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ackx-rman · 5 months ago

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tea and you. levi ackerman

part. V

part. IV

Warnings: angst, blood, death, smut, unprotected sex, swearing, graphic scenes, idiots in love

three years ago

the humid summer air hung heavy, clinging to the cobblestones under my worn boots. sweat trickled down my temple, today was it. graduation. the culminating of three years of brutal training, pushing myself until my muscles screamed and my mind threatened to shatter sometimes. a nervous flutter tickled my stomach, a strange mix of anticipation and the familiar adrenaline that always surged before a challenge.

i’d aced the cadet corps, topping my division by a mile. not that the numbers mattered much to me. people seemed to like me well enough- i tried to treat everyone with kindness, and i suppose my knack for strategy and sheer physical strength didn’t hurt. they’d even given me a nickname: “the strongest woman.” it felt…odd. like a label someone else had slapped onto me. it wasn’t me. what mattered was what lay beyond these walls. the scouts. the very thought sent a thrill through me, a yearning so intense it ached in my chest. there was nothing for me here, trapped within these stone confines. it felt like a cage. i was desperate to break free.

being “the strongest” meant whispers followed me like shadows. i’d overhear snippets of conversations, hushed tones of carrying on the dry wind. the military police, those pampered elites stationed in the interior, had apparently assumed i’d be joining them, i could practically picture their pristine uniforms, their polished boots that never touched dirt, their smug smiles. the thought alone made my stomach churn. their comfortable lives, their sheltered existence…it wasn’t for me. not even close. i craved the raw, untamed world beyond the walls, the danger, the freedom. i needed it like i needed air.

the scout regiment, of course, knew about me. how could they not? hange, bless their heart, had practically bounced with excitement the first time we met. their questions about my training, my strength, and their theories on titan biology had come at me in a rapid-fire barrage. leaving me slightly breathless but strangely invigorated. they saw something in me, i think. something beyond just strength. erwin, with his sharp, calculating gaze, had also seen that spark. i felt it in his presence, a quiet intensity that spoke volumes. he didn’t say much, but his eyes held a knowing look, like he understood the fire that burned within me.

and then there was captain levi. he was…different. silent, almost brooding. his grey eyes, sharp as shards of ice, seemed to pierce through me, assessing every move, every breath. he rarely spoke to me directly, but i’d catch him watching me during training, his gaze intense and unreadable. we were polar opposites- my outgoing nature clashing with his reserved attitude- yet there was something there, a silent understanding that hung in the air between us. a shared weight, perhaps. the weight of responsibility, the burden of strength. i could feel it, a tension that crackled like static whenever we were near.

the moment of truth arrived, one by one, the last ten cadets stepped forward, pledging allegiance to the military police, choosing the comfortable, secure life within the inner walls. i watched them, a strange mix of pity and understanding. they sought safety, a predictable existence. but that wasn’t my path. my heart beat to a different drum, a wild, untamed rhythm that echoed the vast unknown beyond the walls. when my turn came, i didn’t hesitate.

a wave of excitement rippled through all the cadets as they could now reach their new destination, but it was nothing compared to the pure joy radiating from hange. they practically vibrated with energy, rushing towards me with erwin trailing slightly behind, a small smile playing on his lips. “i can’t wait to have the strongest woman on my squaaaaaad!” hange exclaimed, their eyes sparkling like a child on christmas morning. they turned to erwin, their enthusiasm barely contained. “she’ll come to my squad, right? it only makes sense!”

before erwin could even open his mouth to respond, a figure materialized from the shadows near the back of the crowd. levi. he moved with a quiet grace that always unnerved me, like a predator stalking its prey. his voice carried across the training grounds with surprising clarity. “no,” he said, “i want her on my squad.” his gaze locked onto mine, those sharp, grey eyes holding me captive. it wasn’t a request; it was a declaration. a challenge.

my heart pounded in my chest. this wasn’t how i’d imagined things going. i’d expected to be placed under hange’s command, as we talked, to dive headfirst into their eccentric research. but levi…his gaze held an intensity that made me feel both seen and utterly exposed. i took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. this was it. my first real interaction as now, a member of the survey corps with the commander and two captains, the three individuals who would likely shape my future with the scouts. “commander erwin,” i said, offering a respectful nod. then, shifting my gaze two the two figures flanking him, i added, “captain levi, captain hange,” acknowledging them with another nod, trying to keep my expression neutral, though inside, a storm of emotions raged. this was going to be interesting.

erwin, his expression a familiar blend of weariness and a gentle, almost paternal smile, returned my greeting with an incline of his head. hange, however, reacted with characteristic drama. their face crumpled into a theatrical pout, their lower lip jutting out. “why not my squad?” they whined, throwing their hands up in exasperation. “i met her first!”

levi didn’t even deign to glance away from me. his grey eyes remained locked on mine. “shut up, four-eyes”, he retorted, his voice flat and devoid of any warmth.

hange, undeterred, pressed on, turning their pleading gaze to erwin. “but erwin, we talked about this! she was supposed to be in my squad. we had plans!” erwin chuckled, a wry smile playing on his lips as he glanced between the two of them, a silent observer of their familiar squabble. “you can’t own her, hange,” he said, “i thought you understood that.”

i, meanwhile, found myself simply staring at the scene unfolding before me. hange’s dramatic outburst, levi’s unwavering stare, erwin’s quiet amusement- it was all rather surreal. it felt…nice. just a bit. to be the center of attention, to feel so valued, so wanted. i hadn’t expected to cause such a stir. i continued to stare between the three officers.

hange growing increasingly frustrated by erwin’s calmness and levi’s silent stubbornness, finally turned back to levi, their voice rising in pitch, “but why?” they demanded, throwing their hands up in the air, “why do you want her on your squad? tell me a reason and i can think of letting you have her”

levi’s response was curt, his voice devoid of any emotion, as if he were discussing the weather rather than a person. “the reason doesn’t matter,” he didn’t elaborate, didn’t offer an explanation, as his gaze was still on me, as if daring me to challenge him.

erwin began to explain, his voice calm and measured, attempting to diffuse the rising tension. “i’ts true that hang asked me earlier if y/n could be in their squad-” but levi interrupted him, cutting him off mid-sentence, as he often did.

“i don’t care who asked you first,” he stated firmly, the words were clipped, precise, and carried an undeniable weight of authority. “she’s coming with me.”

hange’s shoulders slumped. they knew better than to push levi too far, especially when he adopted that particular tone. “this is unfair!” they muttered, though the complaint lacked its usual vehemence.

a moment of silence fell over the small group. this was my chance to assert myself, to take control of the situation. my voice, though soft, carried a note of resolute determination that cut through the stillness. “can i have a word?”

the effect was immediate. all eyes were now solely focused on me, their curiosity piqued. the tension in the air became less about the squabble between hange and levi and more about what i was about to say.

“it would be nice to be with hange since we-” i began, trying to find a diplomatic way to express my preference without causing further conflict. but before i could even finish what i was trying to say, levi cut me off, a single, stern “no” silencing me instantly.

erwin, observing the exchange, couldn’t help but smirk, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. “you know,” he mused, a knowing glint appearing in his eye as he addressed the group, “i think it would be quite advantageous to have the strongest soldier working alongside the strongest woman.”

hange’s eyes widened in surprise, their head snapping towards erwin, they knew they couldn’t fight that, at all. levi, however, remained impassive. erwin chuckled softly, his gaze sweeping across the small group, taking in each of our reactions.

“well,” he continued, a playful tone in his voice, “isn't it a good idea?” he paused, allowing his words to hang in the air for a moment. the implication was clear: he was endorsing levi’s claim.

i glanced at levi, a strange sensation washing over me. it was flattering, to say the least, that the strongest soldier, captain levi, wanted me on his squad. it was intimidating. he was known for his demanding nature and his unwavering expectations. he noticed my gaze, nothing seemed to escape his sharp eyes, giving nothing away. it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“well,” erwin announced, “i think y/n will be in levi’s squad,” he paused, then offered me a warm, reassuring smile. “but if you want to change your mind, y/n, there’s always hange’s squad, or even mine.” it was a generous offer, a subtle way of ensuring i felt i had a choice, even though the decision seemed all but made.

hange groaned in frustration, they knew when they were outmatched, and arguing with erwin when levi had already made his intentions clear was a lost cause. levi, on the other hand, simply nodded, as if the matter had been settled from the start. i returned their nods, accepting my fate, or perhaps, my opportunity.

“i can’t believe this!” hange said, crossing their arms over their chest and turning away.

i couldn’t help but laugh at my new friend’s antics. their over-the-top reactions were endearing, even in their frustration. even erwin chuckled, knowing full well that there was no changing levi’s mind once it was made up.

“you’re laughing too now?” hange exclaimed. they turned back to face us, their eyes wide mock betrayal. “i feel betrayed!”

“sorry, hange,” i said, still smiling, “i swear, if its really difficult to be in levi’s squad, i’ll switch to yours,” it was a promise i intended to keep, a way to reassure change and ease the tension

“please do,” hange pleases, their eyes widening with hope, “it’s going to be horrible with him.” they lowered their voice to a whisper, as if levi couldn’t hear them even though he was standing right there.

levi clearly having heard every word, snapped, “shut up,” his tone so sharp it cut through the lighthearted atmosphere like a knife.

“should we go then?” i addressed levi, breaking the brief silence.

he simply nodded at me

and so, i found myself walking beside him, following him onward his squad. the short walk felt significant, each step taking me further into this new chapter. as we approached, levi stopped, his posture becoming even more rigid, if that was possible. “all of you, listen. this is y/n. she’ll be joining our squad from now on. all of you, present, or don’t, whatever.” his tone was dismissive, as if introductions were a tedious formality.

a ripple of murmurs went through the group. i could feel their eyes on me, assessing from head to toe. i could almost hear the whispers in their minds: a new cadet…joining our squad…she is a rookie, their eyes widened, a mixture of awe and apprehension playing across their faces. i could see the questions forming: is she really that strong? can she keep up with levi’s demands?

levi’s already frayed patience finally snapped. he surveyed his squad, his expression hardening. “well,” he barked, his voice laced with impatience, “are you going to keep staring with your mouths open like a bunch of gaping fish?”

his sharp words made the others turn out of their daze. petra, always the cheerful one, was the first to recover. a wife, genuine small was given to me as she waved enthusiastically. “are you really y/n?” she asked, her voice bright and curious. “the strongest woman?”

i blushed, a nervous smile tugging at my lips. “well, uhm, i guess?” i replied, a slight awkwardness creeping into my voice. “i don’t really like that nickname anyway.” it felt…boastful, somehow, and i wasn’t one for drawing unnecessary attention to myself.

levi observed the interaction from beside me, his expression unreadable as always. he stood there, a silent sentinel, taking in the scene. the other members of his squad, still a little awestruck by my presence and perhaps intimidated by their captain’s, started to introduce themselves one by one. there was oluo, with his gruff attitude that seemed more bark than bite; eld, who offered a polite nod and a reserved smile; gunther, who seemed quiet and watchful; and then there was petra, who was still beaming at me with that infectious enthusiasm.

“it’s nice to meet you all,” i said, my smile genuine and warm as i met each of their eyes. “i hope i’m not a burden and that i can be of help,” i meant it sincerely. i wanted to prove myself, to earn their respect, and to become a valuable member of the squad.

my words seemed to put the others at ease. they returned my smile, their initial apprehension fading, replaced by a more welcoming face. i could tell they were already starting to warm up to me, to me not just as “the strongest woman” but as…well, as me. a sense of belonging, however small, began to blossom in my chest.

on the ride to our now, officially new home, i found myself riding alongside levi. the rhythmic clatter of hooves on the road, a steady beat accompanying the nervous flutter in my stomach.

“captain?” i began, my voice a bit hesitant, unsure of how to initiate a conversation with the notoriously taciturn captain

he turned his gaze towards me, a silent question hanging in the air.

“what is it?” he inquired, his tone gruff but not unkind. I could detect a hint of…something.

“i just wanted to say thank you”

levi raised a single eyebrow, “and why are you thanking me?”

“i mean,” i stammered, trying to find the right words, “for the opportunity you gave me to be in your squad. i know hange really wanted me on their team, and i appreciate you…well, you know, choosing me.” i trailed off, feeling a little foolish for making such a big deal out of it.

he looked at me for a few seconds. the silence stretched between us, the only thing i could hear was the sound of the horses. “no need to thank me,” he finally said, “you’re strong and that’s what matters”

“well, i just wanted to thank you,” you mumbled, feeling a sudden wave of awkwardness. “sorry.”

he looked away, a slight frown creasing his brow. “you don’t have to apologize,” he muttered, sounding almost irritated, “it’s stupid”

“yeah, sorry- i mean, nevermind,” you said, feeling yourself blush again

he turned his head to look at you again, his expression unreadable. “do you always apologize so much?”

you bit your lip, a small smile playing on your lips. “sometimes,” you admitted, your voice soft.

“you need to stop apologizing for things you don’t have to apologize for, brat,” levi said, his voice surprisingly gentle despite the bluntness of his words. the unexpected softness in his voice makes a fleeting warmth spread through you.

“fine, captain,” you muttered, subtly increasing the distance between you. you weren’t sure why, but the urge to create a little space between you and your new intimidating captain was almost instinctive. his presence was…intense. like standing near a tightly coiled spring, ready to unleash at any moment.

levi watched you with a curious expression, his gaze following your movements. “what are you doing?” he inquired

“uh…i guess going with the squad and leaving you…alone, until we arrive?” you said, your voice trailing off as you realized how that sounded. you immediately regretted it, your cheeks flushing crimson. i wanted the ground to swallow me whole. god.

he huffed, an almost imperceptible sigh escaping his lips. “stay close,” he ordered, moving closer to you again, “you’re the new one, i don’t want you far if we have an attack”

“yes, captain,” you replied, a slight smile playing on your lips.

he didn’t say anything else, his gaze fixed on the horizon. his expression remained unchanged, a face that betrayed no emotion. he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, not even to himself, but a subtle sense of satisfaction settled within him. he was glad that you were in his squad. glad that, ultimately, you’d been placed under his command rather than hange’s. your presence…it was…he trailed off in his thoughts, unable to define the feeling. it was unfamiliar, a subtle shift in the usual order of things. you were, on the surface, mostly like any other soldier in his squad- strong, skilled, dedicated. and yet…there was something different about you.

he found himself observing you, almost unconsciously, drawn to details he normally wouldn’t even care about. the way the sunlight caught in her hair, turning the strands into a halo of light. the determined set of her jaw as she navigated the rough terrain, a clear indication of her focus. the way your eyes crinkled at the corners when you smiled, the expression of warmth that seemed to illuminate your entire face. the gentle way you caressed your now horse’s neck.

without you knowing it, he’d started frequenting the training grounds more often. he would position himself at the edge of the camp, a silent observer amidst the trees, his gaze fixed on your movement. he liked, enjoyed, watching you train. your movements were so fast, precise and powerful. he found himself anticipating your presence, scanning the crowd of cadets until he found you, even before this official transfer. he’d never spoken to you directly until now, but he’d been watching. waiting.

he pushed the thoughts down, dismissing them as irrelevant. he was a soldier, not a poet. emotions were weaknesses, distractions that could get him killed, or worse, get his squad killed. there was no room for such frivolous things in his life. duty and survival were all that mattered.

“it’s going to be fun,” your voice cut through his internal thoughts. he turned his head and saw you looking at him, with that smile, that smile that radiated optimism everywhere.

he looked back at you, your gazed meeting for a fleeting few seconds. your smile. it was…something. it truly was. a warmth seemed to emanate from it, a light that momentarily pierced through the hardened shell he’d built around himself. he quickly looked away.

“you don’t know what you’re talking about, brat,” he muttered, his voice again gruff, the familiar harshness returning as a defense mechanism. he scowled internally. he needed to focus.

despite his gruff words, a small thought lingered in the back of his mind. yes, he thought to himself, it’ll be interesting.

author's note: short but y/n pov cause yeah. thank you for reading, next chapter will be interesting *wink wink* and long. ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

pt VI

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hex-igon · 24 days ago

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Scinditur Aequaliter

Summary

When your twin sister reveals that she can no longer face her arranged marriage to the crown prince of Kremnos, you do the only rational thing there is to do and switch places. But deceiving your new husband is not as easy as you originally planned it to be, not when fate and prophecy are involved. And certainly not when a stubborn academic sticks his nose into the matter.

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Tags: Mydei/Reader, Anaxa/Reader, arranged marriage, love triangle, slow burn, enemies to lovers, reader is AFAB. Tags will be updated as we go.

Author's note: this chapter is most just setting a premise for the rest of the story to build off of, sorry that its not canon heavy. That's coming in the next chapter.

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Chapter 1 જ⁀➴

“Don’t cry,”

Your sister’s body stiffened under the sheets and you nearly chuckled at how palpable her sudden terror was. You crept forward from the doorway and shut the door behind you as quietly as you could. You had waited until the hour was late enough and the household was comfortably asleep. Cthonia kept her back turned to you, face tucked into the safety of her pillow, seemingly frozen by indecision on how to respond to your encroaching.

You crossed the room and settled yourself onto the edge of her bed, and laid a hand on the apex of her shoulder. That simple touch unfrozen Cthonia and a sigh escaped from her lips as if she released a breath she had been holding.

“I wasn’t crying,” She murmured into the pillow, voice dripping with a sulk. Over the years, and likely due to her sheltered upbringing at the Temples of Kremnos, your sister had become the softer of you two. She had always been a little shyer, a little more reserved, and some would say she was more prone to fits of emotion. But you know the truth - you both felt the world too deeply. But whereas your excess emotions were transformed into optimism and stubbornness, Cthonia was prone to melancholy.

“Ah, so it must have been a tiny rainstorm that wet your pillow. How curious that it was indoors, and small enough to not wet the entire room.”

The barb is enough to rouse Cthonia. She lifted her head and turned just enough to scowl at you, although the look bore no weight. The crowns of her cheeks were wet with tears although miraculously her eyes were as clear and crystalline as ever. You envied her ability to appear composed regardless of the situation. If it were you crying yourself to sleep, you'd have no doubt you'd be red-eyed and sniffling.

Your sister rubbed the sleeves of her nightgown against her cheeks as she sat up, the cotton blanket pooling into her lap. “I have every reason to cry.”

Cthonia’s words were directed more at assuring herself than you and you understood why. Your lives in Kremnos had been peaceful and untouched by strife, but that was a rarity. There were so few households that had not lost a beloved child to war, and while none would question the sacrifice required by Titan, the loss still left a rift in so many hearts. And it only became more common inside the walls of the great castrum. There was no room in this life for a young woman’s laments over her choice of husband.

“He wasn’t that bad,” you squeezed the words out of your mouth forcefully and tried to force a smile, but it came out as a lopsided look of discomfort at your own lie. Cthonia returned the look with a cold glare of a disappointment.

”Alright, fine,” you lamented, throwing your arms around your sisters shoulders and pulling her into your chest. “He’s a beast.”

You felt Cthonias arms loop around your waist as she joined in. “Worse than a beast, he’s a bore! He said nothing all night. It was like I was sat next to a boulder.”

“A boulder that happens to be able to belch,” you said sourly, recalling a moment from dinner in which Mydei had released a rather robust burp and then promptly raised his fist in the air in accomplishment.

“A burping boulder of a beastly bore - and I have to marry him.” The phrasing made you smile, hoping that Cthonia was rallying her own spirits. But she sniffled against your chest and you knew the tears could return at any moment. “How could the Gods possibly think I could love him? And the priests?! I have spent my whole life learning how to be his companion and I swear he didn’t even realize I existed.”

Your heart sunk in your chest. There was no good argument against Cthonia’s last point. Mydei had acted like Cthonia was nothing more than a servant. Except even the servants had Mydei’s attention any time he needed more wine or bread. On the surface it felt like a small slight but it had been searing in your mind all night, slowly simmering your anger. This was the man who was supposed to be Cthonia’s husband - her companion, a cherished confident of unmatched connection. The thought lingered in your head that tonight’s delay of disdain was a portent of things to come. Was every night going to be like this for Cthonia? You couldn’t help feeling heartbroken at the thought of her spending decades next to someone so unsuited for her, night after night spent without stimulating conservation or genuine affection.

“Well, perhaps you don’t have to be married to him.”

Cthonia shot you a seething look that said your humour was unappreciated. You flapped your hand in the air dismissively, urging her to hear you out.

“Yes, of course you have to marry him. But the prophecy doesn’t say you have to sit at his side like a lap dog. You’d be crown princess - surely you have some kind of life. You could make friends, have fun. With that sort of bankrolling you could indulge in whatever hobbies you want!”

You were pleased with you reasoning and felt a little flicker of hope flutter in your chest. Perhaps Mydei was a poor choice of husband for your sister, but the lifestyle that afforded? She could bask in luxury without worry. It seemed like a good option compared to the path set out in front of you - a life of hard labour on the farm, or perhaps years of gruelling schooling to be rewarded with a life of paper work and balance sheets.

Cthonia seemed less pleased. She cast you a look of sadness, a softness in her eyes that you did not recognize. You could sense it here between you - the void that had spawned the day she had been chosen. It had created a distance between you that you’d narrowed over the years, but it always persisted. And now you could see it shivering to life again and prying itself wider.

“That would not be my life. It would be easy and comfortable, but it would not be real. I would only be passing time. I would still be his, still living only the belong to him.” She took your hand in hers with such gentleness, such pity, that you felt embarrassed by the shallowness of your own words now made clear.

You grappled with her words, clawing at them as if you could somehow wrestle the situation into submission. “Then leave. Do not stay by his side, do not stay within the palace. Marry him and flee.” A fire kindled inside you, boiling the words until they flew from your mouth like stream.

Cthonia’s patience gaze hardened, her brow flexing in annoyance. She flinched as if the words reallt were steam, searing and hot. “You know this can’t be done -“

“But it can,” you blurted out, a feverish inspiration taking hold, “how would he stop you if he never knew.”

Your sister's eyes narrowed skeptically as she tried to unravel your meaning. “You speak of witchcraft?”

“No. Think about Cthonia, if I took your place -”

Your sister's hand recoiled from you as her whole body shifted backwards. Her face was an almost humorous mixture of shock and repulsion.

