Levi POV
The first time Levi had seen the prince, the young man had been disguised by a mask.
The last time his features had been hidden by shadows only, little noises and movements enough to give away anything the prince allowed Levi to see.
The dirt under Levi's knees soaked his trousers and the cold bit at his fingers but he didn't care about either of it.
The moonlight shone down on them, finding its way through the crowns of the trees and down on the figure of the Second Prince.
Levi, who's eyes were already used to the dark, could do nothing but stare.
Stare at the prince.
And the face he finally had the chance to see for himself.
The prince stared openly back at him, emerald eyes burning a hole into his soul.
"This is General Ackerman.", the young man said, a surprisingly soft edge to his voice. The Queen narrowed her eyes.
"As in Humanity's Strongest?"
The prince frowned.
"Which is exactly why I don't know how they managed to catch him."
Historia opened her mouth, probably to defend her soldiers but then kept silent, accepting that the prince was right.
They both stared him down, waiting for an explanation from him.
But Levi was still too caught up with sending the Second Prince scrutinizing glances, inspecting the other man's form.
He was so very young.
Almost as young as the Queen if not younger.
The hardness in his face was almost betrayed by the gentle note glimmering in his eyes.
Dark strands of hair framed the prince's cheekbones.
When he tilted his head a bit, his hair fell over his shoulder and he shifted uncomfortably, not liking the knowing shimmer in the young man's mimic.
"We have to know what he heard.", the Queen hissed. She clenched her fists and Levi was waiting for her command to kill him off. To get rid of the danger he posed.
"He most likely heard nothing.", the prince suddenly intervened, making a calming gesture with his hand. His eyes were still fixated on Levi. "He would have never gotten caught if he was sure he could tell his king something of importance."
"Is he that loyal to your father?"
Levi expectantly waited for the prince's answer. For an answer he didn't yet know he needed.
The Second Prince stared right back at him, arms crossed behind his back and something akin to a hesitant smile tugging at his lips.
"That remains to be seen, doesn't it?"
Levi did his best to swallow down the lump in his throat.
He wasn't scared of the prince.
But whenever their eyes met he felt this...sense of familiarity tugging at the edge of his consciousness. And he didn't like at all that he couldn't put a finger on why exactly.
"Whatever you're planning, I don't fucking care about it as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.", Levi said carefully.
"What have you heard?", the Queen asked again, not minding the tense prince beside her. Silence stretched between them and was his answer.
The low whine of a horse was the only thing audible and Levi raised his head. Confused, for there wasn't one visible in their small circle of people.
The slightest motion out of his vision gave the animal away but the only Levi could make out was the silhouette of the one sitting on its back.
Nothing more.
But it kept Levi on edge, knowing that there was another stranger in their round. One who could be acquainted with either the prince or the Queen.
And Levi wasn't sure which version annoyed him more.
Annoyed he frowned at the Queen and said: "Why are you conspiring with the Second Prince? Why would you trust a son of the man who gave the order to kill so many of your people?"
The Queen smiled.
She raised her hand and a guard stepped forward. Danger and anger burned in her eyes yet she kept both emotions restrained. The Second Prince cocked a brow at her motions and stepped forward, almost as if he were worried about him.
Levi didn't even want to know why he liked the thought.
The branches cracked underneath the guard's weight behind him.
The Queen said, calmness covering her fury: "Isn't the better question, why you don't?"
"I serve his father.", Levi hissed.
"You serve the royal family of Eldia.", Historia laughed and crossed her arms in front of her fragile body, fair strands of hair framing her face as the wind pushed through them. "This man is as much your prince as Zeke was."
"His father has declared him to be the enemy of Eldia.", Levi tried to reason with her and didn't stop to ask himself who exactly he was trying to convince here. "But if he can't be loyal to his own family, why would he be loyal to you?"
Out of the corner of his eye did Levi catch the flinch of the Second Prince, who visibly tensed at his words and kept his mouth a thin line as he avoided the man's gaze like the plague. His fists were clenched and for a second Levi was sure he heard a growl coming from the person hiding behind them on the horse.
Historia chuckled and the sound sent goosebumps down Levi's spine, although he would rather die than ever admit it out loud.
Then she winked at her guard.
And the last thing Levi saw were the prince's betrayed eyes and the utter disappointment lining his features.
- - -
Eren POV
Eren pointedly ignored his sister's venomous glances at Levi when he knelt down next to the General, lifting him off the ground while also wondering how this strong man could be so light in weight.
The Queen observed his actions with a sigh.
"You are a mystery, Your Highness."
"Why, thank you, Your Majesty.", Eren replied with a smirk. Mikasa was probably the only one who could detect the hurt in his speech. Levi's words hit home harder than he thought and if he was a bit saner than he would probably leave him there on the ground.
"He won't be a problem in the future, will he?"
The question was only fair. Eren hadn't expected anyone to interrupt their little meeting and he wasn't sure yet how he would handle the situation with the unconscious man in his arms.
He walked over to the horse and heaved him up at its back with Mikasa helping him now and then.
"I will make sure that he doesn't talk."
"For good?"
"Whatever do you mean.", Eren said, his concentration elsewhere. The Queen stayed where she was and still her words felt as if she whispered them right into his ear.
"What is your relationship to the General, Your Highness?"
He tensed up.
"There is no relationship.", he muttered. Mikasa glanced over at him but didn't correct his statement. "General Smith and Levi...General Ackerman are relevant for my plans. We have to get close to them to gain access to my father's army."
This was as much as he was allowed to tell the Queen.
She might be his ally now but he didn't trust her any more than she trusted him.
"Tonight didn't went the way we wanted it to.", Historia said. "How can I stay in contact with you?"
"Raes."
"Raes?"
He sent her a small smile.
"You will know him when you see him. Wait for my word. We will win this war as I promised." He gestured for his sister to sit behind Levi and if they were alone she would probably try to throw a fit at the simple idea of being so close to the man she despised so much. "This is only the beginning."
And with those words they left the Queen and her guards behind.
Unspoken promises and questions left there in between the trees.
(A smaller chapter for you, I'm very sorry. School has started again and it's getting harder than ever but I'll still try to keep up the quality of this fanfic.
And as I have read over some of the older chapters I noticed that I made spelling mistakes and stuff and please, if you notice: Always feel free to tell me. I want to keep the high quality of this fanfic and give all the readers after you the best expierence! I won't be offened or anything, if anything I will be very grateful if you help me find mistakes!
Hope you liked it!)