My dear Erwin,

I was so pleased to hear that you were finally back in town. Would you do me the honor of joining me for a drink at the Battered Dog tonight at seven o'clock?

Best wishes,

Eli William

"Don't respond," Levi said, looking up from the note. "You don't have to go."

"He might want to negotiate," Erwin said, rummaging through his drawers. "I've filled all his commissions. Maybe he's given up."

"You know that's not true." Levi crossed his arms. "Don't go. He's just playing for power."

"There's no harm in finding out." Erwin grabbed Levi's jacket off a chair and tossed it over to him.

"Except that he wants you dead," Levi grumbled, but put the jacket on anyway.

"That's why you're coming," Erwin said. "Besides, it's a public place. If he plans to kill me, he won't do it at a well-known bar."

It was unusually warm for a March evening, and the bar was a little less than a mile away, so Erwin and Levi walked instead of calling a carriage. The Survey Corps' house in the Capitol was a little more crowded than it had been the last two times they had stayed here. Besides Erwin and Levi, all the section commanders and Levi's squad had traveled to Mitras for the following day's ceremony. After some rearranging and repurposing of drawing room space, there were enough rooms for everyone, although Gunther, Eld, and Oruo had been forced to squeeze into one room together.

The sign of the Battered Dog hung out over the street, sporting a carved image of a haggard-looking dog holding a mug of beer. Followed by Levi, Erwin stepped inside, scanning the dimly lit bar for his enemy.

"Erwin," called a familiar voice. Just to his right, Elijah William was seated at a small table. Three tumblers—two empty, one half-full—sat in front of him. Eli stood slowly, swaying a little, and held out his hand to Erwin. When Erwin did not reach out, Eli looked at his own hand for a moment with a puzzled expression, and then fell back into his seat, a pleasant smile instantly returning to his face.

"Thank you so much for coming," Eli said warmly. "It's been too long. Won't you sit down?"

Wordlessly, Erwin sat down at the table. Levi stood against the wall a few feet away, staring impassively at Eli. Whatever he was thinking or feeling, his face did not betray it.

"I heard about what happened outside Krolva," Eli said. "Bringing all that livestock back—what a triumph. That's what brings you to town, isn't it? That ceremony tomorrow honoring you and the others, the section commanders and whatnot?"

"Yes," Erwin said.

"Just delightful. I'm so happy for you—after all you've been through, you deserve that kind of recognition. Although…I also heard that you didn't want to come." Eli took a long swig of his beer. "Is that true?"

"Who told you that?"

"Oh, I don't remember. Word gets around. Is it true?"

Erwin kept his eyes fixed on Eli's red face. He did not answer.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it," Eli continued, a sympathetic crease wrinkling his forehead. "Over a hundred soldiers lost, was it? Just over a third of the Survey Corps? Such a tragedy. I can't imagine how you must be feeling."

"What do you want?" Erwin interrupted.

Eli leaned back in his seat, tracing the rim of his tumbler lazily with one finger. He was clearly in no hurry to answer.

"I notice you brought the attack dog," he said at last.

"Captain Levi is here," Erwin said. "Yes."

"He's better behaved than he used to be, isn't he?" Eli gestured at Levi, who stood in the dark corner like a statue. "You've done a nice job with him."

"He's not a dog," Erwin said in a low voice.

"No," Eli said airily. "He's a rat. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"What do you want, William?"

"You would be better off if he were a dog, come to think of it," Eli continued as if he had not heard Erwin. "At least you can train a dog. You can't train a rat."

"Shut up," Erwin snarled.

Levi remained motionless.

"Yes, I thought that might upset you. People get so attached to their pets." Eli took another slow sip. "You make quite the pair, you know. The rat and the…whatever you are."

He gestured broadly at Erwin.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?"

"What was the question? What do I want?" Staring up at the ceiling, Eli heaved a sigh. "I was getting to that. What I want—what I have always wanted—is to understand you, Erwin."

"Don't lie."

"But I'm not." Eli's voice cracked, just a little, as he said it—and even after all this time, as Erwin stared into Elijah William's eyes, he still couldn't tell whether or not the man was telling the truth.

"Fine," Erwin said. "Go ahead. What do you want to understand?"

"When we met…what was it, a year and a half ago now?...I wanted nothing more than for us to be allies. You had this look in your eyes—like you were looking at something that no one else could see. I hoped that the rumors were wrong. I hoped you were a supporter of the king after all."

"So you baited me," Erwin said.

"I had to know," Eli said softly. "But alas, that dream you were looking at—the dream no one else could see—it had to be stopped. I regret it, Erwin, I do. But you don't understand…"

He paused. Was his voice trembling, or was it Erwin's imagination?

"Everything we know," Eli said, "everything we hold dear, all of it balances on a very thin string stretched out over a forest full of Titans. One wrong move, one step too far, and everything topples off into the forest below. You're a good man, Erwin, but you want to cut the string. You always have."

