Three Weeks Later
Capital Mitras
Tonight, there is an engagement party taking place in the throne room and I have no choice but to attend as I am to be the King's wife. The maids in the room helped me dress aptly for the event and apply a little amount of makeup without covering up my natural features. Once my hair is tied into a low bun, I stare at myself in front of a tall mirror and indeed, I look like a queen in such a beautiful red gown. But this isn't who I am.
Soon, Marcel escorts me out of the room and of course, I hold a grudge against him to this day. "You look rather lovely tonight, Sina. You look just like your mother."
I remain silent, not wanting any complaints from him. Now that he mentioned my mother, there were times when I think about her, and my mind gets interrupted when we arrive at the doorway that leads to the throne room. I hear a large crowd waiting inside and Marcel insists on holding his right elbow out to me, and without a word, I slowly take his arm as the Military Police officers open the doors.
A thunderous applause surrounds us when I make an appearance in the throne room and people around us are dressed expensively, knowing these are the residents and nobles of Wall Sina. As we make our way down the red carpet, Marcel bade me sit on a very rich throne next to King Fritz, who has been waiting for me this whole time. The King is dressed nicely for once as he is wearing a red robe with a gold crown that sits on his head. His white beard is nicely trimmed and he no longer reeks of alcohol. He's more put together today, and this is the first time I've seen him fully awake.
As the cheering goes on, Marcel loudly clears his throat and stands before the huge crowd, patiently waiting for the noise level to simmer down before he announces something.
"My dear people of the walls, those with a cup in hand and those without, raise your glasses and hands in celebration!" He praises, lifting a silver cup of wine, causing the whole room to cheer once more with their glass raised in the air as well. "We, who have been chosen by the walls, now have no enemy to fear! Let's also welcome my daughter, Sina, to the nation of the noble and acknowledge the value and significance of her sacrifice for humanity!"
The people all rejoice as they raise their cups at me to pay respect and Marcel continues. "There are a lot of things here to celebrate this auspicious day! In the walls, King Fritz shall be engaged to the beautiful Sina! And with his beloved, we will start a promising journey together!" Marcel then looks back to find my dull expression, not finding any joy in this celebration and he turns to the crowd again. "Let the walls set out the fate of both the king and his future queen! For the walls!"
"FOR THE WALLS!"
Their voices ring through the world and it disgusts me to the core that they are being ignorant of the horrifying events taking place within Wall Maria and Wall Rose. Soon after, people come up to the thrones to bring various treasures of gold and rich clothing in diverse colors for King Fritz and myself. I have no interest in these valuable things and after they had given us plenty, the celebration goes on and my patience is running dry. I then think to myself... why am I still here?
I just wish to see Levi.
⚔︎
It is close to midnight and everybody finally leaves the event to call it a night. King Fritz and I remain on our throne, and the king himself is obviously out of it after having too many drinks. Quiet footsteps echo through the great hall until servants rush in to welcome their king and future queen, each one separately. "Your Excellency, would you like us to take these back to your room?" One of them offers and the king waves, gesturing them to scurry.
"No... I want to stay here with my treasures..." King Fritz slurs, his greedy heart blinded by ecstasy. He had been obsessed with this day, imagining all the ways it could go, but now, he just wants to enjoy everything that was given to him on his throne. The servants then leave the room.
The king's relationship with money and valuable things is very personal, and I think to myself no matter how corrupt and heartless the capital may be, he and everybody else within this wall is a slave to their own greed.
I straighten up on my throne with my chin held high, knowing what I need to say at this given moment. "You may keep the riches, but if you wish, you must abandon the idea of deriving violence towards the servants here." I boldly say. "I consider these people to be far more superior to yours. If you realize this truth, please lower your guards and live in a world in the same manner as they do for once."
Marcel heard everything since he was standing beside King Fritz and he looked at me in confusion. "What are you trying to say?"
"I would like to put an end to this violent act in this kingdom." I reiterated, knowing slavery is far beyond wicked. "I admit you are the rulers of the walls, but you will have to reflect on what you're doing to these innocent people." Once I started entertaining the idea of change, I became hostile in his eyes.
"You want us to owe an apology and compensate to these low-lives?" Marcel asks despicably.
"I have a proposal." King Fritz is somehow sober, then looks over at me with his body hanging down limply. "If you were to end it all, would you give me my children?"
My heart drops to my stomach at those words, wondering why he is asking such a thing. Knowing what I am putting myself into, I am such an unfortunate soul.
"Of course, she hasn't forgotten about that, Your Excellency." Marcel chuckles, but there is sinful blood flowing through him. "If she tries anything against us, I will place her into chains."
I laugh at the intoxication of his power. I knew that if I rejected their proposal, I would become a mistress of slaves or be sent to execution. It is a reminder that the world is very much a place to be half-slave and half-free.
