The Red String of Fate

A Visit to the Palace

"I'll go with you" she answered him, a confident tone in her voice although she realized she still had so many things to figure out. She noticed the smile across his face, and it forced a smile out of her too.

"I understand if you need time to-" Levi started, as he was abruptly cut off by her words, taking him a second to process what she had said. "Wait, Really?" he asked, unsure if this was his reality. Was she really going to go with him? Was she really willing to throw everything away for him? "You're really going to go with me to Marley?"

"Yes. Besides, the only reason I did all this was to try to make peace with you being gone" it was music to his ears, all he had ever wanted - to get off this damn island and have a life with her. "And now... you're not gone. You're right here. You're with me. . . But..." she started, her voice dropping from a sweet tone to one with more demand. "You have to give me time - a month at least. We have to figure out what's going to happen here first. We need to figure out the shop - I have employees that rely on me, this place, my mom, and my damn sister"

He chuckled, looking towards the door. "Yeah.. she's not going to be happy."

Anya reached for the door, turning the handle and averting her gaze from him to the door. "Lets go figure this out..." she said as she planted another kiss on his lips "I'm so sorry..."

"Shh, baby..." he pulled her into his grasp, into his arms, before she could open the door. "It's okay, It's all going to be okay. I won't ever leave your side again" his words were reassuring, as she buried her face in his chest, tears falling from her eyes to her cheeks.

"Promise?" she asked as she pulled away from him "Promise me, promise me if I go with you it's going to work out..." her voice was pleading, and he knew she needed some reassurance. She would throw everything away for him in a heartbeat, she would do anything for her Levi , to make him happy, but still - she needed to know that it would all work out. That she wasn't throwing away all she had built, that he wanted and needed her as badly as she wanted and needed him.

"I promise, my love" he said as he brought her in for a kiss, his hands slipping to her waist as he pulled her into him. "As long as we have each other, nothing else matters"

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Sarina bellowed, her voice angry and shocked. "No, you're not leaving me! And you sure as hell aren't leaving mom! Not to MARLEY. No. I've seen how they treat us! I saw how they treated our people! They call us devils! No! He can stay here" she looked down, crossing her arms as if to say that her choice was the word of god. Anya shifted where she stood, glaring at Sarina. She barely opened her mouth to protest when she heard Falco speak up.

"No he can't, they'll kill him" Falco piped up "plus, we're only here on a one month visa of sorts, we only have two weeks left" he interjected, sipping a cup of tea that Gabi had made for him and humming in approval, beckoning for her to sit next to him.

Levi shifted in his place, leaning against the wall but holding Anya close to him, her body in front of his, and his hands on her waist. "He's right" he said as he made eye contact with Sarina. "And more importantly, if they somehow knew we were together, they'd come after her too, probably before they'd come after me - just to get at me."

Sarina's eyes were full of disbelief. She knew the Yeagerists were bad, but how bad they really were, she was unaware of. "So... she has to leave?" she asked with a sadness in her voice.

Gabi nodded, "Yes. We all do. Anyone who helped the Marleyeans... The only place we're really safe is the palace - they barely let us get his things out of there."

Levi looked towards Sarina, discontentment clear on his face. "Honestly, Sarina - if they knew you we're Hange's almost-widow... Your ass would be a target too"