A/N - I have returned!

Yes I am still alive and I am terribly sorry it took so long for me to update my story. Long story short, life happens, not Covid, at least not directly, and I hit the unmovable object that is writers block. Now updates may still be slow for a while but I have not abandoned this story. Thank you to everyone who has put up with my absence and as always, happy reading.

Wings of Freedom

Chapter 18

~Day 28~

~Today I will talk about Mikasa~

~Mikasa is a hard woman to get a read on. She almost always wears an emotionless mask, however it will break if anything happens to her friends to put them in danger, especially Eren, whom she is almost fanatically devoted to. Additionally, she appears to have an almost instinctual knowledge of combat and a killer intent that can be terrifying.~

~I am greatly concerned for Mikasa however. As I said, the girl has a strong connection to Eren and so far an egg has yet to hatch for her as we approach the two week deadline, and as a result, Mikasa has been coming under an increasing amount of stress and worry, though she hides it well.~

~Today that stress hit a tipping point during training.~

Mikasa breathed hevily as the sword in her hands grew heavy with exhaustion and she glared across the temporary practice area Roy had made until he could sing a proper training room out of the tree.

Roy on the other hand, was casually standing there with a magically dulled Wyvern, with it's flames extinguished. However, his mind was anything but the causal mask he currently displayed, as he studied Mikasa with a critical eye "something's up with Mikasa. Usually I have to at least focus a little when training her, as opposed to the others" he spoke to his Dragon, who was currently teaching Scarlett and to a slightly lesser extent, the new hatchling, about how Dragons live.

Thalia spared a glance over at the humans "indeed, and she usually lasts longer then the others before getting tired like this" she said while eyeing Armin and Eren. The latter of which was panting heavily with exhaustion but was still on his feet while he waited over on the sidelines with Armin, who was laying on the ground and nearly passed out. Thalia had to turned her attention back to her own students however, as Armin's Dragon looked ready to bolt for his Rider, out of worry.

Fortunately, Scarlett stopped the little hatchling before he could incite her mother's temper, with a light hum and some silent words. Speaking of Scarlett, the Dragon was developing at a steady rate and, thought she was still protective of her Rider, she seamed more trusting of Roy with his training and willing to let Eren take a bit of punishment under the circumstances as she sat there, though that may have been do in part to Roy having them constantly in each other's heads during training.

Roy gave a thoughtful grunt as he considered what could be bothering Mikasa, though he didn't really need to think long or hard. It was obvious what was causing the girl's stress. There were only three days left for an egg to hatch for Mikasa.

What really perplexed Roy was why? Why was Mikasa so fanatically devoted to Eren?

This question continued to plague Roy as he deflected and parried each and every strike and slash, Mikasa sent him and he quickly countered. Mikasa growled in frustration though as she turned on Roy with that merderious glare that always sent a shiver down Roy's spine, no matter how many times he saw it. But this time was a little different, as there was anger behind that merduious intent. A deep festering rage and frustration that had been slowly boiling to the surface and Roy blinked with surprise as she launched herself at him with incredible speed holy shit! the Rider thought as he suddenly was forced to put some effort into the fight.

Roy's face scrunched up in concentration as he frantically blocked Mikasa's rapid attacks how in god's name does a ten year old, know how to fight like this!? Roy thought as Mikasa presses her frantic attack with a yell of rage until finally.

SMACK!

Roy's face suddenly grew a red line across his right cheek as the dulled blade collided with his wards but still sent his head flying to the side, eliciting gasps of shock from their spectators. Mikasa wasn't finished though, as her rage blinded her and she was about to press the attack further, but then.

CLANG!

Roy brought his sword up and blocked the blade, holding it in a deadlock. Mikasa would have pulled back and countered, but a low, frustrated growl, made her stop in her tracks and watch as Roy slowly looked up at her with a glare of his own and the shear power he exuded gave even Mikasa pause for a moment.

And just like that, the claws came out as, for the first time ever, the kids saw Roy actually fight for real.

