Chapter 1 Wings of Freedom; The Unknown, Unending Days of Rebellion
Hey! New chapter! This one will be about the bar fight! REVIEW!
I never understand. It's always been that way…Even if I believe in my own strength, even if I believe in the choices of the comrades that I trust whole heartedly, no one can ever know how it ends…
Five figures dance in the darkness of the night. Levi led the rest of his group as they fled the jewelry shop.
"YAAHHHOOO!" Isabelle screamed as they rode full speed, slicing through the air. Ellie laughed out and even Johan cracked a rare smile. Farlan chuckled as they flew. When at last, they slowed down and landed on their feet, Levi paused and turned towards the silver haired boy.
"Do you still have it, Farlan?" he asked, in a mono tone. Farlan held up a finger as he reached into his pocket and drew out a small bag. Everyone gathered around him as he slowly opened the bag and pulled out a diamond.
"Beautiful," Ellie whispered as he stared longingly at the gem.
"Don't touch, Ellie," Johan snapped. "We have to sell these diamonds; they're not for us." Isabelle cringed.
"I want one too." She said eyes wide. She and Ellie looked at Farlan with his big doe eyes and her shining ones. He sighed heavily.
"Guys, I don't know. All of us went through the trouble of getting these so why not sell them? Besides, we only have three. If we keep one, one of us will probably lose it and that'll do us no good-" he suddenly stopped in mid sentence as Levi walked over and peered at the diamond on Farlan's hand. There was a long silence that followed as he stared down at the diamond. Farlan was afraid if Levi stared any longer, then a hole would be burnt in his hand.
Levi looked up at Ellie and Isabelle and their ridiculous puppy eyes and said, "Keep two, one for Ellie and Isabelle and sell the other." Johan and Farlan looked at him with incredulous eyes while the younger two laughed and jumped up and down.
"I'll treasure this, my entire life, capt'n," Ellie said, almost shouting in joy.
"So will I," Isabelle said, agreeing with the nod of a head. Levi tipped his head and turned away. He began to walk, yet he heard no footsteps behind him so he stopped. When he turned his head, he saw that the rest of the group hadn't moved from their original positions and stared at him expectantly. He raised a slim eyebrow.
"What are you brats waiting for? We're going home…" They stared at him as if they hadn't understood a word he said. Even Johan was expecting something from him and that was shocking. He was the one who usually followed Levi's command without questions.
"Levi..." Farlan began.
"You see…" Ellie said.
Isabelle spoke next. "After we finish a job…" she said haltingly.
"You would agree to take us to…you know, for a full meal…" Levi stared at them for another ten minutes before replying.
"You children really need to grow up faster."
"But Levi," they complained. "You rarely take us. We are all craving for a nice full, hot, meal." Levi sighed and lowered his head. He didn't want them to even catch a glimpse of his smile.
"You know there is a very slim chance that I'll take you to go…and you have to repay me back if I decide to take you." In a second, the group was on him, yelling and screaming empty promises.
"We'll do your chores, clean our rooms, wash the clothes, won't bother you, take you out to buy cleaning supplies, and scrub the ground till our fingers turn raw. Please, Levi, TAKE US TO EAT!" They continued to scream into his ear, until he was sure he was going to burst out laughing.
"ALRIGHT, I'LL TAKE YOU SHITTY BASTARDS TO THE BAR!" he shouted, silencing them at once. All the same, they began to laugh. As they flew ahead of him, Isabelle shouts back, "I knew you would take us, big bro. You always will, no matter what!"
If they knew why?…shitty kids. "Why do I even bother," he asked himself quietly before joining them in flight.
In the dim, hazy light of the light bulb hanging over his head, Levi could see Isabelle and Ellie cramming as much food as they can into their mouths. Half of a loaf of bread lay on Farlan's plate while Johan had already eaten two biscuits and a bowl of soup. Levi sat in the middle of the table surrounding by them in the round table. He had eaten a bowl of clam chowder soup and was currently drinking a small bottle of pure red French wine.
