Brave Heart: Chapter Fifty-Six

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death, age-gap relationship

“Floch Forster and his cohorts have vanished from prison, along with some 100 soldiers and guards,” Nile informed that small group that he had called for a meeting. “It’s apparent that they planned for this mass desertion to match the timing of Eren’s escape. And, for the record, I have no doubt that they perpetrated the Premier’s murder. This group needs a name. From this point on, let us refer to these anti-military insurgents as the Jaegerists. I can think of no one better than Commander Hange to tell us their goal.”

Hange nodded. “In the short term, their goal is to ensure that Eren meets with his brother.  And in the long term, they intend to reform the military with Eren at its head. They demonstrated their resolve by way of assassinating our premier. It’s obvious what provoked them to act as they have; they must have learned about the military’s plan to transfer the founder, even though you kept it secret from us Scouts.”

“Only because we knew exactly what would happen if we did tell you,” Nile retorted. “In any case, many of these Jaegerists are from the Scouts. How will you take responsibility for their actions, Hange?”

“I’m willing to accept any punishment,” she said. “But I won’t resign from my post. That would be the height of irresponsibility. And there’s a lot we don’t know yet. These Jaegerists could have members hiding anywhere, in any branch.”

“That’s quite true,” the same officer that had delivered the debriefing on Premier Zachary’s death the night before agreed. “In fact, I might be looking at some now. Perhaps one of you will turn out to be a suicide bomber.”

Hange rolled her eyes hard enough for everyone in the room to see. “Please. Don’t be ridiculous, Roeg.”

“We’ve been played for fools once, so why should we trust you now?” Roeg was unwilling to bend. “Until the Scouts prove themselves, they must be contained!”

With a heavy slam, the doors to the meeting room burst open and Pyxis, along with five of his most trusted soldiers, entered the room. “That’s enough!” He put a swift end to the arguing and turned to flash an apologetic look to an older woman sitting at the side of the room—who Mikasa had previously introduced as Kiyomi Azumabito from Hizuru. “Remember that we have a guest here. And even if that weren’t the case, this is no time to be bickering amongst ourselves. Hange, how many soldiers know where Zeke is confined?”

“Captain Levi is guarding him with an escort of thirty soldiers,” Hange responded. “Then there are the three soldiers who deliver supplies to them. And aside from myself, that’s it.”

“Please have those three brought here,” Pyxis requested. “Nile, is the Queen’s residence secure?”

“Its location is a well-kept secret,” Nile confirmed. “But I’ll look into it anyway.”

Hands clasped behind his back, Pyxis radiated control. “We know what Eren wants. He’ll seek out Zeke first, and Historia if that fails. So we must keep both of them out of his reach at all cost.”

“Yes, Sir.” The room echoed with acknowledgement.

“Excuse me, Sir.” Armin stepped forward. “You’re our most senior commander. So now that the Premier’s been assassinated, the only person who can lead us is you. What kind of strategy do you think we should adopt right now?”

Pyxis hummed as he thought. “Well, it seems to me they’ve got us beat.” He threw his hands into the air to make a point. “So I was thinking we’d surrender.”

Everyone froze.

“Against enemies mixed within our ranks, we have no other recourse,” Pyxis explained. “Even if we did somehow manage to smoke all of them out, imagine how much blood we would have to spill. We don’t have the time or the numbers to waste on such folly. It’s the decisions we made as leaders that caused these soldiers to desert us; that’s what brought about our defeat.”

“But, Sir, you can’t actually intend to bow down to the people who murdered the Premier!” a woman standing in the back shouted.

Calmly, Pyxis strode across the room toward the large windows. “I knew Zachary for many years. To live and die by revolution is something that I think he would’ve wanted. And regardless, I don’t think that any of the four soldiers who were killed would’ve wanted their deaths to be the cause of Eldia’s downfall.”

“So instead you want us to submit to the Jaeger brothers?” Nile snapped.

“No, not entirely,” Pyxis denied. “We’ll use Zeke’s location to negotiate with Eren and trust him to accept that he has other enemies. Once we’ve re-established peace, we’ll once again stake Eldia’s survival on a test run of the Rumbling. However, we will not bring up the subject of how our leader was murdered. We’ll look past it. If that is the price of saving hundreds or even thousands of our comrades, then we’ll pay it.”

No one in the room seemed all too pleased with this course of action, but it was clear as day that Pyxis’s plan was the only one that had even the slightest chance of working.

“We’ve talked quite enough,” Pyxis turned to face everyone. “Now get to work!”

“Yes, Commander!” The room saluted in unison.

As the soldiers got ready to head out, Kiyomi Azumabito stood and began speaking with Pyxis. Once the two had said all they needed to, Kiyomi turned to Mikasa and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Lady Mikasa, please, if things take a turn for the worse, don’t hesitate to make for our ship.”

“I’m grateful to you for offering and I appreciate your concern. That being said, I see myself as an Eldian,” Mikasa politely declined. “I want to fight for the future of the place I was born and raised. So please, don’t worry about me.”

Vera recalled Armin briefly mentioning something about Mikasa being a long-lost descendent of the Azumabito clan from Hizuru, but with the onslaught of information she had taken on in the past few days, it had apparently gotten jumbled up with everything else. That was, until she found herself witnessing this conversation between the two women.

“What are you talking about?” Kiyomi seemed genuinely shocked by Mikasa’s answer. “You’re the entire reason we crossed the sea to come to this place.”

Mikasa shook her head. “You came for our resources. So long as we stay open to trade, you don’t care who leads this nation. You just need the Rumbling to succeed, right?”

“That’s true,” Kiyomi confessed. “If the promise of the Rumbling turns out to be an empty one, Hizuru will say our clan acted alone and hang us out to dry. Our investments will amount to nothing and the Azumabitos will succumb to our debts.”

“Sounds like one more reason that I shouldn’t rely on you.” Mikasa deadpanned. She really was ruthless, even when she wasn’t necessarily trying to be.

“The Azumabito clan had no choice but to adapt to these turbulent times. But as a result, our prestige has been reduced to the point where we’re now derided as a pack of wretched, money-grubbing vixens. Still, we haven’t lost our pride as a clan anymore than your mother had when she engraved our crest into your wrist. No matter what becomes of this land, we truly wish to protect you.”

Vera’s eyes drifted down to the wrapping around Mikasa’s wrist—the wrappings that had always been there, hidden under her sleeve.

With nothing more to say, Kiyomi released her grip on Mikasa’s shoulders and walked away looking a little more upset than she probably wanted to. Knowing that everyone had witnessed that, Mikasa remained silent as she turned and exited the room first, Vera and the others tagging along behind.

“We’re working with Eren even though he killed the Premier?” Connie asked once the group had made it outside to the courtyard. 

“Hey, nobody knows if he was behind that or not,” Mikasa told him.

Jean grimaced. “Keep your voice down, Mikasa,” he warned. “People suspect us of being Jaegerists as it is.”

Connie frowned at Mikasa. “I’m still not sure whose side you’re on. Care to tell us?”

“Armin, Vera, and I were there when the bomb went off. We almost got killed by the blast,” Mikasa grumbled in response. “That answer your question?”

“Enough!” Hange put a stop to the group’s arguing much like how Pyxis had put an end to the arguing inside; with a stern tone and an intimidating presence. “Like Commander pyxis said, this is no time to fight amongst ourselves.”

“What do you think of his plan?” Jean inquired. “Would you really be comfortable in trusting all our fates to Eren and Zeke?”

Hange shook her head as Onyankopon joined them. “No,” she answered honestly. “This doesn’t feel right. Zeke and Yelena knew that they would never be free of suspicion so they came up with an insurance plan, and now we’re watching it pay out. Our best bet is to assume that they have more contingencies in place. Let’s focus on figuring out what Zeke plans to do next; before he makes even bigger fools of us than he has. If it turns out that I’m getting worked up over nothing, that’ll be a welcome relief.”

“Do you have any leads in mind?” Jean watched as Hange got busy with readying her horse, implicating that she was leaving soon.

“I noticed that Yelena secured work for Marleyan prisoners in a lot of strange places,” Hange said. “One good example would be restaurants.”

As the group readied their horses as well, determined to follow Hange out to investigate some of these ‘odd job placements’, Vera felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Hange standing beside her.

“You’ve been awfully quiet,” she pointed out. “Care to share what’s on your mind?”

Vera let a puff of air past her lips. She knew she couldn’t lie to Hange, but she also knew that what currently had her troubled was nowhere near the most important thing she should be worrying about.

“I’m worried about him too.” It was as if Hange could read Vera’s mind, and for that, Vera was grateful; it saved her the trouble of having to actually say what she was thinking. “If Eren really is after Zeke, then Levi is the only thing standing between their happy family reunion.”

Vera gritted her teeth and pulled hard on the saddle’s girth to tighten it. “I know he can take care of himself, but I hate not knowing where he is.” She caught the quirk in Hange’s eyebrow. “And this isn’t me slyly trying to glean information as to his location. It’s just that … if he needs me, I can’t get to him.”

Hange gave Vera a hardy clap on the back. “If need be, I have no doubt in my mind that the two of you could find each other blindfolded in the middle of a maze. Love has a sickly, disturbing way of beating the odds.”

Vera chuckled. “Forgive my assumption, but you sound jilted, Commander.”

Hange let out a loud laugh; one that Vera hadn’t heard in a long time. “Nonsense. I’m just irked that after my many years of hard work, it ended up being some young, blonde recruit who finally pulled the stick out of his ass.”

Vera smiled wide. “I think you loosened the stick, Commander.”

Hange nodded in agreement. “I most certainly did, Kline.” She gave Vera’s horse a light pat. “Now mount up, soldier. We’ve got work to do.”

Before long, Vera’s hair was whipping through the wind as she, Hange, and the others rode off in the direction of one of the many restaurants that employed Marleyan prisoners. Upon their arrival, they requested to speak to Niccolo, who was working as a chef at the establishment. The restaurant was one of the biggest, fanciest ones Vera had ever stepped foot in and she immediately felt out of place. 

When Niccolo finally emerged from the kitchen, his expression was one of confusion. “Hello there,” he greeted. “This urgent? Sorry but I’m preparing a main course for some very important guests right now.”

“That’s fine,” Hange assured him. “If you’re in the middle of something, you can get back to it. But we’d like to have a quick word with you once you finish up.”

“You wanna talk?” Niccolo chewed his bottom lip. “What is this about?”

Hange seemed unsure of how to phrase her next sentence. “We wondered if you might … have some concerns …”

“The Scouts are investigating our detainment.” Onyankopon took over for Hange. “We were hoping you’d be able to help us.”

Niccolo’s face paled with understanding. “Yeah, no problem.” He then led the group into a separate, empty room. “I’ll ask you to wait in here until I can finish.”

“Wow.” Hange gawked at the pristine dining room filled with tables covered in white tablecloths and cabinets stocked with expensive bottles of wine. “This room is pretty fancy.”

“I bet it’s usually reserved for MPs,” Connie huffed as he passed through the doorway. 

“Hey!” Jean grabbed one of the bottles of wine. “I’ve heard a whole lot of talk about this wine. It’s so nice that it’s only served to high-ranking members of the military.”

Intrigued, Connie walked over to get a look. “Oh, yeah? Well, aren’t we high-ranking members of the Scouts?”

“Sure are.” Jean instantly caught on to Connie’s meaning. “I’d say we’ve earned a quick sip of liquid luxury. Let’s have a little.”

“Don’t touch that!” The sudden outburst came from Niccolo as he snatched the bottle out of Jean’s hand. 

Everyone watched as Niccolo folded his body over the bottle, protecting it like it was his child.

“Whoa, calm down, man,” Jean told him. “We were just screwing around, so relax. No need to make a big thing of it.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Niccolo seemed to calm himself slightly. “A wine of this quality would be wasted on Eldians, understand?”

“What?” Connie asked.

“What’s with you? I can’t believe you’re still spouting that crap. Regardless of what you’ve been told, your wine doesn’t care what race we are!” Jean grabbed Niccolo hard by the collar of his white chef’s jacket. 

Niccolo grimaced. “Get your hands off of me, Eldian. I’ve been civil to you, but that doesn’t make us friends.” He had suddenly done a 180 from the man who had supposedly fallen in love with Sasha, an Eldian. 

“It sounds to me like you’ve forgotten your place here,” Jean tightened his grip on Niccolo. “On this island, you’re just-”

“-just a filthy POW?” Niccolo finished the insult before prying Jean’s hand off of himself. “Guess that makes us even, you Eldian devil.”

Without another word, Niccolo walked out of the room, a triumphant smirk on his face as he closed the door behind himself. 

“What is that guy’s problem?” Connie watched the closed door, almost as if he expected Niccolo to pop back in at any second and admit that the whole thing had been a joke. 

Jean grunted. “Hell if I know. Whatever.”

“You two idiots don’t need to be drinking on the job anyway.” Vera pulled out a chair from one of the tables and sat down. 

Jean squinted at Vera, almost as if he was trying to read her like a book. “So what, you think what he did was okay?”

“I didn’t say that.” Vera was secretly thankful for Jean’s combative nature, as it was currently keeping her distracted from thinking about Levi. “But maybe just cut him a little bit of slack, you know? He’s probably pretty on edge right now with everything going on and we did just show up at his work to question him.”

“If he’s innocent, there shouldn’t be any reason for him to be on edge.”

Vera shrugged. “Authority just freaks some people out.”

Jean’s mouth split into a wide smile. “Hey, yeah, I guess I am pretty intimidating, aren’t I?”

“Totally not what she meant.” Connie smacked Jean in the back of the head. 

“Ow!” Jean hissed. “You better watch yourself, baldie, or else I’m gonna-”

Before Jean could finish his threat, a commotion from down the hall interrupted him. Everyone fell silent at once, heads turning toward the door, waiting to see if something else would happen. When a series of shouts echoed through the building, Vera stood to her feet, her mind already set on investigating the noise.

With Armin on her heels, Vera exited the room and headed toward the only set of open doors along the hallway. When she stepped into the doorway, her jaw dropped at the sight before her. With a knife in one hand, Niccolo was standing in the middle of the dining room, an unconscious, bleeding Falco under his free arm and a scared Gabi on the floor at his feet. Across the room, a man in a brown suit who Vera recognized as Sasha’s father stared at Niccolo and behind him stood the rest of Sasha’s family.

“What’s going on in here?” Armin managed to find his voice before Vera. “Everybody, hurry over!” he called to the others. 

Within seconds, everyone else had rushed in to see the cause of the commotion. “That’s the kid who shot Sasha!” Jean recognized Gabi immediately. “I heard she was on the run but I’m surprised you recognized her,” he said to Niccolo. “Wait, what are you planning to do here?”

“Stay away from me, you hear?!” Niccolo adjusted Falco in his grasp and held the knife to his face. “I’m just going to avenge Sasha. That’s all I want!”

“Stop!” Gabi begged. “Leave Falco out of this, please!”

“What, is this brat someone special to you?” Niccolo spat. “Is that why he tried to protect you earlier? You care about him, huh? Well, I used to care about someone too! A dirt-blooded Eldian! A descendent of devils! A woman who enjoyed the food I cooked more than anyone I’d ever met before! She saved me from this shitty-ass, pointless war. She showed me that the person I’m meant to be is a man who brings people happiness through his cooking. Her name is Sasha Braus. She was amazing and you stole her from me!”

Gabi rose as high as she could while remaining on her knees. “I’ve lost people too! Your Sasha Braus shot two friends of mine! She gunned them both down as they were protecting their home! That’s why I took revenge on her! She’s the one who started it!”

“Shut the hell up! Who cares how it started?!” Niccolo inched the blade closer to Falco. 

“Wake up! Open your eyes!” Gabi pleaded. “You’re supposed to be a Marleyan soldier. That she-devil must have bewitched you somehow. Fight! Don’t let the devils win!”

Finally, Sasha’s father stepped forward. “All right, Niccolo. Give me that knife.” His voice was deep and calm, a stark contrast to the high emotions radiating from Niccolo and Gabi. “Please.”

Drawing the blade away from Falco, Niccolo handed the blade over to Mr. Braus. Fear etched onto her face, Gabi watched as Sasha’s father approached her. 

Lifting the weapon, Mr. Braus studied the sharp blade intently. Behind him, his other children huddled together, afraid of what they might have to watch their father do. His wife simply looked resigned, as if she had no intention of stopping her husband from grieving in whichever way he saw fit. 

“Listen, Mr. Braus, this isn’t right.” Hange attempted to put a stop to things before they could get any more out of hand. “Please drop the knife. Or maybe just set it down.”

Without letting go of the knife, Mr. Braus sighed. “I raised Sasha to be self-sufficient,” he said. “I taught her how to use a bow when she was young, and before long she got good enough to hunt for food in our forest. It was our way of life and we didn’t ever want to give it up. But after Maria fell, I knew we’d have to change with the times or die with the old ways, so I sent Sasha to join civilization. 

"Then, the world just kept getting bigger. Sasha left our forest and our island behind to fight some distant enemy; to shoot folks and get shot. Thing is, she left our forest, but turns out she just traded it for a bigger one, where the same rule of kill or be killed still applied.” Mr. Braus finally handed the knife to his wife, who set it to the side. “I recon Sasha died 'cause she wandered in that forest too long. We gotta get the children out of that forest, at the very least, or else there’s nothing gonna stop this from happening again and again. The way I see it, when it comes to shouldering the sins and hatreds of the past, that burden should fall to adults like you and me.” He looked directly at Niccolo. 

“Please, Niccolo, we need you to let them go now,” Mrs. Braus requested. 

Clearly struggling with the decision, Niccolo finally set Falco down on the floor, the bleeding from the wound on his head seeming to have slowed now. 

“Good.” Mr. Braus and his wife kneeled down beside Falco while Connie and Jean grabbed hold of Niccolo. “Okay, slow and steady does it, Lisa.”

“Right.” Mrs. Braus began to treat Falco’s wounds.

Following suit, Mikasa went to Gabi’s aid. “Mia, you’re okay, aren’t you?” Mr. Braus looked over at Gabi, who had apparently given him a fake name. 

Gabi’s wide brown eyes darted around the room, completely caught off guard by the kindness she and Falco were being shown. “I don’t understand,” she whispered to herself. “Do you really not hate me?”

In that moment, a blonde girl who had been cowering with her other siblings moments ago snatched the knife from the tabletop and darted toward Gabi. Before the blade could pierce Gabi’s head, however, Vera lunged out and grabbed the blonde girl’s arm. 

“Kaya-” Gabi breathed out.

As Mr. and Mrs. Braus pulled the girl away, she began to scream at Gabi. “You killed my sister! How dare you say my name!” She fought against her parents as they wrestled the knife out of her hand. “I thought you were my friend!" 

"I think we should go.” Armin helped Gabi stand. With the sound of Kaya sobbing in the background, he and Mikasa led Gabi back to the other dining room they had been waiting in previously.

“The main dish must have gone cold by now.” Niccolo winced at the sound of Sasha’s family’s cries. “Hange, you should rinse that kid’s mouth out with water. Some of the wine got into it.”

Hange, who was tending to Falco with Onyankopon’s help, perked at that. 

“Although, it’s probably too late.” Niccolo’s eyes darkened with regret. 

Hange gasped. “Why do you say that? What’s in the wine?”

“I think it’s … Zeke’s spinal fluid.”

