Thank you guys for the reviews. Still not to the turning point of the story just yet! This story is only ten chapters, but trust me, it's an adventure. Enjoy!~ And keep up the reviews, I love to hear what you guys think.

...

AD 59

"My mother has criticized me for far too long," Nero brooded as he crossed his arms on his chair. He looked like a small child who was angry at an adult for not giving him sweets. "Annie, love, what do women want from men?"

The stoic faced girl merely shrugged her shoulders. Annie rarely spoke to anyone and the emperor was no exception. If it wasn't for her superior fighting skills, he would have dismissed her years ago. Plus being one of the only people that didn't flinch when they made physical contact was an added bonus. Nero shrunk into his throne further and his wreath fell lopsided upon his curls.

"Perhaps Octavia can come back," Nero sighed. "She is extremely boring though. Acte is a much fairer lover than Octavia."

Annie merely stared at Nero; he could never tell what she was thinking, though he didn't blame her. Only ten years old, she wouldn't have much to say on the subject of love. Though with her furious attitude in training, he found her tips most useful for the other children her age, yet he still had no idea where she had acquired her skills. He would have made her a soldier if she were just a little older.

There were footsteps from the edge of the throne room as a guard came in to salute him.

"Sir, you have a visitor," the soldier addressed him. Nero straightened his posture to show the man he had piqued his interest. Agrippina walked into the chamber with guards on both sides of her. She didn't look at all happy to see her son as a mother should have been after being separated for months.

"Oh, it is you. I do believe you were banished from here," Nero groaned, slumping back into his chair. His mother frowned deeply at his demeanor.

"Your people are angry for the way you treated Octavia, Nero. There are riots in the streets as we speak," she scolded. These days Agrippina rarely held her tongue when speaking with the young man.

"She is no longer banished mother," Nero protested. "She will come back to the palace soon enough even though you show your face here."

He shrugged as if he had solved the problem. Nero never knew what anyone expected of him anymore. His senators always accused him of over spending, his mother and the public criticized him daily, and Octavia bored him to death. How could he ever be happy?

"You are a selfish boy who should not be emperor," his mother said with a grimace. Nero was so furious, he didn't know he had crossed the middle of the room to the woman. He back handed her and the sound echoed to every corner. Annie stood rigid at the throne.

"You dare insult me, you pig!" Nero seethed. Agrippina's flat eyes and cheek stung as she stared at her son.

"I will not," she stated. "I have watched you transform into someone I do not know, someone I no longer love, a monster-"

Without hesitation, Nero jumped on top of his mother and began to strangle her. The soldiers holding her stood back, though their faces looked surprised as they watched the man. Hot tears began to stream from his eyes and he spoke in stifled sobs.

"You never loved me. You let me grow without a father, and you never loved me. You never loved me. You never loved me. You never loved me…"

Like a mantra, the words surrounded him, and with every word he cracked Agrippina's head against the tiled floor until he saw blood. Nero gasped as he watched a stream of red flow in between the cracks on the ground. He stared at his hands in complete disbelief and scrambled away frantically from his mother's lifeless body.

"Get her out of here!" he shrieked. Nero hysterically pointed at his guards. "You will speak about this to no one."

As the guards drug Agrippina out of the room, he glanced back at the throne to see Annie trembling slightly. Her wide eyes and cheeks shined as tears silently poured down her face. He looked at her with a disheartened smiled.

"You would never leave me, Annie?" Nero asked, his voice laced with a tinge of hope. Annie absently shook her head, but for some reason Nero's smile still felt empty. He stared at Annie for a minute more before curling up into a fetal position on the ground, sobbing until he lost his strength and sense of time.

...

AD 68

Krista held her head in her hands as she wept. She hiccupped and Eren solemnly looked on, not knowing what to do. Ymir, the Golden House's main artist, comforted the girl as she shook in her arms. He felt like he was intruding, but Krista was his personal servant and he had no other event he was called to. On top of that, he didn't know where to go without getting lost; he was like a lost pup. They were already in a darkened corner of the palace he wasn't familiar with and the place was a confusing maze.

"H-He was speaking about y-you, Y-Ymir," Krista sniffled. "I think h-he knows about u-us."

