Petra leaned against the ship's railing, the wind blowing through her skirt. She held the hat firmly to her head and gazed at the coastline as it emerged through the haze. Men and women strolled past her on the deck, chatting and laughing. One young man even winked at her as he walked by. He had no idea the secret she carried in her blood.
If he had, he'd have been horrified.
"Enjoying the view?" Onyankopon smiled as he stood beside her, taking in a deep breath. "The ocean air. Bracing."
"Mmm." Petra didn't want him to know how nervous she was. "Um, have you seen my husband?"
"I think he's off talking to Yelena. He'll be back at your side before we dock, I'm sure of it." He winked. Petra looked down at the blue water frothing against the ship's prow. So many wonders. So much to explore.
To fear.
"There he is," Onyankopon said. "I'll leave you both to it."
Petra nodded in silence as Onyankopon moved away and her husband took his place.
"We've got all our papers in order, right?" she asked.
"Everything's arranged," Erwin replied. He tipped the brim of his hat so that it shadowed his eyes.
One year ago
They were ready when the second ship appeared.
The first had been a bit of a surprise; by luck, both Eren and Erwin had been in the vicinity. Erwin had ridden down alongside Levi to relieve Eren and Hange of their 'watch' duty, and now it seemed that watchfulness was paying off. For one month since finding the sea, they'd rotated every week, keeping at least one titan on hand in case of an invasion. Now, the time for action had come.
A small ship cruised into the cove. Small was relative, of course; Erwin had never seen anything like it before. Its windows blazed with a strange, yellow light: artificial, electric. Smoke poured from a metal stack in the boat's center. It was powered by energy, not the elements. Remarkable.
He'd had Eren transform and take the thing; Erwin's transformation would have reduced the whole site to rubble. Retrieving that first ship hadn't gone so well. They'd lost most of the ten people aboard in the chaos.
It was regrettable. But they'd learned from one of the young men they captured alive—Niccolo, that was his name—that theirs was a scouting party. The real troops were a couple of hours behind.
So they waited.
Erwin stood on the cliff beside Hange, Levi at his back. The night wind ruffled his hair. The larger Marleyan ship sailed nearer.
Its lights cut across the black water. Eren got into position again. This time, he swore he wouldn't kill half the men on board.
Erwin watched calmly as Eren's titan lifted the ship onto its back. He didn't relish the Marleyans' screams; he didn't want to be the devil they all feared. But he would be, if that was what it took to survive. Eren got out of the water and laid the ship down upon the earth. No way for them to get out now. Not unless the Eldians helped.
Erwin heard screams coming from the ship. Eren loomed over it, giving them something to fear.
Hange leapt to the edge of the cliff, cackling like a madwoman.
Perhaps letting her make the introductory speech had been a miscalculation.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen of Marley. Welcome to the island of Paradis! My name is Hange! I'm the welcoming party for our distinguished guests! Won't you join us for a cup of tea?" she crowed.
"Tch. Idiot," Levi grunted. He trudged after her. Erwin joined them as well, surveying the frightened, hostile faces. The boy they'd captured, Niccolo, began screaming for his commander to shoot 'the devils'. Eren's titan loomed over them, so none of the Marleyans looked particularly ready to fight. But one of the older men started cursing them out. Probably the captain.
"Sons of devils!" he yelled. "Marley's not interested in drinking tea with those of polluted blood. Why would we ever sip pig's piss with you, you degenerates?"
Degenerates. Devils. Taunts Erwin believed he'd be hearing a lot in future. He remained in the shadows for the moment, observing quietly. Levi glanced at him, as if to ask what the hell he was doing. Erwin made a motion with his hand: in time. He must wait for the opportune moment.
"Do you really wanna insult us?" Hange grinned. She squeezed Niccolo tight. "You can't have missed the titan behind you. How exactly do you plan on getting away from this place?"
Too far. Erwin saw it at once. She'd pushed them to a state of panic. The captain leveled his gun at them. Even from this distance, even in the dim moonlight, Erwin read his fear.