The leader of the group only allowed them to this bar because the food was acceptable and the floors were cleaner than most he had been to. The moment they walked in, they were greeted with the fresh aroma of turtle stew and fresh parsley bread. The moment Isabelle and Ellie saw the food, their mouths began to water and it took all Levi had to keep from laughing, crying, and fall over on the floor. Johan had run off to order the food and Farlan found the nice little table right by the hearth. He knew that the night was chilly and he wanted the other children to be warm.
As Levi and the group sat at the table, the owner was challenging the men at the bar to a 'friendly' game of strength that was shown through a contest of arm wrestling. The wife of the owner watched with pride as she stared at her husband who was winning every contest that he made. Levi became uninterested the moment he realized that the man was bluffing. He knew that the man had drank about a whole gallon of whiskey before asking for a game and saying that he'd beat the king in a challenge, with his mighty hands.
Even Johan had to admit that the man was well muscular and that he was a bear of a man.
"HI-YAAH!" the man screamed. "Yet another win for the shop keeper! How amazin' am I?! I'm undefeatable!" The challenged man slunk away nursing his wrist that was roughly pushed down. He looked quite impressed by what the owner had done.
"NOW TELL ME!" the owner continued. "Ain't there a guy with some back bone? This is pathetic! Who dares has the courage to challenge me? Yer all PUSSIES! You thugs from the underground, show SOME GUTS!"
Isabelle stared wide eyed at the man. No one in the room spoke and the man laughed out again. "HA! All ye bastards are too afraid to face me, eh? If ye ever beat me in a contest, not only will the meal be on the house, but ye can take whatever ye want! Anything! Even my old woman over there!" he said, wildly, pointing to his wife who stood, leaning behind the counter on the tall cabinets of beer and wine.
She wasn't pretty at all and was actually old and wrinkly. She batted her hand at her spouse and looked mildly embarrassed.
"Dear…" she warned as she looked at him from below her lashes.
"Don't worry, darling." The man said. "I'm not going lose so I can say whatever I want!"
Suddenly, Isabelle stands up from the table and says, "Hey, old man, my big bro over here can beat you!" Food sprayed from her mouth as she half-yells and half-chews. Levi grimaces. The huge man slowly turns around and faces Isabelle and the group. Instead of being like Ellie and sinking down, Isabelle stands up taller and beams up at him.
"What'd ye say to me, lil' girl?"
"I said, MY BIG BRO CAN BEAT YOUR ASS!" she screams back at him, still smiling like a mad man. Levi's eyebrow raised as the man turns to the boys in his group.
"Which one is your brother, girlie?" the owner asked, clearly believing that it was Farlan. Isabelle turned towards Levi and pointed at him.
"This one, right here! He's the strongest one in the entire underground city!" she said, clearly over estimating the leader of the group. The other people in the bar were watching the scene with surprise. Some, who recognized the infamous thug, began smiling, while those who didn't began smirking. How anyone can so small dare challenge a man so huge? The tall man walks closer to the table and eyes Levi down. He begins to smile as he took a closer look at him.
"Okay, boy. If ye think ye can beat me, why don't ye show me? I don't see how a small babe like ye can beat a huge man likes me." He said, smirking.
Over the years that Levi became a thug, he had gotten used to the fact that people judged him because of his height. The raven had always known that he was physically challenged and that he had the body of a kid, even though he has been alive for quite some time now. He didn't mind much because he knew that his size really did not matter if they knew his strength. Everyone tried to pick on him when he was a child, but they had stopped when they challenged him into duel.
"Alright, I'll make this quick," Levi said as he stood up, rolling his sleeves up. "I'll do a round."
"You're really gonna do this, big bro?!" Isabelle asked. Farlan, Isabelle, and Johan cheered him on while Ellie looked a bit scared. Levi took his place on one side of the barrel and the man walked over to the other. He placed his arm onto the barrel and waited as the man did so too. The owner of the bar suddenly seemed to recognize Levi as they stood, face to face.
"Levi, huh? This is great! I've been waiting a damn long time to go up against you!" he said, full of excitement. As they clasped hands he said, "I dunno about yer strength, but will it be enough to beat me?" Levi's face was an indifferent mask as he locked eyes with the other man.