Grabbing Niccolo by the collar once more, Jean threw him against the wall. “What did you just say?! Why the hell would Zeke Jaeger’s spinal fluid be in the wine?”

“I don’t actually have proof, but still … they packed the first survey fleet to the brim with it,” Niccolo explained while Hange and Connie rinsed out Falco’s mouth with water. “There’s no way they needed that much alcohol for a scouting mission.”

“Again.” Hange motioned for Connie to pour more water into the unconscious boy’s mouth.

Niccolo gulped. “And just as I was starting to settle into my new job here as a chef, I received instructions. In short, I was ordered to start serving that Marleyan wine to higher-ranking military officers.”

“Who ordered it?” Jean slammed him against the wall again. 

Niccolo paused for a moment, trying to decide if he should answer honestly or not. Eventually, he caved. “It was Yelena,” he confessed. “As far as I know, she’s the only one who was in on it. I can’t speak for the other volunteers.”

Hange turned to look at Onyankopon.

“No, I didn’t know about any of this!” Onyankopon denied instantly. “I give you my word.”

“This doesn’t make sense though.” Connie’s face contorted as he concentrated. “If Zeke’s spinal fluid is ingested by an Eldian, they’re supposed to freeze up.”

Hange shook her head. “That’s only what we were told by Zeke. None of us have ever seen how it happens in person, and there was no proof … but we bought it. It seems like such a small lie, but it’s had an enormous effect. We thought Zeke’s spinal fluid caused paralysis so when the wine caused no symptoms, we assumed it was safe.”

“Yeah, but wait, Niccolo.” Jean glared at their new informant once more. “You don’t actually know that it’s dosed, right?”

“No, not for a fact,” Niccolo responded quietly. “That said, I do know that, in the past, Zeke’s spinal fluid has been used in similar ways to tremendous effect. Ten years ago, Marley conquered a hostile nation’s capital overnight. This was made possible by the sudden appearance of hundreds of Titans in the city. She must plan to use the same trick here. Why else would she order me to make sure your military’s top officers drank that suspicious wine? No other explanation makes sense.”

“If that’s true, then when you snatched that bottle from me earlier, you were trying to protect us,” Jean reasoned.

“No. I have no idea what I’m doing. I came here to help save the world from the devils on this island. Now that I’ve told you all of this, I’m sure that my days must be numbered.” Niccolo finally raised his head to look at the Braus family across the room. “Sorry, Mr. Braus. I can’t be as forgiving as you are, but I do want to atone in some small way. I was about to murder a child. How screwed up can I be?”

Mr. Braus closed his eyes and hung his head. “Oh, Niccolo.”

Sensing that the damage in that room had mostly been done by then, Vera excused herself to check on the others in the dining room down the hall. When she arrived, Gabi was sitting in a chair, gaze averted and wounds mostly cleaned up and cared for by Armin and Mikasa.

When Vera’s footfalls gave away her presence, Gabi looked up, her brown eyes glued to Vera’s blue ones. “Why did you save me?” The words tumbled from her lips like she had been waiting to ask that question for a while. 

Vera thought about it as she approached the girl. “I don’t know,” she finally answered, although she was sure it was unsatisfactory. “My body just acted. I didn’t really think about it.”

“I’m the one who killed your comrades on that airship,” Gabi reminded them as if they had somehow been able to forget. The hand she had resting on the table clenched into a fist. “I’m the one who crushed that guard’s skull with a brick. Falco didn’t do anything. So kill me, not him, okay?”

“We won’t kill you,” Armin told her. 

Gabi seemed truly perplexed. “Why not? I know you must want to.”

“Why would I want that?” Armin questioned, his forehead tensing at the very thought of it. “Always with the killing. It’s like it’s all you ever think about. Just like someone else I know.”

Just then, as if he had been summoned by Armin’s words alone, Eren marched into the room. Panicked voices down the hall followed soon after and Vera knew that Eren hadn’t come alone. There was no doubt in her mind that they were here to pry the location of Zeke from them, no matter what it took.

Holding up his hand to reveal the cut on his palm, Eren used the implied threat of transforming at the drop of a hat to force Vera, Armin, and Mikasa into sitting at the table along with Gabi, right where he wanted them. 

Hange’s shouts travelled down the hall, not quite clear enough to discern what she was saying but more than loud enough to figure out that trouble was brewing quickly. 

Seconds later, there were three knocks at the door. “We’re gonna go on ahead,” Floch’s voice was muffled. Of course, Eren brought his biggest fan to this little meetup.

“Good,” Eren responded. 

“That was Floch!” Armin recognized his voice as well. “So you brought him here with you then?”

“Yeah.” Eren motioned for everyone to place their hands on the tabletop, palms down. Without hesitation, Vera and the others obeyed. When Eren followed his own order as well, he promptly ignored the bright red blood seeping into the tablecloth from his self-inflicted wound.

Then, with a rough sigh, he looked across the table at the people he used to call friends. Within his cold gaze, Vera was no longer able to identify that spark of child-like determination that proved he was working toward the good of humanity. Now all she saw was the raw desire for destruction.

His gaze flickered to Gabi for a moment, taking in the terror on her face, before he spoke again. “I wanted to talk with you three.”

Brave Heart: Chapter Fifty-Five

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death, age-gap relationship

When Vera woke the next morning, the spot beside her in bed was empty. With a resigned sigh, she reached over and brushed her fingertips over the cool bedsheets. Levi had been gone for a while and had left without saying goodbye. No, that wasn’t true. The night before had been one long goodbye whether either of them had said it outright or not.

Everything that needed to be said had been said. Every touch, caress, and kiss had been exchanged until their fingertips had memorized the feeling of the other’s body and their lips were swollen and red. 

Besides, Levi was only going to be gone a short while. He had said so himself. 

Drawing in a deep breath and inhaling what remained of Levi’s scent that clung to the linen, Vera forced herself out of bed. After collecting her clothes from where they had been discarded around the room, she got dressed and ready to face whatever the day and those that came after it had to offer. 

As soon as she opened the door, she came face-to-face with Hange, who was waiting in the hall. “Perfect timing!” Hange did her best to sound like her usual, cheery self, but Vera could see the exhaustion in her eyes; and this wasn’t the same exhaustion that came from staying up all night doing research or pouring over various theories. No, this was the telltale exhaustion that came from having the weight of thousands of lives resting on your shoulders. “I was just coming to retrieve you.”

Vera felt heat rise to her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if the fact that she was emerging from Levi’s room first thing in the morning or the fact that Hange knew to find her there was more embarrassing, but either way, she felt exposed. 

“No need to be so coy, Kline.” Hange turned and led the way back down the hall, assuming that Vera would simply follow, which she did. “I’m well aware of your relationship with Levi.”

Vera cocked a brow. Was that what it was? A relationship? Somehow, despite how startling that word was, it didn’t feel like it was enough to describe what she and Levi had. “Right,” she said, jogging to catch up with Hange. “So where are we going?”

“Word has gotten out that Eren has been arrested and the public is getting antsy,” Hange explained. “And I have a feeling I know exactly who did it.”

With that, Vera followed Hange out of the officers’ barracks, across the courtyard, and into another building. From behind the barred fences surrounding the area, citizens were calling out to Hange, demanding to know what was going on. Hange simply kept her gaze forward, ignoring their pleas for information.

Finally, the two women came upon a door and Hange stopped for a second to collect her thoughts. 

“It must be difficult being the commander,” Vera sympathized. “Erwin always made it look so easy.”

Hange sighed, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. “Yeah, he did,” she agreed. “And somehow I’m making it look like the hardest thing ever.”

Without a second longer of hesitation, Hange pushed the doors open and stepped into the room. Already inside, Vera’s friends and a slew of other soldiers were waiting. At the far end of the room, four Scouts were perched upon chairs. Vera only recognized one of them: Floch.

“So it was the four of you who leaked these rumours about Eren,” Hange addressed them calmly. “Three recruits: Holga, Vim, and Lousie. And one veteran: Floch.” She pulled up a chair in front of the four accused Scouts and sat down. “Care to tell me why you did it?”

“Because Eren never should have been imprisoned,” Floch answered plainly. “He’s done nothing wrong and should be freed at once. He challenged a powerful, imposing enemy and grasped victory. We now have the Rumbling, a power which secures our right to live. Eren Jaeger is no criminal. He’s a war hero and he just saved the life of every person in the new Eldian Empire.”

“The nation of Eldia is in greater danger than ever. We don’t know if the Rumbling can protect us yet or not,” Hange retorted. “Nobody knows how it works; it’s still just a myth at this point.”

Floch huffed. “Only because you’re keeping Eren locked in a cage. At the very least, I hope you’ll agree that we can’t afford to waste time right now. We need to be decisive; to make use of our victory. It will be Eren Jaeger who leads this nation. Please see reason and release him at once.”

Hange remained silent for a moment, the thick tension in the room working to her advantage. The other Scouts behind Floch began to squirm in their seats. “Yeah, you might just be right about that,” she finally spoke again. “From a certain viewpoint, I’ve already made the decision to see Zeke Jaeger’s plan through to the end. I’m responsible for making that choice, which is why I can’t tolerate insubordination. You will all be tried for the crime of leaking confidential intelligence. Detain them in the meantime.”

“If this is the price of serving humanity within the walls, then so be it.” Floch and the others didn’t put up a fight as the guards flanked them and led them out of the room. 

Sensing that Hange needed some space, Vera and the others followed the guards and detainees out, closing the door behind themselves and leaving the Commander inside by herself. 

It was around that time that news reached Vera’s ears that Gabi and Falcio had managed to escape their prison cell. As the guards were leading Floch and the others away, one of them had mentioned it in passing—something about there being an extra cell free now since the Marleyan kids had escaped.

Vera felt worried for a split second before pushing it down and squashing it. There was no sense in being concerned about the kids who murdered Sasha, even if they were just kids … and even if she had watched them grow from playful children into skilled warriors. She remembered when Reiner had first introduced her to Gabi; the girl was so small and so determined to prove herself. She sort of reminded Vera of herself. 

Just then, the door opened and Hange stepped out. The exhaustion etched into her face had been softened now after she had taken some time alone to gather her thoughts. Without a word, she placed a hand on Vera’s shoulder and began leading her away once again. “Next stop on your redemption tour,” she said, trying her best to make it sound fun and enjoyable.

Vera furrowed her brows, confused. “Redemption tour?”

“Levi may or may not have mentioned to me on his way out this morning that you were looking to get back into Eldia’s good graces,” Hange flashed a knowing smirk. “And since I’ve already witnessed what you can do first-hand and have no qualms about trusting you myself, I’ve agreed to take you under my wing while Levi is gone.”

Vera decided not to argue the point that, somehow, she always found herself needing to be supervised. “But don’t you already have enough on your plate with being the commander?”

“That’s precisely why you’re here.” Hange nodded. “To help take some of the tasks off of my plate and prove to the other higher-ups that you always have and always will be Team Eldia. Pretty great plan, huh?”

Vera’s shoulders slumped and she frowned. “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Nope.” Hange sounded a little too cheery. “Now keep that frown you’re sporting. A stern expression is perfect for interrogation.”

Before Vera had the chance to ask what the hell Hange was dragging her into next, Hange had directed her outside. Together, the two women mounted horses and rode out, past wall Sina’s chaos and out where a single house sat in the middle of a vast field.

Sitting at a small table in front of the house, a man with dark skin, who was wearing a black suit, greeted Hange with a nod of the head. A few meters away, sitting under a tree for shade and eating an apple, an armed guard kept watch. 

The man sighed heavily and pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket as Hange dismounted and took a seat across from him at the table. The sky was clear and the sun was warm this morning, so Vera found herself wondering how this man was wearing a full suit and not sweating bullets.

“This is somewhere between absurd and appalling,” the man said as he began to shuffle the deck of cards, making it seem as though he had been expecting Hange. “How could people still doubt us after all this time? I thought we were comrades! We spent three years sweating beside you to build the railway and trade systems that this island needed. Your people are prospering because of us. We gave Eldia everything we had, Hange!”

Hange hung her head, clearly disappointed with how things had turned out. From what Vera could tell, this man was another one of the Marleyan volunteers who had been detained under Pyxis’ order. 

“I’m so sorry,” Hange apologized. “When we first opened our railway ten months ago, I didn’t see this coming.”

Vera suddenly began to doubt that this was an actual interrogation and swiftly let the stern look she had been wearing on her face melt under the oppressive sun. 

“Yeah, you’re telling me.” The man exhaled loudly. “We swore to help fight for Eldia’s future. We meant every word-” He stopped mid-sentence when Hange leaned across the table toward him, her face twisted with what looked like pain. “Hange, what’s the matter with you?!”

Just like that, Hange caved and a slew of information came pouring out of her mouth as if a dam had broken and she was unable to hold back from spilling her secrets any longer.

“Huh?” The man quirked a brow. “Yelena went behind the military’s back and met with Eren in secret? Seriously?”

Even Vera was stunned by this news, but more than that, she felt honoured that Hange trusted her enough to allow her to possess this important intel.

Hange nodded. “Can you give me your word that she didn’t tell you?”

“She never so much as dropped a hint. I promise.”

Hange relaxed into her chair. “Yeah. Your surprise seems to be completely sincere. To me, at any rate.” She then looked up at Vera. “What do you think?”

Vera was silent for a second or two, unsure at first if Hange was really asking her opinion on this. “I don’t know this man,” she replied. “I don’t think I’m the best person to consult on this.”

“Vera, Onyankopon. Onyankopon, Vera.” Hange made the introductions. “Now, what do you think?”

Vera squinted her eyes at the man, Onyankopon. “Well, his shock did seem genuine.” She shrugged. “And I suppose that if he had really been privy to Yelena’s plans, then he probably wouldn’t be talking to us so freely.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Hange agreed.

Onyankopon shook his head. “So she went that far …”

“You aren’t saying that you can’t believe she would do it,” Hange pointed out. “And based off that, I think you must know that it’s in character for her.”

“I don’t exactly know,” he responded. 

“We may have approached it backwards,” Hange said, “but Yelena has given us a reason to detain the volunteers. Now, I need you to tell me everything you do know about her, for the sake of our future.”

Onyankopon was lost in thought for a second before he started talking again. “My understanding is that it was Yelena who first recruited the volunteers. People were doubtful and wary, so things didn’t go so well at first. More than once, Yelena proved her loyalty to us and to Zeke by getting her hands dirty. Any Marleyan who doubted us met an untimely death, even when they were friends who ate and slept beside us. We overcame those losses by telling ourselves it was for the sake of the homelands Marley stole from us.”

Hange tilted her head. “That’s funny. Yelena’s always argued for Marley rights here. She convinced us to let Marleyan prisoners have jobs. You make it sound like Yelena used to be merciless to Marleyans. Why would that change?” Suddenly, Hange sat up. “Right! Please come with me, Onyankopon. I need your help.”

“Huh?” he quirked a brow.

As Vera got ready to follow the two, Hange dismissed her. “Head back before me,” she instructed. “Be my eyes and ears while I’m not there. I will return soon enough.”

Quickly gaining mental whiplash from all of the back and forth she was doing, and unsure what any of it had to do with the grand scheme of things, Vera followed Commander Hange’s orders and returned back through wall Sina’s gates and into the military’s gated headquarters. 

Not even a full minute after returning, Vera heard her name being called as she dismounted her horse and returned it to the stables. Spinning around, she was greeted by Armin and Mikasa, whose serious expressions made her assume they weren’t just stopping by to say hello.

“Vera!” Armin rushed over to her. “There you are! We’ve been looking for you.”

“I’ve been running around all morning. Or, correction, I’ve been getting dragged around all morning,” Vera explained. “Hange has decided to take me under her wing and apparently that means, where she goes, I go.” She noticed their confused looks when they realized Hange was nowhere to be seen. “Except for now. I’m currently serving as the Commander’s eyes and ears while she deals with other business.”

Mikasa’s brows knotted together in confusion. “You’ve sure worked your way up quickly.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say being the Commander’s lacky is anything too impressive but sure.” Vera shrugged. “So anyway, you were looking for me. You’ve found me. What’s up?”

“We’re going to speak to Premier Zachary about seeing Eren,” Armin said. “Having you there might help.”

Vera shrugged. “I doubt so, but lead the way.”

On the way up to Premier Zachary’s office, Mikasa pointed out three new Scout recruits leaving the building. It was certainly weird seeing them at headquarters, especially since it was hard for anyone to get in and out of the gates currently, but at the time, it didn’t raise any serious concern aside from some mild curiosity.

When the three of them finally got in to speak with Zachary, he was facing away from them, staring out the window at the horde of gathered citizens outside the gates. Some of them were holding signs, all of them were yelling, and the patrolling guards didn’t seem to know what to do about any of it.

After Armin requested permission to see Eren, Zachary didn’t respond. Or at least, not at first. “I hear Hange’s been roaming all over the place,” he said, looking over his shoulder briefly to shoot a look at Vera. Apparently, he was aware of her recent change in handlers, so to speak. 

Vera nodded. “Yes, the Commander’s been looking into a few leads that have been dug up.”

“I know. I gave the Commander permission to take one of the detained volunteers.” He must have been referring to Onyankopon. “But I’m afraid that I can’t give you three permission to meet Eren.”

“Why not, Sir?” Armin asked. 

“Because we’ve just confirmed that Eren communicated with the volunteers in secret. This is likely what incited him to attack Marley. It’s certainly something he kept quiet about leading up to the event. We’re currently in the midst of an investigation to see what all was said, and who all was involved in this meeting. Eren has maintained his silence ever since these facts were brought to light. Furthermore, we’re still completely in the dark about what he did during his time alone in Marley.”

Vera swallowed hard, once again feeling Zachary’s eyes on herself. She had already answered this question over and over again during her own imprisonment after returning to Paradis, but it was clear some people still believed she was hiding details.

“I’m sorry to say that we believe that Eren has been manipulated by Zeke,” Zachary continued. “I wouldn’t have shared these secrets with you if you were anyone else, so I’ll ask that you keep them to yourselves.”

Vera could sense that Zachary’s words meant one thing but his actions meant another. It felt as though he was testing them—or maybe just her—to see if this information would be leaked as well. 

Armin’s eyes were wide with shock. “You really think that Eren would …”

“So what now?” Mikasa inquired. “What will you do with him?”

Without answering with words, Zachary rounded his desk and stopped beside an intricate red chair with two panels on each side, each one with what looked like restraints attached to it.

“Is that?” Mikasa gasped.

Zachary looked down at the chair. “Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. There was nowhere else to store the thing so I had some recruits bring it up here.”

Armin’s eyes hesitated on the chair for a second longer before he looked up at Zachary. “Please hear me out, Sir. We’ve known Eren ever since we were kids. If he refuses to talk to you, that’s all the more reason to send us in. I know there’s no guarantee that we could get him to tell us the truth but there isn’t any harm in trying, right?”

“The situation is too delicate right now,” Zachary answered, sticking with his initial refusal. “This conversation’s over.”

As soon as the three friends found themselves back in the hall, outside the doors to Zachary’s office, they turned to one another. “Why?” Mikasa was still stunned. “You’re right that there’d be no harm in letting us talk to him. So why would he forbid it?”

Just then, the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway alerted the three to the presence of three Military Police soldiers.