"We will never bend to you devils! Here's Marley's answer!" he shouted.
Shit. Erwin stepped forward to block Hange; unlike her, a bullet would not kill him. And then—
A gun went off. Erwin, Levi, Hange, Niccolo flinched.
None of them were injured.
The captain fell to the deck, dead. But it wasn't Levi or Hange who'd shot him. A tall figure stepped forward…one of the Marleyans.
A mutineer? Erwin frowned.
The soldier removed his helmet, and even from this distance Erwin got the impression that he might be a she. She was an amazon, the tallest woman he'd ever seen, with blonde hair in a bowl cut and dark, dark eyes. Something in those eyes unnerved him, but he could not explain what.
"What're you doing, Yelena?" one of the men squeaked.
"Drop your weapons." The woman turned her gun on her comrades. Her voice was deep, and a bit gravelly.
Another soldier—a fellow Marleyan mutineer—also threatened his comrades. They all realized that between two turncoats, a titan, and who knew how many hidden soldiers among these sea rocks, they were outnumbered. They laid down their arms and put their hands in the air.
"Hange. I'm honored to receive your invitation." Yelena looked up at them. Her smile was incredibly wide, almost wild. "How about that tea?"
So they took the fifteen Marleyans prisoner. They sat in the main tent with Yelena and Onyankopon, her fellow rebel, a handsome young man with the darkest skin Erwin had yet seen. Erwin took over for Hange in the interrogation, though she and Levi sat on either side of him. Erwin mostly listened to Yelena's…uncomfortable facts.
One million soldiers in the Marleyan army. Every one equipped with automatic weapons.
Fleets of battleships larger than the ones that had come ashore on Paradis.
Aerial battalions. They could fight in the skies as well as on land and sea.
Throughout it all, Hange kept making incredulous noises and Levi kept shooting her dirty glances. Erwin, though, took it all in stride.
He merely sipped his tea, thought, and then spoke calmly.
"If Marley has such power, why has a year passed without them launching an attack on us?"
"The pure titans that roam the island make landfall difficult. Ironic, isn't it?" Yelena smirked. "What's meant to trap you also protects you. But it's almost sunrise, when titans should be moving, and we're sitting here calmly. You killed all of them, didn't you?"
"And what if we had?" Erwin asked. "Would that be of interest to Marley?"
"I wouldn't tell." Her dark eyes shone. "It's incredible."
Yes. Their island had done much with little in the way of information or resources.
The second reason Marley had left them alone was that they were currently involved in a war on multiple fronts. That was good. Wars bred chaos, and chaos created opportunity. Opportunity…
"If you're willing to go against a power such as Marley, you must have powerful allies. Who are they?"
"It's not like that," Yelena said. "We're no sleeper agents. Just conscripts from occupied territories. We never thought we'd have a chance to fight back. Not until…him."
She gave a beatific smile. She spoke as if of a god.
"Him who?" Levi grunted.
"A titan. Someone the world considered a devil. But to me, he looked like…a god. He took us in." She nodded at Onyankopon. "Trained us. Inspired us. Gave us hope."
"This titan god have a name?" Levi grumbled.
"Zeke Jaeger."
Levi put his cup down so hard that tea sloshed into the saucer. He was so hyper-focused on Yelena that he didn't even mop it up. Erwin read the tension in Levi's jaw, the widening of his eyes. They'd read of Zeke in Grisha's journals, and Eren had all but confirmed that it had been Zeke who confronted him in Shiganshina that day. Zeke, the pilot of the beast titan.
The beast titan. Erwin was suddenly back on that field, charging towards oblivion with the screaming troops at his side. Watching as the beast wound up, ready to fling the rocks that would destroy him, destroy all of them. Erwin had ridden towards death…and lived.
"The beast titan…is helping you?"
"Us." Yelena beamed. "We killed our officers under Zeke Jaeger's orders. And we want to free the Eldian people."
"I see." Erwin tried to process this. Levi got up and walked out of the tent without a backward glance. Erwin didn't try to stop him; he needed a minute.
