Title: The mind is for seeing, the heart is for hearing
Warning: There will be smut in the future chapters, otherwise there's nothing really noteworthy, except for out shitty sense of humour. Proceed with caution.
Summary: Historical AU. Aspiring heir to the throne, prince Armin, is swiped along with the power struggles of the nobility. It is up to his chamber servant Eren and the skilled swordswoman Mikasa to try and retrieve him in one piece. (Eremin, side Jearmin)
Disclaimer: We don't own any of these characters and no one pays us for writing shitty fanfics. Yet. We hope that time will come soon. Feel free to send us money.
AN: So we decided to try and pull together another multi-chapter story. Hopefully it'll turn out alright. The smut won't play as big a part in this one as in our other stories (awkward laughter), but hopefully reading about a damsel called Armin in distress will be somewhat satisfying.
His days often started with the sounds of the curtains being opened. He would mostly ignore it and put the blanket over his ears, blocking away any sounds the servants caused. One of the advantages of being a prince was that they usually let him. Or at least that's what Armin liked to think. Pity was the last thing he needed. Even after sixteen years some people looked down on him, which really didn't bother him, but it still hurt to think that some people didn't think that he could survive on his own.
Stretching under the warm blanket, Armin slowly started to wake up. He would still refuse to move until Eren came to dress him,but their morning routine had been going on for so long Armin automatically woke up before the servant's arrival.
And, soon enough, Eren's footsteps (they were the most determinant footsteps Armin knew) entered the room.
"Get your ass up, Armin."
Armin groaned, but hid his smile into the pillows. That was one of the things he appreciated about Eren: he treated Armin neither as novelty nor as some fragile thing.
"Yes, yes, I'm getting up already. See?"
"...You're not moving."
"I'm moving mentally."
The blanket was yanked away from him, and the cold air hit Armin's bare feet. He tried to catch the hem and failed, getting a laugh out of Eren.
"If you want it back you better get up and work for it," Eren said. Armin could hear him moving away from him.
"Okay, I'm awake," Armin complained and stood up, "Is there anything special going on today?"
"Not really, but there's going to be a small festival in the village. Care to sneak out like we used to?"
When they were small Armin's adoptive father used to catch them sneaking around the castle, trying to get out without anyone noticing. Most of the times they didn't get past the castle's gates, but every now and again they managed to get out and into the village (well, Mikasa had found out about them, but because she was Armin's childhood friend and like a sister to eren she allowed them to continue under the condition that she'd join them).
"Sure, but I need to go talk to the King this midday," Armin answered while Eren helped his shirt on. King Erwin, Armin's uncle, had made his nephew heir to the throne several years ago as a result of a series of unfortunate affairs. First Erwin's wife, the Queen, had died in childbirth (the baby hadn't survived either) and thenhis brother had lost his life in battlefield. Motherless Armin had been orphaned and so he had been taken into the castle and made next in the line of inheritage.
Some people had been pessimistic (to put it nicely) about the King's decision, but Erwin had always treated Armin with respect. And the Prince was determinant to meet his expectations. Even after Armin had astonished people with his intellectual abilities and strategic skills, some still thought that he wouldn't be the right person to gain the King's title. He wasn't the most muscular soldier - hell, he would leave the sword wielding to Mikasa - and he was still waiting to grow at least couple of inches, but the saying a pen is mightier than a sword really spoke to him. When it came down to ruling a country, waving a sword wasn't important. Armin was glad his uncle shared his thoughts on this.
"Can you get to the kitchen by yourself?" Eren asked, waking Armin from his thoughts.
"Yes, I think so," Armin answered as Eren tied Armin's puff tie, buttoned up his vest and put his shoes on. In Armin's opinion not being able to dress himself was frustrating at most, but spending time alone with Eren made it worth it.
"But why aren't you coming to eat with me? Who's going to eat all my leftovers now?" the Prince jokingly complained, putting on the most adorable expression he could muster.
Eren's hand touched his shoulder and lingered there a couple of seconds longer than necessary, "Sorry, but Rivaille told me to mop the grand halland I really can't refuse. Remember the time when I forgot to take my muddy shoes off before entering the kitchen?" Armin nodded. He had heard Rivaille's yelling to the other side of the castle.
