EMPIRE

Summary: It's a thing when two ambitious men cross paths - but what happens when a little queen crosses theirs? Meg Capet doesn't know it yet, but she will build an empire.

Notes: If you don't like OC stories, please give this a chance. I thought that Levi needed better OC stories, so here I am, a bored College student who wants to give some Levi love and make a good SnK OC. Please review! ^^

i.The Great Unknown

830

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

In the Great Hall, Lord Luthor Capet blared out his question. Seated by his side, his wife, Lady Helena raised her blond eyebrows with great concern. Lord Luthor was a noble, living tucked away in Wall Sina, in his great and wide estate, growing gardens and orchards and managing a banking business that flourished greatly. His red hair and well-made appearance marked him – he wore silk clothes, the best among the nobles. His question was addressed to his two young children, the two little redheads sitting together, their heads close together. It was matter for the future.

"I want to be like you, Father! I will be lord of the manor and run a business!" declared the boy, his voice shrill. His name was Kurt, and he had an indomitable energy to him. His red hair was uncombed and tousled. At his reply, his lord father guffawed in amusement and patted his wife's hand affectionately.

"That's a good answer, Kurt! Heir to the Capet indeed!" Lord Luthor raised his golden goblet and toasted his son's answer. His gaze fled to the girl.

At the tender age of five, Margaret, his daughter, was clever. Lord Luthor's late mother, Matilda Capet, had known it; she herself had made sure of his daughter's duties and lessons. Sewing. Singing. Learning to be a noble lady. The scholar and teacher and tutors at the estate would teach the girl to chart and map the stars, to argue in a fine point of grammar, to learn to use poisons. She would learn archery one day. The girl didn't possess her mother's conventional looks – a mop of red hair, and a certain shyness about her.

"Well, Meg, what do you want?"

"I want to be…" The girl's lip trembled. She cleared her throat and her gaze surveyed her family members. "I want to be a doctor. I want to heal the sick."

Lord Capet and his wife exchanged glances.

"My dear, don't you think it's a waste?" he asked, earning a nervous chuckle. "You're still young. Are you sure you can be a doctor?"

"I've thought it over. It would be nice if I became one," Meg replied earnestly. "I have you, Papa. I can cure sick people. Help people. I want to be of use."

"I think you would make a good one," Kurt declared. The girl blushed and looked away. Shyly. An awkward and shy girl she was, and a noble, too.

"Meg, you can forget about that," declared the lord. "You're a pretty girl. There are better opportunities than working. You can go stay here, and get married. Marry a nice rich man."

"I want to work outside of Wall Sina, Father." Meg's words were honest. "I want to help the poorer people. They need help, don't they?"

"Margaret is smart," Lady Capet put in. "She can be a doctor. She can work for the army, for the Scouting Legion as a medic." The woman winked. "My brother works for the Legion, and the medical division needs all the members it can find. She can be a doctor there. Help the soldiers. She can do her work. Her duty. Isn't it a beautiful thing?"

Lord Capet raised a hand.

"But dear, the Scouting Legion is full of soldiers who aren't fit to feel her touch! They're filthy! Wife, remember her fate; she is a woman! She cannot be a soldier!"

Lady Capet looked at her daughter with a sad smile.

"My lord, the question is not for you to answer. You may be Meg's father but Meg is the creator of her own destiny. She is a noble girl and marriage is a good option, but she has a dream. Think of her. Will she be happy if you marry her off to some noble years older than her and on the wedding bed, force himself on her to beget a son?" Lady Capet's voice was gentle but firm. It cracked like a whip – and the whole Great Hall fell silent. Lord Capet stared at her in a mixture of embarrassment, puzzlement, confusion, irritation and doubt. Of all the people to correct him, why was it his wife?

His love of his life, Helena, who was a renowned beauty among the nobles, who had to correct him. Helena was the mother of his children, a gentle soul who sat and sewed and did her duty. The woman who swore to adore him all the days of their lives as two people bound by marriage of political convenience and duty.

