Rags and Riches ~ Levi x OC

2. Freedom

Enyo's golden hair misbehaved like straw and stuck straight up when she sat with heavy, sleep-creased eyes. Her hair was still sopping wet from her immediate visit to the washroom last night and she had slept awfully. She rolled and tossed and turned and rolled some more with thoughts of the man from the Underground. Yeah, he was messy, but was he really the kind of person who was thoughtless?

Enyo crawled out of bed like a zombie preoccupied by creating a story for the man she saw. He could be a grand miner! Maybe he was rich and hunted for diamonds and gold for his career. Yes, she thought to herself. He wasn't a citizen of the Underground at all! He had papers to live above ground and was only that messy because he pursues his career in the mines! Yeah. That's it. He's actually a really good man for working with his crew in the mines.

She busied herself in the library because she was committed to finishing the book about constellations before the party. Her mind wandered back to the messy man and wondered if he had ever seen the constellations. Enyo had. It was a phenomenon to see them, as they were only visible during the cold months of the year, but still, she had seen them. Did the people in the Underground even know what a constellation was?

"Enyo dear-get your feet off the chair!" Theodora snapped. She scowled at her daughter and cleared her throat loudly, "I expect you downstairs in five minutes for breakfast."

Enyo smoothed her hair and walked downstairs in a light pink dress and watched Theodora plate up an egg and half a slice of toast. The savory scents wafted up Enyo's nose and she licked her lips and took a loud, crunching bite.

"Eat with your mouth shut," Theodora said. "My walls! Are you seriously going to resort to being a whore with no manners the day of your party? Sit up straight!"

Enyo zipped her shoulders back and stared at the toast. Theodora smiled at her daughter's corrections and gushed about the days' events. First, Enyo was to head back out to the Heisman's and seriously convince them to host the party tonight. After that was a waxing appointment, then a shaping appointment, and another lesson in manners before the party began. By the time the night was up, according to Theodora, Enyo would be sharing a bed with the King.

Tobias left for his government job part way through breakfast. He scarfed his eggs and slices of toast like a scavenging dog and stomped out the door. Enyo wished she could show the much beast-like exuberance of her father, but her mother would slap her right away if she even tried.

"Go to the market and hunt down the Heisman's," Theodora ordered.

No one was happier to be away from Theodora's presence than Enyo. She slipped on a pair of tan flats and rushed out the door with her mother's coin purse. When the sunlight breathed against Enyo's skin, a deep breath and a smile donned the girl's face. She walked toward the market with a youthful bounce, free from the judging eyes.

Carts bustled by and Enyo stared at the Heisman's Pastry Shop sign, debating whether or not she wanted to go in. A priest begged the people to worship the Walls, and a boy threw a rock at the holy man. Enyo giggled as the boy sprinted off while the priest resorted to cursing.

"I just saw the Wings of Freedom!" someone gasped.

The Scouts were never in the Royal Capital. The only time Enyo had seen the Wings of Freedom was when her school teacher had drawn them on the board. She'd also seen the flags fly on the King's court, but she had never seen a Scout in the flesh. She spun and spun with wide eyes trying to catch a glimpse of the green cloaks and white wings.

"Where?" Enyo quietly turned down the alleyway behind the Military Police's quarters where the recruitment station was located. It was a lame wooden frame with the three insignias represented: the Military Police, the Garrison, and the Scouts.

A cart of fresh fruits pushed past Enyo and she stared at the large figure of Klause Heisman pushing a cart of berries and apples into the pastry shop. She glanced at the recruitment station, and back at the Heisman's.

The recruitment station.

The Heisman's.

The Wings of Freedom.

Captivity.

"Excuse me miss," a member of the Garrison said, "you're blocking the way. Unless you intend to sign up."

"I do."

What?

The soldier stood a little taller and grabbed the pen in front of him. "Name?"

"Enyo Aetos."

What am I doing?

"An Aetos?" The soldier paused to look Enyo up and down.

"I'm fifteen and from here, the Royal Capital."

The soldier furrowed his brows. "Miss Aetos, I feel inclined to let you know that if you choose to back out of the military after you enroll, you will be shipped off to do farm labor. You can't come running home once you've had your fill of the real world."

Mom's going to kill me.

"I know," Enyo quietly said. Everyone knew what happened to flunking cadets.

The soldier scribbled and Enyo's throat lurched. She watched as he filled out her paperwork and she waited patiently for him to hand the pen to her. Her hands refused to move. She stared at the paper with her name at the top. Once she signed, her time would be up.

Two Scouts walked by, Wings of Freedom rushing behind them.

Freedom.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

That's a wrap today!

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