Roy yelled, easily pushing Mikasa back several feet before charging her and unleashing a blitz of attacks, even faster then she had, and Mikasa only managed to barely parry as dodge a few of them and being unable to block at all with the shear strength put into the attacks.

Roy slowly pushed Mikasa back and suddenly that rage he'd seen in her eyes was gone and actual fear replaced it as she struggled the defend until he forced her into another deadlock but he quickly ended it by effortlessly disarming her and casting the blade away with just a flick of his own.

Mikasa fell back as Roy pointed his blade at her throat with a stern glare while her and the others blinked in shock. They had never seen him get that intinse during training before and it really hammered home the divide in power and skill between them.

Everything was still as that moment seamed to stretch on for hours, but Roy eventually released a heavy sigh and lowered his blade "terrifying isn't it? To have someone infinitely more powerful then you loose control and have you at the end of their blade?" Roy asked rhetorically and with a serious tone.

As Roy said this, a memory of a man with an axe, came flanshing back to Mikasa for a moment, but she quickly shook it off as she focused on Roy, who noticed the flash of recognition in her face but didn't call it out and instead continued to hold her with a hard stare "you need to understand, all of you, that I am teaching you how to kill" he said ominously and gaining everyone's undivided attention "make no mistake, I am not endorsing murder or telling you to resort to killing at the first sign of trouble, quite the opposite actually.…but in the end that is what these skills are for, and you will have to kill eventually if you fallow this path, and that is exactly why you cannot loose control like you just did" he said while boring holes in Mikasa's head with his eyes.

Roy gave the kids a moment to mull over his word before finally allowing his serious mask to brake and he let out a sigh "rage can be a powerful motivator. It can keep you alive and push you further then normally possible, but it can also blind you if you can't control it" he said while castling a glance over at Eren for a moment "you need to understand that if you give in to rage like that, then you could go too far and kill someone that needs to be take in alive, or worse, hurt an innocent bystander by accident" he explained.

Everyone was quiet for a long moment before Roy took a breath to calm his nerves and sheathed his blade "I think that's enough training for now. Take a brake and some time to think" he said as he left the kids to chew on his words.

Thalia cast a concerned glance to her Rider "perhaps you should mind your own teachings. You may have pushed them too hard that time" she silently advised and Roy did pause in his stride for a moment "perhaps…but this is a lesson they best learn sooner rather then later…lest they repeat my mistake…" the Rider said with a somber tone.

Thalia whimpered a little as she felt her Rider's guilt Roy, how long will you continue to blame yourself for what happened? she thought to herself as Roy walked up the stairs to the upper level and out onto the balcony.

Thalia shook herself from her musing before her own grief could take hold and decided to dismiss her students as well, and the green hatchling eagerly bolted for his Rider and leaped onto Armin as he was getting up, causing him to yelp a little as he lost balance but managed to stand up strait again with Eren's help "whoa, it's alright, I'm fine" Armin tried to calm his Dragon, who purred as he nuzzled Armin's face, causing the boy to laugh a little in spite of his exhaustion.

Armin's good mood fell quickly though as he looked over at Mikasa, still sitting on the floor as she looked down with what could have been shame or frustration, possibly both, but Armin couldn't tell for sure. Armin's thoughts also drifted to how Roy reacted and what he had said, as he and Eren went to help Mikasa up and they went over to rest by the fireplace.

Several minuets passes in awkward silence as Roy's outburst and the hard words he had shared, ate away at the kids and even Armin's Dragon, climbing up on top of his head and purring, couldn't lift the boy's spirits as he contemplated. But something else weighed on both Armin and Eren's minds as they glanced at Mikasa with worry.

Mikasa was currently alternating between looking down at her feet in shame and glancing up at Roy's room with frustration "hay Armin" said boy jumped slightly when he suddenly heard Eren's voice in his head and he looked over at his friend, who had a concerned look on his face "you got a minuet?" Eren asked and Armin frowned a little as he wondered what would warrant Eren wanting to silently speak with him. Armin trusted his friend though and gave a discreet node, as he was still not confident in his own telepathy enough to speak without fear of accidentally broadcasting it to everyone.

