Levi woke up early. He poured himself a cup of hot tea and sat at the empty dining table. It was a fine morning and he was looking forward to training the uninjured and well-recovered soldiers. Erwin informed them that they would venture back to Wall Maria right after the week-long celebration in Mitras. They must be prepared and ready.
Outside the windows, he heard someone repeatedly grunt. He stood up and peered through it. There, near the wooden fences, was Andromeda. She was kicking on a tree's trunk with her thin bare leg. What the fuck was she doing? The Captain placed his cup on the wooden table and went outside.
"You'll injure your leg," he told the mysterious woman.
She stopped and looked at him. "I won't. This tree trunk's nothing. I shall cut it soon."
Levi inspected the trunk. True enough, there was a noticeable dent in it. "Suit yourself," he said and then was about to go back into the cottage, but he heard Andromeda challenge him.
"Captain, spar with me."
He looked at her and declined, "Don't waste your energy on something foolish. At least save some for the training later."
"Afraid that I'll knock you down, too?" She smiled smugly and walked closer to him. Her translucent gray eyes stared into Levi's dull gray orbs. "Don't you want to test my strength?"
Tempting, actually. After Levi witnessed how Andromeda defeated his squad, he was curious about her maximum strength. How well would she fare against a horde of titans? Could, she, like him, defeat a bunch of them? Then, she really would be an asset to the Scout Regiment. Soon, she could raise her rank and lead her own team toward victory. Victory for the sake of humanity.
"Well? Don't just stand there, soldier, staring at me." Andromeda's smile turned sly. "Fight."
"Okay, then," he finally replied, "but don't cry if you get hurt."
"You can never hurt me." It was she who struck first. With her right leg, she tried to kick Levi's head.
Quick enough, the soldier was able to stop it with his arm. Andromeda took back her leg. She crouched low and tried to kick Levi's sheen to knock him down. The Captain jumped up and landed back to the ground. Andromeda tried to punch him but he dodged.
"Do you really intend to be this boring?" The woman asked him with a frown. "Or are you thinking you wouldn't strike a woman? I'm not just a woman now, you know, I'm a soldier. Like you. So be serious and damn fight with me."
Levi exhaled and said "Fine." If that was what she wanted, then he would give that to her. A real fight. This time, he struck first. Surprisingly, Andromeda was able to dodge and counter all of his attacks. Their spar was more like a dance than an actual fight. It was like they could read each other's moves and act accordingly. Both of them weren't injured but both exerted enough force. Soon, they were covered in sweat and lay panting on the grassy ground.
It was the first time in a while that Levi had felt like this, being with someone as strong and quick as him. But not an enemy, but someone from the same team.
"You're good," he heard Andromeda say. He looked at her. "But know that I was holding back. I didn't want to wound you and make you bleed."
Levi smiled at that. "I see."
"Levi!" Hange exclaimed near them. Too engrossed in their sparring, they didn't notice that the Scouts had gathered around them. "What the hell are you and Andy doing? What about training?"
Right. They should be preparing themselves for the expedition. He stood up and offered a hand to Andromeda. The woman was surprised, but she took his hand and raised herself from the ground. Her fingers were a bit cold and they left a tingling sensation in Levi's skin when they parted.
The Captain was still thinking of Andromeda's fingers when he led the Scouts to the training ground. As he instructed the soldiers to do lifts, his eyes wandered toward the other side of the grounds. Hange was teaching Andromeda how to use the omnidirectional mobility gear. With just one try, the woman was able to successfully balance herself while using the device. Amazing.
"Captain, we're done. What next?" Derek asked.
Levi looked back at the soldier and told him his instructions. The whole day, they trained. Sometimes, he spared a glance or two in Andromeda's direction. When training was done, he saw her head to the stables. He followed her.
She opened one of the stalls and led a white horse with a black mane out of it. When their eyes met, she asked him, "Do you ride just for the sake of it, soldier?"
"No" was his reply. There were no wide places in the Underground where he could ride just for the sake of it, and when he became a soldier, he didn't have time for it.
The woman mounted her horse. "Because I now acknowledge your ability, I'll grant you the honor of riding with me. Take your horse. We'll circle the forest. I do like some company as I explore these lands."
Well, no harm in going for a little ride. He took his black mare and rode on it.
At first, their horses walked slowly into the forest, and then, Andromeda started to pick up their pace. In a moment, the two of them were riding so fast that their horses glided with the winds. Levi was exhilarated. He only rode like this during their expeditions. Now, without the fear of something running after them, without the goal of reaching somewhere, just simply riding, he felt free.
They stopped by a cliff. Andromeda halted her mare, stared at the marvelous sunset, and looked at Levi with a smile. "It's beautiful," she said with so much honesty and awe. Her expression was sincere, so unlike her fake and sly smiles.
The breeze swayed her shiny, black hair and the bright colors of the sunset illuminated her features. Levi couldn't stop himself from staring at her.
+0+0+0+0+
The next few days, they resumed their training. Like clockwork, Andromeda would ride with her mare during sunset and come back to the cottage for dinner.