"I want to see the walls freedfrom the Titans," Erwin interrupted.

"And you think you can get there by cutting the string," Eli said. "Why?"

Erwin paused, unsure of whether or not to answer. Did Eli really want to know? Was this just another game?

"There's something between us and the forest," he said finally. "Something that will catch our fall. There's a secret out there somewhere, something we don't know about the Titans—and once we learn what it is, humanity will have the power to destroy our enemy once and for all."

"Yes," Eli said slowly. "That's it. You think some kind of victory is waiting for us in the end."

"I do."

"That's the difference between us." Eli stared down into his drink. "I think all we can do is delay our extinction."

"And that's why you want me dead?"

"Why, Erwin," Eli said, sounding surprised. "Whoever said that I wanted you dead?"

"You've been sending me death threats for months. You sent an assassin last December."

"Oh." Eli pressed the tips of his fingers together. "The threats weren't serious at first. After your success at Benien, I thought they might intimidate you. I didn't know you well enough back then."

"And the assassin?"

"Yes, well. I did say they weren't serious at first. When you hadn't given up by the end of the year, I decided it was time to try a real assassin. Unfortunately, it became quickly apparent that as long as your bodyguard was around, killing you would be impossible." He inclined his head toward Levi.

"The assassin couldn't tell us who had hired him."

"He never knew." Eli shrugged. "All our contact was anonymous. Necessary precaution. No evidence to tie back to me."

"If you're so eager to cover your tracks, why are you telling me this now?"

"Nobody will believe you," Eli said. "That's why you've never even attempted to go to Premier Zachary for help in all this. He's my friend—and he's never been yours. People don't like to hear bad things about their friends. They never believe it."

"Is that how you convinced him to send 250,000 innocent people to die?" Erwin retorted.

Several long seconds passed. Finally, Eli looked up.

His eyes were shining with tears.

"Sometimes," he whispered, "for the sake of humankind, one man must carry a burden that is too much for him to bear." When Erwin drew in a sharp breath, Eli nodded slowly. "Yes…that's right. You would know something about that, wouldn't you, Commander?"

Erwin stared down at the table, fighting to keep his composure.

"Do you ever have strange dreams, Erwin?"

Erwin stood up.

"Levi," he said sharply. "We're leaving."

Erwin would be expected to give a speech at the ceremony, and it was almost midnight, and he still had no idea what he was going to say. He stared down at the blank page in his notebook, tapping his pen against the desk, but nothing was coming to him.

He was seated at a desk inside a tiny office tucked into the back corner of the bottom floor. Upstairs, he could hear the creaking footsteps of the others. Apparently, Hange had taught yet another one of Levi's squad how to play euchre, and the game sounded lively. Lots of shouting, lots of laughter.

In a world like this one, eventually you learned how to laugh with a broken heart.

Levi was sitting in the windowsill, staring at the rain as it pounded against the glass. A flash of lightning illuminated his face. A crack of thunder rolled through the house.

Ever since the expedition had ended, Levi had been even quieter than usual. Even with Erwin, he barely spoke unless answering a question directly. His expression was tight, stoic, guarded. They had only spoken about his lost squad members once—late on the night after the expedition.

"I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"Dover and Julia."

"Oh. Yeah."

"What happened?"

"The brat was trying to save her, and I was too far away. Stupid kid." A pause. "I think he might have been a little bit in love with her."

They had not mentioned either name in the two weeks since.

Erwin glanced up at Levi, who was stifling a yawn.

"You should go to bed," he said. "This might take a while."

"Not leaving you," Levi muttered. "Especially not in that bastard's city."

Erwin sighed. "You haven't slept in days."

"I'll sleep when I'm tired."

But Erwin heard too much in the dead of night, and he knew why Levi didn't want to sleep.

"I know it's hard," he said. "But even you can't function without sleeping at all."

"Not leaving." Levi was interrupted by another yawn, which did not help his argument. His voice was hoarse. His eyes were bloodshot.

"You can't look like this at the ceremony," Erwin said. "It's not a good look for the Survey Corps."

"They can know what they did to us." Levi kept staring out the window, refusing to look over at Erwin. "It doesn't have to be a secret."

"If they think we're wearing down, they'll just push us harder. It's in our best interest not to look exhausted."

"You and your damn crowds," Levi muttered.

"Go to sleep, Levi," Erwin said.

"Still can't leave you alone."

"What if you left someone else with me? Someone from your squad—Eld or Gunther? Would you go then?"

Levi looked like he wanted to say no—but then he paused.

"You won't wander off alone?"

"I'll be here until I finish this speech, and then I'll go to bed," Erwin said. "It'll be two or three hours at most."

Levi stood up, walked over to the door, and yelled up the stairs for Eld. A minute or two later, Eld appeared. Levi gave his subordinate a few instructions in the doorway, then turned to Erwin.

"Don't take too long," he said. "Those assholes don't deserve a good speech anyway."

