A/N: Chapter three. We get some intense Yelena and Levi scenes. I wish we got more interaction with those two in the manga.

Historia

Levi and I have breakfast with Yelena, Onyankopon, and the other volunteers later that morning, and the spread is ridiculous. We have shrimp scrambled egg, bacon lobster omelette, and smoked salmon egg stuffed with avocado.

To say that Levi and I were flabbergasted would be an understatement. I think it's because we both lived off rations pretty much for years in the military, we still don't know how to react when we're presented with such excess.

Not even the MPs ate this well in the interior...

Niccolo was the one who made the breakfast as he serves me and Levi an avocado. Levi's nose wrinkles up when he gazes down at that strange, salmon-stuffed fruit or vegetable (hard to tell which), and I'm pretty sure his face turns just as green.

He's still a little sceptical of food from the outside world, and I really wish he would give things a try before he gives them a solid pass.

Sometimes I feel as if I am dealing with one of the children at the orphanage. "Eat your greens," I will usually say when Thomas or Rosie refuses to eat their broccoli, and Levi is no exception — he hates broccoli too.

So long as he has black tea, then he's happy. But he can't live off tea alone...

Niccolo was pleasant as ever, but he hasn't always been that way; when he was first abducted and taken prisoner, he was bitter and hateful, spouting all kinds of awful things like "Island Devils". But now it seems he can't get enough of us demons (only because he's madly in love with one).

He's especially very nice to me since he knows that I am good friends with Sasha. In fact, he won't stop asking me questions about her.

"So... what do you think Sasha's doing right now, Your Majesty?" he asks as he places one too many avocados on Onyankpon's plate. The poor Volunteer almost looks as green as Levi, and I bet he's not a fan of the strange fruit/vegetable too.

I meet Levi's gaze briefly, who's deadpan as ever, and I know I'm not going to get anything more from him.

What am I meant to say?

So I laugh good-naturedly, then meet Niccolo's handsome, boyish face, and there's no denying the love in his eyes.

He is crazy for Sasha...

"You know Sasha... Probably stuffing her face with potatoes, I can imagine."

Niccolo's face melts, and it's so sweet how he becomes like a lovesick puppy whenever I talk of my gluttonous friend.

After all, he is a Marleyan. And she's an Eldian. Just a pair of star-crossed lovers who found love in the end.

"Yeah, that sounds like Sasha," he chuckles. "Always stuffing her face. I've never met anyone with an appetite like hers. It's almost ferocious."

I snort, remembering the time I snuck bread out to Sasha after Commandant Sadies made her run laps around the yard until sundown. She was like a wild animal. "Yeah... me neither, Niccolo."

Niccolo smiles and it reaches his eyes. Then he goes to ask me his next question. "So... what was Sasha like back in the 104th—?"

"That's enough now, Niccolo. Let the queen eat her breakfast in peace."

We both look across the table at Yelena. Her large, penetrating eyes don't leave me as she sips a cup of coffee, making me shiver.

She's so strange.

Niccolo deflates, and now he moves around the table to serve the other volunteers. His friend Grior—a fellow Marleyan—rolls his eyes from the corner of the room, and I feel so bad for Niccolo. Thoughts of Sasha must be the only thing giving him strength these days. He is technically a prisoner on our island. A Marleyan POW so to speak. He's lucky that he even gets to talk to me, the queen of the walls, but that horrible woman took his small bit of happiness away.

The volunteers often travel back and forth to the walls, and they will always take the Marleyan POWs too. So Niccolo will hopefully get to see Sasha again sometime very soon.

I bet he's missing her... I must make him feel closer to her since Sasha and I have a rich history. We were cadets together; we shared barracks.

There is Levi too as he is Sasha's captain, but I doubt the Marleyan has the guts to speak directly to Humanity's Strongest.

Silence reigns over the table now. Levi still won't touch his avocado as he sips on his tea, and I wish I knew what was going on inside that head of his.

After all, he still hasn't given me his answer.

I guess he got a little distracted after our seagull scare down at the beach, but I meant what I said: I want a baby.

Sure, I may have been speaking in the heat of the moment, but nothing has ever felt more right. I've known for a while now that motherhood is the path for me. And not just because of the contract we made with Kiyomi, but because I want it deep in my heart.

