Levi couldn't see a thing. Not. One. Damned. Thing. He had already told Hael over and over that he didn't like suprises; they always ended with someone getting eaten by a Titan or stepped on by a Titan. Either that, or it led to a room filled with overly perky people. Hael was annoying the hell out of him right now, leading him, stumbling and blindfolded over hills toward whatever the hell the brat had planned; she kept giggling and nudging him further saying, "Almost there!" They were never almost there. Levi kept flinching, feeling like he knew where he was and was about to hit a wall. "Oh shit!" He said once, stopping abruptly and putting his hands up to protect him from the invisible wall he thought he was going to hit. Hael just laughed and pushed him forward. God he hated her sometimes.

Hael on the other hand, was enjoying this immensely. Levi kept cursing under his breath-- sometimes, sometimes under his breath, other times... Not so much. Anyway, they passed under a big stone arch, and were almost there.

"There" was a big tree on a big green hill. A place Hael would come at night sometimes when she needed to think; she had been too busy or tired to go lately and couldn't wait to be back, especially with this dork she loved so much.

Finally, Levi felt hands on his shoulders, stopping him. "We're here!" Hael practically shouted in his ear.

"Tch. About time too." Levi replied, which earned him a shove that almost made him faceplant in the grass.

Hael untied his blindfold, and had Levi been anyone but himself, the sight probably would have taken his breath away.

There was the greenest grass he'd ever seen, all cotton-soft and about ankle high. Beside them was a tall-- maybe 10 meters (somewhere around 30ish feet)-- tree. It was a willow, with strands of leaves hanging down, creating a green dome of privacy around whatever was underneath. Nearby, a crystalline stream trickled, the clear water ran over ancient rocks, smoothing them down over thousands of years until the looked almost polished. The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, casting a soft orange glow over it all.

Leading up to the hill, was a path with scattered, half buried bricks as stepping stones. Further down the hill was a stone arch, now tilted and crumbling with age. To say the least, the place looked like heaven on Earth.

"Well? Do you want to go in?" Hael asked, emphatically gesturing to the canopy of vines, gently swaying in the warm breeze.

Levi stared at her and raised a thin eyebrow, a wicked little grin spreading across his face. He then turned and brushed the vines aside, intending to jump in quickly. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

Inside, it was more beautiful than outside; if that was possible. The orange light filtered in in dappled lines, casted a dim, warm glow gorgeously over every fine blade of grass. An old twisted trunk rose and blossomed high above them, dropping down again as a stationary waterfall of foliage. Best of all was what Hael had set up. There was a soft white sheet spread over the grass; atop it was a wicker basket of various breads and fruits with cheese and a bottle of fine red wine. Candles flickered merrily, not really providing much light, but just setting the mood. Normally, Levi didn't care for extra, uneeded things; but in this case, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

Hael laughed and launched herself at Levi, knocking him to the ground atop the sheet. She laughed and kissed his ear; Levi rolled over ontop of Hael. She wore a black tank top under a white dress shirt.

Hael felt Levi's hand roam over each if the buttons on her dress shirt, pulling each one loose. She allowed him to get it all the way undone before sitting up, Levi in her lap. Hael shrugged off the shirt and pushed Levi off her. "What about the picnic? Oh and I was getting hot, thank you for helping me with my shirt." she said with a sly smile.

"Tch. The picnic can wait, and yes, you were." Levi replied, trying and failing to appear bored. "Where did you get all this?"

Hael looked at the spread of fine food."I'm not sure I should tell my superior that." and then she winked.

That evening was the first time Levi felt totally and completely happy in a very long time. They sat in the orange light and drank fine wine and ate some expense cheese that neither could pronounce the name of. When the sun was fully down, Hael took Levi's hand, they were both a little drunk. She led him to the willow tree's vines, spreading them open into a doorway. Levi followed her out obediently, and Hael pushed him easily onto the grass.

"Look," she said, laying her head on his chest and pointing to the sky. "That is Mariah. The wall was named after her. My mother used to take me out and teach me the constellations. You wanna know why she was my favorite?"

"Why?"

"Because she was brave. When the Titan's first appeared 100 years ago, she led the battle as the head of her cities militia. When the walls were built, she and her men kept the Titan's at bay long enough to get each portion of the wall up. The wall named after her." Hael recited.

"So... Thats why she's your favorite? She was brave?" Levi asked, sounding vaguely incredulous.

Hael poked him in the cheek, "I looked up to her when I was little. Deal with it."

Levi chuckled and wrapped his arms around Hael against the chill. She sighed and buryed her face in his shoulder and fell asleep.

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So, I just love this chapter. Nothing more to say. I need a few stars to create constellation Mariah, help me out?

Oh, by the way, none of that story about the constellation is part of the franchise, I just made it up. Byeeeee!