He was…

"Wife, remember that she is still six. There are other Houses who have sworn fealty to us, and they want to cement it. By marriage. They want Margaret. She is your daughter." As he spoke, the other ladies and lords looked away by default. "As my heiress and daughter, she is my only hope. I need her. Helena, our family needs her."

Helena shut her mouth.

What could she say?

This was pitting her word against her husband's.

But her brother or her lord husband.

Her brother and the cause. The Titans...

"Remember your place," Luthor went on. "She has a duty to the House."

"Yes, Father," said Meg.

That was she said, because she was seven, she was a plain child who was too shy for her own good, she was tiny and she was a noble who would one day leave the estate to give her body and her maidenhead and herself to another fellow noble who would not love her for herself and she was bound by duty and she was you.

-/-

833

"How is she faring?"

Three years were enough to bring more changes in the Capet household. Lord Luthor Capet over the course of three years, lost his wife, mourned for her, and set about making more changes to the way the estate was run. Kurt was prevented from fraternizing with his sister until his lessons in governing and economics and alchemy and science were finished. He had too many subjects to study. The boy was still a boy, but the loss of Lady Capet had sorely done something to the estate of the grand Capets. The business meetings and the governance of his vassals often took Lord Capet away from his family. Who often watched over the children?

The tutor, the governess.

"Your daughter?"

The tutor, Master Cox, was a pale man. Well-spoken for, gentle, and very witty, he was very educated. Clever and wordy, he presided over the lessons of both the Capet children. His hair was a mass of graying brown curls, and his face dimpled in the animation of his expression. Master Cox was a scholar, originally meaning to be a lawyer then he found his calling teaching nobles how to map the stars, the arts and sciences. He had written books and read so many books as many as the stars. Lord Luthor had been friends with him.

"Yes. I meant Meg – I mean Lady Margaret." Master Cox winced.

"Of course her."

"Ah. She is very good. Willing to learn, her nature is very kind and gentle. She would make a good nurse, or doctor. "

"I did not ask if she would make a good fucking doctor."

Master Cox chuckled.

"Fine. She does excellently. Full of self-leadership. A tad too shy, though. She is clever and accomplished enough for any noble man to take as a wife. She is sweet and gentle, and had a little of her grandmother, too. She can sing and play the lute and harp. She is clumsy at the dance floor and slow with it. She is average at cooking – and she likes her role as the lady of the manor. She is too willing to help the sick and poor. The girl's been having a bad time of it – she's been crying when she sleeps."

"Just like her."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Lord Luthor rubbed the skin on his nose. "So, Master Cox, do you think she is a good candidate for one of the Reiss uncles?"

The Reiss family.

"No. Our girl is too good for that."

"You know what she was born for. Thomas, you are too attached to her. If not the Reiss, who do I give her to? I have been getting marriage negotiations ever since Helena died. You know what my mother would say if she were alive. She would have spoiled Margaret. There is the Stark family, the Vane family and the Connor."

"If I were the king and I knew what she was, then I would secure her a chance to be a doctor. Not a lady."

"The royal family?" Luthor smiled. "A prince would do for her."

Master Cox sighed.

"You know, you don't know how much a value she will if she becomes a doctor. Send her to the Scouting Legion instead to learn to be a doctor, healing soldiers. The House will not suffer if you keep Luthor and send her out to the world."

"She has a duty to the House."

Master Cox smiled.

"She has a duty to humanity, too."

-/-

835

Dinner. A silent one – it was typically like this when Father was around. At twelve, Margaret was starting to fill in her curves. Her long hair was tied in two carrot-colored braids that hung past her shoulders. The servants were at the door, heeding beck and call of the Capets when it came to dinner. Kurt was munching hungrily on a piece of meat, and Master Cox was taking his time with his ham. Father sat at the head of the table, weighed down by his age and worry. He was at the family business, full-time, devoting himself to making House Capet great and known.

"Margaret, has anyone kissed you already?" Lord Luthor suddenly asked. The utensils were forgotten – heads turned at the red-haired lady. Her eyes widened with surprise. Her hands shook. She almost dropped the handkerchief from her lap. "No, Father. Why would someone do? I am kept inside Wall Sina and this house."