༝༚༝༚

It was not a discussion your sister would yield to in a single night. She had scolded you thoroughly for such a blasphemous idea that night but you were stubborn. The thought haunted you relentlessly. You couldn’t help bringing it up again and slowly, like water dripping on stone, your sister yielded.

You spent long nights discussing the matter over teleslate and the more you mentioned the idea, the more you could hear your sister’s desire in her voice. You realized quickly that her horror upon hearing the idea hadn’t been directed at you, but at herself for being so instantly intrigued and tempted.

You had agreed the proposed swamp could only last a year, at most. To fulfill the prophecy Cthonia would still be the one to marry Mydei and this seemed the logical way to lessen the burden of your deception. You would switch places after the ceremony so Cthonia would remain the crown princess in the eyes of the law. A year might not be much, but it felt like a mighty rebellion against the will of the Titans. In a year Cthonia could live, she could love if she chose, she could steal back a moment of her own life. A year would have to do.

The overall plan felt almost childishly simple, but you assured yourself that was why it would work. Mydei barely knew your sister which meant that you had leeway when it came to impersonating Cthonia. She was softer than you, more reserved and refined, but you were convinced the crown prince wouldn’t notice if you swapped her out with a dromas. The real challenge would be priests and the King himself. They would have watchful eyes.

The option you had for this was studying. You spent long sleepless nights studying over the teleslate with your sister. You absorbed as much as you could about the Titans, the structure of the court, the expectations of how Kremnos’ new crown princess should behave. You committed it all to memory, or at least - as much as you could without your brain shriveling. It only deepens your resolve to make your plan work. Each night was grueling and boring onslaught of useless information but it made you reflect on Cthonia’s life. A few months of studying had brought you to your wits end - how had she survived years?

“We should conduct a test,” Cthonia had suggested one evening, her voice chiming through the teleslate.

“A test?” You mused back as you continued to copy scripture into your notebook, “what do you suggest? We could run in circles and see if, at the end, the Prince can tell us apart?”

You smiled warmly at the distant sound of your sister's laugh. It was a sound that had become more regular since she’d accepted your offer. ”No, you absolute idiot - I was thinking the Festival of Reason.”

You hummed at the thought. The Festival of Reason was an annual event held to commemorate a core principle of Nikador. It had never held much interest to you seeing as it was held in the city and focused more on dancing than fighting.

“I’m to make an appearance with Mydeimos. The priests say it would be good to bless the festival with our presence. Given how crowded it will be, I can’t imagine it will be difficult to switch places.”

You tapped your pencil against your lip as you thought over the idea.

“And if the clever little prince catches on?”

“If you can’t convince him that you’re me, then we call this whole thing off.”

You stomach soured at the thought, but your sister had a point. If you couldn’t fool him at a chaotic banquet, what chance would have of surviving the next year?

༝༚༝༚

You had distant memories of festivals in the city, but those had long since faded since childhood. It had been at least a decade since your last trip to the citadel and its sights and sounds all felt newly wondrous. Its streets were packed with bodies and you had no idea if the city was always this alive or if it was surging with festival goers from the rural provinces. Celebratory banners hung from every balcony and lamp posts, cloaking the city in a waving blanket of colours. You could hardly take a step without being ambushed by the smells of roasting foods and baked sweets. Gone was the fresh air of the countryside, replaced with an energy of cramped excitement.

All this - this boisterous ocean of life and celebration - took place in the shadow of the palace. It stood like a beacon in the center of the castrum, nestled in the city’s inner walls, and all roads lead to its heart.

While those around you lifted their mugs of wine to its honour, you cursed it silently under your breath.

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#honkai star rail #hsr #anaxa/reader #hsr anaxa #mydei/reader #hsr mydei #anaxagoras #mydei #mydei/reader/anaxa

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shiorihyugawrites · 5 months ago

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Diamond Of The First Water

In the aftermath of war, Paradis finds itself in need of powerful alliances. When Emperor Armand of Valoria offers his military aid in exchange for the hand of his daughter, Princess Solina, in marriage, Captain Levi Ackerman is thrust into an engagement that begins as a political strategy but soon becomes something much deeper.

Princess Solina, sheltered from the world and unaware of the realities of love and war, finds herself drawn to Levi—the man known as Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. As they navigate royal customs, public expectations, and the growing threat of Marley, the bond between them deepens into a genuine connection.

But neither Solina nor Levi are prepared for the challenges of a political marriage, the weight of intimacy, and the secrets that lie beneath the surface. As Solina enters a new life with Levi, her naivety is tested, and Levi faces a battle unlike any he’s fought before—the fight to protect his heart.

Can their love flourish in the midst of war, duty, and danger? Or will the forces conspiring against them tear them apart before they can find peace? (Levi x OC)

Chapter Thirty Three

The months passed swiftly on Paradis, and the fruits of their labor were undeniable. The mining of the ice burst stone had proven to be even more successful than anticipated. Deep beneath the earth’s surface, veins of the valuable resource extended farther than anyone had imagined, making Paradis one of the wealthiest territories in the world in terms of raw materials. The discovery had sent shockwaves through the scientific and military communities, and Valorian engineers worked tirelessly alongside Hange, devising innovative ways to utilize the stone.

“Did you know this gas can make swords lighter, Levi?” Hange babbled excitedly, holding up a piece of steel suspended by wires in her lab. “We’re talking about combat efficiency through the roof! Imagine ODM gear being twice as effective because the blades are easier to maneuver!”

Levi rubbed his temples, trying to feign interest. “As long as it kills titans or anyone stupid enough to threaten Paradis, that’s all that matters.”

“Always so pragmatic,” Hange teased, her glasses catching the light as she grinned. “But this discovery could change everything.”

Levi wasn’t one to entertain Hange’s scientific ramblings for long, but even he couldn’t deny the implications. Still, his thoughts wandered elsewhere—to Solina. She’d flourished in these two months, becoming an irreplaceable figure among the people of Paradis.

The charity she and Historia had established was thriving. Levi had witnessed firsthand the impact it was making. Rows of modest yet sturdy homes now dotted the outskirts of Shiganshina, specifically designed for single mothers and their children. The buildings were surrounded by lush community gardens where children laughed and played. Solina had poured her heart into the project, and it showed.

One day, as Levi walked through the housing district, he overheard a conversation between two mothers sitting on a bench, their toddlers giggling nearby.

“Princess Solina even visited my house last week,” one said, her voice tinged with awe. “She asked me if there was anything more we needed. Can you believe that? A princess coming to my house?”

“She’s so kind,” the other replied. “It’s no wonder Captain Levi married her. They say she’s Valoria’s Diamond, and I can see why.”

Levi’s steps faltered, their words stirring something deep within him. It wasn’t just pride—it was a profound gratitude for the woman who’d become his partner. He found Solina later that evening in her study, poring over reports from the charity.

“You work too hard,” he said, leaning casually against the doorway.

Solina looked up, startled but smiling. “And who’s the one who pushes himself harder than anyone else?” she countered playfully.

Levi approached her, his eyes softening as he watched her. “What you’re doing here…” He paused, searching for the right words. “It’s incredible, Solina. These kids, these families… They’re going to have a chance because of you.”

Solina’s cheeks flushed, but her smile widened. “I couldn’t have done it without you and Queen Historia. You’ve both been so supportive.”

Levi stepped closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. “You’re something else, you know that?” His voice was low, almost reverent. “Someone like you… maybe if you’d been around back then, my mother—” He stopped himself, looking away.

Solina stood, placing her hands on his arms. “Levi,” she said softly, “I’m so sorry for what you went through. But if this can help even a fraction of the people who need it, then it’s worth every effort.”

He nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Yeah. It is.”

Meanwhile, at the military training grounds, Solomon and Levi continued their rigorous oversight of the joint military exercises. The soldiers of Paradis had come to admire the Valorian crown prince for his strategic mind and combat prowess, even if his royal status initially made them skeptical. Solomon had earned their respect, and he held his own in sparring matches, often pushing the soldiers to their limits.

One soldier muttered to another during a break, “I swear, that prince is as intense as Captain Levi.”

The other scoffed. “No one’s as intense as Captain Levi. But yeah, he’s close.”

As for Solomon, he was doing his best to bury his unrequited feelings for Mikasa. His longing glances had grown less frequent, but he still couldn’t help but admire her skill during training sessions. Mikasa, for her part, remained oblivious, focused entirely on her duties and, of course, on Eren.

Back at the Ackerman estate, Solina and Levi’s relationship had deepened into something neither had anticipated. Levi found himself looking forward to the quiet evenings they spent together, whether it was sharing a meal or simply sitting in companionable silence. He had always considered love a luxury he couldn’t afford, but with Solina, it felt natural—like breathing.

One night, as they sat by the fireplace, Solina rested her head on Levi’s shoulder. “Did you ever think we’d get here?” she asked softly.

Levi looked down at her, his hand brushing against hers. “No,” he admitted. “But I’m glad we did.”

Their love was quiet but steadfast, a sanctuary in a world that had rarely offered them peace. And though they had only known each other for a short time, Levi couldn’t imagine his life without her now.

Their love life had blossomed into something neither of them had expected. For Levi, it was as if Solina had unlocked a side of herself that he hadn’t known existed—a side that was playful, mischievous, and utterly insatiable when it came to him.

Levi didn’t mind being wanted. Hell, he liked it more than he cared to admit. But sometimes, he felt like he had created a monster. Solina, his once-demure wife, had no qualms about teasing him in public. She would cast him sly glances or brush her fingers against his hand in ways that made his stomach twist with need—always when they were surrounded by others.

One such moment happened during a meeting at the palace. The council was discussing the progress of the ice burst stone mining, and Levi sat at the long table with the scouts, Solomon, and Historia. Solina sat beside him, dutifully taking notes as Historia spoke.

But then Levi felt it: the softest touch on his thigh.

His body went rigid as he glanced down, only to see Solina’s hand resting innocently on his leg. She wasn’t even looking at him, her expression perfectly serene as she continued writing.

Levi leaned closer, his voice low and sharp. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Solina didn’t respond. Instead, her fingers began a slow, deliberate movement, tracing circles on his inner thigh.

Levi swallowed hard, his grip on the edge of the table tightening. “Solina,” he hissed under his breath, his tone warning.

Finally, she turned her head toward him, her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief. “Yes, husband?” she asked, her voice so sweet it made his teeth ache.

Levi glared at her, his cheeks slightly flushed. “Behave,” he muttered.

Solina only smiled, withdrawing her hand and returning her attention to the meeting as if nothing had happened. Levi spent the rest of the meeting gritting his teeth and praying no one had noticed his reddened ears.

At the Ackerman estate, their evenings were no less eventful. Solina seemed to take great pleasure in discovering new ways to tease her husband, and Levi—stoic and disciplined though he was—often found himself helpless under her touch.

One night, as they lay in bed, Solina ran her fingers through Levi’s dark hair, her nails grazing his scalp as she whispered softly in his ear. “You know, I think I’m getting better at driving you crazy.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching into a smirk. “Better? You’ve mastered it, troublemaker.”

Solina giggled, her cheeks flushing. “It’s just fun to see you lose control,” she admitted, her hand trailing down his chest. “You’re always so composed around everyone else, but with me…” She leaned closer, her lips brushing against his jaw. “You’re all mine.”

Levi’s breath hitched, and he grabbed her wrist, stopping her wandering hand. His stormy gray eyes met hers, filled with a mixture of exasperation and desire. “You’re dangerous, you know that?”

Solina tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Am I?”

“Yes,” Levi said, his voice low and gravelly. “And one of these days, I’m going to turn the tables on you.”

Solina’s laughter was soft and melodic as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’d like to see you try,” she teased.

For Solina, this side of their marriage was everything Lady Madeline had promised it would be—intimate, exhilarating, and deeply fulfilling. Levi made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. He worshipped her with a quiet intensity that left her breathless, and in return, she loved seeing him, the strongest man she’d ever known, come completely undone under her touch.

In many ways, Levi had become her safe haven, her partner in every sense of the word. She trusted him completely, and that trust allowed her to explore parts of herself she hadn’t even known were there.

One afternoon, as they sat together in the garden, Solina rested her head on Levi’s shoulder, a content smile playing on her lips. “I didn’t know marriage could be like this,” she said softly.

Levi glanced at her, his expression softening. “Like what?”

“Comfortable,” Solina replied. “Loving. Fun.” She looked up at him, her green eyes shining. “You make me feel… safe. And confident.”

Levi reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “That’s how you make me feel, too,” he admitted, his voice low. “You’ve changed everything for me.”

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of their love settling over them like a warm blanket.

Solina smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. “I think we’re doing pretty well for newlyweds.”

Levi chuckled softly. “Yeah, we are.”

…

Later on, Levi stood in the open training yard at HQ, his sharp gray eyes scanning the soldiers before him. The Valorian and Paradis soldiers were working together in synchronized drills, their movements precise and fluid—a testament to weeks of rigorous training. Solomon stood nearby, arms crossed, issuing commands to a group of Paradis soldiers practicing Valorian combat techniques.

Things had been progressing well on all fronts. The ice burst stone mining had exceeded expectations, yielding an abundance of the rare material. Engineers and scientists were already exploring its endless potential, and Hange, as usual, was utterly consumed by the possibilities. For the military, the integration of Paradis and Valorian forces had also been a resounding success. The soldiers had built camaraderie, and even Solomon had earned the respect of Paradis' hardened veterans with his combat skills and leadership.

But something was gnawing at Levi’s mind.

He shifted his attention from the soldiers to Solomon, who was now sparring with a Paradis soldier, demonstrating techniques with his usual finesse. Levi had grown to respect the Crown Prince. Despite his initial reservations, Solomon had proven himself to be skilled, intelligent, and surprisingly down-to-earth for a man of his rank. But Levi couldn’t shake the question lingering in the back of his mind.

What exactly did the Emperor want with the ice burst stone?

Levi wasn’t the type to speculate without cause. He had spent enough time with the Valorians to know they weren’t reckless, and the Emperor himself seemed like a pragmatic man, not someone who would misuse such a powerful resource. Still, the lack of transparency was unsettling.

“Oi, Crown Prince,” Levi called out, his voice cutting through the clamor of the training yard. Solomon paused mid-spar, glancing over his shoulder.

“What is it, Captain?” Solomon asked, his tone polite but curious as he straightened and handed the wooden training sword to the soldier he’d been sparring with.

Levi motioned for Solomon to join him, stepping away from the main group of soldiers to a quieter corner of the yard. Solomon followed, brushing a strand of red hair from his face.

“You’ve been working with the engineers and overseeing the mining,” Levi began, his voice low and measured. “Any idea what your old man plans to do with all that ice burst stone?”

Solomon’s expression didn’t falter, but there was a brief flicker of something in his eyes—something Levi didn’t miss.

“The ice burst stone has many applications,” Solomon said after a moment, his tone diplomatic. “It’s already being used to enhance transportation, machinery, and military equipment. My father likely sees it as a means to strengthen Valoria’s technological and economic standing.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s a lot of words to say nothing.”

Solomon chuckled softly, crossing his arms. “You don’t mince words, do you, Captain?”

“No, I don’t. And I don’t like vague answers either.” Levi’s gaze was steady, probing. “The Emperor hasn’t been clear about his intentions. You’re here as his representative. Surely you know more than you’re letting on.”

Solomon met Levi’s gaze, his expression calm but unreadable. “I understand your concern, Captain. But I assure you, Valoria’s intentions are not hostile. My father values this alliance with Paradis. The ice burst stone is a resource that will benefit both our nations.”

Levi didn’t respond immediately. He studied Solomon, searching for cracks in the Crown Prince’s carefully constructed demeanor. But Solomon held firm, his composure unshaken.

“Tch. Fine,” Levi muttered, turning his attention back to the training yard. “But if there’s something I should know, you’d better tell me before it becomes a problem.”

“You have my word,” Solomon said, inclining his head slightly.

Levi didn’t entirely trust Solomon’s response, but he knew he wouldn’t get anything more out of the prince today. Still, the interaction left him uneasy. If there was more to the Emperor’s plans for the ice burst stone, Levi intended to find out—one way or another.

For now, he pushed the thought aside and returned to the task at hand, barking orders at the soldiers to keep them on their toes. But as he watched Solomon step back into the fray, effortlessly commanding the respect of the troops, Levi couldn’t shake the feeling that the Crown Prince was holding something back.

And whatever it was, Levi had a sinking suspicion it wasn’t something he—or Paradis—would like.

Levi made his way across the training yard to where Hange was poring over a stack of blueprints and schematics spread out on a makeshift table. She was muttering to herself, gesturing animatedly as a group of engineers nodded along. Her enthusiasm was palpable, but Levi had a different matter on his mind.

“Hange,” Levi called, his voice cutting through her monologue.

She looked up, her eyes lighting up when she saw him. “Ah, Levi! Just the man I wanted to see. Look at this!” She jabbed a finger at one of the schematics, her tone brimming with excitement. “If we can refine the gas from the ice burst stone properly, we might be able to reduce the weight of ODM gear by 30%! Can you imagine the possibilities?”

Levi glanced at the schematics briefly before cutting to the chase. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

Hange raised an eyebrow, surprised by his serious tone, but she nodded. “Alright, give me a minute.” She turned to the engineers. “You all keep working on this. I’ll be back soon.”

Hange followed Levi to a quieter corner of the yard, her expression shifting to one of curiosity. “What’s on your mind, Captain Serious?”

Levi crossed his arms, his gray eyes narrowing slightly. “It’s about the Emperor and the ice burst stone.”

Hange tilted her head, intrigued. “What about it?”

Levi exhaled sharply, trying to gather his thoughts. “It’s not that I don’t trust Solomon or the Emperor. I’ve seen enough to know they’re not our enemies. And I know the Emperor wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize Paradis—not with Solina living here now. But there’s something they’re not telling us.”

Hange leaned against the wall, her eyes studying Levi intently. “You think they’re hiding something?”

“I know they are,” Levi said flatly. “I asked Solomon directly, and he danced around the question. Gave me some vague answer about the stone being used to strengthen Valoria’s economy and technology. He didn’t outright lie, but he wasn’t being honest either.”

Hange frowned, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “That is…interesting. But what could they possibly want with the stone that they’d need to keep it a secret? We’ve already seen its potential—machinery, transportation, even military applications. What more could there be?”

Levi shook his head. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. The stone’s properties—its weight-reducing gas, its energy potential—are all revolutionary. But if there’s another use for it, something we haven’t considered…”

“Something they don’t want us to know about,” Hange finished, her expression darkening slightly.

Levi nodded. “Exactly. I don’t think it’s anything that would harm Paradis. The Emperor’s too careful for that. But I can’t ignore the feeling that there’s a piece of the puzzle we’re missing.”

Hange crossed her arms, her mind already racing through possibilities. “You’re right to trust your instincts, Levi. Solomon’s a sharp guy, but even he has limits to what he’s willing to share. If the Emperor has plans for the ice burst stone that go beyond what we’ve been told, it’s worth keeping an eye on.”

Levi gave her a pointed look. “You’re better at this kind of thing than I am. If there’s anything you can dig up—anything that doesn’t add up—I want to know about it.”

Hange grinned, her enthusiasm returning. “Oh, you’re putting me on a mission, are you? Fine, I’ll see what I can find. But don’t be surprised if I end up roping you into it later.”

“Tch. Just don’t get caught snooping around,” Levi muttered.

Hange laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Levi. I’ve got this. And if there’s something they’re hiding, you can bet I’ll figure it out.”

Levi watched as Hange walked back to her blueprints, her mind already working on how to uncover the truth. He trusted her to handle it—she was relentless when it came to chasing answers. But even as he returned to the soldiers, a nagging sense of unease lingered in the back of his mind.

Whatever the Emperor’s true intentions were, Levi was determined to find out. And if it turned out to be something Paradis couldn’t ignore, he would be ready.

…

Levi returned to the Ackerman Estate later that afternoon, his thoughts still swirling around his earlier conversation with Hange. The questions about the Emperor’s true intentions with the ice burst stone clung to him like a shadow, and no matter how much he tried to shake it off, the unease wouldn’t leave him.

As his carriage rolled to a stop in front of the estate, Levi stepped out and immediately noticed how quiet everything seemed—at least from the outside. He opened the grand front door, already expecting to find Solina in the middle of one of her projects. But instead of the usual calm hum of the household, he was greeted by what could only be described as an onslaught of noise.

Shrill screeches, off-key notes, and enthusiastic banging echoed from one of the large rooms on the first floor. It sounded like someone was torturing a pack of animals, and Levi froze in the entryway, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade out of instinct.

“What the hell…” he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he made his way toward the source of the chaos.

The closer he got, the louder the cacophony became. His keen ears picked up on what sounded like mismatched violin strings screeching over the banging of a tambourine and the jarring, off-rhythm pounding of a small drum. Yet, cutting through it all, he could hear Solina’s voice—bright and encouraging.

When Levi stepped into the music room, the sight before him was both confusing and…endearing.

A group of children from Historia’s orphanage was spread throughout the room, each armed with a musical instrument. Some were banging away on drums, while others were screeching bows across violins. One particularly enthusiastic boy seemed to be testing how loud he could blow into a recorder, much to the annoyance of the child next to him. Solina stood in the center of it all, her emerald eyes sparkling with delight as she clapped her hands in time with the chaotic rhythm.

“That’s it! Wonderful effort, everyone!” she exclaimed, her voice rising above the din. “Remember, music comes from the heart. Don’t be afraid to feel it!”

Levi stood in the doorway, his mouth slightly ajar as he processed the scene. He had faced Titans, Marleyan soldiers, and the horrors of war—but nothing could have prepared him for this.

One of the kids, a freckled boy holding a tiny cymbal, noticed Levi first. His eyes widened, and he tugged on Solina’s dress. “Princess Solina, Captain Levi’s here!”

Solina turned, her face lighting up at the sight of her husband. “Levi!” she exclaimed, completely unfazed by the noise. “You’re home early!”

Levi stepped further into the room, dodging a tambourine that had fallen to the floor. “What…is all this?” he asked, his voice carrying a mix of confusion and exasperation.

Solina laughed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I’m giving the kids a music lesson! Isn’t it wonderful? They’ve been so eager to learn.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, glancing around the room at the enthusiastic, if somewhat uncoordinated, group of children. “Wonderful isn’t the word I’d use.”

