Eren POV
The plates in Eren's hand crashed on the floor.
The noise alarmed Mikasa, who had been staying by his side since they had sent Sasha and Connie to get Armin back here, to see what they had been able to do in the short time.
"Eren! What's wrong?" She put a hand on his arm, waiting for her brother to respond but he only managed to gasp in shock, when a strange feeling caught his breath in his throat.
That feeling.
He...he knew it.
"Kasa...", he whispered and closed his eyes in concentration to restrain the need to lash out at the hand touching him; at the girl who always worried about him.
"What is it?", the familiar voice of his sister asked him, letting go of his arm and Eren exhaled relieved, not noticing the hurt expression dancing across Mikasa's features.
He breathed in and out.
In.
Out.
Slowly. Controlled.
Just what the fuck is wrong with me?
He felt it again. That...that feeling as if...as if something was awakening inside of him, clawing at his heart. Telling him to do something about the urges he felt burning inside of him. Eren knelt on the floor, placing his hands on the cold floor and didn't listen to Mikasa's panicked voice, trying to get him to answer her.
What are you?
It was the same feeling.
The same feeling from when he met General Ackerman. Like a...a feral beast getting called to show it's ugly face. A beast hidden inside of him.
"Eren! I will go get someone, just stay here and-"
"I'm...I'm fine.", he coughed and shook his head, desperately trying to rid himself of whatever it was that wanted him to hurt his sister. "Just...dizzy."
He grabbed her hand, holding on to it to get himself back to reality. Maybe even to scare that monster that recoiled in anger when it felt the contact to another human.
The feeling disappeared with a growl only Eren was able to hear.
But somehow, he knew it would come back. It always would.
"Is Armin back yet?" He coughed and stood up again, steading himself with the help of the table he had been standing next to. Mikasa made a step back, granting him some space.
"No. Not yet. But he will be soon."
He sent her a rare smile, not allowing the slight pain to show on his face. He had other things to worry about. Not some strange feelings.
"Then we should get ready. This evening will show them that they can still have fun."
"Under your father's rule.", Mikasa uttered and he nodded, the smile yielding to the grim, strained expression he had been wearing far too often since coming to the palace.
"And someday under mine."
- - -
Armin's eyes were glinting in the face of the light the torches on the walls and the candles Mikasa and the other servants had lit.
"Eren...that's...I'm..."
"Sad that we didn't get to make it a little more fabulous?", the boy teased his blond friend with a wink and Armin chuckled, taking a step forward and taking a look at all the changes they had made in the short time.
The tables where they had been eating the last weeks every morning and evening had been put aside so they displayed some kind of a platform from where everyone present could watch what was happening on the great space they had created.
On the other side of the room some of them were standing together like a little band, old instruments in their hands and big smiles plastered across their faces.
They greeted them with playful bows and bashful laughs, not used to being the center of attention. Eren returned the wink, smirking at the way they blushed when they caught sight of it.
"You...you organized this? What for?", Armin laughed breathlessly, eyes wandering around the room in silent wonder.
"Haven't you been the one to ask for a little fun?", Eren responded and followed his friend in the middle of the room. Armin took a look at the small buffet built up against a wall and huffed in astonishment.
"All that food...where-?"
"When Sasha heard we were about to do something like that she was all cooking and preparing and whatnot to get something out of what those nobles leave day by day." Mikasa shook her head at the girl who was looking at the food with saliva shining on her lips and Connie holding her back while telling her that not all of the food was for her.
While they got into an argument about how much food a person could handle, Eren gave the band a sign and they nodded, whispering something to each other only to start playing each of their instruments a second later.
A happy tune filled the space between the four walls and some girls and boys joined them on the provisory dance floor, motivating each other to dance.
Armin turned around when the small hand of a girl landed on his shoulder and a shy voice asked for a dance.
Eren laughed and gave him a shove in her direction, sending him straight into her arms.
He himself got out of the chaos, sitting on the tables and clapped his hands to the beat of the music.
The rest of their small group had been watching the brave ones so far but when even Mikasa dared to dance with someone they all shrugged and joined them with loud cheers.
Some of them sang strange lyrics in foreign languages to the songs played and their friends laughed when the words were simply nonsense.
Connie had given up on holding back his friend and Sasha was all over the food the second he let go of her but still was the first one to eat with her, feeding her some small deserts with grunting laughs and snickers on Sasha's side.
Eren leaned back, watching the group in amusement.
He didn't even waste a second thought on the possibility of guards showing up.
Levi POV
Erwin's strange behavior had thrown Levi off from the beginning.
It wasn't like the man to get distracted that easily or to think about anything but his next mission. He knew the Commander quite some time now and never had he watched him being that restless.
First, he thought it was about his fiancée. Maybe he had gotten her pregnant and was worried or some shit.
But then again, he would have surely mentioned it as casually in a conversation as one would mention the weather. Yet he had never spoken even a word about what was bothering him so much.
If only Levi wasn't so sure that it had nothing to do with the upcoming battles...
He groaned, feeling the headaches coming back and massaged his temples.
Izzy was by his side, as always. Together they strode through the palace. The dog had slept the whole day and by now she was used to the odd sleeping habits of her master and just followed him around whenever he would get up from bed, acknowledging that he wouldn't get any sleep that night either.
Again.
Just as always.
So he took to making a walk, the animal toddling beside him in such a peaceful manner that no one would think of her as a big, bad hound trained to fight in wars.
"You should go back, get some sleep.", he grumbled, scratching her ears while walking. On some days he was sure that she could understand him in some way.
Her eyes were too attentive, filled with something that made her better company than any human Levi had ever encountered.
Izzy only responded to his suggestion with a soft growl, raising her head to meet his fingers at just the right places and Levi huffed softly.
"Thought so. Tough girl."
Just as he was about to continue the one-sided conversation her ears perked up at something only she was able to hear and Levi raised his gaze as if he could hear those noises too if he only concentrated enough.
"What is it, Iz? Something wrong?", he murmured.
She barked softly and sped up, not checking if her master was following her.
She knew he always would.
- - -
They arrived in the servant's tract not even five minutes later and Izzy still continued to run through the halls, her master not letting her out his sight once.
What is she up to? Those brats should all be asleep by now. Wouldn't want Erwin to tell me again that I have no business here if Izzy woke them up with her barking.
She stopped in front of a door and lay down at the short signal of her master who took in the little gap that had been left when someone had tried to clumsily close the door. And then he realized where his dog had led him to.
The kitchens.
(Soooo...the servants are celebrating and Levi is short of finding out. Something's wrong with Eren, Mikasa is worried and Armin delighted - nothing new there.
What do you think is wrong with Eren?
I think this chapter is a bit longer than usual, hope you like it!)