Jaron looked like that kind of boy who fell ill very easily; he was paler than his father and he looked as of he were to break any second. People , such as Eren, underestimated him quite often which Jaron never really noticed since he was still very young.
Eren was sweating buckets as he cleaned the swords, maces and daggers clean from blood and dirt and surprisingly Jaron had cleaned way more than him and that skill probably came from Levi since he wanted everything clean all the time.
The little boy was happily humming as he flipped the leather grips to make sure there wasn't any stains left at all as he stared at Eren's work.
"You missed a spot," he said in a sing-song voice.
"Why does it matter if they're just going to end up dirty anyway," Eren groaned.
"Well," the small prince sighed, "I believe that the closest thing perfection can exist is in war. My father claims that he spends endless hours training and commanding his armies until they're perfect...or at least close. They train to strive for perfection but they can never receive it because in our world that doesn't exist. If we can't have it then we need to get something at least similar to it."
When the small boy had finished talking, Eren was gaping at him that he nearly sliced his finger off when he wasn't looking while cleaning a blade.
"H-how old are you?" Eren stammered because surely he was too young to say something so...deep.
"Six," he answered simply and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Gee, buddy, you're just like your dad," Eren told him and ruffled his hair. He was surprised because he really did look three or four.
"No I'm not," he pouted. "He's mean and grumpy all the time but I'm not!"
They continued on with their chore until their hands felt dry and raw and arm muscles felt as if they were burning. The sun had grown more hot for their tired eyes to even see anything and Jaron looked as if he were going to collapse.
When they finally polished the swords and bows, they slumped against logs of wood to catch their breath. Everyone else was doing harder things but Eren felt like he was going to pass out despite the small and easy job.
Eren was sure he was okay because everyone got tired easily, right?
Wrong.
---
Everyone was trembling and the air was heavy with terror, nervousness and misery. For the last two weeks they have been training nonstop legit. They never had more than an hour for rest but they were not exhausted at all. They were all fueled with the angry burn of near battle but they were all afraid. Not afraid of death but of losing and they would all sacrifice their lives if it meant winning. They just had to.
Levi had dark shadows under his ees due to the fact that he got zero minutes or seconds of rest but he looked alive and ready. They woke up at night and started to head to Maria for battle. They weren't supposed to go there so early but it wasn't official where they were supposed to fight to the death because nothing was fair in war.
Jaron despite his young age went with them because Levi didn't want to leave him in the castle after what happened a few months ago so he couldn't risk it. He was always by Eren's side for the past few weeks like some sort of cheery puppy and he always watched while Eren trained.
This made Levi a little uneasy though because it made him a bit upset that his own son trusted a person more than him. He shoudn't be upset because Levi was like an emotionless robot; he couldn't really feel human emotions because it made him feel weak. Why should he care anyways? There were tons of children who strongly disliked their fathers so he wasn't the only one and it was his fault anyways for not being there for him when he needed him the most. It was too late now.
Jaron for some odd reason was happy and cheerful and maybe that was because he didn't want to bring anyone's spirit's down just because he was sad or scared.
They've been traveling for a while now and they were almost so close to the gates of Maria but of course they weren't going through that entrance because then it wouldn't be a surprise. They were going to fly over it with this weird high tech machine thing called 3D maneuver gear and they were also going to use it during war. It was complicated to use for a while because they didn't have much time to test them out but they got the hang of it in time fortunately.
They had an advantage because Maria didn't have such things and this terrified Eren. He didn't want to go against his own country but after seeing what happened to Petra he was angry and was in denial whether he belonged to Sina or not. Eren now didn't know if he wanted to kill Levi and he was mad that he admitted it.
Everyone was the bad guy in this sort of thing but Eren promised himself he wouldn't kill anyone or at least try, He would knock them out and help Hanji heal the wounded while looking over Jaron so he didn't get himself killed.
Once they reached the wall, Levi had to keep his voice quiet so they wouldn't catch any attention.