"Fair enough." Erwin gave Levi a small smile. "I'll make sure it's my most mediocre work."

And Levi disappeared into the hallway.

Eld took up residence in Levi's usual chair, and Erwin returned to his notebook. After another hour of staring at the page, writing a word or phrase, crossing it out, and then starting over, he decided to flip back to the beginning of the notebook and read drafts of other speeches he had given. Eventually, he found a paragraph that he liked, and he started adapting it for this occasion.

The words still came slowly and painfully. He still found himself crossing out more words than he actually wrote. But after a couple more hours, he finally had an acceptable draft.

He had kept his promise. The speech was thoroughly mediocre, but at least it was done. Erwin glanced up at the clock. It was just after three o'clock in the morning.

"Thank you, Eld," he said. "I'm sorry that I kept you up. You can go now."

"Captain Levi said I had to walk you up, sir," Eld said apologetically. "Then I'll go."

"If you must," Erwin said, standing up. He gathered up his notebook and a few assorted papers, and then he and Eld climbed the stairs in the dark. Outside the door to his room, he said good night, Eld nodded and saluted, and Erwin slipped through the door.

A sliver of moonlight crept in between the curtains, illuminating Levi's small figure curled up in the chair by the window.

"Levi?" Erwin whispered.

No answer. Good. He had managed to fall asleep after all.

Trying to avoid waking Levi, Erwin got ready for bed as quietly as he could. He climbed beneath the blankets and shut his eyes, hoping that this time, he would not see the clouds, the field, the faceless crowd beneath him.

A pounding on the door jolted Erwin out of sleep.

He bolted upright. Levi was already standing, gripping a knife in his right hand. Erwin stood, but Levi shook his head. He pointed at the corner, just out of sight of the door.

Erwin frowned, but Levi jerked his thumb insistently at the corner. Rolling his eyes, Erwin stepped out of sight of the door. Levi walked over and opened the door, keeping his knife out of view.

"What is it?" he asked.

From the other side of the door, Erwin could hear a very confused voice that he did not recognize. "Sorry, I was looking for Commander Erwin's room."

"Yeah, you found it," Levi said. "What do you want?"

"I have a message," the voice said, sounding a little uncertain. "But I'm supposed to give it to—"

"Give me the message," Levi interrupted.

"He has to come to the palace right now. It's an emergency."

"What kind of emergency?"

"They didn't say—but he needs to bring the whole Survey Corps delegation with him. They said they had questions."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I'm here with carriages, sir, I'm not supposed to leave unless you all come with me."

"Fine. Go down to the street. We'll be there in a minute."

Footsteps echoed down the hall. Levi shut the door and turned to Erwin.

"Do you know what that's about?"

Erwin frowned. "No. Go and get everyone."

"We're going? Just like that?"

"How else will we find out what they want?"

Fifteen minutes later, the section commanders, Levi's squad, Levi, and Erwin had crammed inside the carriages waiting in the street below. Erwin stared out the window as the carriage rattled along, mind racing, systematically working through the options of what could have happened. Had the Colossal and Armored Titans reappeared? Had they finally broken through Wall Rose? No, they wouldn't have been summoned for questions about something like that. Could this be yet another trick by Elijah William?

When they arrived at the palace gates, MPs were swarming around like bees around a hive. There was a tension in their expressions, in their harsh tones, that was impossible to miss.

"Commander Erwin," Nile said, striding forward as Erwin stepped out of the carriage.

"Nile," Erwin said. "What is this?"

"We have some questions," Nile said brusquely. "Come with me, please."

Erwin made eye contact with Levi, who looked just as unnerved as Erwin felt.

"Of course," Erwin said pleasantly. "All of us?"

"No," Nile said. "Just you. I'll talk to the others when you're done."

All of Erwin's soldiers were being ushered in different directions, each one by two or three MPs. Levi was sizing up the two MPs that were trying to herd him toward the palace doors, one hand hovering near the belt where Erwin knew his knife was hidden.

"It's fine," Erwin said to Levi. "Just go."

He followed Nile inside. Surrounded by MPs, wandering down the winding hallways of the palace, Erwin reassessed the possibilities. Something had happened—some kind of crime. The Scouts were under suspicion. But why?

Nile showed Erwin down a flight of stairs and inside a small room. It was nearly empty except for a metal table and two chairs.

"Have a seat," he said. Silently, Erwin sat. Nile stood on the other side of the table, ignoring the chair. Erwin did not like the resulting height difference.

"I think it's time you told me what was going on," Erwin said.

"Not yet." Nile crossed his arms.

"Have I been accused of something?"

"No," Nile said after a moment of hesitation. "We just have questions."

"Just for me?"

"For your delegation." Nile pulled out a small notepad and a pencil. "How many of you are here?"

Erwin studied Nile's face—and decided to play along. "Ten. Four section commanders, one squad, and myself."

"Whose squad?"

"Captain Levi's."

"Names?"

