As the captain deposited her outside of the window and kept watch to make certain they hadn't been spotted, Petra tried to figure out what to say to him, if anything. Wait. That could wait until this was over, as he'd said. But as Petra rapped on the window, and as Eld's relieved face appeared and he slid open the glass, she found that she couldn't help sneaking glances at the captain. He allowed her in first, then followed behind as swift as a shadow. He seemed to turn from her whenever he could. Whether to shake snow from his shoes or to brush it from his hair, he kept his back always to her. Petra suppressed a swell of anger, and looked around the room. Eld was there, and Gunther. Oruo's entire face lifted at the sight of her, and then he began to sneer and bark and kick at a figure huddled on the carpet.
"Idiot! Get up and beg for your life. Idiot!" Oruo kicked Gregor—the huddled figure, naturally—in the side. Gregor yelped, and Gunther shushed him harshly. Petra rubbed her freezing hands together and stood over Gregor. She had a petty, childish thought of placing her hands on the back of his neck. The cold would make him squeal.
But, of course, there were men everywhere looking for them. Better to stay quiet.
"Oruo. Don't make a mess if you don't have to," the captain said quietly. He sounded stoic now, as gruff and in command as ever. Only minutes earlier, he'd been undone, his voice hoarse with yearning. It was incredible how fast he could rebuild that wall.
Maybe there was something wrong with him after all. And something wrong with Petra for wanting him.
This is not the thing to think about right now.
Petra knelt before Gregor. He wouldn't look at her; too much of a coward.
"What about the MPs?" Eld murmured.
"They'll be chasing us in the forest for some time. We need to work fast, though. Has he told anything yet?" The captain walked to stand behind Gregor, who whimpered at the approach. "You know who I am, pig?"
"Y-Yes, sir."
"Then I suggest you look at Ral. If you don't, you'll have to look at me instead, and I'm not nearly as pretty."
Petra flinched. The captain's patter sounded the same as ever, but now that they'd shared that moment in the woods she could not even hear him speak about her without reacting. Calm. You're a soldier, Petra. Act like one.
Gregor looked into her eyes. His tears didn't move her. Instead, she grabbed his ear and dug in her nails. Gregor yelped, and the captain kicked him in the ass for it. Petra was grateful.
"What did you see after they took the captain away?" she muttered.
"You don't understand. I didn't want to do it, Petra. I swear. Hurting you made me sick." She twisted his ear harder. Gregor bit on his lip, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"That doesn't answer my question," she snapped.
"The MPs, some of us, we loan our skills out. You know? For a little extra money?" He glanced at Oruo for sympathy; the man bared his teeth. No sympathy here. A roomful of angry eyes watched Gregor squirm. "I have gambling debts. I've never been lucky, Petra, you know that. Just a little extra money for some…added security at a party. Providing a little muscle here and there. Lord Karl paid for my services tonight, to be his own personal guard. I thought it'd just be things like watching his back, dealing with any assholes. Instead it turned into…what it turned into."
"And you never once thought to stop it?" Her vision shook with rage.
"If I had, he'd have exposed me to Commander Dok. You know we're not supposed to take any private money. I would've been out of the MPs, sent to prison!"
"Sorry if I don't feel too bad for you."
"Want me to kill him for you, Petra?" Oruo growled. He thrust his face into Gregor's. "Tear his ears off and stuff 'em down his throat?"
"I just want to know what you saw after the captain was taken away. And if you don't…" Petra tried to think of a suitable threat. "If you don't, we'll all leave you alone with him." Gregor gave a stifled yelp. Her eyes darted to Levi's, and he quickly looked away. But he nodded. Good idea, that's what he indicated. She had never wanted him so much; she wanted him as much as she suddenly hated him.
No. Not hated. But all of her visions of him had fractured tonight, and she didn't know what to feel anymore.
"If you don't tell us what you know," the captain said, "I will make it my business that you never speak again." A chilling threat. Everyone believed it, too.
