Chapter 3: Offense and Defense

"Well, well, if isn't the mini-corporal's secretary?"

It wasn't the first time she heard that insult, neither the first time it came accompanied by the stench of alcohol.

Her head turned around to meet the unwanted attention of a large built man, easily twice her size. He seemed like it had been weeks since he last took a bath and the red shades of his face told her that he had spent way too much time indulging himself in rum.

She just sighed tiredly and looked away, hoping that her superiors would finish their business soon. After that they would leave this messy headquarters and go back to the tight, yet natural order of the barracks they called home.

"Hey bitch!" she flinched at the offensive remark but remained immobile against the wall. She kept reminding herself that this man didn't deserve her attention, sober or not.

She could hear some whispering near her, and it wasn't from sober men.

"Well, it seems like Erwin's pawn isn't very talkative" one of them said, his footsteps getting closer to her. Her eyes remained closed. "Count til' 10" she had been told, but right now it seemed that not even by counting until 1000 she would be able to contain herself from drawing her blades.

"Maybe she's waiting for her Corporal to take her on a walk. Right, you survey bitch?"

Her eyes snapped open at the offensive use of the name that she and her comrades wore with pride. But they wouldn't understand, they would never truly feel the thrill of the chase, the dread of being in enemy territory, or the overwhelming relief of making it back in one piece.

She was a soldier, they weren't, and she would remain acting like a soldier.

Her thoughts were cut out when she felt a big arm reaching her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and met a drunken smile.

"Hey sweetheart" she felt her stomach grow cold at the pretended sweetness the man used. "Maybe you're so unhappy because those rigid idiots are not giving you the attention you deserve"

She nearly laughed at that remark. The mere thought that her superiors didn't care for her almost seemed funny. She knew that she was a valuable comrade for them and that they would never treat her with the false chivalry that this man was trying to force on her right now.

"Whatever attention I get from them is certainly more pleasant than yours", she spoke with an icy tone, her eyes finally meeting a completely unfocused gaze.

The man seemed to recoil for a moment and she felt a surge of womanly pride coursing through her. However, almost as quick, a hand reached for her shoulder, violently tugging at her jacket.

She didn't flinch though, it wasn't the first time that men like this tried to get into her bad side in this manner.

"What?!" she growled at him, the grip on her became tighter and the man's face now showed a red rage.

"It seems like the scum from the Survey Corps needs to learn how to address those who are better than them"

Her frown deepened. Was he serious? She wasn't exactly arrogant about her position, but the fact that this man considered himself superior to her because of his insignia, an insignia she didn't respect at all, nearly made her snap.

One of her hands went to the arm that had reached for her, fingers curling around the military jacket. Her gaze meets that of her attacker's, golden eyes sparkling with rage.

"Do you really want to know who the superior here is?" her voice was far from the sweet tone she used when addressing her comrades.

"Huh?" the drunken soldier barely had time to react before her punch connected solidly with his jaw.

"Petra, sweetie?" the gentle voice of her mother made her stir from her sleep.

"That's right kiddo, get up, the masters have a guest today"

…..

In any normal day Petra would have helped with the laundry while her mother attended the master's wife, but today both were assigned to help with the preparations for dinner. Today the family was getting the visit of a business partner, and the head of the household demanded a reception fitting for a noble.

But he wasn't the only visitor, today was when the master's son would return home after finishing his last year studying in London.

After realizing she could read, Levi had always brought her books from the school years he had finished, and she quickly became an avid reader, sometimes surprising her superiors when she kindly corrected them on math or the spelling or certain words.

Sometime she even surprised the guests that the family occasionally invited over to discuss business agreements. One guest even said that, with the right attire, Petra could be easily mistaken for a high born lady, much to her embarrassment.

She never understood why everyone found her gentle manners and sweet disposition so uncommon. It was the most natural way for her to act.

She had found some listening ears in Levi, despite she was always advice to not to bother the young master. In one of the conversations she shared with Levi before her departed for his final year, he had simply told her: "It's because it's too obvious that you're not pretending to be nice. Most people act nicely because they want to get something from the other. But you don't want anything, and you made it dam evident. You should stop doing so".

In all the years talking with her master on the holidays, she had learned that he wasn't the smoothest of talkers, and despite the fact she could see his good will, she had to admit he could restrain his usage of curses.

Now it was time to prepare the manor for this special occasion, since it was the first time that Levi would be at the house at the same time that one of his parents' guests. Petra felt slightly uncomfortable at the prospect of Levi having a conversation with one of his father's business partners. She hadn't hit puberty yet and she already knew this wasn't a bright idea.

But she didn't let that thought distract her as she carried plates across the house, her black maid dress floating through the air as she moved with precise elegance.

…..

The guest was the first one to arrive. The sun was already disappearing in the horizon by the time the carriage arrived. Petra, who had finished helping with the preparations for dinner, watched from a window in the second floor as an old couple descended. The carriage driver remained in his vehicle while the couple walked towards the house.

She sighed with sadness as she walked towards the entrance lobby. She wanted to receive Levi first, to hear him ask her if she had kept herself clean like he requested every time he departed for the capital, and then he would pat her freshly washed hair and finish with a relieved "good".