Krista continued to shake, breaking down in Ymir's arms once more. Eren couldn't tell, but the song that Nero performed yesterday was somehow directed at Krista, at least she believe so. Ymir calmly brushed Krista's back, "There now, we cannot be too sure."

"He c-confronted me, m-months before," Krista whimpered. She gripped Ymir's knee forcefully, gaining more power as she spoke. "Nero told me he would make you disappear if he continued to s-see us together! He may know I am the oracle because of the bounty. But I do not understand, you never told him where you received the inspiration for the fresco. You have to leave again, Ymir, escape from him. I will be f-fine…"

Krista sobbed again and Ymir glanced up at Eren with a stern face. "I ask that you not disclose this with anyone. You must be a good friend of hers if she would bring you to see me today, so please take care of her when I am gone. She cannot live like this with me here, she is not her true self."

Eren nodded as he felt a deep pit of sadness in his stomach for the two girls. Just like Eren, they were trapped in the hell of the Golden House. He undoubtedly didn't see anything wrong with the similar sex couples as there were plenty in his small village growing up. They didn't harm anyone for all he knew, but to Nero and all of Rome, they were something of a disease. It was all confusing to him. He walked away from the couple to give them some privacy, even though he had no clue where he was going.

"Maybe the first step to seek new territory is to get lost," he mumbled to himself, remembering the quote his father would tell him when they went out to explore the forests when he was young. His footsteps echoed around the corridors as he was in deep thought. Eren's mind had been infested for hours with the subject of the prophecy. Earlier that morning, Ymir and Krista showed him the fresco of the boy from the vision, which had been greatly destroyed by Nero.

He couldn't tell if the boy in the picture was him like Krista claimed. From what he could make out, it was a scene of a boy under the dark sky, his back to the viewers as he raised his sword to the crowd in the fire illuminated stadium, and stood over a mangled body. There was a warm light that surrounded the boy, exaggerating that he was the hero, something added of Ymir's creativity he supposed. He didn't protest, but honestly, the person in the image could have been anyone. Krista predicted the prophecies, Ymir painted them out, and it was all they had to rely on. Though Maria, Rose, and Sina had approached him themselves, right? Maybe that was a sign, anything that said otherwise would take away hope from the people that needed him.

"This is too troublesome," Eren sighed, not wanting to deal with the stress of his actions being able to cause great harm to the empire he knew nothing about.

"Oy, Jaeger," came a gruff voice from down the corridor. Eren spun around and his chest tightened. If he ran at that moment, he would still be able to get away, but it would make him look suspicious. Reiner strode towards him at a menacing pace and instead of wearing his usual frown, he had a smile on his face (which Eren didn't find any less threatening). "You should come and train with the rest of the soldiers. I am on my way to the fields now."

Eren needed an excuse not to go because he didn't feel comfortable around Reiner at all.

"I do not have any armor or training equipment," he blurted.

"Not to worry, you can borrow mine. We can train with my squad's equipment, too," Reiner suggested.

Eren inwardly cursed. "I would not know what to do anyways."

"I can show you."

Eren grimaced, noticing that Reiner seemed quite adamant to train with him. He finally decided on walking around Reiner, back to wherever his quarters were located, but the larger boy blocked his path by leaning in front of him along a pillar.

Where do you think you are going, Jaeger?" Reiner asked, his eyebrows lifted upwards intimidatingly and Eren's ears pricked up in irritation at the blond. Ever since their ride in the carriage, Eren knew that he did not like the man standing before him. He glared at Reiner's golden eyes, trying his best to convey he did not appreciate being undermined, even though inside he was trembling.

"I do not want to train with you," Eren seethed. He shoved Reiner out of his way and tried to walk down the hallway, but Reiner spun him around. There was no time to think as Reiner's entire body swept in to lay a punch to Eren's temple, knocking him into a nearby bush. Eren saw white spots in his vision when he quickly tried to recover.

"Come on, Jaeger, show me what type of man you are," Reiner teased.

Eren tried to kick Reiner in the abdomen, but the stronger man caught his leg and flung him into a stone wall with a resounding thud. Eren coughed when dust and pieces of debris crumbled from the ceiling.

"Are you holding back on me? What happened to the warrior in the arena yesterday?" Reiner grabbed Eren's toga, lifting him inches up from the ground. He raised his fist to deliver another blow to Eren, but stopped when he heard footsteps approaching at an alarming speed.