I love the children dearly at the orphanage, but they will never be mine. And it breaks my heart whenever I see one of them leaving with their new family, and I suppose I shouldn't get attached.

But how could I not? I raised those children pretty much as if they were my own.

I just never knew who I wanted as the father of my child, but there is no one better than my knight. And not just because he has the best DNA in town—who wouldn't want a child who can spin through the air like a wheel? But because I am madly in love with him.

I want to have Levi's babies, and I'm sure the feeling's mutual.

He just needs to give me his answer first.

I sigh wistfully, projecting my thoughts to Levi since he's blocked me out. Hopefully, I can get a confession out of him.

"Poor Niccolo..."

At first, all I am met with is static silence. Then a moment or two later, his grumpy, irritated voice echoes back to me.

"Tch... don't tell me you actually feel sorry for a Marleyan of all people?"

"Well, why not? It's not like he asked to be here after all. He was sent by his superior officers as an advance squad! He's just an innocent pawn in this war after all... he really doesn't deserve any of this..."

Levi doesn't answer me back, and I smile triumphantly. After all, he knows I'm right.

Yet my victory is short-lived as he echoes another thought to me. "So... you think he is handsome?"

I throw my fork down onto the plate and scowl at him. He smirks behind his teacup. The volunteers look at us, probably wondering why I look mad at Levi all of a sudden.

After all, he hasn't said or done a thing. He's just sitting there all innocent.

Shows how little they know.

He's been peering into my thoughts again when I least expect it. But I will have the last word; he won't win this mini-war...

"You still haven't given me your answer..."

Levi sips nonchalantly on his tea, and I shake my head. Figures...

I think it's about time we returned to the walls. We've long outstayed our welcome, and I am not a fan of having an audience.

We risked exposing our secret relationship by having sex on the beach. Even if it was amazing, we need to have better control of ourselves!

And we never used protection, and I place my palm to my belly, wondering if anything grows inside there. It would just be a cluster of cells right now, but still...

I could be carrying Levi's child...

Levi removes my palm from my belly, then throws me a warning glare, and I know he's reading my thoughts again.

I must not look so obvious after all in front of the volunteers, so instead, I feign stomach ache as I rise to my feet. "So delicious, but filling! Thank you so much, Yelena, for having us here, but we must leave."

Yelena's eyes widen at the sound of my voice, and now she rises from her own seat, towering above me.

She's so tall...

"The pleasure was ours, Your Majesty. Please, allow us to escort you to your carriage."

We have a carriage waiting for us outside — courtesy of the Military Police. They're becoming rather obsessed with my whereabouts lately as they keep sending me cabs.

I'm sure Nile is just worried about me.

"That won't be necessary..." Levi replies, finishing his tea at last as he stands to his feet, and now we both dwarf in comparison to the big, freakish lady. Levi gives her his usual glower, and I wish he would really learn some manners sometime. These people hosted us. "We can see ourselves out. We know where the door is after all."

Yelena's dark, scary eyeballs don't leave him once as they seem to grow twice their size, and at one point they look as if they're going to pop from her skull.

I have no idea what has just transpired between her and Levi, but it couldn't have been pleasant. Levi looks as if he just stepped in dog mess.

Then again... he always looks like that.

Finally, a smile spreads across Yelena's face, and now I shudder even more. She's even freakier when she smiles.

"Very well, Captain. Safe journeys to the both of you... And please, take some coffee for the road."

"Tea. I will have tea, please..." Levi hisses through his teeth.

He's not a fan of coffee. He tried it once and holy cow... if we thought he was fast and overpowered before.

That smile stretches a little bit wider on Yelena's face, but I don't miss the throbbing vein on her forehead.

I dub it Little Yelena...

I'll admit, Levi takes some getting used to. A lot of getting used to. There are times where I feel my own forehead throbbing.

"Niccolo..." she calls out to the Marleyan. "Please get the captain some tea for his long journey back to the walls."

The Marleyan POW nods then scurries down to the kitchen, but just before he leaves, Yelena grabs his arm and whispers, "Get him coffee."

Sweat drips from Niccolo's face as he glances over at the captain briefly. Luckily for them both, Levi doesn't seem to hear what Yelena just said, and now the Marleyan vanishes out of the room.