The man who killed me wants to save me?
Erwin poured more tea for Yelena. Hange looked stupefied.
"So. Zeke wanted us to talk?"
"He did." Yelena sipped her tea. "He has much to offer you. And he has a few requests in turn."
Erwin picked up his cup. "What kind of requests?"
"Erwin, you're not thinking of doing this?" Levi paced across the commander's private tent, looking ready to jump out of his skin. Hange sat and observed with wide, stunned eyes. This whole evening had been a lot for her to process.
"We're at a disadvantage, Levi. We need allies wherever we can find them."
"Allies? That beast fuck turned those Ragako villagers into titans. He killed the entire Survey Corps!" Erwin rarely saw Levi lose his temper. It was frightening to behold. "And he's been helping us out this entire time? Some fucking help."
"Remember Eren Kruger, from Grisha's journal? He aided in the torture and transformation of countless Eldians while working as the Owl. Such things do happen."
"Erwin, you didn't hear him. When I was getting close, I heard him—it—talking to itself. It was playing a fucking game. That's what the deaths of all those screaming children were to it: a game. He killed them. For fuck sake, he killed…you." Levi winced. Erwin smiled.
"Well. I got better."
Silence. Hange burst into a violent bout of laughter. Both men were startled. She wiped her eyes.
"Sorry. The tension's been brutal this evening. I needed a laugh."
"Zeke being trustworthy aside, his demands? Let him live on Paradis? Fine, I get it. I don't want to be his shitty neighbor, but I see why he'd want that. But why's he need a guarantee to meet with Eren? Family reunion?"
"Hmm. I'll have to debrief Eren on that."
"You think he knows? Why would he? How?"
Erwin rubbed his chin. "Call it a hunch. If Eren's hiding secrets from us, it will be to protect someone he cares about. One of his friends. It can be a pressure point if need be, though I doubt it'll go that far. Hange, could you get him? And afterwards, I'll need Onyankopon and Yelena back here. We need to talk terms."
"Uh. Sure." Hange shot Levi a 'look' as she went. He nodded. Some unspoken conversation. Some concern.
"What's wrong, Levi?"
Levi grunted. "We should be having this all out in front of the military assembly. We ought to be discussing this."
"As Supreme Commander, I have made the decision to approach Zeke Jaeger in the spirit of cooperation. I'll inform the rest of the military, of course. Nothing will be kept secret. But it's not their call to make. It's mine. I've made it."
"I'm not sure this is the right move, Erwin." Levi looked grim. When he openly questioned Erwin's decisions, it was serious. "We're gonna hand Zeke Jaeger our island? I don't trust him. And you ordered me to take him down. That's what I think we ought to do."
"I asked you to kill him before I fully understood our situation, Levi. After the basement, everything changed. For now, you're to think of him as a necessary ally." Erwin nodded. "For now."
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Think that could change?"
"Yelena said that Zeke could help us with many things. He could be a spy for us in Marley. He'd give us access to Marleyan technology. He'd negotiate on our behalf with friendly peoples." Erwin sat back. "That is the place to start. My condition for accepting his terms will be that I meet with him and the ambassador of one of these friendly peoples in person. I want to gauge the man when he's not wearing his fur."
Levi was silent. Considering. "What do you get out of putting your ass on the line like that?"
"Zeke Jaeger may say one thing and think another. I'll be able to tell."
Erwin was unabashed about that fact. He was proud of his intuition; it was one of the few things he liked about himself.
"Tch. Fine. Debrief the brat, then talk to the Volunteers. But Erwin?" Levi stopped at the tent flap. "I got a condition of my own."
"What do you mean you're leaving the island?" Petra stopped stirring the pot and looked over at her husband, who was very engrossed in the potatoes and carrots he was cutting up. She loved giving him items to chop; he did it at such lightning speed. It was like a carnival trick.
But she didn't care about chopping right now. She wiped her hands on her apron, half ready to strangle him.
"Erwin's having a meeting with this beast guy and some potential allies off site. I'm going with him to protect his ass."
