The Rat and the Falcon

by JustAnotherCricket

Levi is a street rat from the underground. Erwin is a hero destined to save humanity. Nothing could ever bring them together—or so they think. After all, what could a falcon possibly need from a rat? From the end of A Choice With No Regrets to the end of the series, this is the story of Levi Ackerman and Erwin Smith. Basically slow burn enemies to platonic soulmates.

7. Attack Dog

"Levi!"

For the second time, Erwin knocked with his one good hand.

"Levi, open up!"

The door swung open, and Levi stood in the doorway, looking a little disgruntled.

"You said we were leaving at six?"

"We are. But I forgot to give you your suit." Erwin held out a carefully wrapped brown package.

"My…what?"

"Your suit."

Levi stared at the package but did not take it. "I've never worn a suit in my life."

"There's a first time for everything."

"How do you even know it'll fit me?"

"We issued you a uniform, Levi. We have your measurements."

"So you got a suit tailor-made for me…why?" Levi's frown was even more pronounced than usual.

"Because you're a high-ranking official now, and sometimes you'll need to attend high-profile events, like you are tonight, and remember how you promised that you would follow my orders?"

"In the field," Levi complained, but he took the package anyway.

Half an hour later, Erwin met Levi in the downstairs foyer of the same house they had stayed in for the Capitol hearing. He gave Levi an appraising look, then nodded with satisfaction.

"You'll blend right in," he said.

"Implying that I don't belong there," Levi said, "which, to be clear, I do not."

"We all make sacrifices," Erwin said cheerfully, opening the door and motioning for Levi to walk out in front of him. "Some of us are brutally crushed in the jaws of a mindless monster. Some of us have to wear a suit at a fancy gala."

"I'd rather take my chances with the Titan," Levi muttered, but walked out the door anyway.

Once they were inside the carriage, Erwin signaled the driver and leaned back into his seat. "Now. Let's go over the mission objectives."

"I can't believe we're going to a big party when people are starving to death," Levi said darkly, as if he hadn't heard Erwin. "Scratch that—I can't believe these assholes are holding a big party when people are starving to death."

"It's an annual tradition," Erwin said. "It makes them feel important. Are you going to listen to me or not?"

"Yeah, whatever." Levi stared out the window.

"Every member of the Regiment Council is going to be there." Erwin waved a piece of paper. "I have the list of names here. We need to find out who voted against me."

"And how am I supposed to help with that?"

"For the first hour or so, walk around with me. It's helpful if people see us together, anyway."

"Because I'm humanity's strongest or whatever?"

"Something like that." Erwin glanced out the window. As they drove, the buildings were growing progressively larger, newer, and better-kept. "We'll circle the room, talk to as many council members as possible. You'll need to remember everyone's names."

"Why?"

"Because after a while, you'll split off and eavesdrop on as many conversations as you can. Listen to what they don't say to my face."

"And you'll talk to William?"

On their trip to the Capitol, Erwin had told Levi everything: about Elijah William, about the Regiment Council vote, about the secret that Erwin thought he had confessed to a friend, only to find out he was an enemy after all.

"Yes," Erwin said. "I'll talk to William."

Humanity's strongest soldier had never looked more out of place than he did stepping into the huge, glittering ballroom. Women in colorful, floor-length evening gowns cradled glasses of champagne and stood in small circles, laughing and flirting with men in starkly pressed suits. Servers with silver trays circled the room, offering fresh glasses and tiny hors d'oeuvres on small wooden spears. On one end of the room, a buffet was laid out—heaping dishes of roasted potatoes, baked fish, salads tossed with berries and eggs, and even some small morsels of beef, pierced on skewers alongside charred onions and peppers.

As soon as they stepped through the doorway, Levi froze.

"I'm not going in there," he hissed in a harsh whisper.

"Levi…"

"These bastards," he began, then stopped.

Erwin had never seen him this angry.

"I know," Erwin said. "I know. But we have a job to do."

"You can do it without me."

"Levi." Erwin grabbed Levi's arm and pulled him out of the doorway to stand against the wall, away from the crowd. "You can't fight every monster with ODM gear and a pair of blades. You already know how to kill Titans. I'll teach you how to fight the rest."

Levi didn't have time to answer before a man with a stiff back and a stern face approached them. It took a moment before Erwin recognized him.

"Commander Erwin?"

"Mr. Berta," Erwin said warmly, breaking into his well-practiced smile. "So good to see you."

"Congratulations on the new post," Berta said, shaking Erwin's hand. "Between you and me, I was quite relieved when Premier Zachary called us in to vote. It's been a long time coming."

"Thank you," Erwin said. He gestured toward Levi. "This is Captain Levi."

Berta raised an eyebrow. "Shaking up the hierarchy already, Commander? Congratulations are in order to you as well, then, Captain. I've heard good things about you."

"Thanks," Levi said. His face and voice were largely expressionless, but at least he didn't look or sound furious—and that alone was an accomplishment.

While Levi watched in silence, Erwin stood chatting with Isidro Berta for a few more minutes about nothing in particular. When Berta finally excused himself and vanished into the crowd, Erwin turned back to Levi.

"Definitely one of my eleven," Erwin murmured.

"Unless he's a lying shitface like William."

"Did he strike you as a liar?"

"No," Levi admitted. "I'll still spy on him later though."

"Good call." And with a painted smile, Erwin pulled Levi into the crowd after him. They slipped through the pack of well-groomed wolves, all of them sparkling in the light of the chandelier. Erwin shook this man's hand, engaged that woman in pleasant small talk, and warmly introduced everyone to Captain Levi, whose coldness Erwin deftly passed off as lingering concern about the state of current events.

"I'm going to throw up," Levi muttered after half an hour of floating from bureaucrat to bureaucrat.

