Wings of Freedom

by Erin Nire 376

Elle Rothai joins the survey corps two years after the colossal titan destroyed Wall Maria. based on her trainee merits she is chosen to join squad Levi, but will she be able to get over her terrible past, survive her first expedition outside the walls, and battle not just the monsters outside this glorified cage, but also the monsters hiding within?

21. Part 21- Treachery

Wings of freedom part 21- treachery

The campfire crackled as the wood burned, music and laughter coming from the crowds still awake for the small celebrations held for today's competition winners. I sat bundled in a blanket to ward off the chill, Than, Matchella, and Raven sitting around our fire with me, raven and than talking about the horse racing match that had taken place, but I wasn't listening. I was trying to keep from glaring straight at Than, or worse, leaping over the fire and clawing her eyes out.

Sure my thoughts were headed to the danger zone when I thought of skewering her with my poking stick that currently tampered with the fire, but I was perfectly calm, really. On the outside at least. I just still couldn't get rid of the image of her and levi...how close were they? Closer then we were? Well me mustn't have been that close if he just randomly decides to choose another woman. But it couldn't have been random, levi wasn't the kind to just hang around with some hussy. They were probably old friends and it grew into more...maybe I just wasn't right for him...I did lie after all.

My fists clenched. No, I wasn't going to allow myself to be some helpless victim. I was going to get revenge, because even if I did betray him and lie about something that involved more of him then me, that doesn't mean he can do the same as a form of revenge. If it wasn't working out then he should've broke it off straight. But that doesn't mean I don't have to get my revenge. Luckily I was in a game that allowed me to maim my competitors, and I was excited for it.

I avoided raven and Than's conversation and looked at Matchella to start up one of my own, but noticed she was staring off into the distance. No, not staring, watching, her golden hazel eyes was tracking something. I called out her name but she was too engrossed in whatever she was watching, her bright hair blending into the flame light, the smoke showing in the black sky almost looking as it rose from her hair the way it showed.

Curiously, my eyes followed where she was staring. A small cluster of tents not too far from ours was also alive with a fire and conversation. I could make out some of the faces, 1.2, bandaged Adam, Haren and a few others I didn't recognize. Matchella gazed straight at Haren, her eyes not resting for a second, watching intently. As I watched, I could see that Haren was in a heated conversation with 1.2 on rifle uses and parts, what their conversation sounded like was the equivalent to someone speaking tongues. But Matchella understood, (or I think she did) even laughing a bit when haren told lame jokes about the barrel of the gun which, again, I couldn't understand.

It was obvious she had a thing for him. I looked at Matchella with a smirk. "Haren's pretty nice, isn't he?" Matchella snapped out if it to the sound of his name, as if in a trance. The fire almost hid her blush, but she still looked away shyly. "...I guess." Yup, she liked him. "Isn't he in the same tournament as you? The gunman targeting sector?" She gave a small nod, suddenly engrossed in picking at the blades of grass she sat on. "...why don't you talk to him? Weren't you wondering what the range was like?" I suggested, "Maybe he's seen it."

She shook her head again, and for the first time since I've met and known her, she was quiet. I stood up, throwing my stick into the fire and heading over to Haren's camp site. Matchella gasped and tried to stop me, but was was all ready too far ahead. I walked up to the small group, sitting between Haren and 1.2 bluntly, smiling as I saw Matchella panicking from the corner of my eye.

1.2 looked puzzled. "Um...hey Singe..." I smiled. "Hi. I just wanted to sit here for a minuet, Matchella was trying to bet on what would happen if she threw spark flares into the fire..." Haren looked up from cleaning his gun, something he hadn't done during the whole conversation with 1.2. His expression was incredulous. "She must be insane. The flares would spiral out and catch everyone of our tents on fire." I gave a shrug. "I suppose...she's pretty stubborn about it though, curiosity killed the cat..."

"That doesn't mean she can get us all killed in the process."

