After several hours of traveling, we finally entered another majestic gate and we were immediately inside another city. However, this city was more vibrant and sanitary than the city we just departed. Many people were out walking in the warm afternoon sun. The women were wearing beautiful dresses down to their ankles while the men wore crisp, black suits that matched their spotless shoes. I gawked at their clothing, finding it fascinating.
I leaned on my elbows and watched out the small door window. "Wow, I wish I could fit into something like that," I breathed as I watched a woman walk by wearing a mint colored dress with white lace gloves, hat, and an umbrella to match.
Erwin pulled me back down into the seat. "(We're almost there,)" he told me, crossing his arms again and leaning back into the hard cushion.
I pouted for a moment, but then continued to stare out of the window. I was getting antsy. I needed something to distract my mind from my impending doom. My fingers tapped nervously on my knees in various rhythms. I thought of starting a conversation with Erwin, but I had nothing on my mind but going to prison. After a while, I finally thought of a question to ask him. What are they going to do to me when we arrive?
-They will most likely take you down through the customs and then put you in a cell. Then tomorrow or the day after is your trial.
I frowned. A new problem occurred to me. Will I be able to have my things with me?
-I'm not entirely sure. This contraption of yours maybe, just so you can speak, but I doubt the other things you will have with you. However, I can't guarantee anything.
-Great. This is sounding better and better each moment.
-You'll be safe, he assured me. I personally will make sure you are not harmed.
I had to admit, that was a huge comfort. He seemed as if he knew what he was doing. What choice did I have but to trust him? Thank you so much. For everything that you have helped me with so far.
-Don't thank me just yet. Wait until all of this is over. Then see about thanking me. I looked at him and he looked at me. I could not tell if he wanted to smile or not. He did not seem like he was joking.
The carriage lurched forward and halted. We had finally arrived. I tried glancing out the window again to see where exactly we had arrived, but all the buildings here looked the same to me.
Erwin opened the door on his side and stepped out, turning back to help me down. Three more men in uniform greeted us as we exited the carriage. Instead of the wing-like or rose design the other uniforms had, these uniforms had green unicorn heads.
When I had exited the carriage, I looked at the three men standing before us. The one standing in the middle was the ugliest of the three. A big nose took up the center of his face, while two beady eyes were nearly covered by his eyebrows. A bushy brown beard hid the rest of his features. I did not really look at the other two. He approached Erwin as the other two came to me and roughly grabbed my arms, and began to pull me away.
"Hey! Wait!" I cried, struggling in their grip. "Erwin!"
"(We can take it from here,)" the man said to my companion.
"(I hope my orders were made clear,)" Erwin replied sternly, glancing my direction for a moment as I yelled his name again. "(She is not to be harmed unless stated otherwise.)"
The man waved his hand. "(Don't worry about her. We'll take good care of her.)" His voice trailed off. Erwin narrowed his eyes, distrusting the man's words.
By this point, I was already past the doorway into the large building. I managed to cry out another "Erwin!" before the doors were slammed shut behind us and I was continually dragged down the stone hallway. Once I was out of the Commander's sight, the soldier on my right took the opportunity to hit the back of my head with something hard. The pain lasted for a second and then everything went black.
When I awoke, I found myself in a cold stone cell, lying on an uncomfortable bed. I had chains around my wrists. It was dark, save for the lantern on the other side of the bars. Looking down at myself, I found I was still wearing Hanji's clothes. Inwardly, I sighed in relief, thankful that no one had stripped me and changed my clothing into some kind of prison garb. I slowly allowed myself to sit up, my head throbbing with the effort.
There was not much to the cell itself. It was musty and smelled of mold. I could make out the shape of growing fungus on the walls. Rough metal bars across from where I sat were blocking the only way out of the small room. The only sounds I could hear were my own breathing, the clanking of the chains, and water dripping somewhere.
Thinking of the water made me recognize my own thirst. I had not drunken, nor eaten, anything since I had left the Survey Corps Headquarters. My mouth and throat were extremely dry. I scanned the room, looking for my bag and hoping that I had an unopened bottle of water in it to quench my thirst. I could not see the brown satchel anywhere.
Then I heard the creaking of a door opening, followed by footsteps. The man who had earlier approached Erwin came into my view. I thought he was ugly before, but the darker light did not make it much better. I noticed he held my bag in his meaty hands.
"(About damn time you woke up,)" he said gruffly. "(You've been asleep for a day and a half.)" I stared at him blankly, but he took my confusion for disrespect. He slammed his hand on the bars, making them (and myself) rattle. "(Well say something you half-witted bitch!)"
"I-I'm sorry," I said quietly, my throat hoarse from not having water. "I can't understand you. Could you give me my bag and then we'll be able to communicate better…?" I knew he would not have understood me, but I supposed he wanted a verbal response, so I said something and pointed toward the satchel.
He sighed irritably. "(What is this a joke?)" He dug into his pocket and pulled out a key to unlock the cell door. "(We've been waiting for you to wake up. The court expects you today.)" He entered the cell and made his way towards me.
