Eren POV
Soon enough the massacre of Dauper was the main topic of Eldia. Its citizens held their breaths, dreading the expected, violent answer of Queen Historia. But after two weeks of nothing but deadly silence in all of Marley, the people became restless.
Everyone was sitting on burning charcoals. The servants of the royal palace suffered from the almost ongoing assaults of its inhabitants and infrequent visitors. The king didn't answer the rising questions concerning Dauper and kept his Generals and Commander Smith far away from anyone who might have unwanted questions.
Eren suspected that was the reason why he hadn't seen General Levi anywhere in the days since their fight. Not that he cared, mind you. The man's words still rang in his ears and he flinched whenever he thought to hear the sharp voice.
Hence, he was quite unconcentrated and earned himself a few kicks to the side when he stared at nothing and some royal asshole came by. But he wasn't the only one who's mind drifted to foreign places from time to time.
Armin had gone almost completely silent, safe for a few words in the morning or whenever talking was a necessity. He ate only when Mikasa or Eren forced him to and in the night Eren woke a few times to muffled crying. No matter how many times he offered his shoulder, Armin kept to himself.
When his best friend's cheeks started to lose the last bit of fat and he looked more and more like the unhealthy version of the boy Eren considered a brother, Eren knew that he had to do something.
That's why he left the palace on this sunny afternoon. It was freezing cold and Eren wanted nothing more but to dress in the fine, black coat he had in the back of his closet. But how the hell would he explain its pure existence in the hands of a mere servant?
The gardens were beautiful around this time of the year and Eren smiled softly at the memories of running all around the place with Zeke as his only guard; protecting him. Snow adorned the bushes and blueish ice accompanied the stony pathways.
Eren inhaled deeply when he caught sight of the figure he had meant to seek out. Not that tall with raven black hair and weary eyes concentrated on the giant beast, Levi hadn't yet noticed his arrival and gave Eren some time to gather his inner strength and willpower.
The stubborn part of himself wanted to stay away from the man. But the worry about his friend kept him going, arms wrapped around his body in an attempt to keep himself a little bit warm. He only wore a long-sleeved shirt, black in color and the material thin. With goosebumps all over his skin and a running nose he sent Izzy a short-lived smile that died on his lips when the dog barked in excitement.
Levi's silver eyes flickered over him and his mouth became a straight line, the typical scowl on his hard face.
"Didn't think to see you anytime soon."
"Share the sentiment."
Izzy ran up to Eren, rubbing her nose into his hand and he knelt on the ground to properly scratch her ears while using the chance to avoid the General's gaze. None of them started the conversation anew and a tense bond formed between them.
Then Levi sighed and rubbed his neck.
"Fuck this. Izzy needs to run."
Eren blinked at him and nodded with a half-hearted smile. The guards let them pass the gates of the walls without comment. Outside the snow was high enough to touch their ankles and the red sun flickered over the white crystals. Izzy whimpered and Levi gave her the sign to go off.
The beast was gone for good and disappeared in the snow, leaving Eren and Levi behind. Eren brushed his feet against the ground, enjoying the sound of snow crunching beneath his weight. Levi was watching him. He felt the heavy gaze of the General on his back.
Their fight hang between them, wide and open with an ugly aftertaste. They had spoken so many words and yet so many things were still left unsaid. For once no wind brushed against their cheeks and only the warm sunrays touched their red skin.
"Stop that.", Levi grumbled and Eren looked up at him in surprise.
"What?"
"You look like someone kicked your puppy."
Eren frowned and turned his head sideways so Levi would only be able to see his blond wig.
"Do not."
"Whatever, brat."
Those few words, that were not an apology in nature, lessened the friction and Eren dared to relax his features until his lips resembled a gentle grin. They would have to talk about their fight. Someday.
For now-
Izzy's barking alarmed Levi and his head whipped around.
"Izzy!"
The call went unanswered and Eren stood straight, arms tense and ready to fight. A second later they were surrounded by soldiers. Eren recognized their uniforms, the spears in their hands and met their hostile glances.
Izzy had stopped barking and Levi, who clearly noticed that they were outnumbered, narrowed his eyes and stood still as a statue.
"The Queen is waiting for you."
And everything went dark.
- - -
Everything was...fuzzy. How much...where...
Eren groaned. His head hurt. And his stomach felt...strange. And his shoulder...what the fuck had happened? He tried to blink his eyes open and was surprised by the lack of light and snow when they finally revealed his new location to him.
Another groan.
"You can't be serious.", he muttered and shook his head in an attempt to get rid of that ugly feeling inhabiting his body. When he tried to touch his temples, he found that his hands were restrained, kept on the ground by a pair of metal cuffs cutting into his wrists.
He tugged at them. At first only lightly. Then harder. And harder. But those stupid things wouldn't move, dammit! Four walls of cold and blistery stones surrounded him and a small hole far above his head posed as a window and let in biting cold wind.
