Chapter 2

Levi managed to get Fey to the doctor as well as send word to Hange to meet him at the doctor's office. Just as Hange arrived, the doctor informed Levi that Fey had simply fainted from hunger. Fey awoke and saw Levi with a scowl on his face.

"What happened?" She asked, rubbing her head.

"When was the last time you had food?" Levi demanded making Fey tense. Was he angry? Well, she did inconvenience him by collapsing in the street. Now that Fey thought about it, she had most likely inconvenienced him quite a bit since he had to be her babysitter now.

"I'm sorry." She responded and Levi shook his head.

"When. Did. You. Last. Have. Food?" Levi asked again. Fey thought back. She had eaten with the villagers then had gone to bed. When she had woken up with Trico, it was a new day. Since then, three days passed while she and Trico had made their way through the castle to the top of the tower.

"How long was I out for when you found Trico and I?" She asked.

"You slept overnight." Levi replied and Fey nodded.

"Four days." She said meekly and blushed. Levi growled low.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" He demanded.

"I was worried about Trico and it never came up. I have been so crazy busy I didn't even think about food." Fey replied. It was true. In the castle, she had been so scared for her life and for Trico's that she hadn't even realized her own hunger was being neglected.

"Hange." Levi called and Hange peeked in, smiling at Fey.

"Hey, you're awake! Levi told me that you fainted from hunger?" She asked and Fey blushed stronger.

"I…uh…guess." She said.

"She hasn't eaten in four days. Do you have time to make that soup?" Levi asked. Hange smiled brighter and nodded.

"Yes! I would love to! I've been craving it for the last week anyway! You guys get yourselves taken care of and I will bring it by when it's done!" Hange said excitedly making Fey smile. Fey could already tell she would like Hange.

"When did the doctor say I could go?" Fey asked and Levi sighed, his anger turning to annoyance.

"He said you could go as soon as you woke up. I will let you walk on your own, but if you feel like fainting again, I'm dragging you, got it?" Levi asked and Fey nodded, blushing. She got up, careful to not make herself dizzy and she and Levi left to Levi's place as Hange ran home to make the soup.

"So what is special about her soup?" Fey asked Levi as they walked, his annoyance had faded, but Fey could feel as though he was still angry with her.

"She puts ginger in it. It's a recipe that's been passed down in her family for people who haven't eaten. Like you." Levi responded and Fey nodded.

"I'm sorry I'm putting you out." Fey said after a while and Levi let out a sigh.

"You're not. Come in." He replied as he opened the door to his small house. Fey entered and her eyes widened at how immaculate it was. He had a gray couch that was turned towards the window and a bookshelf beside the window. A coffee table was between the window and the couch where a book rested. Off to the left of the living room was a small dining room and to the left of that was the kitchen. To the left of the entryway was a small hall that led to the bedroom and the bathroom.

"Wow. You have a beautiful place." She said and Levi nodded, taking his shoes off. Fey followed suit and closed the door behind her.

"Go wash up. When you're done, the food will be here and you can eat." Levi said and pointed towards the hallway.

"Okay, um, what will I wear?" Fey asked and Levi mentally berated himself for not thinking of that. He studied her a moment before going to his bedroom. After a few minutes, he returned with a pair of pants and a shirt.

"They might be a bit large, I will see if someone has clothes they can give you that are your size." Levi stated handing her the clothes. Fey blushed slightly and nodded.

"Thank you." She said and went to the bathroom. Levi's bathroom had the basic necessities: sink, toilet, bathtub, and a mirror, but the one thing it didn't have was a shower. Fey sighed and looked around, she didn't want to bathe first, she wanted to wash the grime off her before she took a relaxing bath. After undressing, she stepped into the bathtub and using the washcloth and the hot water, she managed to wash herself off and wash her hair. When the water finally ran clear from her hair, she plugged the drain and relaxed as the tub filled with hot water.