But now she had orders.

…

It had been a couple of hours since the guests arrived and, after a friendly chatter in the living room, Petra and her mother were instructed to remain near the main entrance and wait for Levi's arrival.

Petra spent several moments making sure that her maid dress didn't have any wrinkles on it, constantly fixing her white apron and scanning her clothes for any particle of dust that she might have missed.

An airy giggle broke her concentration; she looked up towards the source of the noise only to see her mother looking at her with an amused face. Petra felt her face brighten up and shifted her gaze away in embarrassment.

"Ah? Why that shy face, sweetie? I'm sure Master Levi will be happy to see you kept his advice"

Petra remained silent. She listened to her mother's sigh before continuing

"Tell me Petra, do you want to remain by Master Levi's side?"

Petra looked up; she was confused by that question.

"I…I want to keep serving him as long as I can, why?"

"What if you start seeing him under another light?"

That question made her gasp "What?" she breathed

Her mother sighed and reached down to brush a stray lock behind her ear. Petra noticed a sad look on her eyes as her face got closer.

"Mom" Petra whispered, "I don't understand"

"Of course you don't sweetie" a gentle hand reached down and went to pat Petra's head "But one day you will and I'm afraid it'll cause you pain. You'll have to learn your place in his life"

Petra didn't know what to think about her mother's words. Did she mean that Levi would hurt her in some way in the future? That didn't make any sense! And she already knew what place she occupied on her master's life. She was the one who would talk to him when he was alone, she was the one who listened to his complaints about his father's greedy business partners and she would pour him tea at breakfast….

"Excuse me?" a voice near the pair seemed to call from the bottom of the lobby. Petra looked behind her and saw one of the older maids near the hallway that lead to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, but we need a pair of extra hands in the kitchen"

…..

Initially, Petra had protested against leaving the entrance hall, but her mother said that she didn't want to leave her alone in the empty hall, so the girl had no other option.

When she arrived at the kitchen, she changed her apron in order to have a clean one by the time she had to receive Levi. But as she put on the white cloth on her she noticed movement near the door that lead to the outside.

"C'mon fellas! Just one more!" A thick Scottish accent caught Petra's attention; when she got closer, she noticed two of the stable helpers struggling to keep a strange man outside the kitchen. Making a small examination, Petra recognized the carriage driver she had seen earlier. His face looked bright red, his eyes seemed unfocused and his movements told the twelve year old that he wasn't exactly in top shape, but he still put an impressive resistance against the two smaller men.

"Ye're such pansies, one mor' drink won't kill ye!" The man struggled in order to not get himself dragged out and waved a bottle of wine in the air, as he was trying to his restrainers without much success.

"Petra?" the girl turned her attention away from the struggle "I need you to …."

Crash!

Petra's gaze rushed back to the exit door, only to see her vision covered in red and felt a cold, liquid substance covering her face. By the time she had processed what was going on, an empty bottle crashed near her feet.

She quickly covered her eyes as the burn of alcohol began to blur her vision with pain. A loud squeal erupted from her throat and resonated within the room, making everyone else stop.

A long moment passed in near complete silence; the only sound being Petra's wails as she tried to ease the stinging sensation she felt on her eyes.

"Petra!" "Sweetie!" she could hear the desperate voices of the other employees that were in the kitchen with her. She could also feel gentle hands wiping the red liquid out of her face.

As the burning subsided, Petra opened her eyes. The first sight that greeted her was that of the worried face of the maid that had brought her there, joined by the rest of the kitchen staff who had stopped their activities in order to aid her.

"Are you okay sweetheart?"

Petra nodded; the burn in her eyes now only a slight stinging sensation. But then she noticed that the people looking at her had a look of uneasiness on their faces.

Petra thought that it was because they were worried about her, but when their expressions remained that way she started worrying.

Just when she was about to ask, a deep, male laughter resonated in the room, all the people in front of the girl turned their heads around. Then Petra could see the same man from before, face red, body crouched on the floor and holding his stomach with his hands.

"Oh good lord" she heard somebody whisper. Then she took a look at herself.

The once white apron had now bright red stains all over it, and she could feel the dampness of the wine on her black dress and her hair. Now she would have to bath herself all over again and find some clean clothes. That would take…..two hours, maybe?

The urge to cry was back. She wouldn't be able to be at the entrance lobby by the time Levi came up. She wouldn't be able to say "welcome" to him as he returned from school year.

"You god dammed pig!" she heard one of the cookers say "It's a miracle she doesn't have glass shards on her eyes"

More angry shouts reached Petra's ears, but her body didn't seem to mind them. She just walked slowly towards the spot where the carriage driver now sat on the floor laughing.

Neither the man nor the employees noticed the short girl walking towards the drunk, but all sound ceased when she was right in front of him, still dripping with the red liquor.

Then all the workers gasped in unison as Petra raised her fist and, with a speed that was unnatural for a girl of her age and manners, she punched the man's nose with all her strength, the crack of bone resonating in the kitchen.