author's note: thank you so much for 2.8k views!!! ahh and tysm for the votes & comments(i read and i appreciate them all! <3) i hope y'all like this fic and i promise it's not abandoned I've just been incredibly busy lately :(
THE BASTARD
chapter seventeen
When [Name] woke up that morning she thought it would be a pleasant day, if not simply a busy day.
Ymir had slammed into her bedroom in the morning only to find Zeke flipping through [Name]'s bookcase and profusely apologized. In the end, Zeke only chastised her once, for even he understood that he hadn't visited his wife's chambers in nearly a year.
He left and [Name] hadn't heard a single word from him, until she returned to her room from Mass in the afternoon, and she saw an enormous assortment of white roses set on her table.
Well, at least he'd learned she hated red roses.
She let out a breath and picked up the note attached to the bottom.
'To my wife, may you gaze upon them and feel only bliss.'
[Name] huffed and flipped the note down on her nightstand.
Ymir laughed and ran over to look at the flowers. "Who knew all you had to do was spread your legs, to have him wrapped around your finger?"
"That's easy for you to say." She mumbled under her breath as she reached for the white roses. "Can you go get Christa I need her to sew some more things onto my evening dress for Gabi's celebration?"
"Why don't you ask me to do it?" Ymir asked.
"Because whenever you sew something it comes undone within the hour, now go!" she huffed, and Ymir reluctantly left the room. Leaving [Name] alone with the vase of flowers.
She frowned and went to go pick a rose up, but that's when she felt the sting of thorns cut through her fingers.
"My god," she hissed as the blood began to trickle down her fingers and onto the white petals. She cursed under her breath when it dripped down onto her dress, staining the pale blue fabric.
She fumbled around searching for some rag to wrap her hand in when her door slammed open behind her.
"Ymir–" She began but quickly closed her mouth when she saw her husband slam the door shut so roughly that her entire wall shook.
He could've sworn he was just going to speak to her, he wasn't going to lay a finger on her, on his wife again. But he felt his mind go dizzy with rage when he finally laid eyes on her.
Her soft hair was pinned up and away from her face, with a silver headpiece on top. She was wearing those pearls–those fucking pearls–were laced around her neck.
And when she finally spoke to him, she had breathed out his name so carefully, so innocently, the same way she had done when she was gasping underneath him only the night before.
And then he saw it again.
His younger brother on top of his wife, running his hands over her bare body, slipping inside her. And then he saw nothing but red.
"What are you–" she didn't even get to finish before he'd grabbed her by the arm and shoved her against the wall. "Zeke!"
She gasped when she felt the sharp burn of the pearls slicing through her flesh, as he ripped them off her neck.
Her words were caught in her throat as she looked at the mess of pearls strewn across the floor. Her heart was slamming against her chest and the ringing in her ears only faded when she looked up and saw his cold eyes looking at her with the most hatred she'd ever felt from him.
When he finally spoke, her stomach sank to the ground.
"I don't want to see him near you again." he hissed. "Ever."
"What are you talking about?" she gasped, refusing to look him in the eye, for the shame alone would be enough of a confession.
She nearly stumbled when he pulled her from the wall and shook her.
"You still dare to ask, when I know Eren gave you that necklace!"
Her face drained of color and he had to fight back the urge to throw her on the ground.
He'd hoped that it was a lie, that Pieck had simply misinterpreted things, but the look on her face, the sheer look of terror on his wife's face only confirmed the dreaded rumor.
"What?" she gasped, still feigning innocence, still pretending she wasn't in love with his brother, still pretending she hadn't betrayed him in the worst of ways.
In an instant, she'd been slammed against the wall, and then he noticed there was blood on her dress, from where? He didn't know, but he didn't care, all he could feel was the heat coursing through his body and the rage he felt that he had no evidence, no way to prove his wife's infidelity.
With his hand around her neck, she gasped at only one word through her mess of tears. "Zeke,"
He felt a pang of guilt for an instant, a moment of uncertainty, and for a second he questioned Pieck's words.
Was his wife, with her tear-streaked face and glassy eyes telling the truth?
"Zeke," she cried again, desperately trying to pull his hand away from her neck. "You're–You're hurting me!"
He choked out his last breath as he loosened his grip around her. That's when he noticed the blood on his hand, the blood had been smeared all over his wrist from some injury on her palm.
He could tell she was about to speak, but he jerked his head down towards her and the words he uttered next made her come completely undone.
"If I see him near you, if I see him look at you, if I see him so much as take a breath in your direction, I will chop off his head, and I'll throw you in a nunnery."
Something had changed.
Eren had noticed it the day before, but he had attributed [Name]'s lack of attention towards him to simply be because she was busy with Gabi's engagement party.
But yesterday came and went, and now he was drinking ale at Gabi's party with Armin at his side, and she hadn't spoken a word to him in two days.
"It's better this way," Armin assured him in a hushed tone. "Stop sulking."
Eren could only shake his head as he rested his head on the table.
How could things be better when she was the only reason he was still in court?
"Shut the fuck up." he hissed downing the rest of his spirits in one quick gulp.
