Tainted (Levi x Reader)

Chapter 9

Two nights slipped by like leaves in the current of a stream as you waited for an opportunity to execute your plan. The days had been filled with regular training and more preparation for the rapidly approaching expedition.

As the moon rose on the third night, you slipped from your room and quietly exited the castle through the main entrance. You stood there for a moment on the bridge out front. You carried a small throwing knife, which you made a show of taking out and dropping on the bridge before making for the woods. If someone was in fact watching you, there's no way they could have missed that.

As you made your way deeper into the forest, moonlight silvering every leaf and twig, your unease grew. You walked for a while before you heard the huffing of a horse's breath nearby on the night. You shivered from more than cold as you remembered the mercenary who had pursued you on horseback a year ago.

Then you saw them, far off in the trees. That same statue-like figure, hazy in a low fog and giving off a powerful presence as they sat atop a real beast of a horse. Taking a deep, steadying breath, you altered course toward the hooded silhouette.

As you neared, you made out the glinting shape of a dagger twirling expertly around the fingers of one hand, ready to throw at a moment's notice.

"I surrender! I'm prepared to go back, no tricks."

The twirling of the knife stopped abruptly. From a distance of about 15 meters, the stranger tossed you a pair of handcuffs.

You caught them with trembling hands. As you were clicking the first side on, you heard the zipping of wires, and your feet left the ground as someone snatched you up. You couldn't help a shout as you nearly pissed yourself from the scare. Pressed too close to tell who it was in the darkness, you beat at their back, demanding release.

"Who is this? Put me the fuck down! You don't know what you've done, you knuckle-dragging, shit-for-brains asshole!"

"Shut the fuck up!" the man hissed at you, and you froze as you recognized the unmistakable voice.

"Captain?"

Levi didn't answer, but eventually he glided to the ground and set you down. You stood there with trembling legs as he glared at you with fury enough to kill.

"You complete dumbass!" Levi snarled. "What the hell were you thinking? What the hell were you doing?"

You gaped at him, backing up a few steps and stumbling a bit as you tried to put some distance between yourself and his rage. Your chest ached as your heart beat faster than it ever had before in your life. You clutched at the shirt on your collar bone and bent with your other hand on your knee to steady yourself.

Levi's anger began to dissolve a little as he watched you. "(Y/n), no more games. You're going to tell me what's going on and what that was about, and you're not leaving until you do."

Your eyes shifted up and met his. You looked away, not even knowing where to start. Levi took this as defiance, so he stalked over toward you while you stood paralyzed with dread.

Levi caught your forearm and gripped it tightly as you tried to jerk it away. "What does this mean?" He suddenly turned your hand over, his fingers brushing the prominent mark scarred into your flesh as if by a burn. A large circle with a chain of smaller ones leading off of it, running about five centimeters down your arm. It... resembled a shackle?

As he studied it, you snatched your arm back and stepped away from him. A mess of emotions flickered in your (e/c) eyes before you turned them to the ground and remained silent.

Levi felt a twinge of regret for acting out at your expense in that moment. But he remained as stoic as ever as he searched for words. "(Y/n), who did that to you?"