A/N: Melyway, Tessa the ciclopse and yume76, thanks for taking the time to drop a comment. Glad you guys are enjoying the story so far xD. I don't know if this chapter is slow-paced but I hope you readers find it interesting all the same. :D
~Chapter IV – 'Adjusting'~
The first thing that Eren made note of, when he came to, was the unnatural softness beneath his back. Was this heaven? It felt as if he was lying on a bed of clouds. The second thing that hit him was the pain. It was not an unmanageable pain but it ached deeply, radiating through his entire body. This was something he was familiar with. Disappointment dropped into his stomach like molten lead. He had escaped the jaws of death. And for what? To continue this charade of a life that would ultimately end without him accomplishing shit in life?
His thoughts screeched to a grinding halt when he heard two muffled unfamiliar voices speaking in a language he had never heard before. The guttural pronunciation of harsher sounds and the light rolling of others sealed in the fact that the language was not anything he could identify. This made him a bit anxious since he had a basic idea of most languages in the world. Where the heck was he?
A door barely made a creak as it opened and the voices came closer. Mild panic filled him as wild theories filled his mind. Had his father sold him to foreigners to finally get rid of him? Or, did social services take him away and somehow managed to ship him to the farthest country known to man just for shits? More thoughts surfaced to feed his panic and fear. He willed his eyes to open or move his limbs but they remained heavy and non-responsive to command. Foreign speaking continued and when hands began lifting and undressing him, his panic escalated to the maximum level.
"Don't fucking touch me!" he screamed in his mind even as his mouth remained frustratingly closed. "Move! Why wouldn't my goddamn limbs move as I want them to?"
He kept up a steady stream of expletives when he felt invasive hands move lower.
"I've got to say, those are some rather creative ways to tell someone to fuck off," a rich, husky voice flowed through his mind.
"Levi," he breathed, relieved but instantly puzzled. This was certainly a new development. Never before had the dragon spoken to him when he was conscious. He was conscious, right? "I'm dreaming?"
"I highly doubt that, brat."
"So, why can I hear you?"
"Because I have the odd ability to speak into your mind."
Eren groaned mentally and wished he could execute the eye roll much needed for that obvious statement.
"Ask stupid questions and you get stupid answers."
The brunette resisted the urge to begin an argument about the validity of his question to focus on his more pressing concern.
"Why can't I move?"
"I had someone place a spell to keep you asleep. Obviously, your mind woke up before the effects of the spell wore off."
How was any of this obvious? "What?" was his very intelligent response.
"Don't hurt your brain, kid. I'll correct the situation soon enough."
No sooner had that deep voice whisked through his mind than a voice of similar tone spoken out in clear authority using the same strange language. Eren's mind blanked in moderate shock and bewilderment. Hands immediately lowered him back into the feather-like material then disappeared. A new language that the teenager could not even hope to even vaguely understand filled his ears despite the low volume. Slowly, the laden feeling slipped off his legs, arms, chest and finally his eyelids. It took him two attempts before his eyes fully opened. It felt as if he was emerging to the surface after a long swim underwater.
When his vision finally cleared, emerald eyes drank up the unfamiliar details of a lavish room, twice the size of a floor in his home. Old antique furniture polished and gleaming, artistic vases filled with white flowers to brighten a room filled with tones of grey and dark blues, heavy drapes half-drawn across an expansive window which allowed in light that was a little too bright, elaborate designs followed along the borders of ceilings, doors and windows… Everything screamed expensive. Was that real gold?
What pulled his awed attention like a metaphorical snap of a rubber band was the presence of three individuals in the room with him – two males and one female. However, his attention was drawn to the one who stood stately in front. Dominance and power oozed from the man's regal posture; the sharp jawline, sculpted check bones and the straight line of a nose over pale enticing lips all combined to form the blank features of unearthly allure. Ebony hair which carelessly fell around his face from an equally careless 'masculine' bun was a stark contrast to his porcelain skin. When his eyes finally fell unto silver orbs that were very much non-human, he finally realized just who he was ogling. His mouth felt even drier than before. Suddenly, he was very happy that his face or lips did not as yet work quite properly to display or voice how mesmerized he was by the beast.