Suddenly, Reiner was kicked sideways by a girl around Eren's age. Her shiny hair was dark like her eyes, which pierced Reiner with the ferocity of a harpy. At first Eren thought Reiner had fallen unconscious before he quickly turned around to see who he had been assaulted by, ready to deliver a blow until he saw the girl boldly standing before him. His cheeks took on a darker tint of red as he inhaled a shaky breath.

"D-do not think we are finished, Jaeger," Reiner sputtered, scrambling away and down the hall. The dark haired girl stared him down until he was out of sight. She then turned her attention to Eren to assess his damage.

"We must take you to a healer," the girl said.

As far as Eren was concerned, getting to a healer was one of the last things he wanted to do. He felt more dazed and embarrassed rather than hurt. He had been saved all because he was too useless to do anything. Eren lifted the back of his palm to touch his stinging lip and saw blood. It was the only spot that seemed to be bleeding at the moment, though the side of his head did ache.

"I would rather train," Eren said, his strength restored. He reassured the girl with a firm look as her dark eyes seemingly filled with concern. He smiled. "Do you think you could lead me to the training grounds?"

She nodded still slightly unsure as she helped Eren to his feet. They reached a nearby aqueduct with clean water so Eren could wash his face. They walked down the hallways of the Golden House in silence for some time.

"Thank you for being back there," Eren finally said, his cheeks becoming somewhat hot. She nodded her head acknowledging Eren, but she didn't say a word. The girl didn't seem like one for conversation, but Eren wanted to speak with her. Maybe if he portrayed an air of friendliness she would open up more. "You really are powerful. Are you a soldier?"

She nodded her head once more though she appeared more concentrated on reaching their destination. He hadn't really expected her to affirm, as girls were not usually a part of the army, but he guessed Nero had made an exception with her skill set. He could tell from below the stola she wore, that her body was more muscular than feminine, but it didn't take away from her beauty. For some reason, it didn't hurt his pride that a girl his age had more muscle and fighting power than him. Instead it spurred him to want to learn as much as he could from her and her fellow soldiers.

"What is your name?" Eren asked. "I am Eren."

"I am Mikasa."

"Do you live here in the Golden House?"

"Supposedly I do, but I try not to stick around. I like the open streets much better than this terrible luxury."

"Then you must not enjoy the emperor's company around the city then, eh?"

"The first night I arrived, his servant assassinated his wife in front of me. I do not enjoy the sight of the emperor's face if I can avoid it."

Eren was proud to have received more than a nod or a sentence from Mikasa, but that immediately made him quiet. When they finally arrived at the fields, there were hundreds of soldiers spread out across it, and Eren didn't know where to look as they moved in swift movements. Some sparred with other soldiers, some practiced against the equipment covered with dangerous spikes, and more soldiers even wrestled with wild animals. The commotion excited Eren and he wanted to start refining his skills immediately.

Mikasa helped Eren dress into a woolen tunic under some body armor and she put on her own. She motioned for him to follow her and Eren was easily aware of the stares many gave him as he passed. They reached a sturdy blond man with thick eyebrows donning blue and black bruises all over his torso. The man stood across from Eren's favorite soldier, Corporal Short Man, in what seemed to be a training session.

"Levi, your shoulders are too tense, and your kicks are becoming sluggish," the man with the neat blond hair said, his voice deep. He then demonstrated to the irritated soldier a fast round kick in the air, which made the ground rumble as he landed, though Eren noticed with what appeared to be a quick wince. The man's muscled body glistened from the sun's heat even though he wasn't wearing any heavy armor to weigh him down. He highly doubted the man needed any armor anyway.

Levi, who was also well toned nor with armor, cursed at the man in front of him. "Well, General Erwin, I would not be impressed by any subordinate you have been fighting all day, who is handicapped from dehydration," Levi snapped, saying the man's name as if it disgusted him to do so. Eren noted by the grime they had accumulated on their bodies that they must have been training for hours that day.

Erwin's thick eyebrows twitched with impatience. Levi was his only subordinate headstrong enough to talk back to him and rankings obviously didn't matter to the man.