"All right." Gregor sniffed. "After the captain was taken away, Oruo helped you out of the room. It was only me, Lord Karl, and Herman. I was trying to sneak out—the guys were talking about sending a doctor back fast, for Lord Karl. I didn't want to get caught; I figured if I ran, no one would know. Then…"
The captain suddenly moved away, headed for the window. Gregor looked up, baffled.
"D-Don't you want to hear? C-Captain Levi?"
"No need. I already know who it was. Pretty damn sure I know everything." He paused at the window. "I just wanted to make certain he'd tell you. Know we were serious."
"What?" Petra tried not to shriek. She got to her feet, the whole room looking after her in confusion as she followed her captain to the window. He shoved open the glass, and buttoned his jacket. "Where are you going? Sir?" She barely thought to add his honorific.
"Once he finishes telling you, Eld and the others know what to do. I've got a mission elsewhere from Erwin. Don't worry." He nodded at her once. "I'll see you at the end of it all."
"I don't understand any of this." Tears were upon her now, not of sorrow but of sheer frustration. This entire evening, Petra had been led this way and that by different men, lied to, attacked, embraced, rejected. Enough of it. Enough of it all. "Why can't you just be honest with us, for once?"
"Petra!" Eld was shocked. Normally, she was the most obedient of Levi's squad. But not tonight. Not now.
"Everything that's happened might've been so different if you'd just talked to me! To us," she amended quickly, but the captain drew in a sharp breath. Other than that, though, his hooded eyes, his cool gaze, his emotionless expression remained in check. He was a man without feelings.
She couldn't bear this any longer.
"Follow orders, Petra. Do what you were trained to do."
With that, he slipped out the window and was gone into the darkness. As Petra shut the glass, as she returned to Gregor, and as he told them every detail of what he had seen, she was numb. As the last steps of Commander Smith's plan began to unfold, Petra went about the motions competently, and quietly. Like a soldier.
Like any other soldier in the corps.
Wherever the captain was, and whatever he was doing, it was none of her business.
After he left the room, Levi crept across the face of the house like a midnight shadow. His old days of thievery had never fully left his muscle memory; he knew how to slink down a drain, how to climb a roof without disturbing a shingle, how to enter and exit with the soundlessness of a cat. He knew where he was headed, and he knew why.
The last part of Erwin's plan. Hopefully, all the proper pieces came together.
The only thing that put his foot out of step for a single instant, the only reason he nearly fell, was when he remembered the hurt in Petra's eyes. The girl he'd dragged through hell, who'd kissed him with more passion than he could've ever anticipated, he'd left her without so much as a tender glance, or a secret touch. Something to let her know it was going to be all right.
I shouldn't be in a relationship. That's clear now. I'm too fucked up even for a one night stand, and she deserves much more than that.
Levi's greatest hope and fear with regards to his subordinate had both been realized in the span of one hour. She would do anything for him, and if he didn't break her infatuation, he'd be selfish enough to take her. He could imagine fucking her in his narrow bed back in the barracks, the springs squealing beneath them, her breath coming hot and fast in his ear. The dirty slap of their fucking, the obscene moans, the undignified climax. Then what? Her innocence gone, her hopeful dreams diminished. He'd spare her all of that.
But that look in her eyes…
As Levi arrived at the proper window and slunk into the darkened room, he promised himself to stay away from that girl from now on.
But first, Erwin's plan. Levi kept the window half opened, so that a light, snowy breeze wafted into the room. Moonlight created stark, rectangular patterns on the carpet. A clock ticked on the wall. Levi padded over to the bed, listened to the smacks and the grumblings of the figure in it.
"Hello, Father," he said dully.
Siegfried rushed up the stairs, his chest rising and falling with his fevered breathing. He touched the sweat at his brow, checked the hallway to either side. No one. No one there.
Where was he?
He'd escaped. Levi'd escaped.
"He's going to kill me," the old man whispered as he turned the doorknob and fled into the darkened bedroom. Siegfried paused, listened to his brother's coughs and snores, the clock's eternal ticking. With trembling hands, Siegfried struck a match and lit a candle on the bedside table. He raised the light, watching it warp and undulate across the ceiling and the walls. Siegfried hurried to the wardrobe, opened it and looked inside. Nothing there.