"No one else is going with you?" Petra glared at the back of Levi's head. He didn't turn around.
"Once we leave the island, we're fair game for the anti-Eldian world. Too many of us means things get complicated. Complications mean something goes wrong."
Before Petra could argue further, Kuchel began to shriek. She always did when they were making dinner. They usually laid her on her play mat, but sometimes she wanted more attention. Levi instantly went into the dining room and picked her up. She made happy nonsense baby sounds as he carried her into the kitchen.
"I just wish you weren't going, that's all. Or at least I wish I was going with you." She slid the carrots and potatoes into the soup pot and kept stirring.
"We both know why you can't," he said. Kuchel gurgled, making his point for him. "If this were some sort of spy mission, I'd say you should go with Erwin. You're better at acting than me. But this is the beast titan. If it's a trap—"
"You're the only one that can take him down." She puffed out her cheeks. "I know."
"Worried about me, Ral?"
She smiled. He kept using her maiden name to tease her. Well, there was technical truth to it: there were already two Ackermans in the Guard, so she'd made it simple and kept Petra Ral for work. 'Do you mind?' she'd asked Levi. He'd frowned. 'Why the hell would I? I didn't even have a last name until two months ago. Fuck, if I still hadn't known mine when we got married I would've taken your name. It's just a name. Shit. Why do you respectable middle class people make life so complicated?'
"I worry about you when I'm not around to watch your back." She blew out the stove's flame, letting the soup sit for a minute. Levi frowned, jiggling Kuchel. She grabbed at his hair, fascinated.
"Who's got your back, then?"
"You do. Always." She kissed him, kissed Kuchel. "That's why I need you to come home safe."
"I will." He kissed her. They were all huddled together as a family in that moment, cozy. "Only if…"
"Only if what?"
He whispered. "Only if you clean the countertops. We don't live in a pig sty."
"Well. Since I'm the one who needs to take care of Kuchel, why don't I handle this…" She took the baby from him. "And you clean the countertops?"
"You spoiled brat." He kissed her again, so long and deep it nearly shook her to the foundation. "I love you."
"I know. So come back to us."
They left Hange in charge of getting the new Marleyan "recruits" settled. Onyankopon was showing her the schematics for a port, whatever that was, when Erwin, Levi, and Yelena left around sunset. Thankfully there'd been a few more boats coming into Paradis, and one of them was a smaller vessel. Cozy enough for three, but not big enough to warrant much concern. Yelena steered them away from the island. Levi watched the land until it vanished entirely.
Petra and Kuchel were so far away now. I chose to come along.
Erwin was taken with the motor, the electric lights. They traveled for nearly two hours with a lot of silence. The sun disappeared, and fog rolled in across the water. Finally, lights appeared up ahead.
"What's that?" Levi stood behind Yelena in the captain's seat.
"Marley. We're close to Liberio." She gave the most bitter smile. "It means Freedom."
Yeah. Funny.
They steered away from the larger collection of lights. Levi saw they were headed into a smaller harbor. Looked like fishing docks, small time traders. Easy to get lost here. Yelena docked the boat and killed the engine.
"Come on. It's time to meet him."
She always got that crazy light in her eyes when she mentioned Zeke. Levi didn't like to assume what people jerked off to in the dark, but he got a feeling he knew who Yelena envisioned.
They walked through a series of warehouses, climbing a short hill until they came to a row of tenement housing. Levi had learned enough to know that this wasn't the Eldian internment camp. That was farther in, behind a bigass gate. This was just where the poor lived, and Levi knew what it was to be poor. He felt right at home, and hated it.
Yelena led them into a building and up three flights of stairs that smelled like soup and mold. Levi nearly shut down when he saw how grimy the place was. At the top of the stairs, she knocked on a door. She gave two knocks, waited, then three. The door opened.
That bearded bastard stood in the doorway. Zeke Fucking Jaeger. The Beast Titan.
