AN: I can't believe I'm posting chapter 25 already. When I first posted this story six weeks ago, this was where I was up to in real life. I have up to chapter 34 now but couple those ten chapters with the 40k words I wrote for my supernatural academy... I actually started writing this fanfic on Christmas Day last year, so I've written up to a 100k words within three months. Not bad.
My couple in my Academy series are called Bryn and Matthew by the way. Guess who I named them after... That's how much I love this frigging ship (I used Bryn as I was looking for a Welsh name anyway, and it fit the bill).
...
Levi
My heart jumps as the queen sprints forward on that jet-black horse.
I kick my own horse's flanks, falling into position behind her. "Historia!"
I know that it's only my squad up there, but I'm still not taking any risks. She shouldn't go running off blindly into an unknown situation like that. The idiot.
She gallops the rest of the way up the road, and soon she vanishes into the woods where I can no longer see her.
"Tch…" I gripe, following in after her.
The shadows consume us at last. Every so often I catch glimpses of her blonde head as the sun reflects her shimmering hair, and I release an exasperated breath.
I told her to keep her hood up. Granted, a large number of the population possesses blond hair, but nowhere as outstanding as Historia's.
She's too conspicuous with those sweet angel locks.
Soon we arrive at a sunlit clearing and now she dazzles me from all around with her golden hair. I squint, shutting my eyes, but then I pick up on that thick scent of smoke.
My senses are extra sharp today. It happens quite often when my body's pumped up with adrenaline, but never to such extremes. In fact, ever since I've taken up my position as Historia's personal knight, that's when my senses have heightened.
I can hear Four Eyes cackling somewhere like a mad scientist as her Ackerman-Reiss hypothesis just may be true after all.
Not that I'll give her the pleasure of finding out, of course.
I open my eyes again, trying to make out the shapes of Historia and my squad members.
They stand around a campfire, embracing each other like old times. I told my squad to light the fire to signal their position. Sure, we may be advertising our location to potential threats, but who cares… let them come.
I'm drawing the rats in this time...
I guess our only problem would be if any MPs found us since we're supposed to be doing this in secret after all, but I'm sure I can handle myself against the likes of Nile Dok.
This time… I'll be prepared. I will find who is responsible for these recent attempts on the queen's life. That way I can reunite Historia with the children.
I made a promise to those little brats after all, and I never break promises.
I watch as Blouse and Springer hold on to the queen. Sasha chomps a piece of bread and I roll my eyes.
I see she's already depleted half of our rations.
Yet I can't help but smile a little as I tend to the horses. At least I could reunite her with her friends.
Kirstein and Arlert join the queen's side, but I remain hidden in the shadows, tying Silver's reins to a nearby branch. I already did the honour of securing Historia's stallion for her, but there are other horses around too.
Six in total.
I see my whole squad have arrived then…
"Historia, are you all right?" Arlert cries. "The captain told us about the recent attack. I'm so sorry… If only we had stayed a while longer…"
So far, I've only told Hange and my squad about the attack through a coded letter. Not that I plan on telling anyone else, but even the nannies back at the farm have agreed to keep their mouths shut just in case the MPs go snooping around.
Historia smiles, patting her fellow blond on the shoulder. "Please, don't blame yourself, Armin. You and Mikasa weren't to know that that man would arrive after all."
Armin dips his head. "Still… I just hope the children are fine. Those poor things, having to live through that. They've already been through so much. Tilly especially."
The queen gasps. "Oh, no. The children were perfectly safe. They were none the wiser, I can assure you. It happened when I was alone in the woods after dark. The children were all tucked up asleep in bed."
"What were you doing out in the woods by yourself?" Kirstein asks now, folding his arms, and I see that suspicious glint dancing in his narrowed eyes.
A lump clogs my throat, and I grip onto Silver's harness, turning away before they throw me accusing looks.
I guess it was only a matter of time until my whole squad heard about how I failed to keep Historia safe.
Shit. And the guilt tears me apart again, and I can't bear to look any of them in the eyes.