"Do you need a drink?"

"Not their alcohol." Levi screwed up his face as if smelling something rancid. "I'd rather throw up."

"Don't be melodramatic," Erwin said, just quietly enough so that no one but Levi would hear. "Another half hour or so, and you can be as invisible as you want."

Erwin continued to circle the room, flanked by a very sullen Levi—who did, to his credit, succeed in putting on a vaguely bored face every time that Erwin fell into conversation with someone new. The more high-ranking officials of the Royal Government they encountered, the more Erwin's instincts were confirmed; even the men and women whose upper lips curled slightly when they first spotted Erwin softened a little when he introduced Levi. Even though Levi was doing nothing at all (as far as Erwin could tell) to earn these people's admiration and respect, they were more than willing to shower it upon him anyway.

"Captain Levi," one would ask, "is it true that you singlehandedly held off the Titans from the gate of Shiganshina while the Garrison evacuated the city?"

"No," Levi would answer without any further elaboration.

"Captain Levi, how did you manage to defeat that Abnormal Titan? In the dead of winter, no less!"

Levi would shrug.

And every time, they took his surliness for modesty, his indifference for courage. Every time, he walked away from the stilted conversation with even more of their approval than he ever had beforehand.

"You're a natural," Erwin told him at one point, barely holding back laughter.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Levi grumbled.

"That's fine," Erwin said. "You haven't seen William yet, have you?"

"Nope." Levi scanned the ballroom. "He's probably hiding, the little piece of shit."

"I'll make another pass around the room. You should split off on your own now anyway."

"Oh, thank God."

"Remember, your goal is to eavesdrop. You don't want anyone to notice you."

"Calm down. I'm a professional." Erwin could have sworn that Levi nearly smiled. "Besides, nobody will see me. I'm too far below their line of sight."

Before Erwin could reply, Levi slipped off into the crowd. Turning his attention to the faces around him, Erwin searched for a sign of Elijah William, but found nothing. Was it possible that he hadn't even come? It seemed out of character—but then again, Erwin hadn't exactly been the best judge of Eli's character up to this point.

After a few more seconds of thought, he stepped back into the fray, dancing lightly through the now familiar figures, pausing to greet any new faces, occasionally stopping to converse with those he had met earlier that night. As he circled the room with a political smile plastered on his face, Erwin found himself inexplicably reminded of when Levi had circled the training forest so many months ago, hunting for Titans.

He hadn't been searching for long when a familiar voice called out his name from behind. Erwin spun around and before he had time to react, Eli had thrown his arms around him. Stiffening, Erwin took a step back.

"I'm so glad you came," Eli said warmly, pulling away and leaving one hand on Erwin's shoulder. If he had noticed Erwin's coldness, he didn't mention it. "I've been wanting to talk to you—especially ever since Wall Maria fell—I'm sure you'll have so many insights I haven't thought of—but wait! What am I saying? Congratulations, Commander Erwin!"

Eli grabbed Erwin's one good hand and shook it vigorously. Erwin stared down at Eli's hand in his, then let go slowly.

"What an honor—I'm really happy for you," Eli continued.

The thought flashed across Erwin's mind that maybe the messenger's information had been wrong. Maybe Eli hadn't voted against him after all.

"Eli," Erwin said in a low voice. "We need to talk."

Eli's grin faded just a little. The corners of his eyes crinkled in confusion.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah." Erwin turned and walked back toward the long buffet table, leaving Eli to follow along behind him. Once he reached the table, he poured a glass of brandy, retreated to a corner, and leaned back against the wall, finally looking up at Eli.

"What happened to your arm?" Eli asked, genuine concern coloring his tone.

"Broken at Shiganshina. Why did you vote against me?" Erwin swirled the brandy in his glass, his eyes fixed on Eli's bewildered face.

"Why did I vote…?" After a second or two, the cloud of confusion lifted. "Oh! You mean your confirmation vote?"

"Obviously."

"Erwin, I'm so sorry, I wish I could have talked to you before then. Everything happened so quickly that I couldn't send a messenger in time. Of course it wasn't personal—I never wanted to vote against a friend."

"Hmm." Erwin took a long sip. "Then why did you do it?"

"I'm sorry, Erwin, can we please not do this here?"

"Fine." Erwin pushed himself off the wall and crossed toward a set of glass double doors. Pushing through the doorway, he stepped out onto a well-lit patio. The evening breeze, a welcome reprieve from the warmth of the ballroom, blew lightly across the delicately landscaped hedges and fruit trees. A few other guests were wandering through the adjacent orchard, getting some fresh air, but there was no one near enough to overhear their conversation.

"Is this good enough?" Erwin asked, turning to face Eli. "Why'd you vote against me?"

"Erwin, it really sounds like I upset you. I'm very sorry about that, I thought you'd understand. I know you're very highly trained and well-suited for a command position, especially in the Survey Corps. But—well—" Eli lowered his gaze. "Given all the instability after Wall Maria fell, I was concerned that you might still be interested in implementing some of the ideas we talked about…at least in the immediate future."

"You told me that if I wasn't interested in implementing those ideas, then you couldn't do anything to help me. That's what you said."

"Erwin, you're talking to me like I'm not on your side." Eyes wide, Eli spread out his arms. "Put yourself in my position. I didn't have a chance to talk to you before the vote, so what was I supposed to do? I have a duty to these people—and any kind of…" He glanced around, then leaned toward Erwin and lowered his voice. "…destabilization at this point could send the walls into anarchy. I had no way of knowing for sure that you wouldn't go ahead with what we had discussed." Eli held out a hand to Erwin. "Please, forgive me if I've offended you—I promise that I was just trying to do my duty. Given the circumstances, surely you understand why I had concerns."