He looked like some limp-wristed intellectual, the kind you saw in cafés in Mitras spending their father's money. He was moderately tall, and young. Levi'd guess mid twenties. But he wore round glasses and had grown a beard, probably in an attempt to look older. His suit was tan, looked decent enough. For an Eldian in Marley, he probably did all right for himself.
"Come in. The other guests have arrived." Zeke had a low voice; Levi'd expected something wheedling and nasally. Ah well. Zeke smiled at Yelena, glanced briefly at Erwin. He did not see Levi. Yet.
They entered the apartment, one shitty room with a wall that was all window. The bed was only a thin cot. Levi got the impression this wasn't Zeke's official home. It was a stash house. A place for secret meetings.
"Mister…Smith? Do I have that right?" Zeke held out his hand to Erwin to shake. He wanted to shake the hand of the man he'd killed. The fucking nerve.
Erwin, cool as ever, shook firmly.
"Please. Erwin will do. Zeke, is it?"
The bearded bastard grinned. There was something about him that might've been handsome and charming if it didn't feel so…rehearsed.
"Perfect. I understand you're the new colossal?" How'd he gotten that information? Fuck, now wasn't the time. Erwin's silence spoke for him. "I'm sorry for poor Bertholdt, but such is the life of a titan shifter. You were at Shiganshina then?"
"I led the suicide charge against you." Erwin smiled as he spoke. Ice cold. "The one that gave Captain Levi the chance to sneak up from behind."
Ever the master of drama, Erwin sidled over and revealed Levi to Zeke.
"Hi," Levi growled.
The look on Zeke Jaeger's face was worth the trip. His eyes practically toppled from their sockets. His whole face constricted in terror. For a brief second, Levi thought he might actually shit his pants. It didn't take long for Zeke to get himself under control, but he'd shown his hand. He was pants-shittingly terrified of Levi.
Made Levi feel good.
Someone gave a polite cough. The men discovered a small woman seated in an armchair before a brazier. The coals warmed the apartment. The firelight shone on her face.
Levi had never seen anyone like her. Or the men who had her back, all dressed in dark suits. All protection. Though there was something in her face that sparked recognition. He couldn't place it; the feeling was there and gone.
"Er. Commander, this is Lady Kioymi Azumabito. She's from the nation of Hizuru, which has long standing ties with Eldia. You might say she's a strategic diplomat."
Kiyomi stood, neatening her skirt as she did. She was a damn small woman, but elegant. Even Levi could spot taste when he saw it. She could've been anywhere from forty-five to sixty. Her face was sort of ageless.
Kiyomi shook with Erwin. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, my lady."
"Not at all. Ours should be an entirely and mutually beneficial relationship." She sat. Zeke had only two armchairs in the place, but he'd set out a rickety wooden chair for Erwin. Levi's blood boiled. He got close to Zeke, let the monkey feel him breathing down his neck.
"You've got bad manners, shitbrain. You should offer your guests the best chairs."
"Levi." Erwin was quiet but stern. "It's fine." He settled himself onto the chair. Levi planted himself at the commander's back, same way Kiyomi's bodyguards had done for her.
Zeke kept sneaking nervous glances at Levi. Good. Let him be afraid.
"To business." Erwin turned to Zeke. "I admit that receiving your offer from Yelena was most interesting. Particularly after our prior encounters."
Zeke harrumphed. The guy flicked the tip of his ear a few times. Fucking annoying.
"Yes. I can understand why you'd be…sore about it. But I did it because I wanted to retake the Founding Titan."
"For Marley," Erwin said.
"For my own purposes. You see, Marley has no idea what will happen when a titan of royal blood touches the Founder. Simply put, getting my hands on the Founding Titan would mean the restoration of Eldia."
"And you'd like that?" Erwin asked.
"Of course. Because I myself am of royal blood through my mother. Dina Fritz." Zeke touched a hand to his breast; firelight winked in his glasses. "I am the true Eldian restorationist."
Yelena gave a contented sigh. She'd parked herself behind Zeke's chair. All the leaders had their muscle now.
"You should know Grisha Jaeger left behind a collection of journals. He mentioned you." Erwin lifted an eyebrow. "You sold out your restorationist parents as a child."
