bottom is here:art/By-The-Dunes-550086479

If the link here doesn't work, it is also on my page. ;)

God, I still can't believe I'm actually done! This story was like my baby, and now my baby's all grown up. :( BUT, it does mean I now actually have time to work on my novel, which is good, because I haven't touched it since I started this fic. I was talking to my friend yesterday, and I was telling him that "I'm almost finished writing Descent, I just have the epilogue to post and then-" And he interrupts me and says "And then you're gonna work on your book!" And I just look at him and go, "Actually, that was the plan." And then he high fived me. So yeah, there's also that.

But do not fear! At some point in time, I will get back on here and continue my other stories, I promise.

But, without any further ado, THE EPILOGUE OF CLOSURE!

~Kala~

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Dear Riza Hawkeye,

Before I say anything else, I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you before now. It's been a long five years without you, but somehow, I've managed. The last time I saw you was at Edward's funeral. How have you been since then? How has everyone been? You're the first person outside where I currently am that I have spoken too since the funeral, so I'm sadly lacking any kind of knowledge about my family and my friends. Once again, I'm sorry about that. When I found out Edward was dead, it was like the world had suddenly died. I'm not sure how it was for you, but for me, that is the only way to summarize how I felt. It was agony living through the next few weeks until the funeral, having to be around everyone who felt just as depressed as I did, if not less some. A few days before it finally came, I bought a train ticket, and as soon as I could bring myself to leave his graveside, I left Resembool, and to this day I have not returned, not even to visit my late fiance. I have not been able to bring myself to do it, for the same reason as I have not been able to find it in myself to contact any of you before now.

The train ticket I bought put me on a one way trip to Lior, the only place I could think of where I knew someone who would understand my pain completely, because she too had experienced that very same pain. When you next see Alphonse, you should ask him about Rose. He'll tell you more about her, but, in short, she lost her fiance in a train accident shortly before Ed and Al visited the town. She would know how I feel, I thought then, so this is where I came. I am still here, and I have to ask you not to come after me, please. Tell Alphonse where I am, if you so wish it, but if you do, please, I beg of you, tell him not to come after me. I'm not ready to face him quite yet, in fact, as I write this letter, I'm still not entirely certain I'm even ready to send this to you.

Anyway, when I got here, Rose didn't know of Edward's death, and it was a few days before I could finally say the words out loud to her, but even before I was able to, I think she probably knew anyway, from the look on my face. I know this not because she has told me as much, but because I could hear the whisperings of the townspeople when I arrived. The look on her face, they would say, she looks just like Rose did when her fiance died. So they probably all knew Ed was dead before I could tell them as well. But Rose took me into her home, and she gave me food to eat and clothes to wear and a place to sleep. I was -and am still- so grateful to her. She has helped me so much these past five years, and I owe her my sanity and my life.