“If I had to venture a guess, it would be that the military has already decided that he’s a lost cause,” Armin kept his voice low as they walked back down the hall, finishing his thought just as they passed the three others.

At the end of the hall, Vera, Mikasa, and Armin slowed and turned to watch the soldiers knock on Zachary’s door before letting themselves in. 

“If I’m right about that, then they’re probably looking at candidates to replace him with,” Armin finished.

Mikasa nodded, her face set with purpose. “I’ll listen through the door.” She started back the way they had just come.

“Hold on, Mikasa.” Armin grabbed her arm. “You can’t!”

“It’s fine.” Mikasa insisted. “They’re not gonna catch me.”

Vera shook her head, agreeing with Armin. “But if they do, they might charge us with conspiring against the government as well and throw us behind bars too. Then what can we do to help Eren?”

“We can’t afford to take the risk!” Armin told her.

“We can’t afford not to take the risk,” Mikasa retorted. “We need to find out what the military’s planning. No matter what happens, I won’t let Eren be-”

Mikasa’s words were cut off by a sudden explosion from Premier Zachary’s office. In a large eruption of searing heat and intense, bright red and orange light, Vera felt the air being ripped from her lungs as she was sent flying backward from the sheer force. 

When Vera finally landed, thankfully sustaining only minor injuries along with Armin and Mikasa, she began to cough out the smoke and debris that had accumulated in her lungs. In front of them, there was a huge hole in the side of the building and all around, splintered pieces of wood had caught flame. 

People could be heard yelling from outside, and as soon as Vera, Mikasa, and Armin found the strength to stand and evacuate the burning building, they ran out into the courtyard where a group of soldiers had surrounded something on the ground.

Before Vera could get a closer look, Hitch came running over to them. She had apparently been on watch during the whole thing. “Hey, are you guys all right?” she asked.

“Hitch!” Mikasa gasped. “What was that?”

“The Premier’s office just exploded.” Hitch pointed upward, indicating that Vera had been correct in her hazy memory of where the explosion had originated from. 

“Has anyone seen him?”

Turning around, Hitch gestured to the object everyone had gathered around. After taking a few steps closer, Vera felt her stomach twist at the sight of the upper half of Zachary’s torso lying on the ground. He was dead. 

Vera’s hand slapped over her mouth, either to suppress a gasp or the urge to throw up, as she watched one of the soldiers remove their jacket and place it over the Premier’s corpse. 

“Give your hearts and souls!” A man from the slowly growing crowd of citizens shouted. “Our anger’s finally reached them. The time has come for us to fight!”

Before long, the citizens around him were up in arms too, yelling about how they wanted to fight as well.

“Our hearts and souls to the cause!” the same man shouted.

“Our hearts and souls to the cause!” the crowd chanted again and again. 

By the time Hange made it back to headquarters, Onyankopon in tow, Vera had quite a bit to catch her up on—but she only had a brief amount of time to do it in before everyone of importance had been called into a debriefing about the Premier’s death.

“Premier Zachary had his custom chair brought to his room today,” the officer in charge of the debriefing said as he read from a list of bullet points on the paper in his hand. “We believe that whoever delivered the chair must have planted a bomb in it. In addition to the Premier himself, the explosion killed three soldiers. We don’t know who was behind this or what their motives were.”

“All but one of the volunteers have been on house arrest,” Hange explained, “and Onyankopon here was with me all day.”

“Then can you think of anyone else who might have been responsible?”

“Before he died, Premier Zachary said that a group of recruits brought the chair to his office,” Armin spoke up. 

Nile, who still sent shivers down Vera’s spine whenever she thought about him back in that courtroom all those years ago, crossed his arms. “Where were these recruits from?”

“He never told us what branch they were with,” Armin answered, head hung in anticipation for the shock to come with his next statement. “But as Mikasa, Vera, and I were heading to his room for our appointment, we happened to notice a group of recruits leaving HQ in a rush, and those recruits were Scouts.”

“Speaking of your regiment,” Nile huffed, “I hear that a few of you Scouts were arrested and charged with leaking information about Eren to the public. You don’t think that-”

Just then, the doors to the conference room burst open and a soldier, whose face was red and was panting, ran inside. “Urgent news!” he shouted. “Eren Jaeger escaped! He broke out of his underground cell!”

Nile immediately gave the order to mobilize all troops and track Eren down, but the constant hum in Vera’s ears, both from the explosion and her own disbelief, prevented her from hearing much of anything for herself. 

Vera thought back to her conversation with Armin the other day in the graveyard. When she had mentioned that this war was only just beginning, she had no idea how right she really was. 

Brave Heart: Chapter Fifty-Four

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death, age-gap relationship

Rain falling slowly from the dark grey sky above, barely more than a light drizzle, Vera wiped the water from her face as she stared at the dull gravestone in the distance. Among the vast field of other gravestones, this particular one didn’t stand out from the others aside from the name that had been carved into the front: Sasha Braus. 

“It makes it feel real,” Armin said, his blonde hair sticking to his forehead from the moisture. “I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

In front of the memorial for their dear friend, a boy with blonde hair crouched in the wet grass, head hung and shoulders shaking slightly as he cried. Vera had never met this boy before, but Armin had mentioned something about ‘Niccolo’ and him having 'been in love with Sasha’ when they had first arrived. Upon spotting Sasha’s name on the stone, Vera hadn’t been able to listen to much Armin was saying.

“She adored the food he made.” Armin followed Vera’s gaze toward Niccolo. “And for Sasha, that’s the closest thing to love, I suppose.”

Vera nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah.” She couldn’t help but picture this scene slightly reversed, with her name on the gravestone and Levi crouched in front of it instead. “Do I have one?”

Armin cocked a brow. “Huh?”

“A gravestone,” Vera clarified. “Do I have one? You know, because everyone thought I was dead.”

“Oh. No, you don’t.” Armin answered. “In the beginning, a lot of people refused to believe you were dead in the first place. And then, after a few years, it didn’t seem respectful; like giving you a resting place was admitting that we had given up hope.”

“That’s good,” Vera said, relieved. “That I don’t have one, that is. I’m not ready to be dead just yet, metaphorically or otherwise.”

Armin was silent for a moment, eyes drifting back toward Sasha’s headstone. “I don’t think any of us are. She certainly wasn’t.”

“That’s why we have to keep moving forward, one step after another.” Vera steeled her nerves, unable to stop the mental image of her name on a gravestone just like Sasha’s from popping into her head. “We have to do it for her; to prove that this wasn’t all for nothing … that she didn’t die in vain.”

Armin just nodded and Vera could see the uncertainty in his blue eyes. She knew it wasn’t that he didn’t want to avenge Sasha, but more that he was worried about everything else that could go wrong—about everyone else that could lose their life—in this pursuit. 

“Everything has changed,” Armin sighed softly. “I never thought I would ever say this, but I miss when it was just us against the Titans.”

“Yeah,” Vera agreed. “Me too.”

“I miss when Titans were just Titans and not poor helpless people.”

Vera held her hand out, palm up, and watched as raindrops speckled her skin. “It all seemed so simple back then, but I suppose that is the silver lining of living a lie.”

“Sometimes it seems as though the truths will never stop,” Armin added. “And each one is just as confusing and devastating as the last. Like the fact that Zeke Jaeger is actually an anti-marleyan and has been planning to free the Eldians this whole time.”

Vera took a second to take in all the information Armin had slowly been catching her up on in the past few days since her return. “And Eren has been working with him this whole time?”

“I don’t know.” Armin shook his head. “I feel like I don’t know anything about Eren anymore.”

“I know how you feel.” Vera withdrew her hand, wiped the small collection of rainwater onto her pants, and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “This place is everything I remember and yet completely different from when I was last here.” She glanced around at the surrounding landscape, picturing the railroad and giant flying boat that had been new additions to Paradis Island while she had been gone—the ladder a donation from a special ally, Kiyomi Azumabito, who was currently representing her nation of Hizuru to support the Eldians. 

Armin drew in a deep breath, shuddering slightly from his nerves or the cold or both. “There’s no stopping this now, is there?” he asked even though it was obvious he already knew the answer. “This war is far from over.”

Vera took a moment to try and picture the future—to try and predict the outcome of this mess. “This war has just begun,” she said.

Armin sighed heavily, the hesitation in his solemn agreement clear as day. “If Yelena has her way, the threat of the rumbling will be enough to end it all before it even begins.”

Vera had only met Yelena briefly on the airship, and from what she had heard, she was one of the few anti-marleyan volunteers (just like Niccolo) who had supposedly switched sides when their boat had finally met the shores of Paradis Island—one of the many boats that had left Marley and never returned. She sounded like a force to be reckoned with and Vera was both looking forward to and dreading actually having to work with the traitor-turned-ally who had seemingly pushed this plan into motion with her own bare hands.

“I presume that’s why she stole the Titan transformation serum,” Armin continued, more or less trying to work things out in his mind by talking out loud by now. “Just like Eren, I assume she will do anything to see this plan through to the end.”

As the rain began to pour down harder, obscuring Vera’s sight and bringing a chill to her body as she finally soaked all the way through to the bone, she and Armin turned to head back inside. When they did, however, Vera spotted a familiar form in the distance, standing just on the edge of the graveyard. It was Levi.

With a gentle hand on Vera’s shoulder, Armin flashed a quick smile, silently letting her know that he would give her some space and see her later. As Armin walked off, Levi soon took his place, hands reaching out to wipe away the moisture from Vera’s face.

“You’re going to catch a cold out here,” he told her, no tone of discipline in his voice; only worry. 

Vera couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her face. “I’ll be okay, Levi. I’ve been through worse and survived.”

“That’s not the point.” Levi shook his head. “How am I supposed to believe you will be okay while I’m gone if you can’t even be bothered to wear a hood in the rain?”

Vera’s smile vanished in an instant. “While you’re gone?” she echoed him. “What?”

Levi’s grey eyes darkened, overcome by disappointment in himself for letting his planned absence slip so soon into the conversation. “Zeke can’t be kept here, not with Eren, and someone needs to be in charge of him,” he said. “Hange has assigned the task to me. I leave in the morning.”

“You’re leaving me?” was the only thing that Vera could think to say, her words akin to a child worried about being separated from their parent. “Again?”

Levi’s entire body tensed, lips stretching into a tight line. “I don’t want to. But this is bigger than you and me. I have a duty to my job.”

Suddenly, Vera felt foolish. “Of course.” She nodded. “Right, I’m sorry … I shouldn’t be upset. Commander Hange wouldn’t do it unless it was necessary.”

Arms falling to her sides, Vera took a small step back, trying her best to distance herself from this situation; trying her best to understand that the war was more important than her emotions. 

Levi’s fingers twitched. He wanted to reach out to her, to assure her that he would be back as soon as possible and alleviate any and all concerns she had. But he didn’t. He could see her physically pulling away and wanted to give her the space she wanted. “Just until this initial mess is over,” he promised without actually saying the word. “If we fail now, it will all be for naught.”

Vera glanced back over her shoulder at Sasha’s grave. If it all meant nothing in the end, then so did Sasha’s death. Forcing her earlier smile to return, Vera leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Levi’s cheek. “In that case, I will be waiting when you get back.” She felt her heart throb at the way his grey eyes regarded her with longing as if they were already separated. “Be careful, okay?”

“I always am,” he told her simply. “You too. No more going off on your own.”

Vera shook her head. “Never again.”

With that, Vera passed Levi and started back toward the barracks, a million unspoken words left dangling off the tip of her tongue. If she had truly said what she was feeling, she feared it might be enough to convince Levi to stay with her instead of following Hange’s orders. The last thing she wanted to do was crumble Eldia’s carefully laid plans from the inside all because she wanted the man she loved to stay by her side forever and always. That was childish behaviour, and Vera couldn’t afford to make any more childish mistakes.

Despite knowing that she had made the right choice to bite her tongue, Vera was still thinking about it that night as she peered out at the dark sky. The storm had moved on by then, replacing the sound of rain and thunder with chirping crickets and whistling wind. Inside, the soft, warm glow of the candles and the presence of her friends pulled Vera’s attention away from the darkness outside and the lingering darkness in her own mind.

“So Pyxsis detained the volunteers?” Jean questioned, hand on his chin as he thought. “Such a strong-armed tactic. It’s hard to believe he’d go that far.”

Vera wondered how many more cells Eldia had left to fill with captured Marleyans and the like. With Eren occupying one, and Gabi and Falco occupying another, the fact that all the volunteers were now detained as well meant that free space was scarce. 

Was this the best plan Eldia had? To just imprison everyone they thought they couldn’t trust? How long could that possibly work for? How many bridges would that burn for the future?

“They had built good working relationships with a lot of us Scouts, so our regiment wasn’t notified in advance,” Armin said, pulling Vera from her thoughts. 

Leaning back on the couch he was sitting on, Jean sighed. “That said, I doubt Pyxsis had much choice. 'Cause until we understand Zeke’s real intentions, his presence here puts us in a tough spot.”

“I don’t think he’ll be here for much longer,” Vera informed the group, saying only what was necessary in case Levi’s mission to smuggle Zeke out of the city was on a need-to-know basis.

“Even so, I wonder what made Eren decide to go with his plan.” Jean pondered out loud. “Him and Zeke must have talked but, what was said, well … no one knows except for them.”

Vera crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from the window. “I didn’t even know they were in contact in Marley. Eren didn’t mention it at all.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Connie spoke up. “Hey, did that guy look like Eren when you all saw him?” he asked. “'Cause if you ask me, that wasn’t Eren. And if whoever that was is capable of picking his half-brother over us then …”

“If he is, then what?” Mikasa countered.

“Then I say, we’ll need to be prepared to cut him down ourselves if necessary.”

“I won’t let you!” Mikasa snapped. 

Connie’s eyes widened. “Are you taking their side too, Mikasa? Come on.”

“I don’t think it will come to that.” Mikasa collected herself and calmed down. “Eren cares about us more than anyone else. Everyone here should know that. Maybe that’s why he’s become so combative towards anyone who isn’t one of us. It’s because his feelings are so strong.”

“No, that isn’t it,” Jean disagreed. “He’s always seen your strength, but the Eren that we used to know would still try to keep you away from the front lines. But he used you in that battle, just like he used Vera. He sent Armin to destroy that port. He called the rest of us important too and he used us just the same.”

Mikasa shook her head, trying to see it a different way. “But maybe that’s just because he trusts us. I mean, if we hadn’t helped him, his plan would’ve failed.”

“Yeah, and Sasha would be alive right now,” Connie added for good measure, scowling at the looks he got in return. “Hey, what do you think Eren did when Vera told him she had died? Do you think he cried? Or showed some regret maybe?”

“Connie, stop,” Jean told him.

Connie furrowed his brows. “After he left that back room, the bastard laughed! I wonder what part of our friend’s death it was that he found so damn amusing. Why don’t you explain, Mikasa? Why did Eren start laughing? You know everything about him, right?”

“We need to talk to him,” Armin suggested before things could get any tenser. “Just Eren, Mikasa, Vera, and me. We’ll give him a chance to explain his goal.”

“Why me?” Vera scoffed. “It was all too easy for him to lie to me before about what his true intentions were. What makes you think he’ll tell me the truth now?”

“Because you were over there with him when none of us were,” Armin explained. “He trusted you with more than you think. He relied on you when he had no one else.”

Vera rolled her eyes. “Come on, Armin. He used me and you know that!”

“I don’t know that, which is why we need to ask him. I believe that Eren has a plan—a reason for all of this—and we just need to assure him that we are on his side.”

“Are you sure that’ll help?” Jean tilted his head, trying to see this whole mess from Armin’s point of view. “Tell me, what if his goals are the same as Zeke’s?”

“The volunteers gave us Titan serum,” Armin said. “So we have a choice now.”

Mikasa sat up quickly. “Wait, what are you saying?”

“We can choose to turn someone who we can trust into a Titan and then have them inherit the founder from Eren.”

Armin’s words played through Vera’s mind over and over again as she headed back to her room for the night, but less the part about turning someone into a Titan and more the part about having a choice. Refusing to make any more childish mistakes didn’t mean that she could no longer be trusted to make her own choices. There were always choices to make—always an alternative path to follow. 

A few meters away from her door, Vera spun on her heel and started back in the opposite direction. She stomped down the staircase, out into the courtyard, and across the way toward the officers’ quarters, determination in each footfall. 

Locating the door she had passed through days before—before she had been re-assigned her own room—she knocked three times, hard enough for Levi to hear but just soft enough not to wake him if he was already sleeping. Or so she thought.

When the door swung open a minute or so later, Levi’s hair was slightly more mussed than usual and he was wearing a robe, indicating that he was wearing sleepwear inappropriate for answering the door underneath. He had definitely been asleep, or at least in bed, and Vera had disturbed him. His face showed his annoyance clear as day until he realized it was Vera at his door and his features softened.

“Vera.” Levi pulled the door open wider so she could step inside if she needed. “Is everything okay?”

Vera swallowed hard, feeling guilty for bothering him at such a late hour. “Yes, everything is fine. I’m sorry, it didn’t occur to me how late it had gotten already.”

“If you need me, my door is always open for you, no matter what time it is.” He opened the door wider again, this time making a point to usher her inside. “I’m sure you didn’t come here for nothing, so what is it?”

“Well, I …” Vera stumbled over her words, unsure if this would sound better if she told him what was going to happen or if she asked his permission first. “… I wasn’t happy with how we left things earlier and after some thinking, I have realized that we have a choice—a choice that doesn’t involve abandoning the mission or us being apart. Let me come with you.”

Levi cocked a dark brow, contemplating for a moment before shaking his head. “No. Absolutely not.”

Vera’s jaw dropped. Despite what little time she had used to really think this idea through, it seemed pretty cut and dry. She didn’t see a single downside. “What? Why not?”

“Because the only thing worse than worrying about you while you’re here, within the safety of the walls, is having to worry about you without the safety of the walls; where the only thing between you and danger is me … and I cannot focus on you and Zeke at the same time.”

Vera crossed her arms and huffed. “You do know that I can take care of myself, right?”

“That doesn’t mean I won’t feel responsible for you. If you will remember, you are still under my watch.”

“Which only proves my point. How can I be under your watch if we aren’t even together?”

“You being under watch in the first place means that you are not within enough good graces yet to be trusted with something like this. I had to damn near beg Hange permission to even tell you I was leaving in the first place.”

Vera’s brows knotted together. “So Hange doesn’t trust me now? That’s it?”

“It’s not that Hange doesn’t trust you, but it makes her look bad as Commander if she acts like you haven’t been living in Marley for the past four years,” Levi explained.

Vera balled her hands into fists by her sides. She could feel the childish anger rising in her veins. Closing her eyes, she drew in a few deep breaths, trying to organize her thoughts into coherent sentences. When she opened her eyes again, Levi had crossed the room and settled into his desk chair, facing her. 

Folding one leg over the other, he smirked ever-so-slightly. “Why don’t you tell me what this is really about?” he suggested. “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation after waking me so late?”

Vera frowned. “I already told you why. I don’t want us to be separated again.”

“As much as that flatters me, I don’t believe you,” Levi said. “There’s more.”

“No, there’s not.” Vera turned to the door and took a few steps toward it, silently threatening to leave. “But if my embarrassing admission of separation anxiety from you isn’t enough …”

“Vera.” Levi’s voice was calm but stern. When she turned back to face him, he looked just as intimidating as when she had first seen him atop that horse, glaring down at her—even despite the robe and sleep-tussled hair. “Can you please be honest with me?”