Eren gave a slightly relived but still tense sigh "I'm worried about Mikasa. She's been acting weird lately and it's not like her to just loose it like that out of the blue" Eren explained as he and Armin glanced over towards Mikasa. Armin then glanced over at Eren I know what you mean. Mikasa does tend to loose her cool occasionally but only when one of us in in danger. he thought without broadcasting it, knowing that Eren was listening in but I can understand where her stress is coming from. She only has three days left for an egg to hatch he pointed out and Eren groaned a little at the reminder.

Eren was still hopeful that an egg would hatch, but even he was starting to get a little nervous. Eren was broken from his worried thoughts when Scarlett batted her head against his arm "don't worry, there is still time" she said encouragingly but Eren was still concerned "I know, but what do we do for her until then? The stress is really getting to her" he said and Scarlett huffed at him with what might have been disappointment "Mikasa is strong. She will get through this. All you need do is support her" Scarlett replied with confidence.

While the three of them were discussing all of this however, Mikasa was growing more frustrated. She may not have been very observant of everything going on around her at the moment, but she wasn't stupid. She knew everyone was silently discussing her current condition and it only fueled her growing frustration until she couldn't take it anymore and stormed off without a word "huh, h-hay, Mikasa!?" Eren called after her and was about to fallow her but Scarlett held him down with her head on his lap "let her cool off for a moment. I may not fully understand you two-legs and how you display emotions with those flat faces of yours, but I know that when a female is agitated like this, you best give them a moment before attempting to help" she advised and Eren hesitated for a moment before begrudgingly heading the advise of his Dragon, earning a smug purr from her.

Several hours later, after finishing the day's training, despite how tense it was after everything that happened, and Mikasa was still silently fuming with frustration with nowhere to vent it as she stood at the balcony and stared out while gripping the railing tightly.

Roy watched her from the window next to his desk with worry, then he turned to look over the upper floor's balcony at the others, who were huddled togather, discussing how they could help their friend.

Roy groaned as he let his head fall back "why is being a teacher so hard?" he muttered under his breath while rubbing his face. Eventually he gave a sigh of resignation and got up from his desk I guess I'll have to deal with this he thought with a little frustration as he made his way down and to the balcony.

Thalia walked up to him as he went "are you sure you wish to intrude on her thoughts? You may be poking your snout into something personal" she asked and Roy groaned as he shook his head "no, but I don't really have a choice. We can't allow this to go on much longer" he answered and Thalia huffed a sigh in response "very well, but be carful, lest you make things worse" she said as Roy continued on.

Mikasa was deep in thought as she tried to process her emotions, so she didn't notice Roy walk up next to her "Mikasa" he greated and the girl jumped with surprise before looking up at the Rider and subconsciously shuffling a few inches away before casting her eyes back out to the forest with a frustrated glare "what is it?" she responded flatly, causing the Rider to sigh and lean on the railing "well I was hoping that I could help with whatever's bothering you. I know the others are in a tizzy, trying to figure out what to do" Roy answered.

Mikasa grimaced a little at that "well you can tell them to mind their own business, because I'm fine" she muttered and Roy looked to her with a frown "you are most certainly not "fine", and I don't need to guess why that is. It's obvious what has you so stress" he retorted and Mikasa nerowed her eyes in response as she looked up at him "than why are you sticking your nose into my problems!? Threre's nothing anyone can do about it!" she shot back in frustration but recoiled a little as Roy gave her a glare that radiated almost as much power and strength as before during training.

Roy averted his gaze however as he tried to calm himself down. The boy could tolerate much, but he had little patience for senseless anger. Now wasn't the time to loose his own temper though and he took a deep breath to collect his thoughts "why?" he finally spoke, causing Mikasa to look at him with confusion "why is Eren so important to you? Why is it so imperative that you become a Rider, simply to fallow him?" he asked with sincerity.