I can feel Historia's gaze boring into my back as she releases a heavy sigh, telling them everything. "I… I had snuck out alone without informing the captain. The fault was all mine, but it's okay. He found me in time and saved me. I… I guess I just wanted to see what was beyond the fence... I'm sorry, everyone. I shouldn't have acted so recklessly."
Surprised, I whirl around, staring at her in shock. She keeps her eyes downcast, and I feel as if I just swallowed lead.
She… she just took all the blame for me… the asshole who left her.
Fuck.
Jean's the first to snap. "Are you crazy, Historia?! You almost got yourself killed!"
"Yeah, what the hell's wrong with you?! Why would you do something like that?!" Connie cries.
"How would we have gone on without you, Historia?!" Sasha laments now, spitting bread in the queen's face.
"I… I know… it's just… I'm…" she stammers, and now she cowers like a cornered sheep.
I clench my jaw, ready to explode.
I can't take it anymore… How dare they yell at her, especially when she was the last one at fault that night. I'm the one to blame after all. It's me they should be screaming at.
I turn around to confront my squad, but then two familiar faces appear from the bushes.
"We got some more firewood," Ackerman says, pausing when she sees the scene before her.
Behind her is the sullen-faced Jaeger and I groan when I see that mess of brown hair. Someday, we're all going to have to tie his titan ass down and chop off those locks before they grow a mind of their own…
Maybe then we'll get the old Jaeger back.
His green eyes settle on the rest of my squad, namely Kirstein, and a glimmer of his old self returns. "What's going on?"
Jean huffs, turning away from Historia as if the very sight of her sickens him, and if he doesn't stop I will tie his ass to those trees so he can spend the night with the horses.
"Nothing a suicidal maniac like you would understand…" Jean retorts, storming off into the forest.
Eren goes on. "She had every right to go beyond that fence, Jean. It's her farm, her land after all… Why should she be a prisoner in her own home? We're all free to do as we please in this small world. No one should keep us penned like cattle."
I grit my teeth. There he goes with all that freedom shit again. Still… it's good to see a bit of the old Jaeger again.
Jean stops, giving him the stink eye. "Well, why don't you and Her Royal Majesty have a little sit down then and place bets on who's the most—"
"That's enough, Jean!" I bark.
The two boys stop glowering the moment I make my presence known. My entire squad stands erect now. Save for Historia, whose entire body flops, and that halo of light leaves her.
I fix my cold eyes on the main one responsible. As much as I respect Kirstein, he's robbed Historia of her happiness. That had been the first genuine smile I'd seen on her face for weeks.
I continue. "You've had your say. Now go on and get me those supplies I ordered."
Jean keeps his gaze on the ground, but then he looks up and mutters, "Yes, Captain."
Finally, he vanishes into the woods, and now an uncomfortable silence falls over the camp. They all just stand there like idiots; I thought I taught them better than that.
"Well, don't just stand there… Connie, Sasha, keep lookout. Armin, put the fire out. Mikasa…" I turn to the gloomy-faced girl, and I almost shiver when I meet those dark eyes. It really is like looking at a younger, female version of myself. "Look after Eren, I guess, like you always do."
She gives a hearty salute and the firewood falls from her arms. "Sir!"
I only have eyes for the firewood though. Seriously, what's wrong with them all today? I leave them for several weeks, and they've all turned so sloppy. "Pick those up..."
She nods then bends to pick up the firewood, but I don't miss that tiny glower. She hates it when I boss her around, but being the perfect soldier she won't refuse an order. Well, unless Eren is involved (then she will cut me limb from limb).
Finally, I focus my attention on Eren now, saving him the best job of all. He doesn't get to laze around just because he's the golden boy. "And Eren… you can clean the shit out of Erwin's carrier. He dropped a nasty one when the queen and I were on the road. Mikasa, you can supervise."
I leave them speechless as I wander off into the forest to catch a moment. Before I leave, I spot Historia slumping down beside the campfire, and I wish I could go over there and turn that frown upside down.