Vera hung her head and exhaled slowly, a few loose strands of blonde hair falling into her face. “I don’t like that people think I’m a traitor. I wasn’t trusted in Marley and now, I’m not even trusted here anymore … my home doesn’t trust me. I want to prove whose side I’m on.”

Vera caught the flash of empathy in Levi’s dark eyes as he pushed up from his chair and walked toward her. “I trust you, Hange trusts you, your friends trust you. The people who matter trust you, Vera. You just have to give everyone else a little more leeway. These are unprecedented and scary times. Everyone is on edge.”

Vera brushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. “You trust me?” She lifted her gaze to meet Levi’s. 

“I always have,” he assured her, hands rising to cup her face gently. “I always will.”

Vera melted into his touch and closed her eyes again. “I just don’t want to lose you again. I just got you back.” She gripped his robe tightly in her hands and pulled him closer. 

“You won’t lose me. I promise.” He snaked one arm around her neck and cradled the back of her head before pressing his forehead to hers. 

“You can’t promise that,” she whispered, wishing more than anything that he could promise that. 

“I promise,” he told her again before pulling her flush against his body and kissing her softly, the passion enough to draw the breath from both of their lungs. “And I always keep my word.”

Completely forgetting the reason she had come to Levi’s room in the first place, Vera exhaled and felt relief wash over her body. No matter what was going on outside of that room, nothing could bother her when she was in Levi’s arms. “Okay,” she accepted his promise, even if she knew it wasn’t something he—or anyone, for that matter—had any control over.

“Stay,” he pleaded into her mouth as he kissed her again. “Stay here with me tonight.”

“I shouldn’t,” Vera was saying one thing but her body was saying another as she tangled herself further into Levi. It felt like a reverse of the night they had first kissed—this time, Levi was the desperate one and Vera was the one thinking about logic. But just like that first night, they both soon succumbed to their desires, rules be damned.

Before long, Vera’s green trenchcoat was on the ground beside Levi’s robe, the two of them slowly undressing the other, taking the time to savour every second of their time together. 

Despite the fact that Vera had been completely nude in front of Levi before, even though the context was much different than this moment, she couldn’t help but blush as he laid her down on his bed and removed her boots and pants. 

“Look at me,” Levi rasped as he climbed onto the bed, settling himself between Vera’s legs before he began unbuttoning her top. “Don’t look away. I don’t want you to miss a second of this.”

No amount of embarrassment or self-consciousness could tear Vera’s eyes away from Levi’s. So instead of being bashful, she gripped the hem of his shirt between her fingers before gently pulling it over his head. Discarding the clothing item somewhere in the room, Vera felt goosebumps rise to her skin as she ghosted her hands up Levi’s stomach and chest before settling them on his shoulders. 

“I can’t tell if you’re impressed or horrified,” Levi regarded Vera’s stare with a light chuckle as he leaned closer, dark bangs falling over his eyes. 

“I’m committing you to memory,” she told him as she drifted her eyes up to meet his. “Every last inch of you.”

Levi pressed a kiss to Vera’s nose. “I won’t be gone that long.”

“Still …” Vera ran her hands down his shoulders, over his biceps, and wrapped her slender fingers around his arms. “Just in case. I want to remember you like this, with me. Just us.”

“Just us.” Levi echoed her statement as he trailed kisses along her jaw and down her neck. “You won’t forget a thing, my love. I’ll make sure of it.”

The Queen of Demons 5/?

Pairing: Erwin Smith x OC, Levi Ackerman x OC

Rating: Mature (the rating will go up as the story advances! But it will totally be explicit ;D I even have some smut chapters already half written woooo! But right now just in case)

Warnings: None for now, but sexist and misogynist upbringing (Eva’s father is a huge asshole).

Word Count: 13.538

ALSO POSTED ON AO3

A/N:Jesus Christ this month has destroyed me. A lot is going on, I had 0 time to write and I managed to do a bit when I had 5 minutes to sit my ass down. At least Patreon is working good enough!

But the plot thickens! There are a lot of “AHHH THEY TOUCHED” moments that had me screaming, and I’m so sorry for putting Eva through all this… but it will be worth it in the end! C'mon girl, you will get through it

CHAPTER 5: OLD FOREST OF THE ANCIENT GODS

There was not a cloud in sight, an unwavering blue sky greeting them as they passed through the village’s main gates. Although pale, the sun shone bright, even if it did not warm as it should.

Still, Eva did not feel the cold.

How could she? Even through her winter cloak and thick winter dress, Eva could feel the warmth the Chief irradiated. Like a well fed furnace. Constant. Blazing. Comforting…

No, no, no. She could not be thinking about that. Where did her proper manners go? She tried to maintain as much distance between their bodies as possible, not believing how they were… touching, something completely unthinkable back home. In Gottesreich it wouldn’t be until their wedding day where they could leisurelyhold hands and become more intimate. But in Eldia? Not even a day and she was riding on the same horse! Astride!

Her riding teacher would be spitting fire at the sight, like those dragons from her books and legends.

But the Princess’s efforts to put some distance were in vain. The horse’s movement and stony path made Eva often fall back into the Chieftain’s chest, much to her dismay. Feeling the Chief’s shoulders slightly shake in amusement, at least trying to conceal it and not make Eva more self-conscious than she was, at her gasps when their bodies collided, made her even more vexed than she already was.

Her behaviour was being so improper! And he wasn’thelping.

The Princess tried to keep her mind out of this inconvenient situation by looking at the beautiful scenery in front of her. Yesterday she found it worthy of a painting done by the best court artists, even if she marvelled at it from inside her carriage and the caged view it provided, but now that she had the entire sight for her eyes to feast on? Breathtaking.

The pure white from the snow looked like an immaculate mantle, as if the softest of silks were draped over the entire expanse of land that it touched. The faraway mountains, covered in snow also, reminded her of those sweets from back home the cooks baked for her, the tops powdered with sugar. Eva spotted smoke coming out of the scattered farm houses chimneys, getting lost in the sky, and for a moment wished she could be there, enjoying the warmth of a fire.

Beautiful, calm, serene, elegant. That’s what this view told her. Blissful peacefulness.

It was contagious, and the stillness of the fallen snow lulled Eva into a sense of tranquillity. The Princess came to the conclusion that it was better and easier to accept that she will have to endure an entire ride on the Chief’s stallion mercy. Closeness included.

They kept a relaxed pace, not rushing the animals and being careful of the frozen puddles on the road. Back in Gottesreich, Flora would already have started to hum a song as they watched the scenery from inside their carriage, Eva eventually joining her and following the rhythm with their tapping feet. Eva caught herself just in time before she let out the first note, too enraptured with her own thoughts and memories and the rocking of the horse too, to notice how she was taking a deep chilly breath.

The Chief noticed the change of her posture, going rigid again, and the huge exhale of air she let out, trying in vain to conceal it. The eldian warrior misinterpreted it as the Princess getting bored out of her mind, and frowned, thinking about ways to entertain her. What could he do? He’d love to ask about a million topics, if they shared the same language; Erwin had always possessed a curious and inquisitive mind, and vividly remembers having his big nose buried in one of his father’s books. He still does, when he is able. But speaking leisurely with the Princess would come… he hoped. Preparations had already begun for it. But what else could he— ah! That might work.

Eva was startled by the Chief’s gentle tapping of his fingers on her arm, discreetly asking for her attention. The Princess saw the Chief’s massive arm cover her right side view, following his outstretched arm to where his finger was pointing at. Eva willfully avoided the thought of how their bodies were practically glued together, feeling his rumbling chest as he purred out some eldian words in her ear— at least for Eva, he waspurring out words in the shell of her ear, low enough for only them to hear it, just shy of a murmur. His voice had no right to sound that way, this close. Is this what awaited her, every day, for the rest of her life?

The Chief watched the tips of her ears reddening up further, knowing it was not the cold this time. Woops.He had to remind himself of how different their body languages were in their own respective cultures.

But Eva did look to where the Eldian Chief was pointing over, scrunching slightly her eyes and— oh!

“Cows!”

A smile found her lips upon seeing the gentle animals strolling around. Eva noticed how they were a different breed from what she was used to, just like the horses. Eva knew all the gottesreichan breeds, as she had been taught in her lessons, and had never seen the Eldian breed before even though she had read about it. They were absolutely adorable with the long coat of fur over their bodies, even when the long hairs covered their eyes, a beautiful mirage of black and honey brown over the snow. It still amazed the Princess how that breed of cows had such big horns.

Eva couldn’t tear her gaze away from them, transfixed. She did not notice the Chief discreetly looking at her, pleased he managed to communicate without words and show her something. He also found her smile beautiful— her brothers weren’t lying. Erwin’s eyes also found themselves with the expanse of her neck at his viewing pleasure, unguarded, soft, long, little hairs falling out of the perfect up braid and bun… it looked kissable.

No! No. Erwin, no.

Allthis had a meaning. A purpose. They had a plan and Erwin would carry it to perfection. No distractions allowed. Erwin made a promise to her brothers, had a deal, and whatever stray thoughts a lonely man had, would stay sealed deep inside.

Maybe if things had been different… If they had met in another way.

The Chief teared his eyes away, looking straight ahead with intent. Eva kept looking at the beautiful cows, wishing she could pet them and stop time for a moment.

It wasn’t too long until they reached the forest’s entrance, leaving behind the few scattered houses and their fields and cattle. Two massive obelisks, made of old and robust wood, marked the entrance. They had the same carved markings, or at least quite similar, as the ones from back in the village’s houses and Great Hall. The obelisks looked like they were put there a long, long time ago, judging by the rugged and chipped wood, the paint having washed and fallen off, only a few remains visible still, an ashen tone around the grooves and the moss covering them all over. They truly looked ancient.

The Chief led them through the obelisks, entering the forest. The path was wide enough that two horses could ride next to the other with more than enough space, even three in a more narrow fit, but the Chief rode first and alone, with everyone else following behind. The forest was quiet besides the sounds of birds and the horse’s hooves thudding on the snow, as well as the wooden cart creaking its way into the woods. Everything was covered in thick layers of snow, even the bushes from where the trees allowed the sky to show. The path was marked with short wooden stakes spread out unevenly along its sides, as if they had been an afterthought, deeply embedded into the ground. Some fell, others remained askew and bent or broken from nature itself.

They kept venturing further into the forest’s path, carefully avoiding fallen branches. Eva marvelled at the frondosity of the forest, as well as the massive sizes some trees had. The deeper they went, the bigger the trees grew in size and girth, as if nobody dared to disturb them for centuries. This was an old forest, for sure. Everything about it screamed ancient, that it had seen the rise and fall of many kingdoms. The thought of it made Eva feel as if she only was a small, brief being on this earth. A blink.

For a moment, still reflecting these feelings, Eva thought about how stupid wars were, when humans just had such a short period of time to be alive. Shouldn’t everyone be spending it by being happy? Rejoicing in life itself? Eva shivered, feeling tiny. Useless.

That’s when the Chief surprised her once again, feeling the hood of her winter cloak lift itself from her shoulders and be carefully set on her head, mindful of her braids and flowers. Then, he pulled his own open eldian cloak around them both, successfully sheltering the Princess.

Eva wanted to scream.

Instead, a gasp escaped her mouth.

This was scandalous! Eva found herself at the total mercy of the Chief’s whims and she was not happy about it, no escape, no way to put distance. Did he want a feel of what awaited him, behind closed doors once they were married? Was this a way to intimidate her? Show her how powerless, useless she was in his hands? The Princess wanted to bolt right out of the warm cocoon, as she reluctantly had to admit, she found herself in.

Don’t cause a scene, like a vulgar wench.

Her father’s voice echoed in her mind.

Are you a vulgar wench?

Cold eyes.

I didn’t think so. You are a princess, vulgarity is out of the question for someone like you.

Lips pulled down in a grimace.

Don’t bring a crude, disgusting attitude into this sacred Kingdom.

Nose flaring.

I will give you a reason to cr–

Eva cried for the entire day.

Deep breaths. That’s what she needed to do when she felt her chest squeeze itself in. Deep breaths. Think of your surroundings, what was there to see? Focus on it, what can you see?

I can see trees. I can see branches covered in snow. I can see the horse’s ears. I can see the path dividing into two. I can see a giant, leafless oak tree in the middle of the split path. I can see–

A blue glow flickered behind the thick and mossy tree trunks on her left. It was faint but powerful enough to be seen in daylight, and caught the Princess’ undivided attention. The glow of the light was gentle, placid, like the tender caress of the moon’s light on a starry night. Eva couldn’t help but to stare at it, transfixed, wanting to know what was the source of it. It was a beautiful light.

The faint blue glow slowly followed their pace, shining unsteadily as it went through the massive expanse of trees and bushes. Eva narrowed her eyes, trying desperately to see what that silhouette was. By the way it moved, it looked like a four-legged animal, like a horse or a deer.

Did nobody else see this?

Eva ventured a quick glance sideways towards the Chief, but his head was staring straight ahead, as if the glow was invisible to him.

Upon scrunching her sight further, the Princess realised it was a stag. An enormousstag. The antlers were unnaturally big, twisting and bending on themselves, forming a quite frightening shape.

What, in God’s name, was that.

The outlandish creature silently followed them, not making a single sound. Eva could only hear the hooves of their horses, some of them huffing, the cart creaking, the birds tweeting…

The stag suddenly stopped. Eva couldn’t stop staring, although something kept her on edge. Her grip on the Chief’s stallion crest and the saddle’s horn tightened, feeling the fabric of her gloves crack under the strain.

Eva just blinked once.

It was a flash, quick as lightning.

The stag had turned its head towards the Princess, and she could feel its gaze focused on her. The Princess held her breath, uneasiness gnawing every fibre of her body.

Eva blinked again.

Those eyes flashed in her mind. Big. Opaque. Dark blue.

Another blink.

Eva felt as if the creature charged towards her.

A strangled gasp escaped her lips, unconsciously throwing herself back in fear, hands grasping whatever was within reach, squeezing hard.

Blink.

The stag was gone.

The Chief quickly grabbed the Princess’ falling body, pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around her as the Chief hurriedly pulled the reins to stop his horse. The rest of the group did the same, stopping immediately upon seeing and hearing the ruckus. The Chief heard some of the men dismount, footsteps thudding on the snow. The Princess was frightened, as if something spook her on that side of the woods, and without thinking twice, the Chief moved her so she sat on her side, instead of astride the horse. Eva let him, pressing herself against his body, unaware of the hood falling from her head and some of the flowers falling down or getting crushed on the Chief’s chest. This way he could easily shield her of whatever danger may lurk behind the bushes and tree trunks. The Eldian leader looked at the point where the Princess had been staring, trying to find the source of it.

Nothing.

Levi appeared on his left side, his hands already on the hilt of his sword. He threw a questioning look to him, then glanced quickly at the Princess. Her face was pale. Levi frowned. The Chief answered him, nodding towards the woods as he spoke. Levi turned to face the same spot he was referring to, trying to see what scared the Gottesreichan Princess.

Nothing.

Prince Hans and Moblit approached them too, with Moblit asking his Chieftain what happened for them to suddenly stop. The Eldian leader told the same he did with Levi, and asked if the Crown Prince could help in inquiring further about it to his sister. Prince Hans nodded, slowly approaching them and gently placing his gloved hand on his sister’s ankle.

“Eva?”

Eva managed to rip her gaze away from the exact spot where the stag stood, looking down at her brother. The way her eyes were wide open concerned the prince.

“Did something happen?”

“T-there was– Big horns, it ran, it was– i-it stared at me and then it–”

“Eva, darling, breathe. Calm down, what was that you saw?”

Eva took a deep breath, gulped down the knot in her throat.

“I-I don’t know, I don’t know–”

“Did you say horns, your Highness?”

“I–” Eva’s eyes went from Moblit, to Hans and then to Levi, and the Chief too, all of them waiting for her response. Their awaiting gazes felt like hands squeezing her lungs and brains. The Chief’s thumb trying to reassure her felt scorching hot.

…Don’t cause a scene, like a–

She was causing a scene. She stopped the entire party because she got frightened over a… a stupid halucination, because her mind played tricks on her, for sure. Eva heard stress could do that to oneself, because that thing could not be real. And she wasstressed.

Yes, it had to be that. No mystical stags with massive antlers.

The three men saw how the Princess forced herself to compose and gather her wits as if a spell had been casted on her, as if she had not lurched back and almost fell in a terrified mess. A mask devoid of feelings. Hans knew who forced that “magic trick” on her, and clenched his jaw in anger.

With a fake smile, the Princess spoke, trying to control the quivering in her voice and desperately pushing away the image of the stag’s antlers charging at her.

“My deepest apologies for making such a ridiculous and nonsensical scene, my Lords.” You must think of me as a fragile, spoiled, useless– “It was not my intention to make the horses stop. I must have seen a branch moved by the wind or a wild animal.” Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Prince Hans was not buying it. He knew his sister, practically raised her, because Father’s “efforts” couldn’t be called parenting, so he perfectly knew when she was spitting out massive amounts of bullshit. But he waited until Moblit translated and the Eldian warriors nodded in acknowledgement, going back to their horses and away from Moblit’s earshot, to speak again to his sister.

“Eva,” he briefly squeezed his hand on her boot, catching her attention. “Tell us later what you saw, okay?”

“I didn’t–”

“Eva.” she involuntarily flinched, and Hans wanted to kick himself; he was often reminded how he looked like Father when he was angry, and he hated it. The Chief’s icy glare directed at him made the sentiment grow. “Eva, I’m not mad, I’m concerned. We cannot protect you if we don’t know what we are fighting against.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t want to be a bother as I am right now.”

“You are not being a bother, Eva. Don’t apologise for that.”

“I’m sorry– ouch!”

Hans flicked his finger on her knee.

“Stop saying sorry, you have nothing to apologise for.” Hans replied. Eva had unclenched one of her hands to rub her knee, pouting, and that made the Crown Prince let out an amused huff. “C’mon, we will talk later.”

“Okay.” Hans was relieved to see his sister’s soft smile timidly appear.

The Chief waited until everyone got back to their horses before he resumed the pace. He kept glancing to where the Princess had spotted something, and upon looking ahead to guide his horse, he recalled the legends and myths surrounding the Eldian woods, and in particular this area with the leafless oak tree.

This particular forest was known for the spirits inhabiting it, sometimes showing themselves. Maybe it was the first time the Princess encountered one, considering her Kingdom’s policy on magical creatures. He would need Hange and Moblit to explain the spiritual world further to her, knowing they were the true experts.

As they reached the bifurcation of the path, the Eldian leader led them to the right, leaving the oak tree behind and lining up to cross the river’s bridge. They were close to their destination, that enormous glade just after the river, where they could set the tent and lit a bonfire to shelter the ritual testimonies and his future bride from the cold.

His future bride.

Erwin looked down, searching for her face. He found the Princess still deep in thought, her gaze lost.

He would really have to inquire further about it, dissipate any fears about the woods to her. Spirits were not evil, curious and mischievous yes, but the forest’s deities were good-natured, amiable.

The Chief still had his arm wrapped around her body, his hand resting on her abdomen, reassuring, as they continued their journey, and he had no intention to take it back. Eva let him, needing to feel secure after her encounter with the glowing stag. The Chief knew she was still trembling in fear, and made no comment or movement of how her own hand was clutching his tunic, or how she curled up further, not wanting to look out at the woods again.

