Hello everyone! Thank you all for the continued support. I've been feeling like my writing hasn't been up to par lately. I'm not sure if its just my insecurities making my writing look ugly or unappealing but the magic just isn't coming to my fingertips, which is why I took some time off. I started this chapter a while ago. Finally finished it today! I will be working on a few RIVAHISU amvs so keep an eye out for it!

Chapter Dedicated to reviewer[s] : jvmedic1 AND rosierocks30 - Thank you for supporting my fanfic - your comments is what truly motivates me whenever I feel uninspired!


LEVI :


Levi stomped his way down stairs, wearing his aggravation all over his face; forcing everyone around to avoid him as he made his way outside. Maybe it was due to the lack of sleep and having to work tirelessly since the night before, but he felt as though he had no control over what came out of his mouth in his conversation with Historia. There was a burning sensation in his chest that only seemed to diminish if he let some of it go.

But what was it?

Anger?

Why was he furious?

Levi found himself at the stables, trying his best to calm down. He rested his hand on his horses' snout, gently caressing him and uttering beneath his breath what a good boy he was.

"Thank you for all your hard work today." He spoke generously to his companion. That was when he felt eyes on him. Turning, he saw a young girl with emerald eyes and black hair sitting nonchalantly in the corner on a stack of hay.

"What kinda weirdo talks to his horse?" She spat out without hesitation. She didn't seem intimidated by him like some of the other little girls.

"Why aren't you with the rest of the brats?" He ignored her question entirely and turned to face her. He didn't have time for some brat with an attitude problem. He observed how fierce her eyes were when staring at him. She looked like a cornered animal and he had no intention of invading her haven. She was skinny and pale – but such a complexion was considered beautiful for girls so she was lucky.

Levi on the other hand looked like a ghost.

"Why aren't you waiting on your hands and knees for your precious queen like a good ole soldier?"

Touché.

Levi remained quiet and unprovoked. It was his lack of a response that forced the girl to her feet.

"Can't find anywhere to be alone in this place." She growled while marching on by and it was in that moment, Levi saw a familiar imprint on her shoulder. If it wasn't for how oversized her shirt was on her tiny frame, he wouldn't have seen it. Levi grabbed her shoulder, a force of habit of his and in return, a right hook from her; which Levi dodged easily. He simply grabbed her balled up fist and held it in order to keep her from running.

"Don't fucking touch me." The fierce little girl warned with a sharp tongue.

"…You have a number branded on you." He said solemnly and he could see how much more it upset her that he noticed it. She went to kick him and it was in that moment, he tossed her to the ground as gently as he could to deescalate the situation. He remained in place, knowing well enough to not approach her or tower over her in this vulnerable state.

"…You've come from the West side of the underground city, didn't you?"

The little girl sat up, her clothes and face now full of dirt and she glared viciously at him; it was a familiar sight.

"Yeah and what's it matter to you if I did?" She was trying so hard to be strong like stone. But he could see through those angry eyes that she was trembling. The kinds of dirty bastards that brand numbers on people are owners of brothels in order to keep tabs on their 'inventory'. He closed his eyes and recalled the one and only time he saw his mother's brand. It was burned into the skin of the back of her right shoulder, the number 16.

That same helpless feeling he had at that moment haunted him, returning like a fresh open wound. To the world, his mother was just a number. When to him, she was his entire world. Levi opened his eyes slightly, as if to hide the windows to his soul as best he could while approaching this clearly traumatized child. He watched as she backed up as far as she could before hitting the wood of the stable. He bent down and reached out, observing how her body tensed and her eyes flinched shut in fear of his touch.

His hand warmly rested on her head and in that moment, he saw the confusion in her eyes once they gazed up at him. Carefully, he ruffled her hair while not speaking a word. He wasn't going to ask what she endured or what she saw.

Just once, he wanted to ensure someone who had walked in the same footsteps of his mother knew what a kind touch was like.