Unfortunately, we have an audience once again. Best not to rouse any suspicions after all. Especially with Armin watching us like a clever hawk.
Don't think I didn't feel his curious, blue eyes on my back during the whole blowout. He was silent and deliberate, and that's all the more reason to keep my distance from the queen.
Now I will have to act like an asshole around her again.
…
I hold up a pair of shining blades as I grip the handles firmly, a small smile tugging the corners of my lips.
I still remember the first time I held Ultrasteel. Yet I did it all wrong, insisting on doing things my own way back then. I was such a brat — an overgrown brat with too big of an ego.
But it's been some weeks now since I've operated ODM gear and Walls does it feel good. It's not that I haven't enjoyed using the sword, but I've missed whizzing through the air.
We won't be fighting titans per se, but anything to give us an edge in this mini-war. My squad also brought plenty of guns (all donated by the volunteers), but I always did prefer steel as my personal weapon of choice.
I wear the tan jacket with the Wings of Freedom, and it's like being a Scout again. But it wasn't as if I stopped being one in the first place. I'm still officially a member of the Survey Corps, but I've been the queen's knight for a while now. I've actually forgotten what it feels like to be a soldier.
I place the blades back into their compartments, and now I wonder if I should give the gear a test run. It's best to conserve gas, but I need to fly. There are plenty of tall pine trees around after all.
Just as I peer up at the branches, a set of soft footfalls makes their way towards me, and I look around.
Historia ambles dreamily through the woods, and a ball lodges in my throat when I recall the argument with Jean earlier.
She took all the blame and I still won't stand for it.
The queen offers me a half-hearted smile once she meets my eyes, wrapping her arms around her body, and now she looks so small and vulnerable.
She has nothing to be wary of. She has seven capable members of the Survey Corps to protect her now (two of which are titan shifters), yet still… she needs to loosen up. I miss that carefree spirit of hers.
It almost came back before but then Jean, Connie, and Sasha sucked the life out of her again.
I'm going to have to have a word with them later, especially Jean. No doubt he will become the 15th commander of the Survey Corps one day, but right now he is still my subordinate, and I won't have him talking about our queen that way.
"Why the long face, Your Majesty? You constipated or something? I'm afraid that feeling won't go away for a while. From now on, you'll be shitting in the woods. So get used to it."
She stops, placing her hands on her hips. "Really? More toilet jokes?"
I give her a pointed look. "What other kinds of jokes are there?"
Historia rolls her eyes, crossing her arms. "Never mind."
A tense pause stretches between us, and I'm desperate to give her a piece of my mind. She should not be taking the blame, but I'm struggling with the right words to say. The last thing I want to do is make her feel more like shit. I bet she already does after that stern telling off by my squad.
What was supposed to be a happy reunion only ended in misery.
"You sure kept this all a secret from me, Captain. For a moment I thought it was just going to be the two of us…"
I arch a brow. Is that disappointment I detect in her tone?
She shrugs, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Still… thank you. I know you won't admit it, but I know you invited them out here so I'd have a reason to smile again."
I blink a moment, stupefied. I should give her some credit after all. She figures things out far quicker than I expect her to, but I still put on my asshole hat and deny her claims.
"Tch, what are you blabbering about? They're my squad. What other reason would I have to bring them out here? I need their assistance and expertise after all."
She narrows her big eyes. It looks like she's on to me, but I'll keep playing the part. Don't want her thinking I've gone too soft now.
"Besides, now that the brats are gone, who else am I going to boss around?"
A smile plays over her lips. "Finally... a joke that isn't about excreting waste."
I scowl and she releases a loud giggle. Her gorgeous, pealing laughter rings throughout the woods as I step into her personal space now, and I'm definitely breaking my three-foot rule.
She stops instantly, blinking up at me wide-eyed. "C-Captain?"
I hover several feet above her, gazing down into her lovely, heart-shaped face. She's such the perfect height for me, it almost doesn't seem real, but I digress. She needs to hear what I have to say. "Don't ever let me hear you taking the blame for that awful night again, Historia. Understand?"