He stood abruptly, walking over to the campsite I had just left. I smirked as 1.2 scoffed in surprise. "How did you know he loathed the stupid?" I shrugged, winking. "Good thing she's not stupid." I watched as Haren walked over, enjoying the entertainment as Haren walked up behind her, the height of her legs saving her from the feeling I had thinking he was related to a giant. She turned with a start, the campfire light once again hiding her blush. "Um...hey, Haren..."

"What are you even thinking."

"...huh?" She looked bewildered, but his storm blue eyes were cold and stern. "The spark flares. What the hell are you thinking trying to throw them into the fire?"

"What? No! What moron would do that? I don't want to die!" Perfect, her loud, fiery, spastic nature was out in the open while the ice was broken. If my love life wasn't going to work out I might as well help someone else. They probably argued for about half an hour before I began to question my judgment, watching them call each other names like, "retarded pumpkin head" and "pony tailed gun freak".

I glanced at 1.2 nervously. "Well there you go," he said, "If you hadn't intervened they could have started out with a better relationship." My smile was half hearted. "I guess I should fix this mess shouldn't I..."

"I think that'd be best..." With a sigh I began to get up to walk over, but as I looked up I was shocked.

While my eyes were averted talking to 1.2, I suppose the argument took a strange turn. Matchella was kissing Haren passionately, her hands gripping the sides of his jaw to draw him closer, and Haren's arms were wrapped around her waist, his hands sliding beneath the back of her shirt. 1.2's mouth fell open with an audible pop, while my face turned red. "Um..." He was too shocked for words.

I grinned. "Ha! In your face!" He rolled his eyes, resting his chin on the metal that made up his knee and the rest of his leg. "Very mature." I shrugged, snickering as I saw Ravens expression, the spot where she sat in front row view of the make out scene. It took me a moment to realize Than was missing.

I looked behind towards the other lump of tents. Her deep red hair wasn't hard to miss, and she was walking towards the edge of the tents, where Levi's was. My fists clenched as I felt a painful lump in my throat. What was she going to do once she got there? Talk more about running away together? Talk about how I've screwed everything up? What if they do more then talking...I couldn't think about it, I'd probably start bawling if I did, and that's the last thing you want to do in front of your competitors.

I turned instead, heading back to the tent. "I'm heading to bed." I announced to Matchella, who was staring at Haren as if they just realized what had happened. She didn't acknowledge me, just blushing as Haren tried to make a weak excuse for suddenly kissing her out of the blue. I climbed into my hammock once inside the tent, wrapping a blanket over me. As I faded to sleep, my thoughts couldn't help going back to what Levi and Than possibly could be doing.

All seven of us stood at the entrance to the forest at mid morning. The sun was bright, few clouds passing over the clear sky, the grass and leaves glowing warmly in the sun. But I couldn't have been more tense.

The announcer from before explained the rules one last time. "Most of you know how this tournament goes so you know things will be simple. Each of you has a flag secured on the back of your neck. Remember, flags cannot be hidden or personally taken off during any point in the game. The victor must collect four flags from other players to win the game, so that's five flags you need in total. The collected flags must also be visible, tucked into the armband you all wear. This game has no time limit and the playing field boundaries stop by the river, understood?" We all gave some form of agreement, either a nod or a vocal acknowledgment.

My eyes kept wondering back to levi during all of this, his face still hidden by the hood, making me wonder how he still managed to keep his identity hidden with just that... The gamblers and the audience was already stashed in the woods to watch the games, anxiously awaiting our arrival. Unsure as of to why, but my attention could never focus. Maybe it's because I knew deep down this game wasn't serious, like a single flea on a dogs back compared to real battle. I could tell levi understood this too, his expression and demeanor seemed much calmer then it would be if he were about to step from the walls.