"Olivier where are you?!" One of the Nannies's called out and immediately, the little girl shuffled out of place, clearly responding to the name – one that Levi noted.

"Go hide." He said simply, leaving the little girl to stare in shock before she got a move on to hide behind one of the empty stalls.

"Olivier?!" The Nanny called out and paused at the entrance, eyes staring in shock at Levi. He ignored her presence and walked out of the stables without uttering a word. This way he wasn't put in a position to lie or rat out the little girl.


OLIVIER :


After getting scolded and made to eat her lunch, the young girl found herself wandering alone, not wanting to deal with the loud noise of the other younger kids.

"Geez, I am so unlucky to be the oldest one put in this place."

She paused in her tracks when that thought crossed her mind.

"I really am a stupid brat." She mumbled to herself.

"I'm lucky to even be alive. I get to eat things like milk and candy…" She looked at her hands all full of thin white scars.

"…Why am I like this?" She said softly with a sorrowful tone. Olivier's immediate response to everything wasn't ever the true depiction of her soul. The walls around her heart forced words and behaviors from her she didn't want to portray but for some reason, it was an act which left her naturally. She tightened her fists and sighed heavily.

Olivier made her way back to the stables, somehow hoping to see the man from before – she didn't even catch his name. But, as she wrapped around the corner, the one standing in his spot was the Queen herself. She was petting his horse, eyes lost in thought.

Olivier could see the sadness in her eyes and she wondered where that bubbly woman from before was.

"…What's your guys' obsession with horses?" The child blurted out, forcing the queen to look her way with a shocked look.

"Oh, Olivier, you scared me!"

The ravenous haired child caught the forced smile from the blonde. Olivier propped herself on one of the stacks of hays, never allowing her eyes to leave Historia.

"Is this where you like to hang out?" Historia cleared her throat before asking.

"…" Olivier did not want to answer any more questions.

"How old are you?" Olivier inquired instead.

"I just turned 20. " Historia replied warmly. Widen blue eyes tried to observe the queen in order to find a hint of a façade but couldn't. If Historia was acting kind then she was a damn good actor.

"Hmm. I thought you were a lot younger." The child chimed with a hum as her feet kicked about. The Queen chuckled and said,

"I tend to get that a lot given my height and round face!"

Olivier remained silent, not knowing how to carry a conversation with anyone let alone an adult. That was when she felt a great amount of weight press onto the sack beside her. Her heart jumped seeing Historia sitting so close.

"…You know, the Nanny's told me a bit about you." She tried to hide it, but Olivier caught the heartbreak in her voice when she spoke, this forced a sigh to leave the young girl before she replied,

"Yeah? I bet they gave ya some sap story as if that's all there is to me."

"…Yeah – they did." The queen responded swiftly. There was a breath of silence before she said,

"You know, there was people back when I was a soldier who used to ALWAYS appear so angry, vulgar and heartless – not just in my eyes but to everyone else around us. " Historia snickered beneath her breath before continuing.

"But, my view of this person changed once I spent some time with them. I learned that behind all of those walls of anger, callousness and vulgarity – there was a kind, compassionate and selfless heart begging to see some light."

Olivier resonated with her words; widen ocean eyes captivated by how her story seemed to sing her very own personal song. But there was no way she was referring to her at all. Olivier wanted to shed some distance – the queen was hitting too close to home and it was terrifying her.

"Why are you telling me this…?" Olivier looked away, bashfully.

"- Because, I want to hear your story in your own words, get to know you through your voice and not from the others." Historia smiled brightly at the young one, stirring a tremble in her chest.

"So yes, the Nannies told me a bit about you, how you were found and just a bit into the world you knew…but when you have the time and most of all, when you're ready, I want you to tell me."

Olivier looked at the crazy woman with shocked eyes. No one has ever given a damn before, so why was this stranger trying to embrace her broken appendages?

