Armin spent the rest of the evening watching Hange interact with Lucerne, and he only stayed back because he was told to do so. He wanted to speak to Lucerne again, ask questions, but he contented himself in merely watching Hange sit on Lucerne's chest and carefully feed him bits of bread and meat that the scouts had returned with.
Armin found it quite funny that Lucerne complained every other bite that he wasn't a baby, that he wanted to feed himself, that if he wasn't allowed to sit up while eating he might choke, that his legs were going numb, that his head was starting to hurt, and all number of other things. He was simply fascinating to watch, and Armin could tell just from the little he knew, that this creature, this person, was very intelligent.
Finally, as the sky began to darken, Lucerne began to ask where he was to sleep.
"Just right here, my lovely," Hange told him, petting his hair. "Did you get enough to eat?"
"No," Lucerne replied mournfully. "If you'd let me go I could go out and get something proper to eat."
"I wish I could my dear, but not yet." Hange continued to pet his hair. "Would you like a blanket? We have tarps that will cover you, it might get cold."
"Please, thanks," he agreed, yawning.
Armin yawned too, and decided it was time to head in. He dreamed of Lucerne that night, and the dream was confusing, and he woke up in a cold sweat early the next morning, not remembering a single detail.
The next morning, right as the sun was coming up, Armin checked to make sure there weren't any scout drills or anything he had to take care of, before immediately heading over to first check on Levi, who was fast asleep still, and doing fine, and then over to Lucerne, who was wide awake, and calmly playing with the ropes he'd freed himself from the night before.
Armin slowed his approach when he noted that Lucerne was free, but he didn't stop going towards him.
"Lucerne?" He asked softly, looking around for the scouts who were supposed to be guarding him.
"Shh, they fell fast asleep about an hour ago," Lucurne whispered, raising a finger to his lips and nodding to the two guards who were slumped against each other, snoring in sync.
Armin's eyes flicked to them, and then back to Lucerne, who was cradling section commander Hange in one arm. She was smiling in her sleep, also snoring lightly.
"She couldn't bear to leave me I guess." Lucerne smiled down at her in his hand. "Slept in my pocket. Is Levi okay? I'd of gone to check on him myself, but I didn't want to needlessly alarm anyone."
Armin nodded, still approaching very slowly, until he was standing by Lucerne's legs, which were crossed and folded under him. He reached over and Armin flinched, but all he did was hand one end of the rope to him, then stretched up his arm to see how long to rope was, but sitting, he was too short to pull it to its full length.
Armin watched him curiously, thinking. Lucerne was just playing. He was fiddling, pacifying boredom. And he was free from the bonds, but he was staying put, even with nothing to keep him there other than the knowledge that the humans wouldn't be too happy if he moved.
Armin noted that the ropes actually weren't torn. They had been untied, very neatly, and the other ropes were all coiled in a neat pile in front of Lucerne. This creature, whatever species he was, showed great amounts of intelligence, and Armin began to wonder if he might in fact be smarter even than humans.
"How long have you been free, Lucerne?" Armin asked softly, carefully sitting down.
"Free from what? My family or the ropes?" he asked with a clever gleam in his eyes, smiling and carefully coiling the rope around his finger, using only his other fingers on that hand. The other still gently held Hange, as though she were a treasured pet he didn't want to wake.
Armin smiled at that. "From the ropes," he clarified.
"I started working myself free when they fell asleep, so about an hour." He replied, looking up when two more guards, the ones who were supposed to be taking over for the sleeping ones, suddenly showed up, then cried out in alarm when they noted that Lucerne was free.
Armin jumped up, putting himself between Lucerne and the two scouts. "It's fine! He's just been sitting here, behaving, for the past hour, he's not a threat!" Armin cried, and the scouts, stricken with fear, began to back away, their swords drawn.
The commotion woke Hange, who sat up, yawning, then yelped when she noted that Lucerne was free.
"Oh my!" She cried, her eyes flooding with delight. "You had a chance to wreak havoc on all of us and you didn't! Oh how marvellous!"
Lucerne appeared to be either amused, confused, or a mixture of the two. He gently set Hange down, who was staring up at him with gleaming eyes. "I had wondered how we would test to see if it was safe to have you untied. Now we don't have to."
"All due respect, section commander, but having it loose is a safety risk I'm not willing to take," a voice from behind them said, and Armin and the others turned and stood at attention when commander Erwin entered the clearing, accompanied by a squad of soldiers who surrounded Lucerne swiftly.
