The rebels may still be lurking around the area so Petra does not dare to ask help from the outside. The only thing that she could do is to support the wounded man. All the princess could see is darkness and all she could hear is the heavy panting of the soldier who clings into her shoulders and whose head rests on her neck. The heavy breathing of the unconscious soldier on her neck gives Petra a slight ticklish feeling. They are like a statue for quite some time already. She would like to look for the any light source but given their situation, she is not sure where she may safely place the wounded soldier so she may freely look for one. There may be shards of broken glasses or any dangerous parts of the house that may be lying on the floor.
"I really need a lighter or any light source." She whispers to herself but the princess is surprised to hear a reply.
Despite of the hoarseness of his voice, the man tries to make his statement understandable for the girl. "In...my...pocket..."
Once again, the warm breath of the man touches the girl's neck which sends shivers to her whole body and causes her face to turn red like a tomato. If she is to be honest with herself, she enjoys this feeling. She knows that as a princess, she is not suppose to feel this to a stranger, but she cannot help but feel ecstatic.
Upon registering to her mind what the former said, the princess quickly moves her hand into the man's pocket. She uses the lighter to find a safe place for the man to lay down and to find candles that she may use.
"Lucky for this man, I am quite adept with medical treatment and always bring my medical kit." She proudly tells herself as she put the candle near the pained face of the unconscious soldier. She gasps and holds the candle tighter.
"Le...Le...Levi." She whispers as her cheeks starts to redden. A lot of memories flashes through her mind. She wants to apologize and to tell him about a lot of things but she knows the now is not the right time.
She carefully treats each of the king's wound. Every time she would apply a medicine to Levi's wounds, he would always twitch his face in agony. After the long torturing treatment of the king, he feels relieved and slept peacefully. Meanwhile, sleepiness and coldness visit Petra. She does not care anymore where or how she will sleep. All she wants is for her to close her eyes and make herself feel warm.
His body hurts everywhere but not as worse as during his fight. He sees light from the small openings of the house. The king assumes that it is already morning. Upon realizing the time, he remembers his battle from yesterday. He quickly gets up but is prevented by an arm wrapped around him. Levi's eyes widened and his cheeks turns red as he looks to his side.
"Petra!" He accidentally shouts.
Surprised by the sudden utterance of her name, she sits up fast and groggily looks around the area only to see a surprised Levi. " I am still sleepy. Don't bother me, Levi!" She, then, returns on lying to the floor.
"Oi! Wake up, Petra! It is morning already." He tries to regain his composure as he lightly taps the princess' arm.
"What?!" She sits up again and irritably looks at Levi. This time, she realizes that she is no longer in the dream land. Petra looks at Levi and starts to blush. "Oh, I am very sorry for my rude behaviour."
When both of them have fixed and stabilized themselves, they sit on the floor side by side each other. Both are trying to think of something to talk about.
Just then, the raven-haired man breaks in the silence. "Why did you go here?"
"I thought of visiting Mikasa and Hanji but before we arrived to the palace, we were caught in this battle." She answers, not bothering to return the stares that Levi is giving her. "I am surprised that you got wounded by that man. I thought you were indivisible." The princess secretly glimpses to the king.
"That man is a fucking weakling. I would have killed him if only he did not take that brat as a hostage." Levi angrily defends himself.
"You don't need to feel disappointed. Kingdom Maria gained the upper hand from the battle and it seems that the fight is already over. It is already quiet outside." Petra smiles as she assures the king.
"Why are you here with me?" He authoritatively asks.
"Because I saw you from afar...heavily wounded." She answers, then there is a long silence.
"You should have not come here to treat me." He whispers as he stares in one of the wall's small openings.
Petra faces him this time but is cut off from her statement. "Why you..."
The king looks at Petra with eyes full of worry and fear. " You should have not come to my aid. If by chance, my crappy opponent is still alive then you may have got hit. If by chance, this damn old house struck you with something, it may hit a vital part that may lead you to death. There are so many chances that something bad may happen to you..."
"You know, I can also..." Petra confidently stares at the king but once again is taken off guard.
He quickly hugs her and whispers in her ears. "If something were to happen to you, I cannot bear to take another breath. I cannot handle a life without you, Petra Ral."
Her face is really burning in hotness. She is speechless. She does not want to do anything nor does she wants this to end.
Before the two could pull away from each other, a hole is suddenly made and there appear four people.
Petra's most trusted servant covers her mouth. Sasha is about to burst in laughter due to her extreme happiness.
"I guess love will blossom on its own." Mikasa grins to her brother who is now sending daggers of stares.
Hanji jokingly coughs, then smiles at their king sarcastically. "Don't ruin, Levi's precious moment!"
"Everyone...you got it the wrong way. Levi and I are just..." She suddenly pulls away from the king and waves her hands to deny their accusations. However, this action causes the king's wound to hurt once again.
"Oh! Are you alright?" Petro catches him right on time and from there, he lost consciousness.
"I guess, we should get both of you out from there." Erwin intervenes and enters the house.
On their return to kingdom Rose...
The king sits comfortably in his throne and welcomes his guests with a warm smile while the four young women nervously bow before the king. They do not know how to interpret the king's smile. They hope that his smile really means that he is accepting them positively but they fear the contrary.
Petra gives his father the letter that Erwin gave her to explain the things that happened and an apology for involving the two ladies in battle. "Father, I am heartily sorry for sneaking out the palace. I just wish to see my dear friends there."
"King Pixis, I am humbly sorry if I failed to guard princess Petra. I lost her from my sight." Sasha bows down lower this time.
"Our kingdom expresses our sincerest apology for causing such a big problem for these two. Our king is still in the process of healing himself, so he cannot present himself as of today." Mikasa firmly states as she and Hanji bows down again.
"Everyone is very tense. Warm up a little, beautiful ladies! I am not a bit angry. Petra and Sasha, I understand your longing for your dear friends. Mikasa and Hanji, do not worry about what happened. In fact, I am grateful that the two of you escort them here. I am very thankful to both of you." The king moves toward them and bows in front of them.
"Oh no! Please don't! This is the least the we could do." Hanji frantically states to king Pixis.
He laughs and claps his hands. " So, why don't you stay here for dinner?"
"How we love to stay here for dinner but we have plenty of things to fix in our kingdom. We actually want to bid farewell for we are really in need of more people in our kingdom." Mikasa apologetically looks to king Pixis.
The king pats Mikasa on her head then smilingly look at the two citizens of kingdom Maria. "Oh, do not worry. Such a beautiful princess should not make a face like that. In order to return the favour of escorting these two, I would send some of my people, goods and materials that may be able to help the affected people in the city."
Hanji and Mikasa's face lighten up. They look at each other as big smiles form in their mouth. "Thank you very much, king Pixis." They say in synchronization.
A lot of people escort Mikasa and Hanji so that they may help in rebuilding the Shiganshina district. There are allot of carriages and cargo that carry various foods and materials that may be needed by the people of kingdom Maria. They bid everyone farewell but before they depart from the gate, king Pixis stops them.
The king looks at them sternly. "Before I forgot, please tell Levi that I expect him sooner here at the palace." After the serious statement, he returned to his playful smiles.
Mikasa swears that it sends shivers to her whole body. The king's statement is just simple but it sounds threatening rather than authoritative. She is too afraid to utter a word so she just nods to the king, then rides her horse to return to their kingdom and to deliver those words to his brother.
Thank you very much for all the all those who reviewed, followed and favourited my very first fanfic. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and the rest to come.