"…What-" The brunette stuttered, trying to shake away the warm pink of hue from forming along her cheeks as she looked away in utter confusion.

"…What do you expect me to say to that?" Olivier hated how happy it made her, how it filled her with hope that finally, she would get the warmth she yearned for ever since she learned how cruel the world could be. It terrified her – but was she even brave enough to welcome the queen's kindness?

Historia giggled and said,

"You don't have to say anything at all. Just let my words sink in and give it some thought before you reject me" The queen chuckled once again. Olivier didn't know if she could ever respond to Historia's kindness – she felt too intimidated to.

With rosie cheeks, she tried to force away her smile as she said,

"…You're weird." The young girl got up and dusted off the pieces of hay from her pants and walked a few steps ahead before pausing.

"This person you were referring to…would they happen to have some weird undercut hairdo, is mega short with droopy eyes?"

Olivier could hear the shock in the queen's voice when she replied,

"…You've met Levi?" The raven haired child took a glance from the side of her eye before saying,

"So that's his name? Yeah – the dude fit the image of the person you described perfectly." Olivier looked forward again and put her hands in her pocket.

"Oh dear, I hope he didn't scare you." Historia said with a tender tone.

"…He was scary…at first. But it's like you said…" Olivier smiled.

"...The guy was actually pretty…nice." There was a moment of silence shared between the two before Olivier broke the silence and spun around jumping and shouted,

"Well, see ya Queenie!" A big smile plastered across her usually scowling face. Olivier left the stables before Historia could respond – not wanting to be corrected for how she addressed her. That was going to be a pet name she planned on making her accept no matter what.


LEVI:


Sweat trickled down the Captain's temples as he made his way back to the orphanage. The setting sun's glares forced his eyes to wince as the sounds of dirt crunching beneath his boots filled the silence he shared with the world. He had spent the entire time since he arrived securing the area and preparing it for his security detail; Sasha was going to be the last line of defense and he had full confidence in her abilities.

He paused just before the front porch and after hearing the sound of the children's voices, did he feel the true weight of his exhaustion. He rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily, not wanting to deal with the brats especially in his current state. Soft was of his steps as he made his way around the big cabin, praying to whatever God up there that no one would bother him from here on out.

Just as he was wrapping about the house, he heard a familiar soft snoring – the kind made from one's mouth instead of their nose. Widen eyes rested upon her crown of gold, the warm sun kissing upon her skin as she seemed so at peace cuddled into the wooden porch swing. He paused just at the single step which separated them and continued to stare in utter disbelief.

Historia budged, forcing the Captain to flinch with anticipation but the young queen simply hugged the red blanket resting upon her lap. This forced a snicker from the usually stoic soldier.

"…I'm over here breaking my ass and you're carefree enough to doze off outside?" He said blithely. The part of him that wanted to wake her forced him to step one foot on the porch but the other half that remembered their fight from the morning made him pause in his tracks.

'Perhaps, I should leave her be.' He suggested to himself. That was when he realized they were being watched. Quickly, he looked to the opposite side from where he came from and barked,

"Come out, now." His voice was firm and rough as it always was.

Olivier came crawling out of the shadows casted by the hedges which framed the home, her eyes did not sheepishly fall to the ground like a child caught – but instead they rested directly on him full of valor.

"…You seem to have a nasty habit of stalking people." He commented plainly, keeping his eyes on her as well – similar to how animals lock their gaze to establish dominance; whoever looks away first was not the alpha.

"…Call it what you want." Olivier shrugged and leaned on one of the wooden pillars a couple of feet away from Historia, still staring at him. She crossed her arms before saying,

"She was looking for you earlier at the stables."

"Was she?" He said looking at the sleeping beauty, not knowing why the news made his heart quiver.

"Yeah – she didn't say it. But she was petting your horse lookin' all sad n' stuff."

And just like that, the fleeing moment was gone and now he felt like a piece of shit again.