It was a silent message, clear as crystalline water.

Help me, I’m scared.

And when the Chief gently squeezed his hand, pulling her closer, if that was even possible, answered her silent cry.

I’ll protect you.

The Princess believed it as she still felt those dark blue eyes glued to the back of her head as they left behind the oak tree.

They arrived at their destination without any further incidents. The eldian warriors got off their horses first, already taking everything they needed from the cart to set a quick tent to protect their guests from the unforgiving eldian winter and cold. The Chief stopped his horse in the flattest surface he could see, and gracefully dismounted without first guiding the Princess’ right hand on the horn, then the left on the cantle when he had his foot on the stirrup and was facing her, so she wouldn’t fall when he moved down. Once happy the Princess was secure, the Chief’s feet thudded into a soft grass bed covered in a thick layer of snow.

The Chief looked down, seeing his own worn boots sunken in the snow. Nobody had disturbed that snowfall, maybe some animals, but it had accumulated from the past weeks of snowy days and nights. He then looked at the Princess’ feet, and doubted the Princess’ boots would be thick enough for the forest snow; if it covered half his foot, then it would surely reach her ankles easily, recalling how small she was compared to him on last night’s banquet dance.

His feet moved on their own, pushing and shoving the snow away to make a clear spot for her to stand on without wetting the thin leather; he would need to talk to the shoemakers of the village, and seamstresses and tailors also, to make some appropriate Eldian winter clothes for her, or else the Princess wouldn’t last a week without falling ill. Erwin had no doubts about Hange’s healing skills, but he was sure Friederich wouldn’t be pleased, to say it mildly.

Once he was satisfied and saw the deep green of the wet grass, Erwin looked up, finding the Princess staring at him and being caught red handed. The Princess quickly averted her gaze, embarrassed at her lack of decorum, and Erwin saw how her cheeks and ears flushed quite prominently. He tried to quell her anxiousness with a smile, moving closer to her and grabbing the stirrup so she could set her right heel on it, trying to make clear to her that he didn’t take it as an offense. The Princess let the Chief guide her, unconsciously tightening her grip on the horn of the saddle when the Eldian leader gently took her leather-clad ankle and made her put it on the stirrup. The Princess was reminded, once again, how massive this man was.

The Chief raised his left hand, signaling her to take it. Once she did, timidly posing her hand on his, and thinking he would only aid her to not fall flat on her face, the Chief surprised her by gently tugging her hand forward, on top of his shoulder, and making her body inevitably fall forward. Eva’s other hand had shooted onwards, joining the other on his opposite shoulder. The Princess let out a tiny gasp when she felt both the gravity do its job and the Chief’s hands grasp her waist, easily picking her up like she did on the banquet’s dance from last night, and easing her down on her feet right on the spot he cleared earlier. The Chief watched the flurry of skirts and cloak flow as she landed, reminding him of the summer snowflakes that bloomed in Spring. Even in her unfamiliarity of her environment, the Chief thought of her unconscious gracefulness elegant.

She really was small.

His hands felt like they were a perfect fit.

The clearing of someone’s throat brought them both back to the present, their little bubble being popped off. They both turned to see Levi impatiently waiting with his arms crossed, and in the distance, the Chief could see Friederich’s stare hurling dagger after dagger at him. Throwing an apologetic smile towards the Prince, because he knew it would be useless on his friend, the Chief let go of her waist as the Princess hurriedly withdrew her hands from his shoulders, as if she had been burned. Levi said something to the Chief, which he answered with his usual smile and cheeky retorts that made Levi want to smack him.

Both eldians kept talking while Levi walked towards the Chief’s horse, taking the reins and tugging the enormous beast with him, leaving the Chief to deal with the Princess. Said man turned to her, offering his arm like he did back at the village. Eva tightened her closed fists before forcing herself to unclench them, accepting the Chief’s invitation and letting him guide her back to the rest of the party.

Flora was already inside the tent, a dusting of red on her cheeks too as she helped ready the wooden folding stools, putting thick pelts on the stool’s fabric seat. Nanaba was fanning the beginnings of a fire, while Mike helped her by setting more logs nearby for when they would be needed, and making sure the smoke vent opening of the tent was secure and working. There was a table with various objects laid in it, going from bowls to sage sticks, a dark powder and other items that were going to be used shortly, to a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Moblit was conversing with Prince Hans, seemingly talking about the Eldian tent and how it worked, comparing it with the Gottesreichan ones. Friederich tagged along, but was absolutely ignoring the conversation in favour of watching the Chief and his sister come inside.

The Eldian warriors saluted their Chief and went back to their chores and preparations. Moblit took the cue to lead the Gottesreichan princes to their Chief, awaiting his leader’s signal to proceed with the marital ritual. They all waited until every single one of the preparations were done, so there would be no disturbances from now on.

Moblit explained the next step of the ritual, mindful to describe and illustrate each stage of it so it was clear to everyone and didn’t lead to any misunderstandings. Eva shivered at the mention of blood, not being very keen at the sight of it. From her culture’s perspective, this was truly barbaric. What did Father get her into? As Moblit finished, they began the ritual, not wanting to delay it further and kept exposing the Gottesreichan guests to the cold.

First, we must cleanse the betrothed of negative energy.

Nanaba took her cue, as one of the village’s priestesses, and walked to the table, taking the sage stick with her. She approached the fire and let the tip of the sage stick ignite, blowing on the flame so it would burn slowly. The smoke from the stick began to float around the tent, it’s minty scent reaching everyone present in it. The eldian warrior moved to where the Chief and the Princess stood, gently commanding them to stand in the proper way, with both their hands clasped together and facing each other. Eva’s heart made a leap, wanting to get out of her mouth at the closeness for the tenth time this day. What was it with Eldians and their need for… for proximity?!

This was not like the dance, where they parted quickly to follow the music. The Princess had to endure looking at those intense blue eyes, gazing back at her, and fight every single fibre of her being to not flee and hide herself behind a tree or anythingthat managed to conceal her. His stare was unnerving, not because he was looking at her in any unsolicited way, but because she was not used at all to look into a man’s eyes, sans her brothers, and now she had to.

Nanaba lifted the stick, the smoke following her movements and leaving a mystical trail behind it. She began speaking and chanting in Eldian with a beautiful and soft voice, reminiscing Eva of a gentle lullaby sung by doting mothers. Nanaba’s lips had a kind smile painted on them as she kept chanting and passing the burning sage around and between them. Every Eldian warrior present in the tent slowly joined in, their voices harmonically blending together. It was beautiful, otherworldly but enchanting in a magical way. Eva felt her tense shoulders slightly relax as the voices soothed her anxiety.

Flora looked mesmerised at the cleansing ritual. Back home this would be straight out heresy and sin, any sort of witchcraft more than strictly prohibited; it’s penalty was death. But it was impossible to look away, it bewitched you to maintain your gaze on it as if two hands gently guided your gaze and didn’t let go. The handmaiden didn’t have to look at her side to see the Princes being transfixed as she was, she knew. Who could look away from it?

As the chanting came to an end, slowly, kindly as before, the voices quieted down as Nanaba held the sage stick above their heads, closing her eyes with the finishing Eldian words. The Gottesreichan guests felt the immense urge to erupt into applause, almost feeling unworthy of having witnessed something so unique and private to their culture. Nanaba stepped back, leaving the burning sage to keep letting out its smoke in a stone plate as she prepared the next stage of the ritual.

Once cleansed, the bride must paint her groom’s ancestors marks to honour his name and household, so he may enter the challenge bearing his warrior’s marks.

Nanaba took a bowl and started mixing water, oil and the powder that had been carefully set before inside a leather pouch. With expert movements, she created the paint used for their body paintings and markings, that deep and rich blue Eva had seen on the warriors and the Chief upon arriving on Eldia. The paint looked thick as Nanaba lifted the stone pestle from the mortar, watching the blue liquid drip down.

The warrior took the mortar, leaving the pestle on the table on top of a cloth, and walked back to the Chief and the Princess. She was smiling at them both, giving Eva an air of tranquility and peace with her gentle movements and soft expression. Nanaba held the mortar in her hands, holding it a bit higher so the Princess had it easier to dip her fingers in. The Chief let go of her hands and Eva took them back, not wanting to think about his warmth. The Princess busied herself by taking off her gloves, the tips of her ears turning red in embarrassment when one of the gloves got stuck at a finger, her trembling hands not helping her one bit. Both Nanaba and the Chief waited patiently, not giving any signals of annoyance or disdain for her clumsiness, as she would have expected from Father. Finally, she got rid of the stupid glove, and before she had to turn back to look for a surface to leave them on, her handmaiden took the initiative and stepped forward, hoping she wasn’t intruding much into the ritual. Flora took the gloves in silence, far gone was her cheery and cheeky smile, replaced by a solemn and serious expression. Flora stepped back into her place beside the Gottesreichan Princes, carefully holding the expensive gloves in her hands.

Nanaba presented the mortar and Eva couldn’t be more lost than she was right now. She had to draw the warrior’s ancestor’s mark, but she had absolutely no idea what those were. The paintings he had yesterday on the Great Hall’s stairs? A stripe? Dots? Hand print? Eva looked at the mortar as if it held all the answers to her questions, desperately hoping it provided an answer… but it was just a stone mortar. Nanaba’s eyes widened in realisation, and caught the Princess’ attention by letting go of the mortar with one hand and lifting it to her own face. Eva stared at her fingers as they mimicked the lines she had to draw on the Chief’s face. Nanaba could see her relieved and profoundly thankful face, and was relieved herself too as it would have been quite disastrous and insightful of her to assume she would know them. Nanaba presented the mortar again and this time Eva lifted her own trembling hand to dip her fingers into the paint.

It was cold and thick, and undoubtedly got under her nails –Flora wouldn’t be pleased about that– but still, Eva let her fingers thoroughly dip into it, preparing herself mentally for having to touch the Chief herself. But, there was another problem.

He was too damn tall.

Eva couldn’t reach his face without struggling to do so, straining her arms and body to reach him more easily, so she did not know how to ask the Chief to bend slightly down, so she wouldn’t make an embarrassing mess of the job. Eva still had her fingers inside the mortar, debating herself how to do it without dripping excessive paint on the floor and on their own clothes. Taking a deep breath, Eva decided to try her luck. Lifting her fingers, she let the excess of paint drop back down into the mortar, moving them out of it when she deemed it safe enough.

The Chief didn’t stop gazing at her the entire time, patiently awaiting and enduring the ritual, and it only fueled her own nerves. What would he think of her if she made a disastrous mess? No! No, don’t let those thoughts in now, concentrate. Eva unconsciously bit her bottom lip, trying to quell the knots in her stomach, and completely obviated the way the Chief’s eyes quickly shifted down and back up. As she predicted, the Princess had trouble reaching his face, and inevitably watched a drop run down her hand and fall down, hitting his boot. Eva gasped, lurching back her hand and feeling her throat squeeze in itself. Oh no, no no no– this was terrible, catastrophic!Eva felt her lungs run out of air as her throat kept squeezing itself, feeling how her eyes stung and began to gather unshed tears.

Eva screwed up, she screwed it up badly. Was the stain permanent? Could she ask Flora for help in how to remove it? The Princess did not dare to look up at the Chief, knowing this would only end in punishment. Eva only hoped the Chief would be merciful to some extent, knowing she would have to pay for ruining his boots. Oh dear, this was bad. So bad. She couldn’t even do one single stupidtask, Father was right–

Eva’s blurry vision filled itself with the Chief’s body and concerned face, having knelt down to try to bring the Princess back from her spiral of dread. His hand tenderly touched her face, trying to make her focus on him. The Chief felt anger bubbling inside him, witnessing first hand, sadly, what the brothers told him about their Father and their little sister. This wasn’t a normal reaction, this was someone who expected severe physical punishment, someone who lived in fear. Dear Goddesses above, he wanted to punch that man.

The Chief tried to calm her down as one would do with a scared animal, executing slow and open-handed movements so they saw he meant no threat or harm. The Chief ventured a reassuring smile, his hand on her cheek not moving and forcing her to see how he was not mad. Erwin didn’t have to look behind the Princess to see everyone’s concerned faces, or the Princes ready to storm in –mainly Friederich– and secure their sister.

The Eldian leader moved her dripping fingers towards his face, letting go of her own delicate face, and still kneeling at her feet. Eva never wanted to disappear more than she did right now; not only was she a huge embarrassment, but the Chief had to kneel at her feet. No noble or royal would lower themselves down for a peasant or foreigner, and yet, this Chieftain did without thinking twice. The Chief closed his eyes, waiting for the feel of her fingertips on his skin as if he was a venerable knight awaiting for his Princess’ touch at the throne room. The Princess swallowed down, harshly, gathered what resolve she could and went back to the ritual.

Her hand was shaking, still not fully recovered from the scare, and involuntarily flinched her fingers when they touched his skin for the first time. The Princess scrambled to remember what Nanaba showed her: first, a wide stripe across his nose, from cheek to cheek. Eva willed her hand to move and felt her breath stutter for a completely different reason than her fear.

His skin was warm and surprisingly soft to the touch. The Chief did not move upon feeling her fingers run across his face, keeping himself perfectly still so she could do a perfect application. Eva watched mesmerised as her digits easily glided on his skin, eyes glued to how long and blonde his eyelashes were. Eva knew many noble ladies and princesses would envy him for being so naturally gifted. They fanned down his cheeks, and in this perspective and light, it made his cheekbones sharper and nose stand proudly on his face, and it went along with his bushy and thick eyebrows, something she couldn’t help but notice right away from him. Eva discovered the Chief had some faint freckles sprayed across his broad nose, undoubtedly from being exposed to so many hours a day in the sun, contrary to her who was always kept in the shadows. Even his blonde hair looked shiny and soft to the touch, not a single doubt in her mind that the Chief had taken care of bathing himself thoroughly for today.

Eva realised that the Chief was… handsome.

He possessed that beauty of men.

Eva noticed her fingers had run dry, like her mouth. Feeling her cheeks heat up, Eva turned to Nanaba, trying to distract her thoughts by dipping her fingers again in the paint. This time Eva felt more confident, seeing how the Chief was still patiently kneeling at her feet and completely trusted her. This time, too, Eva felt bolder, reaching for his face, hovering over his jaw, to help guide her own hand into an even line. Her fingers resumed the glide on the bridge of his nose, and gulled up all the small details and movements he made, like the controlled breath, how he unconsciously raised his head to her touch, the way his eyelids fluttered when he felt her fingers smooth down his other cheek…

Eva had never been this close to a man before.

Her heart thumped wildly at the realisation of it, how in her secluded life, she had never been next to a man that… intimately close. For a moment, Eva lost track of what she was doing, having her fingers hovering over his cheek. The sight of him swallowing and watching his Adam’s apple bob, snapped out of her trance. Lost, Eva looked back at Nanaba, who immediately caught up and showed her the next lines she had to make. Two lines on his left eye and cheek, and three to the right. Eva watched which fingers Nanaba used, replicating the same movements on the Chief’s face.

Her fingers gently stroked down his cheek, accidentally brushing the tips of her fingers on his long lashes. Eva felt and saw them twitch, and had an apology ready on her lips even though he couldn’t understand a single syllable of it. But seeing the corner of his mouth twitch up made the words get stuck in her throat. Was he enjoying this? Her clumsy and pathetic attempt? Did he find her mistakes amusing?

That dread and hollowing sensation in her mind and chest came back with a vengeance. Sucking a breath in, Eva continued on autopilot, finishing the other three stripes on the other side of the face. The Chief noticed the trembling on her fingers return, and once the markings were done, the Chieftain immediately opened his striking eyes, zeroing on the Princess and finding that anguished and anxious expression on her face again. In the distance, both of them could hear Nanaba speak and Moblit translate it for the foreigners, signaling it was time for the third part of the ritual.

Eva swallowed a whimper, having the Chieftain’s entire attention on her and not knowing what to make of it. Was he mad? Was he trying to intimidate her?

The Eldian Chief didn’t let Eva dwell much into her restless thoughts, taking her stained hand in his. It was sudden, and a tiny gasp escaped her mouth. Nanaba already prepared the basin with warm water to clean the fingers, and the Chief stood up to his full height, not releasing her hand. Testing the water first and deeming it acceptable, the Chief dipped the offered cloth that rested on Nanaba’s forearm, gently wiping the Princess’ fingers. He took most of the paint off, but would need a thorough scrubbing when they got back into the village. To finally get rid of most of the paint, the Chief submerged the fingers inside the water, letting the liquid melt the dried chunks of paint.

Eva watched the pigments disperse into the water, not daring to look back at the Eldian leader and feeling her cheeks blaze up.

The next step was blessing the weapon used for the hunting, a traditional Eldian bow used for this ritual. The groom had to hunt their prey using only that bow and arrows, a dagger only for if they needed to defend themselves if the occasion arose. Nanaba took the still burning sage stick, lifting it from the plate and passing it over the bow, quill and arrows. Then he motioned Eva to approach her, the Chief letting go of her hand and watching her walk to where Nanaba needed her to be. The eldian warrior passed the bow to Eva, instructing her to stand in front of the Chief as Nanaba said something in Eldian and passed the sage around and across them.

Eva could see how magnificent and a work of art this bow was. Completely black, big and with gold motifs on its wood of the same engravings all across the village. The Princess was used to the simpler ones, made of wood, leather and a string. This one was the masterpiece of an artisan, many hours and work poured into this superb piece. It was almost a shame it was going to be used, afraid of having a single scratch on its perfectly polished surface.

When Nanaba finished, she nodded at the Princess to offer the blessed bow to the Chief, who in turn got down on one knee and bowed, accepting the weapon. They repeated this step for the quiver and arrows, the Chief silently taking them in reverence.

Now, it was the fourth and final step of the ritual before the hunting began.

The bride must send off the groom, wishing him luck and for the Goddesses to bless the hunting.

And how was Eva supposed to do that? Did she have to wave goodbye as she watched him disappear into the woods? Say something? Do a certain thing? Her mind was racing, trying to find something suitable to do. Nanaba wouldn’t help her this time, since this was a step that the bride must do alone. Panic was taking over, her brain struggling to find something suitable to send the Chief off. So, as a mind in panic often did, Eva’s went blank, and did the first thing that came into mind.

She read about it in her secret books, blushing at the romanticism of it and thinking what would Eva do in the heroine’s place.

Well, now she knew.

Eva bent down, gently holding the Chief’s face in her hands and letting her lips touch his forehead in a feather-light, soft kiss, murmuring “good luck” into his skin.

That surprised everyone.

Including the Chief.

And herself.

The Eldian leader looked back at her with wide eyes and his mouth slightly open. This was completely unexpected. Now the groom had to answer the bride, and it was the Chief’s turn to have a blank mind. He should correspond her gesture.

The Chief took her hand again and lifted it to his lips, never tearing his eyes away from her and her flushed and embarrassed face. He saw the Princess’ cheeks redden further as she felt the soft press of his own lips on the back of her hand, and kept gazing at her as he stood up and saluted her with the Eldian salute, bowing while doing so.

Eva watched the Chieftain turn around and march towards the tent’s entrance, the Princess noticing how the tips of his ears had a red flush on them, too. He didn’t turn back, Eva watching his broad shoulders disappear outside the tent.