"Eld Jinn, Gunther Schultz, Oruo Bozad, and Petra Ral."

Nile jotted down the names. "Where were you last night?"

A cold chill began to run down Erwin's spine. "In my office. I worked late."

"When did you go to bed?"

"Around three in the morning."

"Were you alone?"

"No. Captain Levi and Eld Jinn were both with me at different times."

"Do you know where your soldiers were?"

Erwin kept his expression impassive. "They were upstairs. Many of them were playing cards."

"Did you actually see any of them?"

"Besides Captain Levi and Jinn, no."

"You said that Levi and Jinn were with you at different times," Nile said, still scribbling furiously. "Where was Levi when he wasn't with you?"

"He went to bed around midnight."

"Do you have any proof that he actually went to bed?"

"I do."

"How?"

"I saw him."

"You…saw him?"

"I saw him asleep," Erwin said evenly.

Nile raised an eyebrow but did not comment. He asked a few more questions to clarify the timeline, double-checked one or two facts, and then opened the door.

"Please take Commander Erwin to the main hall," he said. "And bring in the next one."

"Nile," Erwin said. "What happened?"

With a grim expression, Nile finally met Erwin's eyes. "Elijah William is dead."

…found dead this morning…

…hanging from the ceiling…

…looks like he killed himself…

Erwin paced back and forth in the main hall, listening to the snippets of conversation as bureaucrats scuttled back and forth, whispering in frantic voices, passing the morbid news along. As the minutes ticked by, the rest of the Scouts were escorted into the hall one by one. The section commanders came first, then each member of Levi's squad. By the dazed expression on each soldier's face as they arrived, Erwin gathered that he did not need to update anyone on the news. Petra was the last of Levi's squad to arrive in the hall, and now only Levi was missing.

It was a long time—almost an hour—before Levi appeared in the arched entryway. Erwin quickly crossed the room to meet Levi under the arch, well out of the others' earshot.

"What the hell is this about?" Erwin asked.

"He's dead," Levi said quietly. The tone of his voice hovered somewhere between bewilderment and satisfaction.

"Nile thinks you did it," Erwin said, his lips barely moving.

"Yeah, of course he does," Levi muttered.

"Did you?"

"No." Levi shook his head, staring down at the ground. "No, I didn't."

"Levi…"

"I promised I wouldn't lie to you, didn't I?"

"You've been with me for every second of every day for over two months, then we're apart for three hours, and suddenly—"

"I know what it looks like," Levi interrupted. "I didn't kill him. I'll swear on whatever you want me to swear on."

"Did you go straight to bed?"

"You made me go, remember?" Levi said. He was starting to sound angry. "I didn't want to leave. You said it was an order."

"Did you go straight to bed, Levi?"

"I can't…" Levi broke off, avoiding Erwin's eyes. Then, without warning, he grabbed Erwin's arm, pulling him out of the archway and into the corner.

"Don't make me answer that," he said in a harsh whisper. "I swear I didn't kill him. Isn't that enough?"

"No," Erwin said. "Did you go somewhere else?"

"You don't want to know," Levi insisted. "You told me you didn't want to know."

"Levi. Where were you?"

Levi crossed his arms. There was a long silence.

"I was with Petra," he finally said.

"Where?"

"Erwin. I was with Petra."

The realization hit Erwin like a Titan barreling out of the woods.

"Oh," he said. "You…"

"Yeah," Levi said.

"You didn't tell Nile?"

"And get Petra court martialed for sleeping with her superior officer?" Levi's low, strained tone was angry—maybe with Erwin, maybe with the MPs, but maybe with himself most of all. "I'd rather die."

"Would Petra have told them?"

"I don't think so." Levi met Erwin's eyes. "Listen. I won't ask you not to confirm my story with Petra."

"Levi—"

"No," Levi interrupted. "I get it. You'll do what you have to do. Just…" He stopped, as if unsure what to say.

"I'll be gentle," Erwin finished.

The palace was in an uproar, and the rest of the day flew by in a blur. The ceremony was almost canceled, and then it wasn't, and then it happened but very quickly. It was sparsely attended, and those who did attend were obviously distracted. Premier Zachary didn't even make an appearance.

Erwin gave a short, heavily excerpted version of the speech he had written. He made sure to mention that the Survey Corps grieved the loss of the esteemed Councilor William. He made sure to add that Elijah William had been his personal friend. He made sure to offer his condolences to Premier Zachary, who had lost a wise and trusted advisor.

The whole time that Erwin spoke, Levi was perfectly motionless except for a slight, periodic twitch in his jaw.

After the speech, a few scattered members of the Regiment Council came up to shake Erwin's hand. Almost all of them—Kishan Dacian, Isidro Berta, Sigward Kosma, Charissa Malik—Erwin recognized as his own supporters. With sincere faces, each of them thanked Erwin for his work over the past few months. Several of them expressed sympathy that Erwin had been so overworked, that his commissions had been needlessly taxing. One or two of them even went a step further.

