EPILOGUE
THE RAILWAY STATION was illuminated by the pale light of the moon by the time Edward and Alphonse arrived, but they were in time to catch the last train out. They stepped into an empty railcar and sat down across from each other. Edward quickly spread out, lying down on his side.
“I hope they’ll be okay,” Alphonse muttered to himself.
The Tringum brothers had lied to the whole town, and they were sure to be punished. Even though they deserved what was coming to them, Alphonse couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.
“They’ll be fine,” Edward reassured him. “You saw the look on their faces. They were ready for anything. They’ll pay their dues and move on.”
Alphonse breathed a little easier. “You’re right. You know, I didn’t notice it at first, but once Russell made up his mind to come clean, I saw something in his face that reminded me of you.”
No matter what, Edward always had an aura of absolute self-confidence. Alphonse had seen that same gleam in Russell’s eyes when they parted. Now that he thought about it, Edward and Russell were alike in a number of ways. They had similar builds, they both had younger brothers, they shared an affinity for alchemy, and their smiles were undaunted.
“Fletcher reminds me of you, too, Al.”
“Huh? Am I really that … innocent?”
“No, not like that. I mean, I look at him and I realize how hard it must be to have such a jerk for an older brother.”
“So you admit you’re a jerk?”
The two caught each other’s eye and burst out laughing.
“I hope we get to see them again sometime, Ed.”
“Yeah. That Russell was an impressive alchemist. I’m sure I’ll hear his name again someday.”
“He was that good?”
“Absolutely. If we had gone at it for real, I’m not sure I would have made it out of that place in one piece. By the time he’s famous, hopefully we’ll both be back in our original bodies,” Edward added quietly.
They had failed to get any further in their quest for the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone, but there were many places left to explore. Their journey would continue.
“We’ll keep trying,” Alphonse said.
“Yeah.”
Alphonse nodded and turned away to open the small paper bag he was holding in his hand. Fletcher had given it to him when they parted. Inside, Fletcher had told him, were two things to aid them on their journey. “Look,” Alphonse said, holding up the bag so Edward could see. “Poultices and medicine. We’ll be okay if you get in trouble again.” Alphonse shook the bag. “Oh, wait. There’s something else.”
Alphonse turned the bag upside down, and a piece of paper fell out.
“A letter! It’s for you—from Russell.”
“Aw, it’s probably just one last parting jibe,” Edward waved his hand dismissively at Alphonse. “Go ahead, read it.”
“Okay.” Alphonse unfolded the paper and began to read. “Dear Edward, I owe you one more apology. The truth is, I was lying about my age.”
“See? I told you!” Edward shouted, bolting upright. “I knew there was no way he could be my age and be that tall!” He was ecstatic.
Alphonse looked down at the letter, then up at his brother. Then he folded the letter together.
“So, how old is he? I’m betting nineteen! When I’m nineteen, I’ll be even taller!”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Alphonse said quietly, turning to gaze out at the moonlit landscape racing by.
Edward poked Alphonse from across the aisle. “That wasn’t it, was it? Come on, how old is he?”
“He didn’t say. That’s all he wrote.”
“Really?” Edward grinned, convinced Alphonse was just giving him a hard time. “Come on! What’s the big deal?” He reached out toward Alphonse’s hand.
Alphonse shied away, but Edward grabbed him and tried to take the letter.
“Ed, knock it off!”
“C’mon, Al, what’s there to hide?” He snatched the letter out of Alphonse’s grasp. “Got it! I can’t believe you wouldn’t give it to me. You’re such a kid sometimes.”
Edward opened the letter and darted away from Alphonse, who made a feeble attempt to get it back. Edward stood in the middle of the railcar grinning broadly. “I knew I’d find out how old he was in the end!” Edward chuckled as he began to read the letter, then suddenly froze.
“No-o-o-o-o-o-o!”
Edward’s scream echoed through the railcar. Alphonse sighed and put his head in his hands.
Dear Edward,
I owe you one more apology. The truth is, I was lying about my age. I’m really only 14, a year younger than you. Sorry I lied.
Regards,
Russell Tringum
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