Master Cox eyed the girl with concern.

"Has any naughty stable boy touched you in places where he doesn't have any business touching?"

"Never." Her cheeks heated up.

"Have you ever wanted to steal something, Margaret?"

"Never."

Master Cox stiffened. He suddenly knew why Lord Capet was already asking the questions. He was checking if she was a maiden. His daughter was as pure as a nun. His daughter would be treated as a lady – she would be presented to other noble men and introduced and sold like an ox at a market. Men would love to get their hands on her – she was tall for her age and there was a hint or two of Helena's beauty in her. She was the daughter of one of the wealthiest Houses within Wall Sina.

"Your daughter is so pure she can catch a unicorn, Luthor," Master Cox stated. Kurt threw a worried face at his elder sister and then at his father. Why the hell was Father paying her attention after leaving her all these years to drown in lady-lessons and other studies? Of course he would sell her like a whore to other men, so that House Capet would get richer.

"Why. Why are you asking me such things that I know not of?" Meg whispered, her face pale.

"Margaret, you are young and pretty. You are the daughter of a powerful House. One of the richest Houses within the Walls. We are a powerful family. Your uncle is one of the most powerful leaders within the Scouting Legion. Your maidenhead is vital to the family."

"Is that because you are going to sell me like an ox to some man?" Meg's voice cracked. "Father, I don't want to marry! Not now. I'm too young! I want more things in life! I want to be a doctor, not a wife. I have more dreams!"

"Enough!"

"Maybe you should think about giving her some time!"

The two Capets turned to look at the speaker. Master Cox's voice was serious. His eyes sparkled. "Why not? Luthor, you can allow her to become a doctor, at least… Before you give her away. I am sure your brother-in-law is more than willing to accommodate his late sister's daughter. You know how much help the Scouting Legion needs."

"R-Really?" Meg's mouth opened in surprise.

"The Scouting Legion is too dangerous. Men I don't know will want their hands on my daughter. My daughter is not some local wench you can fuck and get away with." Luthor shook his head. "It's a horrible proposition. What kind of man will want her?"

"It is an honourable profession, to be a doctor in the Scouting Legion," Master Cox went on. "You do realize, Helena was originally going to become a nurse for the army herself until you wooed her and won her heart."

"Father, I told you already. I don't want to marry!"

Master Cox laughed.

"I want to become a doctor, Father. I want to help others. I can't stand it if I keep on living this way." Meg spoke calmly. "What is the purpose of my life other than being a woman? I am a woman with a woman's frail body, but I have a man's desire for purpose. You can't stop me. I want to be out there. I want to see the world. I want to see the sky. I want to be a doctor, so now!"

Luthor scowled.

"If that's what you want, Meg, then go leave the estate! Go become a doctor and die out of my own household! If you return alive, there's nothing but a marriage promise waiting for you!" He laughed bitterly. "You sound like your mother!"

The chair creaked as Margaret Capet stood up from her seat. The purple dress moved with her, her face twisting in a lady's attempt at anger. Her shoulders shook and her eyes flashed defiantly, blue fire. The veil covering her hair was practically ripped from her head and she tossed it on the floor angrily. Her footsteps were sleek, a loud staccato of rhythm. The door behind her slammed.

Master Cox sighed.

"See what you did?"

Luthor looked away. When he looked at the chair that Master Cox had occupied, there was no one there.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do at this point?" Master Cox was breathless, as he took the reins of the horse. As he spoke, he bent his head to address the shapely figure beside him, a figure wrapped in trousers and boots from a boy from the lowborn population of Wall Sina. The figure was wearing a cap, and had blue eyes that shone. Fair skin that looked too clean to pass for a lowborn's, and a very feminine way to his movements. That night, he had followed the young lady out of the estate that recklessly, just to do his duty. Now that they were out of Capet land, what else could Meg even do now? She would no longer be of her own House's protection; was she that naïve to do such a thing?