Now, they had to wait for him to come back.

Levi had busied himself into making tea for everyone. Their guests were seated on the wooden stools near the fire, keeping them warm. It had been quite a while since the Chief had departed, and Eva’s hand and lips still felt as if they had been set ablaze by the contact of their skins. Thankfully, nobody questioned her “sending off” or inquired further about it, but as Levi handed out a cup to everyone, Prince Hand turned to face his sister.

“Eva,” he did not want to spook her more than she already was. Hans knew Eva hated being the center of attention, and since her arrival she had only been on everyone’s sights. “About earlier, in the forest.”

The Crown Prince saw his sister visibly tense up.

Moblit kept an eye on the siblings.

“It was nothing.” Eva kept her voice low, not wanting to disturb anyone. She felt like a bother, having to be babysat by the Eldian warriors. Moblit explained how it would usually be the priestess, the bride and groom and witnesses from both sides of the betrotheds, one for each side of the family. So she had more than double of the necessary witnesses. Like a defenseless, useless child.

But she was.

You are nothing more than a pretty doll.

She was.

Your job is to stand still and obey.

“Nothing makes you almost throw yourself off a horse.” Hans pushed the issue, not wanting to let it go. Not yet.

Eva felt the grip on her tea cup tighten at his insistence, and trying to not answer the question just yet, Eva lifted it to her lips and took a sip, eyes casted down to the floor.

“The wind…”

“Eva, please.” Hans’s hand landed on her forearm, making Eva look at her concerned brother with guilt in her eyes. Hans knew his sister never truly showed her feelings or thoughts, always keeping them to herself so she would not be a bother. “I beg you. If there’s something out there, not only you are in danger, but the Chief is now that he ventured alone into the woods.”

Eva felt a pang of culpability and shame at how selfish she had been. Hans was right, the Chieftain could be in danger because of her own childish fears and stupidity. They all could be. Swallowing down a wet sigh, Eva looked at her brother with a regretful gaze.

“I saw a stag, but it was… unnatural. It… it glowed a blue light, as if it was made of light itself.” Eva awaited for a sneer, a laugh at her wild, immature imagination. Eva waited for her father’s eyes to pin her to the ground with disdain and disgust in them. But Hans frowned, concerned.

“A magical creature?” Hans hummed to himself, leaning back in his seat and taking back his arm, his hand absentmindedly stroking his well kept beard. A magical creature made more sense.

Gottesreich was under their father’s strict rule, and everyone knew how no magical creature could thrive in their Kingdom. Father made sure of it. Countless wars, countless battles and marches of their army into their territories to extinguish the heresy, the sinners. Countless resources spent on Father’s crusade. Hans had to admit at first he believed it. Father told him how they took mother away, how it was their fault. Father told him how they were dangerous, treacherous, dishonest and double-crossing. Father had to cleanse the world from them.

But seeing first hand how they, the Holy Kingdom of Gottesreich, were the true sinners and heretics, how they were the murderers of the innocent… Hans and Friederich would never forget the faces of those children. That was their breaking point. The start of their rebellion.

Eva had never been exposed to magic, always been taught to fear it and the creatures that used and thrived in it, so it made sense she was afraid of the unknown. But a small part of his brain whispered how the creatures were angry at them, rightfully so. They knew whothey were, wherethey came from. Gottesreich was a name they would spit on it, curse it, detest it.

“Magical creature?” Eva’s eyes widened in fear, the dark blue stare of the stag flashing in her mind. Father told them how they were blood-thirsty and traitorous beings. If that creature was in the woods… The Chief was in danger! “Brother, if that is true, then we must aid the Chieftain! That creature is going to–”

“My deepest apologies for intruding in your conversation, your Highnesses.” Moblit cut Eva’s anguished pleas. Hans and Eva turned to the eldian warrior. “But I think I must take part in it and clear up some misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings?” Prince Hans frowned.

“We are in the Old Forest of the Ancient Gods.” A chill ran down Eva’s spine. Ancient Gods? “This is a sacred place for the Eldians, as it is both the residence of the magical creatures and the start of our people, of Eldia. If Your Highnesses fancy it, I can explain in more detail about our deities and ancient history when we get back to the village after the ritual comes to its end.” Prince Hans nodded, quite interested in expanding his knowledge of their allies. “But, as I was saying, these woods gave us food and shelter when we needed it, and provided us with the sacred woods to make our homes.”

That explained the archaic looking pillars scattered on the village and in its houses, with their markings and engravings.

“We respect the ancient creatures living in this forest, and do not take what we are not allowed to. We aim to protect them as they protected us.” Moblit waited for the siblings to process his words, and took a moment to breathe. “Probably, the creature you saw, Your Highness, was the Guardian of the Forest. It is said it has an unnatural size and antlers that are as big as tree branches. It doesn’t often appear to guests, so it must have sensed you.”

“Is… is that bad?” She didn’t want to be sensed. She wanted to be left alone.

“Not precisely.” That didn’t really quell any fears in the Princess’ heart. “The Guardian is a curious creature, and has no ill intentions towards those who pose no threat.”

Moblit didn’t mention how The Guardian sensed rarities.

“I really don’t wish for a confrontation with anyone, specially… magical creatures, or old gods.” Eva fought every fiber of her being to not shiver at the thought of it. What would she be able to do, a mere defenseless human, against powerful beings?

“I’m sure The Guardian knows that well, Your Highness. They are wise.”

“Then…” Eva looked down at her hands, still gloveless and with a bit of a blue stain on her fingertips, clutching tightly the tea cup. “Why did The Guardian… charge towards me?”

“Charge, Your Highness?”

Eva felt a bolt of courage go through her body. Maybe this would answer some questions she had.

“The Guardian fixed its eyes on me, or at least it felt like it was doing that, and… and also as if he was looking deep inside on me, as if it was somehow searching for something. I felt… bare. Defenseless.” her grip on the cup tightened. “Then, The Guardian charged towards me, that’s why I almost fell from the horse. It… was as if I had been knocked down by a strong wind, breath leaving my lungs. Did I do something to cross it?”

Eva immediately felt as if she said too much, talked way too much than was strictly necessary. Her mouth had run off as if she was a charlatan. Where did her manners go?

The Princess refused to look up at her brother and the Eldian warrior, knowing how they probably found her lack of decorum distasteful, babbling so much. She kept her gaze on the tea, gently shining from the torches and fire.

“Ah…” Moblit took a pensive stance, going through the Princess’ words to find a suitable explanation. “Be at ease, Your Highness, I highly doubt you did something to raise The Guardian’s wrath upon yourself. As its name says, it’s the guardian of the forest, so they are cautious of newcomers. They are of the spiritual realm, so I don’t think I err by saying that he… actually looked into your soul.” Eva raised her eyes at the Eldian warrior, slightly nauseated at the thought of being looked at in such intimate and personal places where even herself couldn’t see, and unconsciously rubbed her hand on her chest. Moblit greeted her with a smile, which only increased Eva’s displeasure. “The Guardian deemed you worthy.”

“Then, what about the rest of us?” Friederich spoke up.

“The Guardian didn’t even see you as a threat.” Moblit didn’t even bat his eyes once, and kept his amiable smile.

Friederich didn’t know if to feel insulted or not. He opted to be comforted by the thought of it, considering the red staining his hands.

“Good to know, then.” Friederich crossed his arms over his chest, looking back at the fire.

“I hope this appeased your worries, Your Highness. I assure you The Guardian meant no harm, and I understand you might have been confused by its actions, since I… ah, know that you didn’t have many encounters with magical creatures.”

“Thank you kindly, Moblit. I do feel more at ease.” Lies.She was scared shitless.

“If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask me, Your Highnesses. I am here to be of as much help as I can be.” Eva forced herself to smile as an answer.

Hans asked Moblit something that was in his mind, his insatiable curiosity taking over, and Eva immediately removed herself from the conversation. The Princess took a sip of her tea, as if it would help her gulp down and digest the massive amounts of information she had just been fed right now. The mere thought of having magical creatures freely roaming the lands deeply unsettled her. Weren’t they dangerous, as Father said? Did the Eldians really trust those creatures? Was she, her brothers and Flora truly safe?

Nanaba appeared on her right, kneeling down and letting one of her hands gently rest on her wrist. She had a warm smile on her lips, reaching her eyes, and her demeanour and aura told Eva that under the warrior garments, she was a kind and sweet woman. Eva felt as if the Eldian warrior was trying to reassure her in some way, as if she understood completely what the conversation had been about. Maybe she knew Gottesreichan?

But with Prince Hans and Moblit’s voices in the background, the fire happily creaking, Flora’s quiet presence beside her and Nanaba’s gentle care, she let herself be persuaded into a more calm state.

Now all they had to do was wait for the Chieftain’s return.

It had been many hours since the Chief departed into the woods, the sun having moved from its position in the sky and changing the lights inside the tent, and with every hour that passed, Eva feared something happened to the man. Even if they just met and Eva couldn’t make out his character or intentions yet, she thought no-one should die alone in the woods.

Moblit and the other warrior’s nods reassured her the Chief was one of the best hunters of the village, no-one outbesting Levi in that matter, but the Chief was good. The marital ritual was an exercise of patience not only for the hunter, but for the one who awaited their soon to be spouse to come back. Still, Eva thought the Chief had been gone too long, and that worried her.

As Levi served the Princess another cup of tea, a distant sound could be heard from outside the tent. Immediately, the Eldian warriors stood to attention, looking at each other as they heard the sound repeat itself, now closer. The Gottesreichan guests looked at each other with mirrored confused expressions. Was something out of the ordinary?

Mike moved first, walking to the entrance of the tent and stepping out of it. Then they heard Mike let out another sound, as if answering the first one, and the Princess realised it was similar to bird calls, so inconspicuous to the untrained ears but useful for its users. The first call answered Mike back, and the giant warrior came back in to open the tent’s entrance and tie the fabric to the pole, securing a perfect view of outside.

It was as if time slowed down, holding their breaths, but everyone present inside the tent could see a massive silhouette slowly approach them. Everyone sprung into action at once, and Moblit’s gentle words could be heard amongst the ruckus of boots and cloaks, explaining to the Gottesreichan guests the next steps of the ritual.

The bride must welcome back the groom from their hunt. The groom will present their hunting piece to his betrothed–

Nanaba came by the Princess’s side and urged her to leave the tea and stand up with her, making her walk to the entrance itself. The Princess stood, frozen, at the very edge of the tent, and she could feel the winter breeze caress her face, the warmth of the fire behind her back.

Then she saw him.

The Chieftain was back. Safe and with the prize.

He succeeded.

Eva didn’t know she had been holding her breath, but as the Chief neared the tent, Eva released the burning air out of her lungs.

His hair was disheveled, no doubt from the little bouts of wind, but overall he appeared unscathed. Eva’s eyes widened upon realisation of what he was carrying on his robust shoulders: a massive stag that surely weighed like three cows without the antlers. If Eva could, she would laugh at the irony of that.

The Princess could see his muscles bulging from the strain of carrying such an enormous animal, and she instinctively swallowed down at the sight of her soon-to-be husband when the wind picked up and opened his Eldian cloak, flapping behind him. Her mind was a garbled, confused mess. Was this what she would see, everyday, from now on?

But his eyes were burning. Eva felt herself be pinned down by them, by their determination and purpose. If Eva had been one of her forbiddennovel’s heroines, she would have fainted at the sight of a big, barbaric strong man coming her way. Instead, she willed her legs to hold her up and patiently await his arrival. She still had a role to play in this ritual, as Moblit said earlier.

The Chief stopped in front of her, heaving from the effort, but exchanged no words, only his hypnotic blue gaze. Eva watched, with her own eyes wide open, as the Chief eased down the stag to the snow covered ground with the utmost care, and not even breaking his eye contact with her. The Eldian leader presented his hunting piece and kneeled down, awaiting the next step the Princess had to carry on.

–and the bride must take out the sacred arrow from the hunting piece. The bride must show it to the witnesses as proof the groom succeeded in the trial.

Just the mere thought of it made Eva want to bolt back inside the tent.

The Princess willed her legs to move forward, her boots thudding on the snow. The Chief patiently waited for her to come, quietly regaining his breath. Eva gathered her skirts, lifting them slightly as she courtly bowed before the stag and the Chief, hoping that would suffice as a welcome back. He didn’t move, so she thought it worked.

Eva approached them slowly, as if she was desperately gathering all her will and resolve to do the next part. The Princess kneeled down herself too in front of the animal, eyes glued to the beautiful black and gold arrow embedded in the stag’s thick neck. Her hands couldn’t stop trembling as she raised them, and involuntarily flinched when some of her fingers brushed the still warm skin. The Princess released a stuttered breath as her hands neared the arrow. Then, she stopped there, unable to move further.

The Chief’s hands appeared in her vision, gently wrapping his gloved fingers around her own hands, guiding them into the proper position. His touch was reassuring and Eva’s eyes quickly flashed up to the Eldian leader. He was solemn, but not cold. He didn’t seem disappointed, either. The Chief nodded towards their hands, showing Eva how she must pull out the arrow. Releasing a deep breath, Eva wrapped her fingers around the arrow, the other one setting next to it on top of the skin. Press and pull. She could do this.

Press and pull.

Eva did not want to think about the skin pulling up with the arrow head, or the blood trickling down as it moved upwards, but she had to do it. The faster she did it, the sooner she would be out of that situation.

Press and pull.

Inevitably pulling her lips into a grimace, biting them afterwards, the Princess pulled the arrow out with all the strength she could muster. The squelch was sickening and Eva wanted to lurch and vomit the tea she had just been drinking. Her hands sprouted back into a shaking and she could not tear her eyes away from the droplets of blood falling down the arrowhead into the white snow, staining it.

The Chief’s hands curled around her face, tearing her gaze away from the blood and into his concerned blue eyes. Eva felt her breathing harden, her lungs squeezing on themselves, but the Chief managed to keep her grounded enough to not faint. The Eldian leader managed a tiny smile, as if he wanted to show her how proud he was of her, or that’s what Eva would like to believe. He nodded towards the tent where the other Eldian warriors awaited the proof of the groom’s success. Eva assented, getting back up on her feet with the Chief’s help. He even brushed off the snow off her dress and patiently waited for the signal to come in.

Eva clumsily turned around and walked towards the entrance, so mechanically she wanted to slap herself in shame. Her hands tightened around the arrow, willing herself to calm down, for God’s sake.

Nanaba was the first to greet her with a kind smile. She looked down at her hands as Eva presented the arrow, and her smile widened when she saw that the Chief, indeed, succeeded. Nanaba turned around, making Eva step forward and present the arrow to everyone else. The female warrior said something in Eldian as she did so, and everyone relaxed immediately. Eva quickly ventured her eyes to look at her brothers and handmaiden. She hoped her eyes screamed out her message: I want to go home already.

Thankfully Nanaba made her turn around to face her and made her close her fingers around the arrow, pressing it to her chest. She had to keep that arrow, as Moblit said earlier when explaining the next step.

The bride must carry the arrow in her hands home, showing it to the village as proof, also, that the marital ritual was a success and the Goddesses bless this union.

The arrow was going to be hung in the house walls she would share with the Chief soon, since it would become some sort of talisman or charm for their union. Eva didn’t know if she would get used to the sight of it, but hoped she would manage to look at it fondly one day.

Nanaba went to the entrance, seconds later the Chief himself entered the tent with his heavy boots thudding on the ground. The Eldian warriors solemnly saluted him and he answered with a nod.

“The ritual was a success.” Moblit’s voice announced to the Gottesreichan guests. “The Goddesses have blessed the start of their journey together.”

It was official then. They would marry in two months.

The journey back to the village was spent in silence too.

The Eldian warriors had carried and s

She’s flipping the bird at some MPs for sticking their noses where they don’t belong. I just see people being super confused and asking too many questions, until Eva has enough and settles the matter. With kisses. And lipstick

Also Erwin’s mouth being smudged with lipstick is my religion. Red looks good on him B)

(I was so tempted to name the file “The Commander and his two gremlin lovers”. So tempted.)

The Queen of Demons 4/?

Pairing: Erwin Smith x OC, Levi Ackerman x OC

Rating: Mature (the rating will go up as the story advances! But it will totally be explicit ;D I even have some smut chapters already half written woooo! But right now just in case)

Warnings: None for now, but sexist and misogynist upbringing (Eva’s father is a huge asshole).

Word Count: 8885

ALSO POSTED ON AO3

A/N:FUCKING FINALLY. I was so stuck and had a severe writer’s block, but here it is! Part 4! I feel like my writing went down a bit but I hope to make up for it on the next one. Finished, not perfect! I hope you enjoy this one and were we can see a bit more of the vets and the 104 kids ôô

CHAPTER 4: WINTER BLOOM

The pale morning rays of sunlight woke the Princess up, mumbling and turning to her side. Eva heard the distant chirps of birds flying by, as well as the sounds of the village being already busy. The neighing of horses, carts being pulled around, setting up the shops, the rooster screeching…

Wait.

That’s not what she usually woke up to.

Back home she only heard the birds and some maids, especially Flora when she would come barging in and opening the thick curtains of her windows, letting the sun hit right in Princess’ face as she knew how much Eva despised being woken up like this, hollering: “What–”

“–A great morning this is, your Royal Sleepy Highness!”

Ah, there she was.

Eva attempted a reply but curled up further into the duvet and blankets.

“Oh c’mon, Princess! We’ve got a busy day today! Lots of exciting things!”

“Exciting for you.” Eva mumbled covering her head with the thick bedding.

Flora snorted, rolling her eyes. Without any kind of remorse, Flora grabbed the end of the duvet and blankets and unceremoniously pulled them off the Princess, enjoying the irritated groan she let out as Eva tried to blindly find something to cover herself with.

“Rise and shine!” Flora said in a singsong, stepping out of the Princess’ reach as she tried to kick her leg.

“How can you be so happy and chirpy so early in the morning?” Eva gave up, sighing and rolling out of the oddly comfortable bed; Eva fell asleep earlier than she anticipated.

“Oh, spare me the dramatics! We gotta get you to eat breakfast and prepare you for—“

“I’m not hungry.”

“Yeah, sure thing Princess, as if you don’t gobble up like a duck when you are nervous.” Flora handed Eva her robe, guiding her to the bathroom where a basin already filled with water and a cloth awaited her.

Once her morning routine finished, Eva padded to the living room where breakfast had been already served. It smelled heavenly.

“I don’t gobble like a duck.” Eva sat down, huffing displeased.

The Princess served herself some warm bread, eyeing the jams and butter with a watering mouth. Flora set a steaming cup next to her before sitting down in front of the Princess.

“Sorry, not coffee yet.”

Eva sighed.

The Princess cut some more bread for her handmaiden, sharing the spreading knife after she was done with it. On the first bite Eva hummed, satisfied with the taste and texture. Freshly baked bread was the absolute best. Flora leisurely poured sugar over the butter, her smile widening at the sugary mess. Eva frowned, chewing.

“It’s still a wonder how your teeth haven’t rotten out yet.”

“Ah, family thing for sure!” Flora took a heartly bite of the sweet monstrosity in her hands. “Gramps still has his teeth intact and covers everything in sugar when he gets his hands on some.”

Eva’s lips curled into a grimace.

“I love sweets but I don’t think that is healthy.”

“You just don’t appreciate the flavour.”

