Map of Eden, A Wings Prequel [Levi Ackerman]

Chapter Eight

My Father always said that he and my Mother were never ready to have a child. They were too young when I came along. Levi was nineteen and Maria was twenty-one.

In my Mother's memories, she claimed that in her whole life it was only when she held me in her arms that she felt the one thing she never thought she would have. And for my Father, he thought that it was best to stay back. For the longest time, he believed that he would ruin any sort of relationship if he stayed, but a part of him didn't want to abandon us – he wanted to be with us.

From book The Memories of Founder: Narrated by Iris Reed, written by Scouts 15th Scouts Commander, Armin Arlert

When Maria was a girl, her lessons were more than just language, mathematics, science, and the constitution. The Reed Estate was a large piece of land, and surrounding the large manor that has been the home of numerous generations of Reeds, was a vast farm that became the source of income of the family. It was the only farm that can be found in Wall Sina, since most farms were located in the outer Walls of Maria and Rose. At a young age she learned what death was by watching many of the farmhands butcher the pigs, chicken, and cows they've helped birth and raised.

The first time Maria ever saw death was when she was six, her father had her watch as the farmhands – while against their will – butcher the rabbit she's considered a pet ever since it was a baby. Lord Randal Reed had his eldest daughter and his son watch as they cut the animal's neck, had the blood drain into a basin, then cut it open. 

The entire time, Maria was frozen in her place as she looked at her pet goat in its lifeless lie. 

"A lesson," Lord Randal Reed said to them. "Death is a part of them, and soon you too will be responsible to cut down the lives of others. That is the burden that our family must carry."

Then, to her horror, Lord Randal Reed shoved a knife into her hands and ordered her to kill the other rabbits that were birthed from her pet – all were old enough for their pelts to be sold in the market. Julius had no trouble in cutting down the rabbit given to him, but Maria's hands shook as she held the white rabbit with the knife raised.

"Lord Reed," the farmhand that has been kind to teach her about these animals, begged for the man to stop. "Please, these are the young Mistress' pets… and she's too young to be –"

In one word, her father had the farmhand dismissed and was thrown out of the Estate. That was the last she saw the old man. 

"Kill the damn rabbit, Maria. If you can't do this simple thing, what more when you ascend the throne?" Randal sneered.

Maria wanted to say that she didn't want to take the throne. For her to do that would mean killing Lord Reiss, and she knew that if she killed Lord Reiss she would have all the power he has now. And she doesn't want that, not after the numerous times she's encountered the man. Lord Reiss would always place a hand on her shoulder and say the most ominous things to her.

"What a tragedy your life will be, little Maria… I pity the little Reed girl, so much death follows you." Lord Reiss  once said to her when she bumped into him in the chapel. Her father was nowhere to be seen that time, and she wanted to see the chapel again before leaving. She ran back to her brother after that, and could not sleep.

In the end, Maria slit the rabbit's throat and drained it of its blood. She was the one to remove the fur and clean it, her eyes filled with horror as she hung the fur to dry. As if it were a sick gift, Randal had the furs of the rabbit they killed be turned to scarves – a token, her father said. 

Julius wore his token every day during the winter, wanting to gain their father's approval, but Maria… Maria threw the scarf into the fire, unable to stop the images of the rabbit's eyes that was confused and full of terror.