"Levi, is that you?" he asked internally, knowing the answer but needing a verbal confirmation. This could not be real. The dragon was supposed to have been a figment of his imagination.
"Do your eyes fail you just as your tongue, brat?" the man said, his melodiously deep voice carried throughout the room.
Viridescent eyes widened. Eren opened his mouth to reply but only croaks escaped his lips. His throat burned from the dryness and disuse. He watched as Levi said something to the other two occupants of the room. They left shortly after.
"You're human…" he commented when his attempts to speak out loud failed. They somehow could communicate telepathically so what the heck.
"A merely convenient transformation," he drawled as he walked to the side of the bed.
'How is this real?' It felt so surreal, an out of body experience.
Eren stared at the vertical pupils that studied him in turn. He knew that look. It was the contemplative look of whether he should breach a topic that was better left untouched. The dragon in human form, reached over, grasping his arms to pull him into a seated position. His entire body protested. The brunette found that he barely had the strength to keep his head upright. With an arm steady around his shoulders, his attention was directed to his exposed chest. There were small patches of black marks here and there over clear indentations of ribs against skin.
"You remember how you got those?" the mythical being asked with an uncharacteristic gentleness.
The horror of that night resurfaced to his mind in vivid detail and settled with a nauseous sensation to the pit of his stomach. The hateful words, the murderous intent, the excruciating pain of inflicted injuries… He could never forget even if he wanted too. He felt even sicker and would have thrown up if there was anything in his stomach.
"Yeah…"
"I guess I was your knight in fucking armour…"
A wisp of air exited his lips in a dry chuckle that betrayed his depressed mood.
"I brought you to my realm which probably means jack shit to you. It will all be explained to you later so that it makes more sense. All you should note now is that there is a shitload of miles between you and that place you call a home."
"And my… that man?" Eren asked tentatively, quietly.
"…"
It was a silence that spoke volumes. A rough sound escaped his throat, a bit clearer this time. He was laughing. His world had finally crumbled completely and it was just so…unbelievable that he had to laugh. His own dad tried to kill him. The man hated him so much that he had looked into his eyes while he choked the life out of him, quite aware of his actions. Now that same man, his father, was no more. He should feel relieved, happy…. He could feel his face contort into something ugly as feelings he had repressed for so long evaded his tight grip of control. Hot tears ran down his cheeks in heavy torrents as agony gripped his chest tightly.
No, he felt bitter, hurt, angry, deep deep sorrow and loss. Sobs racked through his body with such force that it pained him.
He reached out, ignoring the distasteful look on the other being's face, to grip his free hand. It grounded him; only provided him a small comfort as he cried a lifetime of tears he had suppressed for too long. He felt like a big chunk of him had been ripped out and put through the grinder. They said time healed everything. Right now, he called bullshit on that fucking saying.
Eren fell into a deep depression after that. All he felt like doing was to listlessly stare out the window that, from his supine position, displayed a gorgeous view of the sky. Not that he could really appreciate it in his state of mind. He ignored the four other individuals who occasionally disturbed his blank staring. Reluctantly, he had learned their names from Levi who had introduced them to him with a bored drawl. Petra, the poor woman, tried on several occasions, to persuade him to eat a meal. A language barrier had never been so helpful in assisting him to disregard her efforts. He noted an IV line to his arm and another to his neck. That should keep him alive, right? Well, there was not much to live for, anyway.
It was on the third day that Levi himself put a swift end to Eren's unintentional hunger strike. He had stalked into his room, a bowl in hand. Grabbing his jaw, he had painfully pried it open and all but shoved the spoon down his throat.
"I did not go through the fucking trouble of saving your ass for you to starve yourself to death, you suicidal shitstick," he had grumbled more irritated than ever.
After an afternoon of retching in a toilet bowl, Eren had decided it was better to comply with the dragon's rules. From then, he slowly consumed light soups which turned into heavier broths and the occasional porridge. After three more days, he was allowed to eat roasted meat, something he would describe as pie and steamed veggies. It was a welcomed menu after days of liquid meals.