"It?" Lucerne cried, offended. He began to stand, but was incapacitated by the squad before he could even gain his balance. Hange and Armin jumped back to avoid being squished when Lucerne hit the ground, unconscious from the blow to the head.
"No, no, nonono, don't do that! What are you doing?!" Armin cried, alarmed and outraged as he watched the soldiers begin to secure Lucerne to a wagon. "Where are you taking him?!"
Hange was bordering hysterical. "Are you crazy?! He'll never trust us again! No, careful, you'll hurt him! You have no say in this Erwin! Capture and research is my jurisdiction!"
"Word of this sentient titan has reached the king's ears, and he wants it to be moved somewhere more secure than this, to be interrogated and possibly stand trial for crimes against humanity."
"Lucerne is not a titan!" Hange and Armin protested at once, and Hange grabbed Erwin by the front of his cloak, yanking him down to eye level. "I'm not letting you take him!"
Erwin shoved her away easily, fixing his jacket with a glare. "I'm afraid you have no say in the matter."
Armin, in the meanwhile, was feeling mounds of guilt. After all, he had insisted that they capture Lucerne.
Suddenly, Levi appeared, getting up in Erwin's face shamelessly. "You can't put him on trial for crimes he has no connection to whatsoever! He doesn't even eat humans! He's just as afraid of titans as we are!"
Erwin looked annoyed. "Go back to the medical tent, Levi."
Levi square his shoulders, a defiant glint in his eyes. "No."
"Levi, do not make me assign you an escort."
Levi clenched his fists. "He's not even a titan, Erwin!"
"So it says."
"No. So I say," Levi jabbed his finger into Erwin's chest, angry, "and I think I've more than earned the right to have my opinion considered! Listen, damn it!"
Erwin sighed softly, rubbing his temples for a moment. "I'm sorry, Levi." He signalled for the soldiers to continue loading Lucerne up, and they started moving away.
"That's it?!" Levi cried, hobbling after them on his crutches. "Bullshit! I deserve more than just an apology, Erwin! Lucerne is harmless! Taking out our anger with the titans on him isn't going to accomplish anything!"
"I will get you an escort, Levi. Don't test me."
"If you really think this is necessary, at least let me be a part of it! I know him better than any of you, at least let me defend him! He deserves that at least, I deserve that at least! Damn it Erwin!"
"Fine!" Erwin snarled, rounding on the smaller man angrily. "If that will shut you up, then fine!"
"Commander Erwin! I'd like to come along as a witness, if I may?" Armin said on a whim, running after them, watching a soldier help a vaguely triumphant Levi climb into the wagon.
Erwin grunted in reply, jerking his head to indicate that Armin tag along, and he did so with a quickened stride.
Lucerne was kept heavily sedated until the best blacksmiths within the wall had finished making special cuffs and chains to fit him, which took less than a day and a half because they were rushed.
When Lucerne finally woke, he was very groggy, and looked around in confusion. He was chained to the floor of a highly secure prison cell. There was a small, barred window that shed light into the cold room, and at first glance, he was unable to locate the door.
"Hello?" He whimpered, feeling panic set in. "Hello?!" He attempted to stand, but hit the ground in an instant, the chains around his ankles stopping him short. "Levi?!"
Feeling alone and betrayed, Lucerne crawled back to the furthest corner of the cell and hugged his knees. He didn't see anyone for the rest of the day, and cried himself to sleep.
Armin did his best to be a mere observer, and not get in the way. He did, however, object to the suggestion that Lucerne be interrogated on the source of the titans. He wasn't sure if his protests were in vain, but he made them anyway. There was no way he was going to just stand by on something of that sort.
Levi pestered Erwin all day about the uncalled-for harsh treatment of Lucerne, but all he could negotiate was that Lucerne wouldn't miss any meals, so long as he cooperated. He had tried to get a meeting with him, but had failed miserably, and planned to give Erwin exactly forty-eight hours to decide to allow it before he began attempting to sneak a meeting anyway.
Levi went to sleep that night on the floor, to protest the fact that Erwin refused to have a bed made for the gentle boy. There wasn't much else Levi had control over. All he could think of was how he was alive now only because he had met Lucerne. Sleeping on the floor was the absolute least he could do to repay him.
AN: There's been some confusion on Lucerne's height. Forgive me, I don't work with the metric system often. His height is 3.4 meters (just over eleven feet, if you stack two people of average height, they'd be a little taller than him). Sorry this chapter is so short. I've been very busy, and have had a particular lack of motivation to write. Please tell me what you want to happen, I need inspiration ! Thank you for your reviews, and I do hope you'll continue to leave them.