Mikasa was caught off guard by the question and would normally have rebuffed it, but she knew Roy was running sort on patients and did not want a repeat of their trining session today. But this was a deeply personal part of Mikasa's life that she had only shared twice with others. Once with Armin and the second with Scarlett, who she thought was just an animal at the time, and even then it wasn't the whole story. But, something about the sincerity in Roy's words also helped sway her and, after a long moment's hesitation, she sighed "it's…not something I like to talk about…and it's pretty gruesome" she tried to dodge question one last time but Roy just gave a humorless chuckle "Mikasa, if their is anyone in the world besides your friends who would understand gruesome and traumatizing pasts, it's me" he answered honestly.

Mikasa hesitated for another long moment as she tried to think of an excuse but eventually relented and averted her gaze from Roy, opting to look down at the Titans roaming the ground instead "it's so important to me because…because Eren means everything to me…he's the reason why I can continue living" she admitted.

There was another pause as Roy thought over Mikasa's words and could hear how hard it was for her to get them out, it was defiantly a concerning train of thought though "and why is that?" he finally asked and Mikasa gripped the wooden railing tightly as painful memories returned "because Eren saved my life" she answered.

Another round of silence fallowed but this time Roy didn't bother to brake it for some reason so Mikasa decided to continue "my parents were murdered and I was taken…" she said as she proceeded to tell him the whole story, from being kidnapped to Eren arriving and killing to first two, then him telling her the words that would forever be burned into her mind. Him telling her to fight and then her stabbing the last kidnapper in the heart through the back and then Eren rapping that precious scarf of her's around her neck and his family taking her in.

A long, tense silence, filled the air after Mikasa finished her story and she waited for Roy to respond in some way. To belittle Eren for his rash actions like his father had or to offer condolences as most would.

But nothing came…

Silence was Mikasa's only reply for a long time and the girl grew a little worried as she looked up at Roy but her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the look of absolute shock on the Rider's face as he stared vacantly out into space. This wasn't the usual shock she expected to see though, like when she told Armin what had happened. This was different…like someone reliving a painful memory of their own.

After a moment, Roy blinked a little bit of life back into himself and looked down "not again…please not again…" he muttered in english. Mikasa was very confused at this point and it only grew as Thalia walked out and rapped her neck around him like Mikasa had often seen Scarlett do when Eren was distressed.

Mikasa was starting to get worried for Roy and was about to go ask for help when "Mikasa" he finally said and she was a little taken aback when they locked eyes and a tear was trying to escape his "please don't give up" he requested criptically before looking down with sadness "please don't make the same mistake we did" he finished.

Mikasa's eyes widened in shock wait, does he…has he been through the same thing? she thought as the Rider fought to pull himself back togather "Roy…" Mikasa started hesitantly and the Rider looked back to her "what…what mistake are you talking about?…" she hesitantly asked.

Thalia growled lightly at her but clammed up and quickly looked to her Rider as they silently conversed.

After a moment, Thalia whimpered a little but let Roy go and offered him a leg to sit on as she laid down herself. Roy then took a breath as he alowed memories he had long since attempted to lock away, to flood back to the surface "I have fallen in love twice in this life of mine…and I've lost both of them" he began with a pain filled sigh and Mikasa was stunned for a moment at the revelation as the tables turned in their questioning "the second and ultimately true love of my life was Ari…an Elf if you can believe it and Vorlin's Rider" Roy contiued with a fond smile braking through for the briefest of moments before being drowned out by sadness "the first was Elizabeth".

[7 Years Ago - Alagaësia - Broddring Kingdom]

A young boy in raged clothing, ran through a forest, batting aside bushes and getting cut by a few thorns but it was hard to tell with the bruises and cuts that already covered his body. The boy eventually tripped and fell with a painful grunt.

The boy laid there for a moment, shaking in pain, anger and sadness, but he refused to let tears fall as he defiantly forced himself back to his feet, brushing away his crimson hair and opening two emerald green eyes.

A nine year old Roy, took a shaky breath to collect himself before taking in his surroundings. There was nothing but forest in every direction, with birds and bugs chirping away.