“Oh, come on,” Solina teased, walking over to him. “They’re trying their best. Music is about expression, not perfection.”

Levi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It sounds like a flock of dying pigeons.”

“Levi!” Solina chided, though she couldn’t suppress her giggle. “They’re kids. Be nice.”

One of the children—a boy no older than eight—stepped forward, clutching his small drum nervously. “Captain Levi, do you want to play too?”

Levi blinked, taken aback. “Me?”

“Yeah!” the boy said, his face lighting up. “Princess Solina said music is for everyone.”

Solina beamed at her husband, her expression daring him to say no. Levi sighed heavily, knowing he’d lost this battle before it even began.

“I’ll pass,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “But keep practicing. Maybe next time it won’t sound like you’re trying to summon Titans.”

The kids erupted into laughter, and even Solina couldn’t hold back her amusement. She reached out and squeezed Levi’s hand. “Thank you for humoring us,” she said softly, her smile filled with affection.

Levi glanced at her, his irritation melting away. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t let them break anything.”

As the children resumed their enthusiastic practice, Solina led Levi out of the room, her hand still in his. “Admit it,” she teased. “You thought it was a little cute.”

“Tch.” Levi didn’t respond, but the faintest hint of a smirk tugged at his lips.

Solina grinned, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

…

The screeching of violins and banging of drums gradually died down as Solina clapped her hands, gathering the children's attention. "Alright, everyone! Let’s give the instruments a little break and try something new," she said brightly, her voice filled with unwavering enthusiasm.

Levi, who had been lingering near the doorway with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure what could be worse than the makeshift orchestra he’d just endured. His question was quickly answered as Solina announced, “We’re going to practice singing! Let’s form a choir!”

The children lit up at the idea and eagerly scrambled into a loose formation in front of Solina. Some were standing, others kneeling, and one particularly bold boy climbed onto a chair to be in the “front row.” Solina didn’t seem to mind their lack of order as she smiled warmly and gestured for them to settle down.

“Now,” she began, clasping her hands together, “we’re going to sing a simple song. Something cheerful and easy, okay?”

“Yes, Princess Solina!” the kids chorused, though their voices ranged from sweet and angelic to gratingly high-pitched. Levi winced at the cacophony but stayed quiet, leaning against the doorframe with his usual stoic expression.

“Perfect!” Solina exclaimed, clearly unfazed. “Let’s start with a scale. Repeat after me.” She sang a note, her voice clear and melodic, and the children attempted to follow. Attempted being the key word.

The result was… something. Half the group was too high, a few were too low, and one girl seemed to be singing an entirely different tune altogether. Levi’s eye twitched as the discordant sound filled the room. He half-expected the estate’s glass windows to start cracking under the strain.

“Great effort!” Solina said, beaming despite the auditory assault. “Let’s try again. Remember to breathe deeply and use your diaphragm.”

As the children tried once more, Levi couldn’t help but watch his wife in awe. She was so patient, so encouraging, even when the result was a chaotic mess. She was completely in her element, her green eyes sparkling with warmth and her smile lighting up the room. It was the kind of radiance that softened even the toughest of hearts.

“Are you going to join us this time, Captain Levi?” Solina called out, her tone teasing as she glanced back at him.

Levi snorted. “Not a chance.”

The kids giggled, and one boy whispered to his friend, “Do you think he can even sing?”

“Of course he can!” the other whispered back. “He’s Captain Levi. He can do anything.”

Levi rolled his eyes but didn’t bother correcting them. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to Solina, who was trying her best to lead the kids through a simple song. The words were straightforward enough, and Solina sang each line first for the children to repeat.

The first attempt was… rough. One boy was two beats ahead, three others were hopelessly off-key, and a little girl in the back was singing so softly she could barely be heard. Levi bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as the chaos unfolded.

“You’re doing great!” Solina said, clapping her hands. “Let’s try again, but this time, follow my lead. Remember, it’s not about being perfect—it’s about having fun.”

Levi scoffed softly to himself. Not about being perfect? That was a foreign concept to him. But he had to admit, watching Solina interact with the kids was… endearing. She was a natural with them, effortlessly making each child feel seen and valued, no matter how off-key their singing was.

The second attempt wasn’t much better than the first, but Solina didn’t seem to mind. She encouraged them with soft applause and kind words, and the kids were clearly having the time of their lives. Levi, despite his usual preference for order and structure, found himself smiling faintly at the scene.

As the children launched into another enthusiastic (and off-key) round of singing, Solina glanced over her shoulder and caught Levi watching. Her smile widened, and she gave him a little wave.

Levi shook his head but couldn’t hide the warmth in his expression. “You’re going to break every window in this estate,” he called out, his tone deadpan.

The kids burst into laughter, and Solina shot him a playful glare. “Oh, hush, Levi. You’re just jealous of our talent.”

“Talent, huh?” Levi muttered, pushing off the doorframe and walking closer. “Pretty sure I just heard a cat screeching in there somewhere.”

“Captain Levi!” one of the kids protested, his face red with laughter. “We’re trying our best!”

Solina laughed along with them, her joy infectious. She turned to the children and said, “Don’t listen to him. You’re doing wonderfully. And besides…” She glanced back at Levi, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. “He’s secretly enjoying this. He just won’t admit it.”

Levi snorted but didn’t deny it. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, content to watch as Solina continued leading the children. The sound might have been grating, but the sight of his wife so happy, so at ease—it was worth every off-key note.

An hour later, the children’s laughter echoed through the halls as they gathered their belongings, preparing to head back to the orphanage. Solina stood by the grand entryway, her radiant smile never faltering as she handed out small satchels of snacks and trinkets she had prepared for each child.

“Thank you, Princess Solina!” a little girl chirped, clutching her bag tightly. “This was the best day ever!”

Solina knelt down to the child’s level, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m so glad you had fun. You’ll have to come back soon, alright?”

The girl nodded enthusiastically before joining the others near the waiting carriage. The clattering of hooves and the creak of the wooden wheels signaled the driver’s readiness to depart. The house staff busied themselves ensuring every child was accounted for, while Levi lingered in the background, arms crossed and expression neutral—though his eyes softened as he watched Solina interact with the children.

“Alright, everyone, time to say goodbye!” Solina called out cheerfully, her voice carrying over the chatter. The children rushed forward, lining up to give her hugs. Each one received a warm embrace and a few kind words from the princess, who seemed to know exactly how to make each child feel special.

Just as the last child stepped away from Solina, the group turned their collective attention to Levi. There was a brief pause, a hushed murmur, and then chaos erupted.

“Captain Levi! Don’t think you’re getting away that easily!” one boy shouted.

Before Levi could even process what was happening, a wave of children barreled toward him, their small arms wrapping around his legs, waist, and—unfortunately—his torso as they launched into an impromptu group hug. Levi’s eyes widened in alarm as he staggered slightly, caught off guard by the unexpected ambush.

“Oi!” he barked, his voice sharper than intended. “What the hell—”

But the children only laughed, completely unbothered by his gruff tone. “We’re hugging you goodbye, Captain!” one of the older boys declared proudly. “You can’t stop us!”

Levi scowled, but the faintest hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure of what to do. “Tch. Brats,” he muttered under his breath, though there was no real malice in his voice.

From the sidelines, Solina clapped a hand over her mouth, her green eyes wide with amusement. “Oh, Levi,” she teased, her voice laced with laughter. “I think they’ve taken a liking to you.”

Levi shot her a deadpan look over the sea of small heads. “You think this is funny?”

Solina giggled, stepping closer. “I think it’s adorable.”

One of the smaller boys tugged on Levi’s jacket. “Captain Levi, do you think we’re strong enough to join the Scouts one day?”

Levi raised an eyebrow, his usual stoicism softening slightly. “That depends. Are you willing to listen to orders and not act like little terrors?”

The boy beamed. “Yes, sir!”

Another child chimed in, “We’ll be strong, just like you!”

Levi sighed, finally letting his hands fall to his sides as he patted the head of the nearest child. “You’d better be stronger than me. The world’s only getting tougher.”

The children nodded solemnly, their admiration for Levi palpable. Solina watched the scene with a warm smile, her heart swelling at the sight. Despite his gruff demeanor, Levi had a way of connecting with people—especially those who needed it most. She had no doubt that these moments would leave a lasting impact on the kids.

“Alright, enough,” Levi said finally, his voice firm but not unkind. “Get on the carriage before the driver leaves without you.”

Reluctantly, the children released their hold on him and shuffled toward the waiting carriage. They waved enthusiastically as they climbed aboard, their voices overlapping as they called out their goodbyes.

“Goodbye, Princess Solina! Goodbye, Captain Levi! Thank you!”

Levi stood beside Solina, watching as the carriage began to roll away. The children leaned out the windows, still waving and shouting until the sound of their voices faded into the distance.

Solina turned to Levi, her expression soft and fond. “That was so sweet,” she said, resting a hand on his arm. “I think they’ve officially made you their favorite.”

Levi scoffed lightly, brushing a hand through his hair. “They’re relentless, I’ll give them that.”

Solina laughed, her emerald eyes sparkling with delight. “Oh, admit it, you enjoyed it.”

Levi glanced at her, his gaze lingering for a moment before he sighed. “Maybe,” he conceded quietly. Then, with a smirk tugging at his lips, he added, “But if they break anything next time, I’m holding you responsible.”

Solina chuckled, leaning into his side as they turned to head back into the estate. “Deal.”

…

Later on at dinner, the dining room was warm with the golden glow of candlelight, casting long shadows across the intricately carved wooden table. Solina was seated across from Levi, her green eyes sparkling with excitement as she recounted the events of the day.

“And the little girl, the one with the pigtails? Oh, Levi, she said she wants to learn how to play the harp! Can you imagine? A harp! It’s such a difficult instrument, but she’s so determined. I think I’ll ask Lady Yvonne if she can spare some time to teach her.”

Levi nodded as he took another bite of his dinner, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Solina’s enthusiasm was infectious, and though he wasn’t particularly invested in musical aspirations, he couldn’t help but admire how deeply she cared for the children. “Sounds like she’s got the right teacher if she’s that determined.”

Solina beamed at the compliment. “Thank you, Levi. And the boys—they were talking about building something together. I think they’d love some carpentry lessons. Do you think you could...?” She trailed off, giving him a hopeful look.

Levi raised an eyebrow. “You want me to teach a bunch of kids how to build?”

“Well, you’re handy with tools,” she said with a small shrug, her smile turning playful. “I’ve seen the way you fix things around the estate.”

“Tch. I’m not running a woodworking class,” Levi replied, though his tone lacked its usual sharpness.

“But you’d be so good at it!” Solina pressed, her voice lilting with teasing warmth. “You’re patient, and you have such a steady hand.”

Levi couldn’t help but huff a soft laugh. “I’ll think about it.”

Satisfied with his answer, Solina turned her attention back to her plate, cutting into her roasted vegetables. Levi studied her for a moment, his gray eyes thoughtful. He decided it was as good a time as any to broach the subject that had been on his mind all day.

“Speaking of determination,” he began, keeping his tone light, “your father’s got plenty of it when it comes to the ice burst stone.”

Solina glanced up from her meal, her brows knitting together slightly. “What do you mean?”

Levi set down his fork and leaned back in his chair. “I mean, he’s been pouring a lot of resources into this mining project. Engineers, scientists, military personnel. It’s impressive, but it’s also...a lot.”

Solina tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. “Well, of course it’s a lot, Levi. The ice burst stone is a major discovery. It could change the future for both Valoria and Paradis.”

“That’s exactly what I’m wondering about,” Levi said carefully. “What kind of future? Has your father said what he plans to do with it?”

Solina frowned, her shoulders stiffening. “I don’t know the specifics, but I trust my father. He wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for a good reason.”

Levi nodded slowly, his gaze steady. “I’m not saying he doesn’t have good intentions. I just think it’s worth understanding what those intentions are. This stone—it’s powerful. Too powerful to leave questions unanswered.”

Solina set down her fork, her excitement from earlier fading as her expression turned defensive. “Levi, my father has ruled Valoria with wisdom and kindness for decades. He’s a man of vision, and he’s always acted in the best interest of his people. You don’t have to question him.”

Levi held up a hand in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to start anything. I’m just being cautious. You know how much I care about Paradis and its future. I need to be sure this mining is as straightforward as it seems.”

Solina’s lips pressed into a thin line, and she sat up a little straighter. “It is straightforward. My father wouldn’t jeopardize the trust between Valoria and Paradis. He values this alliance as much as anyone.”

Levi could see the tension building in her shoulders, the slight tremor in her voice as she tried to mask her irritation. He sighed, realizing he had pushed too far. “You’re right,” he said softly. “I trust your judgment. Let’s leave it at that.”

Solina studied him for a moment, her expression softening slightly. “I know you’re just trying to protect Paradis,” she admitted quietly. “But my father isn’t someone you need to worry about. He’s an honorable man.”

Levi gave her a small nod, deciding to let the matter drop. He reached across the table, placing his hand gently over hers. “I believe you.”

The gesture seemed to ease the lingering tension, and Solina offered him a faint smile. “Thank you, Levi.”

The rest of the meal continued in relative silence, but Levi’s mind remained preoccupied. He didn’t want to upset Solina, but he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was more to the emperor’s plans than met the eye. Still, for now, he would set his suspicions aside. Solina deserved to enjoy her success and happiness without the shadow of doubt looming over them.

…

The bedroom was quiet, save for the soft rustle of fabric and the occasional creak of the wooden floorboards as Levi moved about, tidying up before bed. Solina sat at her vanity, the golden light of the lamp casting a warm glow on her features as she brushed her long red hair. Her emerald eyes were distant, lost in thought.

Levi’s words from dinner still lingered in her mind. Why would he bring that up? she wondered, her brow furrowing slightly. She knew Levi cared deeply for Paradis—his skepticism wasn’t unfounded, but it still unsettled her. Her father had always been a man of vision, someone she admired deeply. If anyone could be trusted to wield the power of the ice burst stone responsibly, it was Emperor Valerius.

Levi emerged from the adjoining bathroom, his dark hair slightly damp, and a towel slung around his neck. He glanced at her, noticing her faraway expression. “You’re quiet,” he observed, his voice low but steady.

Solina blinked, realizing she’d been brushing the same strand of hair for several minutes. “Just thinking,” she replied softly, placing the brush down on the polished surface of the vanity.

Levi walked over, his bare feet silent against the rug as he stood behind her. He rested his hands gently on her shoulders, meeting her gaze through the mirror. “About what I said?” he asked knowingly.

She hesitated, her hands fiddling with a small trinket on the vanity. “Yes,” she admitted. “I just... I don’t understand why you’d even bring it up. My father isn’t some scheming tyrant, Levi. He loves Valoria, and he values this alliance with Paradis.”

Levi’s gray eyes softened, and he gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “I know that,” he said. “I’m not questioning his character. I’ve seen the way he runs things—he’s a good leader. But when you’ve lived through what I have... it’s hard not to be cautious. I don’t want Paradis to end up in a situation where we’re dependent on someone else’s resources or technology without understanding the full picture.”

Solina turned in her seat to face him, her expression a mixture of frustration and concern. “Levi, you don’t think my father would use the ice burst stone to manipulate Paradis, do you? He wants to share advancements, not hoard them.”

Levi crouched slightly so he was at her eye level, his hands now resting on the armrests of her chair. “I’m not saying he would. But power—any kind of power—has a way of changing people. I’ve seen it happen before.”

His words gave her pause, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Solina looked down at her lap, her fingers twisting together. “I don’t know exactly what my father’s plans are,” she confessed. “But I do know he wants to use the ice burst stone to strengthen Valoria and share those advancements with Paradis. He wants to help, Levi. He’s not like the kings and emperors of old who sought conquest and control.”

Levi studied her face, taking in the sincerity in her voice. He reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I believe you,” he said quietly. “And I’m not trying to undermine your trust in him. I just want to be sure we’re not overlooking anything.”

Solina nodded slowly, her expression softening. “I know you’re trying to protect Paradis. It’s one of the things I admire about you.” She reached up, placing a hand over his. “But you don’t have to do it alone, Levi. I’m here too.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Levi’s mouth, and he leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I know,” he murmured. “And I’m glad.”

Solina’s smile returned, and she squeezed his hand before rising from the chair. “Let’s not talk about politics anymore tonight,” she said, her tone lighter now. “I’d rather focus on us.”

Levi chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. “Fine by me.”

They moved toward the bed, Solina slipping under the covers as Levi extinguished the lamps. As they settled in, Solina rested her head on Levi’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

“Thank you,” she said after a moment.

“For what?” Levi asked, his hand gently running through her hair.

“For caring. For always looking out for everyone, even when it’s exhausting.” She tilted her head to look up at him, her emerald eyes shining in the dim light. “It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

Levi’s expression softened, and he pressed a kiss to her hair. “Get some sleep,” he murmured, his voice laced with quiet affection.

As Solina closed her eyes, her worries began to fade. Whatever uncertainties lay ahead, she knew they would face them together.

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vennywrites · 1 day ago

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The Fallen

Part III

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Erwin Smith x Reader

Word Count: 3k

Summary: You’ve followed them into hell and back. What’s one more round, what’s one last push? So, when the final order comes, when Levi makes the impossible choice and Erwin’s dream lies shattered in it’s wake, you press a kiss to their lips and tell them you’re right where you need to be. It’s a good ending, a clean one. Your lives for the truth. Only that you wake hours later in the ruins of a battlefield. Your own personal hell - but your heart still beats.

Warnings: Canon Divergence, Return to Shiganshina Arc, Canon-typical Violence, Blood and Gore, Injury, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Trauma, Denial, Established Relationship

a/n: So grateful for your interactions with my work ♥ Only the Epilogue left, already shaking in my boots.

Ao3

-♦-

Day 3 after the Battle of Shiganshina - 850 - Inside Wall Maria

In your dreams, you are underwater.

In your dreams, you can’t swim.

In your dreams, you drown.

When you wake, you wake spluttering and coughing, your throat tingling, your chest so tight you feel like a titan has caught you in it’s grasp. Your skin is wet as you claw at your throat, your clothes heavy with water. Your lungs won’t work, your breathing fast and uneven. As you open your eyes, rain pours from the sky, the buzzing in your ears nothing more than the water hitting the world around you.

You feel worse than before. Erwin is asleep beneath you, so silent and still that you have to force yourself not to wake him just to see if he will. Water runs like teardrops down his face, hair clinging to his temples. What little shelter you have found is useless against the rainstorm.

Shivering and cold, you attempt to move the both of you to a dryer spot, somewhere where the rain won’t hit you right in the face, where you can curl back up and sleep. But lightning flashes above and thunder rolls across the sky and as Erwin refuses to wake and your lungs burn with enough pain to make you choke on it, you end up just curling back up in Erwin’s lap, wet and miserable.

Time creeps by and you do not sleep again. The rain does not let up. You sit until the light changes, until darkness turns to muted blues and sad greys.

Forcing yourself out of his arms and back out into the world becomes even harder. Your body is your greatest enemy, refusing to work, refusing to function as you drop back to your knees the moment you rise. Your head thrums with steps of dozens of titans, you chest squeezing you with the strength of one.

Some rational, detached part of yourself reminds you that time is running out. If you won’t find any gear or any help, if nobody comes to your rescue, both of you will die. Erwin will fall victim to his injuries, you will die of the infection or your head injury, maybe of pneumonia if your struggle to breathe is any indication.

So, you force yourself back to your feet, push yourself along the wall of your shelter and step back out into the battlefield, slower and weaker than yesterday.

Visibility is horrible. You stagger around aimlessly, find most bodies already covered beneath their cloaks, now dark and wet with water. When you find a soldier, half his body crushed and splattered across the ground, you feel the tears already well up again. He’s one of the few veterans you had left, one of the few who you know by name, a man with a family within Wall Rose. If you remember correctly, he has two boys, a wife who sings on the weekends. He’ll never see them again, neither will they ever see him.

What you find is his gun, still held tightly in his grip, nicks and dents but nothing that visibly indicates that it’s broken. So you take it. Inside is an unused smoke shell - red.

[Read the whole chapter on Ao3]

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot x reader #erwin smith x reader #levi x reader #aot #snk

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levi501ackerman · 8 months ago

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Steel Heart Chapter 24:

Forces of Evil

Hange x Reader Masterlist Chapter Index AO3

Megan's Note: Had to chop up this chapter cuz it was so dang long and put it in the next chapter. Happy belated Halloween!! Posted: 11/3/24

Word Count: 5.8k

!!! WARNING: Violence, Unsettling descriptions & Dark Themes !!!

Hange’s fearless stance was apparent from every angle. You held your breath as they held the sapphire shield blocking their body from the titan casting fire. Caught in your throat was the urge to act—to grasp onto control. It was like you were frozen, watching the dangerous forces against Hange. You held yourself up with the short stone wall of the lower bailey, feeling dizzy. Your rapid heartbeat was in your ear like a voice pleading to help Hange. Once again, you were useless.

The Founding Titan started punching the stone wall surrounding the borgo in front of the temple. A resounding boom from the impact rang through the temple and seeped tremors in the walls. The buildings of the small village were decimated, and patches of fire added to the thick, dark cloud of smoke. Debris from the wall broke off and smacked the ground. Hange darted for a structure to hide behind, their legs carrying them away from an open area of the borgo.

Willy Tybur’s titan grasped the top broken part of the wall, ripping off the stones. His strength made the rocks look like a soft cake, being easily crushed. He hurled the crushed stones toward Hange. The rocks scattered and ripped holes into what was left of the buildings in the village. Blood spattered from the deceased bodies and more blood was smeared and coated on the ground. Horses whinnied their last cry as some were in the devastating range. Hange, who didn’t get to cover, pivoted on their feet and held the sapphire shield. A few stones ricocheted off the shield at first. Then, the heavier boulder-sized rocks pummeled into the shield.

Your eyes grew three sizes and you couldn’t hold back a wailing shriek.

Hange was propelled backward and then hit the ground. Their steel armor screeched against the ground as they skidded six feet backward. The harsh metallic scraping was followed by their steel shield clanking as it flipped away from them. Their head rolled to the side, slacked and still.

