"(Y/N)!" an excited voice squeaked. You looked up from the trash you were rummaging through and turned to see a little girl with reddish hair running towards you.
Her mouth was stretched into a wide smile, green eyes filled with joy. She thrust her tiny hand towards you. Clutched tightly in her fists were a bunch of white flowers, petals bobbing slightly from the movement. In the darkness of the alleyway, they seemed to glow.
"Wow!" You exclaimed, your dirty fingers hovering around the flowers but not daring to touch them, lest you taint their beauty. "They're so pretty! Where did you find those?"
"An old man gave them to me. He said that fairies danced on them, and that's why they're glowing!" Your cousin chattered.
The smile of awe dropped from your face as your heart started to beat faster in alarm. You immediately grabbed her shoulders, checking her over for wounds. "Isabel-"
She did not give you a chance to scold her. She cleared her throat and sang out a sweet melody.
"Little fairies, little fairies, come and play with me!
We'll sing and dance into the sky, where we will all be free.
This world is dark and this world is cruel,
But all will be well under Titania's rule.
So come, girls and boys, let's gather in a ring
Flowers bloom when they hear the voices of fairies when they sing."
You were left in stunned silence as Isabel finished her song. She puffed her chest in pride at your amazement.
"Not bad, eh?" She giggled. "I want to be a fairy one day. They get to sing and dance all day and don't have to work and--ow!" She let out a yelp as you flicked her forehead. Her other hand flew to protect her head. "What was that for?!"
People like us can't become fairies, you wanted to tell her. But as she rubbed her forehead, pouting and muttering excuses under her breath, you could not bring yourself to. She was only seven, after all. Perhaps it was alright for her to still have dreams to cling onto.
"Don't wander off again," you finally said. "And don't talk to strange men, okay?"
Isabel blinked in surprise, clearly expecting a harsher scolding but did not question it. "Okay," she answered, turning her attention back to the flowers.
As you turned back to the trash, you could hear her humming behind you.
You woke up with a gasp, cold sweat running down your back and your cheeks wet. You were shaken, and in the darkness of the night, you thought for a moment that you were back in the Underground and everything before this moment had been a dream. But as your breathing went back to normal, you realized you could see moonlight streaming in from the window and hear the soft snores of your fellow soldiers.
"It was just a dream..." you whispered to yourself. You bit your lip. A beautiful but cruel dream. You could swear that you could still hear Isabel's voice, singing of fairies and dancing and a bright future that she will never see.
All sleepiness had left your body, so you climbed out of bed, slipping on your shoes and heading out the door.
The air was cold and you could see your breath, but it did not bother you. A chilly night was nothing compared to winter in the Underground, after all. You started walking--where to, you weren't sure. You just let your legs carry you, one step after another, forwards into the night.
The moon was sitting ontop of the trees, bright and full and filling the sky. From its position, it looked strikingly similar to the flowers Isabel had brought to you in your dream. Before you knew it, you found yourself walking towards the woods.
Those flowers were beautiful but short-lived. Isabel had been devastated to wake up the next morning and find them wilted. And despite how much she dug through trashpiles and garbage cans, she never found a flower touched by fairies. You remember that it must have been then when Isabel came to the conclusion that no fairy would ever want to live in the Underground. Since that day, she started to listen to you as you taught her how to survive in the sewers.
But she had broken that promise almost a year later. It was an incredibly harsh winter, and you remembered being unable to feel your fingertips. The two of you must have been slowly starving to death.
Isabel, upon seeing two men, was desperate enough to ask them for help, help please, my cousin and I are dying.
That could have been the end for the two of you if not for them, for the two men turned out to Farlen and...
"Levi," you breathed, coming to a stop at the edge of the woods.
Levi was sitting in the grass, looking up at the moon. When he heard your voice, he turned his head in surprise. "...(Y/N)," he greeted you in a flat tone. "What are you doing here?"
"I had a dream."
"Nightmare?"
"No."
"...I see." Levi cleared his throat. "If you're here, then, might as well enjoy the moon too." He tilted his head, beckoning you to sit beside him.
You sat down, the grass prickling against your skin. You could feel the heat of Levi's body radiating beside you, and you unconsciously leaned a bit closer to him.
"...It was about Isabel," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the breeze. You hugged your legs close to your body as tears pricked your eyes. "Isabel...Farlen...I miss them."
"I miss them too," Levi responded quietly. "I made the wrong choice."
A tear ran down your cheek, and you quickly lowered your head, hoping that he did not see. But no detail escapes him, and he immediately turned to you. "Hey. Don't cry."
"...You think I'm weak."
"No I don't."
"So why didn't you teach me anything?"
He sighed. Levi extended a hand, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and gently pulling you towards him. You did not fight him, letting him lean his head on your shoulder.
"I don't think you're weak," he murmured. "I know you're strong enough to kick any guy's ass if you wanted."
"Including yours."
"Don't get too cocky."
Even though your tears were still falling, you couldn't help the small smile from lifting the corners of your lips.
"I just don't want you going outside the walls. I can't risk losing you. I made the wrong choice then, and I won't make the same mistake now."
"...I'm not like how I was then. I don't need you to protect me," you murmured.
Levi ran his fingers through your hair, placing a chaste kiss on your forehead. "I know."