The marketplace was full of thieves. Mobsters. If she got kidnapped by thugs, whose fault would it be now, if that happened? The underworld had several links in this very marketplace. At first sight, it was a typical marketplace – mosquitoes buzzing the commodities in here, plenty of people around, selling people, noise and crying children, food. It was a dog eat world out here. Could Meg even survive this? She was a soul that was too naïve, too pure.

Above them, hovered the sun.

"I've got it planned in my head," she whispered.

"Then what do you think you'll do?"

"I'll pretend to be a boy while here on the streets."

"Are you that stupid?"

Meg shrugged.

"I'll blend in. Besides, I took some things with me."

"What…things?"

"I took some water, a few clothes. I also figured out the address where my uncle is supposed to be."

"You know, it'll take a long time before you actually become a doctor."

"I know."

She blinked under the sun, a few strands of red hair falling flat on her forehead.

"Are you sure you can keep yourself safe?"

"Hmmm…yeah?" She giggled.

"Hmmm. You know archery."

"Yes."

"You can sew."

"Yes."

"You can sing."

"Absolutely. And dance."

"But you're not that good with a sword."

"Correct. My footwork sucks."

"How about the arrow and the bow, dear?"

"…"

"Did you forget them?"

She was blushing furiously as master and student paused in front of two men talking by the wall. One man was tall, well-built, and he was thin. A thin face, thin body. On top of his head was a bowler hat. His beard was slightly shaggy, and his skin was layered with dust. He was middle-aged, but somehow, well-dressed. The younger man was taller than Meg, and seemed to be close to her age. He had short black hair – and a pair of sharp eyes, that quickly noticed her. He was quite…hygienic-looking for someone who seemed to be of the smallfolk. There was something so steely and sleek about the younger man that made her heart race a beat, the chemistry he had with the air.

"Ohhh…."

The younger man took notice of her.

"Umm, excuse me," Meg began, her words spilling like roses, "I want to pass by. I hope you two don't mind if I pass by."

"My. My."

Meg's eyes widened again.

"I think you're scaring her," Master Cox broke in.

"Really?"

The younger man spoke. His manner was brusque, his eyes focused on her. The brilliant red of the hair strands that hung from her head.

"What do you want?" The younger man eyed Meg again. Interesting.

"I…just want to pass you two," began the stowaway, face paling and pinking. Her heart was reducing every minute the younger man opened his mouth and she could not believe his nerve. The very nerve. "D-Did I not say it properly?"

"Hmm…" His eyes glazed over her. "…"

"I apologize for Levi's behaviour," broke in the older man. Serious. He wore a solemn gaze. Nothing gave away the way he looked at the girl in boy's clothes.

"I-It's no p-p-problem!"

"It's just that you two seem…" Meg began, her rough accent suddenly fading in like the wind. Her voice became less shrill."-Almost suspicious."

The younger and older men looked at each other.

"Don't you think so?"

The older man brushed past the younger one. His footsteps were heavy. Then Meg could suddenly feel him. The light gliding of his own clothes on hers, the magnetic manner he possessed, that her suspicion was more than what she took. What would he do now?

"Don't you think you're also suspicious?" His voice was low, a stage whisper. Meg froze. Her blood ran cold. Master Cox's eyes widened. "Your accent betrays you, my dear."

What could he possibly do to her? Rape her? Kill her? Her heart was a drum. She was aware of how close he was to her – and how his younger friend eyed her. The innate violence in his aura, the way he had talked with his younger friend. What would they do? How messed up was this world? Why were they doing this to her? How could she comprehend it all?

"My- my accent?"

The moment his fingers locked in her arm – then she ran.

Out of sight.

Out of mind.

Out of fear.

Out of naivety.

She forgot. She wanted to do it so badly. She wanted to leave it all – her identity. Her suspicions. Her fear that the world was going to be cruel. Her disappoints in her own world. She wanted to forget the heavy stare of the gray-eyed boy on her, who seemed to be a few years older and seemed to be a man in another life, someone she would have loved to share late nights with, pondering life. The running – the air, the beating and pumping of her own body that told her to fear such men. The idea that they would kill her. The idea that she had been too naïve to actually foresee this was going to come sooner. She didn't notice how her cap fell as she ran – how her hair almost fell down, exposing her for what she was.