Titan roared deeply and anger festered in you. The cry of the titan did not sound agonizing or desperate. It sounded like a secured victory. You waited for Hange to move. But you knew their body ached and the exhaust of their muscles from fighting must have been getting to them. You begged that Hange’s last bit of energy would at least get them to shelter. You knew Hange would fight to the end to see you again and you would fight til the end to see them. As they lay there, it felt like they were dead . . . what were they waiting for? Hange is not dead. Why are they lying there as if they were accepting their fate?

“GET UP!!!” The heat on your face felt like the temperature reached a boiling point. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?!” You shrieked hoarsely with the last willpower you had. A hand went over your mouth and you realized Levi was pulling you backward with an arm wrapped around your waist. Your determined, raw voice muffled against Levi’s hand and you tried to pry his arm off you.

“You IDIOT! Your voice projects! You just notified where we are!” Levi gruffly scolded you in your ear. As Levi dragged you away from the wall, Hange’s head jolted to look in your direction. From the distance, you swore they saw you. “Damn it! We need to leave!”

Levi released the arm from around your waist and grabbed your wrist, heading for the stairs toward the upper bailey. The guilt of putting yourself in danger was overshadowed by the elation of Hange physically showing they heard your voice. As you sprinted up the stairs, the pinching feeling in your chest from running didn’t bother you as you replayed the moment Hange looked toward you. A fire was kindling in your chest, and you hoped it sparked something in Hange to keep fighting.

The temple shook again, and Levi led you past the charred pile of wood where the cultists celebrated earlier with the emerald fire. Levi pushed through the grand metal doors, and as you entered the threshold, the room looked dimmer from being outside for so long. You blinked, trying to get your eyes to adjust to the dim room.

“We need to help Hange!”

“What we need to do is escape the temple!” Levi pulled you down the hallway. You huffed, trying to catch your breath as you and Levi entered the large stone room. Then Levi turned to you with a finger against his lips. Your eyes went wide, and you realized Levi could hear something. The sound of clamoring running was coming from the staircase. Marleyan Cultists were making their way towards you. “Shit! It sounds like there are more than three.”

“What do you want me to do?” You asked in a hushed voice, waiting to hear Levi’s orders. Then Levi stuck his hand into a small pouch attached to his waist. Levi then held out an egg-shaped shiny object.

“Take this. It’s a flash crystal. If we get into a situation where you need to defend yourself or a cultist is going to capture you and you can’t get away just from running, use this. Throw it on the ground, and the crystal will shatter, sending a blinding cloud of crystal dust covering a large area for a few seconds. I have two left. Use it wisely and only when you need to.” You gripped the egg-shaped flash crystal that had a faint blue hue.

“I will.” The men running from the direction of the staircase were approaching closer.

“That staircase can’t be the only way to get between levels of the temple.” Then Levi pointed to one of the doorways that led down another hall. “Stay out of sight until I’m done killing these men.”

You nodded, obeying Levi’s orders and hurried to one of the halls. Levi leaned with his back against the wall, his hand gripped the sword at the ready and he held his shield flushed against his body. You peeked from behind the opening to the hall, keeping an eye on Levi in case there was some way to help him. The group of men were approaching and their feet beat the stone flooring. Their voices got louder as they headed toward the stone doors that led out to the upper bailey where they thought you were.

“Just through those doors!” One man’s gruff voice echoed through the hall. The men entered the large main room from the hall one by one. They held their swords, ready to capture you if they were to see you. The first five didn’t notice Levi.

The last one in the group entered and then Levi advanced toward him. Levi used his left arm—where the sapphire shield was attached—to wrap it around the sixth man’s chest. He pulled him backward and sliced the man’s throat. The man shouted and let out an agonizing cry as blood seeped from his neck and the light faded from his eyes. The five other cultists turned around and gasped at the sight of Levi slaying their comrade. They pivoted on their feet and advanced to Levi.

Levi pulled the sword from the grip of the cultist’s hand and swiftly threw the sword at one of the five charging men. The sword impaled the man’s left eye, and he fell backward at the force. You cringed, watching him writhe on the ground, holding his face. Levi pushed the body of the man he had into another cultist with blonde hair. Then Levi parried his steel sword into a sword that a lanky, tall cultist held. Another cultist, who was bald, charged at Levi. Levi rammed his sapphire shield into the tall cultist and pivoted on his feet. He twisted toward the bald cultist and swung his sword, slicing into cheeks. The bald man yelled and Levi turned to the tall cultist and stabbed him in the neck. The other cultist, who was a larger, burly man, rammed into Levi, pinning him into the wall.

You squeaked and covered your mouth. The air was sucked out of Levi’s chest and the burly man pressed Levi against the wall. Levi’s sharp eyes glared into the beefy man’s and Levi gritted his teeth. Levi’s right arm was pinned between the shield and his own chest. He couldn’t use his sword. Levi let go of the steel crested handle of his sword and wormed his arm free. When his sword hit the ground, a harsh metallic clang rang out. He kicked the burly man’s shin, causing him to let out a strangled groan. Levi reached for one of the torches along the stone wall and shoved the lit flame into the burly man’s face. Levi shoved him off, then picked up his sword from the stone floor.

The blonde man advanced on Levi and Levi held out his shield and charged. Levi swept the blonde man off his feet, raised his sword, and brought the steel weapon down onto the man’s chest. The blonde man cried out as he felt the emerald jeweled sword rip into the skin of his body.

Levi turned toward the bald man with blood and spit dripping from the cuts in his cheeks. He swung the sword aggressively and the bald man blocked Levi’s sword. The burly man with blotchy red skin on his face yelled and swung his sword at Levi’s abdomen. With his left hand, Levi quickly grabbed the handle of the amber jeweled sword in his sheath and pulled it out in time to block the impaling of the burly man’s sword.

Levi pushed against the bald man and the burly man with all his might. They stumbled backward, and Levi used the two jeweled swords to slice their necks. As their bodies fell to the floor, Levi stepped to the man writhing with the sword in his left eye. Levi gripped the sword and pulled it out of the man’s eye. The man let out an anguished wail and Levi used the sword to cut into his neck. Then Levi dropped the cultist’s sword and the metal blade rang, the last sound as the dim stone room fell to silence again.

“Levi?” Your voice was low. Who knew if there were more cultists heading toward you and Levi? He turned to you and put the amber sword back into the sheath on his hip. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Come with me! We’re going to check the staircase for more cultists!” Levi huffed, and he rubbed his right cheek with his hand. You emerged from your place in the hall and entered the threshold into the large stone room. Your eyes didn’t leave Levi’s form, avoiding the sight of the bloody bodies that Levi slayed. The temple trembled again, masking the echoes of your and Levi’s steps. The shuddering caused you to lose your balance and the apprehensive fear of the ceiling collapsing returned. You stayed close to Levi, seeking comfort in his presence. The tremors died as you reached the staircase.

The staircase was void of noises or more sounds of incoming cultists. Perhaps you were lucky and the men Levi killed were the only few who heard your screams. Levi motioned for you to follow him. As you descended the staircase, the dim torches lit the path, and the silence was comforting. Your eyes darted around for any sign of another ambush like the incident in the lower bailey.

“If Eren’s alive . . .” Levi whispered. “He should have the horses and we’ll be closer to a way out—”

“Eren’s also in the temple?” You furrowed eyebrows, focusing on each step you place your boots on. Eren was one of the few who made it through the temple entrance. “I saw you and a few others enter the gates to the temple. Where are they?”

“When we got past the gate, the fighting was non-stop. When I heard your voice, I told Eren and the others to protect the horses. They should be near the entrance.”

“So you really heard me from the tallest tower?” You glanced at the back of Levi’s head as you both continued down the stairs.

“Like I said, your voice projects.” Levi rubbed his right cheek again and gruffed frustratedly.

“Are you okay? It’s the stibnite thorns, isn’t it?”

“I’m fine,” Levi whispered. You eyed the tan slacks that Hange lent you to wear. You have been in the same dirty clothes for a while. There were some blood stains on the white cotton shirt from when you first hugged Levi when he entered the room in the tallest tower. Levi’s armor was filthier, covered in grime and blood from the bodies he had cut into. He rubbed his cheek aggressively and you felt helpless because you couldn’t take his pain away.

Another roar from Willy Tybur’s titan was heard outside the temple. The guttural cry was muffled within the stone walls on the staircase. Your heart raced and imagined Hange was resourcefully fighting to survive—to see you again. Your heart fluttered, imagining that Hange was doing everything they could to see you again. Hope coursed through your veins and fed your delusional thoughts for a perfect outcome.

“What do you think is happening outside?” You whispered. Levi didn’t speak. He continued down the stairs and his lack of response placed an awkward feeling in your heart. “Do you know if Hange is setting up a last-minute plan or something . . . ?” Levi’s back to you and his lack of acknowledgment was festering a frustrating knot in your chest. You pondered the idea that Levi was thinking of a horrid outcome for Hange.

“You saw what happened,” Levi stated and you furrowed your eyebrows. What was he talking about? Was he talking about when Hange got knocked backward from the force of the rocks?

“Didn’t you see?” You tried to worm your optimism through the cracks of Levi’s tough exterior. “Hange heard me! They looked at me.”

“Once we get to the horses, we’ll try to escape without the titan spotting us—”

“What about Hange?!” Your desperate whisper was met with a hesitation from Levi. Your nostrils flared and you exhaled heavier in the absence of a securing response. “We’re going to help them, right?”

Levi continued down the steps, neglecting the effort to meet your gaze.

“Hange’s current odds are not realistic.”

“Don’t you dare say that !” You hissed. Levi turned over his shoulder, stopping his pace, and eyed your defensive stance. A twisted feeling coiled around every part of your body and yanked hard, freezing you in place. You blinked rapidly, darting your eyes from Levi’s knowing steel eyes. Your face flushed as red as the hand Levi caught . . . “J-Just stay hopeful, please .”

As daunting as it was to take another step down, it felt even more harrowing to pass Levi down the steps as his eyes surveilled you.

“Might I remind you . . . Princess ,” The title spilling from his lips was brash and alluded to your destiny. “The day you came under my protection . . . I told you each knight sworn to lay down their lives for yours? What makes Hange above that ?”

Your heart thumped in your chest at Levi’s nuance. The precious moment you treasured of kissing Hange by the river loomed over you and was, once again, tainted by a negative connotation. Willy Tybur was watching you and now standing on the grand stone staircase of the Marleyan Cults’ temple it was like Levi was seeing every sacred moment you had with Hange . . .

What Hange said by the river . . . Played in your head . . .

I am going to die if we get caught . . .

Hange’s indulgence in temptation was something you refused to be known. The bond you grew with them in secret was your favorite. Hange’s your closest bond, and you haven’t met another soul that was indefectibly intertwined with yours. There has been no other person you were willing to go through hardships for. To live a life without Hange was meaningless and something to jettison . . . off a ledge or out a window . . .

“The day Hange joined the camp, you told me you thought we would be good friends. Do you regret your advice?” You whimpered out, not wanting to challenge Levi but wanting to defend Hange and yourself.

“I meant what I meant : companionship. Just friends.” You glanced over your shoulder, looking up at Levi as he stood higher on the staircase steps. His eyes were duller than you expected, not stern, and not charged. Levi’s face was unmistakably stunned.

“Levi . . .”

“You’re untouchable,” Levi whispered. “Hange is not . . . When you marry a man and become the Queen—The Ruler of the Walls . . . If you’re caught Hange will suffer the consequences of both your actions. Not the Queen . . . only Hange.”

“Please . . .” You plead, and though only Levi heard your words, it was like you were pleading with a higher entity. Something more substantial, something that could change your fate. But it seemed . . . as each day continued, you were living a life that was going to happen since the day you were born. Each day was another day closer to your destiny, whether it was to become Queen or the key to a cult’s ritual.

A voice deep inside you plead in the distance. Hange’s your destiny . . .

“I suggest your friendship does not continue.” Your eyes were glossy and you turned to take a step higher—closer to Levi. Closer to a gamble where the odds are likely not in your favor. Closer to a line you didn’t want to cross. You took another step up, leveling your face to Levi’s and your heart pounded, knowing the cards you would play to protect yourself and Hange.

“I care about you so much, Levi and I am so thankful for everything you have given me,” you wrapped your arms around Levi and sniffled. You held on to the version of Levi you were fond and grateful for. Then you pulled back and your glossy eyes stared into his solemn eyes. As the turmoil of possibly crossing a line with Levi twisted in your mind, you swallowed the thick, guilty thoughts that weighed on your conscience. Daring to speak the secret Hange told you. Then, the vow you made with yourself the night in Flegel’s Farm while watching Hange sleep crossed your mind. There’s Hange Zoe and you and those who wanted to harm Hange Zoe and you. As friendly as you could, you played your cards. “I hope both our secret relationships stay a secret.”

The sound of feet shuffling from below the staircase sent a threatening pang in your chest. You gasped at the audible sounds of another presence. You glanced at Levi to see if he heard the noises, too.

“Quick through that door!” Levi pointed at the closest door in the staircase. He ran down a few steps and tried the knob to the door. The door didn’t seem like it led to the main level of the temple, as all the major levels were led out by a stone arch leading to a hall into a large stone room. The wooden door opened with a shrill creak. As you urgently stepped down the stairs, you took one last peek down the staircase. A short man with wide eyes—who was just as surprised to see you—was standing at the curve of the stairs. You heard his gasp as you hurried through the door. Levi slammed it shut and leaned his weight against the door.

“Go on! GO!” Levi held a strong stance, his shoulder against the door and his shield pressed against it. The man tried the doorknob from the other side of the door and when the door wouldn’t budge, he banged on it.

“THE PRINCESS IS OVER HERE!” The man’s voice called through the staircase. You choked on the air and were paralyzed by fear.

“Run! I’ll hold them back for as long as possible!” Levi said, and then the cultist's clamoring sounds approached from behind the door.

“But—”

“I’LL BE FINE!” Levi gruffed as the wooden door splinted at the impact of a cultist charging at it. The repetitive impacts of thudding made you turn on your heel and head down the hall. The stone hallway was dim, and barely any torches were on the wall. This part of the temple was visibly darker than the previous parts. As you made it further down the hall, with the sounds of men ramming into the door echoing, you came across a four-way junction.

Each direction continued into another hall. You panted desperately, trying to catch your breath. The pinching feeling in your lungs from running returned, and your throat burned. You turned around to see Levi holding the door while keeping an eye on you. While standing in the middle of the four-hall meetings, you noticed how dark each hall became, as this part of the temple was neglected in maintenance. You turned to Levi and pointed down the right hall, ensuring he saw your chosen path.

Levi’s stance against the door was shifting as the force of the men was stampeding the door. You ran down the hall with ragged breaths. At the end of the hall was the silhouette of a wooden door. Your heart dropped. What if the door was for a closet or a dead-end room that led nowhere? You blinked back the tears that were forming from the pressure building in your eyes and your nose.

In the distance, the wooden door banged against the stone wall. Your eyes went wide, and you looked behind you at where the center of the four halls met. Men were shouting over each other. The halls were filled with threatening voices chasing after Levi. You heard the drive in their voice of them wanting to kill Levi and retrieve you in their possession.

Then Levi’s figure sprinted into view at the center of the halls. He was holding something and he furiously threw it onto the ground. The crack of what he threw sounded like glass shattering and then a huge cloud of turquoise dust bursted into a large cloud. The large crystal cloud of turquoise dust blinded the area of the halls. Your eyes wandered through the visible destruction for any sign of Levi.

So that’s what the flash crystal does.

The men’s voices grunted and there were cluttering sounds of metal. The cultists collided with one another as they were caught off guard by the flash crystal. Emerging from the cloud of smoke, Levi dashed toward you down the hall. You continued to the door at the end of the hall, and Levi caught up to you. The men were still clueless in the cloud of crystal dust—Levi’s plan worked. Levi passed you and reached for the door before you. He waved his arm impatiently as the door creaked open.

It was pitch black behind the door. There was a twinge in your gut—a foreboding feeling. You ran through the door and Levi closed the creaky wooden door gently.

The men were heard shouting questionably about which direction you and Levi went. Both you and Levi were panting, trying to catch your breath in the pitch darkness. Then, there was movement in the dark, followed by a clinking sound.

“Did you see that?” You froze at the sound of another woman’s voice. Then, you held out your right hand, searching for Levi’s body. Chills tickled your neck.

“There’s two people in here with us.” Another falsetto voice whispered.

“One’s a girl.”

“A free girl!” The curious voice sounded like it was from a young child coming from the right side of the pitch-black void.

“Not anymore.”

“She’s new.”

“They can hear you.” More metal sounds rattled and you realized you had heard that sound before.

“There was only one man.”

“Stay quiet, and you won’t be chosen.” The whispers of women’s voices overlapped, and it sounded like many different voices were in the room with you.

“Who’s there?”

“Someone’s in the room with us.” A woman whispered from your left.

“What are they doing?”

“Light a match.”

“A new girl is in the ward.” Another woman sounded further away.

“A new girl?” Whispers from the distance were heard.

“A new girl.”

“Is the girl from here?”

“Pass it along.”

“Maybe she’s from a different ward?”

“I’m scared.” The whispers were so close that they were nearly in your ear. You could practically feel the hot breath on you.

“A girl and a man are in the room with us.”

“How unfortunate.” Another woman whispered grimly.

“She’s free for now.”

“What’s going on?”

“Didn’t you see a man with another girl come in?”

“Mom, is it true?”

“A girl and a man are in the room with us.” Their overlapping voices were overwhelming and Levi snaked an arm around your waist. You leaned against his cold, grimy steel armor—which was more comforting than the various voices of the unknown women.

“Where did they come from?”

“What’s going on outside?”

There’s a girl in the room with us.”

“Stay quiet.”

“I saw a man, too.”

“I hope I’m not chosen!”

There was a scraping sound and a flicker of faint light in the darkness. A flame from a match lit up the room, revealing a large, long room. Many beds were against the walls and were disorganized in the middle of the room. Women were sitting on their beds with their glowing eyes gazing at you. A few had children sitting on the bed and some were on the floor. Their hollow faces were analyzing you—waiting to see what you’d do.

“That’s a knight!” A woman whispered excitedly and pointed at Levi.

“A knight!?”

Behind the wooden door, the crystal cloud of dust was beginning to settle, and the men’s voices were getting louder. The men were planning to split up and search for you and Levi.

“He’s from the outside.”

“Is he here to save us?!”

“Why is the temple shaking?”

“Help us!” A woman said shrieked.

“Outside?”

“Let’s go!” Levi said in your ear and you clung unto him.

“She’s free.”

“Help us!” Another woman wailed. Levi guided you through the dark and a cacophony of metal clanged. Levi weaved through the beds using the chained woman’s match as a guide.

“Wait!” You felt a woman’s hand claw at your shirt.

“Please don’t go!” Another woman’s voice said behind you. The chains rang throughout the room as the desperate woman reached out for you.

“Come back!” A woman sobbed.

“Take my daughter!”

“Help us!”

“Do you know what they do to us?”

“I want to be free!”

“Help!” A woman gripped Levi’s arm and he shoved her away. She wailed at the loss of her grasp on freedom.

“Save me!”

“He’s from the castle!” Their begging voices grew louder.

“God, please!” Your eyes met with a woman with a large round stomach.

“I’m sorry!” You cried.

“Wait!”

“Take the girls!”

“Get rid of the light so they can’t escape!” Hands reached for you and Levi, only being held back by the chains. Their eyes were cold and faded. Your stomach twisted at the sight of the hollow women chained to their beds. You noticed there were scratch markings above one of the beds on the wall. The unknown length of time they are kept in the dark made you sob.

“Yes! Do it!”

“No . . .”

“Come back, please!” Another woman sobbed.

”Mister, take my daughter!”

”You’re our only hope! Come back!”

“I beg, take me with you.”

”My sister is dying please free us!”

“Stop them!” The voice came from behind you.

“ . . . they have to go . . .” Another hand gripped your arm briefly, only for her to let go when you became out of reach.

“Stop!”

“Grab them!”

”Break my chains with your sword!”

“Sir, come back!”

“They haven’t fed us in two days!”

“They took my son!”

“ . . . they have to survive . . .” Their pleas were louder and overwhelming. You could hear their broken voices as they were watching you move freely. You clung to Levi for more comfort as he briskly moved past the chained women.

“Help me, sir, please!”

“I was taken!”

“Take my daughter, please!”

”I beg you please take me with you!”

“Kill me!”

“Save me!”

“Please! My daughter’s at the castle!"

“God Dammit help us!”

“Free us!”

“Come back! I beg you, please!”

“Unchain me!”

“I don’t want to live this life.”

“ . . . because they know we exist . . .” A few pairs of hands gripped your shirt. They tugged you backward, begging for your attention. Levi sternly pulled you closer to him and moved toward the door on the other side of the room.

“I’m sorry!” You cried back.

“ . . . they’ll tell our story . . .” You closed your eyes, not wanting to look at the faces of the hollow women. Their disheartening wails and begging were making your stomach twist again.

“Get back here!”

“Mister knight!”

“I’ll do anything for freedom.”

“ . . . and maybe one day . . .” You held onto Levi for comfort as the tears blurred your vision. The symphony of sobs and wailing filled your ears and you whimpered.

“Don’t leave us!”

“What’s happening?!”

”Don’t ignore us god damn it!”

”Someone save me!”

“Come back, I'm sorry!”

“I’m dying.”

“Don’t let them get away!”

“Stop!”

“ . . . they will come back and free all of us.” Levi shoved away the hands that grasped his armor. He grunted and with an unyielding stride, he headed to the door.

“Please!”

“Help me!”

“It’ll take two seconds!”

Tears streamed down your face as Levi reached for the wooden door. The door led out to another dim stone hallway. As Levi closed the door, the chained women sobbed out their final desperate cries for freedom.

You pulled away from Levi, shaking. Your lip quivered, and you couldn’t muster the words to ask what that was. Levi held your biceps shushing you, calmingly.

“Focus on your breathing.” He said.

“W-What—” You wheezed out. “—Levi, what were those women doing in the dark?” Your breath was ragged and your chest heaved.

“It seemed . . .” Levi chose his words carefully. He paused and there was a despairing look behind his eyes. “Those women are meant to raise the children born in the Marleyan Cult.” Your brain was fuzzy and you couldn’t find the words to reply. “We need to go, Princess.”