"Well, I think this is the only way to gain his forgiveness."
"That's probably the wisest thing to do," Armin laughed, "This must be a lucky day for the dogs, since they get the leftovers."
Knowing every part of the castle as well as his own pockets, Armin was in the dining hall in a blink of an eye. He didn't have to eat alone, as the King arrived for breakfast too. Armin lived in this small (by comparison) castle in the countryside, aside from the rest of the Royal family and other noble families. Armin expected to be invited into the main castle sooner or later, but for now he had Eren, a handful of other servants, a unit of soldiers and a private tutor to keep him company. Still it was nice when Erwin visited him from the capital and Armin got to talk to his uncle.
"I managed to get you new books," Erwin said, and Armin's face lit up.
"Really? About the ocean?" Armin was ready to run to the library, but Erwin cleared his throat loudly, which got the Prince to halt.
"I was about to save them to your birthday, but I think you deserve them now. Your latest plan of strategy for the army was brilliant."
"Thank you!" Armin all but yelled, trying to get to his books. He had waited for months for them.
"Patience is an important feature a future King needs," Erwin stated. Armin let out a loud whine. Come to us! The books yelled in the distance, pleading to be read.
"You may know this already, but there's a festival in the village tonight. I trust you not to go there."
"Of course," Armin lied, thinking about the plan he had came up with during the trip from his chambers to the kitchen.
"Don't play any games with me. I made the first move already, but you don't need to do the second one."
In other words he made sure there's guards everywhere.
"Why would I do that?" the Prince smiled innocently. The King wouldn't buy it and they both knew it.
"I think your books are waiting," Erwin mentioned as a servant poured hot water into his cup.
Armin made a new record of running to the library, and by the time he got there he was out of breath and got a couple of sore spots from falling over, but it didn't matter: the smell of books filled his nose and he headed straight to the desk that was located in the middle of the room. His new books were on top of the table, waiting for him to run his fingers along the leather covers. He couldn't decide what to read first, so he grabbed all the books - there were four of them, and they weighed a lot - and made his way to a faraway corner by heart. The library had stayed the same since he had been able to walk freely in the castle. Erwin had kept everything where it had been since then, and Armin was grateful for it.
As the Prince was about to sit down on a couchhe heard footsteps approaching.
"Mikasa?" he asked even though he already knew it was her.
"Do you need any help with those?" she asked, referring to the books Armin had put next to him.
"Not really, these are the new ones that I have been talking about for months. They're in Braille."
Mikasa huffed pleasantly.
"That's nice."
Mikasa didn't share Armin's intense thirst for knowledge - all she really needed for being content was the safety of her loved ones - but she was clearly happy for Armin. Just like Eren, Mikasa had been in the castle as long as Armin could recall. Just a few years ago she had amazed everyone with her exceptional fighting skills and quickly gained a high rank among the soldiers. Still Armin did his best to keep her in the castle as his bodyguard, and out of the battlefield. It was selfish, he knew that, but even the higher commanders agreed that she was too valuable for them to lose.
Armin felt a hand pat him on the head. It was Mikasa's way of saying goodbye.
"Eren is cleaning the grand hall," Armin told her, already knowing she'd ask it sooner or later. She thanked quietly and left, the sound of her footsteps getting further away.
Now alone in the library, Armin took the heaviest book and opened it. He slid his finger over the text and got absorbed in the book's world about deep, dangerous oceans and strange creatures living in it. Since he couldn't really tell how much time had passed while he was reading, learning about things called sea cucumbers, he didn't know how long he had been in the library until his stomach let out a loud growl. When Eren was in the library he always made sure they left before Armin got hungry, but now that he wasn't here time had flew by without Armin noticing.
I wonder if he has managed to mob the hall by now, Armin thought. His mind wandered to the morning, thinking about Eren's hand on his shoulder and how it had lingered there a little too long.
For a few years now Eren and Armin had been playing this game, even though neither of them had really mentioned it out loud. When they had been kids Eren's way of touching Armin had always been purposeful and effortless. His hand had been warm and confident while guiding Armin outside the castle walls.