Why, why had he said that to the captain?
That filthy, low-blooded captain. The swine, the dirt, the waste of good ejaculate. Such a hero, yes, Humanity's Strongest, yes. Let him stay in his barracks with his common soldiers, and outside the walls with his titans. Let him pollute the world with his own ill-bred stock. To think Siegfried had had to endure flattering that whorespawn, try filling his head with dreams of lordly grandeur. Most ill-mannered commoners would salivate at the chance to be heir to the Morgenstern estate, but the captain had not been like most in that regard.
Why, why had Siegfried called the man a whore's get to his face?
The MPs had all run off into the woods to chase him and that little red-haired slattern down. When would they be back? In a huff, Siegfried ran to the other side of the room to check the closet. Inside, there was nothing. No one. He heaved a sigh of relief, and then…
The window. It was partway open, and Siegfried had left it closed last time he was here.
Now Siegfried's blood seemed to turn to ice. He shambled to the window as if drugged, and in a stupor closed it. He looked to his brother's bed…
The curtains had been drawn around it. He had not drawn them.
Siegfried should have run screaming from the room, but he operated as if possessed by a nightmare. Slowly, he crossed the carpet and stood before the bed. Placing the candle on the bedside table, the old man gripped the curtains. He listened, shivering, and wondered if he could hear two separate men breathing on the other side. With a cry, he flung open the curtains.
Siegfried looked on the face of his brother, and no one else. He gasped in relief, his knees shaking so badly he nearly fell to the floor. Behind him, he heard the doorknob turn. The door creaked open, and Siegfried reeled around to face the intruder.
"You," he choked, placing a hand to his throat.
"Me," Erwin Smith said, shutting the door behind him. One enormous eyebrow raised itself. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me here. Why are you sitting practically in the dark, Lord Siegfried?"
"You may light the lamps, if you wish." Siegfried nearly melted in relief. Surely the captain would not commit murder within sight of his superior. Erwin went about the room, using the candle to light the lamps. Soon, the place was fully lit, and Viktor grumbled and twitched in the bed. This much light irritated him. Siegfried shut the curtains again. "We ought to let my brother sleep, Commander."
"No." Erwin Smith's baritone voice was rich, but hard. The huge, blond man squared his already impeccably square jaw. "You will speak to me now, Siegfried."
"My lord," the old man snapped.
"Siegfried. Why not explain this to me." And Erwin held up a book. Siegfried recognized it at once.
"My brother's diary."
"For the first half of 815. It includes some sketches of a rather salacious nature. I recognized the image of the woman you showed my captain. His mother, Kuchel." It seemed that the Commander's blue eyes softened a touch then, and only for an instant. "I cannot imagine that was an easy thing for him to see."
"Commander. You should be searching for your man this instant. He is a murderer!"
"He is," Smith conceded. "But he did not murder your nephew. Please spare me your little games." The Commander flipped through Viktor's book, a hard light in his eyes now. "When did you come up with your plan, Siegfried? When did you decide to involve my captain in your little manipulations and power plays?"
"I don't—"
"You do. You told my captain, and me, that his mother was a, shall we say, a guest in this house for the first three months of the year 815. In that time, she was your brother's personal playmate, thereby all but ensuring that Lord Viktor Morgenstern was my captain's biological father." Erwin looked up. "A fairly casual check of this diary contradicts your story, sir. Yes, Kuchel, that is, Olympia was brought here in March of 815. But she did not stay longer than two days, it seems, and your brother was not her sole customer. Not even remotely."
Siegfried said nothing. There was nothing to say. Erwin continued.
"You should understand that your brother was very explicit in his accounts. He brought a number of girls from an underground brothel here. He had his friends over, and invited his own servants to join the fun, male and female. There are pictures of Olympia in this book, along with pictures of a great many other girls, all marked as the same weekend. It appears that Olympia was paid to show her attentions to a wide variety of men that weekend, noble and common alike. Your brother. Your brother's staff." Erwin raised an eyebrow once more. "You?"