"With all the influence that Eli had over the Premier," Berta said, "it might even be good that he—"

But he caught himself, offering Erwin a humorless smile.

"God rest his soul," the councilor finished.

Not every conversation was about Elijah William. Kosma, for example, was far more interested in hearing how in the world Erwin had managed to herd thousands of animals back inside Wall Rose.

"How long are you here in the Capitol?" Kosma asked. "Can we invite you to dinner? Captain Levi too, perhaps?"

"Unfortunately, we're leaving early tomorrow morning," Erwin replied. "But I'll take you up on the offer someday."

None of Eli's friends showed up, which was predictable, but more importantly, only one member of the middle faction came. Under different circumstances, Erwin might have been concerned about this development, but right now he had other issues to worry about.

Even so, underneath his constant hum of anxiety about Levi and Petra and the MPs, he couldn't help but feel a hollow sense of relief that Eli was finally gone. He found himself wondering dimly whether Eli's death meant the end of his labors—whether the rest of Eli's friends would have the organization or intelligence to pose any further threat to the Survey Corps.

Late that afternoon, the MPs issued a public proclamation. Elijah William's death had been ruled a suicide. His friends and colleagues alike would mourn the loss of such a dedicated statesman.

After the proclamation, Erwin almost gave up his intention to talk to Petra entirely—but as much as he trusted Levi, a tiny hint of leftover doubt kept tugging at him, and he needed to know for sure. Later that evening, when the Scouts had returned to the house, Erwin finally managed to pull her aside. He asked her to come into his office.

After closing the door carefully, Erwin turned to face Petra. She stood at attention, looking a little nervous.

"This won't take long," he said.

"Yes, sir."

"Can you tell me where you were last night?"

All the color drained out of Petra's face.

"I already told Commander Dok, sir," she said after a pause that was just a little too long. "I sat in on the card game with the others for an hour or two and then I went to bed a little after midnight. There isn't much to say, sir."

"Petra," Erwin said gently. "I promise that if you tell the truth, no one else will ever know. Nothing will happen to you. But you do need to tell me the truth."

Petra hesitated. She glanced over at the door.

"He won't get in trouble either," Erwin said.

"I was…" She stared down at the floor, her face brightening slowly from ash white to crimson red. "I was…I'm sorry, sir…I just…"

"It's okay."

"I was with Captain Levi, sir," she finally managed to say, her voice so soft that Erwin could barely hear it.

"For how long?"

"I don't know, sir. I don't think I ever checked the time. I'd guess he left a few minutes before three."

By now, her face had turned a dark shade of apple-red.

"If anyone asks," Erwin said, "it never happened."

"Yes, sir."

"You and I never had this conversation."

"Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed, Petra."

"Yes, sir." She paused with her hand on the door handle. "Thank you, sir."

"For what?" he asked. "Our little chat just now about the weather? No need to thank me for that."

She nodded and left the room.

Erwin Smith,

Come to the Battered Dog after hours tonight. Two in the morning. We're ready to negotiate. If you bring the attack dog, all deals are off.

"Absolutely not," Levi said.

"I'm going."

"I guess you didn't hear me," Levi said. "Absolutely fucking not."

"That's not a decision you get to make."

"These are the people that have been sending you death threats for months. They're the reason Dover and Julia and everyone else is dead. You can't go, and even if you do, there's no way in hell you're going without me."

"I'll bring someone else," Erwin said. "I'll bring Hange and Miche."

"What have they got to negotiate?" Levi asked, flopping down in the windowsill and sounding thoroughly exasperated. "William is dead. You've finished all their damn commissions. There's only a few weeks until the revote. You already won."

"They don't seem to think so," Erwin said. "And that's reason enough to find out what they want. If there's any chance I lose the vote, I have to go."

"Erwin—"

"Over a hundred Scouts didn't give their lives just so I could get voted out," Erwin snapped. "I'm not arguing with you. I'm your commander, and right now I'm giving you orders. You're staying here. I'll take Hange and Miche."

Levi scowled but said nothing.

"Don't worry," Erwin said. "I'll be back by the time we leave in the morning. Probably before."

Just after two in the morning, Erwin arrived at the front doors of the Battered Dog. Small rivers of cold rain flooded through the gutters. The loud pattering sound of droplets hitting the rooftops made it difficult to hear anything else.

Erwin knocked twice and waited.

"I think it's likely," he said, turning to Miche and Hange, "that you will have to wait out here."

"If something goes wrong," Hange began, but Erwin cut her off.

"I don't think they mean to kill me this time. But if they try, I'm sure you'll hear the commotion."

"That's a big gamble." It was Miche who had spoken this time, frowning at Erwin underneath the hood of his cloak.

"I've assessed the risk."

And the door swung open. Gurgen Sita and Lennox Alexander stood in the doorway, eyeing Erwin carefully. After sizing him up, they glanced up and down the street as if looking for someone. Apparently satisfied, they motioned Erwin inside.

