Author's Note: Alright! Chapter 2! I'm plugging away on chapter 3 today. So, expect that soon, and hopefully that provides a better-ish idea of the story line.


Chapter 2


Miria sat in her study and stared at the map of the Underground. She repeatedly ran her finger across the one red x that stained the paper.


"These are all stories I've heard before, Mr. Heiden. Do you really have nothing new to tell me?" Miria asked, leaving her seat on the couch and making her way to the window.

"Well, I can't divulge top secret information." Petrus said, following her every move.

"But you promised me information!" Miria turned to face him. She could tell immediately that he was falling for her doe-eyed façade. She turned her head slightly, conjuring up tears. "Did you lie to me just to get me alone? How indecent!" Petrus stood, quickly making his way toward her and grabbed her hands in his.

"No, no, of course not." he assured. Miria tried so hard not to smirk. You stupid man. Any girl could bat her eyes at you, and you would soften in an instant for her to manipulate, wouldn't you? Petrus sighed. "Well, we have informants in the Underground who think they've narrowed Levi's hideout." Miria's eyes widened. Levi's hideout…. This was it. This was the information she needed. This was all she needed to buy her freedom.

"How did you come by something so fantastic?!" Miria's eyes glittering with intrigue.

"Well..." Petrus began with a cocky smirk. "...my specialty is information gathering. We got our information from criminals that were arrested."

"How do you know their information is any good?" He seemed surprised by her question.

"Well, their gangs are in opposition. These criminals will be released after a few months to a few years, back into the Underground. It benefits them to give us as much information about Levi as they can. The Underground isn't that big. They want to cut down their competition."

"How is it that these hardened criminals are getting such light sentences?" Miria inquired. She noticed Petrus' eyes narrow and wondered if his guard was going back up. She moved in closer to him, placing her hands on his chest and lifted her brow in feigned concern. "Won't they come to hurt us?" He smiled and took the opportunity to wrap one arm around her waist. He stroked her face. She tried not to gag. Clearly, an intelligent woman threatened him. He found it suspicious. However, as soon as she made ignorant statements and pretended to be a frightened little child, he relaxed. It made sense to him. Of course, a woman couldn't be intelligent and calculating. She smiled at him when she felt like scowling.

"My dear Miria, don't worry. I'll always keep you safe. Besides there isn't much these criminals are guilty of. There are some in the Underground guilty of much more, but these are thieves—smugglers. They may have assaulted people, but they wouldn't dare lift a hand against anyone in the capital."

"Can you…can you help me?" Miria asked, turning away, pretending to be ashamed.

"With what?" Petrus turned her face back toward him.

"Well…." Miria let out a small laugh. "Nile is so kind. He tells me so many stories about the Underground and he describes these amazing places, but I'm so bad with maps. Can you help me read them?"

"Of course. Do you have a map of the Underground?" She nodded, leading him over to her desk and pulling out a large, detailed map. Petrus took a seat in front of it, and Miria sat on his lap, draping her arms around his neck and making sure she was keeping him wrapped around her finger. She spent an hour or so pretending to hang onto his every word, letting him ramble on about himself. Miria did what she had always done: stroke his ego for her own benefit.

"Okay, so this is the toll booth?" Miria asked a question that she already knew the answer to in order to amuse her puppet. She let him have the satisfaction of thinking he had taught her something valuable.

"That's right."

"And this is where my father's doctors treat people?"

"Correct."

"These are the extremely impoverished ghettos that not even the Military Police wander into?"

"Excellent. Good job." Petrus smiled and ran his hand down the small of Miria's back.

"And where is Levi in all of this?" she inquired, leaning into his touch and bringing her lips centimeters from his.

"Well, we don't know." Petrus replied, picking up a pen and leaning over to inspect the map. "But we think…he's right here." He drew an x and Miria's heart began to pound. He turned back toward her, one hand on her lower back, pulling her in closer to him, and the other moving up her exposed leg until it reached the end of the slit in her dress. He was clearly hoping for more than her undying gratitude. Miria smiled and planted a soft kiss on his lips, standing up and putting away her map.

"We should get back before anyone gets suspicious…." she whispered, leading him out of the room.

"Ah, Lady Miria, now I believe you're being indecent. Using a man for his information and then leaving him wanting more." Miria chuckled at his response.

"Don't worry, Mr. Heiden. You'll have plenty more opportunity to repay me for my betrayal." she lied.


"Miria? Are you in there?" Nile's voice broke through her day dreams, and Miria rushed to put away her map.