Roy let out a long exhale of relief when he didn't see the guards chaising after him or hear dogs tracking him. The exhale quickly turned into a wince though as he grabbed his bruised ribs and looked down at his beaten and bleeding body and a tear very nearly escaped, he refused to let it go though I won't give him the satisfaction, even if he's not here to see it! the boy thought bitterly, before staggering forward and sitting on a fallen log to catch his breath and ponder his situation.

Roy thought back to the man who did this to him and the guards that just stood there and ignored the beating he had received and all for what!? Just because I spilled a drink on him!? Roy thought with rage but he simply held it all in as he clenched his fists no…that man hates me simply for being born he thought as his rage began turning to sadness as he thought of what his mother was probably going through since he had run off, but it wasn't like he had much choice in the matter. Roy was no stranger to beatings, and because of that, he knew exactly when it was about to go too far and he more then likely would have died had he not slipped away and ran.

Roy's sadness quickly turned to anger again as he thought of the man who's roof he was forced to live under, beating his mother in his place. The only reason why Roy wasn't charging back in a reckless and stupid attempt to save her, were the scars of failed past attempts, and the knowledge, his mother was somewhat protected. The man who had done this too him couldn't afford to hurt Roy's mother too bad or in ways that would show.

Still though, Roy's blood boiled at the thought of what was most likely happening and before he knew it, he had grabbed a rock and was tossing it up into the trees.

The rock hit a branch and knocked it loose and they both fell to the ground and Roy was immediately snapped out of his rage when he heard someone yell in pain, fallowed by a string of obscenities that even a drunken sailor would be ashamed of.

Years of experience with abuse, brought on by such raging men as the one who was now stomping his way through the forest, saved Roy's life as he quickly hid as the man came up to where Roy once stood "hay! Who's out there!?" The obviously drunken man yelled as Roy peeked out carefully and his fears only grew.

The man was tan skinned and wore leather armor that was stained red with old blood and a little that was still a little fresh by the looks of it. But more then that, the man looked half crazed with a rusted iron sword in his hand and with dirty, long brown hair and bloodshot, brown eyes.

Roy wasn't stupid. He knew right away what that man was.

A bandit.

A drunken bandit with blood running down his face from an injury Roy had caused damn it, I am such an idiot Roy cursed his raged indused stupidity. In his panic he had nearly run right into badits while out alone in the woods and now he had pissed them off.

Roy called upon all his skill and experience in hiding and sneaking, which was actually pretty impressive for a nine year old, and quietly made his way around the bandit to hopefully make his escape.

Roy made it a good distance from the inept bandit but his breath hitched in his throat as another came through the foliage and Roy quickly docked behind cover "hay, what the hell are doing out here you dunk idiot!?" the other, sober bandit, demanded.

This bandit was fair skinned, with blond hair and a short beard and blue eyes. He had a scar that ran from his right temple to his jawline and was wearing similar armor as the first one.

The first bandit looked to his comrade with anger "someone his me in the head!" he slurred and the other face palmed "a branch fell on yer' head ya' daft fool" the sober bandit chided, causing the two to fall into argument and Roy took the opportunity to carefully sneak around them just a little bit further and I'm home free Roy thought as sweat rolled down his brow "oh shut it ya' daft bastard! We gotta head back and make sure that girl we took on our last haul don't get loose!" the sober bandit ordered suddenly.

Roy stoped in his tracks as his eyes widened they took someone captive Roy thought as he glanced back at the still arguing bandits.

Roy gritted his teeth as he looked away and his upper half leaned forward to leave but his legs refused to move come on, this is your chance to get away he thought but still his legs wouldn't move come on you fool, you can't do anything to help. You're just a weak little kid, you'd be better off finding a guard and telling them. Roy chided himself and for anyone else that would be true, but not for Roy and he clinched his fists as he realized that the guards were most likely looking for him, and he knew all too well that they wouldn't listen him. The man whom he was forced to live under had made certain that no one would listen to Roy.