Before long he arrives with a hot flask of 'tea' and I really should say something, but the last thing I want to do is cause a scene.

Things are already tense enough as it is. She worships Zeke but Levi wants to kill Zeke. So obviously, they're going to clash.

Onyankopon waves us off. "Have a safe journey back home Your Majesty, and you too, Captain Levi. Tell Hange I said hello."

I wave back at the friendly, foreign man, enjoying that rich accent for just one last time. "You too, Onyankopon. It was so nice to meet you again. All of you..."

I wave to the rest of the volunteers now, and that's when Levi finally loses his patience, pushing me out the door. "If you'll excuse us... we have a cab waiting."

We leave the room at last, making our way down the stairs. Levi exhales heavily, scowling at me from the corner of his eye "Must you with the pleasantries?"

I blink in surprise. "I'm just being polite. They were kind enough to host us after all."

He raises a brow. "Host us? On our own soil? They're the guests here, Historia. Not us."

I grumble, marching ahead of him now. "Well, they were nice enough to help develop our island. You could at least show a little more gratitude."

"Unlike you, Your Majesty, I'm not so good at faking it. And I have to ask... does it not hurt smiling so much? Your cheeks must be killing you. I suggest you give them a rest."

I throw my arms up and move down the stairs faster. Levi gives a "Tch" and soon enough we climb into the carriage that awaits us outside HQ.

A road has been paved in the two years since we found the coast, so that way we can travel to and from the port with ease.

However, with the construction of the new railway, we will soon be able to travel by steam engine. A means of transport that uses coal as fuel and my heart pounds just thinking about it.

I glance out at that green expanse outside the carriage window, spotting that unfinished train track. My fellow 104th have been the ones putting it together after all, and between the six of them, it's going to take some months. They've already been at it long enough.

Hopefully we can take the children to the ocean one day. And then they can build sandcastles and splash in the waves, and even go swimming!

I can't wait.

Levi stares out the other window, a sour expression on his face, and I know he's still pissed at me.

After all... he's trying to avoid all baby talk as much as possible. Only now he has nothing to use as a distraction. Yelena and Onyankopon are gone now. And Niccolo.

I go to ask him one more time, but then he cuts me off with a glare. "Not now, Historia... not here."

My heart pounds as he shoots me a deathly look, his eyes glowing bright silver inside the shadowy carriage. I fold my arms and turn away from him. He's right. Now's not the time, especially while we're on the road.

Who's to say the driver of the cab won't overhear us after all.

So I breathe a sigh then lean back on the upholstered seat of the carriage, gazing dreamily out the window.

After all... in just a few hours, I will get to see the children again. And we will have some new arrivals too, and I can't wait to meet them.

Levi opens his flask and pours it into the cup, and the smell of coffee fills the carriage instantly. Once again Levi is oblivious, and he really isn't himself today.

He's usually so smart and has his wits about him, assessing every angle of a given situation. Nothing passes his keen eye after all.

Could he just be distracted?

The moment he takes a sip of that 'tea' his pupils dilate, and I watch him nervously. Shoot. Maybe I should have said something? I'm surprised he didn't sense my thoughts.

"Levi?" I say warily, scooting away as far as I can.

His face starts to twitch, and now I'm really worried.

He's going to explode.

That's when he bolts upright all of sudden, his eyes wide and alert. "That's some fucking strong tea..." and now he sips some more.

The rest of the way home was exhausting to say the least with Levi bouncing around the inside of the carriage all day long, and he talked way too fast.

I couldn't keep up.

Note to self. Never allow Levi to drink coffee ever again. His Ackerman instincts are on overdrive.

A/N: I'm just imagining Levi high on bloody coffee... Sorry, he's so OCC (I can't imagine someone as sharp as him would get coffee mixed up with tea), but I suppose he is distracted, I guess... but just use your imaginations there with how he looked in the carriage, I suppose 😂

I like throwing these humorous scenes in as I think this story will get too heartbreaking pretty soon, and we all know why... it helps buffer those scenes I guess.
And Niccolo... Oh, he is too precious. I want to give him a hug so bad.

Onwards and upwards. I will try and update weekly. Thank you so much for reading and please drop a review below.

CartoonPrincessSigningOff.