"Until you overtake me in a fight—"

Levi threw up his hands and groaned. "Always the same with you, you thick-skulled bast—"

Eren could barely hear the rest of what he had to say before Levi rudely pushed past him and out of sight. He was not military savvy, but he was sure that Generals required more respect from their lower ranks. Maybe Rome's prima donna was a special case or the small man just couldn't be contained. Either way, Eren was sure no one else could get away with that same attitude.

Immediately Mikasa saluted Erwin and Eren followed to do the same, though much more sloppy. Erwin respectfully nodded and went off in the same direction Levi had gone. Mikasa turned to Eren and tossed him a sword she had picked up from the ground.

"I usually train with Corporal Levi and General Erwin, but I would like to help you today."

Eren smiled, he was starting to like Mikasa more as she was friendlier than her demeanor let off. Though he was caught off guard when she charged at him so fast he could barely comprehend when she darted. Her blade swung around Eren from left to right so fast that all he could do was rely on the reflecting light from the sun to tell where it was. Every attack Eren tried to make was parried and before he knew it, she had him tripped on his rump, with her blade pointed at his neck. He broke into a cold sweat though at the same time appreciated her ability to take him down.

"Nero believes women are only good as sex slaves," Mikasa told Eren with a slight frown. "Such a pity."

From the distance, Eren could hear the obnoxious laughter of a familiar voice.

"Gaze upon him, our feline is not so ferocious at all!" Jean snorted, coming to gloat over the fallen Eren. He was followed by a boy with short blond hair wearing rags, holding Jean's equipment and cloths. Jean put a hand on Mikasa's shoulder and leaned in to give her a cloth to wipe away her sweat. "Of course my Mikasa could easily defeat you."

Eren heard the swooshing of the blade she wielded almost slicing the tip of the boy's nose off. A few strands of Jean's brown hair drifted to the ground, eliciting a very unmanly squeak on his behalf. Eren laughed until his stomach hurt and he was not exactly sure how the egotistical soldier could make such a sound.

"B-be quiet, Eren!" Jean stammered, his face turning redder than a tomato.

"Oy, you know my name," Eren smirked. Eren tried to reach for the towel in Jean's hand but the soldier immediately snatched it away from his grasp. "I feel so adored. Oh, and you owe me twenty sestertii."

"Like I would actually give it to you," Jean sneered. He turned from the two, trying to mask his humiliation by sticking his nose in the air. After he left, the blond boy approached Eren and handed him a cloth before hastily looking around. He gave a warm smile that could soften any hardened heart.

"Please, do not mind his temper. He is a good man, I promise," the boy said before hurriedly chasing after Jean.

Eren looked at Mikasa with his eyebrows raised and he could see a tug at her lips suggesting a smile.

"Two enemies down in one day, Eren. What will I do with you?"

They both burst into laughter and it was the first time the weight in Eren's chest seemed to disappear in weeks. It was agreed from then on, Mikasa would train him to fight his own battles.

...

It came on short notice when Krista announced that Nero was hosting a festival for Commander Pixis, who would be departing to govern his Cretan ships. If Eren was honest with himself, he really didn't want to attend the festival, but as it was being held in the Golden House, there was nowhere for him to hide without them knowing. He was also sure Nero or one of his guards would come looking for him if they saw one of Rome's new celebrities missing.

He spread his arms outward and raised the tunic above his sandals. Nero insisted that they dress up for the specific occasion and gave his prime soldiers new white togas made of silk and laced with gold. The emperor wanted to showcase the wealth of the Roman Empire… or at least the wealth they appeared to have on the surface.

When Eren had found his way back to his bedroom, he overheard one of Nero's closest advisers talking about how the excessive extravagance the emperor wasted money on would bankrupt the empire and starve them all. Nero had kept telling his soldiers to double the taxes of the people, so they could spend more than what they already owed, only to create more debt. By the time Eren was done listening, he was livid enough to punch a wall, which caused his knuckles to bleed.

Eren groaned and glanced at Krista nodding her head approvingly. He made Krista teach him how to put on the robes himself because he felt bad for making her do it most of the time. Eren also made her address him informally as it made it awkward to be addressed like he was superior.

"This is correct? It looks fine?" Eren asked turning around for her to observe better.

"You look fine, Eren."

"You look like a pile of horse dung to me."