Lately it had been a little different, though. Eren's hands tended to linger on Armin's wrist, neck and hair whenever the other was dressing or undressing him. Armin wasn't entirely certain about why Eren had started to do this, but it felt pleasant so he allowed it and paid back the favor by gropingly putting his hand on Eren's shoulder or his chest. It was like they were testing how much they could share touches without being too obvious about it.
Shaking his head, Armin tore his mind off the manservant and made his way to the kitchens.
Now that he wasn't in a hurry he walked calmly, only fastening his steps when his stomach growled he got to the kitchen the first thing Armin did was to walk straight towards the table and then feel if the servants had left any cups or plates full of food on the table. As he thought there wasn't any: he must have read well past Prince sighed and made his way to the kitchen cabinet.
As Armin recalled, the cups were at the top shelf, he barely reached them on his tiptoes. The tea leaves could be easily smelled (they only got chamomile this time of the year and Armin wanted to enjoy it as long as it lasted), as someone had left the jar onto the table. The Prince scooped a fair amount of dried leafs. One of the kitchen maids entered the room when Armin carefully grabbed the hot kettle.
"Your Highness, let me..!"
Armin ignored the girl's hasty voice and proceeded to pour the water. He didn't even spill.
"I have been blind for all my life, it would be pretty sad if I were incapable of pouring my own tea," Armin said, trying to keep his voice calm and gentle.
"O-oh," the maid muttered and shifted awkwardly.
"Please, Your Highness, sit down and I'll prepare something for you!"
Armin nodded and searched for a chair. Soon enough there was an unusually big portion of freshly baked bread, cheese, sausages and even tiny slices of apple in front of him.
"It must be tough to live like that. I admire Your Highness greatly," the maid said as she set the plateful down.
Armin didn't respond. Suddenly the whole plateful of food just reeked of pity. Because that was exactly what her so called "admiration" was. Armin didn't care for pity, even when it was disguised as respect.
At first Armin hadn't considered himself lacking. He could move, breathe and laugh normally, and he had friends and people he considered family even though they didn't necessarily share the same blood. He could navigate in all familiar surroundings and he recognized the people he knew. It had taken a few years for Armin to realize that there even was a crucial difference between him and everyone else. It had been a weird concept to understand that he lacked something that was obvious to everyone else, because he couldn't detect soundless objects coming his way, or instantly know the layout of a room he had never been to.
A boy working in the stables had once asked Armin what it was like to "always live in the dark". Armin hadn't understood the question at all, and before he could ask him to elaborate the boy had been given a cuff on the ear for asking such an offensive question.
"You can take the food away," Armin said grimly, pushing the plated away from himself, "I remembered that I have something to take care of and have no time to eat." He knew that it was an obvious excuse, but he didn't care. The tea was hot and it burned his tongue as he gulped it down, but he wanted to leave the place as soon as possible. Armin knew he shouldn't get emotional over something like this, but it always hurt even though he wouldn't admit it. He wasn't weak, but only a sentence had made him feel miserable about his life.
"But Your Highness, you didn't touch anything! You must still be hungry," the servant insisted, and it could be heard from her voice that he doubted the Prince's hasty exit.
"I'll take my leave now" was all the Prince said before dashing out. He wouldn't cry, he was stronger than that. He would just go up the stairs, slide his hand along the wall of the hallway till the third window, turn right and then open the first door there to go back to the library, where he could forget that this talk with the servant ever happened.
Somehow Armin found himself from his room, however. He plopped onto the bed and pulled the cushions over his head.
"God I'm so tired," the boy muttered. So tired of people looking down on me.
He didn't get to lay on the bed for long, though, because only minutes later Eren entered the room. Making silence entries hadn't ever been Eren's forte, and this time wasn't an exception.
"Armin! It's already evening, do you have a plan?" the boy yelled. Being quiet also wasn't something Eren was good at.
"Yeah, it includes yelling so loud that everyone in the castle knows what we're up to, I'm glad you've got that part covered!"
"Heh, sorry."