"To save myself and my grandparents, yes. It was the only way. My father was sloppy. He drew attention to himself and his cause. He was correct in his nationalist beliefs, but also naïve." Zeke's mouth pursed slightly. "I don't imagine he mentioned me very frequently."
Erwin did not answer that. "I requested this meeting because I wanted to understand exactly who I was dealing with. Off the battlefield." He smiled. "You make a formidable opponent."
"Thank you." Zeke appeared genuinely pleased. What a geek. "The same traits make me an exceptional ally. Therefore, I hope you can agree to my terms. Residence on Paradis for the remainder of my life, and a guaranteed meeting with my half-brother."
"He looks nothing like you," Levi muttered. Erwin turned his head. The signal was clear: not now.
"I know. Lucky for him." Zeke sneered. "I look like our father."
"Getting back to the point, you promised us intelligence from Marley, new technology, and mediation with sympathetic nations." Erwin hit the word 'nations' a bit weird. They none of them had heard the word until a few days ago. Erwin turned to Kiyomi. "You said Hizuru has a longstanding relationship with Eldia, my lady?"
"Yes. Our shogun was once an ally of the Eldian Empire." What the fuck was a shogun? Levi kept his mouth shut. "After the Great Titan War, Hizuru lost standing amongst the world's nations. We lost much…"
She paused, choosing her words carefully. Hmm.
"We lost the only child of the shogun's heir. He remained behind on Paradis." She took out a handkerchief and daintily wiped the corners of her mouth. Looked like she'd been salivating. "We would like to offer our services to you, Commander. We wish for a new Eldian order. We can provide you, as Zeke says, with weapons, training, and a bridge to other potential allies. We can come up with a strategy for Paradis to give it time to catch up with the rest of the world."
"And in return?" Erwin asked. She smiled.
"Yes. In return." Her eyes flicked to Zeke. "Two things. One is a bit personal. The other…well. Zeke mentioned in his letter that he had something to share with us. Information that would be useful to you as well, Commander."
Levi was getting irritated with all this fancy evasive bullshit. He inwardly griped as Zeke pulled over a knapsack or some fucking thing. The bearded bitch rustled around in it, then yanked something out and held it up for inspection.
"This is a top-secret Marleyan project. It's "vertical maneuvering equipment", a titan-killing invention originally developed on Paradis. The Commander, of course, will know all about it. Don't worry, I didn't steal this from a Marleyan base. It won't be missed. I procured it myself when I was on the island."
Levi looked at it.
He saw what it was.
They couldn't stop him. He wrenched the gear out of Zeke's grimy hands, and stared at it. It…it couldn't be…
"Who'd you take this from?" he croaked.
Because he knew this gear. He knew the crack along its outer cylinder, fused back together. He knew the dent near the gas tubes.
He and Mike had cleaned and prepped their equipment together side by side for years. Levi knew his dead comrade's gear like he knew his hand. Knew Petra's body.
It got quiet. 'You can hear a mouse shit' quiet. Levi bared his teeth. Zeke looked up at him, pressed back in his chair.
"Where'd you get this?" Levi hissed.
"Levi," Erwin warned.
"A man. Some tall man. He was too frightened to talk to me in my bestial form, so I helped myself to his weapon and went on my way."
Mike had been outside the walls without his gear. This freak had signed Mike's death warrant.
"Friend of yours?" Zeke asked. His eyes probed Levi's face.
He and Mike had never talked much because they both enjoyed the quiet. He'd never been close to Mike like he had Hange or Erwin, but they were good companions. Mike actually laughed at Levi's shit jokes. Mike did whatever he could to shield new recruits from the titans. Mike had fucked, maybe loved Nanaba. Mike had stood guard by the window, keeping watch for any enemies.
Mike was dead because of this man.
"His name was Mike Zacharias. He was the second strongest man in the walls. He wasn't just 'some tall man.'" Levi clutched the ODM to his stomach; he didn't want this freak's hands on it again. "So have some respect, you prissy little bitch."