Erwin stared down at Eli's hand. Maybe he had been too quick to jump to conclusions. Maybe he had been wrong about Elijah William after all. Almost involuntarily, his right arm twitched, as if to reach out and take the other man's hand.

Then Eli's concerned expression cleared—just for a millisecond—and the tiniest hint of a smirk touched his lips.

Erwin took a step back.

"You're a liar," he said.

"I'm sorry you think that." Wrinkles of anxiety appeared on Eli's forehead. "I don't think any of my other friends do."

"Who are they?"

"My friends, you mean?"

"Your wolf pack in the council," Erwin growled. "Who are they?"

With a small smile, Eli shrugged. "You're a smart man. You'll figure it out."

"What have you told them?"

"The truth, of course!" And Eli looked and sounded so sincerely distressed that despite everything, Erwin was almost tempted to believe him. "I'm hurt that you would think anything else. It's like you don't even know me."

"Do they know what you told me? How you baited me?"

"You know, I don't know if they do," Eli said brightly. "In fact, I think probably they don't. But I don't think they'd believe it even if someone did tell them."

Erwin took a step forward. Eli didn't budge, a warm smile still painted on his face.

"What are you playing at?" Erwin asked. "What do you want?"

"I've already told you. Weren't you listening? I want to keep the walls safe. I want to protect my people from instability and anarchy. What is it that you want, Erwin?"

Erwin spun around and headed back for the doors.

"Erwin," Eli called out. "I hope this doesn't cause any—"

But Erwin had already pushed his way back through the glass doors and into the ballroom, and the rest of Eli's sentence was swallowed up in the chattering of voices and clinking of glasses. As inconspicuously as he could manage, Erwin worked his way through the crowd, searching for Levi. No luck.

Then someone was pulling on his sleeve.

"I have nothing more to—" Erwin began, whirling back around. He cut himself short when he found himself face to face not with Elijah William, but with a curly-haired woman in a maroon dress. He drew in a sharp breath.

"Erwin?"

"Marie," he said.

She broke into a smile. Her dimples were exactly the same as he remembered them. Her eyes still scrunched up when she smiled. Her hair was still thick and unruly, barely contained in the same messy updo she had always worn.

She stepped forward and hugged Erwin. After half a second's hesitation, he wrapped his one good arm around her, squeezed once, then let go.

"Nile didn't tell me you would be here," she said, laughing. "But he's not half as bad as you are! I've been inviting you to come see us for months."

"My apologies." Erwin kept his voice pleasant, his expression unperturbed. "I always meant to send back a reply, but somehow I never—"

"The Scouts keep you busy, I know—they always did," she teased. "But you should have at least let us know you were coming."

"I'm not here on leave," Erwin said quickly. "I'm in town for business with Premier Zachary."

"Erwin, you don't need to defend yourself. I promise I understand. Congratulations on the command." Her eyes fell on his broken arm and softened in concern. "Wait, what happened?"

"Shiganshina did," he replied. "But I don't need to bore you with the details."

"I can't imagine how any story from outside the walls could possibly be boring, not if it involves Titans..."

"Every Titan story is boring," Erwin said softly. "They all end in one of two ways."

"Oh." She glanced down at the floor, color flooding her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said lightly. "I'm afraid I do need to leave, though. I'm looking for—"

"No, please," she interrupted. "Do you even realize how long it's been? Stay and talk to me—at least for a little while, or I will know for sure that you're avoiding me, and I'll have to demand that you tell me why."

"I suppose we can't have that." Erwin took her arm gently and guided her across the ballroom to one of the small tables on the other side.

After a few minutes of conversation, Erwin began to relax a little. Marie had always excelled at setting him at ease, at seeking out his best-guarded entrances and finding her way in. But even as he grew more comfortable, he managed to keep the conversation turned always toward Marie's life: her daughter, her home, her friends in the Capitol, her thoughts about Nile's work. Whenever she asked a question, he answered briefly or deflected entirely, always returning the focus back to Marie.

But as the time passed, he started to grow impatient. He needed to find Levi. He needed to compare their notes on the Regiment Council. He didn't have time for this.

"Marie, it's been wonderful to see you," he said, shifting in his seat. "But I really do need to go."

"Wait," she said, reaching across the table and laying her fingers on his wrist. Erwin had to keep himself from flinching. "I need to tell you something."

"Can it wait?" Erwin asked. Heat was rising into his face as he resisted the urge to pull his hand away.

"You've made it abundantly clear that you won't be seen if you don't want to be seen." She squeezed his wrist. "Please. It won't take long."

Slowly letting out his breath, Erwin sat back. "Of course. I'll listen."

Leaning forward, Marie lowered her voice. "I heard something—about you—that I think you should know."

Erwin's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected the conversation to turn a very different corner. "What is it?"

"There are people in the Capitol who don't like you," she whispered. "People who don't want you in charge of the Survey Corps anymore. Some of them are friends with Premier Zachary, or are friends of his friends, and…the Royal Government is going to ask you to do things."

Erwin frowned. "What things?"

"I don't know. But they're supposed to be very difficult. Maybe impossible."

Even though the room was overly warm, a cold chill ran through Erwin's body. "Marie. Who told you this?"

"One of your friends, or that's what he told me," she said. "Eli William? He's very worried about what they might do to you."

Erwin stood abruptly. "Thank you, Marie. It's very kind of you to tell me all this. I have to go now."

"Erwin—"

But he was already striding away, pushing through the crowd, overwhelmed all at once with the profound need to find the only person in this room—maybe even in the entire territory within the walls—that he knew Eli couldn't reach.

"What about Sigward Kosma?"

"You mean the young guy? Skinny, red hair?"

