in the name of fritz / the crown

Chapter Seventeen: Gloriana

a/n: didn't have time to proofread and i will add a smut later 😟

There was that look of rapture on her face as the three year old jumped into a puddle, splashing herself and her father with the muddy water. She laughed loudly and started to jump in it,
"Look at how filthy we are now." Levi laughed, "You need to stop, Maria."
She shook her head and ran away from him,
"No!" She yelled.
She jumped in another puddle a few feet away, dirtying her shoes and coat even more. He ran up behind her and picked her up by her waist, stopping herself from getting drenched. No matter how much she thrashed around in his embrace, he still managed to set her on a bench. Levi turned her around to face him, and he broke out into a smile at the pouty look she was giving him,
"You're all dirty." He said, wiping some of the mud that managed to get on her cheek, "Don't you think you need a bath?"
"But I want to play!" Maria yelled.
"You can play inside once you're all clean."
"No, I want to be outside!"
Levi set her down on the ground and held her hand, then used his free hand to wave the maid over to them,
"Go with nanny so she can clean you up." He said.
"Daddy!" She whined as she got picked up by the maid.

He watched as she went further down the gravel road, continuing to whine and purposely annoy her caretaker. Levi laughed and shook his head before sitting down on the same bench. His eyes landed on (Y/N), who was walking down the path with a weary smile plastered on her lips. In her right arm, she held a crying baby close to her side. The infant was their second daughter, Rose, who was only a year old.
(Y/N) handed their daughter to him, and once she was settled up against his chest, she stopped crying. Levi heard his wife scoff at the instant attitude change as she sat down next to him,
"You're daddy's girl, aren't you?" She asked, pinching Rose's cheek gently, "You always want to be with him, hm?"
She gave her daughter a kiss on the head, then looked up at Levi with a smile,
"I hadn't asked in a while." (Y/N) started, "How have your appointments with the therapist been?"
He sighed and picked Rose up, making her stand on his knees while he held her hands to keep her steady,
"They've been great, actually." He said, "It helps with my PTSD."
"I'm glad." She said, "Maybe I should've forced you to go a few years earlier."
She snickered to herself and he only rolled his eyes at it.

A peaceful silence settled between them, aside from Rose's laughing as Levi played with her. Their happiness brought a sense of tranquility to (Y/N)'s life after years of distress. Still, there lied a distant hurt between them. It all started after Maria was born.
The depression lasted for months after giving birth. Her and Levi's relationship fell apart during that time due to it. Historia couldn't stand to be around her, and Maria was usually left crying in her crib while her mother just watched from her spot on the bed. (Y/N) neglected her, just like how her own mom did to her. Not only did she distance herself from her child, she distanced herself from her family. She only indulged herself in work or sleeping. If she could barely take care of herself, how the hell would she be able to take care of her daughter?
When Levi brought up about how awful of a mother she was being, they fought violently. They ended up being separated until Maria turned half-a-year old. (Y/N) promised him, and everybody, that she would be better. And she kept that promise, which ended up in the couple rekindling.

Around the time when Maria was turning three, they decided to try for another baby. Rose was born nine months later. At first, Levi didn't think much of the names. They were both (Y/N)'s suggestions and he went along with it. Up until one day he realized that she was naming their daughter's after Ymir Fritz's children. The thought of it put him off.
Even though Rose was still a newborn, Levi would often catch (Y/N) read her the same unsettling bedtime story every night. He watched from afar as she explained the great details of Ymir's life. There was that glint of excitement in her eyes whenever she came up to the part of when Ymir died sacrificing herself for the man she loved. It was so creepy. Levi eventually had to force her to stop saying the story to Rose. It was too tragic for a baby to be listening to it. (Y/N) only laughed and walked off, exclaiming that Rose was still a newborn and didn't understand what she was saying. The "bedtime" story always made Rose fall asleep peacefully throughout the whole night.
Levi was slowly losing the woman he once knew to an entity that should have perished long ago. She was losing her true meaning, and everyday, strayed further and further away from who she once was.