You slowly nodded. Moving felt foreign and wrong. The shock of what you saw and heard was penetrating and forcing itself to be the only thing on your mind. The sight of the woman with a large stomach flashed in your mind. Your breath hitched and you stared off.

Levi led you down the dim hallway and your legs were numb as they carried you along with Levi. The women’s cries replayed in your mind and it felt like you stopped breathing. You followed Levi down another hall and the weary, weak feeling of a long day wore on you. You blinked and wiped your tears away, wanting to stay alert and helpful to Levi.

“So they just . . . stay there?” Your voice was light, and though it was yours, it sounded far away, almost as if you hadn’t spoken it yourself. Levi didn’t answer you. He kept heading down another hallway. The restraining sounds the chains made while the women reached for your help polluted your thoughts.

“There’s another staircase over here!” Levi pointed out an arch opening at the end of another hall. You hoped the spiral staircase led closer to the main level of the temple.

From outside, the Founding Titan roaring pulled you away from the thoughts of the breeding women. Hange crossed your mind, and then a second wind spread inside you. You wanted to see Hange—you knew that Hange was alive. You followed Levi to the staircase and when you got to the steps, you and Levi listened for any sign of another group of Marleyan Cultists.

The descending steps were long and barely any openings led out to other levels. The pinching feeling in your lungs returned and you hurried quickly after Levi. After a few moments, there was another arch opening in the wall.

“Do you think this is the main level?” You whispered and Levi nodded, agreeing with you. The torches on the wall brightly lit the stone hallway.

“Yeah, I think so.” Levi went first into the hallway. The hallway led out to a large stone room where four bodies laid. Their puddled blood was dried and painted the stone floor. You followed Levi down another long hall where dead cultist bodies were slumped against the wall or blocking the path where you had to step over them. A familiar large stone room was at the end of the long hall and many bloody corpses were lying on the ground and on top of each other. “Just over there is the entrance hall.”

You could barely breathe at the anticipation of being closer to Hange and leaving the temple behind. You wanted to forget this happened and forget what you saw in the women’s ward.

The familiar cloying odor of horse stench wafted into your nose. The stench was comforting as it was another sign of being closer to escaping. The long day weighed on your shoulders and you made sure not to trip over the clutter of scattered cultists’ bodies. Levi led you out to a bright stone room, and you turned to your left.

Light from the grey sky and smoke burst through a twenty-foot-tall entryway. The heavy, grand metal doors were against the wall and outside were a few horses on the walkway leading toward the portcullis gates. Eight brown horses and one black horse. You gasped, seeing Levi’s black horse standing with her tail bouncing like it was a casual day and there wasn’t a sea of dead bodies surrounding her.

“Oh my gosh!” You cried and ran through the temple entrance. The sight of Levi’s beautiful, healthy horse elated you. Levi huffed in disbelief and then followed after you. Though the sky was grey and filled with smoke, the air was light, giving you a sense of safety.

Beauty nickered and lowered her neck, aligning her muzzle with your face. As you approached her, you slowed down and reached out to pet her mane. You gave her a soft smile and looked at her dark eyes. Then you wrapped your arms around her neck, wanting to give her affection.

“Captain Levi!” A familiar voice said to your right. Eren waved at both of you and stood along a cracked wall opening. Levi ran over to him and you followed after him. Eren was covered in blood and blood was smeared on his face. There were several cuts along his cheek and neck. “It’s just me.”

“Eren!” You jumped on him and wrapped your arms around his waist. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m alright, your Highness. It’s just us left.”

“W-What?” You pulled away in disbelief and Eren’s grim green eyes were firm.

“I haven’t seen anyone else besides us and Dame Hange,” Eren said, motioning for you and Levi to follow him through the opening in the wall.

next chapter: chapter 25: Dead by Daylight

masterlist chapter index

#hanji zoe #hange x reader #hange zoe #hanji x reader #hange zoe x reader #hanji zoe x reader

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inspofromancientworld · 6 months ago

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Flowers of Mythology - Iris

There are 310 species in the family of iris, or flags, or junos as they might be called. They are perennial plants that can spread through rhizomes (underground roots) or through bulbs, depending on the climate. They have long stems that stand up right, either with or without branches, hollow or solid, and have a flattened or circular cross-section. The flower is six-lobed and fan shaped and might be in groups of one or more. Three of the petals usually stand up called 'standards' and three droop down, called 'falls', some with small hairlike fibers called a 'beard'. Sometimes the standards are smaller than the falls. In some iris, all six petals stand up like the standards and are joined at their base. The petals can be veined, striped, or spotted and a wide variety of colors. They are found in temperate areas in the Northern Hemisphere naturally, usually in dry, semi-desert; rocky, mountainous areas; meadowlands or grassy slopes; or woodland bogs or riverbanks. Yellow iris is often used in purifying water from agricultural runoff because it grows quickly. Some states ban it, though, because it can grow fast enough to clog natural waterways.

By Diosphos Painter - Marie-Lan Nguyen (2010), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9859332

There are many myths about the iris around the world. Iris is the Greek word for rainbow the halo of the moon. Iris is also the daughter of Thaumas, a sea god, and Electra, an Oceanid water-nymph. She serves as a messenger of the gods and their servant, especially to Hera. There are many myths about her.

By Manfred Werner/Tsui - CC by-sa 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52166234

In the Titanomachy, when the Olympians under Zeus fought against the Titans, Iris and her sister Arke (meaning swift or quick) sided with the Olympians, though Arke changed sides. Zeus removed Arke's wings and they were regifted until they eventually became the wings on Achilles' sandals. Iris was allowed to keep her wings and maintain her position as messenger of the gods alongside Hermes, though she mostly served Hera.

By René-Antoine Houasse - officiel-galeries-musees, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30587859

Iris, in her capacity as messenger, is sent to Demeter with a message from Zeus to lift the curse she cast over the earth when Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, sent by Zeus to Heracles to free Prometheus after Leto, mother of Artemis and Apollo, pleads with Zeus for his release, had to leave Hypnos, the god of sleep, quickly after delivering a message for Hera as his powers were working on her, is the messenger in the Iliad, conveyed Leto's bribe to Eileithya, goddess of childbirth, on her ninth day of labor, though she also had to convey Hera's orders for no one to offer Leto shelter in an attempt to prevent her twins from being born and informed Hera of the twin's birth. She is nearly assaulted by satyrs after being sent by Hera to disrupt their worship of Dionysus.

By Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany - British MuseumUploaded by Marcus Cyron, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30151848

Despite how many myths Iris is involved in, she doesn't seem to have been worshiped much, unlike Hermes, who had cult centers. She had no temples, shrines or festivals. Though she has very few known sculptures, she was a relatively common figure on vases and was on the west pediment of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

#iris #ancient greek mythology #flowers of mythology

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cosmok13 · 1 year ago

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Demeter: Greek Goddess of Agriculture

Demeter is the Greek Goddess of Agriculture, meaning she played an important role for the mortals by planting and growing their crops. Demeter was in charge of tending the fields, ensuring plants, fruits and vegetables would grow. Not only would these crops be used for the humans to feast upon, but they were also to be sacrificed for the Gods. This meant Demeter was in charge of feeding the humans and ensuring her family would have the sacrifices they requested. Demeter was the daughter of the titans Rhea and Kronos, she was the third of the six that they had. She would be swallowed up by her father when she was born, but would later be saved by her youngest brother, Zeus, and would then take her place as one of the 12 Olympians during the reign of the Gods and Goddesses.

While Demeter's most famous story is the 'Homeric Hymn to Demeter/The Abduction of Persephone', she has played a part in many other stories. Though not to many have been recovered, one other story that has Demeter as the main character, involves her wrath with a mortal king. "The Wrath of Demeter" is recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. King Erysichthon was cutting down a sacred grove that belonged to the Goddess, as it was a sanctuary for the dryads to live in as it provided shelter. Within the heart of the grove, a massive oak tree stood tall with tablets and garlands decorating it. The king grabbed his axe and cut down the trunk. He did not care that this tree was sacred to Demeter, in fact he stated that he would cut down the tree even if it was the Goddess herself. He did not even hesitate when the tree began to bleed red blood. The tree was in fact a dryad that was beloved by Demeter, but the King does not take the warning and continues to kill the dryad.

The surviving dryads who witness the murder told Demeter what had occurred. Disturbed and upset at the loss of her sacred grove and favorite dryad, she remorse's before getting her revenge. Demeter then comes up with a punishment for the King, by summoning Limos, the goddess of starvation and the opposite to Demeter. Despite their differences, Limos takes up Demeter's request for revenge and heads to the King's palace, where she inflicts him with the curse of eternal hunger. Despite having a buffet of food at his command, no matter how much the King eats, he's never satisfied and only gets more hungry the more he consumes. In a desperation to buy more food, he ends up draining his finances and treasures. He even ends up selling his daughter, Mestra. No matter how much he eats and all of that work, in the end the King is too overwhelmed with his ravenous hunger he can only satisfy himself by resorting to self-cannibalism.

Another story involving Demeter happens during her search for her daughter. Demeter disguises herself as a mortal woman, looking much older, becoming a nurse to the royal family of Eleusis - a major cult center of Demeter and Persephone. She cares for the baby prince, Demophon, in an attempt to heal the hole in her heart of losing her daughter. She becomes attached to the prince, so much so she uses fire to burn away his mortality little by little, to turn him into a demigod as he grows. One night, his mother, Metanira, sees what Demeter is doing and puts a stop to her actions, thus disrupting the ritual. Demeter reveals her true identity, and allows them to make it up to her by having them build her a temple as their apology. This temple would be the one she ends up taking refuge in during her strike and becomes her place she hibernates in during the Winter.

Of course, the most well known myth involving Demeter was her own hymn, also known as the abduction of Persephone. In Ancient Greece, it was a common law that women were own by men either by their fathers or their husbands. When a daughter is born, she belongs to her father and only he has the power to decide who his daughter marries off with. The story of Demeter and Persephone was in deed the case. In the story, Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, was playing with her friends while her mother was tending to some fields. Without any warning, the ground beneath her split open, and Persephone was taken by force by Hades, the King of the Underworld, and was dragged down with him. Demeter, hearing the cries of her daughter, rushed to find Persephone, but saw no sign of her.

Demeter had looked around, asking everyone from gods to nymphs on the whereabouts of where her daughter was. Unfortunately, no one would tell her the truth. In reality, Zeus had given his daughter, Persephone, away to his brother, Hades, to be his queen and wife. And instead of telling both Persephone and Demeter of this arrangement, Zeus allowed Hades to merely take Persephone without informing her mother. And since it was an order of Zeus, barely any dared to talk about it for fear of his wrath. After nine long, agonizing days of searching, with the help of Hecate, Demeter had called upon the Titan god, Helios to learn the whereabouts of her daughter. Helios, with a heavy heart informed Demeter that her daughter had been sold off to Hades as it was the order of Zeus. This shocked and horrified Demeter, as she had lost her daughter because of her brother and husband. Despite Helios trying to cheer Demeter up that Hades was a good match for Persephone, Demeter merely mourned.

Without the laughter and smile of her daughter, the Goddess no longer had the will to tend to her duties. She rejected her title, and allowed the crops to wither. Snow was born, as was winter and the fertility of the fields were baren. The humans were losing their food source, and had to conserve what they could even if that meant no longer giving sacrifices to the gods. When Zeus realized the lack of sacrifices, he had ordered Demeter to get back to her job. Demeter refused, and continued her strike. Despite the pleads of her brothers and sisters, no matter what they said or what they brought her, the only thing that would make Demeter happy would be to have her daughter once again. Finally, Zeus gives in and sends Hermes to retrieve Persephone from the Underworld. Persephone, despite her new title as queen, misses her mother just as much and jumps at the chance to go back to her, despite already being bound to Hades.

When Demeter sees Persephone coming to her, the Goddess immediately embraced her daughter. The pair were reunited and happy. Of course, due to Persephone eating seeds of pomegranate in the Underworld, she would have to be bound to that place for all eternity. However, because she only ate a few seeds from the fruit, she would only have to go back one month for every seed she ate. The number of seeds vary in each retelling: sometimes it's 3, or 4 and most it's 6. Despite this setback, Demeter and Persephone make the most of their arrangements. From then on, every time Persephone was sent to go back to the Underworld, Demeter would take a break from her jobs and let the earth grow cold, creating fall and winter. When Persephone would come back, the fields would bloom with new crops and flowers, signaling spring and summer. And while Persephone might have grown accustomed to being with Hades and eventually accepting him, there is no doubt that she is truly happy when she is with her mother, Demeter.

Wow, I had way more to say on this than I thought! But Demeter is one of my favorite goddesses in Greek mythology. And since she is often misrepresented, I think it's only fair to give her the respect she has been long overdue. In all seriousness though, I was going to post this on Mother's Day yesterday, but things got in the way and I ended up forgetting. But hey, I'm doing it now! And what better way to pay tribute to Mother's day than by acknowledging one of the best mother's and caretakers in Greek Mythology. Don't let those "Romantic" retellings of Persephone's abduction fool you, the only love that the story was displaying was parental love between mother and daughter!

I went with the dark green and yellows for Demeter, since she is often associated with crops and wheat I thought it was fitting of her. I also tried to give her white streaks in her hair, not only to represent her age, but as a means to showcase how she allows winter to happen. I ended up using paint on marker for the hair and... eh, it could have turned out better. I think I did a good job on the background though with the fields and plants! I also added a temple for her as a reference to that one story listed above. I also tried to make her look a bit older and gave her the mom body shape! Because Demeter is best mom! Anyone who would still look for their missing kid and be willing to shake the Zeus down to get their kid back has my respect! Besides we all know who the real villain in the hymn really is.... it's Zeus!

#diamond dotz #greek gods #goddess #demeter #greek religion #greek mythology #greek goddess #mothers day #hymn to demeter

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letiel · 7 months ago

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Shelter - Destiny AU

The bell behind the statue of Lord Jolder harbored the soft echo of Kai’s breath on every slow exhale. It amplified the shuffle of his boots on chilled stone. Each sigh carried to its mighty crown, expanded into an ethereal weight before settling back onto his beleaguered shoulders.

It was hard to tell how long he had been there, as still as the statues, emulating their eternal, silent vigil. The braziers were as cold as they had been for a century. Even for the sake of shelter, ceremony and respect kept Kai in the dark. This was a holy place, every bit a mausoleum as it was a temple, dedicated to the greats who came before, in whose footsteps Kai had been trained. Even if he hadn’t met them himself, their stories and memories were a lifeline to his tired soul.

He hadn’t known where else to go.

Sitting in silence, mourning in quiet contemplation… lost.

Erebus had said nothing since they left, however long ago that may have been. The Ghost needed its own alone time to gather its thoughts, process its feelings. They hadn’t agreed on the decision Kai had made, and in the wake of tragedy, Erebus was having a hard time finding the right words for its Guardian.

Kai didn’t react when the creak of the mountain rent the air, the mighty stone doors of the sanctuary opening like a maw in the mountainside. A glow from the hallway warmed the space, spreading the light of the distant sun to terracotta and gravestone. He didn’t react when he heard the heavy footsteps, nor the pitter patter of paw pads in the dust. The sound echoed around the circular chamber, danced with the carvings, and played with the bells.

He only looked up from his daze when a nose sniffed along his boots, his knees, and then his face. The wolf’s amber eyes were an island of color in a dull place, surrounded by gray fur. It curiously licked his face and he slowly reached up to run his fingers through the dense fur of its ruff. It licked him again and then lost interest, moving on as a beam of white, artificial light swept along his balcony shelter and settled on his face.

Kai squinted and held a hand up to protect his eyes. His hood protected one but the other strained to see the offending party. The light apologetically lowered to the floor beside him, and his eyes adjusted with a few blinks.

Lord Saladin, Kai’s former mentor, towered above him, watching Kai from behind his helmet’s visor. He was a relic himself, one of two Iron Lords that remained and the keeper of Felwinter Peak. They studied each other in silence, wallowing in the weight of their mutual exhaustion, the understanding of near immortal suffering, and the absence of pity.

Kai wasn’t sure what Saladin saw looking down at him. He wasn’t sure what the Titan thought nor how he wanted to feel being perceived without his Mark or heavy armor. Was there life left to see in his eyes? Was he as ashen and empty as he felt deep in his chest?

The legend shifted the weight of his machine gun so he could kneel and put a hand on Kai’s shoulder reassuringly. He squeezed once, stood, and then walked on with his pack in tow.

The minutes passed, and then the darkness of the mountain settled in once more. Silence fell like snow on the peaks. The soft ring of the bells stilled.

And Kai was, once more, alone.

He took a deep breath and felt the lingering of Saladin’s touch on his shoulder, a point of warmth in frozen stillness.

And time resumed its endless march towards healing.

#my writing #destiny AU #kai silberne #Lord Saladin #sad times but Saladin is best Titan uncle even when you aren't a Titan anymore

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parkerbombshell · 1 year ago

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From Whispers To Screams -2014 part 2 //Cellophane

Thursdays 11:00am-1pm EST bombshellradio.com #indierock #neo-psychedelia #indiepop #artrock Repeats Fridays 3am EST 1. The1 I Prefer Your Love - St. Vincent 2 First love / late spring - Mitski 3 Chandelier - Sia 4 A Dream of You and Me - Future Islands 5 Anywhere - Interpol 6 Safety Net - Total Control 7 The Lord's Favorite - Iceage 8 Palidez - Jose Domingo 9 The Refractory - Wovenhand 10 Red Eyes - The War On Drugs 11 Rimbaud Eyes - Dum Dum Girls 12 John Michael - Russian Red 13 Tarifa - Sharon Van Etten 14 Witness - Joan As Police Woman 15 Ojos Color Sol - Calle 13 16 Floor of the Ocean - Mark Lanegan 17 One Breath Away - Billy Idol 18 Shelter Song - Temples 19 Somewhere To Land - The Soundcarriers 20 Keep It Healthy - Warpaint 21 Nothing But Trouble - Phantogram 22 Cellophane - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard 23 Smell Of Gasoline - The Reverend Horton Heat 24 Come On Over - Royal Blood 25 Screen Shot - Swans 26 Retreat! - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 27 Toumast Tincha - Tinariwen 28 Little Maggie - Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters 29 Morning - Beck 30 Is this dust really from the Titanic? - Car Seat Headrest Read the full article

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enchantinglyjade · 2 years ago

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Rise of the Titans

Prologue

OC! x Loki

Masterlist | Next

Another quiet night falls on the kingdom in the sky. Life on the planet is on high alert. Even the grass seems to understand the tension that flows through the air, standing stiff and sharp against the moonlight. All is still.

The Goddess Mother stands alone in a temple. A baby, no more than a few days old, in her hands, supported over a bath of golden nectar. The baby’s cries echo through the maze of columns within the building, as it grasps out for anything to hold.

“I, your mother, Gaia, grant you the power of creation. Upon my death, my own abilities shall also be passed down for you to possess. I, Gaia, grant you the power of divinity and immortality. My daughter, Arali, you are now reborn as ‘Goddess of Fertility’.”

The woman lowers the baby into the liquid, letting the nectar all but consume the child. Bubbles rise to the surface of the liquid until the muffled tears subside into a silence. After a moment of submerging, Gaia lifts the child back into the air with an eager smile. A soft golden hue emits from the baby, as nectar drips from its form and its loud cries once again bounce off the walls.

Gaia had created her child as a last minute resort in hope that the baby could one day restore peace to their kingdom. She had seen the chaos brewing beneath the surface of Mount Olympus and knew the fate that would soon fall on her and her family. With her husband dead and their corrupted son now on the throne, she had but one choice. She used the last bits of her dying magic to create a life within the confines of her stomach that would soon blossom into her predecessor. Perhaps this daughter could protect the life that resided on their Earth once her mother finally withered away.

Arali was born with a head full of orange spirals, similar in color to the autumn leaves that would fall from the trees when Persephone would descend back to the Underworld. She has forest green eyes, and warm honey skin that was a few shades lighter than that of her mother’s. She was small for a Titan, the obvious runt of the family. It seems as though she was born to stand out, an odd child she is indeed. She is strong and determined, but also so pure. She is caring and full of emotion, a weakness among the court. She is reserved, doesn’t spend much time around her elder siblings, and instead would seek company from animals, drawn mostly towards those of prey. From her few years living amongst the gods she had gained the nickname ‘mikró elafína’ or ‘little doe’, which was not exactly a compliment towards the young princess.

The child grew up within the palace walls, happy and naive to the death and rebellion that was slowly rising outside. Gaia did her best to shelter her elafína from danger, keeping her hidden from the other gods, and even more from the rest of Olympia.

She was close to her big brother Hyperion, and big sister, Rhea. Hyperion is always happy and will often accompany Arali while she roams the castle. Rhea will teach her about their shared nature based powers while their mother rests. Both hope to protect the young one from the wars happening just outside her room, each knowing how important her role is to the safety of their people.

However, before Arali was born, things weren’t always so innocent and happy for the Goddess Mother. Ouranos, Gaia’s now dead husband, once wise and humane, grew into a crew and gruesome leader. He’d punish his own people for upsetting him in the slightest of ways, and even went as far as banishing some of his own children to the depths of Tartarus. Gaia, appalled by his behavior, figured there was only one option left to stop him, and met with her remaining children to plan Ouranos’ murder. Cronus, their youngest son, was determined to show his bravery to his family and was eager to help in her plan. However, her other children were not, for they feared their father’s power. Cronus eventually managed to convince his siblings and they reluctantly joined his fight, successfully murdering their father and freeing their people of his reign. But as his son held a dagger to his heart, Ouranos warned Cronus, “You will be cursed my same fate.”

They threw the dead king’s body into the ocean. Little did they know, a young Aphrodite would emerge from the magic that wept from his corpse and be found by the soon to be Olympians.

Cronus quickly settled into his life as the new King ruling by his mother’s side, but was still haunted by Ouranos. Heeding his father’s last words, Cronus had cast out his own children, demanding to have them killed far away from the kingdom, in fear that they would overthrow him much like how he did his own father. Unbeknownst to him, Gaia and Rhea had helped the children to safety. They were raised among the mortals of Olympia, and were highly admired by them, so much that they often viewed them as their real leaders and protectors. The Titans may be ruling their people through a golden age, but it was no doubt that one day the Olympians would discover their truth and come for Cronus’ head.