Gabi's engagement party was grand and expensive, and Eren could see the stress of the celebration on his brother's face. As for her, well she didn't show much on her face, it was calm and she smiled when someone spoke to her but it went right back to a blank slate when she was left with Zeke at her side.
What was wrong with her?
Eren was on his feet in an instant but he nearly stumbled as he grabbed onto the table for support.
"Where are you going?" Armin hissed standing up from the table.
"To speak to my friend," Eren said, at it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Like hell you are! You're an idiot!"
Eren grumbled and he turned over in her direction, she was smiling brightly at the crowd, but her eyes looked empty, she looked defeated.
He wanted to kiss her hand and assure her that everything was alright, that she'd be alright. That's when he felt a heavy arm on his shoulder–too heavy to Armin's–and by the time he managed to look up and see who his assaulter was, he was already slammed back down into his seat.
"Settle down, you suicidal bastard."
Jean.
"You fucking asshole!" Eren hissed, if he wasn't so drunk he would've been able to push Jean away but unfortunately for him, the alcohol had done its job.
"He wants to go speak to the Queen," Armin informed his friends, and they all felt the sudden danger loom on their shoulders.
"Mikasa," Jean turned to look at his wife. "By the end of the night, half of the court will know."
Mikasa frowned and looked down at her intoxicated friend.
Armin had grabbed Mikasa and Jean earlier that day when they arrived for the celebration and explained that Eren was having an affair with the Queen.
Eren denied it of course, but everything made sense; why Eren hadn't left court in nearly a year, why the Queen and he seemed to be joined at the hip, and why Zeke couldn't stand to look at Eren for longer than two minutes without looking like the devil himself.
"Let's take him to his rooms it's getting late and the men are going to start gambling," Mikasa whispered.
Jean nodded, but the moment he laid hands on Eren's shoulders, Eren shoved him away, and Jean would've stumbled if Mikasa hadn't had such a tight grip on his arm.
"I'm not leaving," Eren mumbled. "You're all treating me like a child."
"Well then stop acting like one!" Mikasa yelled too close to his ear, and when Eren looked up and saw her pretty dark eyes so close to his face, he felt his face grow warm.
How long had she been married to Jean at this point? Two years?
He sighed and slammed his head back on the table.
First, Mikasa, now [Name]?
Why couldn't he ever seem to win? Sure, women threw themselves at him, but what did it matter? What did it matter when the people he cared for never seemed to feel the same.
He'd noticed [Name] had taken off her necklace as well, and it couldn't have been a coincidence that it was the day after she spent the night with Zeke.
The thought of his brother with her, had never really crossed his mind. When he first came to court the rumor was that they never slept in the same room. At first, he felt pity for her, but as he grew to... care for her, he was glad that Zeke never laid his hands on her.
But now.
"Look, Eren," Jean mumbled into his ear. "Her majesty is leaving, don't you want to leave too?"
Eren forced himself to look up and he couldn't make out much, but he could see people–particularly some women begin to drift away from the Great Hall.
"She's leaving?" Eren asked.
Jean nodded.
"Come, Eren," Mikasa begged. "All the women are heading out, the men are about to gamble–"
Another voice cut her off. "Eren!"
The group all turned to look at a woman with wavy shoulder-length hair run over to them, and Mikasa had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Hitch Dreyse was running over to them with her light eyes half-lidded and her face beaming.
"Hitch?" Eren asked turning over in an instant.
Hitch squealed and jumped up in the air. She was wearing a maroon-colored dress, and he couldn't help but think that the frills and bows looked a whole lot like something [Name] would wear... well aside from the dark color.
"I haven't seen you in so long, come, come! You must play a round of cards with me and Lord Braun!"
"Actually–" Mikasa interrupted, but he didn't even give her the chance.
"Reiner's here?" Eren continued nearly stumbling as he reached the equally drunk woman.
She nodded eagerly, wrapping her hand around his arm, and pressing her front against him.
Fuck.
He took a deep breath.
When was the last time he bent a girl over his bed?
"Let me sweep you away, Lord Yeager," Hitch whispered into his ear and despite his friend's best attempts, she followed her into the crowd.
In hindsight, he never would have done it. He never would've let Hitch lead him to a table where he drank himself stupid and stuck his hand under her dress; Wishing and imagining it was somebody else.
He would've never taken her to the corner of the Great Hall and stuck his face in her wavy hair and imagined it was [Name]'s instead.
Because it was as Hitch was pressed against the wall, that he saw her rush back into the Great Hall.
[Name] could've fooled anybody else, but he could see the desperation in her eyes, and the hurry in her steps as she ran towards his already-drunk older brother.
"Eren?" Hitch mumbled against his lips.
And that's when he saw Zeke throw [Name] onto the middle of the floor in front of the entire court.
author's note:
ahh!! omg omg okay let me explain, basically i've been incredibly busy (and overwhelmed) with life, which is why i haven't been able to update this fic but hopefully ill be able to keep posting each friday :)
also i re-wrote this chapter about 5-6 times this is the best y'all are getting for now but i promise it's just the catalyst😼
also lmk if y'all wanna see any aot characters?? *i might be able to sneak some in depending on who they are :)