Once the tub was full, she stopped the water and sighed. How long had it been since she had a decent bath like this? The water gently stung at her cuts and scrapes she had from the castle and Fey couldn't help but once again worry about Trico. Levi had promised after she ate and after she was cleaned up, they could go see him again. Fey was usually good at reading people, but Levi was a bit harder. Could she trust him? She didn't have much of a choice, Trico was badly wounded and she was in a world that was unfamiliar to her. Fey sighed and rested her head back, staring at the ceiling. For now, she had to trust that things would work out for the better. After a few more minutes, she unplugged the drain and got out of the tub. She dried off and borrowed Levi's brush to brush her hair, before dressing and going out to the living room again. Levi looked up from the book he was reading and put it away.

"Feel better?" He asked.

"So much better. I feel human again." She said and Levi smirked. It surprised Fey. She didn't think he knew how to smile.

"Hange brought the food as well as some clothes for you. She said that she didn't think I would have what you need since I'm a man." Levi said and Fey smiled.

"Thank you. I have no idea how to repay your kindness." Fey said and Levi shrugged.

"If…When your creature gets better, we might be able to use him for killing titans. He very well could easily save lives." Levi said. He had to believe that Trico would get better. Most of him wanted to believe that it was for humanity, but a small part of him didn't want to see this girl brokenhearted.

"Eat." He said and pointed towards the food. Fey went over and served herself a bowl as Levi sat across from her. He served himself a bowl as Fey started to eat. The moment the food touched her tongue, tears sprang to her eyes. She hadn't realized just how hungry she was until she took a bite.

"It's not that bad is it?" Levi asked, seeing how emotional she was becoming. Fey shook her head and swallowed.

"No, it's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!" Fey said and took another spoonful of the soup. Levi smirked again and shook his head, eating his soup. Fey wanted nothing more than to devour three bowls, but she managed to restrain herself. Even though ginger was in the soup, it didn't mean that she wouldn't get sick if she ate too much. She managed to finish her first bowl before Levi finished his and took just one scoop more. Levi watched her out of his peripheral vision. He couldn't help but feel as though this girl was as dangerous as a fly.

"So…tell me about this trial." Fey said and looked at Levi as she took a bite. Levi hadn't expected the question, but he sat back, thinking how to answer it.

"Usually, it is just held for those of the military. But you and your creature are the exception. You both came from outside the wall and we don't know where you came from." Levi said and Fey tilted her head curiously.

"But you just said I came from outside the wall, don't you guys know what is beyond it?" Fey asked and Levi shook his head. Fey's eyes widened in surprise.

"You don't? Are the titans truly that big of a threat?" She asked and Levi nodded, looking down at his bowl.

"We've lost many soldiers to them over the years." Levi said quietly. Fey noticed his eyes seem to soften and she couldn't help but feel as though he was sad.

"I'm so sorry." She said, making him look up at her. His eyes met hers for a brief time before returning to his bowl again. Many of the comrades in the scouting legion had to earn his trust, the ones that had, he kept close. But Fey, he wanted to trust her, he felt he could easily trust her. Something kept telling him that he could trust her, his instincts were usually never wrong.

"So humanity is behind the one wall that keeps titans out? Seems like a cage." Fey commented. Levi chuckled.

"Not one wall but three. The outmost one is Wall Maria. The middle one is Wall Rose. And the innermost one is Wall Sina. Inside Wall Sina is where all the pigs of bureaucracy live, safe and protected. They make decisions about the Scouting Legion and saying we sacrifice lives for nothing, but they've never seen a titan first hand. They don't know the dangers we face in order to regain a little territory from them." Levi said, his face contorted with anger. Fey started to see the picture a bit more clearly about this world and now more than ever she wanted to help.

"I want to help. Everyone deserves their freedom." Fey said and Levi nodded.

"That they do. Unfortunately, it isn't up to me to decide if you can help or not. The only advice I can give you during your trial is be honest. You trust Trico. I can see the bond both of you share. That bond is obviously there for a reason. Just be honest and tell us everything, I'm sure they will see the bond you two share and will hopefully come to the conclusion that you are useful." Levi said and Fey nodded. He looked out the window and saw that it was still light out.