Eren's footsteps approached the bed and stopped next to him.
"You know I hauled you out of there once today already, do I seriously need to do it again?"
Armin shrugged. The mattress sank a little from Eren's weight. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Armin's hair was fiddled with. He decided against ranting at Eren over something so trivial.
"Nothing really. Have you informed Mikasa?"
"Yeah. She says Erwil will have our balls when he finds out."
"So she'll cover for us?"
"Yeah."
Armin willed himself to get up. "Okay, here's the plan."
But what Armin didn't know was that there were an extra pair of ears listening to his plan.
As planned, Mikasa had cleared their route and was waiting for them near a big tree located right next to the castle's wall. They had tried to escape through the castle's main gate enough times to accept that it didn't work. Couple of years ago Mikasa had been doing guard duty and had noticed the tree, and since then it had been their way to get to the city without anyone noticing. The only problem was to get the Prince into the tree, over the wall and safely to the other side and later back to the castle.
"What did you say to Erwin this time to get him leave you alone?" Eren asked as he watched Mikasa, who was just jumping from the tree on top of the wall. "Did you use the books as decoy?"
"Yes. Even if someone looks in I put pillows under my blanket to make it look like I was just sleeping in my room."
"Simple, but clever as always. Can Armin come there now?" Mikasa nodded, and Eren went to stand behind the Price, putting his hands on his waist and lifting him up.
"Lift your hands, there's a branch near them. Take a hold of it and hoist yourself up."
Armin did as he was told, knowing that Eren would securehim if he fell. With a little struggle he managed to get himself on the branch, sitting on top of it as Mikasa guided him to crawlcloser to the wall.
"Stand up carefully and leap towards my voice," she instructed. This was always the worst part. It wasn't that Armin didn't trust his friends, he was just worried he wouldn't be able to jump far enough and would fall down. If that happened, Armin thought, he would rather die from the fall. Even that would be better than facing the humiliation.
"You can jump now, I'm ready," Mikasa said. Armin took a deep breath and detached his feet from the branch.
For a second he was sure that the heaven's gates would open for him at any moment, but instead of that Mikasa's strong arms catched him before putting him down on the wall. Eren followed behind them and jumped down to the ground while Mikasa tied a rope she had taken with her to the tree. It would serve as a way to get back to the castle later.
"Hey Armin, turn towards here!" Eren shouted a little too loudly. Armin put a finger in front of his mouth and hushed the other.
"Do I need to tell you the meaning of being subtle?" Armin laughed while Mikasa guided him to the edge.
"Well there's a reason he's no longer allowed near the horses," Mikasa said stoically. Only the slight tug at the corner of her mouth revealed she was making fun of Eren.
Eren furrowed his brows, muttering "that's not funny" under his breath. Mikasa gave Armin a gently push and Eren caught him before he hit the ground.
"Well then, let's get going!"
They heard and smelled the festival even before they arrived to the village. The first thing Armin noticed was that the place was full of people: even though Mikasa tried to clear their routethrough the people and Eren guided Armin, people still bumpedinto him. The second thing was the music. Many different instruments were played, and people clapped their hands to their rhythm. The sweet smell of different kinds of foods lingered in the air, making Armin want to try them.
"Describe it to me, please," the Prince said to Eren. The boy laughed as he motioned Armin to turn right.
"Well, there's lot of people going around, but I think you noticed that too," he laughed and continued, "Most of the people are wearing really colorful clothes and costumes. People are dancing all around the place, that's why there's so much music, too. All the houses have been decorated with different kind of stuff." Armin took all the information in, imagining it in his head. He liked being in the village, especially when it wasn't a formal meeting or briefing of some kind. He took a deep breath, trying to divide all the smells even though he knew it was nearly impossible. It made his stomach remind him of the dinnerhe had passed.
"Can we get something to eat? Everything smells really good," he said and took a little pouch full of coins from his pocket, stretching his hand toward the direction where he thought Mikasa was, hitting her back and getting her to take the pouch. "Please buy everything that looks good, I'm starving."
"Okay. Eren, I'm going to buy some food. Don't lose Armin," Mikasa said, mostly to inform Eren to take care of Armin till she'd be back.