"Leave the other two outside," Sita said gruffly.

Erwin shot Hange a knowing look and stepped through the door, taking off his rain-soaked cloak. The interior of the bar was dimly lit.

"How did you manage to arrange an after-hours meeting?" Erwin asked pleasantly, hanging his cloak on the rack just inside the door. "Good relationship with the owners?"

"Eli owned the Battered Dog," Alexander said. "Now I do."

On the other side of the bar, six others sat around a large round table. Even after all this time, Erwin recognized their faces. He remembered all of their names. Extending his hand, Erwin made a show of shaking every person's hand, of looking every councilor in the eye.

"Ms. Geoff," he said, "it's a pleasure. Mr. Edward, Mr. Shelomith, good evening. Mr. Danika, how are your children? Ms. Karthik, good to see you. How are you doing, Mr. Giltbert?"

"Have a seat, Commander," Sita said, pulling out a chair. As Erwin sat down, he felt suddenly as if he were facing a panel of judges—as if he had committed some terrible crime, and these eight people were about to deliver his sentence.

Erwin decided to take control. He spoke first.

"Well, gentlemen and ladies," he said. "I received a note that said you wanted to negotiate."

"That's right," Alexander said.

"But I have to admit that I'm not at all sure what there is to negotiate about." As he spoke, Erwin maintained the small, friendly smile on his face. "Shall I tell you how things look from my perspective?"

"Go ahead," said Sita. His expression was unreadable.

"Almost a year ago, you all—under the leadership of Elijah William—convinced the Royal Government to institute a new rule requiring the Regiment Council to reconfirm each regiment commander once annually. You also persuaded Premier Zachary to tighten control of the Survey Corps by assigning me commissions. Although these commissions were signed by Premier Zachary, they were thought up and advised by Elijah William—and, by extension, the rest of you. Does this sound accurate so far?"

Silence around the table. No one interrupted or disagreed.

"The first major task—retrieving the coffers from Benien—was supposed to be impossible. I was supposed to fail miserably, thereby proving to the middle faction that I deserved to be voted out. But when I passed the first test with flying colors, you needed a different strategy. You had only made me more popular, not less. So you tried to break me, to wear me down. You gave me more tasks than any mere human could possibly manage all at once."

The rain pattered on the roof. Still nothing but silence from the gathered group.

"And then, once you were quite sure that I was half dead from the effort, you gave me a second major task. This time, you made sure that it really was impossible. With any luck, my forces would be wiped out, and I would have nothing to show for it. And then, lo and behold…" Erwin leaned forward, folding his hands in front of him. "I accomplished your impossible commission. And now here we are, just weeks away from the revote, and the middle faction has not only no reason to think that I have failed, but every reason to believe that I am the greatest commander ever to give orders within the walls."

Erwin let his smile spread just a little.

"So you'll forgive me if from my side of the table, it appears that you have nothing to negotiate. We played a game. I won. What else is there to say?"

The silence stretched out for a few more seconds. Then Sita glanced up at Alexander, who nodded.

"We bought the middle faction," Sita said.

The smile faded, just a little, from Erwin's face.

"Pardon?"

"Just three out of the four, actually," Alexander continued. "Pavla, Dirk, and Nike. It took a larger fee than you could possibly imagine—but when the Regiment Council holds your second confirmation vote, those three councilors will be voting against you."

"It's not just the money," Sita added before Erwin could say anything. "All three of them have good reason to believe that their families will be in danger if they vote for you."

"All this to say," Alexander said. "We did play a fair game. You did win. So we rigged the deck, and now you're going to lose."

Erwin stared down at his folded hands.

"You wouldn't tell me this unless there was another option," he finally said. All traces of his former smile were gone. "You said you wanted to negotiate."

"There we go. That's much better," Sita said, a smirk spreading across his face. "If we reach a compromise, we are willing to reverse the effects of the middle faction's bought votes. Four of us will vote with you, and you will continue to serve as commander for at least another year."

"That means I have something you want." Erwin let his gaze scan across the silent, stony faces in front of him. "What is it?"

"In just a few hours, we expect that Premier Zachary will give you your final commission. We want you to complete the assigned task."

An uneasy feeling took root in Erwin's stomach. He had already completed two impossible missions. What else could they ask him to do? What could possibly be more difficult than Benien or Krolva? Track down and kill the Armored and Colossal Titans? Retake Wall Maria?

"And if I do," Erwin said slowly, "you'll give me the votes."

"That's right."

"And the task is…?"

Alexander leaned forward. He pulled out a map of the walls and laid it out on the table. "We want you to conduct a recon mission outside Trost. Right here." He pointed at a spot approximately forty miles outside Trost District.

For several long moments, Erwin stared back at Alexander. His brain processed the words at a glacial pace, examining each one for trap doors, flipping the sentences over to check if something had been hidden beneath them.