He noticed a drastic improvement in his condition. Strength filled him and soon restlessness. His bones ached to move. On the eighth day, the painful task of rehabilitation began. He never knew how tiring it was to attempt to walk upon legs whose muscles had atrophied with the lack of use. Frustration and determination overshadowed all other feelings and he threw himself blindly into accomplishing each daily goal.
Suffice to say, it took him a full month to regain full control of his motor capabilities. It filled him with pride to have come so far from being completely dependent on Gunther or Eld for mobility to walking on his own. During that time, he learned a bit of the Amildegirian language and could carry out short, very short, conversations with Levi's servants. At least, he understood basic instructions. He had also gotten a lot closer to the four. He had learned each of their personalities and easily switched from strangers into the initial phases of friendship. He also suspected that they were more mischievous behind that air of deference to their master.
During that period, Eren saw little of Levi. He assumed that he had pissed off the creature to the point of his complete avoidance. In retrospection, he did agree that his actions at the beginning were a bit drastic and a big 'fuck you' to the one who saved his life.
So in addition to voluntarily helping around with the chores of the palace, he began formulating plans to get back into the dragon's good graces. He had asked Petra what Levi's favourite things were. The unhelpful response was gold. How was he supposed to get this hands upon damn gold? So in desperation, he had enquired about his favourite foods? Eren knew from the drawn out pause and sideway glances that she pulled 'fur back mammoths' from her ass. But he was desperate so he rolled with it anyway. He beseeched Eld to teach him to hunt. Oluo seemed too much of an asshole to even bother. Even without understanding three-quarters of what he said, he could spot a pompous, self-righteous prick from miles away.
At the end of four days of intense training, Eld had patted him on the back with a proud hum of achievement. With a bow in hand and a spear in the other, he was now ready to hunt. Really, he should have known better. The shifting eyes of mischief, the barely concealed laughter behind strained conversations and the patronizing tones he thought he had imagined should have warned him of the loads of bullshit he was being fed for days.
As he stood in front of a beast, on grassy plains, the size of a fucking mini mountain, his bow and spear suddenly felt sorely inadequate. Yes, fur back mammoths were real. He was not told that they had four tusks that looked quite welcoming to impaling flesh, or that the beasts were territorial or that they had beady eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. The only disadvantage was its extremely slow movements which saved him from being crushed immediately even if he was unable to outrun the mammal.
Ultimately, he was saved by the same individual he wanted to make up with who came swooping down just as his stamina had run out. The dragon in its original form with intimidating wings and gleaming scales, slashed at the mammoth with his claws and crushed the rest of its body with his weight.
The look he shot Eren made it clear that he was very displeased as well as utterly unimpressed. Before he could open his mouth to utter apologizes, Levi had swooped him up, knocking the wind out of him, and carried him back to the palace. It took the dragon a minute to cover the same distance which took him half a day on foot… Not that it mattered especially when guilt weighed heavily on his tongue for placing himself in danger – not that he was fully to blame. That day, everyone was punished severely. The disquieting words of anger were more terrifying than shouts.
"Sorry, Levi. I only wanted to get you something to apologize with. Petra said that fur-back mammoths were your favorite food. I'm sorry. Can we go back to how we used to be?" Eren had mentally thrown at the dragon when he was not allowed to speak. He had watched a shift of posture in his human form which he connected to mild surprise – a puzzle to solve later. Instead, he turned wide disarming eyes upon Levi and got away with banishment to his room for the rest of the day. Flinging a look of smug delightful payback over his shoulders, he slunk like a scolded five year old to his 'time-out corner'.
Despite all the "it was all in good fun" or "we were not going to let harm come upon him" or "we had a close eye upon him the whole time", Oluo and the gang spent the next two days cleaning every corner of the palace, every plate and cutlery from scratch. That day, things went back to normal between Levi and him. Well, as normal as their familiarly stilted interactions between human and dragon could be.
His grief had not fully disappeared but, officially, his depressed phase was over.
