Disclaimer: I own none of the characters!

Notes: Super early update. In fact, it was a double update. So don't miss the Puss in Boots chapter about Hanji! :3 And, as expected, the next chapter is the final chapter of this story. BUUUUUUT there is going to be a special smutty oneshot for this fic *eyebrow waggles* Friendly reminder as well that Danger Line preorders end August 1st!

Also: I received some GORGEOUS fanart for this here:

: / / katastroficwriter . tumblr post / 93004274394 / finally-after-2-months-possibly-more-ive

What sort of fairytale would this be without a dragon guarding a rose-covered castle?

Armin carefully watched the apple in his hand, the clip clopping of the horses' hooves the only sound filling the silence. Eren and Mikasa were quiet, not wanting to break Armin's concentration.

The apple, with Levi's bitemarks in it, had been enchanted by Armin with what he called a tracking spell. Something to hunt down the sorcerer who originally cursed the apple. With that in hand, the apple let off a low glow that they were able to follow until the green aura became bright.

The enchanted tracker led them to a castle. A tall, black castle, covered in rose bushes. There were no roses, however, only long, sharp thorns on thick branches.

It was nearly impossible to get through to the castle.

"This is it," Armin said, pulling on his horse's reins. Eren and Mikasa did the same, staring at the wild thorns. "He's hiding in there."

"It's just getting there that's going to be a pain in the ass," Eren growled, dismounting his horse. He threw aside the reins and stormed up to the vines.

"Eren, no!" Armin shouted, jumping off his horse as Eren reached out to touch. The commotion Armin made was enough to draw Eren's attention away from the vines. Armin stood up, with Mikasa's help, and shook his head. "Those vines are magic. A touch from them can result in being cursed. This is an old sorcerer we're dealing with. He's going to be prepared with traps."

Eren pulled his hand away from the vines, staring at the thorns. The pathway was covered; no way to get through. Mikasa drew her sword and tapped the blade against the thorns.

"Armin, is it safe to slice through these?" she asked. Armin swallowed.

"Well…knowing this man, he probably put some sort of spell over the thorns to prevent them from being cut down. I don't think it will hurt your blade, but it won't help either."

Mikasa sighed and Eren started to pace.

"COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT ME ALREADY OLD MAN!" Eren shouted, his throat burning. "STOP BEING A COWARD! STOP HIDING!"

"Eren…," Armin said, "yelling won't—"

"NO ARMIN!" Eren continued. "He needs to know he's a coward. He needs to know I'm here!"

"Eren," Mikasa said softly.

"No, Mikasa! Don't tell me to stop yelling!"

Mikasa held out her sword. "Before, you broke through Grisha's black magic spell. Take my sword and try to cut through these thorns."

Eren stared at her, almost in shock. Armin snapped his fingers.

"Mikasa, that's brilliant!" he said. "Your sword is already powerful. Combined with Eren's magic, it should definitely work. Eren, try it!"

Eren slowly reached out. He had heard stories of the mythical sword Excalibur but he never thought he would be given the chance to use it. He took the blade from Mikasa and weighed it in his hands. It was heavy, perhaps heavier than most swords, and he certainly didn't feel any magic from it.

"It won't respond to you like it does for Mikasa," Armin explained. "But she's giving you permission to use it, so you're able to do so."

Eren nodded. "That makes sense."

"Try cutting through the vines, Eren," Mikasa said, taking Armin by the arm and pulling him back.

Swallowing hard, Eren turned to the vines. He gripped the sword with both hands and inhaled, trying to clear his spinning head. He swung without warning and stumbled forward as the blade sliced through the thorns with ease.

He jumped back, gripped the sword tighter and kept cutting. He cleared a short pathway and looked over his shoulder at his friends. They ran through the opening, following Eren as he sliced through thorny branch after thorny branch.

After a few tiresome minutes, the castle was visible again, its black steeples peeking over the tops of the vines. And there, standing on the steps with the courtyard opening between them, was Grisha.

Eren lowered the sword, breathing heavy and tired, fueled by his pure rage.

"So you finally show your fucking face again," Eren growled. Armin grabbed his arm, preventing Eren from running at Grisha right then and there.

"Don't be too hasty," Armin said cautiously. "Remember that he's still very powerful. We're on his territory. He has the advantage."

Armin was right. But that didn't stop the burning hate in the pit of Eren's stomach.

"And you finally made it here," Grisha said, hands turned up. "Welcome to my humble home. I'm not entirely surprised you managed to find it. Armin always was crafty."

Armin swallowed hard and pulled his spellbook from his bag, clutching it to his chest.

"And I see you brought Mikasa as well," Grisha continued, walking across the open courtyard. "As expected, you could never do much without her."

Mikasa growled at the mention of her name and Grisha chuckled, lazily spinning his fingers.

"However, Eren, they're still not the ones I'm concerned about," he said. And with a sudden wave of his hand, the stone beneath their feet split. Vines shot up from the cracks, catching Armin and Mikasa and holstering them into the air. Holding them there, right out of Eren's reach.