"…Wanna tell me why you were hiding like a creep?" He tried to change the subject. Olivier sighed loudly before sitting down on the porch. She began kicking her feet about, her emerald irises staring at the coral sky.

"…I heard the nannies gossiping about her – saying she had people trying to kill her and that she was selfish to come here and endanger us kids." The child spoke of such awful details like it was nothing. However, hearing about the nannies pissed him off and it was written all over his visage.

"…So…." Olivier's tone deepened.

"…I wanted to make sure she was safe while she slept…" He witnessed her true nature as her eyes sank to the ground; her once naïve smile turned into a frown. She was as the adults said, unapproachable and rude on the outside – but Levi saw there was a golden heart beating in her chest.

Levi walked over and placed a firm hand on her head and ruffled her hairs while bending down to meet her at eye level.

"…Don't worry over things like that – that is what I'm here for. You just worry about being a kid." His face softened even though his eyes were still as strict as ever.

"…You brats got it tough as it is." It could have been his imagination, but he swore he saw the girl's cheeks become red and her eyes glowed with an innocence he hasn't seen in a very long time. But, the girl snickered while pushing his hand away and rising with her back to him.

"I-I wanna protect Queenie too!"

"Queenie?" He said with disgust.

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Olivier had a lot of spunk for someone her size.

"Tch." Levi scoffed.

"Listen kid, you may think you're doing something 'cool' or 'honorable' by trying to protect the queen. But, I want to make it clear to you that you putting yourself in harm's way will only hurt her more than anything. " Levi spoke bluntly, not sparing the child any hopes and dreams of playing hero. But, as he assumed – she got defensive. Olivier turned around with an annoyed look on her face.

"I'm strong – you have no idea what I've had to deal with down there!"

"Trust me, I do – I was born and raised in the same filth you crawled out of. " There was a moment of silence as the shock written all over her face sunk into the depth of her soul. He pressed a finger upon his temple as he felt a headache coming.

"Also, I never called you weak or incapable – was just warning you to make better choices now that you're up here. No matter how strong you think you are – you're still a kid. Don't forget that. "

It must've been contradicting to her entire lifestyle – to live without the need to fight for survival. He knew it all too well; the blood thirst was engraved deep onto his bones out of the sheer desire to live.

"You say that so easily like it's just gonna make me stop carin' and wonderin' about her safety..." Olivier said solemnly and this struck something in him.

It was like her words forced a revelation out of him. It didn't matter how faraway he was to Historia, the distances their statures enforced or even the fact that she could be married off someday – Levi was constantly thinking of her under the guise that it was due to his line of duty. He overextended and overworked himself while lying to himself that it was because he had a job to do.

Even if one day he was ordered to quit his mission and go on another – would his heart simply toss aside all of the concern and guardianship he had sewn together for Historia?

- Hell no.

He turned his back to the child and stared down at Historia.

"I'm not going to argue with you." He said with frustration boiling in his tone.

"But…you have my thanks." He said didn't have to turn around to know that Olivier was smiling – he could tell by the way she gasped when he voiced that he acknowledged her efforts.

"Olivier, where are you?!" The voice of one of the nannies called out from the front, forcing Olivier to lightly sigh.

"Guess that's my cue. See ya later, Levi." He flinched at the sound of his name coming out of her mouth. But once the stomping of her feet was no longer audible as she made her way around the house, Levi said aloud very softly,

"I don't remember telling her my name." He stepped towards Historia and bent down right in front of her.

"It was you, wasn't it?" The words spilled from his lips sternly but with care. He was amazed at how she didn't budge the entire time he and the kid spoke. She must've been really exhausted. A hand reached out, full of callouses and stained with so much blood that when he recalled such fact, he hesitated the moment before it made contact.

He would sigh before choosing to have his fingers tenderly push aside the pieces of hair that fell over her eyes as he said with a smile the world would never see,

"When did you become so important to me…?"