"Yeah yeah, don't worry about it!" Eren flashed a bright smile and jerked Armin next to him, wrapping his hand over his shoulders. "We'll wait in our usual spot by that old house."
Eren lead Armin to an area that was further away from the centre of the party. They sat on a step of a house, no extra space between them, waiting for Mikasa to arrive with the food. Armin leaned back to the step behind him, tilting his head in order to hear everything as well as possible. He had put on a lot less fancy set of clothes than usual (the canvas felt rough against his skin) and covered his head with a hood. The probability of being recognized was pretty minimal though, since the common folk rarely saw him and when they did, it was from afar. Armin doubted that the possibility of a Prince walking among them even crossed the people's minds.
"It feels really good to get outside the castle walls for once, right," he said. Eren hummed in response.
"I'm not sure what I would do without you and Mikasa," Armin said, a sudden wave of thankfulness washing over him. The tips of his cheeks heated at the confession and he felt stupid.
"It's nothing," Eren's voice was a bit baffled. "We're doing this for the food, really."
Armin chuckled and aimed a punch towards Eren's arm, but hit a little amiss to his chest. The taller boy caught his fist and held it in his grip.
"You know…" Eren trailed off, but still held Armin's hand. "I'm… glad that we can take you out. Really. And I'm really happy to serve you. Umm, as a friend!"
Armin furrowed his eyebrows. This wasn't like Eren at all. "Eren, whatever you're trying to say, you can. We've been friends for years, I don't think there's anything you couldn't say."
The other took a deep breath and brought Armin's hand over his heart.
"I'm not sure if there's any point to this, considering your status," Eren muttered. Armin's heartbeats were increasing in speed and he leaned a bit closer to Eren. The boy sounded like he was trying to confess something, and for some reason it made Armin feel restless.
"Tell me Eren, I need to know."
The air around them felt thick somehow. Armin could feel the other boy's breath faintly on his cheek. It wasn't the first time they were this close to each other, but it felt very different from the usual. The light-haired prince took a shaky intake of breath, anticipating for Eren to say or do something, anything.
"Well, I…"
Someone dropped something next to Armin, and the Prince let out a startled cry. The mood was ruined, and whatever Eren was about to say was forgotten as he quickly got up and ran.
"I-I'm gonna get some us some drinks" he yelled, but it was evident from his embarrassed voice that was an excuse.
"Eren!" the person (Armin recognized her as Mikasa by voice) bolted after the boy, not understanding why he had escaped. She left Armin alone, sitting on the step with a pile of food next to him, also as confused as Mikasa had been. Why did Eren run away? Was it because of something he was about to say?
The Prince listened to the voices around him, trying to detect familiar footsteps or the voices of his friends, but he didn't hear them. He waited for couple of minutes more. Still nothing. After waiting a while longer he decided to eat since the food smelled really delicious and would get cold if he waited any longer. The Prince reached towards the food and took whatever hit his hand first, which happened to be a piece of bread. Taking a bite, Armin moaned internally as the taste hit him fully and he finally got something to fill his empty stomach with.
Minutes passed, but Eren and Mikasa still weren't back. Armin ate some more, but his appetite died quickly when worry overtook him. What if something had happened? Eren's behaviour had been strange. Did he ran away because of him?
There were so many people around Armin didn't take notice of the footsteps approaching him from the side before they were right next to him. Someone crouched down next to the stairs.
Something sharp was pressed between Armin's shoulder blades, under his cloak so that no one else could see it. Blood drained from the Prince's face. He couldn't scream or fight if he didn't want what he assumed was dagger to pierce his skin. Being seen by Eren or Mikasa was his only hope.
A deep male voice that evoked a faint recognition in Armin's consciousness said:
"Get up and walk."
AN: Wow, it's 60.30 in the morning and we haven't slept all night but hey, it's done! There are probably some grammar issues there, sorry about them. Jazzy is a sucker for blind!Armin, that was pretty much the motivation behind this tbh. The next chapter will be up in the near future, please let us know what you think!
Thank you for reading!
~Jazzy & Janice