"Let's go check on your friend, then we will come back and get some sleep." Levi said and Fey nodded. They cleaned up the mess from their supper before Levi took her back to Trico. That night, Fey was resting on the couch, Levi was in his room asleep as well. Fey was restless in her sleep. She dreamt of armor with glowing teal eyes and Trico's with red eyes. She awoke with a gasp, sitting up and scanning the room. Remembering that she was now in Levi's home, she relaxed and rubbed her face. How long was she going to be having nightmares?

Feeling lonely, terrified, and worried, she wondered if she would get in trouble for going to see Trico on her own. His injuries were healing slowly. In the few hours that she had left him, his ear and eye had healed as well as any surface wounds he had on his body. His tail was healed over, but still short from where it had been ripped off. He was still weak, making her suspect he had broken bones as well as other internal injuries.

Fey couldn't get the picture of the Trico's attacking him out of her head. She had to see Trico. Quietly, she got up, folded her blanket, stacked it neatly on the end of the couch, then slipped on her shoes and out the door. Fey ran down the street until she reached the stable where Trico was and sighed, relaxing. He was resting, but at the sound of her footsteps, his ears twitched causing him to open his eyes and look at her. Fey smiled at her friend and gently rubbed his nose.

"Hey, big guy. I just wanted to see you. Apparently I'm having nightmares now." She whispered to him. Trico nudged her gently and purred making her giggle.

"I'm okay. They are taking good care of us. I'm learning more and more about this world and I think we can help them. Maybe we can once you're better." Fey said and looked into his black eyes. She saw them shine green and she giggled again.

"I'm so glad you're doing better." Fey said and hugged his snout. Trico nuzzled her, letting out a happy whine. Fey sighed happily. Trico had a calming effect on her. No matter how scared she was, if she was with Trico she knew she was safe.

"We have to behave here, our lives are in the balance. Not like that's anything new." She said and giggled. Trico growled and whined like he was talking to her and Fey smiled, stroking his cheek.

"Don't worry. They all seem very kind. Levi and Hange are the kindest I've met so far." Fey said softly, gently rubbing behind his ear. Trico purred, his eyes closing. He had no idea what he was facing. If the trial didn't go well, they could both end up dead. Fey rested her head against his cheek, listening to him breathe.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I love you too much to let that happen." Fey whispered and rested against him.

The next morning, Levi awoke and made his bed, sighing. He hadn't heard Fey all night and began to wonder if she was still out on the couch. Levi dressed before going out to check on her. The bed was made and Fey was nowhere in sight. A million scenarios played out in his mind, but the first thing he had to check was if Trico was still in the stable. The creature was healing at a remarkable speed, she could have snuck out in the middle of the night and taken off. Under cover of nightfall, it wouldn't be hard for them to sneak away.

Levi left his apartment and ran down the street towards the stables. He prayed they were there. He kept envisioning Fey telling him she wanted to help. Had she been lying? If so, why would she just stay to get one meal? Levi ignored the soldiers that asked him what was wrong. He rounded the corner to Trico's stable and stopped. The creature lay fast asleep. Hearing the commotion of the other soldiers arriving, Trico's ears twitched and he opened his eyes as he raised his head. There by his chest, using one of his arms as a pillow, was Fey, fast asleep.

"Lieutenant? Is everything okay?" A soldier asked and Levi nodded, feeling relief flood him.

"Yes, stand down." He replied. His eyes never left Fey. Levi wasn't one for regretting his actions, but he did feel guilty for believing that Fey had left. Trico tilted his head, looking at Levi before letting out a soft howl at him. Levi looked up at the creature and sighed.

"I'm glad you didn't go anywhere." He said and reached a hand out to Trico. Trico's nose met his hand and Levi smirked, rubbing the creature's nose gently. This creature wasn't dangerous. Levi knew that now. But he wasn't the one who had to convince the judge at the trial, Dhalis Zachary, Fey did.

"You both have me on your side as well." He said softly to Trico who purred. Fey slept soundly beneath Trico's warm feathers, unaware of the ally she just gained.