Chapter 3: Judgement

The air was moist, dusty and drenched in sweat, to say the scent was revolting would be an understatement. It was this pungent odour that had awoken Armin from his slumber… Trying to adjust his vision to his surroundings, he could vaguely make out that he was in a cell. Wait… what?

Armin started struggling only to find that his arms and legs were restrained to the bed he was on. The sound of rattling metal was echoing throughout the dungeon and Armin was met with familiar voice from the cell adjacent to his own.

"Armin!"

Armin stopped dead in his tracks. Turning his gaze away from his hand-cuffed wrists to the general direction where the voice came from, Armin had to squint in order to focus his sights on a pair of familiar emerald coloured eyes.

"E-Eren… is that really you?" Armin asked still feeling unsure about whether or not he was hallucinating or dreaming. Still though, the sight of his best friend did calm his nerves to a large degree. He quickly returned to his earlier state of panic as he remembered that he was shackled in a dark cell.

"Eren… why are we prisoners? Did we manage to regain Trost? Wait! Where's everyone? What's going on Eren, talk to me!?"

"Calm down Armin. You've been unconscious for three whole days. So let me just fill you in… just breathe." Eren said in a surprisingly calm and relaxing tone of voice which was very confusing as it was normally Armin who would be the clear headed one. Regardless, Armin did as instructed and filled his lungs to capacity with the revolting air around him, only to release it a moment later. Seeing as his best friend had calmed down somewhat, Eren began to fill Armin in on what had transpired whilst he was unconscious.

"So after Trost we were both taken to the infirmary seeing as we both collapsed. Apparently after the doctors managed to get us stabilized, the Military Police to custody over us even though we were both still unconscious. We were then brought down here… I woke up two days ago." It was at this point that Armin was wondering why he had been out of commission for so long but before he could even ask, Eren continued with the story.

"When I woke up, I was greeted by the Commander of Survey Corps and Humanities strongest." This had certainly gotten Armin's interest but he was left a lightly upset at the fact that he was asleep during this meeting.

"They told me that you were fine and would wake up any moment soon. I believed them, so they decided to ask me a few questions about my powers and the basement at my house in Shiganshina. They also wanted to find out about your power as well but you were still asleep. They haven't returned yet. Wait! How DO you have the ability to shift and why didn't you tell me earlier!" Eren practically roared at the end as though his childhood friend had deliberately withheld this information.

Armin was about to ask Eren something but was interrupted by the sight of two members of the Military Police. The one closet to Armin's cell was the first to speak.

"You two are to wear these handcuffs as we are now going to escort you to the courtroom for your awaited trail." The man said as he swayed the pair of handcuffs at Eren's face. After releasing the cuffs that had restricted movement from the bed, the duo from Shiganshina were then handcuffed and were making their way to the courtroom with the two members of the Military Police close behind. Eren and Armin didn't say a word to each other the entire way as it was clear that Armin was far too deep in thought.

'I can shift into a Titan? Me? But how…? I don't remember tur-' Armin's thoughts came to a halt as memories from the Battle of Trost resurfaced. His azure eyes widened as he now remembered how it was him that lifted the boulder after turning into a 15 meter class titan.

'But how… it doesn't make any sense? One moment I see Eren going rampant and the next thing I see are my parents, then… wait! My parents!'

Armin POV:

I was brought back to reality when light filled my eyes. After regaining my sight, Eren and I were greeted by the sight of a courtroom. From what I can tell, the Military Police occupy the right side of the room with the head priest of the Wallists whilst the Survey Corps occupies the left side of courtroom with a few fellow squad 104 members. I'm sure they were brought here to act as witnesses.

I still don't know what the commander of the Survey Corps and Eren discussed but I noticed that Eren instantly became a lot calmer at the sight of Erwin Smith so I'm certain that the idea is for both of us to be taken in by the Survey Corps. We're instructed to kneel and we do so absentmindedly. The courtroom is filled with the whispers from either side of the room, so I allow my eyes to roam the courtroom to see where most of the whispers are coming from. I notice that a few people flinch when I look at them but that's not surprising considering that they most likely think I'm a monster, which in their defence isn't actually a lie. With everything that has happened, I assume that this court is in session to decide our fates and seeing that Eren had spoken to Erwin, I better make sure that we end with the Survey Corps. With that in mind, I turn my attention to my best friend who meets my gaze.

"Listen Eren… allow me to do most of the talking ok?" I whisper. He holds my gaze for a few seconds before nodding once. Great, now all I need to do is keep a clear mentality. I can't afford to look for Mikasa, even though I know she's somewhere here, because seeing her face is going to send me into disarray.

Silence fills the room as a man makes his way onto the stage in front of us, clearly his going to be the judge. He sits down and allows his eyes to stare at Eren and me as though he had seen better looking rats in his lifetime. He lifts a sheet of paper and I know the court has officially begun.

"Now then, let's begin…"

"You two are Armin Arlet and Eren Jeager, right? You two are soldiers who vowed to devote their lives to the King. Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir" Eren and I say in unison.

"Seeing as how this is an exceptional case and outside the bounds of common law, a special court-martial has been convened. The final decision will be handed down to me. We will deliberate on whether you both live or die." I knew this was the case but I still felt a chill run down my spine.