Zeke glared, but said nothing. Smart.
"Levi." Erwin spoke as he would to a snarling dog. "Come here."
"Yes." Zeke stared hard at Levi. "Go there."
Begrudgingly, Levi gave the ODM back to Zeke so he could do whatever song and dance he wanted with it. He turned to stand behind Erwin.
"If he was the second strongest man, it's not saying much." Zeke's voice was flat. "He trembled before me. When the titans devoured him, he screamed and sobbed like a little girl."
Levi did not think. The blade was in his hand, his hand raised over Zeke Jaeger. Yelena started to move for him, but she'd be too slow. They were always too slow. This fucker would be dead before he could realize it was happening.
"Levi! Stop!"
Erwin's voice cut through the haze. The yellow lightning splintered Levi; his arm froze. He didn't make the killing blow. He just stood there, paralyzed as Yelena threw herself in front of Zeke. She glared at Levi, furious as a mother whose baby is menaced by an attack dog.
Levi heard Kiyomi get up. Heard her saying things. He didn't care. He'd missed his chance. Again.
"Forgive me, Levi." Zeke appeared smug. "I wanted to test a theory."
Theory? The fuck?
Erwin was at his side. Erwin was furious.
"Stand outside the door. Wait for me."
Levi gaped at him. This fuck had taunted them, flaunted Mike's death, and Erwin still wanted to negotiate?
But Levi put down his knife. He bowed his head. He'd trust Erwin's judgment. Again.
He stood by the door and listened to the muffled voices within. Couldn't make out what they were saying. Half an hour later, the door opened. Kiyomi and her black-suited men filed out silently. She cast a quick glance at Levi.
"Is your name Ackerman?"
"Uh. Yes."
"Relation to Mikasa Ackerman?"
The fuck? "She's my cousin. What about her?"
"I see." Kiyomi only bowed her head and went down the stairs. Levi stayed parked there until Erwin came out. He spoke with Zeke in low voices. Levi watched them shake hands.
They shook hands.
He wanted to cut Zeke Jaeger's hand clean off.
"Levi." Erwin moved quickly down the stairs, followed by Yelena. She glared at Levi, watched him with her beloved murder monkey.
"Goodbye, Captain." Zeke extended his hand.
"Fuck off," Levi said.
It was a tense, silent boat ride back to Paradis. The water was still, at least. Levi realized that he was crossing an ocean on a motorized boat, something remarkable that no one else on Paradis had ever experienced, and all he could think was murder. Erwin sat with his arms crossed, brooding intently. He was deep in thought.
And he was mad at Levi. Madder than he'd ever been.
The feeling was mutual.
When Yelena brought them into the shallows of the cove, Levi leapt off the boat and trudged ankle deep through water. He stormed up the slope and made a beeline for Erwin's tent. He waited there until the Supreme Commander showed. Erwin pushed through the flap, silent and golden and enraged.
"Listen to me, Levi."
"Fuck that piece of shit ape, and fuck you." He was almost shaking with the rage. "It's one thing to talk business with someone from the opposite end of the battlefield. It's a whole other thing to sit there while he talks shit about your comrade's final fucking moments."
The idea of Mike, stoic, strong, silent Mike wailing and screaming and sobbing as he was torn to pieces threatened to break what resolve Levi had left.
"Do you think that was easy for me to hear?" Erwin snapped. He strode forward, his eyes glittering with rage. "Do you think I didn't want to kill him myself? But he has royal blood, Levi, and if what Eren told me is true then the story is corroborated and royal blood is the key to unlocking the full power of the titans. If we want to stay alive in this world, and especially if we want Historia to remain intact and human, we need to work with Zeke Jaeger! We need him until we can be free of that need!" He loomed over Levi; Levi wasn't impressed. "At his first provocation, you became unhinged. You can't be trusted where he's concerned."
"I can be trusted to kill him, which is what you wanted!"
"I told you what I wanted had changed, and you deliberately disobeyed me! You brought me back into this hell, Levi, and I will not let you fuck up my plans to save it!"