"That's him," Erwin said, scanning down the list. He was seated at the writing desk in his room, pen in hand, tapping absentmindedly on the bed frame next to him.

"Yeah, he's on your side," Levi said. He was lounging cat-like in the windowsill, his cravat loosened, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. For anyone else, the window would have been a tight squeeze, but it fit Levi's small frame perfectly. "You came up in one of his other conversations—only good things. Also, he has some tension with Geoff."

"Vienna Geoff? She's with me, isn't she?"

"What? No, she can't stand you. Plus she and William are close. Definitely one of his guys."

"Oh," Erwin muttered in surprise, crossing out a name on his list. "I was so sure about her."

"What's the list look like now?" Levi asked, looking across from his perch in the window. "How close are you?"

"Let's see." Erwin scribbled some more notes, transferred two more names to a second sheet of notebook paper, and then spread the papers out in front of him. "We have eight names attached to William. That number would explain the nine votes against me. Out of the rest, it looks like seven are pretty solidly with me."

"All that sounds right. What are the names of the other four again?"

"Basilio Pavla, Adas Dirk, Morten Tad, and Caligula Nike."

"They were a lot harder to read."

"True." Erwin resumed tapping his pen against the bed frame, lost in thought. "My best guess is that none of them falls conclusively into either camp. All four of them seem malleable—liable to being influenced."

"Yeah, but does any of this really matter anymore?" Levi swung his legs off the windowsill and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You got the confirmation. What does it matter what any of them think now?"

"It shouldn't," Erwin said, rubbing his eyes. It was almost three in the morning, and he had a headache. "But I have a feeling it will."

"How?"

"I don't know for sure. But I ran into an old acquaintance tonight, and she said that the Royal Government is going to order me to accomplish specific, difficult tasks in the near future. I presume they want me to fail, to lose popularity."

"You're already commander," Levi protested. "Even if you lose popularity—what can they do to you?"

"I don't know," Erwin admitted. "But I expect to find out."

"Who was this acquaintance anyway? Was it that woman you were sitting with? How would she know anything?"

Erwin shifted in his seat. For some reason, the fact that Levi had seen him talking to Marie made him a little uneasy.

"Marie Dok. Nile's wife. And she heard it from William."

"William." Levi stood up, rolling his sleeves up even farther. "Let me go take care of him. He'll talk to me."

Erwin stared at Levi, taken aback. "You want to…what?"

"Make him tell me what's going on," Levi said. "I can go right now. I'll be back by dawn."

"We can't…we can't torture a government official in the Capitol."

"Why not?"

"There's not—" Erwin stopped. The reasons were so obvious that he was almost speechless. "It would be a capital offense, he'd recognize your voice, you'd probably be executed without a trial, and they'd do the same to me—"

Still standing, Levi pointed at Erwin. "But you're not saying that torture is wrong."

"Not…unequivocally, no…"

Apparently satisfied with this answer, Levi sat back down. "Okay," he said. "Why would William tell that woman—what's her name? Marie?—anything in the first place?"

"He meant the information to get to me." Erwin leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "He knew she would tell me. He wants me to know that he has his fingers everywhere—that he's running circles around me."

"Well, he's not," Levi said matter-of-factly. "We just have to catch up."

It was the assumed alliance in the statement—the we of it—that caught Erwin off guard. Maybe it had even surprised Levi, who had stopped talking abruptly. They both stared at the ground, avoiding one another's eyes for a moment.

"Anyway," Levi finally said, "is there anything more to do tonight?"

"No. You should get some sleep."

"Maybe I will," Levi said, already halfway out the door. "Maybe I won't."

"Levi! Go to bed!"

"You can't make me!" Levi's voice came floating from down the hall. Erwin laughed, then returned to the papers on his desk.

He had no intentions of sleeping either.

Erwin spent the following morning at his desk, absorbed in thinking through every possible scenario that Elijah William might try and trap him into. Over the course of the morning, he received two knocks on his door, two folded messages delivered into his hands, both of which he left unopened on his desk. Around noon, he finally opened both notes, read them, and went to knock on Levi's door. After a minute or two of hearing nothing inside, he cautiously pushed the door open. The room was empty.

No.

Erwin's mind raced through the possibilities, but it only took a second or two to land on the only viable option.

Levi had gone after William. Of course he had. What else would he have done?

Erwin cursed himself for not realizing it sooner, for forgetting entirely about Levi's proposed solution. He had to go talk to Premier Zachary, find out where Eli lived—maybe it wasn't too late, maybe he could still stop him—

"What are you doing?"

Whirling around, Erwin saw Levi approaching with a paper bag.

"Oh, good," he blurted out without thinking.

"What?" Levi stopped in front of Erwin. "What's wrong?"

"I thought you'd gone after William."

"You said not to." Levi held up the bag. "I got food. I assume you haven't eaten anything?"

Erwin shook his head without saying anything. Levi motioned him inside the room, and a minute later, Erwin was sitting in the chair while Levi sat cross-legged on the floor, both of them eating cold boiled potatoes.

"When are you meeting with Zachary?"

"He sent a message this morning. He's still caught up in other things, apparently—he said it might be a couple days."

"He's delaying on purpose," Levi grumbled.

"Maybe." Erwin chewed thoughtfully. "Either way, all we can do is wait. Speaking of which, my cousin Aldo invited me to dinner tonight. Do you want to come with me?"

"To…see your cousin?"

"Yes, that's what I just said. To see him and his wife Elizabeth. And their baby."

"In a house?"

"Yes," Erwin said. "Obviously."

"Are you sure they won't…I mean, they'll be okay with me being there?"

Pausing just before taking a bite of potato, Erwin studied Levi's face. "Of course they will. You're coming with me."