Roy heard the bandits starting to leave and gave a frustrated growl as his body trembled and before he knew it, his legs betrayed him and ran off after the bandits Damn it! What am I doing!? Roy cursed himself but continued running anyway, until he caught up with the bandits and slowed down to sneak properly as he fallowed them back to their camp.

It didn't take long before they reached the ramshackle camp, with a torn up and barely functional tent, a little fire that was dying down to a smolder as a charred rabbit hung over it on a stick and horses stood calmly tied to a tree. And finally, there was someone laying on their side and curled up in a ball with their hands bound behind their backs.

Roy couldn't get a good look at the person from where he was hiding but she looked beaten and ragged and the boy felt his blood boil at the sight of the drunk bandit walking up to the girl with a sadistic chuckle. The drunkard was stopped however, by a smack to the head from his sober counterpart "hay, what the hell!" the first bandit yelled while the other scowled at him "no touching the merchandise! It's a long was to Dras-Leona and she's only worth anything if she's intact!" the second bandit scolded.

Roy's breath caught in his throat though at hearing this. He knew of Dras-Leona, his "patron" had taken pleasure in telling him about the worst city in the land where he would sell Roy into slavery if he ever stepped out of line too far.

Any logic or reason that Roy had been clinging to in an attempt to convince himself to turn tail and run, went up in smoke as rage burned in him. He wasn't going to just stand around and let this continue but he needed a plan and he scanned the camp as he tried to come up with something. A smirk then grew on his face he formulated a plan and begin sneaking around the camp.

Half an hour later and the bandits were still oblivious to the kid running about in the shadows of their camp. The sober one was sitting over the girl, making sure she couldn't get away and that his partner didn't do anything stupid. Said other bandit was over releaving himself against the tree that the horses were tied to.

Everything was relatively quiet as the girl laid there with a blank expression on her tear stained face. She was so emotionally stressed that she was now numb to the world around her. She did snap out of it a little though when the horses suddenly reared back while letting out a panicked whine, before bolting off into the forest.

The bandit over the girl, jumped to his feet "what the hell did you do!?" he yelled at the drunken bandit "I didn't do nothin'!" He yelled back as the other ran up to the tree. He watched the horses go for a second before glaring at his partner "well the horses didn't untie themselves and run off!" he yelled back.

The drunk went to argued but was pinned to the tree with an arm shoved into his neck "SHUT YOUR TRAP! We don't have time for this, we need to catch the horses!" the sober bandit yelled before tossing the other in the direction the horses ran and the drunk glared back for a moment before running after their horses with the other.

The girl glanced in the direction the bandits left while still curled up. Her face was stil blank though and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about the bandits leaving, it wasn't like she could move with her arms and legs tied togather and to a tree. The girl did feel a flash of curiosity and confusion as she spotted a small stick with the end still smoldering from the fire, laying on the ground where the horses ran.

SNAP

The girl gasped slightly as she heard someone step on a twig behind her and she tucked herself further into a ball. She then heard a sound like a knife sawing against something for a moment before a rope snapped and then a hand fell on her shoulder.

The girl felt fear surge through her for a moment but the added stress proved to be too much for her and she just went limp and her face again became blank as she gave in to dispare "hay, are you ok?" a gentle voice whispered and the girl gasped a little with surprise. The voice sounded very young and far kinder then any of the bandits.

The girl hesitated for a moment before turning her head slowly to see who was behind her and she was surprised to see a boy around her age, crouched over her. What really caught her off guard though were his eyes.

Despite the boys beaten and bruised appearance and the rags he wore, those emerald eyes of his seamed to shine with so much kindness and compassion that in his place the girl monetarily saw her parents.

As for Roy, he was finally able to get a good look at the girl now. She had a somewhat rounded face and long, golden blond hair that was matted with blood a grime. Her skin was was a little pale, almost sickly so and cover with dirt and a bit of blood splattered across her face, thought the only injury he saw on the girl was a nasty bruse over her left, chocolate brown eye, so the blood was probably someone else's. As for her clothes, they consisted of a ripped and tattered green dress and her shoes were long gone, leaving her barefoot and her feet a little scraped up.