"LET THEM GO!" Eren shouted, raising the sword to cut the branches. Before he could, a vine wrapped around his ankle, tripping him and pulling him across the courtyard. He lost the sword and grabbed at the ground until his fingers started to bleed.

Finally, he was pulled into the air, by his ankle, and held upside down. Face to face with his own father.

"You see Eren, Armin and Mikasa hold no real power over me," Grisha said, walking around Eren. "You, on the other hand, are my flesh and blood. You have inherited my power. And if I don't act fast, you will drain the power right from me."

"As if I want your fucking power!" Eren spat, swinging his arms.

Grisha waved a finger. "Ah, you see, it's not a choice. Magic is passed down. Once you become of age, most of my magic will be passed on to you. Unless…"

"Unless you kill me," Eren snapped. "Yeah, I get it."

"Oh, not quite."

Eren rolled his eyes as his father stepped back into his line of sight.

"You will die. Eventually, yes. But before I do, I'll take away the thing you love the very most. And if I remember correctly, it's your dear prince."

Eren's heart started to race. He inhaled sharply, eyes locked on to Grisha as he walked around. The blood was running to his head, but now it was rushing even faster.

"You already—"

"He's not dead," Grisha hummed. Eren's eyes widened. He started to thrash about.

"What did you do to him!? Tell me!"

"He's just been put into a deep sleep," Grisha said. He raised his hand to his chest and tapped the pendent hanging on a thick, silver chain. "And in this little vial is the cure to waking him."

Eren swallowed. "You can kill me. I don't care. Just please—" Eren's voice hitched. He regained what was left of his composure before continuing. "Please…don't drag Levi into this…"

"Oh but he is."

"GRISHA PLEASE!" Eren cried. "He's done nothing. So…please don't…"

"You're right, Eren," Grisha said, making the vines twist so that Eren was back on his shaking feet. "He's completely innocent. However, making you suffer is something I've looked forward to for quite—"

Eren didn't wait for him to finish. He didn't care about what Grisha had to say. If Grisha was stupid enough to set him down out of cockiness, Eren was going to be bold enough to make a mad dash for that sword.

He scooped it up, along with Armin's dropped book, and turned in just enough time to slice through snakish vines about to attack. They fell, and he turned again, ready to slice down the thick branches holding Mikasa and Armin in place.

"EREN MOVE! MOVE!"

More of the sharp vines shot at him. He stumbled away, the vines hitting the ground and cracking the stone where he stood. Saving Mikasa and Armin had to wait. Grisha wasn't attacking them. Eren had to regroup and kill the old man before he could cause more damage. Before he could—

Fire.

There was fire. Green fire, spreading all around the courtyard. A flaming wall was made between Eren and Mikasa and Armin. They were out of his reach but not being burned, thankfully. Eren sighed and looked back to Grisha.

And quickly regretted it.

Because Grisha was no longer just standing and talking. He was engulfed in green flames, licking at his skin, as his body twisted. Skin to scales, his face to a snout. Eren shook his head in disbelief and gripped the sword tighter as a black and green dragon took Grisha's place before him.

He knew it wouldn't be easy. He knew it wouldn't be fast. But a dragon was truly ridiculous. And he realized, as Grisha shook his head and snorted smoke, that he was about to fight that dragon.

Grisha lunged forward, snapping wilding in Eren's direction. Eren managed to dodge, rolling away and scraping his elbows. The book fell open and Eren started to hastily flip through it. If he remembered correctly, Armin had mentioned something about it having protective properties…

A deafening roar filled the air and Grisha pulled back, just enough to gain some distance between him and Eren. He opened his mouth, fire bubbling, and Eren held up the book.

Flames came in a hot stream and Eren hid behind the book. Instead of singeing the pages, the flames were repelled, spreading around Eren's sides but never breaking through the book's barrier. Once they stopped, Eren lowered the book, his heart racing.

"Thank you, Armin," Eren breathed, gripping the sword in his other hand. There was a whooshing overhead and he saw Grisha's tail swinging down at him.

He dodged it, catching his balance as stone was tossed up, and swung. The blade connected and sliced easily through the scales, a black ooze seeping from the wound. Grisha roared, spouting more flames, and again Eren used the book as a shield.

He just didn't see the tail swing back at him.

Eren was knocked on to his back, losing the book and sword again. As he caught his breath, claws wrapped around his chest, pinning him to the ground. He gasped, the flames' fumes suffocating as Grisha leaned in close.

It was hopeless. This was truly hopeless. He should have known better. He should have been smarter. He should have—

There were so many "should have"s he could have done.

He gripped the claw scraping his neck and drawing blood, as if he could somehow push the dragon off.

"You have failed," Grisha said. "You've failed your friends and your lover. I'll make sure to tell your sweet prince exactly how you died before I kill him."