"Right," Levi said carelessly. "Right, yeah."

But when they arrived at the house that evening, Levi stepped across the threshold almost timidly, as if the cozy foyer with its golden light and picture frames were more disconcerting to him than any forest full of Titans. He was quiet during dinner, leaving half his plate untouched, speaking only when spoken to. His answers were brief and simple, but without his usual sullen air. His silence felt not sour, but shy. When he moved—to pick up a glass, to adjust a chair—he did so tentatively, carefully, like he might break anything he touched.

After dinner, they moved to the living room and sat around a crackling fireplace. Elizabeth handed the baby to Erwin, who held the child in his lap while the three of them talked and Levi sat silently, watching the fire. As the evening wore on, the baby went from gurgling happily and grabbing at Erwin's face and hair to leaning into his arms and drifting into sleep.

"Do you want to hold him?" Erwin asked Levi at one point. He inclined his head toward the sleeping baby.

"Oh," Levi said. "No…thank you…no."

The wine was good, and the living room was warm, and the conversation was lively. When Aldo passed by his wife to get something from the kitchen, he tousled her hair lightly, and she flashed a quick smile up at him. When Erwin handed the baby back to his mother, she stroked the child's hair gently while she continued talking, as if her head were unaware of what her hands were doing. When Aldo sank back into his armchair, his knee rested casually against his wife's thigh like it belonged there, like she was home.

Eventually, they got to their feet, told their hosts reluctantly that they really needed to be going, said their good nights and thank yous, and stepped out into the crisp night air. By the time they started walking together back to the house, the stars were already beginning to glitter overhead.

To Erwin's surprise, Levi broke the silence first.

"That's it, isn't it?"

"Pardon?"

"That's what normal people want."

There was a long silence before Erwin responded.

"Yes." He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up at the stars. A cool breeze blew through the street, ruffling Levi's hair, pulling on Erwin's coat. "I think it is."

"Did you ever want it?"

Erwin paused even longer this time. "I did," he said finally.

"With Marie Dok?"

"That was a long time ago." Erwin stared down at the stones below his feet as he walked. "How did you know?"

"I saw your face. When you were talking to her at the gala."

"Like I said, it was a long time ago. I chose something else instead."

Levi nodded—as if this, at least, was something he could understand. "Titans."

"Titans," Erwin agreed.

Levi walked into Erwin's room, holding a cup of tea, before the sun had even risen the next morning.

"You know it's normal to knock," Erwin said without even looking up from his desk. Levi either didn't hear him or decided to ignore him. Erwin would have bet money on the latter.

"What do you even have to work on all night anyway?" Levi demanded, walking over to look over Erwin's shoulder at the papers piled on the desk. "We don't have any new information."

"No, but Hange's still running training back at headquarters, and if Zachary drags this out much longer, they'll need more instructions before I get back. Plus, I'm still sorting out other administrative details."

"Makes sense. Can I have the morning off?"

Erwin finally glanced up. "What?"

"I don't know how you're supposed to ask that. What's it called? Leave? Do I have to call you sir?"

"Yes, you can have the morning off." Erwin swiveled his chair around to face Levi. "But what business could you possibly have in the Capitol?"

Levi lifted his tea to his lips and drank.

"Very funny." Erwin turned back to his papers. "I'll see you this afternoon."

With Levi gone, Erwin tried to continue working but found he had trouble concentrating. Logistical details like which section commanders would have oversight over what squads, which members of the veterinarian and medic staff would stay in their current positions and which ones would move to new locations, and how to solve food supply issues were all beginning to blend together in his head. For years, he had been watching Shadis, imagining the small adjustments he would make to improve the way things ran in the Survey Corps: a refined schedule here, a promotion there—but now that he had the opportunity to straighten things out, there just had to be something else in his way to distract him.

Sometime in the late morning, Erwin decided to take a walk to clear his head. As he strode down the street, he barely noticed the wafting smell of rotten fish or the shouts of angry citizens in cramped doorways. Ever since the fall of Wall Maria, everyone was more temperamental. The disaster hung in the air like a cloud.

He turned a corner, heading toward a poorer side of the city. The shops began to scatter and then disappear, replaced by broken-down, dirty houses and alleys packed with trash. For the most part, Erwin kept his eyes on the ground beneath his feet, absorbed in his own thoughts.

Then he happened to glance up—and caught sight of two faces he recognized.

Quickly, Erwin ducked into a nearby doorway, then poked his head carefully around the corner. The two figures were talking together, their heads turned away. Erwin waited for a minute until one of them happened to turn his head back toward him, then the other followed suit. He had been right. It was Gurgen Sita and Lennox Alexander—both part of the Eli faction.

Erwin took stock of their surroundings. Sita and Alexander were standing together in the shadow of a building, right near one of the stairways to the Underground. After a few more seconds of conversation, both of them turned aside and disappeared into the stairway.

After waiting for just a moment, Erwin dashed out into the street and under the wooden awning, running down the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. When he reached the first landing, he paused, glanced around the corner, and just caught the coats and boots of his two targets vanishing down the next flight of stairs. He paused again, listening for their footsteps to retreat, and then continued to follow at a safe distance.

After one or two more landings, Erwin dashed down the last flight of stairs and pushed past the two guards stationed at the bottom. He was grateful that he wasn't wearing the Wings of Freedom at the moment—the last thing he needed was for someone to recognize him. Even if the two guards had some inkling of who he was, they ignored him. They were mainly there to collect the money of stairgoers, and it didn't cost money to enter the Underground. That was the whole point.

It only cost to leave.

