Mikasa had been sure that having military ball had been a bad idea. From the first time she heard about the proposal to have a formal celebration, she was less than enthusiastic about it. Then when she learned she would be a guest of honor she fiercely shook her head. The notion of having a ceremony to celebrate the turning of a new leaf for the Reiss monarchy and Ackerman clan in this new age of peace was sure to bring trouble like moths to a flame— a century old flame that was caused by violently different ideologies between the two groups in the first place.
When Historia, Queen Historia, Mikasa corrected herself mentally, approached her with this idea, Historia knew that she would be uncomfortable with it.
"You're not guilty of the First King's crimes," Mikasa had protested, "It was his doing, and began a hundred years before we were even born."
"But I want to end it," Historia had countered, "Your family was persecuted, Mikasa. Dozens of families in your clan were snuffed out. For a lie. One that the Reiss family told. As the last living member, I want you to please let me take responsibility."
Mikasa mulled over Historia's reasoning, "Uri Reiss ceased the attack on the Ackermans for good. What's important is that it's over."
"But he apologized only to Kenny Ackerman, and I want to formally honor the Ackermans now that our country knows it's history."
The mention of Kenny had prompted Mikasa to ask, "It's not just my family. Have you asked the captain?"
Historia shook her head and reached out to gently grasp both of Mikasa's hands with her own, "Not yet. I'm coming to you as a friend first."
Mikasa let out a sigh and gave Historia's hands a light squeeze, "Thank you. And as your friend, I want you to know that you don't owe me anything. You have my forgiveness for what it's worth." After another moment, she continued, "I doubt it would be up to me anyway. What you're suggesting sounds like it would take planning and leadership approval from Commander Hange and Captain Levi. I'll leave it up to them."
"I could just tell them it's happening and say 'What are you going to do about it? I'm your Queen,'" Historia let out a chuckle, referring back to when Mikasa had encouraged her egg on the captain after she punched him, which was also due to Mikasa's encouragement, following her coronation.
Mikasa gave her a rare smile, "Not sure they deserve it this time."
When she decided to leave it in Hange and Levi's hands, Mikasa really thought they would've dismissed the idea immediately. She had thought Commander Hange would decline citing the inadvisability of calling multiple troops back from their positions and congregating in one conspicuous location. They had spent almost half a year rebuilding the Survey Corps and had only just begun sending out teams on missions again a few weeks ago. Mikasa had thought that calling everyone to Mitras would slow the momentum they had just started to build.
With Captain Levi, Mikasa had thought he would flat out reject the idea before they could get past the word "formal" or "royal." She certainly thought he wouldn't have even entertained something as preposterous as being a guest of honor at a ball.
But here they were, a day after her initial conversation with Historia, when an ear-piercingly loud cheer rang out through the dining hall among the Scouts at Commander Hange's declaration of an upcoming military ball in four weeks to honor their very own Ackermans. Details of having shifts to patrol during the event, and raising morale and public opinion of the Survey Corps were lost in the clamor. Hange didn't fight the tide of noise for very long, and let the soldiers celebrate.
"I'm so excited!" Sasha squealed, right into Mikasa's ear.
Connie snickered, "Really? Never took you to be the type to be excited about playing dress up."
Sasha waved off his comment, "No, you idiot. Think of the food! They'll have roast beef, suckling pig, and maple bacon." She continued babble the names of various meats, and Mikasa was almost impressed by how many she can list.
Mikasa scanned the room to see all her comrades buzzing about the news. Out of a sea of people, only she and Captain Levi seemed to remain impassive. As if he had anticipated it, his gaze caught hers right as she looked his way. They're both less than thrilled at the news and Captain Levi lifted his tea cup just a little higher at her to salute their shared sentiment. Mikasa was surprised at the acknowledgement, and let one corner of her lip lift at this. Maybe he didn't agree to the occasion after all given how sullen he looked now, but it's not like he would show overt emotion over such a trivial event.
Before she can think more about it, Armin nudged her with his elbow and she turned back to the conversation before her.
"Guest of honor, huh?" Armin said to her, "How are you feeling about that?"
Mikasa shrugged, "It feels weird. It's not like I've done something to warrant being a guest of honor. I honestly preferred it if I weren't. It's only because I just happen to be a part of the Ackerman bloodline."
She looked down. It was true that her father's lineage was hunted to near-extinction after the monarchy had plotted against them. But it was also true that those circumstances drove him to live in seclusion by the edge of the walls, where he had met her mother. Mikasa couldn't help but feel the situation was ironic that Historia was remorseful of this, when it ultimately led to her parent's marriage and their relatively happy life in the mountains. Ironic still was that their tragic deaths weren't even directly related to the monarchy's plot against either of them.
Eren shook her shoulder encouragingly, "Don't say that! You deserve it; they owe you so much for what you did for the city last time you were there. You secured the Female Titan, and saved their city."
She decided not to correct him, seeing how she was also part of the reason for Annie's transformation into the Female Titan in the middle of Mitras, so she chuckled and offered Eren a small smile at his attempt to brighten her mood.