“I sincerely doubt there’s any flavour left in that.” Eva nodded towards Flora’s loaf of bread.

The handmaid shrugged, biting down on it and making a show just to irk the Princess further. Eva exaggerated a gag which made Flora giggle.

Three knocks on the heavy wooden door announced the Eldians coming to pick her up. Eva sighed as she watched Flora stand up from the chair next to the Princess and walk to the door, opening it with a short bow and a smile. Eva sat straighter as the looming and bulky figures of the Eldian warriors came into her view, entering the lodgings provided temporarily for her and her handmaiden. They were the same as yesterday, the giant called Mike, the female warrior that caught her attention, Nanaba, and another man Eva couldn’t remember the name right now.

The three warriors bowed, Nanaba and the other warrior waiting right next to the open door as Mike approached her. The giant warrior waved to the door, the message of “you have to go outside” quite clear in his movements. His face did not give away any of his thoughts, keeping a neutral expression as he watched the Princess stand up and follow him, Flora right behind her with giddy steps.

Flora should have been born a Princess or a noble, her happy and open disposition towards everything and everyone would win anyone over, as well as the way she found happiness in the little things of life. How Eva wished she had Flora’s positive mindset.

“Alright, ready for your big day?” the handmaiden asked in hushed whispers, something both women mastered from years of court banquets.

“Of course not. I want to run right back inside.”

“You’re such a big—” Flora was cut off by Eva’s gasp.

Flora raised her eyes just in time to see the giant warrior leaning way too close to the Princess’ personal space and… sniff. The Princess had turned around, disbelief and stupefaction etched on her face at the nerve this big, brute man had to go sniffing people without… without their consent. Eva found it uncouth, impolite, and her cheeks blazed in indignation.

Mike leaned back, humming, pleased at something Eva wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Nanaba immediately chastised the big man, kicking his leg and nagging at him as he shrugged, crossing his arms and looking slightly guilty. At the scene unfolding right outside the house, people began to stop and watch, and Eva felt her blood run cold at the sound of the Chief’s laugh coming from down the stairs. Hans and Friederich were already there, and the youngest of the two brothers was about to march upstairs, his displeased frown deepening. The Chief nodded to Moblit, motioning him to rush to them and clear misunderstandings. Levi rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue.

“Your Highness, please accept our deepest apologies.” Moblit hastily bowed, an apologetic smile in his lips. “Mike here has this habit of… uh, sniffing people.”

“Is he implying I smell?” Eva’s mouth was pulled into a tight line. Flora did not spend as long as she did grooming her and using those soaps and perfumes Eva loved for this man to mock her handmaiden’s efforts. Besides, she kept her hygiene up to date, thank you very much.

“No! Not at all, Your Highness. Mike has a great and sharp sense of smell, like a… ah, what’s the name… ah, wolf! Like a wolf, and although I do concede that it may be considered rude, he just does it from force of habit.”

Eva raised her brow skeptically.

“He meant no disrespect, Your Highness. It’s his way to say that he uh… he welcomes you.” Moblit ventured a quick glance towards the man in question, muttering something as he almost imperceptibly nodded towards the Princess with wide impatient eyes.

Mike huffed, but muttered something back to Moblit in a deep voice. Next to him, Nanaba nodded, pleased.

“He apologises, Your Highness, and compliments you.” that piqued Eva’s curiosity. “He says you smell comforting, of lavender and honey. That’s something he appreciates, with his sharp sense of smell he can easily get overwhelmed by strong scents.”

“Ah, that must be troublesome.” Eva turned to face Mike and inclined her head. “My apologies for acting harshly.” But Eva still thought her response was totally justified. A warning beforehand would have been nice, and she still had her pride.

Mike answered with one curtly bow of his head of his own.

“Indeed.” Moblit decided the issue was resolved and lifted his arm towards the Chief and the Gottesreichan Princes, watching the whole ordeal with amused expressions sans Friederich. He still looked murderous. “Please, after you, Your Highness.”

That shocked Eva. Normally back at Gottesreich she would walk behind the men and respectfully listen to whoever was talking, and even after visiting other countries, that rule still applied, or maybe they weren’t willing to go against Gottesreich. Either way, Eva was taught to never disrespect its citizens and rulers when visiting foreign kingdoms from her brothers, and the Princess always willed herself to follow the Kingdom’s culture and customs out of respect, despite what her father said on more than one occasion. Her brothers taught her to be respectful, and she would not ignore them, and even less be an embarrassment for her brothers. Summoning with all her will a composed mask on her face, Eva dared to take the lead and walk down the snow covered stairs to where her brothers and Chief awaited. Flora walked right behind her, always keeping a watchful eye to her skirts and cloak, in case they may get in the way.

The crunching of her steps on the snow were deafening for the Princess. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. She was used to having all eyes on her, from courts and dances and banquets, from nobles and princes trying to win her father’s good graces, but having the people of Eldia stop and observe every single move she was doing felt suffocating. One slip and she was probably doomed in their eyes.

Eva stopped right in front of the men, bowing respectfully.

“Good morning, my Lord. Brothers.” Moblit’s voice softly translated for the Chief, who didn’t take his eyes away from her the entire descent.

The Chief returned the greeting, bowing as well.

“I hope you had a pleasant sleep, your Highness.”

“I did. Thank you, my Lord.” Eva did not find the need to tell him how she tossed and turned around, her mind restless, musing over yesterday’s events –his touch– or how she missed her pillows back at the palace. The Chief seemed pleased, although there was a glint in his eyes that he most certainly caught the lie. Damn it.

“If there is anything we can offer to help you get settled and to further accommodate you, please do not hesitate to say so, your Highness. I understand it may be unpleasant being so far away from home and your people.” Eva was slightly taken aback at how the Chief seemed to be understanding of her situation, contrary to what she had heard and been told a husband would be once she married. The Princess didn’t want to let her hopes up in case the fall was to be harder than it would already be.

“Thank you for your consideration, my Lord. I will do so in case I need it.” Eva knew she wouldn’t say a thing, her stubbornness always playing against her favour.

The Chief seemed pleased enough with her answer. He turned slightly so he was facing the three Gottesreichan siblings, addressing the rest of the foreign party as well. Moblit translated for them all, and Flora managed to contain her excited hops when the Chief officially announced the start of their walk around the village.

Much to the Princess’ dismay, the Chief had offered up his right arm for her to hold on as they began the tour, an encouraging smile on his lips as if saying “go on, I will not harm you”. Eva had hoped her brothers would keep him distracted enough so she could trail behind and listen, observing her surroundings, but no such luck. It seemed like here in Eldia they weren’t as reticent of closeness as they were in Gottesreich, and women were treated differently.

The Chief was still as big and massive as the Princess remembered from yesterday’s banquet, thinking it was her own nerves and wine that exaggerated her memories, but the way her hands had trouble meeting on the Chief’s arm told her otherwise. The Eldian leader kept a slow pace, mindful of his companion and her shorter legs, as he began explaining their village and the way it was structured.

The Eldian architecture was entirely different from the one used in Gottesreich, as well as the distribution of the village itself. Where Eva was used to narrower streets with houses sharing walls, clustered, messy (although the closer to the castle, the better were planned the streets and districts), mossy cobblestones, puddles around the corners with barrels and wooden crates, the townspeople walking as merchants and shopkeepers yelled their offers to the passersby, pennants hanging from side to side of the streets with the Kingdom’s colours… Here in Eldia the streets were wider, the buildings lower in height which gave a sense of the town being less claustrophobic since you could easily see the scenery and the sky. Wooden fences, dark roofs made of slates, the streets made of the earth itself with grass heartily growing on both sides and wooden planks on the floor to help create a more visible path on certain parts, but one could clearly see the cart’s marks as well as the horses pulling them.

Although everything was covered in thick layers of snow, Eva had no doubts it would be a magnificent sight in spring, with the imposing mountains surrounding the village and the vast fields littered with the farmer’s homes composing a picture deserving of a painting. It was rurally beautiful. Different, more primitive, if she took into consideration her own Kingdom’s ways, but efficient. The Princess was sure this level of coordination would not be able to be achieved without years of honing this lifestyle, and it honestly intrigued her, her curiosity piqued. Eva hoped this curiosity and wonder for the novelty wouldn’t disappear quickly and would stay with her until her situation was more bearable, or grew accustomed to.

Moblit’s gentle voice guided the Gottesreichan guests through the Chief’s explanations, looking at the direction where the Chief pointed with his free hand while speaking, often stopping to further go into details about their dwellings, their storage facilities and barns, the marketplace with the villagers already busy with their daily chores. The town’s market was lively and uniquely beautiful, wooden stalls standing proud with all the goods on display. There was all kinds of variety, going from food to parchment and candles and clothes, to jewelry or tools for butchers or farmers.

The Princess’ heart thumped wildly on her chest, trying her hardest not to show her rising panic at the fact that she was walking around the village on the Chief’s arm, having everyone’s eyes on her as they kept their tour. The villagers stopped their chores midway to stare at them, whispering and chattering as they went through. Some respectfully greeted their Chieftain, mostly the warriors patrolling the streets doing a particular salute upon seeing them, but the villagers smiled and bowed, the children present doing the same as they tried to contain their laughs while not being able to keep their eyes off the scene in front of them. The Chief continued their walk after answering the greetings.

An excited giggle, followed by a shriek of what sounded like a name, startled the guests and their hosts, even. The Gottesreichan soldiers took a defensive stance, ready to pounce on the source of it as well as attack if necessary; their priority was defending the monarch’s lives at any costs. Eva couldn’t help the scared jump her body did upon hearing the childish laugh and running steps on frozen ground getting nearer, gasping loudly in fear and tightly clutching the Chief’s arm with her tiny hands as she unconsciously leaned on him, seeking protection.

The Chief was ready to make her stand behind him and face the attacker, but stopped immediately upon seeing it was one of the children from before. The boy had rosy cheeks, the colour intensified by both the running and the cold, and probably the excitement too, and had a wide smile that was missing a few teeth. The kid was holding something in his hands, hidden behind his back, and with the eagerness of a child waiting for the exact moment an adult would pay them attention to show them what they got in their hands, the little boy almost shoved his possession to the Chieftain and the Princess.

Once he saw what the boy had in his hands, the Chief visibly relaxed, shoulders shaking in silent amusement at how a little kid got the best of them all. The Princess still looked uncertain, clutching and pressing herself into him. Eyes wide and breath a little bit short, Eva looked down at the kid’s hands. He was holding a… flower?

A flower in the middle of winter? How was that even possible?

The kid kept his eyes on the Princess, urging her to take his present with quick words and lifting his hands further up, his smile widening. Eva thought herself of a stupid fool. How could she have been scared of a child? What harm could he do? Unless… No, unless nothing. This was a little boy offering a flower, a beautiful one that Eva had never seen before. Father would not tarnish the good intentions of a child.

Upon not having, still, immediate response from the Princess, the kid hopped on his spot, irremediably making Eva show a timid smile; she could never resist a toothy grin and sparkling eyes.

One look at the mother told Eva how this was not planned and how the kid had ran off on his own volition. Everyone on the street stopped dead on their tracks and silently watched the exchange, not even daring to breathe. The mother’s wide eyes jumped from the Princess to the Chief, then to his child, not knowing if she should run and apologise to their guests or wait and have faith in their leader and his soon to be wife.

Eva understood quickly this was to be a decisive moment for her and her stay in Eldia. One wrong movement that led to misinterpretation could be beyond disastrous. She had to be good, she had to fulfill her duty and be a good wife and—

Eva took a deep breath. Focus.Don’t succumb into panic.

Fighting her burning cheeks out of her own embarrasment, Eva let go of her almost deadly grip on the Chief’s arm and faced the little boy alone. Keeping her smile on her lips, Eva approached the child with small steps, stopping right in front of him and elegantly folding her gloved hand on top of the other. The kid kept talking at a dizzying speed, and when he noticed how the Princess furrowed her brows in confusion, while still maintaining her smile, he understood not a word he was saying reached her.

Humming to himself while thinking hard, the kid’s face illuminated itself when an idea came to him. He hastily pointed to the flower and then to the Princess, practically shoving it in her hands. Eva looked down and then up at the kid, pointing at herself with a questioning look. The child nodded effusively, shoving the poor flower again.

Eva couldn’t help the soft chuckle upon his enthusiasm, never being able to resist a kid. The Princess took it, making sure to do a slightly exaggerated bow, lifting slightly the skirts and careful enough to not crumple the flower, so the little boy understood her gratitude. The kid happily ran back to his mother, skipping and laughing as he began talking at that incredible speed while his mother looked beyond relieved. Eva did a curtly bow to her too, trying to show the mother no offence of any kind was taken.

Returning to the Chief’s side, Eva brought the flower to her nose. She always did that whenever she came by one, out of habit, and was surprised by the faint but sweet fragrance it emitted. Eva would have to ask about them, knowing Gottesreich did not have any flowers blooming in winter.

Just when they were about to resume their walk, more excited giggles and shouts could be heard. Other children ran away from their mothers and fathers, holding the same flower in their tiny hands. Eva found herself surrounded by eager eyes and smiles, shoving their flowers up so the Princess would pick them up too. Some would tug at her cloak so she would pick theirs first, others jumping on their spot, other’s patiently waiting their turn as they marvelled on the fabric and embroidery of her pale blue winter dress.

The Princess ended up with a small bouquet of flowers, the children shouting and running happily back to their parents once they delivered their gifts. She did not know what to do with them now, and frantically looked at the Chief and her brothers, then to Flora when her siblings had confused expressions, for a clue. The Chieftain had an amused glint in his eyes, but half his mind was busy thinking about something. Finally, Flora took pity on her Princess and walked up to her with a smile on her lips.

“Let’s show off those gifts, shall we, your Highness?”

Flora expertly secured the flowers on the Princess’s up braid, the pure white and calm blue of the flowers an unexpected but welcome complement to the Princess’s own choice of wardrobe. Moblit later explained, upon inquiring about the flowers herself, that they were a special kind of flower that bloomed on their woods only during the cold season, earning the name of “winter miracle”. It also symbolized the welcoming of new people into their tribe, as its sister in the warmer weather.

Eva was touched, knowing not that those kids wanted to welcome her upon hearing she was to become one of them soon. The Princess only wished the adults would have the same feelings towards her.

Thankfully the walk around the village suffered no more incidents and surprises, and Eva was able to delight herself on the market and what it had to offer; she definitely had to go there often and take her sweet time. The quills looked absolutely exquisite, and those were the famous travelling books she heard so much about! Even the jeweller had a beautiful selection of earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings that the Princess had no idea the Eldians were capable of such craftsmanship. She particularly liked the brooch with the silhouette of a bird resting on a golden branch, the gold of the bird expertly mixed with beautiful midnight blue gemstones, resembling feathers. Also the hairpins! They were absolutely marvelous. The jeweller himself was both pleased and proud that the Gottesreichan Princess liked his products.

Their next destination amazed and terrified the Gottesreichan guests.

Eldia’s military prowess was legendary, and right now, they had its base and core right in front of them. The training grounds were a massive expanse of terrain, with barracks, thoroughly used wooden dummies, racks full of well-cared training weapons of all kinds, archery ranges, horse-riding training fields… and each and every single space was filled to the brim with warriors and trainees.

It was frightening to see how Eldia’s army was composed of perfectly trained warriors with wide expertise in the arts of combat. Not a movement wasted, not a single error in the placement of their feet to maintain balance. Strength, power, endurance, knowledge— every skill needed to become a perfect warrior, it was taught here in the massive training fields.

The Chief walked them right through the training grounds, nodding towards the warriors and fresh trainees who ceremoniously saluted him and the entourage he was leading. It was the same salute the Gottesreichan guests had seen in their entire walk around the unexpectedly gigantic village: right hand closed in a fist over their hearts, left hand on the back, and a proud stance full of tenacity and devotion. The newest recruits surprised the royal siblings, full of young faces who couldn’t be older than 15, but with a fierce determination to learn and to prove themselves. All sizes, shapes and forms– if you were up to it, were ready to go through an intense training, it did not matter who you were: a farmer’s son, a baker’s daughter… if you dedicated your heart, trained hard and understood what values had an Eldian warrior, what a life meant, you were fit to become one.

They stopped to observe the fresh batch that just started training a few months back go through a hand to hand combat. The instructor, a tall and intimidating man, bald with prominent wrinkles on his forehead and very notorious dark circles under his eyes, yelled out orders to the recruits. Some flinched, some fought every fibre of their beings into not taking a step back –a few of them failing–, but some stood their ground with confident and resolved stares, bearing down the drilling of the grim and frightening man.

Upon seeing that their Chief, the veteran warriors and the Gottesreichan guests where watching them, the recruits swallowed down their fears and tried to impress their leaders and royal guests, trying to make a good and fearsome impression of what the Eldian training grounds and warriors were made of. Punches, kicks, throwing the opponent on the floor… the field became a controlled battlefield of snarls, growls and frustrated shouts that developed into determined grunts. The recruits’ clothes soon became soiled by a mix of sweat and dirt, as a result of their vigorous and energetic try of today’s exercises.

The Princess did not dare to voice it aloud, in fear of her thoughts being perceived as a critique and direct attack on the Eldian ways, but her heart shrank inside her chest at the sight of what must be the smallest, tiniest of the new recruits, a blonde girl with wide blue eyes like the sky above, go against a trainee twice her size. Eva involuntarily clenched her hands in apprehension on the Chief’s arm, eyes not able to look away from the imminent tragedy. She was too tiny to be there! That poor girl was surely to be beaten into a pulp, taken advantage of the fact that she was much weaker, much more smaller–

A large hand squeezed her tightly clasped ones, making the Princess tear away her concerned gaze, even if she thought it was impossible for her to do so, to look down and see the Chief’s one bury her own. The Princess immediately searched for the Chief’s eyes, surprised at how he was already gazing down on her and had a small reassuring smile on his lips, nodding towards the training field. Eva looked straight ahead, just in time to see the petite girl dodge and deliver a solid punch to her opponent, making the cadet stagger backwards and clutch their stomach in pain. It was still far from being perfect and devastatingly powerful, as Eldians were known for, but it was good enough for a start and for the tiny warrior’s size. A small breath of relief released itself from the Princess’ lungs.

It still shocked Eva to the core to see women amongst the military ranks and files of Eldia, and nobody questioning it. Apparently there weren’t any kind of laws to forbid them to enlist, or to do any other job that back in Gottesreich it was meant only for men. How could they do it? How could those brave women endure it? Eva had always been taught how them, the lesser, weaker sex, could not what a man could do, just because God said so in his holy words. Father was the High Priest of Gottesreich, Father preached the word of God, the Holy Scriptures, that he made memorise Eva the moment she began her intense training as the third Princess of Gottesreich. It was so deeply ingrained in her mind that the mere thought of thinking herself above a man and their role made the Princess want to get on her knees and beg for forgiveness from her God.

How far did the dissimilarities run between their nations? How could Father entrust her with his desire to enlighten the Eldians into the correct, pious path? Just the simple thought of questioning her husband-to-be and his ways chilled her entire body and soul. She just… couldn’t. Her father’s will confused Eva.

