Eren POV
Striding through the halls, Eren ignored the cowering servants who bowed to him the second he emerged from the shadows. No doubt did they know who he was and were ready to do anything to save their lives. Not that Eren had any interest in hurting them.
No.
My goal is far greater, he thought with a grim look on his face. Destroying his father was one of his highest priorities but first that bastard had to understand what he had done. That it had been his own deeds, that drove a part of his army into Eren's waiting arms.
The Prince smirked. Only a few simple words and they were ready to be at his beck and call. Oh, his father hadn't played his cards well and Eren would enjoy every single moment that he was making this clear to the old man.
With about fifty armed soldiers behind him and Marlow and Hitch by his side, he walked through the palace' entrance after some of the soldiers gestured their companions that it was okay to let him pass. He almost snarled at their audacity to believe that they would actually be able to stop him.
No one could. Not after he had lost everything to this cause and this cause alone.
The wide, graveled area in front of the palace was empty save for a few soldiers on top of the walls surrounding it.
But a simple gesture was enough to stop them from alerting the part of the army still loyal to Grisha. Eren didn't fool himself. He was aware that about half of the soldiers wouldn't betray the king.
Some of them were probably to afraid of the consequences but the rest was loyal to his father without a doubt. Well. He would deal with them later on. If any of them survived the night that slowly dawned on them.
He stopped a few meters before the giant walls of stone and remembered fondly how he crawled up and up to get to Historia. Now she would be the one coming for him. The army was restless in his back and he listened to their worried murmurs. An awful silence filled the place but Eren was as calm as ever, waiting for the signal he had agreed upon with Historia.
A dark smile shone on his lips when he heard the sharp whistle on the other side of the wall and called out: "Open the gates!"
The soldiers did as asked and the doors creaked and groaned when they got pulled open, revealing maybe a hundred soldiers on the other side. Some of them were on horseback, some here by foot.
Eren inclined his head as Queen Historia urged her mount forward with an impatient click of her tongue and rode across the bridge between them. The soldiers followed her without hesitating for even a second and Eren admired their courage, riding right into their enemy's territory just because their Queen had assured them that it would be alright.
The young Queen was wearing trousers, grey as a wolves' fur and the upper part of a uniform fitting for her rank. Her hair had been plaited into a simple braid and stuck to the back of her head.
"Your Majesty.", Eren greeted her politely when she pulled on her horse's reins, stopping it after a short look around the place. Hitch and Marlow knelt down on one knee, greeting their Queen with a lowered head.
"You don't have it so bad here either.", Historia smirked and signaled Hitch and Marlow to stand up. Eren sent her a half-hearted smile. "It is good to see you in an acceptable attire, I have to admit."
"As much as I would like to have a chat with you, we have more urgent matters to handle and time is such a delicate thing after all."
"Of course. I hope you don't object to us taking matters into our own hands once we enter the palace?"
"Spare the servants.", Eren said sternly, sending a hard look behind Historia at her guards. "They haven't done anything wrong and aren't to be dragged into this mess. And make sure that your soldiers will follow Mikasa's and Armin's command just like they would follow yours."
"As you wish, Your Highness. Your grounds, your terms."
Eren heard the rustling of his own soldiers shifting and taking a few steps left and right. He felt their insecurity in the face of the enemy they had had to fight for too long. This war had to end and this was their chance to set things right.
He turned around to face them, arms behind his back and no emotion left on his face.
"We don't have a lot of time but listen up, soldiers. You are to obey my every order in order to survive. But you will also have to listen to my siblings. I have thoroughly explained the plan and-"
Eren was cut off by the screams and shouts of more soldiers approaching them, alerting anyone who might not have known about the Queen's arrival. They approached fast with the hilts of their swords in hand and bows angled at them, arrows short of finding their way through the air.
Historia watched them with an amused face, then held her hand up and uttered a soft command: "Get them."
And with her words the peace of the evening had found a definite ending. The roaring of soldiers storming past their Queen and the screeching sounds of swords meeting each other shattered the silence of the early evening.
Eren clenched his fist. He had estimated some more time for them. But anyway...
"Kill them! Defend your brothers and fight for true freedom!", he growled and sent out his own soldiers, who were more than willing to oblige his order. They threw themselves into the battle, helping out some of Historia's men, who were having a hard time against Grisha's loyal minions.