Memories of our experiences beyond the walls bugged at my head, that raw trust we had felt, having to rely on each other to survive, building our relationship further through it. What were we now? Where did that genuine trust go? Probably down the drain with his morals and loyalty. He was tired of being a military's lap dog? Fine, I was exhausted too. Of having to bend over backwards to try and please him when he hasn't even considered my feelings. Sure, I owe him for saving my life...a bunch of times...but does that mean I'm soulless? Of course not. Would it be nice if he could treat me with the respect I deserve? Absolutely. But I knew for a fact I wasn't going to be a stepping stone or a door mat. I was going to be the wind to his wings and the oxygen to his freaken lungs. He won't know how to live without me and finally know what it feels like to lose him.

The announcer collected out attention. "Competitors ready!" We all stanced, Than (the bitch) to my left and Adam to my right. If I could outrun them to the tree line I could have the head start to find a perch and attack the players that race by. The seconds seemed like hours as we waited for the signal. "Go!"

We took off. I was fast enough to keep up with Than, but Adam was more strength then stealth, so he lagged a bit. Levi went straight for the jugular, leapin and bounding the second we were let loose, not even caring to run but shot the cables of his gear instead. I was sure they wouldn't even reach the tree line, but ofcourse, they did, and he soared ahead of the rest of us. I was the second to try this, aiming to anchor myself to a trunk to pull me forward. I jumped, shot, and soon enough hurtling into the trees, my body moving before my mind could think.

I could hear the whirring of five other gears behind me as I raced forward, trying to keep distance so I wouldn't be a target. Huntley and Adam went straight to the offensive. Huntley attacked Than, but she was quick, skidding to the side before he could get close and racing off in another direction. Adam slammed into Charles, stealing his flag with ease, then raced after me, claiming me as his next victim. My heart raced, trying to control my adrenaline so I wouldn't panic.

These weren't bulky stupid titans I was fighting, but trained killing machines who have probably been using maneuver gear longer then I. Adam was right on my tail in no less then a second, so I shot a cable to a tree truck, using another truck beside it to swing myself around its body, and slingshot myself into a sharp right. But of course this forced me to slam straight into Huntley. He wasn't very bright with surprises, and for a moment he was stunned with the impact. I used this distraction to rip the flag off his neck, kick off him and shoot towards the opposite direction.

The crowd cheered like thunder, excited about my step forward. I had to gain some distance from the others, so I moved more into the canopy that held more branches, which were bothersome absticals, but everyone would hate chasing after me through it. I looked below to see how the others were doing. Huntley had hooked into a branch at the last minuet, and was hoisting himself up. 1.2 and Charles were battling for a single flag on 1.2's neck, Adam, which I had missed what happened, was on the ground as the audience surrounded him, his two flags stolen most likely by Than. He had hit the earth so he was disqualified.

Levi was no where to be seen. I stopped for a short second, tightening my gear straps and making sure my flag was still on my neck, while tucking the one I obtained in view on my arm band. The crowds below were cheering and watching the battles with full vigor, and it kind of made me a bit sick. Soldiers were dying, being slaughtered by giants just a few miles from here every mission, and these people were cheering on gear users who fight for a game. Why levi was participating in this was beyond me. A flash of red hair caught my attention. Than. she was flying toward the fighting from beyond, and I couldn't help but wonder where she came from. There was something odd I noticed, making me move to a different tree to get a closer look...she had no flags. Even her own was gone. I hadn't seen the fight for her flags, because the rest of the contestants were here...did she fight levi? Did she lose or win? If so, why was she flying forward and Levi left behind?

I went to investigate, swerving through branches quickly to find the disguised captain while the others fought, the crowd cheering. The audience thinned as I got closer to the river, finding levi at a tree by the bank, standing on the branch of a tree calmly. In fact, he was perfectly unscathed, not even looking as if he had been fighting. He had four red flags already secured on his arm band, his expression cool and refined beneath the hood of his cloak, and even though it drove me insane and made me hate myself, I still found him more handsome then ever.

But there were more pressing matters to attend to, for example, the reason he had all those flags. It was obvious he hasn't fought anyone for them. I knew those were the flags of Adam, Charles, Than and himself, only needing one more to finish the game. All he had to do was wait for Than to bring him another, and cross over the river to where two flyers waited, playing cards, not even noticing he was there. Than was letting him win, they were acting as a disguised team, a brilliant idea actually.