One night, it was Squad Levi's turn to cook their supper. Levi helped chop vegetables for their soup as his other squad members prepared the bread. Petra was by the fire stirring the big pot.
Oluo grumbled about Andromeda's absence, complaining about the woman's knack for dodging responsibilities. Which was true. The woman performed exceptionally well during training but was lazy when it came to their cleaning duties. Well, lately she was being more cooperative at least.
"She'll come." Petra was positive. "I know she's trying."
Levi looked out of the windows and saw that the sky was dark. The moon and the stars hid themselves behind the clouds as needles of rain pelted the grounds. An uneasy feeling stirred inside Levi. He knew Andromeda went out riding with her horse.
"Are you alright, Captain?" Eld asked.
Levi mentally shook his head. Lately, his head was always lost in the clouds. In the middle of his duties, he would find himself thinking of Andromeda. He should ground himself and focus on more important things.
"Yeah," he answered Eld. He was in the middle of chopping carrots when the kitchen door swung open and Derek entered while shouting.
"Andromeda's mare came back injured without her!"
Fear swallowed Levi whole. What the hell happened to Andromeda? Was she alone injured in the woods? He must get to her. Quickly! The knife he held fell on the floor and he dashed out of the kitchen.
"Captain!"
"Captain Levi!"
He heard his squad call him but he ignored them. Under the harsh rain, he ran toward the stables and mounted his black stallion. "Hi ya!" He guided it outside and urged it to run fast.
"Andromeda!" he shouted as his horse galloped through the forest. "Andromeda? Where the fuck are you?"
She must be somewhere farther away. She liked running fast. The sound of thunder rattled his horse. Levi struggled to keep his balance on its back. Going deeper into the forest, they reached the cliff he and Andromeda went to but she wasn't there. "Andromeda!" he called her name once more but there was no reply.
He didn't know how long he searched but at last, he saw a cave, entered it, and finally found the one he was looking for.
Andromeda sat in one corner, hugging her feet. There was no panic in her eyes when she looked at him. "Ah, the rescue. At last," she simply said.
Levi dismounted his horse and walked toward the woman. "Your mare came back without you."
"That stupid horse. It freaked out when it heard the thunder. Suddenly exited this damn cave. I hope it tripped and fell."
"It's injured."
"Good."
For a moment, Levi stared at her in disbelief. Andromeda was admiring. She was beautiful, strong, and seemed smart. But when you got to know her, you would realize that she wasn't perfect. She was... not so kind. He thought she'd care more for a horse she so treasured. He remembered her opinions during their squad's chatters. Andromeda would not hesitate to coldly suggest violence or death in every problem. Levi grew up in the underworld, so he knew when someone was heartless. And Andromeda was clearly one.
The Captain motioned at her legs. "Are you injured? Why are you stuck in this cave? Can't you walk back?"
One eyebrow lifted on Andromeda's beautiful face. "It's far. And I do not want to get wet."
"You cannot stay here. The storm's going to get worse. Now's the right time, when the rain's not that hard. We should leave now before you freeze in the cold." He showed her his gear. "You can choose to ride the horse or use this."
But the woman only shook her head. "No. I choose to stay until the rain clears. I don't care about the cold. If you want, build a fire. Rainwater is not good for a va- woman's skin."
What the fuck? "The fuck are you saying? It's just water. Stand up and we're heading back."
"We are waiting here, soldier." Andromeda glared at him like she would fight if needed.
Levi clicked his tongue. What a stubborn princess. He leaned at the cave's wall and placed a hand on his hip. "You're a royal, aren't you? And you're a shitty one at that."
"Shitty?" The woman inhaled. "You cannot call me that."
"But I can call you Princess?"
She looked away and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Call me Queen," she answered.
"There you go again, hoping to be called Queen. Is your amnesia bullshit? Did you really forget who you are? Or are you fucking lying? Why do you want to go inside Wall Sina? What is the truth?"
"The truth is only what we wanted it to be."
A riddle. Why the fuck would she answer him with a riddle? "Hoi, who the fuck really are you?"
His question was met with a long silence. When Andromeda replied, all she said was, "Who am I? Ignisia. I was someone who tried touching an ignisia. Own it. And now... look at me. Was I so foolish?"
"What the fuck are you saying? Answer my questions!"
When Levi saw her eyes, they were red and she looked sad. Suddenly, he softened inside. How weird. It was like, slowly, the woman was getting a hold of him and it bothered him.
She continued to say, "Of course. I shouldn't have trusted that amber glow."
What the fuck? He couldn't understand her. Had she totally gone mad?
"The rain's stopped. Let's go back," she finally said and stood up. "Well? Come on."
They agreed to ride the horse together. As the horse galloped, Andromeda held on to his waist for balance. Never had he felt so comfortable this near to someone. He savored every second they were close to each other. Why was he feeling this way? Toward a mysterious woman who was obviously lying. Someone cold with a cold heart. It was not as if he was falling for her. It was too early for that, but he was certainly aware of her.
He wanted to understand her. Who knows? Maybe he would find a gem hidden inside her ice. After all, she was always confident, sure, and decisive. Maybe, deep inside her, was a fire waiting to be unleashed.
Maybe, in the darkness within her, there was a spark.