Eren's face bitterly sunk as he turned around to see the inconsiderate fool that insulted him and was not at all shocked to see Levi leaning against his wall. Eren didn't even hear him come in. He was dressed in the same robes as Eren, though more immaculate and not a wrinkle in sight. He wanted to insult the man posted at the door, but Eren couldn't find anything wrong with him, except for his attitude and height, that of which he had remarked on already. He merely turned and tried to ignore the corporal.

"No one asked for your opinion. Come on, Krista, we can leave for the festival," Eren said as he forced a smile. Eren tried to leave the room with his dignity intact though Levi didn't seem too keen upon that.

"You look ragged!" Levi taunted. "Krista, I cannot fix this boy like you asked. He is beyond repair."

"Levi, are you not being quite cruel-"

"Krista, he looks as if he came from a barn, and his hair is horrendous," Levi scoffed, pointing at the mop on top of Eren's head. Eren's eyebrows furrowed as he brought his hand up to insecurely rub the back of his neck. Levi hadn't been wrong. His hair was ragged and hadn't been cut for weeks since his capture in Germania. It had grown to the lower part of his neck, where its dry ends tickled his skin.

"Levi, that is why I called you to help…"

"You told him to help me?" Eren asked, his frown apparent and his voice embarrassingly raising an octave.

"He is the best at trimming hair among the soldiers!"

Levi sighed, pulling out a blade and began to stride towards Eren. "Krista, you may leave, I will direct this slug to the party after I cut off his wretched mane."

"I am not letting you anywhere near my head with that!" Eren protested while backing into a corner of the room.

Krista looked back and forth anxiously between the two, questioning whether it was a mistake to have both of them in the same room.

"What? You do not trust me? Look at my hair, I keep it in a more presentable form than the rag upon your head," Levi said, feeling mildly offended at Eren's response.

Eren contemplated whether or not he wanted his hair butchered by Levi. Not only was his hair troublesome and long, he didn't know how to cut it, as his mother regularly fussed over it for him. He glanced at Levi and noticed the corporal did have neat hair, primly cut at the bottom and not a hair out of place at the top. Maybe he could trust Levi just this once, though he did grimace at his option.

"It is fine, Krista, I can handle this. You are free to roam the festival," Eren gave in. Krista nodded before leaving the room with a nervous expression, giving Eren space to glare at Levi as if he were sizing him up, though he inwardly chuckled because there wasn't much for him to do so.

"I should be giving you that dirty scowl, you look like a filthy mutt," Levi scoffed as he pushed Eren to sit on the floor. The short man mumbled obscenities once he put his blade to work. Eren could feel the cool blade metal touch his skin, but Levi's adept fingers worked to keep any nicks at bay. Little by little, dark hair descended to the floor and Eren found himself closing his eyes.

He didn't want to admit it, but as the man cut away his hair, it sent delightful shivers down his spine. Eren personally liked it whenever someone played with his hair, and the man's light maneuvers were no exception. The waves of tingles on his neck and scalp didn't cease and he sort of felt like he was drifting to sleep. Eren wouldn't have minded staying like that for a while longer…

"Are you dozing off, princess?" Levi teased as he leaned over Eren. "There, now I can actually look at you without gagging."

Eren pouted and left the room to go check his reflection in the nearest aqueduct. Levi must have been a sorcerer; he looked completely different. His hair was short and tidy once more. It took all of the willpower he had in order to administer a remark of gratitude to the corporal. At least, Eren could be grateful he still had some hair left on his head.

Levi and Eren entered into the palace's dazzling banquet hall where they were greeted by many guests, who nodded their heads in approval at them. Nero's senators, many nobles, other wealthy patrons, and an assortment of Nero's favorite elite soldiers packed the room. Out of the crowd, the emperor immediately spotted them (he sure had a talent for that) and came over to give his greetings. The most remarkably dressed of them all in sapphire gold laced robes, his smug smile appeared to show he knew just that.