"No!" Siegfried all but spat. "I would never defile myself with common filth like that."
"For Olympia's sake, I am glad she did not have to entertain you. But you were there, then, on this weekend. Yes?"
Silence. There was no point any longer.
"Yes."
"While there is a chance that Lord Morgenstern fathered my captain, it is by no means a certainty. Yes?"
"Yes."
"And yet you lied. You stretched the truth, at least. You tried to make my captain and me believe that his parentage was a certainty. Why, I wonder, would you do such a thing?" The Commander stepped nearer, his footfall heavy on the carpet. "I have a theory, my lord. You are regent now, enjoying your brother's place as head of the family while he lies in a constant delirium. But his death is imminent, and once his disgusting son takes over, you will be shoved out. No more power. No more access to the family funds. No more position. You couldn't bear that. So you wracked your brains, and then you found Kuchel's picture in your brother's diary. You must have seen my captain about, heard tales of his renown. He looks so like his mother; I myself was stunned by the resemblance. A thought occurred: try to pass him off as your long lost, illegitimate nephew. He might be, after all. It's not impossible. The king would surely legitimize him, and then Karl is displaced. Levi would undoubtedly let you have your run of the place, and the Morgenstern family would gain the social cache of boasting Humanity's Strongest as a member. But as you were planning all this, another thought occurred. A darker plan. What if you "accidentally" allowed Karl to learn that he had an elder brother? Surely trash such as your nephew would provoke my captain, try to find his weakness, perhaps even try to kill him. It would never work, of course. You knew no puffed up lord's son could ever do away with my captain. But if Levi is provoked and ends up murdering Karl, then one heir is dead and the other in prison. The estate then passes in its entirety to you. Am I on the right track?"
"You can't prove anything," Siegfried rasped. He backed towards the window, Erwin in pursuit. The old man placed a hand on the wall for support, as the Commander loomed above him.
"You have played a very nice game against my soldiers tonight, my lord." The Commander smiled, then. His smile was the most frightening thing Siegfried had ever seen. "But now, I will make my move."
Erwin watched calmly as Commander Zackly entered, followed by Pixis, Nile, and a handful of Military Police. Perfectly timed. He'd hoped they would all be able to wrap this up within the hour. The storklike servant in black livery ushered all of the guests into the room. Finished, the man went to stand quietly by Siegfried's side, shadowlike as always.
Siegfried himself appeared pale and wan.
"Erwin. What exactly is all of this?" Zackly adjusted his glasses, and snorted in annoyance. "This entire evening's gone belly up in a matter of hours. There's still no sign of Levi, or your girl."
"Commander, I intend for everything to be laid to rest immediately. Thank you all for your patience."
"What are you up to now, Erwin?" Pixis asked, a twinkle in his eyes. He took a surreptitious swig of his flask. Nile, meanwhile, glowered.
"It doesn't matter what tricks you've got, Erwin. Your soldiers resisted arrest and incapacitated my men. There's no way out for them."
"You might very well be right." Erwin looked to the door as several more people entered the room. "That's why one of them is here."
Oruo, Gunther, Eld, Gregor, and Petra all revealed themselves. Petra's bruised appearance created something of a stir. Even Erwin had to suppress a wince; privately, he was glad Karl Morgenstern was dead, and only regretted that his death had not been more lingering. Zackly adjusted his glasses again for a proper look at the girl.
"Got that resisting Commander Dok's men, girl?" he asked.
"No, sir. From Lord Karl." Petra was fearless, Erwin would give her that. She looked the Commander of all military branches right in his eyes with a determined expression. No wonder Levi had wanted her for his squad, young as she was.
"Yes. Why your captain ended up murdering the fellow, wasn't it?"
"No, sir. He didn't kill anyone."
"And how can you prove that?" Nile snapped. Erwin glared at his old friend. Nile. To think he'd stare a bruised, battered girl in the face and think only of settling his own agendas. The Military Police had gotten its hooks into him. Was Marie worth it? Erwin wanted to ask. He did not.