"Do you two have any objections?"

I could see Eren was about to protest but I quickly answered to avoid any complications. Remaining calm was paramount.

"No Sir." I respond

"Good. I'm glad you're cooperative. Since keeping you're identities proved futile, we are forced to publicise your judgement or else face another threat other than the Titans. This court is tasked with deciding which force will take custody of the two of you, the Military Police or the Survey Corps." Ok so I was right. I better discredit the Military Police as much as I can when given the opportunity.

"First, let us here the proposition from the Police." The judge said. I turned my head to the right to see a man with standard Military Police uniform holding a sheet of paper. No doubt is the Commander of the Police.

"Yes! I am Nile Dawk, Chief of the Military Police. Our proposition goes as follows: We will examine both of their bodies thoroughly, and then dispose of them as soon as possible! It has become common knowledge the victory in the Battle of Trost was entirely due to both of their efforts however due to their existence and character, a rebellion might follow. Therefore they shall provide us with as much intelligence as possible and then become martyrs for mankind." He concludes. To be honest I wasn't expecting much from him since he lives a comfortable life inside Wall Sina. I was about to say something but I was interrupted by the priest.

"There is no need for that! They are vermin that have infiltrated the Walls of God. They should be killed right here and now!" The venom in his voice is weak considering just how fearful is his right now. There seems to be something about this priest but I can't put my finger on it. I didn't have time to concentrate on him as the judge spoke once again.

"Priest Nick, quiet, please." The priest grunted but remained silent.

"Now, let us hear the proposition on the Survey Corps."

"Yes Sir! I'm Colonel Erwin Smith, head of the Survey Corps. Our proposition goes as follows: we will accept Armin and Eren into the Survey Corps and then use their abilities to help retake Wall Maria… that's all." He said. I agree with that plan whole-heartedly. Lord knows just how much I need to get back home.

"Hmmmmm I see… now tell me. How do you plan on getting there considering that the hole at Trost is sealed?"

"We would start from Calanes in the east. We will approach Shiganshina on a new route."

"I see…" was all he said as he was mulling over both propositions. I could see that the priest and Nile Dawk were about to comment on that plan so I spoke up before they did.

"Sir, is it alright if I voice the opinions of both Eren and I?" I say sternly because I can't show any fear, especially if my life is at stake.

"Yes…" he says, as he shifts his gaze to me. I take a deep breath before I continue.

"I believe that the court should side with the Survey Corps on this matter, even if it's decided that we shall be dissected." This catches the attention of both parties including Eren, who just stares at me. I can see Commander Pixis grinning out of the corner of my eye. I continue with my plan.

"This is simply because the life of Eren and I would be too valuable to leave in the hands of the Police and there are two main reasons for that." I say without needing to turn my head to see the look of disgust on Nile Dawk's face.

"Firstly… incompetence. The Military Police are notorious for being the most lazy and carefree branch in the military. Such a case has been proven when Eren had to save our comrade many years ago when she was kidnapped. The fact that a group of notorious kidnappers fell because of a nine year old boy and not the Police is simply… pathetic. So if we were to be handed over to them to be investigated, there is no doubt in my mind that whatever useful information they find will be wasted." There is a collective gasp from the members in the room including Eren and Mikasa. I'm going to have to apologies to them later on for bringing up their past so publicly. The rise of the judge's brow prompts me to continue.

"Secondly… position. The sole objective of the Police is to guard Wall Sina and the King. This would mean that any titan related information would prove undesirable to them as none of them have ever faced a titan. If we were to become members of the Survey Corps we could use our powers to help get to Shiganshina which is where the Basement that holds the secrets to how Eren and I can shift is held." Again loud gasp fill the room.

"Your Honour, neither I nor Eren understand how we came to do what we do but it is of paramount importance that we head to Shiganshina. If we succeed then more lands will be available for growing food considering that the Kingdom is running low due to the Titan invasion."

I could tell that he was slowly leaning in favour of the Survey Corps but he was interrupted from his thoughts when the Chief of the Police spoke.

"Sir! I believe that this is just a ploy for the two men to escape."

"That is why placing us within the Survey Corps makes even more sense, since we would be under the watchful eye of humanities strongest titan killers." It was at this point that everyone shifted their sights towards Captain Levi.

"They may be powerful but I could still kill them. I don't mind bringing them into my squad." Levi said nonchalantly as though committing murder was normal. I couldn't help but shiver and looking at Eren, I can see he felt a shiver too.

There was silence in the courtroom as everyone held the gaze towards the judge in anticipation for the verdict. It took a good five minutes before the judge spoke up.

"I have made my decision. The Survey Corps shall be given custody of Armin Arlet and Eren Jeager, as of immediately. Dismissed." He says, as he walks of the stage.

Eren and I sigh in relief as we get to live for another day.

I was about to smile at Eren when my vision became obscured by black spots. I was losing control of my body as I began to sway from side to side until I blacked out. The next thing I see is…

'Mother?'

End

Chapter 4: Confessions

So like this chapter is long AF! Hope you like it. Team Armin bitches!

I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin.

Thanks for the reviews! More Please.

P.S Please not how confident Armin is becoming… time to focus on the romance.