Levi was the keeper on the flags, out of battle's reach to avoid his flags being stolen, while Than would get the flags for him. She got the glory of fighting while he got the glory of winning. But I was not interested in fawning over this plan. I was enraged, trembling in fury, my chest expanding with emotions that shared the heat of hot coals. How dare he do this to me, work with Than as if they were a team, treating her like a lover when that's what I was to him. I didn't care about their past or history, I was the one who was apart of his present, an I deserved at least some respect.

He had not yet noticed me, standing there, the most obvious and infuriating target. So I did what any sane, highly trained, intelligent soldier would do.

I straight out tackled him, forgetting my blades completely. His swords weren't even drawn, so as I dove from twenty feet above, straight into his chest at the speed of a bullet. He gave a yell of shock, probably expecting a blade fight, not a crazy girlfriend flying from the heavens, literally knocking him off his feet. We both plummeted to the forest floor, levi struggling to get my grip to let go but I held on, us both slamming into the earth.

My breath was knocked out of me, levi coughing for air as he rolled and struggled to his feet on instinct, hunched over in pain, yes, but also ready for a next attack. Mind over matter controlled me, ignoring the pain in my side and lack of breath as I struggled to stand, seeing Levi's expression hard and cold, his eyes showing hatred so raw I lost my resilience to breathe yet again.

He hated me, it was that simple. Even though deep down, I knew I could never come to hate him and yet he did it so easily... I drew my blades with a glare, teeth clenched. "Levi..."

His tongue clicked in distaste, his cold eyes looking down on me, and I would never admit it, but I could feel my hands tremble in shame to find myself feeling fury towards him, keeping it up out of sheer stubbornness. "Don't say that name out loud...singe."

"Why shouldn't I? Should I call you something else? An underground? A flyer?" A traitor, a back stabber, so many things I wanted to scream at him! But those two things were enough for him to lunge, pinning me to the rough bark of a tree.

His eyes made my chest ache, those eyes that I once stared into, once willing to share my deepest feelings, were shut out and cold. "Well arn't you the little spit fire. And here I used to be fooled by someone like you."

His words made me shout. "Fooled?" I shoved him with rather surprising gusto to see him stumble back. We've sparred before, but now I wasn't planning to hold back against him. This was no sparring match. "You think I'm low enough to try and fool you? Look at yourself, humanity's soldier! Your the one lying to me!" My blades hit his with a clash, sparks spewing. He deflected the strike, spinning and aiming to kick my vulnerable side. Quickly, I managed to block, but still lost my balance, something hard and cold smacking against my cheek bone. I fell, skidding across the dirt and roots at our feet, my ears ringing and a sharp pain throbbing my temple. He had hit me with the butt of his blade.

Before I could stand his boot roughly pinned me down, digging painfully into the hollow of my collar bone. "Ah-!" I clawed at his boot, but with no prevail. I was never any match against levi, especially when he wasn't holding back. He glared down at me, his voice deathly calm. "...I'm as much as a liar as you are loyal. For months I've trusted you to stand at my side and for what? To be used, and forgotten," His shoe pressed harder, making me choke on a wail. "Not anymore, Titan Rider." He raised his blades and I gasped, actually shocked now. Was he going to kill me..? He couldn't...maiming I could take but... I stared up at the man I used to trust in horror, my hands now gripping his boot in desperation to push it off. No, please..!

I couldn't say a word, still holding onto the pride that soon wouldn't matter. A crowd had gathered around the two disqualified competitors still fighting for a reason they didn't know, no one taking a step to stop levi. Something flashed in his eyes, too quick to be sure, but it was a look of hesitation and uncertainty, as if trying to kill his girlfriend didn't have enough moral conflict.

Something flashed overhead and hit Levi's arm. His lost his balance slightly, just enough to notice his armband was gone. Than flew overhead and crossed the river, the crowd suddenly roaring. A horn was blown announcing that Than was the winner. Levi cursed under his breath, looking back down at me with hateful eyes. I glared back, sitting up, but Than running up startled me, especially when her arms wrapped around levi.