"As the future queen, you wouldn't." I remind my cruel father, facing the reality that my direct resistance was risky. I was pulled in by the gravity of this transitional moment. "Once I take the crown, I will eliminate the absurdity of this present government. I will protect humanity from people like you." I think of the responsibility and charge that I am about to participate in, but once I learn all his weaknesses, I can overthrow my own father.
"That will make you a dreadful queen." Marcel snarled.
"Being hated is better than being pathetic," I say firmly. "It is up to humanity to decide whether they want to follow me to freedom or not. I will no longer sit here and watch my people suffer anymore."
"You..." Marcel's sanity is giving away to madness, but he is also a little frightened by my potential. Oh, how the tables will turn when that day comes.
I drop my shoulders to relax in this tense moment. "I know that you fear change. But I would like to begin by showing humanity a world without pain and suffering."
"Hmph. Suit yourself." Marcel says bluntly, clearly in doubt.
King Fritz, of course, paid no attention to our conversation and is drifting off to sleep. He is absolutely useless and ignorant, which makes me wonder if he's a real king or not.
Suddenly, the doors of the throne room creak open and my eyes widen when a female Military Police officer with dark brown hair and a slim figure presents herself to the thrones, then bows respectfully. For some reason, there is something about her aura that reminds me of someone. "Good evening, Your Highness. Marcel." She acknowledges him with a salute right after greeting me and Marcel glances over at me.
"Ah, Sina. I would like you to meet Freya." Marcel introduces the soldier. "Freya is a fresh graduate, but she is my most trusted officer of the Military Police. Starting today, she will be your personal guard. Will that be alright with you?"
My eyes narrow at her, wondering how this young individual can climb up the ranking of the Military Police in such a short time. Besides that, I am a little fortunate knowing that Marcel won't be a bother to me as often now that I have Freya who will accompany me. I then bow my head to greet her in return. "Nice to meet you."
"Thank you for taking me in." Freya is relieved by my acceptance of her.
"Pleasure is all mine." I let out a soft smile, but it also saddens me that she is dedicating her heart to living under my control.
"Argh...!"
Freya and I gaze at Marcel who is putting a hand over his chest, almost digging his nails into his skin and I am genuinely alarmed. "What's wrong?"
Freya rushes over to him in a slight panic, knowing he is in great pain from the beads of sweat on his forehead and his clenched terth. "Sir, you need to go take your medication and rest."
"I will... don't worry about me." Marcel waves at her, slowly rubbing his hand over his heart in a circular motion. "It's been a long day. Why don't you escort Sina back to her room?"
"Yes, sir," Freya replies rapidly, but I can't seem to stop worrying and realize that's just the way I am. He makes an effort to hide his sorry self from me and as much as I despise him, he is still my father.
⚔︎
Survey Corps Headquarters
Wall Rose
[Viktor's POV]
After another dreadful expedition, the surviving Survey Corps returned to the Headquarters and for this night, I need to take a breather. At the top of the building, I find a wide deck and sit on the brick ledge, letting one leg hang out while the other is bent to prop up my arm. As I sigh quietly, I look down from five stories above the ground and close my eyes to lean my head back and stare into the darkness, finding the desire to hear what the wind is whispering into my ears on this clear night.
While clearing my head from reality, there is a sound of footsteps gradually getting louder behind me. "Look at you, all single and depressed."
I curse under my breath when Zaiya rips the peaceful moment from me and swings my head back in annoyance as she approaches. "You definitely know how to ruin a guy's night."
Zaiya definitely heard me mumble as she insisted on sitting next to me on the ledge and smirked. "Now let me enjoy my night."
"How selfish of you." I snarl, then look up at the sky to admire how bright the full moon is and drop my shoulders when I exhale.
"Something on your mind?" Zaiya asks since I barely spoke, but there is always too much on my mind.
"Well... how do I put it?" I scratch the back of my head, thinking how I can carefully piece my thoughts together. "Aside from everything that is happening in Wall Maria, I'm also... worried about Sina."
At this moment, Zaiya's face darkens, but it is difficult to read what she's thinking. "I mean, aren't we all? Especially Levi." She utters. "Don't tell me you're plotting something."
"Actually, I am," I admit with no delay, which causes her to turn pale in shock. "Sina does not deserve to be locked up in that castle. I just can't take it anymore..."
Her expression softens up at my words and I continue. "Since Levi is injured, I will step up and handle this situation myself as soon as possible. I want to save her before it's too late."
"Let's talk about this, Viktor." Zaiya rests a hand on my shoulder, attempting to calm me down. "I get that you don't want to sit around and wait, but I can't agree with you going alone."
"You have to trust me, Zaiya," I tell her desperately. "It may take all I've got just to make it back alive, but I'll manage somehow."
"But what about Abel? Does he know about this?"
I nod in all honesty. "Yes, I spoke to him privately about this. And of course, he cannot come."