"Yes, my robes fit the both of you quite nicely," he stated with pride. "I would like you to-"

"Father!" an excited voice interrupted through the crowd. A small boy dressed in an extravagant tunic and toga like Nero's, but fastened with an intricate golden fibula at his shoulder. The boy's curls bounced when he ran over to the group. Unlike Nero, he was slender, his skinny arms embracing the larger man, and his expression beaming. "I have just returned from the hunting trip. You should have seen me, Father, I killed many hares and bores! Though Erwin will not let me kill titans…"

"That is marvelous, my son," Nero said, patting the boy's hair with a smile that, for the first time Eren had seen, seemed very genuine. He looked up, as if he had forgotten that Levi and Eren were there, and he raised his shoulders with pride. "Ah, Eren, you have yet to meet my son, Renatus Caesar Augustus Germanicus."

"Wow, you are the titan man!" Renatus exclaimed, pointing at Eren as he jumped up and down. "Father! Father, I want to fight like him! Have him train me!"

Again, Nero's hollow smile appeared on his face making Eren feel troubled and confused at the same time. Why would the child want to train with him, even though he could barely fight? From what it looked like, the kid was already training under Erwin and most likely Nero, too.

"I am sure we can have something arranged, my son," Nero's eyebrow raised at Eren. The man had a gift of switching expressions like the great actor he claimed to be. "Now everyone, run off and be merry. I must address the crowd."

When Nero left to the front of the room, Renatus came up to Eren, grabbed his forearm and pulled him down to his height. Eren winced as the kid continued to clutch his arm with great force. Levi was holding his breath in painfully, trying not to laugh at Eren's misery. For a twelve year old with a large amount of strength, his small stature was very misleading.

"If you do not train me, my father will be very angry with you," Renatus said, his voice a low ominous hiss in Eren's ear. The kid released his grip carelessly and smiled at Eren before he disappeared into the room where Nero had gone. Eren couldn't tell if the furrowed expression on his face was from the throbbing in his arm or the disbelief that he was just threatened by a child.

"Not good with children, I see," Levi said, finally succumbing to his laughter he had been trying to stifle through the whole situation, and Eren grimaced at him. The man did look sinister when he laughed, as if he didn't do it often, which Eren was very sure was true.

"I did not know he had an heir," Eren stated, his teeth grinding. This would make the whole situation he had gotten himself into much more complicated. Levi calmed his laughing and became serious again.

"That worm is not biologically his offspring."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you dim? It means Renatus is not his child, fool."

"But-"

"It is not important," Levi groaned ending their conversation by going towards the food table. Eren decided to follow Levi around like a lost animal since he didn't want to be talked to directly by any of the aristocrats that he didn't know.

Endless amounts of meat, fresh pork in the form of whole boars lined with vegetables, and an assortment of fruits were splayed across the table. Numerous amounts of soft and hard bread were placed next to red wine and among other assortments of food Eren couldn't even begin to name. He had never seen that much food in one place in all of his life. There were servants that stood guard over the table, and Eren was wondering what Levi and him were doing there. No one was eating and they wouldn't be able to take away any food – except Levi.

Levi shamelessly took three whole loaves of bread in front of the servants and shoved them in his tunic. Eren gaped at the corporal's actions in which the servants, for some reason, chose to ignore.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked, hysterically checking to see if any of the guests were watching.

"Be quiet, you will create a disturbance!" Levi hissed, making his way to the edge of the banquet hall and out onto the dark peristyle walkway in the cool night. Eren's curiosity begrudgingly made him follow the man outside into the cool night. Hopefully, Nero wouldn't notice their disappearance as he spoke to the crowd, ready to sacrifice a bull's blood in the honor of Commander Pixis. It only affirmed Eren's choice to leave as he did not enjoy the pompous parties Nero hosted.

The stars twinkled and reflected brightly among the garden's rose bushes. In the distance, Levi waved Eren to come over to where he knelt.

"If you just stand there in the light, you will make us both look suspicious," Levi snapped as his eyes narrowed with impatience. There was no one else in the garden but Eren quickly jogged over. He was utterly confused as Levi reached for the three loaves of bread from his tunic. He pursed his lips and let out three short pitches that sounded like a small rodent scratching against wood. "Just stay away from the emperor for now. He cares not who you are, he will kill you."

Levi continued his pitches and Eren jumped when he heard another three pitches from the darkness. He realized there was a human figure emerging from the bushes.

"Where are you, Levi? You know I have bad eyesight," the figure said as it grabbled in the dark amongst the grass. Levi sighed.

