Perennial Rose | {Levi x OC} | Shingeki no Kyojin |

Chapter 34: Our Paths

The warm light in the room makes her young skin glow like the moon and her eyes twinkle like a pair of lonesome stars. She mumbles quietly to herself, "Where should I start...m-maybe there...no...how about when that happened...no..."

Ilyse clears her throat and straightens her back, indicating that she has decided on what she would be telling me. Her typically quiet, stammering voice is replaced with one that is clear and audible as she explains, "My family, the Konig family, has a long line of ancestors dating back to many years ago. Apparently, we have the blood of many prestigious government officials who did great things for the land back then. My father and mother both take pride in the Konig name and will do everything to continue handing down this name to future generations. However, their first child was a girl. As you may know, it is the law for married women to take the surname of their spouse; therefore, it was pointless to have daughters that would eventually lose this prestigious name. They tried again, and their second child was also a girl. They had their third, fourth, and fifth child and still had the same results. I was the third daughter in the house."

"Then came the sixth child. They had finally given birth to a son. My parents cherished him like a little prince, showering him with love that my sisters and I have never felt before. Seeing how much of a burden us five were, it became a norm for my parents to send us to military training once were old enough. One by one, my older sisters left for the Trainee Corps and all of them joined the Garrison. I joined the Survey Corps."

Ilyse looks down at her clenched fist and continues, "I don't know why, but it just felt...right. All my life I have had the notion that women were unimportant, fragile, weak, and incapable of contributing to humanity because that is how my parents treated me. I wanted to prove to myself that this was not true. So I joined the Survey Corps to become the woman I ought to be: A woman who is capable of fighting to take back what is ours and can indeed contribute to humanity."

Another person who had no choice but to be suppressed by the will of others. She knew what she wanted to do to break the chains that pinned her to this view of a woman's capabilities. In order to achieve this, Ilyse trudged through sweat and blood to become a soldier.

And here she is. Those chains have turned into the wings gallantly stitched on her broad back.

I tell her with utmost sincerity, "You're a strong girl, Ilyse. People are complete fools if they fail to see how fortified your will is."

She gives me a warm smile and responds,"Thank you for your kind words, Squad Leader." Ilyse rises from her chair and salutes before turning to leave the room.

Before exiting, she looks behind and gently claims, "You're a strong woman too, Squad Leader Renata. You know how to handle us well; being stern when enforcement is necessary yet calm and composed when things get out of hand. And you understand everyone so well. You're a good leader, and this has given me proof that women really are capable of doing great things." Ilyse gives me another smile and leaves.

Her words hit my heart like a fiery arrow. It does no damage. It does quite the opposite. The comforting warmth from its blaze spreads through every vein in my body, making me feel weightless.

The fact that she was comfortable enough to share her past was enough to satisfy me. The fact that she called me a good leader filled every crack of doubt in me.

However, I can't get my mind off of a particular thought.

This young, warm, and reserved girl carries such a deep past.

This has made me think a bit. Everyone has walked a certain path in which only they themselves have set foot on. Some paths may be full of obstructions. Some paths may be as smooth as silk. Regardless of how hard it is to proceed on these roads, some may intersect at one point, completely changing the course ahead.