Then he laughed.

"A recon mission," he said. "That can't be all you're asking."

"It is," Sita said. "Mostly. That's the official bit, anyway. There's an unofficial part, too—something else you'll need to do on the expedition—and once that's done, we'll give you the votes."

"And that unofficial part is…?"

"When you're forty miles outside the walls, you're going to take Captain Levi's horse," Alexander said. His face was set, his voice low and controlled. "And you're going to leave him behind."

Erwin frowned.

Somehow the words had floated past his ears without entering his brain.

"Excuse me?"

"It will look like a mistake," Sita said calmly. "But it will be a surgery. Captain Levi will disappear in the Titan-infested wilderness, and no one will ever hear from him again."

The harder that Erwin tried to grasp their meaning, the faster the words slipped like sand through his fingers.

"I don't understand," he finally said.

Alexander rolled his eyes. "It's not that hard. We want him dead, Commander. Levi has to die."

No.

No.

"After all this," Erwin said slowly, "after countless soldiers gave their lives, after all your games and tasks and power plays, you're willing to give it all up, let me have my command, and all in exchange for…"

"…Captain Levi's life, yes."

To be left alone, with limited gas and without a horse, forty miles outside the walls…even for humanity's strongest, it would be a death sentence.

"Why?" Erwin kept a tight fist on the growing seed of anger in his chest. He kept his voice calm, his tone even. "How could you possibly benefit that much from the death of one man?"

"I think you already know." Sita leaned back, watching Erwin closely. "He killed Eli William."

Erwin's eyes widened. "That'swhat you think?"

"Don't play dumb," Alexander interjected.

"Elijah William," Erwin said, carefully maintaining a civil volume, "hung himself last night. It was a tragedy. No one killed him."

"He never would have done it." Sita shook his head. "Someone broke in without breaking any locks. Someone avoided all the guards. Someone arranged the room, made it look like a suicide, and got out again without being seen. There's only one person inside the walls with the skill to do all that—and it's your Captain Levi."

"You're mistaken," Erwin began, but seeing the set expressions on all the faces before him, he broke off abruptly. He would never convince these people. Their minds were already made up.

"Maybe you put him up to it," Sita continued. "Maybe he did it on his own like the thug he is. Either way, he's the one who has to pay for it."

Erwin paused, thinking. They wouldn't give up the chance to push Erwin out of power just for revenge. They were getting something else out of it—but what?

"If you think," he said finally, "that I would assassinate Captain Levi just to stay in power—"

"Don't start with that shit," Alexander interrupted. "That might be your favorite line, but we both know it doesn't mean a damn thing. You've let a whole lot of other people die for you. How many is it now? Hundreds? What makes this one any different?"

"Shut up." The blood was pounding inside Erwin's head.

"Even with him, it's not like this is new territory for you. Can you really deny that you've already used him? Used him until he's almost used up? We know he diverted course in a snowstorm and nearly got himself killed just to save your life. We know he never takes anyone's orders except for yours. We know he follows you everywhere. We know," Sita said with a glint in his eye, "that he's been sleeping in your room for weeks."

"That's not—"

"It doesn't matter what it is, Commander. The point is that the little bastard would already die for you. All you have to do is let him."

Erwin looked up at the ceiling. When he blinked, he could see a flash of white around him, a glimpse of green below.

He had to take the deal. He had to keep Levi alive. The deal was that Levi had to die.

There had to be a loophole somewhere.

"Let's say I took your deal," he said quietly. "How would you know that it was done?"

"So we're discussing details now," Sita said. "Good." He slid a folded piece of paper across the table to Erwin, who accepted it wordlessly.

"Here are the rules." Alexander pointed at the paper. "There are only three. The first is that it has to be done within four days."

Erwin ran the calculations. One day to get back to headquarters, one day to arrange the expedition, one day to travel to Trost, one day to go out and back. No time to pull any tricks. Just enough time to get it done—and no longer.

"What's the second rule?"

"You have to bring the entire force to Trost. Every single Scout goes out on the expedition, every single Scout comes back. Except for Levi, of course."

Why?

"And the third?"

"You can't bring the carts."

"And if I break any of the rules?"

"You lose the vote."

"Here's the problem," Erwin said, crossing his arms. "You already said that as soon as the vote is over, you'll go right back to trying to push me out. Why should I cut off my right hand just to earn a temporary victory?"

"Commander," Sita said, sounding a little surprised at the question. "Surely you've noticed that there are only two possible outcomes here. In one outcome, you keep your command for at least one more year. In the other, you lose your command at the revote. Temporary victory or total defeat. You have exactly one chip to bargain, and that is Captain Levi's life. That's the deal. Are you going to take it or not?"

Sita offered his hand. Erwin stared at it, and in the space of the next five seconds, the thirteenth commander of the Survey Corps did what he did best.

He ran the calculations.

And then he shook Sita's hand.