"GO BIG BRO!" Isabelle yelled, throwing her hands up into the air. "KICK HIS ASS!"
Farlan and Johan looked genuine worried. "Please don't tell me that we're gonna bring that lady home with us…"
The man that just lost to the previous round held their hands together as he checked the balance. "Here we go…Ready?" he asked looking at Levi then at the store owner.
"GO!"
The moment the words were out of the man's mouth, Levi's eyes flashed a pale blue and before the owner could even react, he slammed the other man's hand onto the barrel. Loud gasps filled the room as the crowd, that gathered around them, comprehended what just happened. Isabelle was clearly proud, as was Ellie's. Johan and Farlan's mouths were wide open as they stared at the leader of their group.
"I win," Levi says as he walked past the man, still holding his hand in surprise. "I'll be accepting my price now." The crowd parted a path for him as he walked past them. The sounds of his soft leather boots hitting the wooden floor was the only sound in the room as the on lookers all held their breaths. Levi didn't stop until he was behind the counter and facing the old woman. She said nothing and watched him, with fear visible in her glazed eyes.
"Please, I'm begging you! Don't take my wife," the man screamed. The raven man reached forward and grabbed a small object behind the woman. She still remained in a silent shock as he took out a small container of tea leaves.
"Just as I thought…These are some rare tea leaves, right? This will be my prize." Levi said, will a ghost of a smile on his lips." He walked over to the group and took his cloak from Ellie's lap. "Let's get out of here."
They followed as their leader swiftly walked to the door. "BYEE! Thanks for the free food!" Isabelle yelled behind her back. It was only after they left, with the door swinging behind, that the crowd came back to life. Hooted at the win of the growing fame of the small thug and laughed as the owner turned beat red.
Thus, in the capital's underground city, Levi of the age of the famous thugs became more infamous in more than one way. Years from today, the shop keeper would be sitting around a fireplace retelling the worldwide story of how humanity's strongest beat him in an arm wrestling challenge to his red faced nieces and nephews.
That night, as Ellie and Isabelle slept on one of the two beds that was in the bedroom of their little 'house,' Levi sat at the edge of the window pane and stared out at the glowing city beneath him. His hair was braided into a thin trail that ended past the nape of his neck. Their current location was on top of a higher mountain where the city stood bright and multicolored. From up here, all the blemishes and ruins of the underground district were covered. Levi held his favorite pocket knife that was made with stainless steel, Vérité.
He polished it gently and held it underneath the candle that he balanced carefully on his knee. He paused and stared, mesmerized, at the beautiful rose gold color that illuminated off the knife from underneath the candle light. Levi then turned the knife around and studied the small wing he had carved into the wooden handle. He rubbed his thumb gently over the mark and pressed the edge of the knife to his lips. Of all the pocket knives he had, this one was by far his favorite.
He took his time ever night to clean it and polish it. Levi doesn't think he has every loved anything more.
"Levi," came a low voice from the doorway of the entrance. "Still awake?" The small man whipped his head towards the voice and he quickly slid the pocket knife into the little secret compartment of the heel of his shoe. His shoulders shagged in relief, as it was only Johan.
"Yeah," he said, "why are you still up? The others have already slept, you should too. Tomorrow will be a long day."
Johan looks at him for a second and smiles a rare soft smile. He walks over to the leader of their group and wraps an arm around his body. Levi stiffens slightly and cocked his head to right and looked past Johan to the door of the bedroom. He was yet again relieved to see that the door was shut tightly.
"Johan," Levi says as the taller boy leans in and tilts Levi's face up towards his, "We can't mess around right now."
"Levi, We'll never have a chance after this. I want this. I want you…" Johan's lips press onto Levi's roughly and Levi allowed him. Allowed him to kiss him and pull at his clothes. Allowed Johan to push his small body onto the floor. All objections disappeared on Levi's tongue.
It wasn't the first time, they had sex and on all those times, the boy was too rough. Ellie and Farlan weren't, but Johan was. He was to dominate. Levi didn't judge him. He knew that all the members of the group, including himself, would never find true love. It was impossible since they were thieves and thugs. Who would fall for people like them?