Unsure of his intentions, I scrambled away from him, but the chains on my wrists did not allow me to go far. I screamed when he made a grab for me. I saw him raise his fist and saw it come down hard, hitting me across my face. I paused in shock, pain radiating through my cheek. Taking this moment, the man held my wrists and unlocked the chains, but then put handcuffs on instead, my arms behind my back. In my confusion to his actions, he led me out of the cell and through more corridors.
A few more soldiers joined in escorting me to wherever we were going. After a while, it occurred to me where we were headed because I remembered what Erwin had told me. Something about putting me on trial…? For what I could not think of. My head still throbbed. How long had I been asleep? One would think that any amount of sleep would get rid of a headache.
Eventually, the stone hallways turned into smooth, copper colored wood ones. I was led towards a set of wooden double doors. They creaked when they opened. Mentally, I wondered if any of the doors or gates in this world did not creak when they opened.
I paused for a moment when the doors stood ajar to the courtroom, but I was pushed forward and stumbled over my feet before catching my balance and making my way towards the center of the room, my cheeks ablaze with embarrassment. I was amazed at how many people were sitting in the room. I caught sight of Commanders Erwin and Hanji, Corporal Levi, Armin, and Mikasa sitting on the right side of the room. I had no idea as to who the other people in the room were. Why was I here again?
At the front of the room, a large, tall stage with an area for the judge took up the whole side. To my left were benches full of people in the same uniform as my escorts. I was stopped in the center of the floor and forced to sit on my knees. A pole was pulled out of the tile and fitted between my handcuffed arms. It was a very uncomfortable position to be in. Think, you stupid brain! What was the reason they wanted to put you on trial?!
Everyone stood when the Judge entered the room and sat down when he sat. The man was older, his hair gray and beard white. His soft brown eyes scanned the room from behind a pair of silver glasses. He perched the glasses on his nose and picked up a piece of paper from the desk in front of him and read it thoughtfully. No one in the courtroom spoke as he did this.
The Judge cleared his throat. "(Well, shall we begin?)" he said, looking up from the paper. "(Once again we have before us a Titan Shifter. Or at least that's what this sheet says from our conversation earlier this afternoon. However, the Survey Corps denies that the woman here is one and would like to have custody of her to train her to serve humanity.)" He glanced over at Commander Erwin then at the Military Police. "(On the other hand, the Military Police would like to have custody of her and then experiment to test their theory of her true identity. Am I wrong? This is what we established before the subject came in this evening.)"
All of the officials confirmed the Judge's claims. The Judge turned to me. "(Although I believe I have already come to a verdict, I will give you a chance to speak up for yourself and ask you directly. Are you, or are you not a Titan Shifter?)" I remember now.
I sank down and looked at the floor. I was not able to reply to anything he said without causing a ruckus in the courtroom because of my language. I kept my mouth shut, hoping and praying that someone from the Survey Corps would speak up for me.
"(Well? Are you or aren't you?)" the Judge prompted me. I could feel his patience wearing thin and everyone's eyes on me. I continued to stare at the tiled floor, keeping silent. Why didn't anyone in the Survey Corps say anything? Were they waiting for me to reply in my foreign tongue so everyone would know? How come the Judge did not know of the language barrier? "(Very well then,)" said the Judge before I could begin to say anything. "(Because the subject has refused to answer the question, she will go to the Military Police for experimentation on her person. That is my final decision.)" He slammed his gavel down on the desk, stood, and then left.
I looked over at Erwin with a questioning gaze. He stared back at me with a sad and frustrated expression. I felt as if I had done something wrong. I should have said something. Would I not be allowed to stay at the Survey Corps Headquarters now? What would happen to me?
I felt some people behind me, lowering the pole and then roughly pulling me upwards. I was practically dragged out of the courtroom. People with the green unicorn head patches surrounded me and hauled me back down into the cell where I had been in before. They pinned me down to the mattress as I tried to fight them off. I did not want the chains on my wrists again. Several times I was hit in either my face or stomach or anywhere else they figured would hurt (which was anywhere). I screamed, but they shoved cloth into my mouth to muffle my cries.
Finally, after much struggle, I was left alone. Tears fell slowly and silently down my face. The chains were tightly clamped around my wrists, tighter than they had been. I was still very thirsty and hungry. It was going to be a long night.
I hoped you liked reading this chapter. I didn't want to base this trial too much like Eren's because it of course is a different story. And to kinda explain what the Judge was talking about (in case it was confusing) was that before Ariadne had woken up, the Survey Corps and the Military Police had already given their cases as to why they should have custody instead of the other branch. When she finally woke up, she was allowed to speak for herself (even though we all know was impossible because of the language barrier).
Anyway, please write a review! PLEASE. WRITE. A. REVIEW. I greatly appreciate it when people do that. :D What kind of experiments do you think they will conduct on Ariadne to find out the truth? Tell me your theories and I'll tell you if you're close or incorrect! Thanks for reading!
Edit: This will be the last chapter until next month. Starting then I will only have time to update once or twice a month. Again thank you for reading. :)