"Gregor can." Petra shoved the man forward. The fellow's eyes darted about the room, checking every corner. Erwin imagined he knew whom the man searched for. The same phantom presence that had Siegfried pale and nervous.
"Gregor? What is this?" Nile appeared stunned.
"Forgive me, Commanders. I need to speak the truth, before anybody else gets hurt." The man closed his eyes, and took a shuddering breath. "I was paid by Lord Karl Morgenstern to act as his personal muscle this evening. He had me and my fellow MP, Herman Strauss, stand watch outside of a bedroom door, wherein he accosted Miss Ral."
"Gregor." Nile now appeared sick.
"Go on," Zackly said, hands behind his back.
"When Miss Ral tried to escape, Herman and I dragged her back into the room and held her down. Lord Karl said that he wanted to assault her in order to make Captain Levi angry. He wanted the captain to attack him in return, so that Captain Levi would be taken to jail."
"But why?" Pixis frowned. "Why would he want to do that?"
"A rumor. He heard a rumor that the captain…might…inherit this estate. He panicked, and tried to prevent that. But the captain beat him too well. He nearly kicked him to death." Gregor winced. "I watched as the other MPs took the captain out of the room. Miss Ral and Mr. Bozad left after them. I was alone, and I tried to sneak away—I didn't want to be caught. But then." Gregor's eyes snapped open. "Someone came in. I hid behind the bed, out of sight. He didn't see me when he took the letter opener off the desk." Gregor licked his lips. "And he didn't see me when he stabbed Lord Karl until he was dead."
"Who was it, then?" Nile rasped. Erwin glanced at Siegfried out of the corner of his eye.
Gregor took another, shaky breath.
"Him," he croaked, and pointed at Siegfried. All eyes turned to the old man.
And the old man turned eyes to the person at his side. The storklike, black-liveried servant.
The man's white face paled even further. He staggered backwards as Gregor nodded.
"That man in the black. He killed Lord Karl."
The servant scoffed, and regained his composure.
"That is absurd. My lord? It's absurd!" The man scoffed again, now turning fully to his employer. Siegfried regarded him with knitted brows. "You know I've been in the ballroom the entire night. You know I didn't—"
"I was there when Lord Karl told him to bring Miss Ral to the bedroom. He instructed him to lie to her, tell her the captain wanted her."
"He did," Oruo growled. "I was there."
"The second you were done, you ran out before the doctor could arrive, leaving the weapon behind," Gregor added.
"And why didn't you tell anyone, if you're such an honest, forthright type of person?" the man growled.
"I didn't want to lose my position by admitting what I'd done," Gregor muttered. "But…I think that's over and done with now."
"All right. I ran an errand for my lord Karl. I brought the girl to him, but I did not murder him!" The thin man began to back away, only there was nowhere to go. Nowhere but the wall. The reedy man began to wilt under everyone's collective stare. "Wh-when do you think I committed this murder, then?" he demanded.
"Eleven. I heard the clock strike the hour."
"My lord, you know that I was with you at eleven o'clock. Tell them!" The servant turned pleading eyes to Siegfried. The lord snorted in response.
"To think a degenerate like you would ask me to lie to save your filthy hide. After you murder my own nephew? Trash."
Now the servant's stunned expression shifted into a mask of such seething hatred, Erwin was half-ready to step in to protect Siegfried.
"You're not going to pawn this off on me. You ordered me to do it!" the man snapped. "You told me that if all went to plan, the captain would "finish off" your nephew, and that if by some miracle he hadn't that I should finish the job and let the police figure out the rest! I only acted on your instructions, you bastard!"
"When did Lord Siegfried give this order?" Erwin asked.
Relieved, the servant replied, "Only an hour before it happened. In his study."
"So, ten?"
"Yes."
"Impossible." Erwin frowned. "I have been with Lord Siegfried since nine o'clock, in the library."
"Indeed." Siegfried nodded. "These lies are outrageous."
The servant stopped then, aghast. His eyes bugged out; he appeared almost pitiful.