But still, deep down inside her, locked down and not even daring to let it see the light, she couldn’t help but to… envy them. Envy their freedom of choice, of options, of life. Could she ever be like them? Aspire to have their wide range of choices? Alternatives? Could she choose her own path? She had been taught since she was a little girl that she would spend her life in a home, with her husband and a child in her arms. Not travelling, not expanding knowledge, or meeting new people and cultures… Everything Father and the Governess told her reminded little Eva of a bird cage. Pretty, comfortable, enough to see what was beyond the bars… but a cage.

She learned to accept her fate quickly, not daring to cross Father ever again in her life.

Eva knew she was born in a privileged home. A castle. A Princess. Never hungry, never cold, only the best of the best for her. It only took a quick look beyond the capital to see how privilege fed and took care of her. All her whims and wishes met without hesitation. Not a single patch to fix on her dresses, her hairbrush not missing a single bristle and made of the best silver— a perfect, content life. All you have to do is your duty, Father said. Do what you were born to do. Your only purpose.

Make me proud of being your Father.

Bring glory to the Holy Kingdom.

She was made to be bred, she was made to bear children, heirs, she was made to be a leverage for deals, a bargain chip, as her mind whispered to her in her darkest moments, to bring prosperity and glory to the Holy Kingdom of Gottesreich. She was… She was…

“Your Highness?”

The Princess was brought back to the present by Moblit’s placid voice and the Chief’s gentle tug, as if she had been rooted there, staring at the warriors, and getting lost in her troubles instead of following her fiancé and Eldian hosts. They were staring at her. Everyone. At least it felt like everyone, even the animals. Her breath had caught in her lungs, her throat a hard knot she forced herself to swallow before speaking.

“My deepest apologies, my Lords.” Eva’s mind scrambled to find an appropriate excuse for her lack of manners and being caught zoning out. “I did not mean any disrespect by my actions or to show an unwillingness to follow this pleasant walk. I was simply transfixed by your warriors, admiring their tenacity and will.”

What a load of bullshit.

They all seemed to buy it. Not Flora, though. She could see right through Eva as if she had been made of glass. Her handmaiden would probably ask her about it later in the privacy of their own lodgings, but let it go for now, knowing it was no use to inquire about it in the middle of the village tour, even less in front of their hosts.

They resumed the walk, passing through the training grounds before turning to their right, strolling until they reached one of the biggest houses of the village. Moblit informed them it was where the sick and injured were taken care of. A house for the sick, a hospital. Gottesreich had its own physicians and doctors, but never a house dedicated for the sick, the poor. Eva knew the Palace had their own royal physicians, dedicated only to them, and the people needed to rely on the town’s doctors.

Eva wondered how did this hospital work. Did they dedicate a part of the taxes to it? Was it free? What remedies did they use? What—

One of the windows was slammed open, an excited yell coming out of it. Moblit let out a tired sigh, mumbling in Eldian, as if he knew exactly what was that about. Levi spoke too, the tone in his voice denoting annoyance. Eva felt the Chieftain chuckle, answering his right-hand man with something that made Levi snort.

A head poked out of the window, messy brown hair tied up in a scrambled ponytail. The stranger kept shouting, excited, continuous noises of delight coming out of their mouth. The person noticed the small entourage right down their window, and quieted down instantly, curious as to who were the ones standing there. Then, another excited screech, lurching their body almost out of the window as they enthusiastically waved down. Moblit let out a strangled noise, uselessly raising his arms as if he wanted to catch the over excited person dangling off the window.

Eva discreetly looked to her side, looking for an answer or explanation in the Chief’s eyes, but he was looking up with an amused smile. She used his distraction to look behind her, finding the exact confused expression on her handmaiden and brother’s faces. The Princess saw Flora quietly shrug her shoulders, and she was so tempted to join her, but refrained in case the Eldians caught her and found it impolite. The person on the window shouted something and disappeared inside, sounds of furniture being moved around reaching their ears. Moblit groaned, rubbing his temples.

A few minutes later the same person who had half their body out of the window came out from the main doors of the hospital. Levi discreetly stepped away, not wanting to be involved with the newcomer and the imminent events. He really wanted to go back to the privacy and tranquility of his own home, drink a nice cup of tea…

An excited exclamation followed by a strident laugh broke Levi’s long desired daydream. He watched their eccentric approach, wondering how their guests would react to them. Judging by how the delicate Princess gasped at anything that came running and loud, Levi guessed it would not go right. Mike silently joined him, crossing his arms as he, too, observed the catastrophe about to happen.

“Bets?” Mike’s low murmur made Levi snort.

“She will freak out.” Levi turned his head to amusedly stare at his fellow warrior. “Like she did with you.”

Mike scoffed, crossing his arms.

“C’mon, not you too. And I say she doesn’t, just to spite you.”

“Hah! Serves you right, you big-nosed moose.” Levi’s gaze fell back to the front.

“It was not my intention.” it truly hadn’t been. He couldn’t help it, Mike trusted his nose, knowing his instincts never failed him before. He had to know.

“Just, don’t go sniffing people.”

“I will not make such promises.” Mike’s lips curled into a smile, proud at the way he managed to make Levi’s shoulders briefly shake.

Both warriors kept watching the scene in front of them, with Moblit trying to save the situation from their beloved doctor’s clutches, quickly directing their attention to himself and his words. Everybody knew that Moblit had a reserved spot on their Goddesses’ paradise; nobody worked as hard as him, and was as skilled to manage the village’s resident genius doctor.

“Your Highnesses, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our doctor, Hange Zoë. They are the head of the hospital and–”

“IT IS PLEASURE TO MEET, HIGHNESSESES!” Hange cut the poor and exasperated Moblit out, excitedly looking from one sibling to the other. The royal hosts were surprised at the doctor’s broken Gottesreichan attempt, albeit enthusiastic.

Flora successfully covered an amused snort. Ardor! Fervor! Passion! Flora admired that in a person, and for now, Doctor Hange Zoë managed to catch her attention. The handmaiden was sure she could learn interesting things from this eager physician, and secretly wanted to see how Eva would react. It reminded her of her first week as the Princess’ handmaiden, chasing a scared and overwhelmed Eva down the corridors as she tightly clutched one of her precious books, wanting to volt out of any situation that involved a loud and chatty girl following her everywhere. Flora realises know that she had been a little bit insensitive to her poor friend, but in her defense she just wanted her Princess to live.

The eccentric doctor went from sibling to sibling, offering their hand for them to shake. Prince Hans took it surprisingly well, smiling warmly and shaking the offered hand with what would be considered a perfect grip, confident and secure, while Hange still kept letting out broken gottesreichan, not giving any thought to the mistakes. Friederich was confused, and as such, shook his hand with the same sentiment as he was feeling; the second Prince felt as if a strong wind knocked him out of his feet and all he could say was “huh?”.

But ah, Eva. Poor Eva. She had brief flashes of her childhood with Flora, of an overexcited girl running after her as she talked, and talked, and talked… until Eva began to enjoy her extroverted nature and secretly thanked her for dragging her out of her room or the library. But still, Doctor Hange Zoë managed to scare the living daylights out of her with their excited gasp and sparkling eyes. Eva clutched the Chief’s arm in a deathly grip for the second time that day.

Hange offered their hand out too, but then seemed to think about it. Did princesses shake hands too? Was it protocol? Well, Hange never truly cared about protocols, to be honest, Moblit usually took care of that. So maybe it was too forward? Should Hange bow? Did they thoroughly screw up in their eagerness–?

Eva raised her hand and took Hange’s as her brothers did, Forcing herself to paint a warm smile on her lips.

Her father and governess’ voices were screaming inside her head, louder than her own heartbeat. How dare you shake hands with a commoner, you, a princess of Gottesreich? A princess should never shake hands! Commoners must bow, must kneel, must–

“The pleasure is mine, doctor Zoë. I am afraid I do not know any word of Eldian yet, but thank you for your efforts. I hope to learn soon.” Eva would follow her brothers’ lead for now, as they discussed on their journey to Eldia. Father was not here. Father did not understand. If Eva was to settle here to start a new life and end it here, she could not start fights and discontent because of her father’s pride. It was the smart thing to do.

The coarseness of her father always upsetted her, even if she swallowed her discontent, not wanting to repeat that night.

Hange’s uncertain face instantly turned into a bright smile. They didn’t screw up! The doctor turned to say something to the Chief, who in return gained a brief smile. Then, Hange returned their attention to the siblings.

Levi was rendered speechless. He lost the stupid bet! Levi was sure the Princess would freak out upon Hange’s overly enthusiastic greetings, judging by how she had reacted earlier with Mike and his antics. He didn’t dare to turn to his left to see Mike’s moronic moustache smiling smugly at him.

“You owe me.” Mike’s grin could be heard in his voice.

“Shut up, you giant tree.” Damn it!

“Want come in? Show house?” Hange signaled to the main entrance of the Hospital, already thinking about the tour they would take the royal siblings and show how amazing their inventions and discoveries had been.

Should Eva say yes? No, that was arrogant of her, she couldn’t decide on a whim what or what to not do, even less without consulting it with her brothers or the Eldian leader. Didn’t the Eldians also have an itinerary already made for today? The people on the streets and outside the hospital were staring at them, curious about the scene in front of them. Eva was getting nervous. their stares were suffocating her, their attention adding more weight on her, her mind scrambling to find an appropriate response–

Moblit intercepted before Eva could begin, quickly saving the moment.

The Princess was grateful for it, feeling the weight of the decision on her shoulders diminish; she restrained her relieved sigh from escaping her lips, though. Moblit would handle it, thank God above! With a pang of pity in her heart, Eva watched Hange go from thrilled to crestfallen as Moblit spoke. Now she felt bad, knowing for sure they had the best intentions in their heart. Maybe the detour wasn’t that bad…?

But Hange immediately returned to their cheerful self.

“Must come other day! Question Erwin about it!” Hange clasped Eva’s hand in theirs, that exhilarated spark back in their eyes. “Must show you fun things!”

Eva pressed her lips into a tight, nervous smile and nodded, hoping it would be enough to quench Doctor Hange’s eagerness. Too forward! Too forward! Was this also an eldian thing? It seemed to do the trick, as they went back inside the hospital when an assistant called them from the door and enthusiastically waved goodbye.

“Apologies, your Highnesses.” Moblit deserved a raise and long vacations. It had been only a day, but it was clear for the gottesreichan guests that the poor man dealt with a lot, and it seemed that Doctor Hange occupied 80% of it. “I must ask for you to forgive Doctor Hange’s lack of protocol and take no offence by it. The Doctor really enjoys meeting new people and telling about their discoveries and new remedies.”

“No offense taken, Moblit. I’m sure Doctor Hange can make it up to us by showing us what they are so excited for, right?” Hans was genuinely interested, always asking the doctors and physicians back at the palace about everything, going as far as reading some books, although he understood half of it. He truly wanted to know Doctor Hange’s thoughts.

“Honestly, I’m curious now.” Friederich scratched his nose, mumbling. Hans sniggered, lowering his voice so only his brother and her sister’s handmaiden could hear him.

“You, willing to listen to non-battle-related things? Who are you and where is my dear brother?” Flora snickered, covering her mouth.

“Oi!” Friederich’s ears went red at the tips.

“We will have to come tomorrow, then.”

Moblit approached them, always with his calm smile on his face.

“May we continue, your Highnesses?”

Only when they resumed their tour, hearing Moblit talk with her brothers and the Eldian warriors escorting them, did Eva realise how Doctor Hange was wearing glasses.

Saying Eva was scared was not enough. Terrified? Frightened? Petrified? There was no adjective to describe the sheer terror those beasts instilled inside her heart. Those were not horses. No horse could be that monstrous size. Nope. No way.

She didn’t even reach the horse’s chest! And even one leg was as thick as her whole body! How did they even suppose she could get on one of them?

They were led to the village’s stables, where the stable hands and grooms had horses ready with their saddles. Each one of them had a different saddle pad, beautiful Eldian embroidery and motifs of golden and white thread on a teal fabric, most of them resembling the ones from the village’s houses, the themes of the needle work being mostly of mother nature herself. The leather of the saddles were beautifully taken care of, going from darker to lighter tints of brown, no doubt the artisans made a good work of the dyes and its delicate processes.

The horses looked healthy, robust and ready to be ridden by their masters. If Eva wasn’t as scared as she was, she would be admiring the animals and the pure strength they exuded.

Friederich was getting more invested into this part of the tour than the previous one. Yes, Eldia was beautiful and curiously different, but for Friederich, it was still boring; he had never been good at diplomacy and pleasantry visits. He had always heard of Eldia’s monstrous steeds, and was delighted to see such enormous and sturdy stallions, powerfully built and vigorous. You could see the raw power in them, and couldn’t wait to see what it felt to ride one of them. Maybe he could convince the Eldian Chief to trade some… Surely his enemies would piss themselves upon seeing a beast such as this charging against them. Yeah, maybe he could, preferably at the evening banquet. Now was not the time.

This was an important ritual for the Eldians.

Moblit gracefully explained how this was considered crucial when two souls got engaged in Eldia. Hunting was part of their culture, a huge one, and they would not bring shame to their traditions and ancestors. It was an art, and the Eldians deeply respected nature and what it provided for humankind, so the solemn air was palpable. For Eldians this was a trial, also. Those who proposed to their lovers would have to hunt a magnificent piece for their betrothed, to both show that they could provide for them and also have the strength, patience, wit and endurance used in hunting that would prevail in their lives.

Since the Chief was getting engaged to the Princess, he had to prove himself to her, so she would accept and approve of her future husband. This ritual held even more importance for who was performing it, and the villagers were actually curious about how well would their Chief perform; sadly, some couples had to use all three attempts to succeed. They hoped the Chief would succeed at his first try.

For Eva, it was basically a show to see how much of a peacock the man could be, not that different from those in court who would fawn themselves and their achievements to win her hand, and what came with it. Bitter? Maybe so. She was just tired of men, but would respect the Eldian tradition. After all, traditions were traditions, and one should always honour them, no matter what.

For Flora, it was just like her beloved romantic novels. A man proving their worth to their beloved? Man versus Beast? Oh, how she wished thatfor herself! Maybe one day she would find love here, in Eldia. Who knew what the future awaited for her?

“As tradition says,” Moblit spoke. “The future bride and groom must ride together, as the willingness of their souls to start a new journey.”

Eva froze.

No way.

No.

There had to be a mistake. She thought she would ride in a small carriage with Flora, as the men rode and discussed their matters. Her dress wasn’t suited for riding!

On cue, one of the stable hands brought a magnificent white stallion, it’s crest carefully brushed and not a single tangle and bit of dirt on it. It was bigger than the other horses, robust, and Eva understood now what people meant when they said pets and horses resembled their owners: a horse truly fit for a Chief; it had to be his judging by the proud look the man had on his eyes.

The beast patiently stood right in front of them, not showing an ounce of nervousness or uneasiness. How Eva wished she felt the same. She just wanted to bolt right out of there.

The Princess felt the Chief turn towards her, and automatically released her hold on his arm, although he kept her hand in his, gently guiding her towards the Chief’s own stallion. Eva didn’t want to get closer, even less mount on it. She was terrified! They stood in front of the beast’s head, admiring the noble profile and long golden lashes it had. Eva saw the Chief affectionately gaze at his horse, giving it a tender stroke on its muzzle. He looked back at Eva, inviting her to do the same, but the Princess remained rooted, frozen on the spot. The Chief nudged her to pet the stallion’s head by lifting her hand himself, slowly, always watching her reactions closely— the Chieftain knew he was pushing her, but Erwin believed this would help her lose a little bit of her fearful first impression.

Eva watched, between a mix of horror and wonder, how her gloved fingers brushed the horse’s muzzle, its heat warming up her palm. The stallion didn’t even flinch at the change, letting itself be pet. Eva was amazed, transfixed, not even aware of the Chief’s gaze on her. Slowly, a sensation of relief washed all over her body, feeling more secure now that the beast showed no trace of nervousness upon seeing a new face. Eva even let herself release a small smile, even though her heart was still pounding fiercely inside her chest.

More horses were brought to them, each warrior taking the reins of their own steed, as well as new horses for the Princes to ride. Friederich was beyond excited, eyes going from head to rear of the enormous beast he was lent to ride. He looked like a child in a candy shop back at the Capital.

Everyone waited for the Chief to mount first, as tradition dictated. The solemn air felt like a pressing stone on the Princess, not truly knowing what she was supposed to do besides having to ride with him. Should she say something? Perform a certain move? But the Princess stood rooted there, letting her never-fading anxiety begin to swallow whole again.

The Chief prepared himself to mount on, grabbing the pommel with his left hand and easily hoisting himself up when he set his foot on the stirrup. Every move he did looked effortless, as if even a child could do that with their eyes closed. If they thought Eva could achieve such levels, they were going to be thoroughly disappointed. The Chief extended his hand to the Princess, signaling her to come closer and join him on the horse.

The question is: how the hell is she supposed to get on it?

Moblit did not give any clues or hints about it, and everyone respectfully watched as the Princess approached the Chief with small steps. The Eldian leader never looked away from her, and she truly reminded him of a scared fawn.

What came next was a blur for the Princess. One moment she was standing right beside the Chief, timidly taking his hand and raising her other one to try to reach the pommel as the Chief did, her foot raising too to set on the lowered stirrup, and on the next moment Eva found herself being lifted as if she weighted nothing, strong arms pulling her up, easily turning her so she sat astride the horse with her back pressed against his chest.

Eva couldn’t focus on anything but the feel of his broad and strong chest snugly pressed against her back, despite the layers of thick clothing and cloaks between them. Eva did not pay attention to everyone else getting on their horses, or how Friederich couldn’t help the boyish grin on his lips, or how Flora turned beet red when she was made to mount on the same horse as the second Prince of Gottesreich, her confident and self-assured attitude gone for a moment. She couldn’t, not with how the Chief righted her stance with gentle hands, or how he straightened her own dress skirts and cloak without being prompted to do so, or how he guided her gloved hands to the crest and horn, so she had something to hold on to, even if the arms that caged her in wouldn’t let her slip and fall. The cold was forgotten for a moment, as well as her nervous tension.

Prompting the beast to an easy gait, the Chief led the party outside the stables and onto the main street. That’s when Eva snapped out of her trance and quickly ventured a look towards her handmaiden, seeing her grip the crest of the horse she was on with red cheeks. Both women crossed looks, twin bewildered expressions greeting each other. Eva silently cheered for her friend, but was too occupied herself with her own troubles to even waggle her eyebrows to tease her handmaiden.

This was going to be a long day.

The main street greeted them with the eldian villagers gathered on the sides of it, creating a passageway of curious and expectant faces. Everyone looked like they were waiting for a signal, eyes glued to the Chief’s horse and its riders, fingers and feet fidgeting. When the Chief and the Princess passed the first bystanders, the whole wide street exploded into cheers and shouts and blue.

The villagers threw flowers on them and the horses’ hooves, smiling and clapping as they passed by. Eva recognised the winter flowers from before, the same she wore now on her braid, and watched the villagers cover the entire street in a mantle of blue and white. The Chief did not turn to greet or answer them, keeping his head and eyes straight ahead in a solemn show of respect towards their faith in him. That’s when Eva understood this was part of the hunting ritual too, bidding farewell and good luck to the couple about to engage in the ritual. So, to not be disrespectful towards their culture and traditions, Eva did the same, looking straight ahead towards the main gate, into the sky blue path. A flash of the Chieftains’ eyes crossed her mind. The same blue.

It truly was a beautiful sight.