Safe and sound.

Dead.

How wrong would she be?

This life was only getting started.

-/-

"There's a brat outside."

"Who is it?"

"She claims she's your niece, Squad Leader Vane. She says she wants to be a doctor."

Squad Leader Vane looked up.

"Oh, really?"

"What does she look like?"

"Cute."

"Come on!"

"Hey, I was kidding."

"Just tell me."

"She's pretty young. Twelve, I estimate. Red hair, and a weird accent. Almost sounds like you sometimes. Skinny. Awkward, but she's got nice manners."

"What color are her eyes?"

"Blue."

"Let her in."

The door burst inward, and the girl went inside.

-/-

"What?"

"Meg, I want you to understand why."

"So… you want me to be a soldier, not a doctor."

"For a time being, yes."

"Can't I go back? I came here to be a doctor, not a soldier." Her voice cracked like a whip. "I…almost got assaulted."

Her voice was a whisper.

"Your father's already making negotiations for your marriage. This or marriage, my girl."

"Fine. Soldier. I accept it."

"Man, you're really stubborn, aren't you?"

She smiled brightly.

"I want to learn. I want to help out, at least. It's the least I can do. What am I, compared to a bigger picture? I was not born for myself alone."

-/-

838

"Aren't you excited?"

"Excited for what?"

"Tonight, we'll get to see actual men in uniform!"

"… Sounds nice." A bored tone, Meg's eyes were watering from the bright lights.

"Of course it is!"

"Really, I think I've seen better."

"Come on, Meg, don't you think it's nice to see an actual handsome soldier?"

"E-hem."

"I've already heard of plenty of stories. They're real men, Meg. And they are the ladykillers. Whores will give their own maidenheads to them if they even kept them! One of them… He is so fucking handsome that you, Margaret, will declare yourself to give your maidenhead to him!"

"SHHHH! Your language, Charlie!"

"Come on. This is the military. Not some tea party."

"But we have propriety and structure, you do realize."

"Hmmphhh. Lady Meg, still the posh lady. It's graduation night, and maybe I can get lucky tonight. You're still young, and you're too…. stiff. Act like your age, my god. Loosen up. Maybe we can go drinking."

"Fifteen is too young to drink."

"It's not! We're going to be soldiers! I'll go to the Scouting Legion."

"So am I."

"Why didn't you join the Military Police? You were ranked 7th, if I am not mistaken."

"I have a cause."

"What is that cause, then?"

"Helping people."

"You've got the rest of your life to do that, you know."

"… Fine. I'll go drinking."

"This is going to be fun!"

"You know I am a klutz, so if you let me humiliate myself, I will seriously go hit you."

"Whatever!"

The assembly saw that everyone was there. There was Erwin Smith, one of the most popular Scouting Legion soldiers, who certainly fit in the "man in uniform" hotness that girls usually swooned over. He was charming, his posture was rigid and he was in control. Meg saw him – she saw the light that cascaded from the burning torches, the light in the eyes of her fellow graduates. The crowd rumbled, when he spoke, when his speeches and words left his mouth. He had some class, he reminded her of the lordlings she knew when she was younger, back when she lived in Sina, when there was sunlight, and dust over her face. That night, Erwin Smith spoke, and his voice bored and lived inside her ears, her heart, while her other friends yapped and yapped about how handsome he was, about the drinks waiting for them later once this ceremony was over. His words were fire, and she was attracted to them. A pretty future. The calling was too strong.

"…Meg?"

"Yes?"

"The ceremony's over."

"Oh."

"What were you staring at?"

"Nothing."

"Come on."

"Fine. I think I saw someone…familiar."

"What are you staring at?" Erwin Smith looked at his dark-haired companion. His voice interrupted the silence. His voice never cracked. It was amazing, to know such a thing. He was calm today. He had control down, and he was irresistible, a seasoned leader rising higher through his ranks.

"Why are you asking?"

"I was curious. You seemed bored…until you stared."

"I thought I saw someone."

I thought I saw someone from all those years ago.

Red hair.

Blue eyes.

He had seen those features before. There was no denying it.