"It's a conspiracy. That's what it is! Your Commander's a liar, don't you see? This is no kind of justice!"
"I think we've gotten some kind of justice tonight," Zackly drawled, polishing his glasses. He appeared only barely interested in the histrionics on display. "Sounds to me that you've confessed to the murder of Karl Morgenstern. That's all I need to know. Nile? Do the honors?" Zackly calmly perched his glasses back on his nose. Nile gestured to two of his men, who got on either side of the servant and marched him from the room. The man continued to shout over his shoulder, wailing with fury.
"You don't know what he promised me! You don't know!" Then he was gone.
Erwin realized, in a detached sort of way, that he'd never even gotten the fellow's name.
Nile glared at Gregor, who continued to hang his head in shame.
"Under these circumstances, Nile, I'm hoping you can find it in yourself to let my soldiers go," Erwin said.
"Let them go? The girl, yes. She was Morgenstern's victim, and I know she didn't knock out my men." Nile glared with real, cold fury in his eyes. "But Captain Levi has to pay for what he's done."
"Nile. Consider." Erwin used his honeyed voice, the one that certain women had told him both thrilled and frightened in equal measure. It was the voice he used for his most secretive deals. "The Military Police has suffered a colossal embarrassment tonight. If Captain Levi is detained, all the reasons for his imprisonment will come to the surface. Bribery. Corruption. Two MPs being party to assault. It will look very bad. Not to mention that now, when the captain's popularity is so enormous… Most people will silently side with him. See him as a hero for defending a young girl's honor. More will turn against your police. You want to lock away Humanity's Strongest, and suffer the public ridicule that will entail?"
Nile looked ready to commit murder. Pixis smiled, and tapped his chin.
"What are you suggesting?" Zackly asked.
"Let Captain Levi go, and the full account of Karl Morgenstern's death does not need to come to public attention. Gregor's stain on the MPs can remain a private, interoffice matter. Well, Nile?"
Zackly and Pixis gave Nile the sort of expression that older, wiser men adopt when their own minds have been made up, and they are waiting to see if the younger man will commit a blunder. Nile sighed.
"Fine. The captain goes free. Wherever he is, out somewhere in the forest with my men chasing him?"
"Call off the search. Levi is like any wild animal; he will find his way back in his own time," Erwin said.
"My apologies for all the incredible disturbance this evening, my lord," Zackly said. Siegfried tsked.
"Think nothing of it. Thank you all for ensuring that justice was done for my poor brother's son."
"I have to ask." Pixis grinned. "How did Lord Karl get the notion that Captain Levi was going to take over this estate?"
Erwin said nothing. Siegfried sighed.
"My nephew was not a well man, Commander. Some things must remain a mystery."
"No doubt. Well, Erwin. Looks like the last dance has been called." Pixis clapped Erwin on the shoulder as he headed for the door. "Suppose we shouldn't overstay our welcome. Quite a night, this. Though honestly, I preferred last year's gala. It had those little cheese puffs. Loved those." With that, Pixis left. Zackly followed. Nile, after a few terse words with Gregor, escorted him out the door and did not look at Erwin on the way out.
Erwin nodded to Levi's squad. "That's all. Thank you, everyone. You helped a great deal."
"Commander?" Petra looked at him with grave eyes. "Do you know where the captain is? He said he was on a mission for you?"
"He is." Erwin smiled. "Don't worry. He'll be fine."
"Yes, sir. Thank you," she muttered, and left with the fellows. They shut the door behind them, and Siegfried seemed to deflate. He wiped his brow.
"Thank you," the lord muttered.
"I do not enjoy lying under such circumstances." Erwin frowned. "That man was guilty of murdering Karl, and will be hanged accordingly. You, however, will escape the noose even though you ordered the killing."
"The world has never been a fair place."
"No. It has not. You will, I trust, keep your word?" Erwin stepped nearer. "Three thousand a year for my soldiers, without fail. Should any emergency expenses arise, you will do what you can to cover them, and wheedle with the king's council for the rest. When you are Lord Morgenstern, you will be a friend to the Survey Corps."