Jean chimed in, "It'll be fun! I bet you'll get more perks as a guest of honor!"
Sasha looked as if she's about to ask if those would be food-related perks, but Jean continued with a blush blooming across his cheeks, "Do guests of honor need to be escorted there?"
Eren snorted, ruining Jean's effort, "Maybe you could escort them by pulling the carriage, horse-face."
"Shut up!" Jean's face deepened in color, "I don't see anything being thrown in your honor for your useless Titan ass."
"At least they won't mistake me for a barn animal when I arrive!"
"Your gigantic ego and big head wouldn't even fit through the front door! And I'm not talking about your Titan form!"
"You'll trample people with those hooves on the dancefloor! You could ask Captain Levi if you want to escort a guest of honor. No way would you be the one to take Mikasa."
"I wasn't actually asking just now," Jean was furiously red now.
A cool voice announced itself from behind their table, "I decline, brat."
"Captain Levi!" Jean saluted, caught off guard and embarrassed, "It was a joke, I mean—I didn't mean it that way."
Mikasa hid her small smile behind her teacup, but the rest of the table openly held their sides howling in laughter. If just the news of this military ball, and incessantly teasing Jean at his expense, was enough to put her team in such a good mood, Mikasa felt guilty having wanted to deny them it.
Their captain raised an eyebrow and deadpans, "I'm offended. Am I not good enough?"
Jean looked like he's praying to the Walls for the ground to open up from underneath him and swallow him whole like a 15m Titan. But Captain Levi put Jean out of his misery when he looked straight at Mikasa and Armin, "Alright enough. Ackerman, Arlet, with me."
The two soldiers looked at each other confused, but got up to follow closely behind their captain. They gave a backwards glance to their friends, signaling that they would catch up with the group later. Connie and Sasha have already teamed up to continue hassling Jean, and Eren quietly watched their retreat from the dining hall.
Captain Levi led them out of the dining room into the cold hallway towards the Commander's office and the jovial atmosphere dissipated faster than the warmth. Commander Hange was already waiting behind their desk when they entered the room.
"At ease," Hange nodded to them as they gave their salute, "My apologies for pulling you away from dinner."
Hange gestured to the man leaning against the closed door behind them, "I asked Captain Levi to bring you here so we can discuss this military ball and the reason we agreed to it."
"So it's not to celebrate the Ackermans or to boost our morale?" Armin stated more than asked.
Ignoring the soft tch Levi let out at that, Hange admitted, "You're right. It's not for any of the reasons that I said earlier to the Scouts. The reason we agreed to it is because we believe that we may have a new enemy and this is part of a plan to draw them out."
Surprise and alarm colored Mikasa and Armin's faces, and a barrage of questions erupted from them all at once.
"Who are they?"
"What do we know about them?"
"What is the plan?"
"How does this event help us?"
Commander Hange held up one hand, reminiscent of Erwin's mannerisms, "I'll get to that. Let me brief you on recent events first. As you know, we've only begun running missions again three months ago. So far they've only been routine surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but each team that has gone out has reported back strange things."
"Strange things?" Mikasa echoed.
Hange nodded, "Some groups have reported the contents of their transport carts getting rearranged, other have seen figures in the tree tops that seem to disappear by the time our soldiers use their ODM gear to get there. One group reported that they almost came to blows before the strangers got away."
"We're sure they're not civilians?" Armin ventured.
"I'm sure of it," Hange affirmed, "It's with every single mission that has gone out, even the ones with veteran soldiers. It's not a new troop's paranoia that they're being watched."
Mikasa furrowed her brows, "How do we know that they're enemies? Do we know what they want? Maybe they're not enemies if they haven't attacked any of our squads."
"Or they could be waiting for the right moment to attack," Levi pushed off from against the door and walked up closer behind Mikasa, "No one who spies is doing it because they're an ally."
Mikasa regarded Captain Levi's logic with a nod.
"It's still a good question," Hange said, "We need to assume that their intentions aren't in our best interest for now. But you're right in pointing out that it's strange that they haven't attacked any of our Scouts even once they've been discovered. It's as if they're watching or searching for something."
"Or someone," Armin grasped.
"Yes," Hange sighed at this, and took off her glasses to rub her eyes with one hand. She returned them to her face that bore a tired expression, "Maybe they haven't seen the person they're looking for yet. And there's only one team that hasn't gone on a standard mission yet."
"Special Operations," Levi grunted.
"Precisely."
Mikasa's thoughts went immediately to her adoptive brother in considering who in their team would be the most likely target of the spies, "Eren!"
"It's likely," Hange admitted, "But that's where this plan comes in. If we succeed, we'll be putting Eren in the safest place he could be and capture the two strangers to find out what they want."
Mikasa, to her credit, didn't argue with Hange about Eren's possible involvement but waited with rapt attention to hear Hange's next words. Armin took note of this, half-surprised that she didn't take more issue to any involvement on Eren's part. He felt Captain Levi tense too and then fractionally relax recognizing Mikasa's cooperative countenance.