In the meantime, the Titans were working on strengthening their more intergalactic alliances, specifically that with their most trustworthy ally, the Asgardians. Gaia is close to Odin and Frigga, the king and queen of Asgard, who much prefer doing business with her compared to her son, Cronus. Gaia is always compassionate, but knows when to be stern. She is a caring leader, looked up to by the people of Olympia, whereas her son tends to be more cutthroat and rules with fear and insecurity.

Gaia introduced Frigga to her youngest daughter, while Frigga shared news about her own newest addition to their family. Frigga had visited Mount Olympus often, and had even assisted Gaia in caring for Arali, for she knew Gaia’s life was quickly draining. Frigga would share many stories and songs with the young one. Arali was nearly as Asgardian as she was Olympian.

Frigga and Gaia had promised their children to each other from the day they were born, or in Frigga’s case, from the day her son was brought to Asgard. Once the two children had met, they knew they were born to be powerful leaders together. However, things never go as planned.

#loki marvel #loki god of mischief #loki odinson #loki #black fanfiction #oc fanfiction #marvel #mcu #rise of the titans

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tiny-wooden-robot-fics · 1 year ago

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Bloom

Rating: G Media: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Pairing: Levi Ackerman x Original Female Character Characters: Levi Ackerman, Amelia Martin (Original Female Character of Color) Additional tags: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafes, Fluff, Slice of Life, Domestic Fluff

Summary:

Watching Levi brew coffee is one of Lia’s favorite things to do. If she’s being honest with herself, she will admit that watching Levi do anything is one of her favorite things to do, but the care he takes when making coffee is very high on the list.

She has often wondered if that attention to his craft is a skill he’s honed over his years of running a cafe, or if it was something that simply came naturally to him and serves him well in his current occupation. She makes a note to ask him later, when he’s not wholly concentrated on what he’s doing.

Part 2 of Rhythm of the Rain Part 1: A Break in the Rain

Read it on AO3

“Were you having a nightmare?”

They are the first words she hears upon waking. He speaks to her in a hushed whisper, the kind he always uses early in the morning. There’s something reverent in the gentle way he speaks, as if he’s reluctant to disturb the peace of the day when it’s only just begun. He’s turned the lamp near the bedside on, giving her soft yellow light to see him by.

She takes a moment to collect herself. Breathe in, breathe out. Feel the rise and fall of your chest, proof that you’re alive. Feel the warmth of his skin on yours, his scent, the closeness of his embrace. You’re here Lia, and you’re alive.

“I’m sorry,” she offers quietly. “Did I wake you?”

Levi looks at her, his gray eyes still heavy with sleep. “If I tell you no, you’re not going to believe me,” he starts. There’s the ghost of a smile on his lips. “But if I tell you yes, you’ll spend all day feeling guilty about it.”

She shifts in his arms, drawing closer to him. “I was dreaming about the past,” she tells him after a moment.

“You wanna talk about it?” His offer is gentle, and there is no pressure behind his words. Lia knows that he’s willing to listen if she decides she wants to talk about it, but will just as readily accept it if she doesn’t.

“Thank you,” Lia murmurs, her gratitude sincere. “But I don't think I need to. It’s… waking up and reassuring myself of today’s reality is good enough.”

He offers her another smile, and it reminds Lia that it is a sight she gets to see more often than most people. “Today’s reality,” Levi repeats. “You mean being stuck with a cranky cafe owner?”

“Yes,” she answers without hesitation. “A cranky cafe owner whom I love.”

This time, he scoffs.

In the silence that follows, Lia notices the pitter patter of rain against the windows. “I wonder if it stormed through the night.”

“It rained for a long time after you went to sleep.” He presses a kiss to her temple. “You must’ve been tired - I thought for sure the sound of thunder would wake you.”

It amuses Lia, the constant theme of rain that has followed her since meeting him. It was rain that drove her into his cafe seeking shelter the day she met him; she’d been caught in a storm walking home from work. The downpour had lasted for hours, prompting her to stay in his cafe and presenting her with the opportunity to spend time getting to know him.

“I was hoping it would have stopped by now.” One look over at the clock on the nightstand informs her that it’s just past five a.m. “We’ll have to cancel our plans at this rate - even if it stops raining in time, the ground will be all wet after a night full of rain.”

He pulls her closer. “Would canceling our plans really be such a bad thing?”

“Well… we’ve both been looking forward to this day trip for months,” Lia points out.

“True,” Levi concedes, “but it’s not like we couldn’t plan it again for another day.”

He’s right, she knows - both the nursery and Levi’s cafe are closed on Sundays. She’d been surprised to find the latter out.

“Wouldn’t Sundays be the day you’d get most of your customers?” She’d asked after he’d told her.

“Not like you’d think,” he’d shrugged. “People go out on Saturdays - they run their errands and buy coffee and tea while they’re out. But on Sundays, people tend to stay in. They make their coffee and tea at home.”

Once he’d explained it to her, it had made perfect sense. She’d felt stupid for asking something that seemed obvious. When she’d pointed it out, he’d simply waved a hand dismissively and said, “Nobody can know everything.”

“What would we do instead?” Lia asks now, her eyes on him.

“Anything you want,” Levi replies. “Lounge around in our pajamas, make breakfast together… work our way through some of the shows in our queue.”

She has to admit that it all sounds heavenly - much more preferable than hiking up the side of a mountain in the rain - and so she does. “I’d like that.”

When he sets her mug in front of her, she hunches over and breathes in deeply, savoring the smell of the roast. He sets a tiny stainless steel pitcher down, its sides wet with condensation from being chilled in the refrigerator. “Half and half?” He asks, sparing her a brief glance before going back to pouring coffee into his own mug.

“Just a little,” Lia says with a smile. “I’m discovering that if the coffee is truly good, it doesn’t really need anything in it.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Are you saying my coffee is truly good?”

“You know that it is,” she laughs, pouring just a few drops of half and half into her mug and stirring it with the spoon he’s provided. “I will never drink anyone else’s, not even my own.”

“That’s a little extreme, isn’t it?”

“Maybe it is, but I mean it.”

Wordlessly, Levi grabs the box of tissues from the end table and passes it over to her.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffles.

“What are you sorry for?”

She sniffles again, this time taking a moment to wipe her eyes before speaking. “It’s just a stupid tv show. I don’t know why I’m crying.”

Levi lets out a sigh. “I’ll tell you this as many times as you need to hear it,” he starts, his voice gentle, “but you don’t have to apologize to me for being who you are.” He turns to face her full on, reaching out and pulling her close to him. “If a tv show makes you cry, so what? It means it touched you… means you could relate to whatever thing happened to make you cry. I don’t think that’s something you should feel like you need to apologize for. Not to me, or anyone else.” He looks closely at her, his eyes meeting hers somberly. “Understand?”

Lia hesitates.

“Look,” he goes on, “I know some habits are really hard to break, and I know there were things that happened before I came along that are responsible for those habits. I know about some of them, and I’d like to learn about the rest of them if you’ll let me. But in the meantime, I need you to know that you don’t owe me any of the things you think you might. All I want is for you to feel like you can be who you are when you’re spending time with me.”

She absorbs his words with a slow nod. “Thank you,” she says, after a moment.

“No thanks necessary,” he responds, and she can tell he means it.

To be loved is to be changed.

Lia has heard the quote often in her lifetime, and whenever she thought of it, it was always with a negative connotation.

It has not taken long for her to feel herself changing, but not in the negative way she thought she would.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Levi asks quietly, after watching her expression change. As it was early this morning, his tone now is gentle, conveying no pressure either way.

The storm that has been raging all day is still going. The rain hits the windows in a steady drum, adding a layer of background noise to the otherwise quiet bedroom.

This time, Lia decides to tell him her thoughts. “I… I’m not lonely anymore,” she starts, surprising herself with the words. It isn’t at all what she thought she’d say, but she wonders if the words are proof of what’s in her heart.

“Lonely?” Puzzled, he looks at her. “You mean, you were lonely before we got together?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. Then, “Ah, that’s not exactly what I mean,” she amends. “Yes, it’s true that I was a little lonely before we got together. But there have been times when I’ve been lonely before, even when I was with someone else.” She shifts onto her side to face him more fully. “I spent a lot of my life feeling like I was just… all wrong. That there was no one I was made for.”

He’s watching her, saying nothing, but his eyes encourage her to continue.

“I don’t know if you ever felt that way,” Lia goes on. “It’s not that I was looking for ‘The One’ or ‘Mr. Right’ or ‘Mr. Perfect.’ I’m aware enough to know that those things don’t really exist - not in the world we live in. Soulmates aren’t fated the way they are in fairytales. I know that loving someone and being with them is something you choose every day of your life, and you have to work for it in order to keep showing that you’ve chosen them.

“They have to choose you too,” she continues, lowering her eyes. “They have to feel like they can choose you. And even if you both choose each other, sometimes…” She pauses to inhale, considering how to express her thoughts properly. “Sometimes even if you both choose each other, you’re still wrong for one another. And I think that I’ve never really felt like I was right for anyone. I kept choosing and choosing, but it was always wrong.”

Levi seems to consider her words, turning them over in his mind. Finally, he speaks. “And what about me? Do you feel like you’re wrong for me?”

“I hope not,” she answers, her voice low. “You don’t make me feel that way.”

He offers her a smile, and it’s probably the softest smile she’s ever seen on him. “I’m glad,” he says, his voice just as hushed as hers.

His words aren’t thoughtless - she knows there are things in his past, demons he struggles with. Just like the things in her past, they have shaped the person he is. She knows that there may come a day when he tells her about them, just as she may eventually share her own demons.

When he pulls her closer, she curls into him willingly. They stay that way for a moment, both silent and pondering their respective thoughts, listening to the rain outside.

“The hike would’ve been a bust,” Levi says finally, amusement in his tone.

It makes her laugh a little. “Yeah, I think so, too.” She pauses. “And I liked the day we spent together much better than hiking in the rain.”

~Fin~

Part 3: Seasons of Rain and Sun

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #filed under: utsukushi zankokuna sekai #tiny wooden robot fics #levi ackerman #amelia martin #levi x oc #black oc

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coveholdenmyluv · 1 year ago

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R. Braun - Honey Soaked Promises

synopsis. In which you reminisce on your quest for revenge, irrigated with broken promises and fermented with betrayal, allowing you to act as the judge between life or death for yourself and the viper dressed in the skin of the love of your life.

— or alternatively, in which you make the stupid decision to fall in love with the wrong person on your journey to freedom...

Oh well, you'll just have to kill him now.

series masterlist

chapter warnings. Slight angst, fluff, foreshadowing

chapter synopsis. Unexpected appearances.

III| Honey, on the Night We Met. 12.9k words.

“It was the same sensation you had experienced on the day you fled the underground, when you smelled that strong and harsh but sweet and lovely scent. It engulfed your form and clogged your lungs, suffocating but strangely in a way you didn't seem to mind; in fact it was only what you could describe as: addictive.”

Careful, honey is a sickly sweet but sticky substance, sometimes like tar. Be sure to proceed with caution dear, you wouldn’t want to get lured in and trapped, would you?

Year 845

Enervated, physically and emotionally, with dark circles underneath your lower lash line and a razor-sharp scowl creasing your face, you stood piqued with the gall of the man before you.

"You're telling me you don't have just one loaf of bread to spare?" You asked, arms crossed over your chest.

It had been just a day after the fall of Shiganshina and famine was humanities current foe. More specifically, it had been yours.

The way in which he stared down at you with his nose held high as if he had truly believed that he was superior to anyone within those thick walls, had irked you more than his ignorant answer. "Kid, I don't know what you want me to do. We're all starving here, so why don't you just go leech off of your parents instead of trying to get into our fresh batches?"

"Cut the crap. Fresh my ass, that shits stale as hell. Hoarding it all to yourself is just gonna cause even more deaths, and these'll be on your selfish hands." You retorted.

"Even better, that would mean less mouths to feed." He replied, before leaning down and inching closer to your face. "We're not some orphanage for titan fodder." He whispered.

Your jaw clenched, before you used his close proximity to your advantage and head butted his nose harshly. The Garrison soldier groaned as he clutched his face in pain.

"Prick."

"Dammit! You'll regret that, you damn hellion!" He yelled with his eyes squeezed shut and you escaped his grasp before he could've proved truth to his words.

You had stuck with the refugees of Shiganshina, along with many other villages of Wall Maria that had fell victims to the recent attack. The shelter they had used to store dry goods was where they had been handing out rations; a privilege you had not been so fortunate of. You were starved and dehydrated, having not ingested a single thing since you escaped the underground.

'That was what? Two or three days ago?' You had asked yourself, having trouble distinguishing the time as the past few days grew muddled in your mind.

With not even a sip of water, you had been running on pure fumes. If you had still been home, you could've at the very least attempted to purloin some scraps but the Garrison were guarding the crates like starving dogs. Which to be fair, was not far from the truth.

Once you had fled far enough that you could no longer hear the man's curses directed at you, you slumped against a wall and slid down. Your fingers rubbed at your temples in an attempt to ease your forthcoming migraine and the tears pricking the corners of your eyes that came with it, and you pondered if escaping your old home was truly worth all that it had cost you.

The indisputable answer was no.

Nothing the surface had offered you so far was ever worth the trauma ensued, nor the souls taken, and you doubted anything ever would. If only you had realized that beforehand, you had no idea where you could've been instead of famished and distraught. The most probable scenario? In the midst of your monthly chop. With warm fingers carding themselves through your hair as Stefan's soft humming rang in your ears and Cielo's low snores played on loop. You would probably have gotten used to your pet's sharp chirping by then as well.

"What I wouldn't give to be there, instead of here right now." You mumbled with a sigh.

"If you mean a warm bed tucked into the interior, that makes two of us."

Your eyes languidly fluttered open and you peered up at the person that had interrupted your inner monologue.

A girl with pale blonde hair, pulled back and away from her face, and arctic blue eyes stared down at your hunched form. She looked to be around your own age and in her extended right hand was half of a loaf of bread that you eyed dubiously.

"Not quite. Though, if you've got one to share, I'd be stupid to decline. That for me?"

"Unfortunately, I don't, sorry." The way in which she had spoken made her apology seem empty. "I saw your small scuffle back there, so I thought I'd come to your rescue."

"A knight in shining armor?" You scoffed. "You sure you wanna do that? They don't seem the type to be too keen on giving out seconds if you go hungry later all because you decided to play nice." You questioned as your hand gestured to a few Garrison soldiers aimlessly chatting away on the wall across from you.

"What, are you above taking someone else's rations or something?" She bit back.

You kept your skeptical eyes trained on the bread in her hand for a few more seconds and just as she began to pull away, you accepted her offering. "With how loud my stomach is rumbling right now, my moral compass is currently non existent. If it's still even there."

Her right brow lifted slightly, "Well, at least one of us had one to begin with." She sighed and took the spot beside you.

"A girl that shares half her portions can't be lacking a moral compass, so don't try me with that bullshit." You mumbled, biting into the stale piece of bread.

You both stared at the mass group of people before you. Some got physical over rations, others waited patiently for their share, and the rest sat in their still grieving states. You pitied the latter crowd, for their gut wrenching cries continued without halt. You had spent the night prior alike and with only a few minutes of slumber, hence the shadows that laid beneath your eyes.

That was the first cold night of many to come.

"...You'd be surprised."

"Hm, don't mind me. Go ahead and air out all your dirty laundry." You offered, though your tone indicated your indifference towards the topic, while your hands gestured towards the empty space around you. "Share it with the class."

"No. I'd have to kill you otherwise." She bit into her own portion of bread.

"Funny." You deadpanned. "Fine, be like that. Though, I can't imagine whatever you've done being half as bad as the bastards that caused this mess." You said with a mouth full. "Who would'a thought that yesterday would be our doomsday. Why couldn't the titans have done this last week or somethin'? A warnin' would've been nice, maybe then there would'a been less bloodshed."

"You're talkative." She uttered in her usual smooth monotone voice.

"Have'ta be, or else I'd be cooped up with the lot over there." You tilted your head towards the group you pitied. They had refused to eat, sleep, and quit their wailing. "I don't fancy dyin' just yet. Sorry hun but, you'll just have'ta endure my talkative phase."

Despite her words, the girl had never truly minded your voice. In fact, she had preferred it over her own. What drew her towards you, primarily, was the undertone of anger in your earlier exchange of insults with the soldier. The emotion, a great contradiction to your muted eyes. You were a mystery she had unexpectedly found herself yearning to unveil, though she feared the lethargic tone in your irises was caused by her own hand.

"You lost someone in the attack yesterday?" She asked as she masked the hesitance in her words, though her eyes that peeked from their corners didn't vacate your face.

"Who didn't? The titans took someone or somethin' from everyone yesterday. We're just lucky they didn't deem us snack material, maybe we smell bad."

Her gaze gradually fell to her lap where she began to fiddle with her food. "I see. So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm joining the Military Police; I've got a bone to pick with one of their own. Once I'm of age, I'll enlist as a cadet." You stated with finality. The vindictive tunnel vision you had recently developed only allowed you to focus on that fact.

She turned to you with a puzzled look on her face. "Military Police?"

You had been slightly taken aback by her confusion, never having met a person clueless about the royal guard. "Yeah. Y'know, the MP's?" You attempted to fill the holes your words had created within her mind.

Steeling her expression once more, the girl returned her gaze forward. "Oh, right. My brain must still be a bit foggy from yesterday." She explained.

The realization that she too had experienced trauma the day prior had dawned upon you, and you berated yourself for thinking and speaking so selfishly. "That's understandable. Do you want me to fill you in on what you can't remember?" You sympathized.

"That'd be nice."

"For starters, the Military Police is the primary police force within human territory. They also serve as the king's guards, in turn making them the closest regiment to the monarchy." You begun to explain. "I heard that, only those within the top ten in their class are able to enlist."

"I see, I think I've heard that too." She lied.

"Then, we have the Garrison. They patrol and maintain the walls, keepin' titans out and are the first to engage the ugly things if they somehow got in; for example, yesterday."

"Hm." She nodded along, feigning a recollection of memories.

"Lastly, we have the Survey Corps or Scouts. They explore outside of human territory, their goal bein' expansion..." Your voice trailed off as thoughts surfaced your mind.

That was the first instance in which you had felt conflicted on your long term goal. The promise you had made to Stefan and your heart, ringing profusely inside of your head. Though, as loudly as they sang, the orchestra would always have the ability to overpower the choir. In this instance, justice for Stefan would not allow itself to be overrun.

'Besides, journeying outside of the walls is a suicide mission. I won't have a repeat of what happened with Cielo.'

You continued, almost robotically, to feed her information. "They're also the only group of people to have ever come into contact with titans, until yesterday that is. Although, they aren't very successful in their missions."

"Right, that sounds stupid. I'd much rather train for the Military Police." She spoke.

You curled your legs into your chest, bread still in hand, and tucked your chin into your arms that laid atop your knees. "Mhm." You hummed.

You agreed, it did sound stupid because it was. Suicide missions were stupid.

What could've possibly been worth thrusting yourself into the arms of the angel of death? To ten year old you, nothing. Not anymore, at the very least. Perhaps if you had been asked a month prior, the answer would've varied.

Or, that's what you had told yourself.

But, ignoring one's true feelings has never ended in their favor.

After forcefully shoving the thought away where it belonged, you reached inside of your pocket and slipped out the small bottle you had yet to open. Stefan had always preached that a meal in the company of another made the tastes last longer, and in the face of famine you would gladly share your treat with the girl beside you.

"Honey." You said and removed the cap to experimentally drizzle a small amount on the corner of your meal. Once you had finished, you brought it close to her and wiggled it in your palm. Your eyes, half lidded from exhaustion, stared into her own. "From the underground, but honey nonetheless. I hear it's a good topping."

"Underground?" She said quizzically.

Your eyes widened slightly at your minuscule slip-up, but you don't allow yourself to panic. She seemed the type to keep secrets. Placing your pointer finger on top of your lips, you whispered, "Secret."

She simply stared at the object in your hands and let your offer register into her mind for a few silent seconds.

"It's not poisonous." You told her in regard to her face portraying hesitance, before questioning your own words. "...I think."

Finally deciding to take the bottle into her hands, she said, "I've had it before, never by itself though."

Intrigued at the possibility of variety, you asked, "What would you usually have it with?"

"It's just some recipes from my old home, I highly doubt that you've ever even heard of some of the ingredients." She replied honestly.

Your eyes fell back into disinterest as you realized that she was correct. Produce from below differed from the produce from above. "Oh. I hope to get the opportunity to try those recipes one day, or at the very least learn about the ingredients." You said, mostly futile wishes to yourself that caused your brows to knit.

"You probably won't."

Her honesty was unmatched and you had found a light chuckle erupt from your throat. "You wanna bet on that?" You suggested. She most likely had her reasons as to why she had thought such a thing, but you were never one to back down from a challenge. Not unless certain defeat was promised.

"No."

"Yer weird, y'know that? I've never met anyone like you, but then again I don't interact with many to begin with." You informed her.

You hadn't meant it as an insult, in fact you found a minute part of yourself secretly desiring to be as honest and upfront as she had presented herself. She didn't seem the type to lie to her inner self about her wants or to let herself be blinded by petty emotions such as revenge. She had seemed stronger than that, not letting the shadows in her hollow heart win.

"You're one to talk. It's the first time I've met someone with such a foul mouth." She said while finally drizzling a small amount of your honey onto her own bread.

Stefan had always been cursing at the slightest inconveniences — the habit must have clung to you.

Lifting your half up in the form of a toast, you ignored her remark. After a few seconds, she accepted your offer and both of your meals gently met as one.

"What's your name?" You asked as you finally allowed yourself a taste of the treat that had spent the prior days packed away in your sweater pocket.

It tasted exactly how it had smelled, if only slightly more bitter. If you had thought the smell was enough to steal your breath away, the taste had pilfered your soul and warped it into a shape that allowed you to touch the gates of heaven. "I'm definitely a sweets type of person. Wow."

Her expression softened and the corner of her lips lifted slightly. "Me too." She spoke as she bit into her own, and true to her words, she seemed to enjoy her treat. "Annie. You are?"