"Listen up, morons," Levi said, "this isn't training anymore, alright? You get only one shot at this. If you die then of course you're fucking dead. It's a possibility that some of you will die because some of you are brainless idiots who can't survive for long so you need to be alert because this is the real deal. Don't disappoint me and if you do, you disappoint Sina and I don't want that because you'll make me ashamed for being the king of our country in the first place. Play safe and you will be granted survival. Make me proud, shit heads."
Everyone nodded eagerly and Levi gave the signal to begin climbing the giant, stone wall. Their 3DMG hissed to life as they flew through the chilly, night air.
Jaron was awfully light and refused to leave Eren's side so he had to carry the kid with him because he was too young to learn how to use 3DMG. Carrying him around was like holding a very light puppy so Eren didn't mind at all.
It was still dark out but some windows has light pouring out of them so Levi left a mental note not to make much noise as he painfully killed his enemies. They later reached the ground with their cloaks flowing on their backs. They were going to head for the castle first and capture the princess so they could black mail the kingdom of Maria and announce an early defeat which Eren detested.
He didn't want his country to lose to his enemy but they did he wanted his defeat to be with honour. They were all swiftly walking quietly as their gas tanks patted softly against their legs silently. The night air chilled them all to the bone and the shivered though mostly from fear and nervousness but they refused to show it; that's how Levi trained them.
Their leather boots crunched against the frozen grass and the branches of near trees hissed with the wind as leaves gracefully fell to the ground.
The castle was close and all the soldiers could tell because it was built on a high hill where it was easily spotted with the town's people and travelers. Eren felt a pang at his heart. For the first time in a while he was finally home but he wasn't welcomed. He wasn't welcomed because right now he wasn't Eren, he was Hotaru.
He felt as if he were drowning from sadness and nonstaligia even though it was only a few months. He missed being in his own country.
They were now in front of the castle and Eren was terrified; what if they hurt Mikasa? He couldn't stand it if she would get hurt just because he was no longer there.
"Oi, shit heads," Levi said in a hushed voice. "Alright I've got a plan of fucking course. Springer and Braus will enter through the window from the side and Arlert and Leohardt will go the opposite side and Horse and Bodt will go through the balcony near the roof. The rest of you will remain here with Jaron just in case any of you morons decide to be an idiot and somehow fuck things up for us which I'm hoping will not happen. Tatsuya and I will go through back since we're the strongest here."
Eren frowned. He didn't like being singled out and being told he was better than the rest because honestly he wasn't. He just was just more skilled than the rest but that define him as better or the best.
Eren sighed and put Jaron to the ground and patted his night black hair which awfully felt like he was patting Levi's head which would be weird.
"Listen, bud, I'll be back soon, alright? Behave," Eren told the young prince.
"Okay," he responded cheerfully and showed him a toothy grin.
Eren grinned back and started to jog his way towards a Levi who had glaring eyes and crossed arms. They both ran swiftly to the back which took a little long since the castle was so big. When they were finally there, the flew to a window that had an open balcony. Eren mentally shaked his head and cursed Mikasa silently for not closing the doors. Someone could sneak in, like now for example.
It was Eren's old room and he could easily tell because the lights were on and Mikasa's scarf was hung lowly on the wall and even though it was an object it looked pretty depressed. Eren let out a small, quiet gasp. The beloved, red scarf was hung beside a framed picture of the prince Eren Jaeger himself with flowers circling it and a lit candle in front of it. It was some sort of shrine.
Did they...did they really think he was dead? After just a few months they just couldn't find him and declared him dead? Eren felt betrayed deep down in the pit of his heart and his insides felt hollow but filled with sadness and hurt but he laughed a little. Was he honestly getting worked up because if his own false death?
His room looked exactly the same when he left it months before but this time his bed pillows and blankets were changed to gold and emerald green. His room was almost bare; all there was is a desk, bed, a lot of bookshelf and a closet and that was about it.
Levi stole a glance at the small shrine and smirked harshly.
"I knew it," he whispered. "Damn Maria and Rose soldiers think I kidnapped that idiot when he's really just dead. It's going to make it easier to take over this country now."
The green eyed male grit his teeth and made a quiet growling sound low in his throat. How dare he say that? Eren desperately wanted to kill him but for Jaron's sake he just couldn't do it.