"Hanji, I am located by the porch at the edge of the long bush," Levi said. He held his hand out until Hanji could touch his palm. Eren saw a woman with reddish brown hair and eyes approach them. Her appearance looked frazzled and she wore rags that looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in months. He was surprised Levi even let the woman touch him as the man made it clear when Eren walked passed him in the halls that he was strict on his cleaning policy. "You need to invent something that will allow you to see well."

"Ah, it does not aid me to roam in the darkness either," Hanji laughed. "But some of us have no choice. What did you bring this time?"

Levi handed her the three loaves of bread. "That is all I could bring without creating any gaps on the table or suspicion like last time."

Hanji didn't care as she gratefully took the bread and stretched to embrace Levi. She rubbed her glossy eyes that began to water over. "There are some children in the village that are too weak to walk, but I am sure if I give them this, they can last for a few more days. At least until Sasha and Connie return."

"Have they finally been caught?"

"They have guards in place of the servants posted at the food tables at parties now, so Sasha and Connie can longer smuggle food," Hanji said, her expression agitated while ruffling her hair. "The slums are becoming restless. I think a riot will commence soon."

Eren let out a hollow laugh, making both Hanji and Levi look at him, irritated and annoyed.

"I knew this empire was not as rich as they claimed to be," Eren said, a blush emerging on his cheeks while he directed his gaze to the ground. He really needed to think before he spoke and he was about to apologize, but Hanji interrupted him first.

"Are you the titan boy?" she asked leaning in closer to Eren's face with her eyes twinkling. "My name is Hanji! The word is spreading through the villages about you. The people need you. It is a pleasure to meet such a specimen in real life, I would love to study you!"

"Thank you," Eren let out an awkward laugh to make the situation easier for him to handle.

"Eren, this is serious, you could possibly help us kill Nero," Levi said. His glare was back in full force and Eren snapped his mouth shut immediately. That was the first time the corporal had used his name. It was probably only right that he finally took his position seriously. "If we are not careful, we will not be tried as murderers against the emperor; we will simply be killed. No questions asked. Do not take him lightly. We are speaking of a man who killed his step-brother on the eve of his birthday and watched him die with glee."

Then there was a tense silence before Levi finally addressed Hanji. "Have you received any word on my squadron?"

Hanji solemnly looked at the ground, "I am doing my best to dig up information in nearby villages, but so far my results have yielded nothing. Nero has kept very tight lipped with the information for years."

The silence came again and Eren didn't dare speak. "Thank you. Take care of yourself, Hanji," Levi said waving her off. There was an awful voice most likely belonging to Nero singing in the banquet hall, and the man's frown deepened. "We must return to the festivity."

"You take care, too," she said as she crawled back to the bush with the loaves in hand. She nodded at Eren once more. "Please do not forget about us, Eren."

With those last words she disappeared into the night. Levi walked back to the warm light of the Golden House and into the entrance without checking to see if Eren followed. The corporal didn't even have to threaten him not to speak about what had just happened, his aura gave off the suggestion itself. Walking into the light of the palace, Eren came to the realization that he may have just witnessed a part of the cold Levi's warm heart.

Chapter 3 Notes:

I was so tempted to give Eren a bald spot omg.

Nero had an affair with a woman named Claudia Acte at some point in his relationship with Octavia and he banished her. Then he just went up and got a new wife, named Poppaea Sabina, after bringing her Octavia's head on a silver platter (no joke, for real). Many didn't appreciate the way he treated Octavia and rioted because of it.

Killing one's mother or father was one of the worst things you could do in Ancient Rome. Congratulations, Nero. You get the biggest jerk award. Other crimes include raping a virgin and robbing a temple, both which I am sure Nero did because he was a douche. It is unsure how Agrippina died, but it is speculated Nero may have poisoned her, not the death I portrayed here. He did banish her from the palace like a brat though.

Homosexuality was bad in Rome, but only if you were the submissive one. You were seen as sick if you were the one who wanted to be penetrated by the man, but if you were doing the penetrating you were seen as normal. It was weird. I don't know what they had to say on lesbianism though. That was harder to research.

Nero didn't have a son named Renatus, I made him up. But he did have another child. Stay tuned.

Britannicus was also poisoned at a dinner party attended by his sister, step-mother, and apparently Levi (okay, not really), on the eve of his 14th birthday, the night before he became a man so he couldn't take away the throne.