You found that you quite liked her name, Annie. It was short and feminine, you wished you had thought of that. And as you mulled her question over in your mind, you considered the possibility of crafting one similar as a chance to completely start anew. A clean slate of sorts would have been beneficial to your mental state — not burying your childlike wonder that was on its knees as it implored you to choose an alternate route, something that gave you a sense of personal fulfillment; to not chase after something that would only induce ephemeral joy only to then leave you stranded in the hands of the government.

But then, two faint voices came as wisps to your ears as they spoke the name you yourself had hand picked years ago. The name Stefan had lent a helping hand with. One voice belonging to the blond boy and the other to the child who had only allowed the moniker to slip past his lips a handful of times. It dawned on you then, that that name was the only thing you had left of your old home. Sure, you possessed Stefan's blade, your sweater, and the bottled honey, but those were all tangible and could be nicked off of you as easily as culling fresh Campanulas. Their voices would not be forgotten so leisurely. At least, that's what you had hoped.

"Y/N. Just Y/N."

The rest of your shared meal was spent in silence, only light ambiance and vague chewing flittered through the air. It was calming, and being in the company of another girl was a highly rare occurrence in your life, but one you could grow used to. Especially if it was equivalent to the obstruction of loneliness in your mind. Annie's presence was a lovely dam for the ceaseless thoughts and intricate bundle of emotions that fought to break through and show themselves. You found that it was simpler to toss that load into your metaphorical hamper, choosing to deal with it later rather than sooner.

Even after you swallowed the last of your portions, the static air did not falter and although you focused your own attention on attempting to foolishly convince yourself that metaphorical hampers were foolproof crutches to lean on, your expression spoke of a different tale. Annie noticed the permanent creases etched onto your brows or the way in which your lips had pursed in discomfort.

And those eyes.

Those E/C eyes that seemed hollow, newly hollowed, as if they had just recently been abandoned. They were lacking the person that held the twinkle in your eyes, and while the girl could count on one hand the amount of times she had honestly been fearful, the idea of asking had made her so — for she feared that she already knew the answer as to not who, but why they had been plucked from such an honorable position.

And so against her better judgment, she inquired in a fragile voice, "Who were they to you?" She didn't look your way or urge an answer out of you, instead she allowed you a moment to gather your courage and to sooth the the newly acquired wounds as to prevent them from further seeping crimson into a mind that had already been teetering the edge of overflowing.

In a voice that had her ears straining to grasp, you uttered, "Both of my brothers."

Two.

There had been two people blessed with the gift of acting as the light in your eyes. Those dull and heavily lidded eyes that stared into nihility.

She shouldn't have asked, for it was disgustingly ironic.

"How?"

"One, a couple'a hours before the attack."

She didn't speak because she knew the next would come on its own.

"The other..." you had started off with some volume that dipped by the end of your statement, "...during." You whispered. There it was.

Monster, is what she told herself.

"He was the youngest out of all three of us."

What a monster. How could you fathom yourself being so cruel? She had asked herself that question countless times before.

"I was only... gone for a minute."

No, you're not the monster. She wanted to tell you that, she wanted to make sure you knew that.

"Then I couldn't find him in the chaos."

Chaos caused by monsters. Monsters that were closer than anyone would've thought.

"By the time that I did, it was already too late. I couldn't find all of him."

Monsters, but with a purpose. That in itself was enough to justify her own actions, at least to herself, and that was good enough for her.

She didn't dare try to comfort you because even she didn't have the audacity. She had no right to even attempt to supply a shoulder to lean on, not when she had been the core cause of the extinguished pits that you called eyes. Not when she had held a front row seat and a controller to the prior day's events. Yet even as she held those sympathetic feelings towards you and your people, it was all inevitably outweighed by her vision of endgame. She had already made peace with the naked truth that was what she had truly become.

So instead, in her usual voice that proved difficult to decipher, she said, "Sorry."

Your head kept forward but your eyes slid her way as she donned a near identical void expression as yourself. "S'fine. Not like you killed them. Besides, I'm just one of many." You stated as you fluttered your lashes in an effort to dispel the tears that had gathered on your lash line, clumping the individual strands together.

"And if I did?" She had asked in a voice so devoid of emotion.

Her question had puzzled you and caused a delicate brow to raise, "If you did what? Killed them?" You asked and pivoted your head to face her.

"What would you do to the things that killed them?" She reiterated. You hesitated to answer, eyes softening at the thought of being forced to face the cataclysms that had charred your will to live at that point. Before you could comprehend her movements, her head mimicked your own and her icy stare bore into yours, forcing icicles and frost to form inside of your chest. "What are you going to do to the monsters that ruined your life?" She boldly asked.

You thought of the Military Police officer with sunken brown eyes and you thought of the hollow expressions of the titans - the screams of anguish, the sound of the bullet discharging, the sensation of Cielo's warm blood staining your digits. Rage boiled and bubbled within your core as you were reminded of the goal you had set for yourself, but that time instead of only yearning for a specific Royal Guard's death, your body ached to slice every titan in existence into ribbons.

Your once soft and puzzled stare turned bleak and brutal. "I'll kill them. No hesitance. No mercy." You stated indubitably.

The last thing you had expected was for her expression to grow even more distant, you didn't think it possible, but that's exactly what it did, only worsening in depth. Annie had once again proven herself to be an unrivaled mystery, just as she would for the entirety of the years you would spend at her side in the near future.

"Very well then, good luck." She uttered and sluggishly stood to her full height. "I pray that we won't meet again, stranger." She told you dourly, forcing your brows to furrow at her phrasing.

She was leaving? A part of you didn't want her to go, though it was minuscule in size. The realization humored you a bit, you thought you ought to be more like Annie in the sense that she seemed to keep herself at a distance by default. Nevertheless, you would never admit those thoughts aloud, "See you later, Annie."

Strangely enough, the first encounter you had had with Annie had left a positive impression which baffled you considering the direction in which the conversation had taken. You didn't see her much after that and if you thought you did, it was merely the ghost of her — as if she had purposely fled before you could have truly confirmed her presence. You thought of her often, albeit sporadically, and wondered how she was dealing with the aftermath. The girl was an enigma to your mind, having appeared headstrong but also as if she had been sending a cry for help.

Transient visions of her pale blonde hair that she held away from her face, which had given you a near perfect view of her gelid irises, paid you visits when the weather began to correlate with the feelings they had given you.

A few days later, throngs of starved refugees were put to plow in the wastelands as a last ditch effort to raise food, but the cold hard ground yielded nothing.

The camp of victims you were apart of were exhausted, malnourished, and still grieving. The inevitable brute truth of humanity had begun to unveil itself once again as citizens became rampant and irritable. At times, it had truly felt as if you were back home, with brawls over basic necessities and curses slewed around if those necessities weren't met. And when it didn't remind you of home, it grew to be something even worse. Some camps were worse than others and like always, you had been dealt the short end of the stick; being thrown in with what had seemed like the worst of the worst.

Most tended to stick in groups as it was safer in that way. That left you vulnerable and alone, more than you already were, having had no peers to turn to. You had gotten into your fair share of tussles when you were younger, so any clashes that were thrusted upon you then was what you had considered training for your future cadet days.

A few months in and your physical combat had improved drastically, so much so that you had begun to acquire your very own fighting style. Not only that, but you had also took it upon yourself to upskill your handle on your - Stefan's - blade. You were alone, there was no one left to act as a guide or to nurture you, and you weren't interested in finding someone to fulfill that role. No one would do it as well as Stefan did. You were fine on your own for the first ten years of your life, though you had been lent a fruitful hand, and you believed you could prosper for the years left to accomplish your goal.

It was survival of the fittest and at the youthful age of ten, you were surviving.

Word began to spread of refugees of age being sent to reclaim the lost land of Wall Maria sometime in the upcoming year. That had caused quite a panic in you, for you feared that in preparation for such event, they would begin to demand verification of identity with the objective of confirming ages. Fortunately for you, very obviously being a minor had granted you exemption. The government had also been lenient towards refugees, or more specifically, orphans. With the assumption that you had had your home destroyed and were left with no legal guardians, that had meant losing most of your belongings — including proof of residency on the surface.

The following year, the remaining refugees old enough to serve in the military were tasked with reclaiming Wall Maria.

Of the two hundred and fifty thousand sent, nearly twenty percent of the population, not even two hundred had returned. Though, while it did nothing to drive back the titans, their sacrifices did at the very least lessen the effects of famine within the interior.

Year 846

Light mire and snow soiled your pants as you knelt on the ground to pick the weeds off of the perimeter of a barren crop field. Your fingers were slightly stiff from the cold as snowflakes performed somersaults in the air like flower petals in the spring.

The frosty weather did nothing to bother you, as unfamiliar as it was to you at the time. In fact, you enjoyed it — a side effect of the deprivation of the seasonal changes in the earlier stages of your life. The others scarcely scattered around you were not so lucky as the temperature had only worked to weigh their drive further down. Fortunately, most of you had worn thick hooded cloaks that buttoned near your neck, allowing protection from the harsh breezes. You would have regularly been seen forgoing the hood of your clothing in favor of the white powdery substance layered in your hair, stuffy nose be damned.

Goosebumps began to prickle your skin, different from the ones that originated from the weather, almost alerting you of an impending moment. Your head rose and allowed your eyes to scan your surroundings, where just up ahead you spotted a rapidly approaching figure.

A familiar face, Lou Meade.

Lou was a man, who you had guessed to be around ten years older than you, with dark tanned skin and perpetually disheveled short brown hair. You didn't have much on him personally, only the fact that he was a sketchy guy involved with an even sketchier business. He never said it outright but gave enough hints for you to speculate that he was spreading around a newly manufactured drug to the refugee camps. You didn't even think he had been an actual citizen of Wall Maria.

You met the man when you had returned his signature pack of cigarettes, the box having had fallen after a physical encounter he had with who you assumed was one of his customers. He was yet another mystery you had stumbled across, though you weren't as eager to unveil him as you were with the previous.

He approached you with such conviction, you nearly feared the soles of his feet would create dents in their shapes onto the soil. Bringing himself in close, he whispered harshly, "Y/N, why the hell was there a Military Police officer asking me if I knew of your whereabouts?"

Your eyes widened in surprise at his words and you pulled yourself from the ground hesitantly. "Wait, who was asking for me?" You asked in a hushed tone.

His eyes had began to inspect the field just as yours had seconds before, albeit his moved in much more of a frenzy. Once he confirmed that he was not followed and didn't attract unwanted attention, he faced you with a slight wince. "I almost shit my pants cuz I thought they were here for my ass." He told you and his wince contorted into a small smirk. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that their actual objective was little 'ole Y/N. I knew you were a delinquent but I didn't know the extent." His tone had indicated that his words were those of praise.

"Lou, who is looking for me?" You asked again as the panic arose in your chest. If what you had heard was correct, then you were in deep trouble.

"An MP is making his way around. The bastard asked me if I had seen you or knew your name. I don't think he actually knew who you were, all he had was a horrible sketch of your face. Seriously, it took me a good while to even figure out that it was you." He replied with his hands on his hips, the slight stress returned to his face.

Your breath faltered and you bit your lip in anxiousness, "Fuck, I didn't think they'd find me so soon. Why are they so damn persistent?" Your words were meant for yourself, but Lou had caught them as well, and the ominous phrasing alarmed him.

"Who the hell did you murder?" He joked, pretty obviously, but your worried state didn't allow you to catch his sarcasm.

"I didn't, Lou... or at least I don't think I did. I didn't beat him that bad. I could've- I wanted to but I didn't, I swear." You whispered to the older man before you, your own eyes darting every which way.

Though he had tried, he failed to suppress his sudden fit of chuckles with a palm. "Holy shit, there's no way." He uttered with a smile and then moved to place a hand on your shoulder. "Listen, don't worry about me or my guys. I didn't say shit and I'll make sure they won't either, I want all the details later though." He reassured.

"Thanks, Lou." You looked towards the expanse trees on your left and deemed it perfect for your next move. "I've gotta lie low for the next few hours at least. I'll be back though... maybe." You told him, your expression uncertain as your fate had still been undecided, and grabbed your basket from the ground to shove it in his arms hastily.

"Don't mention it, you've been a useful extra set of eyes and ears to me so far. Just make sure you don't get caught, kid." He said as he took it and leisurely walked in the opposite direction, as inconspicuously as a guy like him possibly could.

Before you took your leave, you verified that no one paid you any heed, they seemed to have been busy attempting to complete the entirety of their chores as fast as they could to escape the cold. Once you had deemed it safe to do so, your slow inching towards the huddles of trees morphed into a full sprint.

You ran full tilt into the assemblage of trees, forcing their forms to transform into blurs of green, brown, and white. Your unabating breaths were visible as chalky puffs of air and your hair had grown long enough to slightly flow in the wind behind you. You had yet to cut it and did not plan to, given the only reason you used to go through the process of chopping it off was because you had not been able to properly care for it — but, all the nutrients the surface had naturally supplied you with had bettered your health. Your skin had brightened a small amount and your hair was growing thicker and softer.

When the cold nipped at your nose, you embraced it gladly and allowed it to flood your lungs in a long intake through your nostrils. Your legs had done what they had always done best and gifted you an escape in the form of graceful leaps at full speed. It was always when your legs were used in an impetuous manner that the world had seemed to decelerate for only you, granting you multiple opportunities to properly admire your surroundings.

The fine peaks of the evergreens surrounding you looked to touch the clouds as they bathed in powdery white blankets. Snowflakes waved at you as they spun in the air, besetting the top of your head. Not enough had fallen from the sky yet to completely conceal the ground but many patches littered the blades of grass beneath your feet. The light snow had an effect on your environment and caused the needles of the trees to glisten and sparkle like a million tiny crystals, twinkling when small and rare shafts of sunlight shone through the branches.

Your ears began to unclog and the sound of your rapid steps reached you as well as the whistle of the harsh gusts of wind, and then slight squeaks came next. The sharp chimes reminded you of the young bird you had found in the underground, though they didn't quite match that of a bird's, so you allowed your curiosity to guide your eyes towards the ground.

The sight of a round, brown, and furry animal forced your legs to halt as you inspected its form. It had long ears protruding from the tops of its head and a baby pink nose that wiggled as you inched closer. The tiny squeals it emitted had appeared to be its continuous sneezing as it bowed its head and rubbed its nose with its fluffy paws.

It had reminded you of Cielo, especially so when he would catch colds, the color of the animals nose matching the small boys when he would rub at it too much.

You approached it slowly with your hands clutched to your chest as its eyes landed on you. You sat before the animal, snow crunching beneath your legs, and observed the patterns on its fur coat. The underside and paws matched the polished color of the snow that enveloped your surroundings.

Voice light with astonishment, you uttered, "How pretty." The animal did not appear to be frightened by your presence or proximity, it simply sniffed your palm when it stretched its way. "You aren't scared?" You spoke softly as to not break the spell casted on the both of you. As if in response to your question, the being hopped itself closer to your fingers. "Brave thing. Unfortunately, I don't have anythin' to give you. Not unless my body heat counts as a peace offering?" You suggested, not expecting the animal to accept your offer but quickly being proven wrong when it rubbed the top of its head against the soft pads of your digits, in turn allowing you to feel the texture of its sleek coat. Your fingers slid across its fur and slipped under its chin, and the warmth from its skin that made its way throughout the underfur had brought your soul comfort.

You wished you could have shown both Stefan and Cielo.

The small creature emitted a faint oink, which effectively startled you and forced your arm to retract. Suddenly, the same goosebumps spread across your body, once again. Your ears picked up the light sloshing of footsteps that had seemed to be approaching where you sat and before your body could react, you heard his voice.

"What are you doing?"

It was a male; you could tell so by the tone of his voice, which wasn't too deep, so you surmised that it was not an adult.

Finally allowing your body to move on pure instinct, your hands lifted your hood up and over your head and then moved to scoop the animal into your arms. Clutching it to your stomach, you turned your body to face the suspect that had intruded in your moment.

He had looked to be around your age, perhaps slightly older, and seemed to be carrying small logs of wood in his arms, along with an axe strapped to his waist. Stray beams of golden sunlight acted as the match that ignited his features for your inspection, defining the finer details you wouldn't have caught in any other situation. Pale flaxen hair that parted down the middle had embellished the top of his head, the strands were short but with slight bangs that feathered the apex of his forehead, and he had pale skin that appeared soft to the touch, most likely due to his age.

And finally, his eyes.

Simply glancing at them from afar had caused your breath to hitch as a familiar feeling resurfaced your mind and lungs. It was the same sensation you had experienced on the day you fled the underground, when you smelled that strong and harsh but sweet and lovely scent. It engulfed your form and clogged your lungs, suffocating but strangely in a way that you didn't seem to mind; in fact it was only what you could describe as: addictive. All the addicts you had come across, either in the underground or frequent customers of Lou, had sworn that their substances always mysteriously found their way back to them.

You found that you wouldn't mind addiction if it meant that those eyes continued to make their way back to you. They looked like honey pools that changed gold and resplendent in the alike crepuscular light of the sun.

Those eyes had reciprocated your own, dancing across your face in inspection. He himself had seemed bewitched by the shade of your irises and how deep your pupils seemed to go. He felt as if they called out and urged him to take a leap inside to find out exactly how cavernous they truly were. He was sure that if he obliged, his journey would end with his drowning and the color coating his insides, and he would embrace the experience, because how couldn't he? How could he not accept the warmth it would bestow him and allow for an end to the violence he was shoved into as a younger child. Then, his eyes shifted to the tufts of hair he could descry peeking out of your hood and he noticed how delicate and silky it appeared, even with minuscule snowflakes dampening the strands.

His irises glid to your lips next, where he took note of the way you nibbled on the soft skin in pure concern that he himself had caused.

With your surveys over and done with, you both spoke simultaneously, "Who are you?"

Your eyes had widened in surprise at the melody of your voices overlapping and, subconsciously, both of your grips had tightened their hold around the things you each held onto.

His eyes, finally drifting from your face, fluttered downward. "If you squeeze any harder, you'll suffocate it y'know." He stated, eyeing the animal in concern.

Breaking out of your stupor, you tilted your head towards your furry friend and loosened your arms entirely. Startled by the arrival of a presence that it did not approve of, it hopped away without a second thought, dainty cotton tail bidding you goodbye in the process. Your gaze followed its path longingly until the very moment it completely disappeared from your line of sight.

A scowl marred your face in displeasure, "Thanks for that." You told him, bitterly, as your eyes drifted back to his form.

"Sorry." The stranger said, but the small shrug of his shoulders had conveyed how little truth his words held.

Silence followed after the departure of the animal you had taken a liking to, until the boy decided that he should speak first. "So, what are you doing all the way out here?" He asked, rocking himself on the heels of his feet.

You shook your head to deflect his question and took the questioning upon yourself, "Nothing. What are you doin' all the way out here?" You asked defensively.

His brows raised as he glanced at the chunks of wood in his arms, "Chopping wood for fire." He said, as if the fact was self explanatory. Stretching his neck and peering around, he asked, "Shouldn't you be at your settlement? Doing work like the rest of us?"

Pulling your hood further over your head as if to hide from his sight, you muttered, "You ask too many questions."

"Well, you look highly suspicious." He countered and then gestured as best as he could have with his shoulders, since his arms were occupied. "With the cloak and all." Considering the number of pieces of wood he had carried in his arms, he did an impressive job. They didn't seem much of a burden to him, if at all.

"Oh, right." You uttered, still not unveiling yourself, not when there was a possibility of recognition. Your gaze landed on where you had last seen the animal you had held, and silence ensued once again. You were at a loss at what to do, would you run? If you did, would he say anything to anyone? You didn't know him at all, of course he would say something, so did you have to threaten him? If so, with what? But he had an axe, what would you do against an axe?

He noticed the location of your gaze and began to feel a slight pang of guilt. Wild animals were hard to keep calm, and you had done that but he had ruined it. "That sound she made... it- uh, was good." He said, causing your face to contort in confusion.

"What?"

"The honking noise that the bunny made — it meant that she liked the way you were petting her." He explained.

Your body had perked up in realization, "Really? How do you know?" You asked, intrigued at the information.

Gentle surprise decorated his face at your sudden interest at his words. "I have experience with them. A friend of mine had a lot of pets when we were younger. Plus, sometimes I see them by the river."

Your, once charred, eyes had ignited at the mention of a river. Your camp acquaintances hadn't mentioned one near you before. "A river? You've seen a river? Is it close?" You asked him as you stood on your feet and inched slightly closer.

Visibly startled at the sudden interest, his arms clutched his wood tighter. "Yeah? Have you never seen a river before or something?" He asked and eyed you dubiously, almost questioning your audacity at asking such an obtuse question.

"I have- well no, actually. Kind of. I only saw it for a second and then..." —And then, the river was the farthest thing from your mind. "Yeah..." You explained vaguely.

"Well, this one isn't really a river. I wouldn't say so, at least. It's more of a small lake. It's completely frozen over too, so we've been using the snow as our main source of water for now."

"Holy crap, what does it look like? You said it's frozen over? Can you touch it? How strong is the ice? Does it have a specific scent? What about taste?" You fired off your questions one after the other without halt, your voice laced with faint excitement. It had been a while since you felt anything even resembling that emotion and you missed it desperately so.

He had no doubt wondered why the hell you were so eager about a damn lake, but that did not matter to you. There was a lake near you and it was frozen over. Your imagination couldn't even begin to paint the picture for you, much less how surreal it would look.

He couldn't fathom why, but he grew a bit bashful at the attention, overwhelmed by the weight that his words carried and how tightly you held onto them. "I don't know, I've never tried it. And it looks like a frozen lake." He muttered, his voice muffled by the slight pout his lips formed.

Drumming your fingers against the side of your leg, you began to formulate a sound plan to get to the river. You didn't know where it was located, so unfortunately for you, your only option stood before you. "Take me to see the river-lake thingy." You told him, indisputably.

His expression conveyed his skepticism, "Are you telling me or asking me?"

Not without a roll of your eyes, you acquiesced, "Can you take me to the river-lake thingy, please?"

He noticed the way the once leaden flutters of your eyelids had grown to be more distinct, he surmised it to be an effect of your interest in the subject he was so cognizant of. He had no idea why, but it forced him to yearn to venture to the lake-river thingy too. He yearned to please you.

Too bad he wouldn't allow himself to give in so easily.

"No." He answered.

His blunt irrefutable answer had caused you to sputter and gape, "Come on. What'll it take?"