The king looked around a bit and walked but the ground made creaking sounds below his feet. He exited the room and Eren followed after and he felt like a stranger to this place despite this castle being his own home. He hasn't been here for so long and it made him sad.
The room next door was Mikasa and Eren started to tremble. Levi was heading towards that room next and what if he hurt her?
He slowly and silently stepped in, armed with his swords. There she was, it was Mikasa. She didn't see them walk in because of course she was sleeping and it had to be now. Eren felt like he might cry but he couldn't. He missed his sister so much and it hurt him inside. She was wearing a night gown and it looked as if she had fallen asleep while studying for who the hell knows. Her pink, cracked lips were parted and her raven black hair was covering half her face. She had something in her hand and Eren recognized it right away; it was the letter he wrote before he left to sneak into Sina.
Levi was walking right up to her but he seemed to underestimate her a bit because the moment his hand was inches from her shoulder, her eyes shot open and she immediately grabbed his wrist and pinned it on his back but if he were in pain he sure didn't show it.
Her breathing was heavy and ragged and her eyes started to flutter again but she didn't loosen her grip.
"You..." she trailed off. "How dare you show up your face in my kingdom, you scum."
Mikasa looked over at Eren who seemed to be trembling. Her eyes softened a bit like she might have recognized him but before she could say anything, Levi slipped his wrist from her pale hand and smacked her which knocked her out right away.
"That was easier than I thought," Levi said and rubbed his wrist. "Alright, Tatsuya, let's get her outside."
Levi picked up her light, delicate body and was just about to exit the room but was greeted by someone. Not the guards, not Maria or Rose soldiers but the queen herself.
She looked deadly pale and ill and Eren felt something heavy in the back of his throat like he might start sobbing at any moment. Her hair was put into one, single, dark brown braid. She was dressed in a white dress pattered with lace and she looked as if she were about to pass out and she had to lean against the door frame. Her eyes flickered with recognition as she looked at Eren and he tried his best not to react.
"Please...please don't hurt her too," she choked out in a weak voice. "Not her too! We already lost him. What do you want? Gold? Fame? What do you want!" she screamed with a sob which caused Eren to stumble backwards. He's never seen her mother behave this way before.
Levi smiled at her pain and shifted his feet. "I want this country, your majesty."
"No..." she mumbled. "You're so greedy and selfish and you call yourself a king? Maria will never fall to defeat to you."
"We'll see about that," he said with an evil chuckle.
"Let her go, you bastard," Carla huffed.
"Give me this country and I'll give the girl back as an exchange."
"No," she hissed.
"Too bad then."
Levi walked past the queen and Eren painfully followed. The queen was now sobbing and she fell to the ground with a thud. She was frantically crawling after them and she managed to wrap her hands around Eren's ankles. He gasped and turned around to see her sad, desperate eyes.
"Please," she pleaded. "Don't take her away! She's all I have left."
It was true. Grisha was somehow gone and so was Eren in a bizarre way. She caught Levi's attention again and he glared at her with evil eyes.
In the end they didn't take Mikasa away and Eren was overjoyed but they got caught by guards and soldiers. Blood shed began to spill and a lot were already dead from the side of Maria and Rose and so far Sina was winning this two versus one.
They fought until noon and Eren was in charge of healing and searching for any injured soldiers. It was so sad how they didn't intend to fight at all this very day.
Many were hurt and severely injured such as Jean, Armin and Erwin and Marco looked as if he didn't have a future because he was slowly dying. Jean was at his side and had to hold his hand for so long to calm him down. A huge chunk of Marco's body was somehow gone and they had no idea how he was still alive but he was holding on by a thread of life.
He was sweating and his face was splattered with blood of his enemies and comrades.
"Marco?" Jean asked as if he couldn't recognize his friend anymore. "Who did this to you?" he whispered.
He looked as if he were bitten easily like a cookie but that was impossible because everyone fighting had only swords and bows so they couldn't do much but slice and pierce through flesh and bones.
"Jean,' Marco managed to say. "Don't get mad when I say this but...you're a not strong at all."
"What the hell!"
