A Heart's Dedication

Chapter Fourteen

"..Hey, Levi, I have a question..."

"What is it?"

"Well, I've been meaning to ask you about it for days... but why do we have that?"

Levi looked to where Y/N was pointing, her finger a compass needle over to where their supplies laid in a heap. Particularly, she was pointing to a wooden object, a familiar instrument neither one of them had particularly acknowledged until now.

"Oh, the guitar? It just happened to be on the horse that I took with me."

"Ah, I see." She replied, dismissively.

"Why do you ask?"

The evening light was waning, but Levi could see a tiny flush on Y/N's cheeks as she responded.

"I don't know, I thought maybe you brought it to serenade me or something..."

They both chuckled, then all became quiet again. Unfortunately, the stars wouldn't be out again this night due because of the clouds, so the pair had resorted to sitting around the campfire, as they had so many nights before, Y/N's recovering bones being kept safe and warm by her loyal protector. They had no plans, not other than to remain safe and warm.

That gave Levi an idea.

"I can do it if you want."

"What?"

"I can do it. Serenade you, I mean."

He got up, making sure not to hurt her, then walked over to the chaotic bundle of supplies. He didn't even have to hear a response to know she wanted to hear some music; it had been something she had loved since they were cadets. The guitar was fairly large, made of spruce, with new black strings. Whoever it belonged to had obviously had a fair amount of money, likely a member of the upper class, given the brand right underneath the bridge. It was pretty, and would likely work for the plan Levi had in mind.

"How...? You can't play guitar... can you?"

"I picked it up a few months ago, when I was in the walls. Was a great distraction from..."

He trailed off, not wanting to bring up the incident that had caused him so much grief. While he and Y/N had discussed it the previous night, he didn't want to add more salt to the wound. That gash may have been stabilized, but he didn't want to rip it open again.

"...nevermind, it doesn't matter."

"Oh, that's wonderful! What else can you do that I don't know about?"

"Not sure, looks like you'll have to find out." He playfully snickered, and she made a silly face back. Levi settled back down next to her, the stringed piece of wood now laying across his lap. Pulling a tiny pointed rock out from the soil next to him, he began to tune the instrument, her eyes watching his every move with affectionate attention.

"Any requests?"

"No, not really. You decide."

Levi sighed, her indifference not being helpful in the moment. He shut his eyes, beginning to do a few strums in thought. He tried to remember back to his training days, back when they would all gather around a bonfire and sing, completely ignorant about what they would face in the future. What was the one song they always used to sing? And what could he do to bring those memories and feelings back?

And suddenly, he had an epiphany, a certain daydream making the song choice clear.

He smiled, stopping the sweet tune for a moment, before he began to play. The first few chords of the song rolled off his makeshift pick, and immediately Y/N's face lit up in recognition. The melody was pleasant, slow, and as the first chorus began, Levi opened his mouth to sing.