The look of dispare in the girl's eyes and the blank look on her face, broke Roy's heart and made his blood boil at the same time. He reigned in his emotions for the time being though as he set the girl up and started cutting her binds "it's going to be ok. I'll get you out of here" Roy whispered as he freeed the girl but she didn't respond at first her arms fell to her sides and he stared on freeing her legs.

Roy grimaced a little in response to the girl's silence "I'm Roy by the way, what's your name?" he asked, hoping to get her talking. The girl was silent for a moment as Roy contiued to cut the ropes "Elizabeth…" she finally answered as the ropes broke and Roy smiled a little as he looked up at her "nice to meet you Liz" he said and was happy to see the confused look pass over her face at the nickname he just gave her. Any reaction was better then just that blank face.

Roy brushes that train of thought aside though, as he focused on the bigger issue "come on, we need to get out of here before they come back" he said as he hoisted Elizabeth up, the girl just resumed blankly staring into nothing though as Roy quickly and carfulling walked her out of the camp "what's the point?…" she said numbly and Roy stopped in his tracks as he looked at her with wide eyes and they stood there for a moment in awkward silence.

Roy eventually composed himself though and his expression turned angry "what!? What do mean "what's the point!?" You want to live don't you!?" he whisper shouted at Elizabeth and the girl was at least slightly taken aback by his outburst but only for a fraction of a second and she turned her eyes to the ground "my parents tried to save me…told me to run while they fought the bandits off…but they died and I was caught…" Elizabeth explained numbly while Roy stood there, listening to her while keeping an eye out for the bandits.

Elizabeth's numb mask, never broke, as she stood there "all I did was drag them down and get them killed…it's all I've ever done for them, since I was born sickly…and now I'm dragging you down too…" she explained, secretly hoping Roy would leave and save himself.

Roy just stood there for a moment though, with a neutral expression. It quickly broke through and became one of anger as he grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and made her look at him "No! You listen to me! It doesn't matter if you were born sickly or heathy, highborn or lowborn, a lowly bastard or the bloody prince of the kingdom! Everyone deserves to live and be happy, no matter what anyone else may tell you!" Roy said with conviction and years of pent up anger, and this time Elizabeth's mask shattered as she looked at Roy with a gasp and wide eyes.

Roy contiued to stare intensity into Elizabeth's shocked eyes "life is cruel and people crueler…"he trailed off as memories of his horrible life of abuse, flashed through his mind, but his anger subsided slightly as the few good memories he had of his life with his mother, fallowed soon after "but it can also be beautiful…and it's that beauty, buried under all the pain and ugliness that makes life worth living" he said before his face hardened with conviction again "these are our lives! No one else's! So never say it's pointless or give them the satisfaction of thinking that they can take it from you" Roy finished.

Everything was quiet for a moment as Elizabeth stood there stunned. Eventually she opened her mouth to respond but stopped abruptly and both their eyes widened in fear as someone slowly clapped and they looked over to see a new bandit that Roy hadn't seen yet.

He was very large and muscular, and wearing banged up steel armor, as opposed to his comrades. He had a squared jaw with stubble and black hair, slicked back and piercing brown eyes.

The bandit chuckled as he contiued to slowly clap "nice speech there lad…were you a bit older and better armed, I might actually respect you a little" he said with a deep voice like gravel scraping togather "but I'm afraid life doesn't work like that…your life can be taken by anyone with half a mind and some proper steel" he said as his grin turned murderious and he drew his sword.

Roy and the bandit, held each other's gaze for a long moment before Roy tightened his grip on Elizabeth's shoulder "run" he said and bolted into the forest while dragging Elizabeth behind him and the bandit laughed as he chased after them.

A/N -

sorry to cut this chapter short but this isn't actually the whole thing. I originally intended it to include more but I was stumped and it was taking too long to post so I cut it in half and posted it. Hopefully I'll get the next part out soon.