"Y-yes! Come in!" she yelled, tucking the priceless document into a hidden compartment of her drawer. The door creaked open and Nile poked his head in.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, sorry. I was looking over some of Dr. Yeager's notes. I had no idea how quickly time can pass when you're studying." Miria responded, fastening her boots and quickly checking her appearance in a mirror. Her combat lessons were the only times she was allowed to wear pants. They were comfortable, easy to move in, and she felt like she could take down anyone. She tightened the bobby pins that kept the sides of her hair back.

"Really? I always seemed to have the opposite problem." Nile responded with a laugh. "But there's so much I'll never understand about you."

"Like what?" Miria asked as they made their way to the backyard.

"Like how you can train with your hair down and so long." Nile took a lock of her silky curls into his hand, and Miria laughed. "Or your obsessions with the Underground and Levi."

"Well, as long as I pin the sides back, it doesn't get in my way." Miria pulled the lock out of his hand and tossed it behind her shoulder. "And I have an interest in the medical work that my father sponsors. Naturally, I would be interested in the place where it occurs, and the most notorious gang leader from that place. It's a foreign world to me, Nile. Can you really not understand why it fascinates me?"

"No." He was honest. "I might be able to justify the world outside of the walls, but I can't understand the interest in a crime ridden, disease festering, subterranean city.

"Well, which of those is more practical for me to visit?"

"Neither!"

"Come on, Nile! Just take me down there with a team of doctors. I just want to help! My medical studies mean NOTHING if I can't put them into practice."

"Absolutely not. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? Hell, do you have any idea what your father would do to me if something happened to you?"

"What if my father agrees?"

"Yea, if your father agrees, I'll take you myself." Nile cackled, clearly unwilling to accept it as a possibility.

"My fifteenth birthday already passed, and he has yet to buy me a gift. You know how he likes to dote."

"Usually with expensive dresses and jewelry, not dangerous expeditions." Nile corrected. "But if you're going to travel down there, you'll need much better form. You'll also need to expect the unexpected." He quickly dropped down, extending his leg and sweeping Miria's out from underneath her with a swift kick. She let out a small gasp as she landed on her butt.

"Oww…I wasn't ready." she groaned.

"The Underground does not wait for your permission, Lady Miria!" This is going to be a long lesson.


Miria sunk into a warm bath to ease her sore muscles. She took a handful of soap bubbles and blew them across the bathroom, setting them free from the confines of the tub. In just a few short weeks, she too would gain her freedom. She would no longer be her father's commodity. She would no longer fear the sale of her body. She would be free from aristocrats, nobles, royalty, parties, tight dresses, high heels, and most importantly, her father. She sat in the tub a bit longer, rehearsing her lines and practicing her expressions. When she felt her act could not longer be distinguished from reality, she stepped out of the warm comfort of the water, and into her cold, silk nightgown. She dragged herself down the stairs and stood in front of her father's study, taking in a deep breath before she knocked on the door.

"Come in." His voice was sickening no matter the context. She opened the door just enough for her body to slip in, and promptly closed it behind her.

"Father…." He didn't look up from his books, but rather just hummed an acknowledgement of her existence. "Could I borrow your nice paper and stamp?" He glanced up at her over his glasses.

"What for?"

"O…." Miria sheepishly rubbed her arm and offered a melodic little laugh. "Well, a few of your business partners wrote to me, wishing me a happy birthday, and I just thought it would be polite for me to write back, thanking them for their kindness."

"Your birth—" His eyes widened. "I…I had completely forgotten. Miria!" He stood from his chair and quickly embraced her. Your touch is poison, old man. "Please forgive me."

"It's fine, father. I know you've been busy. I don't mind."

"Tell me what you want. Name anything! A party obviously goes without saying."

"Actually…there is something I've wanted to do for a long time." Miria gazed up at her father with a doting smile.

"Name it."

"In a few days your doctors are making house calls around Mitras. I was just wondering if I could accompany them...on the house calls. I'd just like to try it." Miria could see the wheels turning in his head as he retreated to his desk. He flipped through paperwork, stopping at one page and tracing his finger down the length as he read.

"Yes…they'll be departing for the Underground in the morning, returning just after sunset, and finishing their day with house calls at night." Miria flinched. She had intentionally left out any mention of the Underground. Would he find it suspicious? Would he just assume she didn't know? Had Nile said anything to him about her obsession with the Underground and Levi?

"It's only for five days. That's all. We could have the party once it's over." she quickly offered.

"Five days, hm? I suppose that's fine." Miria let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Thank you, father! I don't know how to repay your kindness." Just a little more. "If you'd like, I can take over for some of your public appearances. Nile has agreed to accompany me to and from the doctors' offices every day, and I can take over for some of your less important contacts so that they still feel appreciated by our family."

"You truly are becoming a remarkable woman." And you're as stupid as ever.