"This military ball that all the Scouts will attend will be sure to draw out our two strangers. If they've been watching, waiting and failing for the last three months, they'll see this as their chance to find what—or who," Hange added, "they're looking for. During this time, we'll have Eren in the castle surrounded by all military personnel and Queen Historia's personal guards. We'll have soldiers patrolling the event the entire time, and we'll leak intelligence that there will be an important Special Operations briefing for a new mission somewhere in the castle."
"Of course, the meeting will be a trap," Levi emphasized.
Armin quickly put the pieces together, "So if their target is Eren, it'll be nearly impossible for them to get to him during the event. They'll be compelled to try to find him at the fake meeting, where we'll be waiting to capture them."
"Correct, and if they're not looking for Eren, I bet they'd still be interested in collecting intel on this Special Operations briefing since they've been following our other missions."
"Shouldn't the strongest of us be protecting Eren?" Mikasa chewed the inside of her cheek.
Armin considered this too, "And why isn't Eren here to hear this?"
"You want to tell them, Levi?" Hange swept her arm towards the two younger soldiers.
Captain Levi looked straight at Mikasa, "As the guests of honor, we'll have access to more of the castle and the opportunity to case any of the guests that are suspicious. It'll be like we're hiding in plain sight. We'll be able to stay close to the queen and Eren, but also be able to walk around freely. When the time comes, we'll make our way to the meeting room and apprehend the targets."
He then began to answer Armin's previous question, but still addressed Mikasa, "You're here because we need your trust and cooperation on this. For it to work, you can't act like Eren's fucking bodyguard all night. He'll be surrounded by military officers, but we need to make it seem like there is no added security so our culprits think they might have a chance."
Captain Levi continued pinning Mikasa with his stern gaze, "Armin is here because we need him to help us stress-test this plan to make sure we've considered all potential fail points. Eren is not here because it all rides on him acting normally during the event, and not blowing it for us even before we get there. He and the rest of the team will be briefed with specific details so they're not totally in the dark. Eren will be required to stay in the main ballroom at all times, until the time of the meeting, in which he will be moved to a secure location. Armin be with him ensure that will be the case. Any questions?"
The room was silent as they absorbed the information. Armin felt like his mind already whirling, thinking through different aspects of the plan. Mikasa, in contrast, looked strikingly calm. Her expression was fierce but not argumentative.
"Okay," Only then did she break her and Captain Levi's staring contest to turn towards Hange to repeat, "Okay, I'm onboard with this plan."
Armin voiced his agreement, "I am too. I can help you plan, Commander Hange."
Hange's gleeful exclamation was in sharp contrast to their previous solemnity just a moment ago, "Great! Let's start now!"
"We'll start with the logistics of traveling to Mitras," Hange unfurled the map on their desk like a whip. Half-way down to crouching over it, they looked up as if remembering the two other presences in the room, "Levi, Mikasa, you're free to take your leave for now."
They didn't hesitate to stride towards the door, recognizing Hange's planning frenzy mode. It was a good thing Armin also enjoyed tactical planning. Captain Levi closed the door behind him and Mikasa, shutting them off in the deserted hallway. They walked in synchrony towards the sleeping quarters, now that dinner was long over.
"It goes without saying that you can't tell your friends about this," Captain Levi broke the silence.
Mikasa gave him a look, "And yet, here you are saying it."
"Tch—Don't look so offended, I trust that you won't."
She was taken aback by his rather open admission, and her words came out more as a clarifying question than a statement, "You trust me."
Captain Levi looked a little weary at that, "I never said I didn't."
When she didn't respond, he continued, "I also trust that you won't lose your head over attending an insipid ball. It's a mission for us, not an opportunity to play princess."
She knew he was saying it to get a rise out of her, and not because he believed that she had any interest in that so she didn't bother protesting. The Captain was in a relatively conversational mood, especially for him, and Mikasa warmed in the familiarity of their banter. It had been absent for months, and she had missed it. But after all, she was the one to have gone and ruined it.
She responded equally flatly, "I'm actually expecting to be swept off my feet by my prince, and we'll ride off into the sunset happily ever after."
He rolled his eyes in quiet humor, "He'd be hanging on for dear life with you taking the reins. Walls know, you're not a princess. You're a soldier, and soldiers don't get those shitty happy endings."
"I think that's a contradiction, Levi," She knew she was pushing the boundary, but she had missed the easy conversation with him more than she cared to admit.
"It's Captain," he corrected her without any real conviction.
But Mikasa humored him by parroting back, "Alright, Captain."
When the hallway branched off with the cadet rooms in one wing and the officers in another. Mikasa moved to bid Captain Levi goodnight with a small wave when she heard him say quietly, "It also goes without saying that you can't ask someone to escort you, Mikasa. We'll be working closely together and we can't have any clingy brats fucking up our mission."
He missed the small smile on her face, since her back was to him as she walked down the hallway opposite to his. Mikasa didn't respond until she was halfway into her room, "It's Ackerman. And I wasn't planning on it, Captain."