Eren didn't bother to join them yet but instead walked over to Historia, calm and collected, to help her off her horse. She accepted his outstretched hand with a graceful smile and came to stand on the ground.
They nodded at each other. They knew what had to happen. This was the night.
And without a sound, they raised their weapons and fought.
- - -
Eren dodged every single blow, slid over the ground and kicked everything in reach, the Queen at his back. He gritted his teeth and cut down just another man foolish enough to approach him.
The Queen was equally busy, defending Eren and herself fast enough that even Eren had a hard time following her movements out of the corner of his eye. She was a whirlwind of metal and danger, deadly and cold in her approach and mercilessly slaughtering whoever dared try to hurt her.
For a second only did he catch a glimpse of the blind fury in her eyes. She danced around her opponents and used Eren as a shield on her back. Eren did the same and fought off another assailant, only barely getting past the tip of the sword desperate to touch his throat.
He snarled at the man and a second later had the soldier's blood smeared all over his uniform.
The battle was neither beautiful nor fast, but painful and slow. They barely moved and more and more soldiers came running closer.
Eren hissed.
"Guess I'll have to leave you on your own for a while!", he shouted at the Queen to make her aware of her having to defend a second front before jumping over to his soldiers, joining them in their fight against their sworn brothers.
Up. Down. Right. Left. Quick. Quicker. Inhuman.
His sword was a snake in his hands, his legs hard and stealthy. Another dodge. More blood. Faster. Faster.
Soldiers screamed, stumbled over the corpses of their dead companions and howled in pain only to attack with a newfound rage in their unforgiving blows.
"To the palace!", Eren bellowed over the tumult of the fight.
Historia whistled sharply and echoed the command for her own soldiers, who followed her lead quickly, killing whoever was trying to keep them from moving forward. Eren inhaled a few times to find the power he kept hidden inside his body and called for Eryn's strength as if it were his own.
With new vigor he threw himself into the fight.
- - -
Erwin POV
They should have known. They should have known. The king should have...
Erwin raced through the palace. He pushed doors open, ran from room to room and screamed his lovers name, not minding the nameless servants he passed. The Queen had come to kill them. It had been stupid to think they would be safe from her wrath in their own halls.
Gods...please...where is he...
Another scream. Another desperate flicker of worry and fear through his heart. His legs ached and his nails had cut through the skin of his palms already but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He had to find him. Before the soldiers would.
They had already approached the entrance to the palace. Now it was only a matter of time until the hallways would be overflowed by fighting parties of all sides. Until death would fill the floor and blood soak the carpets.
He drew his sword in advance, his heartbeat racing and his breath coming short and quickly, burning in his throat.
Where is he...where...
"Erwin!"
He stopped abruptly at the surprised shout and whirled around. A relieved breath escaped his throat as he took in Armin's appearance, Lio by his side. Tired, thin and not as happy as he'd have liked Armin to be but right now Erwin couldn't give a shit about it.
Not thinking about what had happened between them, he ran over to his lover and embraced him tightly, kissing him roughly on his scalp.
"Thank the Gods, you're okay."
"Of course, why wouldn't I-"
"You have to go.", Erwin interrupted him and cupped his hands with his own. "Now. The Queen's men won't stop at hurting the servants, I'm sure and I can't have you endangered."
"Erwin-"
"Come with me." Erwin grabbed him by his hand and hauled Lio up in his arms, taking off to his own office without minding the boy's loud protests and his small fists on Erwin's back. He sprinted over the stairs, dragging Armin with him and was endlessly sorry that he caused his lover pain with his tight grip.
They passed hallway after hallway and Erwin listened to the desperate and angry shouts they left behind downstairs. He exhaled sharply and tightened his hold on Armin's hand, who groaned softly in pain.
Erwin hated that he was hurting him. But he couldn't afford to lose either one of them.
Not tonight.
Not ever.
Not again.
Only when he closed the doors of his office behind himself and locked it with his key, did he allow himself to breathe and let go of Armin, who rubbed his hurting wrist with a confused expression on his face. Erwin put Lio on the ground.
"Erwin, what are you doing?"
"I am keeping you safe.", Erwin growled and briskly walked over to his desk, searching for more weapons underneath the wooden furniture. He met Armin's eye, dedication and anger boiling in his guts. "I won't allow them to hurt either one of you."