Erwin stepped beneath a cracked stone arch into a dirty street that smelled of shit and vermin. Both sides of the road were lined by box-like buildings of grimy dirt. The buildings were all uniform—they all had several floors, all of which had tiny windows that looked out from the tiny rooms where vagrants and delinquents lived out their tiny, invisible lives. The dark cave ceiling stretched out overhead, connected to the ground by huge natural columns, creating the constant illusion of a starless night sky.

Down the street, Erwin could just see Sita and Alexander turning a corner down an adjacent road. He slipped down the street, remaining in the shadows as much as possible, stepping over the slumped bodies of dead-eyed people who sat up against the walls, holding out tin cups for change.

What business could have brought the Eli faction into the Underground?

Erwin rounded the street corner, keeping an eye on his targets in the distance, following from as far away as he could without losing sight of them. Mentally, he kept track of the landmarks around him, each right or left that Sita and Alexander took, knowing that he might eventually need to retrace these steps. A smoking man on a rooftop gave him a suspicious look as he passed, and Erwin hid his face as well as he could. Even if they didn't recognize him, they might mistake him for an MP, and people in this place hated MPs more than they hated anything.

At one point, Erwin passed through a tunnel beneath an arched building. When he emerged on the other side, there were three entrances to three different covered alleyways. Erwin paused for a moment, uncertain where to go—and then he heard footsteps echoing faintly from the entrance to his right. He stepped into the dark, cramped space, trying to keep his steps quiet as he snuck down toward the end of the alley.

But when he reached the end, he found to his surprise that there was a sudden drop—about twelve feet. Erwin looked over the edge and saw a second alley below. Silently rolling his eyes at the incompetent city planners who had begun and then abandoned the whole underground project, Erwin jumped down, wincing a little on impact.

To his right, there was a dead end. The alley continued to his left, dipping into a dark tunnel. Erwin turned to follow the only way out.

But a figure stepped out of the tunnel, blocking his way.

"Where are you going?" the stranger asked. His beard was thick and scraggly, his long coat threadbare and ragged. A knife glinted in his hand.

Erwin froze, his uninjured hand going automatically to where his ODM gear would have been. But he didn't have any ODM gear. He didn't have his blades. All he had was a knife of his own tucked into his belt.

A second man came out from behind the first, then a third crept out of the shadows. Both were slovenly dressed in worn-out, mismatching clothes. Both held knives.

Without turning around, Erwin imagined the wall behind him, the wall to his left, the wall to his right. He couldn't jump high enough to go back where he came—and even if he could, he would never be able to pull himself up with one arm.

"Officer Anwar of the Military Police," he said briskly. "I'm going to have to ask you to step aside. The rest of my squad is waiting for me."

"Hmm," the first stranger said. "Interesting. 'Cause that's not your name, and you're not MP."

"If you don't stand down right this second, I'll have you arrested for—"

"Welcome to the Underground, Commander Erwin. We don't take orders from Scouts."

Erwin's eyes narrowed. He studied the three men. Even with his broken arm, he could probably take one of them alone. But three?

"You're mistaken. My name is Officer Anwar, and I—"

"Over six feet tall, blond hair, blue eyes, and a broken left arm? Shut the fuck up. We know who you are."

Erwin reached back and gripped the handle of his knife in his right hand. He had to fight them one at a time. If he could just get one to come closer…

"Come check my badge, then," he said. "My squad will come looking for me any minute—and the consequences are pretty bad for you if you're wrong."

A flicker of doubt flashed across the stranger's eyes. The absolute certainty in Erwin's voice must have swayed him, even just a little, because he motioned at the man standing to his right.

"You might as well go check," he grunted. The second man started moving, and Erwin's muscles tensed, ready to swing.

A blur of movement streaked across Erwin's vision. On pure instinct, he almost threw his first punch, assuming he was already being attacked—but then he blinked, and Levi was standing between him and the three thugs.

"Assholes," Levi said calmly.

The exact same expression filled the eyes of each of the three men standing at the tunnel entrance.

Was it fear?

"Levi?" one of them said with a hint of uncertainty.

"Damn right." Levi took a step forward. "Henrik. Jip. Manuel. I'd say it's a pleasure but, you know. It's not."

"Henrik," the man to the right muttered. "Maybe we should—"

And before Erwin could even register the movement, Levi had grabbed one thug's hair, whipped him around and slammed his head into the wall. He spun to drive the second man's head into his knee before driving a heel into the third thug's chest in the same breath, sending him flying back into the brick wall with a thud.

"I don't have time for this," Levi growled. "So I'm going to make this really clear and easy for you to understand. If you so much as think about laying a finger on this man, I will reach up your ass and rip out your spine."

One of the men tried to lift himself up off the ground. Levi kicked him in the ribs.

"Hey, okay, okay," one of the thugs managed to gasp out. "Smith! Call off your attack dog."

But Levi whirled around and slammed his boot into the thug's jaw. Two teeth went flying.

"You go tell the others," Levi said. "All of them. Anyone even sneezes in Commander Erwin's general direction, and I'll cook and eat his organs. Got it?"

Nods from all three. Levi jerked a thumb at the tunnel. "Go. Tell them."

And the three men scampered off into the darkness. Levi turned back to Erwin.

"You're an idiot," he said. "Are you hurt?"

"Thank you," Erwin said. "No, I'm fine."

"Moron. Why'd you come down here without me?"

"Can we get out of here first?" Erwin asked, gesturing at the tunnel up ahead.

With a huff, Levi led the way down the alley, up a set of stairs, under an archway, and into the twists and turns of the city. They kept mostly to the main streets, the vast expanse of the stone sky above them. This time Erwin made no effort to hide his face. At this point, he would rather be seen with Levi than not recognized at all.