Her pupils dilute as I keep my scorching eyes on her. I sound so angry, and I'm practically growling, but there's no other way for me to make her understand.
Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, she bows her head, releasing a long, drawn-out breath. It blows the hair from my face. "I… I was worried in case they'd lose respect for you, Captain..."
My mask completely dissolves and now a strange swelling rises in my chest. It touches the back of my throat and I choke. "U-um…"
It doesn't take a lot to leave me tongue-tied, but shit… that did.
What can I say? I'm… touched.
Historia peers back up once again, and the forest canopy reflects in those giant, blue orbs. I spot cracks of blue sky, broken only by the trees, and then the silhouette of a bird flutters from a branch. A squirrel zooms past, breaking off several pine cones, and they fall to the ground. One hits me on the head, yet I still don't look away.
Her eyes are so big… they capture the entire forest.
The young queen's cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink now. "Also… I… didn't want them to know about… you know…"
Instinctively, my eyes fall to her rosy red lips, and I turn away embarrassed. Now I step back, wishing I could dab the sweat off my face with my cravat, but I'd be too obvious.
"Fair enough," I mumble, brushing a hand through my hair. "Well… resume your duties, and no… that wasn't another shit joke."
I storm off and she laughs once again, and I try to move away as fast as I can. That beautiful sound is enough to turn me inside out.
Before I leave, I spot a nearby supply wagon. The boxes contain the Survey Corps uniforms, and they give me an idea.
"Take a look inside a box and see if the idiots stacked a uniform in your size. Congratulations, Your Majesty. You are temporarily a member of the Survey Corps again."
She gasps. "W-what?"
My smile almost reaches my cheeks, and I turn around, meeting her stunned blue eyes. "After you've changed, find Jean, and he'll fix you up with some gear. Though I should warn you. Once you don that uniform again, you will be back under my command. So no more punching your captain or I will have you court-martial—"
Historia bounds towards me, throwing her arms around my neck, and I almost topple backwards.
"Oh, thank you, thank you!"
She keeps her arms hooked around my neck and her blonde strands tickle my nose. I get the faint scent of roses and my body freezes. The only thing that moves is my thumping heart, and I have no idea what to do as she swings from my shoulders like a monkey.
It's the same defence mechanism I deployed when the children attacked me at the orphanage. Except this time's a little different. For one, my heart's not the only organ that's reacting to having her delicate body pressed up close, and I break into a hot sweat.
Suddenly, she releases a shrill gasp, remembering her place as soldier, and now she steps back, giving a hearty salute. I don't miss the pink blushing her cheeks.
Well… that was certainly uncomfortable.
Finally, I smooth down my uniform, trying to act as nonchalant as I can. Though I won't deny that my own cheeks have turned the same pinkish hue.
"Also… no hugging the captain..."
"Sir!"
I flinch as she squeals the word and I roll my eyes.
She really needs to get out more.
AN: I don't want to spoil much, but a kiss scene will come soon in the next few chapters. They keep having these moments where they get up close, and I feel like that singing crab in that one Disney movie I forget the name of now...
Ah, I love Jean so much! He's such a tortured soul. He's just angry at Historia because he lost his friend Marco and he doesn't like the idea of losing her too. They're all just one big family...
I'll admit I hate the way the characters are always like "How's Eren" "Where's Eren" like he's the only character in the anime. I know he's important, but he gets way too much attention.
That's why I have him cleaning the cat shit (he deserved the worst job) because of the future shit he's going to cause to everyone else. God love him, but come on Eren... what are you even doing in the manga right now? You're like a big, scary skeleton thing... not cool. I'm just pining for chapter 128. Not long now.
I hope Floch dies.
Do you think it's Eren's long hair that has caused this change in behavior (it was his father's future memories at the medal ceremony), but it makes you wonder. Who knows.
I will post again next week around Tuesday or Wednesday again. I'm returning to work on Monday so a bit scary, but uncertain times are ahead.
Stay healthy everyone.
CartoonPrincessSigningOff