Lio grasped Armin's hand tightly and the boy whispered soft assurances into the child's ear. Erwin cursed under his breath. No weapons. Where had he taken them? Shit.
"Erwin, what is happening?"
"Historia's soldiers. They are here."
Armin drew in a sharp breath and pulled Lio over to the small couch in Erwin's office, carefully sitting the boy down while keeping their hands intertwined.
"Don't go out there.", Armin said with an urgent tone in his voice. Erwin kept his eyes on his desk, looking for every single loose board or places where he usually hid important things. But there was nothing. Nothing at all!
"I have to.", Erwin replied uptight, hands clammy. Sweat stuck to his neck like a second skin. "They need my-"
A knock on the door. No. No knock. Someone was trying to get inside.
"Armin, hide under the desk!", Erwin snarled, gripping his sword tighter.
Another knock. Armin didn't move. He stared at Erwin with a strange expression in his eyes, still holding hands with Lio.
"Armin!", Erwin grunted, standing in front of his desk now, sword ready to defend himself and his young lover. Who still wasn't moving.
Another knock. A hard one. And the door was open. Soldiers swarmed inside the room and Lio cried out in panic, pressing his face into Armin's back.
Erwin clenched his jaw and lunged forward. His sword slashed through the air, hitting the first soldier. Harder. Faster. A twist. A new victim.
Screams.
He defended himself against most of the enemies in their all too familiar uniforms and with a jab he realized that he wasn't fighting strangers. He wasn't fighting the Queen's men. He was fighting traitors of Eldia's Crown.
He was fighting his own.
He yelled at Armin to get out.
That's when a firm cry cut through the tumult in the office: "Stop it!"
The fight came to a sudden halt. It took Erwin a second to realize who had spoken. Cold dread filled his veins, when the soldiers followed the order that the all too familiar voice had given.
They backed off and straightened their backs, arms by their sides and chin's raised. Erwin slowly turned his head.
Lio was still clinging to Armin, hands fisted in his shirt and tears running down his cheeks. Erwin's eyes traced every inch of the man he had come to love so much. Until they found his face. Those blue eyes that he had come to cherish. Just like the cunning intellect of the person who owned them.
Armin sighed, closing those eyes in defeat.
The soldiers were still waiting.
For his orders. The realization hurt so much that Erwin thought his heart had shattered in a thousand pieces only to cut through his skin over and over.
"No...", he breathed, the word broken and empty in the face of the ugly truth.
Armin clenched his free fist, the other still on Lio's head, tousling those brownish locks with one hand in a soothing motion until the boy's sobs stopped. Some more soldiers came inside the room. They copied their mate's stances.
"His Highness has ordered to bring the Commander to the throne room.", one of the soldiers reported. Armin nodded at him, his gaze strangely cold.
"Tie him up then. His Highness can't afford to lose a useful asset." The command was spoken in a voice akin to a whisper but stern enough for the soldiers to understand. They came over to him in pairs and held him down while Erwin was staring at Armin.
His Armin. His lover. His confidant.
And his enemy.
"Why?", he breathed but Armin avoided his gaze with his lips pressed tightly together. All color had left his face when he gestured at the soldier to bring him away. At first Erwin followed them but suddenly he pushed his heels into the ground and turned around, ignoring the strong hands on his arms and back.
"The Second Prince...you are one of his subordinates, aren't you?", he asked coldly. Only then did Armin meet his eyes. And Erwin felt like his heart was getting ripped apart once again when the young man answered with an unsympathetic look in his eyes: "I am his brother."
Erwin didn't fight against his restraints as they dragged him to the throne room and didn't try to loosen their hold on him. He simply stared ahead.
After all...
...he had lost his reason to fight.
(I knoooowwwww I should have kept this chapter to myself in case I don't get to write soon enough again buuuttt dammnnn I couldn't! I mean...LOOK! I couldn't!
And GUYS! We did it! We have reached 100 chapters! Wuuuhhh! God, you're all so amazing and without you we wouldn't have made it that far but yeah! Only a few more chapters to go...
Erwin knows about Armin, Eren is ready to fight, Historia has joined forces with him and the revolution is heerreee! The final battle! YES!)