It was still pouring rain when Erwin walked out of the bar. He didn't pause to address Miche and Hange, who stared after him as he strode out into the street.

"Erwin?" Hange called.

"I'm going to take a walk," he said.

"You're not supposed to—"

"My life is not in danger at the moment," he said, still without stopping, still without looking back.

"Sir," Miche began.

"Follow me if it makes you feel better," Erwin interrupted. "But don't speak to me. I have to think."

The rain had already begun to soak his clothes. He stepped in a puddle and splashed mud all over his cloak. Somewhere behind him, Hange and Miche were talking—but whether to one another or to him, he didn't know and he didn't care. He barely noticed any of it.

There was no chance in hell that he was going to let Levi die.

If he had wanted to, he could have just taken the advice that Levi had been giving him for months and finally told the Eli faction to go screw themselves. Staring at Sita's offered hand, he had been tempted to do just that. There had to be some kind of evidence somewhere, some proof that Eli's friends had committed fraud by buying off votes. Erwin still had six weeks to find that proof. As soon as Premier Zachary had evidence in his hands that the Regiment Council had been infiltrated by corruption, the whole game would be over.

But by refusing the deal, Erwin would have showed all his cards. The Eli faction would have known that he planned to expose their fraud. If they smelled even a hint of trickery on Erwin's part, they would keep the evidence so close to their chests that no one would never find it in a hundred years, let alone six weeks.

He had taken the deal—but only to buy time, only to throw them off his scent. Between now and Friday, he had to find some solution to the problem—some way to get proof of the fraud without putting Levi in danger.

The solution had to be in the rules. The rules weren't arbitrary—they were there for a reason. The logic behind the first and third rules were obvious, at least. There was a deadline so that Erwin wouldn't have enough time to pull off any tricks, and they couldn't bring the carts so that they couldn't sneak Levi back through the walls.

But why the second rule? Why did every single Scout have to go on the expedition?

Think, Erwin. Think.

It would be neater, simpler, to send a small team of soldiers out on the expedition. If the Eli faction needed every Scout to go out on the expedition, it must be to ensure that someone wasn't left behind.

And Erwin's eyes widened. In a single instant, he could see every raindrop freeze in perfect clarity around him. Time stood still.

There were spies in the Survey Corps.

Of course. Of course. That's how the Eli faction knew so much about him and Levi. That's how they would know whether Erwin had broken the rules. That's how they would make sure that Levi had really been left in the wilderness to die.

There was a traitor—at least one, maybe more—hidden somewhere among the Scouts. And where there were spies, there had to be evidence. If Erwin could just root out the spies, if he could get even one of them to confess in the next forty-eight hours before the expedition was supposed to start—

For hours, Erwin wandered through the city. For hours, he thought through every possible scenario, every possible outcome. But as the sky began to lighten, as he turned around and began to head back toward the south side of the Capitol, he was no closer to a solution than he had been at the start.

As Erwin walked, Miche caught up to him. Silently, the soldier kept pace at his side.

"Where's Hange?" Erwin asked.

"She went back. I said I'd follow you."

Erwin did not reply. He was barely listening.

"Commander," Miche said a moment later. "Can I ask you something?"

"If it's quick."

"Is it true that you think he didn't do it? You don't believe Levi killed him?"

"Of course I don't."

They walked for a few more minutes in silence.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Miche finally asked.

"Granted."

"You think too much of him."

"And you think too little," Erwin said.

When he arrived back at the house, he stepped through the front doors into a busy stream of people hurrying up and down the stairs, carrying bags outside, calling out to one another from the upper and lower floors. Passing by Erwin, Bradley stopped and did a double take.

"Commander," he said. "You're soaked."

Erwin looked down at the mud that coated every inch of his body.

"It's fine," he said. "Get everyone outside. I'll be there in a second."

Erwin went up to his room, grabbed his bag, changed quickly, and came back down the stairs.

"Erwin!"

Involuntarily, Erwin's breath caught in his throat. Levi was standing in the foyer. Everyone else had already gone down to the street.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "It's been hours."

Erwin had expected Levi to be angry, but he didn't look angry at all.

Instead he looked…empty.

Used up.

"I'm sorry," Erwin said. He started to say more but stopped. He didn't know how to begin.

He was standing face to face with the man who had taken down an Abnormal in a blizzard, who had guarded the gate when Shiganshina fell, who was singlehandedly responsible for fifteen Titan kills at Benien. This was the unwitting soldier of the masses, the hero the people couldn't help but worship.

But right now, Erwin looked at Captain Levi and didn't see humanity's strongest soldier. He saw an ill-tempered little asshole who couldn't reach the top shelf, who lost his shit over unwashed hands, who had seen his mother die, who stayed awake to avoid his nightmares, who had given up everything to follow Erwin into hell.

He looked at Levi and he saw only the friend he loved.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

If Levi noticed anything strange in Erwin's face, in his voice, he didn't mention it.

"Let's go," Levi said.

And they went.