Eren's eyes shot open. Not Mikasa. Not Armin. And definitely not Levi.

He let go of Grisha's claw and let his hand fall above his head on the stone. Grisha opened his mouth and Eren exhaled slowly.

And then it all happened at once.

Flames. The book and sword flying into place on Eren's command.

The flames were repelled with the book. The sword bypassed Eren's hand and flew through Grisha's chest.

The flames stopped. The dragon choked and stumbled back, black blood dripping from his chest. The flames surrounding them vanished. Mikasa and Armin were dropped.

Eren finally caught his breath, shaking all over and barely able to stand.

Mikasa and Armin rushed to his side, helping him sit up. He looked around, not to them, but to the disintegrating dragon form before him.

The scales and tail and wings faded, leaving Grisha standing before them. The man fell to his knees and Eren tried to get up.

"Grisha…"

There was no response. Just Grisha raising his hand to his chest.

No. To the vial around his neck.

"No…"

"Eren, what are you doing?"

He grabbed it.

"No, stop it!"

Grisha ripped it from his neck.

"STOP! NO!"

Eren darted across the courtyard, pushing off Armin and Mikasa. He still couldn't feel his legs but that no longer mattered. He had to stop Grisha. He couldn't let that old bastard—

Glass shattered. Purple liquid splashed on the ground. Grisha fell in a pool of his own blood, cold and dead. And the antidote—the cure—seeped into the ground. Eren fell to his knees, trying to grab what he could of the evaporating liquid. The glass cut his hands but he didn't care. He couldn't care. Even if he could save just a drop, it would be enough.

It had to be enough.

"Eren, stop!" Armin shouted, trying to pull Eren back.

Eren didn't reply. He kept picking at the ground, tears swelling in his eyes. Mikasa ran up to him, picking both him and Armin up and running back to where they stood.

"Mikasa! Mikasa stop!" Eren cried, tears rolling off his cheeks and onto his bloody hands.

She dropped him when she did stop and forced him to look back at where Grisha's body once was. The black blood was eating through the concrete, steaming it away like acid. Behind him, the once grand castle started to crumble and crack into dust. The vines surrounding the courtyard shriveled up, dried out and broke into ash.

Everything was fading. Grisha was taking everything with him. Any way to break the spell was gone.

Eren felt his chest tighten. His heart dropped into his stomach as he accepted the inevitable fact that Levi wouldn't wake up. That the key to breaking the curse was with Grisha.

And Grisha was gone.

Levi was gone.

Returning home was the hardest part of the ordeal. Not hunting Grisha down. Not fighting a dragon. But facing the fact that the love of his life would never wake up. All because he failed.

Eren failed.

And now he had to face it. He had to accept it.

He couldn't look Hanji or Irwin in the eyes. But they simply knew by the slope of his shoulders and the way he hung his head that something was wrong. That everything they had worked for was gone.

He remained quiet as Armin and Mikasa explained what happened.

Eren couldn't take it. He didn't want to hear the story of what had just happened. He was there. He experienced it. Hearing his own failure retold again was not what he wanted to come home to.

"Can I…can I go…" His words were soft but his mother understood.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and led him upstairs to their room. Where Levi was.

Carla kissed him on the cheek and closed the door, giving Eren his privacy. Eren looked at Levi on the bed and his heart stopped.

Levi's hands had been folded across his chest. His hair brushed from his face. His expression was blank; not peaceful, not pained. Just there. Eren walked over and pressed his hand to Levi's nose, checking for any breath.

His breathing was light, slow. No way to wake him.

Eren fell to his knees by the bed and nestled Levi's shoulder with his head. "Please wake up…I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry Levi. Wake up and let me make it up to you…"

He looked up, hoping that his soft plea would somehow reach Levi but knew it never would. A lump formed in his throat.

"I love you," Eren said. "I love you. I love you, Levi."

Silence.

Tears rolled off his cheeks as he looked at Levi. The color had faded from his face, even more than usual. And his skin was ice cold.

Eren pressed a hand to Levi's cheek and raised himself onto his knees. He leaned over Levi, kissing his cold lips one last time, and sat back.

"I love you. I love you more than you'll ever know…"

He folded his hands in his lap and rested his head on the bed by Levi's arm in silent defeat.

"I…know."

Eren's eyes shot open. He sat up straight, unsure if he heard correctly. "What…?"

"Mn….Eren…"

Eren stayed silent from shock, watching as Levi's eyes fluttered open. He looked around, dazed and tired, until he saw Eren. A slow smile spread over his lips.

"Hey…"

"Levi…"

"Your eyes are different," Levi muttered. "Well…one is."

Eren swallowed, touching the skin under the eye that had taken on a golden hue from his magic use. "Is it bad…?"

"No. I like it. It suits you." Eren laughed, wiping away tears. "Oi…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm too weak to sit up, so you should stop crying and kiss me again."

Eren couldn't stop crying. But the least he could do was kiss Levi over and over again.