His eyes darted away from your own as he seemed to be attempting to conjure a price fit for such a request. "Well... I am thinking of becoming a soldier." His words were slow, as if he were carefully plucking them individually from his vocabulary. As if they were Campanulas in a green field.

"Okay..." You responded, expecting him to continue, but when he remained hesitant, you added a confused, "Congrats?"

Dubiously, as if he was doubtful of his own words, he continued, "Yeah, but I still don't know which regiment I would choose when the time comes. Currently, I'm leaning towards the Military Police or the... scurvy core?"

"You mean the Survey Corps?"

"Yeah, that's what I said." He stated.

"No you didn't." You countered.

He emitted a sigh, his shoulders drooping along with his chest. "You know what I meant. I grew up very isolated, so don't judge me."

"Fine." You relented. "So, what? You want me to help you pick or something?" You offered.

"No, I want to know more about our king. As I said, I was very isolated growing up and I haven't really heard much about his recent actions. I want to know who I'll be providing with my service if I decide to become a Military Police officer." He explained.

Puzzled at his request, you asked, "So, you want me to tell you about the king?"

"Yes, that's exactly what."

Perhaps his strange request should have been a sort of presage for events in the future. Events that you nor your people could have perceived. But it was just that — the naivety to the world and what was to come thwarted your vision, so you deemed it harmless.

You deemed him harmless.

"Okay... from what little I know, few people have actually seen him, bar the noblemen who are amongst the small circle that are regularly around him. To be honest, he hasn't really done anything groundbreaking from what I can remember. He's kinda like a ghost." You informed him.

He listened intently, soaking in every word you fed him. "So, from what the other citizens of Wall Maria are saying, the government hasn't made a single move against the titans yet. Do you think they will, sometime in the future?" He inquired.

"What would they do? After a hundred years, the closest we've gotten to driving them back is swords and ODM gear."

"Right. So, you're sure that the king has no other way or method to strike back?"

"Obviously, unless they've managed to build some type of futuristic weapon that we don't know about. Which, I wouldn't be so surprised if I found out that were the case, I'm not all knowing. But even then, the person you're thinking of is the Premier. He is the one in charge of all three military regiments." You said, clearly becoming uninterested in the topic of his questions. "Are you done interrogating me, now?"

"Yeah, sure." He relented, which drew a sigh of relief out from you. He then gave you an entire once over, before backtracking on his words and saying, "Actually, tell me why you were out here first, then I'll take you."

Your face grew grim and you hesitated on your next words. You couldn't risk him finding out about the probable warrant out for your arrest, even more so if that included a bounty. He was a stranger that you didn't plan on trusting, so you settled on being vague with your answer.

"I'm... hiding from someone for a bit." You begrudgingly stated as he continued to inspect you, almost as if he were attempting to detect whether your answer was a lie or the truth.

"Mhm, now take off the hood."

"What? I'm not getting undressed for you, none of that was part of the deal." You told him, your arms crossing before your chest.

"I'm not telling you to- it's just a damn hood. You look really suspicious." He told you matter-of-factly. Your dark stare solidified as you weighed your options, he reciprocated, albeit with far less malice. "Just making sure you're not a titan in disguise." He quipped.

"Fine." You gritted and slowly raised your arms to wrap your fingers around the hem of your hood. The ends of your hair bounced slightly as you unveiled yourself to the boy you had deemed strange, and small bits of snow descended from your head. "See? No titan here." You affirmed.

His lips pursed beautifully in an attempt to hide his growing smile as he took in your unobstructed appearance. He could finally see the top of your head and less shadows obscured your mellow facial features. "Yep, you definitely don't look like a titan." He stated.

You scoffed, "Thanks, sir obvious."

His gaze moved to the objects that had still laid in his embrace, weighing his options on their fate, before simply shrugging. "Okay, let's go." He said and sauntered off to his newfound destination.

Allowing the hood to stay behind your neck, you quickly followed after him. "Uhm, you're taking those?" You asked, eyeing the objects in question.

"Where am I gonna put them? Unless you've got a secret compartment in your ass, they're staying right here." He wiggled his arms for emphasis.

"Funny." You deadpanned. "Let me help." You offered, since it was the least you could have done, seeing as he was doing you a favor with seemingly little charge.

You began to reach for the wood in his hold, before he hastily retracted himself from your grasp and turned his body in the opposite direction. "What? No way!" He exclaimed in urgency, seeming so appalled by the mere mention of handing you his cargo.

"What? Why? Do you think that I'm not strong enough? I could probably throw you, your height doesn't matter." You defended.

His head shook to deny your claim. "No, that's not- wait, could you really?" He asked, slightly impressed by the idea.

"Uh, yeah. Duh." You said in a faux assured tone. In all honesty, you had no idea.

His head shook again, "Whatever, I would never make a lady carry something while I am fully capable." He clarified with his nose high in the air.

Lady.

Completely baffled, your jaw dropped at his words. Your legs halted their stride, but he paid them no heed and continued his own motions. Once you regained your senses, you arrived hot on his tail to demand answers. "Lady? Did you just call me a lady? I am NOT that old."

With just one look towards your face he realized you were entirely serious, of course a young boy like him could have never imagined throwing out an opportunity to satirize. "Really? You could've fooled me." He stated with a straight-laced expression, causing you to scoff at his audacity.

"You're joking. You have'ta be or else you need glasses." You informed him, which in turn caused him to shrug once again. "You do that a lot, why? Your shoulders are gonna get stuck that way y'know." You asked as your gaze flickered from his face to the aforementioned body part. His response was near immediate, the non-stop shrugging motions almost comical.

You hid the way the corner of your lips begged to upturn as you deflected your gaze and rolled your eyes. He returned his gaze towards your form and attempted to do the same as you had with his own grin. "Look, if you really wanna help. Here, you can have these." He said, and you vividly remember the fact that he had deliberately given you what had looked to be the smallest of the bunch, which you readily accepted with ease and continued on your path with the blond stranger.

"So, you- uh, come around here often?" He spoke hesitantly.

A soft snort escaped through your chilled nose, "Really? That's the best small talk you could come up with?" You derided.

"Cut me some slack, at least I'm trying to make conversation." He defended himself.

You shook your head, "Well, there's no need to. You don't need to force yourself to talk to me."

His golden irises peeked at your from their corners as he nodded slowly.

"Okay."

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, which you had used as a chance to properly admire your surroundings and he had used as a chance to properly admire you.

He noticed the way you had looked to almost worship every aspect of your environment — from the dark swirls of mud that were mixed in with the white achromatic snow, to the keen chunks of icicles that were formed by intense rays of light. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that was the very first time you had opened your eyes. It had confused him at the time, for why was such a heavy amount of wonder crammed into an arbitrary human? Perhaps you were one of those ditzy girls who were fascinated by all the little things because of their inability to comprehend them. The thought tossed and turn in his mind, until he drew upon that you didn't seem like a scatterbrain. In fact, he had detected that you were the exact opposite.

He felt that if he were to have a glimpse at you and your being, a look into who you were, he would not come across a snowy blizzard in soaring rocky mountains, nor would he find the rancorous storm that brewed within himself. In fact, he didn't know what it was he would have found, all he knew was what it would have felt like.

The sensation of dipping his toes into crisp river water or the feeling he would feel in his soul when his mother used to tuck him in on showering nights when he was younger. It was serene, the calm before his storm.

The delicate way your eyes had absorbed the sights before you; they were not wide in the way wonder would have usually affected one's expression. Your face had been gentle, as if you were at peace in your surroundings.

It had terrified him and caused unforeseen doubt to creep into the crevices of himself. How could an island devil be so tranquil?

You were correct, there had been no need for speaking. It had almost felt natural to simply be in the presence of one another. The boy had found that the vicious storm he kept retained in his own body, cowered in the presence of a clear draft. It relaxed and sizzled as if the heavy raindrops were merely miniscule flames doused in cold water. He wouldn't have allowed himself to speak it aloud, in fear it would cement itself as the undeniable truth, but he had enjoyed the short walk spent with you, quite a bit.

The trees began to part by the time you had completed discovering the various aromas they provided. As their branches seemed to almost pull apart the curtains to unveil the sight before you, your eyes danced wildly about the foreign scene. Without many trees to obstruct their paths, millions upon millions of white flakes laid on the ground in a thick sheet of snowfall. The towering narrow conifers parted for a section of a body of water in their center, they stood indomitably, circling around it as if they were knights fortifying a sacred place. As you stepped into the open land, it had felt as though you had entered an entirely different world. A world in which no one else knew of, or even existed in, but yourself.

The air felt crystalline and invigorating to your lungs, so you took the opportunity to swallow as many profound breaths as they could hold. A weightless, yet boisterous, laugh escaped your lips and your legs moved on their own, pulling you forward through the snow and towards the solid void.

"Hey, wait up! Be careful!" The boy exclaimed, alarmed at your sudden recklessness and doing his best to reach his arms out, as if they would have been long enough to halt your sprint.

His shouts reached deaf ears, not even causing you to flinch as you neared closer by the second. What did cause you to halt, was the fine line between snow and solid ice. You stood at the edge of what was once a small stream of fresh water. Falling to your knees and admiring the grey tint that the ice held, you placed the pieces of wood beside you and drew your right hand nearer to the solid surface.

"I can't believe my eyes." You murmured to your distorted reflection that peered back at your dumbfounded expression.

Dense huffs and puffs flooded your ears as your guide finally caught up to you. "How are you so damn fast?" He asked as he caught his breath.

You stared at the back of your hand as your palm hovered over the ice. "Can I touch it?" You asked and without awaiting his response, you experimentally dragged the pads of your fingers across the surface.

"Why ask, if you're gonna do it either way?" He grumbled and plopped his carry-ons onto the snow and placed his, now free, arms on his hips in relief.

Then, all of a sudden, you heard faint stomps that originated from someplace before you. As you lifted your head, you spotted an animal, the same as the one you had held earlier, only instead of brown dominated fur, that one wore a full white coat, finished with small black spots near its neckline. It was all the way on the other side of the ice and had seemed to have been approaching from the forest, only halting when it landed directly before the cold surface that separated the two of you.

"They shed their coat during the winter, you know." Came a voice from behind you. You pivoted your head to face him as your gaze settled on his form. He took your curious stare as an invitation to continue his informative speech. "It helps them blend in with the snow better, to hide from predators. Which, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Considering we're by ourselves." He said and began to survey the area cautiously.

Lifting a brow teasingly, you ask with a slight smirk, "Ya scared?"

His form visibly stiffened, "No, trust me, I can handle anything these woods throw at me." He assured as he, not so subtly, attempted to make his chest seem larger, which in the end was deemed pointless because of the thick green coat obscuring whatever muscle he had wanted to show off.

"Yeah? We'll see about that." You said and turned your focus back to the bunny that had begun to sniff at the ground. As if it had determined the journey safe enough, it ventured onto the ice with seemingly no effort.

You gasped as you watched the animal successfully make its way to your side of the frozen river-lake thingy, and then bound back into the thick of the forest. You turned back to the solid surface before you, hastily so, and wondered how stable it truly was.

"Nuh-uh, I can see what you're thinking, don't do it. I am not going to jump in the water if you end up breaking the ice and falling in. You'd have to find a way to save yourself while I take back my wood and continue on about my merry day." He warned.

"But, look." You tell him and then drop your ear to hover over the ice, knocking your knuckles against the surface. "It doesn't sound hollow, which means it must be frozen pretty deep, which means it'll be harder to break." You assured.

"Uh, yeah duh. It's not hollow, because there's water in there. Whether that water is frozen or not is something I do not want to find out." He explained and took a few steps away from the ice for emphasis.

Standing on your feet, your fingers clutched onto your cloak as you stated, "Well, I do." And in the gentlest motion your bustling mind allowed, you lightly placed the tip of your foot onto the ice. After a few experimental taps that did not make the surface budge, you let the sole of your foot lay itself flat against the ice.

"Oh my god. You're actually doing it. You're fucking crazy." He said, fingers curling themselves into his hair in distress and his gaze piercing your foot.

Once you were ready, you gradually allowed most of your weight to fall onto the leg planted on the ice. It didn't seem to budge, so you took that as your sign to continue and placed the other foot alongside its pair. The ice stayed still under your weight, and you released a breath of relief that you hadn't even realized you were retaining.

"Fuck, that was kinda scary." You muttered, your chest heaving.

In the midst of his own sighs of relief, he quipped, "You think?" He shook his head as if to dispense the previous feelings that forced him to stress and then held a palm out to you. "Okay, you stood on the ice. You can get off of it now."

You glared at his hand in disgust at the idea, and vehemently shook your head in defiance. "What? No way! At least let me soak this in for a while longer." You told him.

"Your body will be soaked if you don't get off right now. Take my hand." He warned through gritted teeth. You were testing his thinly veiled patience.

"Oh come on," You groaned, "Why don't you try join me instead?" You offered, thinking perhaps the stick up his butt would dislodge itself if he were to experience the same as you were. He wasn't that much bigger than you, being as you were both around the same age, so you surmised that the ice would be sturdy enough to hold him.

Though, your question had caught him off guard and caused his hand to scurry back towards his own body. "What? No! I'm not some wierd foreign girl who hasn't seen or felt ice before, I'm good right here." He exclaimed.

"Right, you're just a scared foreign boy who doesn't recognize a good time when he sees it." You teased lightly. Perhaps you did come off as foreign because of how uneducated you had been about the outside world, but his earlier questions had placed him in the same category.

"I can have a good time." He corrected, his eyes unwavering in their staring contest with your hand.

'I didn't say that you couldn't.' Is what you had wanted to rebut, but you kept that thought to yourself as you didn't want to lessen the chances of him accepting your offer. "You seriously worry too much. If we hear the ice crack, then we'll jump off or something." You reassured.

His gaze continued to flicker from your face to your outstretched palm as he weighed his options.

"You can trust me." You told him, tilting your head and piercing his honeyed irises with your own, softening the impact with a light smile. He gulped when he noticed the sincerity in your expression, foreseeing his submission.

His fingers gingerly made their way towards your own, taking their sweet time, until they wrapped themselves around yours. His hand was freezing and so was yours, their temperatures matching that of the surface beneath your feet, yet they still seemed to find comfort in each other's holds. You began to guide his body onto the ice by pulling him towards you and reached out to take his other arm, taking a few steps back to make room as he joined you in standing on the once giant pool of liquid. With both of your gazes trained on the ice, watching intently for any signs of stress, you didn't notice the short silence that fell over your figures.

You were the first to lift your head and consequently got an eye full of sandy blond hair that ruffled slightly in the sudden gusts of wind that passed between your bodies. His own head followed after at the sensation, and was therefore met with your own face mere inches away from his own, to the point where your visible breaths mingled together and you couldn't tell the two apart.

You really don't think that you could ever grow tired of staring at the color of his eyes.

Honey will always call your name.

They made your insides feel warm and caused your mind to be overcome by a haze. Although there had still been light snow falling from the sky, the heat from your face had caused the tip of your nose to defrost. Similarly, his own face began to radiate heat, only instead of defrosting his nose, it had seemed to worsen the effect that the cold had on him. The apple of his cheeks, which were once painted a light, almost invisible, pink due to the temperature, began to tinge a shade darker and form a connection to the bridge of his nose. If someone had walked into the scene you both had been displaying, they likely would have guessed that you were about to begin a waltz by the way you held each other.

Clearing his throat, and effectively breaking both of your trances, the boy was the first to speak. "So, I'm here. Now what?"

Shortly mulling the question over, your lips formed a small, but mischievous, grin. "Now..." You started and slowly slid a foot to the side. "We dance, foreign boy!" You informed him.

"We what?" He asked, to which you paid no heed to as you yanked his arms one way and thrusted your body in the other, causing the both of you to spin.

Light giggles cascaded from your lips and your hair seemed to flow along with them, releasing all the tension you held in your body, even if just for a moment. The young blond before you tightened his hold and conveyed his freight in yells, the contrasting sounds you had both emitted melting together.

"Relax, see? We're fine, just enjoy the moment." You told him over his screeching, which had not yielded, forcing you to further reassure the poor soul. "Hey, open your eyes." You instructed. He obeyed, his eyes hesitantly peeking open and allowing you to continue, "Calm down. We're sliding on ice right now and you have the audacity to close your eyes." You berated, giving him an incredulous look as you did so.

His small peeking morphed into an astonished gaze as his eyes flew to your hair. There were even more snowflakes nestled into your short strands than before, and the spinning motion that your bodies moved in had tousled them. Your face was framed by front pieces that touched the tops of your cheeks, and the rest of your head was adorned with tufts that tickled the middle of your neck in a choppy fashion that didn't allow many chunks to remain the same length. Even your long lashes hadn't seemed to escape the snows path.

He quieted down once his heart had quelled the hammering in his chest, and he allowed his face to envelope into a smile, as strained as it may have been. At least he was trying to enjoy the moment for what it was. You settled the pace of your spins and released both of your hands, causing the both of you to catapult in opposite directions.

"Just slide!" You had yelled, seeing as you were on different ends of the ice. Both of you had ended up in your own smaller spins, with your arms spread for balance, finishing with your wide grins facing each other.

He eyes had told you that he wouldn't be the first to make a move, so you were left with no choice. You begun to demonstrate what you exclaimed just a moment before, by gliding to the side... except, your attempt at showing off had backfired and you slipped onto your bum with a coherent 'oof', causing your companion to chuckle in delight.

"Uh-huh, you were saying?" He teased, standing still and tall as a contrast to your slumped form.

Even though you hadn't been moving any longer, you continued to glide across the surface unwillingly. "At least I'm trying." You retorted.

He scoffed and made an attempt at taking a step, only to find the floor far too slippery to do so. He continued to attempt to gain his balance, taking multiple steps that resulted in having to catch himself with another, you giggled at his ungraceful display of running in place.

"You're real light on your feet, aren't ya?" You teased.

"Well, at least my feet are actually moving. How are you gonna get back on your feet or better yet, how are you going to stop sliding on your ass, huh?" He retorted through various huffs.

"Easy-" You began and positioned yourself on your knees. You clumsily stood back on your feet and allowed the ice to move you, waiting patiently until you were close enough to continue, "I'll just use you." And latched onto his arm before you could fall yet again.

The extra weight did not help his own circumstances, only serving as the catalyst to his decent, forcing his stance to waver. "Wait-" He exclaimed through a laugh and grabbed onto you to steady himself.

It seemed the both of you had the same thought process, and simultaneously thrusted yourselves towards the snow, landing with a puff.

Your pair of giggles intertwined in a harmony and drifted through the air of the secluded land you had laid in. What had once felt like a place existing for only you, had now included the person beside you. With the rest of the world closed off, you had allowed yourself to imagine it as such. For the first time in a long while, your laughs were buoyant and carefree. There had been no lingering pit in your stomach weighing you down, the survivors guilt that had caused many sleepless nights had been overrun by the joy of that moment. That small segment consisting of you and that blond stranger acting like the kids you were and living as you were. There was no reminiscing on the past or pondering on the future, it was what you had then that carried you forward.

Your sounds subsided after what had felt like hours, which in actuality were only minutes. Laying on your sides, you continued to face each other as you caught your breaths.

After a moment of silence, he asked the question weighing on his mind. "What's your name?"

You hesitated as your mind had raced with reasons as to why you should or shouldn't answer his question. You were reminded of the reason you were out there in the first place, and although the Military Police had not known of your name yet, aimlessly handing it out wouldn't have done you any favors. No matter how much you had enjoyed your outing in the snow with your blond stranger, you couldn't risk giving in to his inquiry, something you yearned to do, for if you did, that would mean sacrificing your goal of bringing Stefan justice.

Lifting a finger up towards your lips, you whispered, "Secret."

His brows raised slightly as he blinked, "Does it have to do with the person you're hiding from?" He whispered back.

Using the hand you held against your lips, you grabbed the hem of your cloak and wrapped yourself further into the cloth. "Yeah." You uttered.

He nodded his head and didn't question you any further, not finding it in himself to want to push any boundaries. His curious question drew out your own. "What's your name?"

The corner of his lips upturned and he mimicked the earlier movements of your hands, "Secret." He whispered, the actions causing an airy giggle to escape your throat and your eyes to shut.

That, that brief moment of peace was suddenly interrupted by a loud yell that originated from the thick of the woods.

"Reiner!"

Both of your heads shot upwards, though for different reasons. Yours, because of the reminder that other people existed in the world, and his in recognition of the voice.

"Shit, Bertholdt." He muttered under his breath.

Realizing that he knew the owner of the voice, you sat up and got to your feet, the boy at your side following directly after. "I need to go." You told him as you shook the snow off of your cloak and pulled the hood over your head.

He stared at you and sputtered for a few seconds, before speaking properly. "Yeah, okay. That's fine." He stated, though it was not in fact, fine. He wanted to know your name, or if he would see you again and if so, when? Hopefully soon. It was wrong, so stupid and so damn selfish, he knew that, but yet he couldn't help himself to yearn for the possibility. Something in him had yearned to see you again. Something he would soon learn to be his demise.

"Reiner! Where are you, man?"

"Listen, don't answer him 'til you're sure you can't see me through the trees anymore. 'Kay?" You told him, already beginning your march through the snow.

"Got it." He agreed before he mustered up the courage to subtly ask, "I'll... uh- see you later, maybe?" He crouched down to retrieve his abandoned logs of wood.

You looked back over at him one last time with a smile and answered, "We'll see. Goodbye for now, Reiner." You told him, with emphasis on his name which you had learned thanks to the mysterious voice.

He granted you one last unimpressed stare before you began your sprint through the woods, leaving his line of sight. Shaking his head in displeasure at the fact that you had now possessed the knowledge of his name, leaving him the only one empty handed, he gathered every last piece of wood into his arms and began to head in the direction he had heard his comrade yell from — he would rather not have to explain the footprints you had left behind to his very smart friend.

"Reiner? There you are! I was beginning to get worried, did you decide to grow the trees yourself or what?" Bertholdt fretted.

Reiner waltzed up to the taller boy, now both in the thick of the forest, before reassuring him. "Calm down, Bert. You can last a couple of hours without me."

Some of you might have already noticed, especially after this chapter, but your voice very frequently mimics Stefan's accent. This wasn't something that occurred before his death, but it came about as a sort of coping mechanism.

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