"But you're a strong leader so you understand how the weak feel. When I'm gone, please be strong so that you know how they feel too."
His eyes fluttered close and his breathing stopped to a halt and that was when his spirit was carried away by the winds and clouds.
---
Time: 14: 03
Army: Sina
Soldiers: 1000
Alive: 992
Dead: 8
---
Not a lot were dead for the Sina side but they all felt enormous floods of grief and sadness especially Jean. No one saw what had happened to Marco but no one wanted to talk about it; it was too painful.
Eren later on changed from a healer to a fight alongside Levi. Jaron was surrounded by his own personal guards so he wouldn't be hurt at all and he was terrified but it was the only way to keep him safe.
Levi and Eren made a great team despite being enemies. Eren alerted Levi and the king killed skillfully in a clean matter. It was now raining but they didn't seem to notice because it seemed like it was also raining blood and tears.
"Sir, watch out!" Eren shouted as he knocked an arrow into his bow and shot at a Rose solider as Levi ducked.
So far Eren didn't kill much because he didn't want to. He couldn't kill his own people from his country and it was hard to kill Rose soldiers but it didn't matter because they never really trusted them anyways.
Levi was bruised up but okay and Eren had to tend to his injuries.
"Come on, sir, this is immature," Eren said and rolled his eyes. "Remove your gloves."
"No. My hand is okay."
"It's bleeding."
"It doesn't matter. It still feels okay, really," Levi said and waved his hand slowly but flinched as pain rushed to an open cut just below his thumb.
Eren sighed and had to forcefully remove the glove because the king was so stubborn. It wasn't alright at all because the wound looked terrible and bad. It was gushing out blood and if they didn't do anything about it quickly it would get infected. Eren had to go through many first aid kits and finally found some medical alcohol.
"This is going to sting just a bit," Eren declared.
"Just get this over with. I might get germs on myself."
Eren pressed the gauze of alcohol to the king's hand and Levi bit his bottom lip to keep from shouting in pain and he automatically held onto Eren's hand without even thinking first like it was a natural instinct. The younger male tried to ignore it but he couldn't. Levi's un-gloved hands were beautiful and they were those kind of hands that any girl would go crazy for. They were pale and long but warm and soft.
Soon Eren finished up and carefully wrapped up his hand in a long bandage as delicately as he could.
"Thanks," Levi mumbled and he looked a little embarrassed. He never really showed any weakness to anyone before besides Eren just now and he hoped it would never happen again because he was a strong king and not weak.
The king was not finished saying his thanks because something weird and foreign occurred. Levi held onto Eren's shaking hand and lifted it to his parted, cracked lips and he softly pressed his mouth to his knuckles as a chaste gesture of fortitude. The younger male was going to pull away but he just couldn't. The cruel, cold king was finally showing signs of admiration? Was this really happening?
Eren's mind went into full panic attack mode and he gasped a little and watched as Levi moved his lips to the middle of his hand. His mouth was warm and it was making Eren incredibly dizzy.
What the actual fuck.
Why.
Why am I grinning.
Stop it.
Heart, please shut the fuck up and slow down.
Brain, please stop thinking of Levi.
Lungs, please breathe properly.
Eren's face was beet red and Levi finally pulled away with a soft smile on his face. Oh shit.
It was an actual, legit smile and not one of those smirks or grins he would show when someone was in pain. It was truly a beautiful smile and these were extremely rare.
"Thank you."
AN:
oml srry for the rushed chp but im leaving tomorrow morning for a band trip and i wanted to update before leaving bc i dont think i will be able to write for three days ;-; but i might bring my laptop so maybeeee
and i wrote this chp more longer than i planned to so i rlly hope you enjoyed! srsly i woke up rlly early to write this so my brain still isnt functioning properly so pls forgive me if you think it sounds rushed >.< gomen'nasai
well thank you so much for reading aND AGAIN THANKS FOR 1K READS WHATATTATATAT
ily all yall are amazing <69 dont forget to vote or comment! i love to see what yall hafta say :)
~Your friend Takeshi
ps yeah thats me as my prof pic in my mikasa cosplay >.< idek just thought yall wanted to know what the admin looked like k bye ily