Siegfried gave a leering smile. "And if I am not such a friend?" He tsked. "Remember, Commander, that you've perjured yourself. You've helped a killer escape justice. If I choose not to pay, you can do nothing. I can take you down with a word."
"Indeed. Though you'd damn yourself with the same breath."
"The world is not fair, Commander, and the rich and powerful are different from people like you."
"I know people like you. I was once like you," Erwin replied softly. His eyes flicked to a movement of the drapes by the window, stirred as if by a breath of wind. "And I have insurance against any threat you may pose."
Levi stepped out of the shadow, then, as surely as if he had melded from nothingness into form. He had been here the entire time, waiting and watching in this room. Siegfried froze as the captain stepped up behind him, clapped him on the shoulder, and whispered in his ear.
"If you threaten Erwin again, or short us by a single coin, I'll pay you one more visit." Levi bared his teeth, and the underground thug Erwin had seen so long ago reemerged. "I hate meaningless death, but if it protects my people I can make an exception. Understand?"
"I do," Siegfried whispered. Yes, he now realized how close he had been to death all this time. He now realized that, if Levi wanted it, no door or window could keep him outside. If Levi wanted it, Siegfried would die.
"Thanks for a fun party, Uncle." Levi shoved the old man towards the bed, and stepped up beside Erwin. "Can we get the hell out of here?"
"Of course." Erwin bowed to Siegfried before taking his leave. "My lord."
Siegfried was too stunned to reply. Such deplorable manners.
"Erwin, I'll never understand you," Levi muttered, doing his best to keep pace with the giant man's stride. "You put that whole damn thing together, and you don't even break a sweat. Even the crime bosses in the underground would've shit their pants to see you coming. You would've made a name for yourself."
"Oh? What would it have been?" Erwin smiled.
"Boss Eyebrow, probably." Levi started a bit when Erwin laughed. He could never quite get used to the sound. "Thanks, for Petra's sake if nothing else. If it'd been left up to me, they would've hunted her down in the snow. I'm just glad there's no more damage." They descended the staircase into a cluster of people slipping into coats and arguing amongst themselves. After Karl's murder, the entire party had devolved over the past hour or so. No one seemed to know the full story, which Levi appreciated. He and Erwin made their way through the crowd, instinctively found a silent study, and shut themselves in. Some conversations shouldn't be overheard. "I'm just sorry that shitheel Lord Siegfried gets to walk away from all of this free and easy," Levi growled, leaning up against the wall.
"Three thousand a year is not free."
"He should be paying with his life, same as that servant of his." Levi glowered at the floor, hating the pattern of abstract flowers. "Men like him, like his brother… They play with other peoples' lives. My mother. That servant. Petra. Even Karl, in a way. They wreck people, and they move on. It's not right."
"If I had sent Siegfried to the gallows, the Morgenstern estate would have likely passed back to the crown. The king would have gifted these lands to some other fat nobleman, one who couldn't be bribed into sympathy for our cause. Karl is dead, and that servant will soon join him. At least all who are condemned to die tonight had real blood on their hands. This outcome is the lesser of two evils. Petra is safe, and so are you, Levi."
Levi knew that everything Erwin said was correct, but he was not a genius. He did not see eighteen steps ahead at every turn. He lived in the here, and the now. His dreams only stretched so far. The furthest he'd ever been able to see was some world where the titans did not exist, where men and women could love and fuck up and hate and strive and die and live without fear of some giant, hideous, nonsensical threat swooping down to rip them apart on a whim. Levi would give his soul for that outcome.
And only Erwin could see that dream through.
"I'll do whatever you say, Erwin." He glanced up at the man. "You took a chance, threatening Nile like that. I'm not sure I'm worth your damn fussing."
"You are, Levi." For the first time, Erwin appeared truly disturbed. Angry, even. The Commander paced away, looked out the window. Then, he spoke again. "The reason I truly despise Lord Siegfried is because of the way he perceived you. Trash from the gutter. A nothing from the underground."
"Yeah, he's a real fucking prince."