"We won!" She laughed, my chest twisting in pain as I saw Levi's expression loosen, becoming calmer to her expression. As I stood, Than saw me, her expression falling and immediately backing off. But...this time, for some reason...I didn't feel fury. Probably finally seeing how much levi hated me help cleared up the confusion, I only felt tired, exhausted. I wanted to go home. I looked up at levi with weary eyes, sighing. "Goodbye, Levi..." His eyes became a bit confused as I turned and walked away, pushing past the people that crowded around the winner. That was it, I was done fighting, done trying. He didn't love me anymore, so why bother.

I was tired of trying to do anything involving him. But beside that tiredness, I was surprised to find the pain in my chest vacant. Maybe it hadn't quite registered yet. I walked to Matchella's large tent to get my things, billowing in and straight to my hammock. I was startled to see Matchella still in bed, asleep, with Haren snuggled against her. They looked strangely comfortable on that confined little hammock, my face turning red to see their bodies were bare as they held eachother. I gave a sigh. At least someone got what they wanted...

I packed up my things and left the blanket folded on the crate I used for storage. People were all ready running through the camp, getting ready for a celebration for the winner as I hoisted my bag. The gear I had was pretty worn down and battered from the competitions. It made me recall that I really did terrible during this tournament. I guess I'll stick to Titan killing rather then fighting humans. I walked up to the stand where I bought the gear, planning to return it because I had my own back at the inn. The thought of that place made me feel like vomiting. I'm still in squad levi, and unless I want to return to the title of cadet, I'd have to stay in it. Maybe I could try to get a promotion somewhere else, or move into a different field in the survey corps.

Choosing to think about it later, I walked up to the stand where Rick sold the gear. It finally reminded me of the real reason I came here, and it made me more stressed then I needed to be. I had a lot to figure out... The gear stand was empty from the vendor, and I looked around to try and see if he was around the other stands, or probably preparing to celebrate like the others.

"Rick?" He obviously wasn't present at the moment. I noticed a large metal carriage parked away from the gear stand, one they usually used to carry money or valuables, heavily defended to keep away from thieves. Curiously, I walked past the stands and to the large carriage. The back was open. Inside, were crates of stolen equipment from the military, and two voices came from behind a pile of crates.

Raven's voice was sharp and threatening. "Do you know how many undercover soldiers there are around this place? You sold one of our gears to the one that stays in my tent, displaying them like hot cakes!" Rick's voice was at ease and nonchalant. "Oh don't worry about it, they're clueless."

"That's what you think! I can only keep spying for so long, it's work to get all this gear and I want results. The more secretive you play the more they pay."

My heart beat fast, realizing she was the supplier. Raven was the target. I reached for my blades, only too late to realize they weren't on my body, the gear clanging loudly as it hung from my other arm while I shifted. The conversation stopped. Rick looked from behind the crates at me, ravens dark eyes now menacing. I was unprepared to fight, but I would do so anyway. I took a step back to draw my blade, but something cold and sharp pressed to my throat.

A knife, with silver winding over the hilt and words carved into the blade. Aucune Liberté Fortifiée. I looked at the owner of the blade with ice surging through my veins. Levi gave a sinister glare, his other hand grabbing my shoulder. Rick grinned, and raven sighed. "About time, levi." He scoffed. "Don't always expect to come get rid of your trouble, it's not my fault this shipment was supposed to be hidden." Raven snapped a glare at Rick, who meekly shrugged.

My breathing came out fast, gripping Levi's arm that held the blade to my throat. "W-what...are you-"

He pressed the blade more to silence me. "It's your own fault for walking into this, Elle, and I'm payed a lot to help keep secrets, even if it means securing yours." The sharp edge dug deeper and I cringed, nails digging into his forearm. I gasped at my loss of air. "You...wouldn't...!" He softly chuckled in my ear, as if to clarify how little I actually knew. "Try me."