When Erwin handed over a stack of paper notes to the guards at the stairway, he noticed Levi watching the money exchange hands, and the thought flashed across Erwin's mind that Levi had lived here once too, that he must have scrounged once for enough dirty bills to buy a few hours of sunlight.

Only when they were safely out in the open air of the street above did Levi resume his interrogation.

"What made you think it was a good idea to go down without me?"

Erwin was already walking, and Levi had to jog a little to catch up with him.

"Sita and Alexander—remember them? Eli faction?"

"Yeah?"

"They went down the stairway, and I followed them. I lost them at that alley."

"And that's when Henrik's goons showed up?"

"Yes." Erwin stared straight ahead, thinking hard. "I think Eli's people may have lured me there intentionally."

"You think they hired Henrik and his guys?"

"I don't know. But they had my description."

"I mean." Levi glanced up at Erwin as they rounded a corner. "You're commander now. That's not exactly low-profile—and news gets around in that crowd."

"That's true," Erwin said. "I lost Sita and Alexander at a square with three different alleys out. It's possible I picked the wrong alley. It might have been coincidence that those three were down there. Or they could have tailed me without knowing who I was following."

"Did they say what they wanted with you?"

"No." Without thinking about it, Erwin sped up. "If they're just a gang of thugs without any connection to William, I'd imagine they wanted to use me as a hostage—get some ransom money out of the Survey Corps."

But then he remembered the knives glinting in the dim light, the set look on Henrik's face.

"It's also possible that they meant to kill me," he admitted.

"You never should have gone down alone," Levi grumbled. They had just turned their last corner, and the Survey Corps house was visible in the distance.

"I assessed the risk," Erwin said. "I had a plan. If it had come down to a fight, there's a good chance I could have handled them."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't have to," Levi muttered so far under his breath that Erwin could barely make out the words.

"What were you doing down there anyway?" Erwin asked, not really expecting Levi to answer.

"Oh." Levi paused. He was silent for long enough that Erwin was about to move on, ask a different question—but then, to Erwin's surprise, he continued. "Furlan's uncle still lives down there. Isabel had a second cousin she visited sometimes. I thought they should know…" He trailed off, then began again. "I told them what happened."

"That's…" Erwin wasn't sure what to say. "That was a good thing," he finally said. "To tell them."

"I don't know." They were walking up the steps to the house now. "They didn't react like it was a good thing."

Erwin pulled the front door open. "Sometimes it's hard to—"

He stopped. Elijah William was standing inside the foyer, hands clasped behind his back, looking at a painting on the wall. In a flash, Levi had stepped forward, a knife in his hand.

"Erwin!" Eli said brightly. His eyes passed over Levi dismissively, ignoring the knife, before returning to Erwin. "It's good to see you!"

"Councilor William," Erwin said with a curt nod.

"You won't even use my name?" Eli shook his head. "Can't we let bygones be bygones? I already said I'm sorry about the vote."

"What do you want?" Erwin asked evenly.

"I wish I could say I were here to sit and have a drink with you, but I'm afraid I'm actually here on business. Premier Zachary was about to send you a note, but I happened to be in the room and so of course I told him I'd go—I was looking for an excuse to see you anyway, but it's so hard to get away from work these days."

"Go on. What's the message?"

"He apologizes for his delay and asks if you would meet with him tomorrow morning."

Erwin frowned. "That's all?"

"That's all." Eli took a step forward and held out his hand to shake Erwin's. Levi glared at him but didn't interfere. When Erwin ignored the gesture, he put his hands in his pockets. "I'm glad I got to see you. I don't know if we'll have another chance to talk before you leave town, but I wish you the best and I hope you'll write to me sometimes about how things are going."

"Right," Erwin said. "Thank you." He stepped back, holding the door open for Eli. Taking the hint, Eli crossed the room to leave—but on his way out the door, he paused and turned to Erwin.

"A word of friendly advice," he said. "You'd make a lot more friends if you kept a tighter leash on your attack dog."

Erwin froze. "What did you call him?"

"An attack dog?" Eli repeated slowly, smiling broadly. "Just a turn of phrase, Erwin, don't be offended. I hope I can see you again soon!"

And he was gone.

Later that night, after telling Levi good night and stepping inside his room, Erwin made it halfway across the carpeted floor before he remembered the thugs in the Underground—and went back to lock the door behind him. Just in case.

He had actually intended to sleep tonight, but he found himself pacing around the room instead, unable to stop replaying the conversation with Eli in his head over and over again. He had taken the entire exchange, distilled it down into two facts, and now all he could do was go over those facts again and again, hoping that he could extract more insight out of them.

Fact 1: Eli had been with Premier Zachary when he sent for Erwin. Eli was close enough to the Premier that he had been spending time in his office. What's more, he had wanted to make Erwin aware of this closeness—wanted him to know that he had influence over the heart of the Royal Military. But was that influence real? Or was Eli bluffing?

Fact 2: Henrik and his thugs had been paid off by the Eli faction. For some reason, this was once again something that Eli had wanted Erwin to know. Did he want to throw him off guard? Intimidate him into compliance? But compliance with what?

Around midnight, Erwin's furious circles around the room began to slow down. He had barely slept since arriving at the Capitol, and he knew he wouldn't figure any of this out tonight. Absentmindedly, he went through the motions of getting ready for bed.

But when he emerged from the bathroom, Levi was sitting in the windowsill.

"Levi!" Erwin started in surprise. "How did you get in?"

"The window latches don't hold," Levi said. "One good shove and the frame comes right up."

"You…came in through the window?"

"Yeah. Literally anybody could get in here."

"And your point is?"

"I'm staying here tonight," Levi said flatly.

And then Erwin understood. "You don't need to do that. I sleep lightly—I'm sure I'd hear if someone tried to get in."