"I know you to be the best man of my acquaintance."
Levi didn't know what the hell to say to that. Erwin continued.
"You came from a world that would have broken most other men. I could not have survived your life, Levi, let alone thrived in it. No," he said when Levi started to protest. "I would have died in that hell. You fought and scraped out something for yourself under the direst circumstances, in the best way you knew how. When you came to the surface, you were brutal, and proud, and filled with hate. For a while, I thought of how best to tame you, and use your incredible abilities. You hated me when we first met; I know that. And, in truth, I deserved your hate. I saw your skills, Levi. I did not see the man who wielded them." Erwin turned then, a grave light in his eyes. "I judged you as Siegfried did, as a nothing, a criminal. But there is nobility inside of you that I cannot match. I have never seen your equal. I doubt I ever will. So. When that decrepit lord judged you as nothing… He should have been proud that there was even the slightest chance you might share his bloodline. Forgive me for ever once thinking in the same way as that inferior man."
Levi did not cry. The last time he'd wept had been six years ago, when Furlan and Isabel died. Since then, he had shut out a certain, tender part of himself. But now, at Erwin's words, there was a light burning in his eyes. Ah, fuck. Levi had been running from Petra for so long, that he had failed to recognize any other type of emotion. This, too, was love. He loved this man.
It was as powerful as what he felt for Petra, if directed with a different energy, and towards a different purpose. But it was love all the same.
"Erwin. You bastard," he grunted. Levi shoved off from the wall, and tucked his feelings back inside of him. "We'd better go. The brats'll be needing their bedtime."
"Yes." Erwin smiled. "Thank you, Levi."
"Oh, and Erwin?" Levi opened the door. "Don't ever, ever let Hange drink again. I think Moblit's scarred for life."
Levi found her standing in front of the carriage, speaking with Nifa. Petra had taken off the MP's jacket, and put on her delicate little shoes again. She rubbed her bare arms in the chill, and bounced on her feet to stay warm. He idly pictured taking her in his arms, wrapping her up in his embrace and stopping her shivers. Kissing her temple, her shoulder. Hearing the sweet little noises she'd make.
He shook his head, and came up to the women. Nifa nearly fell over to see him.
"Oh! Captain! Hello."
"I'd like to speak to my subordinate in private."
"Of course." Nifa dashed away, sneaking unsubtle glances over her shoulder as she went. Petra faced him, a neutral expression on her face.
"Yes, sir?"
"We need to talk."
"About what, sir?"
"Don't get cute, Petra. Later on, back at the inn—"
"Sir?" Her voice wavered lightly. Her lashes touched her cheeks as she lowered her eyes. "Would it be all right if we didn't have that talk? Please? I understand what you want to say. I know why you want to say it. We can pretend that tonight never happened. I want to continue serving you, and be a good soldier in your eyes. That's what I've always wanted most from you, sir." She looked up at him again.
What she'd always wanted most.
"Is that true?"
"Yes, sir. It is."
"Then good. We understand each other."
Petra inhaled deeply. "We do. Thank you, captain."
She would be fine. Her bruises would heal, and she would forget her infatuation. She was a girl, still, and there would be so many boys. Levi could hold onto those few, precious moments when she'd been in his arms. He'd live off of them, take the memories out on a cold night and warm them against his chest. And if he'd hoped she was going to say something different—hoped she'd say she would speak to him at the inn, they had so many things to discuss—he quashed those hopes and set them aside. For her.
He had to do this one thing for her.
Petra shivered. "May I get in the carriage, captain?"
"Of course." He held out his hand. "Here. It's a tricky step."
She looked at his hand, and at him.
"Thank you, sir. I'll be fine on my own."
A rush of blood; he wanted to bark at her to accept him. Then, the impulse faded. It was her choice, after all.
Levi stepped back as Petra got into the carriage, and Nifa joined her. Then Levi climbed onto his horse and rode through the night, trailing her carriage down the parkway and through the gates, out into the forest and into town.
He rode, and watched the swinging lantern of her carriage. He chased the little light from a safe distance, making certain never to catch up.