A dungeon. Of course it had to be a dungeon of all places.
"Stop that.", another voice said a bit sluggish.
"Levi." He couldn't help the relieved sigh escaping his lips at the revelation that he wasn't alone. "What the hell is going on?"
"Fuck me if I know..." The General had a grim look on his face. He was sitting up against the wall with his legs bent and arms propped up on the knees. The chains around his wrists ended a tiny bit behind his back and Eren wondered if the man's hands were as sore as his.
"Don't think I'll get the chance for that."
A dark voice rumbled through the dungeon and Eren was surprised to realize that Levi was...laughing. Eren smiled tentatively. "Do you have a clue how long we've been out for?"
Levi shrugged.
"Maybe an hour. Maybe longer."
"When did you...wake up...wait a second, how the fuck did we fall unconscious anyway?"
"Shot us with something. Got me right in the shoulder."
Well, that explained Eren's aching around his shoulder-blades. He was careful to try how much he could reach with his hands and touched the place where the burn was the strongest. A hiss later he knew better than to do that.
A somewhat comfortable silence settled between them. Eren felt Levi's gaze on him all the time and did his best to ignore it and the upcoming conversation that they'd surely have to have without any way to pass the time at all.
He wondered if his wig was still in place. His contacts were for sure.
"I'd say, paint yourself a portrait, it'll last longer.", he mumbled after some time and lifted one eyelid, meeting Levi's penetrating eyes. "What is it?"
"I guess we'll be here for a whole while longer. Wanna spend this while in silence?"
"Our most recent talk should have been enough for us to realize that conversing is probably not the best idea.", Eren yawned and closed his eyes again, listening to the whistling of the wind. His skin was cold, his fingers numb and he heard a strange noise in the back of his head.
God, he wanted to sleep so badly.
"Suit yourself, brat.", Levi scoffed and went quiet once again. Eren was left alone with his thoughts once more and found that he didn't like the images his mind was conjuring up. So he decided to overcome his pride for once and said: "You told me that Izzy saved your life."
He knew that Levi was listening to him. Something in the atmosphere changed when the man focused on Eren's words and Eren hugged himself, rubbing his hands over his arms.
"How did she do it?"
"Nosy brat, why do you ask?"
"Hey, it was your idea to...talk."
...
"It was a mission."
Eren listened up, astonished that the General was willing to answer in earnest. He looked away, silver eyes staring at the bars keeping them inside the dungeon.
"Izzy was the youngest of her litter. Small. Useless." Levi had a calm voice. Eren relaxed against the stonewall and kept his eyes trained on the older man. "We took her and her five siblings with us. To train and strengthen them. They were only a few months old at the time."
Eren sucked in a breath at the imaginary picture of five small pups in the middle of a battlefield. Levi ignored him and kept talking: "We had to split up and I had to take Izzy with me. We were deep inside a forest, on the outer borders of Eldia. A storm came up and I got stuck under a tree trunk. Izzy ran away, scared off by the noise." He huffed quietly. "Or so I had thought."
"Poor baby.", Eren crooned and his expression softened.
"Erwin told me afterwards that hours had passed until they found me. And Izzy was the one leading the way. With only a few months of age she saved my life. Had I stayed outside for a few hours more, I'd probably have died out there. If not because of the cold then because of the carnivores ready to devour warm and willing meat."
"What happened after you got back?"
"I asked the king to let me train her and since then she has been the most loyal creature I have ever met."
Eren smiled when Levi glanced at him, almost as if he was scared that he would mistake the General for a softy.
"No wonder she's so attached to you. What happened to her siblings?"
"I guess some other General took them away to train them in some part of Eldia. Izzy was the only one who stayed with me."
A noise at the door startled them both. Two men came into view, their uniforms heavy and elegant. Eren recognized one of them from his meeting with the Queen but before he could form a coherent thought, they stepped inside the cell and roughly opened his cuffs.
It's probably gonna be the best if I play the poor damsel in distress...
"What are you doing?", he asked and was careful to sound scared, glancing at them with wide eyes. "Let me go!"
Levi tugged at his own cuffs and snarled: "Let him be, he's not gonna be of use for you!"
Eren winced when the cuffs finally came off and his sore wrists were revealed. The guards didn't care to say anything to Levi and dragged him from the ground. The quiet moan of pain wasn't played, by all accounts. After lying and sitting on the hard, unforgiving ground for hours on end, his backside was hurting like hell.
"Hey! Stop this!"
Levi called something after them. But Eren was already too far gone to hear him.
(For once we have a shorter chapter but anyway. I am happy to read so many comments of new readers and I am more than grateful for your support!
Eren and Levi got kidnapped and apparently the Queen doesn't know a more...subtle way to talk to Eren. Hope you liked it and always feel free to comment and ask questions - either here or through DMs!)