"Yeah." Levi crossed his arms, making no effort to move. "But also, you might not."

"I don't think—"

"Eli has all kinds of assholes on his side, and he probably wants you dead, and he definitely hired Henrik's thugs, so I'm staying."

"There isn't a place for you to sleep."

"I hate sleeping. And even when I do sleep, it's in a chair half the time anyway."

"It's really fine, you don't—"

"Shut up, Erwin."

"Excuse me?" Erwin's eyes narrowed. In an instant, he had an entire lecture about rank and insubordination and Erwin's authority as commander cocked and loaded, ready to fire, but Levi was faster.

"You heard what I said. Shut up and let me sit in that damn chair by this damn window and make sure you don't get fucking murdered."

Erwin was about to shoot back a retort when something stopped him. He stared at Levi's stormy face, his dead-set eyes, and then heaved a sigh. He shouldn't be surprised.

After all, wasn't this exactly the kind of thing he had asked Levi to do?

"At least go get a blanket," he said.

"Commander Erwin," Premier Zachary said briskly. Erwin took a step inside the office, but Zachary held up a hand to stop him. "Do you mind if we take a walk? I've been trapped in this office for days."

So Erwin found himself side-by-side with Premier Zachary, walking around the grounds of the Royal Palace. The sky was mostly cloudless today, the sun warm and gentle, a light breeze blowing across the grass, hedges, and cherry trees that lined the stone path that led through the palace gardens.

Erwin waited for Zachary to speak first, the long silence serving as an eerie reminder of his old conversations with Shadis.

"I want you to know, Erwin," Zachary began, "that none of this is personal."

Erwin kept his face expressionless. He did not reply yet.

"But as you know, the Royal Government has had questions about the efficacy of the Survey Corps for years."

"Didn't we resolve that discussion, sir?" Erwin asked. "At the hearings back in February?"

"In terms of the continued existence of the Scout Regiment, yes." Zachary looked up at the sky. "But the king and the Regiment Council would both like to see more positive results and fewer casualties in the near future. Frankly, I would like to see the same thing as well."

"Yes, sir," Erwin said. "So would I. That's my goal."

"I understand that is your goal," Zachary said slowly. "But please remember that you are the thirteenth commander of the Survey Corps. Twelve others preceded you, and every one of them had the same optimistic plans."

"With all due respect, sir, I hardly think my plans are—"

"After consulting many trusted advisors over the last few days, I've come to the conclusion that the Survey Corps needs significantly more oversight."

Erwin almost asked what trusted advisors Zachary was referring to, but he stopped himself. He already knew. He had come here intending to tell Zachary everything he knew about Elijah William, but with a sinking heart, he watched those plans fall to pieces in front of his eyes. What proof did he have of any of it? Certainly not enough to convince someone who thought of Eli—and probably all his lackeys—as trusted advisors.

"To that end, I've implemented two changes to the way things run in the Survey Corps."

Wait. Don't talk yet. Let him finish first. But his old discipline was fraying at the seams, and it was harder now to be patient than it had ever been before.

"The first is as follows: Once annually, the Regiment Council will vote to reconfirm the commander of the Scout Regiment. If the commander is not reconfirmed, the council will nominate and vote for a replacement."

"You're joking," Erwin exploded. Zachary glanced at him darkly through the corner of his eyes.

"Absolutely not," he said evenly. "A yearly reconfirmation will ensure that the Survey Corps is ultimately accountable to the government. A continued command will require a demonstration of results—which is certainly a positive change, Erwin, unless you don't intend to demonstrate any results?"

Erwin pressed his lips together, irritated at his own outburst. "Of course. Excuse me. Go on."

"The second change involves refining the objectives of the Scout Regiment. For years, the Survey Corps mission statement has been overly broad and liable to misinterpretation. As a consequence, for the foreseeable future, the Royal Government will be assigning the Survey Corps specific tasks to accomplish, rather than allowing the commander to choose his or her own objectives unilaterally."

"Let me make sure I understand you," Erwin said, fighting to keep both his face and his voice calm. "Government bureaucrats from outside of the Survey Corps will assign me a mission objective without consulting me, and I'm responsible for carrying out that objective."

"More or less," Zachary nodded. "As commander-in-chief of the Royal Military, I'll be choosing and assigning each objective—in consultation with others, of course."

Oh, I know who you've been consulting.

But Erwin said nothing.

"Speaking of which. Let me give you your first commission now."

"He wants us to…what?"

"Retrieve coffers from one of the royal treasuries that we lost when Wall Maria fell." Erwin leaned forward in his chair, hands folded, staring at the floor. "It's a huge sum of money. We're supposed to bring it back."

Levi paced back and forth, apparently unable to sit still.

"Where is it? Up north, you said?"

"Yes. It's right up against the outer wall—practically built into it."

"So that's, what…" Levi did the calculations on his fingers. "Sixty miles into Titan territory?"

"That's right."

"That's idiotic. Sixty miles? We've barely managed to go ten."

"I know."

"What do they think we're—"

"Don't you understand?" Erwin interrupted, his eyes still fixed on the floor. "This is William's plan. Pull strings, influence his friends and all their friends, and manipulate Premier Zachary into assigning me tasks that sound useful, but that are practically impossible. Then when I fail, they have an excuse to vote me out a year from now."

"Eli's people were always going to vote against you. How does this help?"

"They still need the middle faction. I have two or three dramatic failures over the course of the year, the middle faction is convinced that I'm incompetent, and they vote against me. That's their plan."

Levi stopped halfway across the room and stared at Erwin, his jaw hanging open.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious? They need me to fail."

"So?"

Erwin looked up at Levi for the first time. A blaze of determination had lit inside his chest.

"So I don't fail."