Erwin had never shouted like that before. He didn't use the word fuck all that often, either. Again, the shame of what he'd done to Erwin landed like a lash across his back. Levi looked away, a wolf conceding defeat to the alpha. Only Erwin Smith could get him to look down. Levi turned away, walked to the other side of the tent, hands on hips.
"I'm sorry," he growled. "I let myself get emotional. It won't happen again."
"Yes. Emotional is the right word. It's very unlike you. I wonder why," Erwin said. "Is it because you can't forgive yourself for not completing the mission I gave you in Shiganshina?" Fuck. I swore to you. Doesn't that mean anything? "Or perhaps domestic life has softened you."
"It won't. Happen. Again," Levi snapped.
Erwin was silent a minute. "Do you want to hear what happened after you left?"
Levi sighed. "Yeah. Tell me."
"Zeke showed Lady Kiyomi the interior of our gear. The "iceburst" crystals, as he called them. The same sort of thing we found in Reiss's titan chapel. It's apparently a source of tremendous power, one we Paradisians currently can't utilize to its full potential. Kiyomi wants two things from us: to meet Mikasa, and to have first rights to mine our crystal."
"Why does she want Mikasa?" He didn't even like the brat all that much, but she was blood.
"Mikasa's mother was Azumabito. They're family."
So. The brat had more family out there. He felt weirdly competitive.
"So that's it, then? Trust Zeke? Trust Kiyomi?"
"Of course not." Erwin sat at his table. "Zeke and Kiyomi offer us what we need, but make us entirely reliant upon them as a result. Zeke's ties to Marley and other allies, Kiyomi's technology and innovation: we need both. Badly. But I don't trust them in the slightest." Erwin sneered. "Particularly Zeke. I can trust that Kiyomi's prime motivation is the strengthening of her family and people. In that way, I can anticipate her. But Zeke Jaeger…" He rubbed his chin. "Even if he hadn't provoked you, I would never trust him. He's adept at playing all sides of a situation. The problem is, I have absolutely no idea what he truly wants. He doesn't seem motivated by power, money, sex, any of the things that drive most men. And unlike Eren, I don't believe he has a burning love for people in his heart. Eren could never have listened to a man scream as he was torn to pieces. He might grow angry, might bellow about it, but he could never just listen." Erwin's voice broke a little. Levi knew then how much it had cost him to sit there and be calm as Zeke mocked Mike in death. "It's one thing to commit atrocities for the sake of a mission. It's another to feel nothing about them. Zeke Jaeger feels nothing; I can sense it."
"So we're fucked."
"No." Erwin looked up. "We play along for now. The goal is to become independent of them."
Levi frowned. "You mean…get our own ties with Marley? Other allies? Make our own technology? Erwin, that's fucking impossible."
"No. It isn't. Not if it's done right." Erwin got that creepy smile, the one Levi hated and trusted. "All things are possible with enough planning and will. And we have an advantage. We have the Founding Titan and the crystal; we have much to bargain with."
"Then what's the first step?"
Erwin was silent. "When the time comes, Levi, I'll fill you in."
Just like that, he was shut out. Maybe it was a temporary punishment; maybe it was the new way of doing things. Levi tried to show it didn't hurt him. He mostly succeeded.
"If I'm done here, mind if I head home? After all this, I want to see my daughter."
Erwin stiffened at the word 'daughter.' "Yes. Of course."
Levi went outside, called for his horse, and rode through the darkness. It'd be almost dawn when he got there, but it didn't matter. He wanted his family.
He wanted them in his arms.
He entered the bedroom to hear them both breathing quietly. Already the sky was turning pale gray. He was exhausted. Levi undressed to his underwear and slid into bed. He molded his body against Petra's, felt how warm and soft she was. She stirred in her sleep, rolled over. Eyes closed, she kissed him.
"You're home." She sounded relieved.
"Yeah. It's a bigass world."
He wrapped his arms around her, felt her fall back asleep. He glanced at the cradle.
This was the only world he wanted anymore.
He wasn't sure how long it could last.