Eren POV
"Armin is where?"
"He got arrested after you disappeared. I..."
"Why didn't you stop them?", he yelled but his knees gave out under him just when he was about to stand up again. Mikasa supported him with an arm around his waist and helped him lean on a tree.
"Careful, Eren.", she whispered, her eyes wandering around the woods. "You are still not strong enough to walk. We will have to spend the night here."
"No! Armin is in danger! We have to help him!"
"Eren, be reasonable. I'm begging you."
"You don't know how it's like down there, Kasa...", he mumbled. "We can't leave him there. The guards won't do him any favors. He is just another servant in their eyes. And who knows what they will get out of him."
"Armin won't tell them anything.", Mikasa said firmly and lifted her chin with her hands against her waist. "He would never betray you like that."
"He wouldn't do it if this were about what he would do willingly. But they won't give him the choice.", he snarled. "They want him to be guilty."
The wind ran through the leaves above their heads, the soft rustling in the night like the familiar whispers Eren remembered from back then.
He opened his eyes just enough to see the milky moonlight dancing over the branches, bathing them in eerie light. Eren inhaled deeply, the worry about his best friend weighing on his heart.
Mikasa knelt down next to him, her fists resting in her lap. She was watching him. Waiting for him to get back his energy.
Everything was quiet and peaceful and not a single thought of war crossed his mind when a crack next to them echoed through their surroundings.
Mikasa was on her feet before Eren could even crack an eye open.
"Who is there?", she yelled with a stance that told every assailant that she was ready to fight, her arms not raised but tense and her head held high to face whoever was spying on them. "Show yourself!"
"Gee, come down, black fury.", a voice hissed and Hitch stepped out of the shadows, her wavy hair framing her face. "It's me."
Mikasa didn't make a sound. Eren knew that she was too worried about him to forget her primary fighting instincts and so he sat up a bit and grasped her hand, soft but with a firm edge. They needn't look at each other to know what Eren was trying to tell her.
"We didn't expect you back so soon."
"And I didn't expect the only Prince of Eldia to be stupid enough to turn up at this childish festival."
Eren smirked tiredly and put an arm behind his head, supporting himself on the trunk behind his back again.
"Childish, huh? What do you have for us, Hitch?"
The girl snorted and took a step closer to them. Her weary gaze grazed the trees, those playful eyes ready to face any opponent. She was aware of the crime she was committing, even if Eren had been declared an enemy of Eldia. He was still a prince, still the official opponent Marley's.
She pulled something out of the leathery belt around her waist.
A letter.
The soft, crème-like color reflected the moonlight and Eren caught Hitch's hesitation to give Mikasa the piece of paper but in the end his sister held it in her hands, her eyes narrowed and the other hand balled to a fist.
"Is this the answer of Her Majesty?"
Hitch crossed her arms defiantly and biting her lip she snapped: "Read it yourself and you'll see. I am deep enough in this as it is. Don't make me any more of a traitor."
Eren frowned and fought to get up on his feet. Mikasa was by his side in a second, her concern visible in the way she supported her brother to keep him from falling over.
"I can't see how you could be a traitor, Hitch.", Eren answered, suppressing a groan when pain shot through his body, prompting him to bend over. His gaze fell on something dark and shimmering below him.
A feather.
His eyes widened.
"Kill this monster!"
He closed his eyes shut and tried not to think of the pounding headache that made him want to vomit.
Of course that bastard would take the chance to get rid of me. He doesn't care if his last heir dies with me.
"Eren?"
"I'm fine, Kasa. Give me the letter." She did as she was told but didn't let him out of her sight.
"I am a traitor just because of helping you, the Second Prince of Eldia.", Hitch complained. "Even if my Queen has allowed me to do so. You are still the enemy."
"Soon I won't even be your enemy officially anymore.", Eren mumbled, opening the letter with shaking fingers. He could still feel the remnants of where his wings had spread in his back. And yet...it had felt like they were...just a part of him. Not just growing out of his skin. But...a part...of him.
His eyes were trained on the words written down on the letter, carefully drawn there with a hand delicate enough to make every single sentence look like it had always been there.
Your Highness,
I have received your wish for a meeting. Although it is a risky endeavor, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and won't question your loyalty to your own goals. Soon I will send my advisor back to inform you of a place and time to meet.
Burn this letter as soon as you can.
- H.
Eren sighed in relief, as did Mikasa who had read the letter over his shoulder. Hitch watched them both, waiting for their reaction. She must have expected the worst because when Eren cracked a nervous smile, her eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"Thank the Gods...", he muttered. "So she really wants to help us."
"I have to leave.", Hitch said and turned around so her back faced the siblings. "Don't miss this chance. The live of thousand families is in danger if word gets out that Eldia's Second Prince is an ally of Marley."
"We appreciate the trust Her Majesty places in us.", Eren said, the determined glint in his eyes overshadowing the pain that had taken over his whole body. "I promise that we won't disappoint her. With her help...Marley will win this war and I will get back my kingdom."
Hitch gifted them with a small smile and disappeared in the dark of the woods, not saying another word.
Mikasa clenched her teeth.
"Now we have to get Armin out of there."
"He will get out.", Eren said and took a few steps forward, testing out how stabile he was on his wobbly legs. "But not with our help."
Just when Mikasa was about to yell at him, he continued as calm as ever: "The one questioning him is one of the key figures in our plan. This will be his first test. His decision...will decide his fate."
"Eren..." Mikasa swallowed. "What if he doesn't want to help us?"
They walked through the dark forest, the moon high above them and the screaming and the ruckus from the palace only a faint sound in the night. Eren breathed in the familiar scent of his sister, nuzzling his side against her in an attempt to calm her mind.
"I know what you're asking, Kasa.", he mumbled softly and pressed a kiss to her scalp. "I am not a ruthless killer. I won't hurt innocent people just because they stand against me. I am not my father."
She nodded.
It was enough for her to know.
(A new chapter! A longer one this time, hope you liked it!
Mikasa is worried about Eren's methods and Eren tries to assure her that he knows what he's doing. And Queen Historia is ready to help them. But will their alliance bring them luck?)