"Then let me come with you." Zaiya suddenly begs, which tells me how much she cares. "Since you worry about Sina so much, why don't I help you out? You need my strength."
"No, I can't have you come with me." I slightly raise my voice to intimidate her. "It's the only path I can choose, so I don't want to whine about it."
"This isn't like you..." She whispers, feeling betrayed, and gazes down. "I do not understand why you want to do this on your own... without Levi knowing about your intentions. And do you think I'm not good enough to protect you?"
"Zaiya..." I now feel like an asshole, but that is not the reason why I am pushing her away. "Listen, I'm doing this to protect you and everyone else, so let me be the one to make the sacrifice."
"Is that really it?" Zaiya questions me, which takes me by surprise. "Are you doing this for Levi because you're sorry?"
"Well..."
"I think I get it now... I had no idea Sina means that much to you." Zaiya is genuinely hurt, knowing that the person on my mind right now is Sina. But what she is thinking paints a picture that isn't true. Yes, I truly care about Sina and want to rescue her myself, but I am also committing this act for Levi. Seeing the two together made me realize I have something to protect too, and she is sitting right next to me. My mind is now focused on her; something I never felt before, indulging in pleasures instead of my line of duty. As much as I swore I would never become soft, it seemed as if my feelings for Zaiya had wounded my ego.
"Zaiya," I say softly, hopefully, she is willing to listen. "You got it all wrong."
"Then why do you keep pushing me away?" Zaiya has tears building up, daring not to lock eyes with me. "Is it wrong for me to be with you?"
"Why?" I blink at her. "Why do you want to be with me?"
"Don't you get it? I have fallen for you, stupid!" Zaiya shouts as she quickly wipes the tears away with her wrist and my eyes widen when she finally confesses to me. "Fine, if you want to keep pushing me away, so be it! I won't get in your way!"
It turns out I have a guilty mind, so I beg for forgiveness. "I'm sorry... I didn't realize I was hurting you."
"It's just... forget it." Zaiya sniffles, embarrassed at this moment. "I shouldn't have said that. Perhaps I should go now."
"Wait." My hand gets ahold of her freezing hand, wanting her to stay through this night and she has no choice but to sit still. Without another word, I use my other hand to gently lift her chin and witness how ineffably beautiful she is in the moonlight—her skin gleaming so effortlessly. With the tears streaming down her rosy cheeks, I meet her gaze and her glistening dark eyes tell me she loves me, and I... feel it too.
As the wind stops blowing, I let my guard down by getting lost in her eyes, then down at her plump lips, and as tempting as it is, I slowly lean forward. It comes to an abrupt halt when she shyly breaks away, turning her head in a different direction in an attempt to hide the pink hue on her face and I sigh in defeat. "You idiot."
Zaiya lets out a gasp when I forcibly pull her back in... then our lips crash into each other, causing our hearts to venture into the night sky. At this moment, I let my true feelings get the best of me as I gently placed a hand behind her neck to deepen the kiss, craving more of her. Her wet cheeks press against mine and she relaxes in my arms, falling into this warm embrace. Finally, we pull away to catch a breath and I crack open my eyes to find her dazed, wondering what is on her mind right now.
The night is awfully silent aside from the sound of our hearts pounding against our ribcages, and ever so slightly, I take her freezing, pale hands into mine. This feeling of wanting to respond to her feelings is surging relentlessly in my chest, and I can no longer restrain it. "The first time I met you... it wasn't love at first sight, but my love for you formed gradually up to this point. It came clear to me you were exactly who I was looking for." I confess. "I even realized you've always been there for me, Zaiya. I can't imagine living in a world without you."
As her consciousness clears, I clutch her hand even tighter and her expression is clouded with concern. She then stares down at our intertwined hands."I... always thought you feel that way with Sina."
"I gave up that feeling a long time ago because I can feel how much Levi means to her," I explain honestly. "I was getting in the way of their happiness, and I know deep down he is the only one that can make her happy."
There is still a hint of doubt within her, so I lift her chin back up to find commitment in my eyes. "But now I realize, I want to spend the rest of my life with you because you too... deserve happiness."
"I'm scared of happiness. It always leaves." Her voice painfully cracks a bit. "You don't need to worry about how I feel."
"Of course, I need to." I then stroke her cheek with my thumb. "Let me be the one to wipe out anything that prevents you from being happy."
Even though she is not perfect, that is okay. I can look past all of her imperfections, and look into her soul to see who she really is. I learned to forget those imperfections and flaws that make her human. Because just like everyone else, she has flaws. Flaws I learned to love, and I'm so in love with her.
"You're more of an idiot than I am." Zaiya finally smiled through her tears. Even when she smiled, her dimples popped and my heart was relieved. Her dimpled smile was the best. It was like a warm light was running to and fro within my blood vessels, melting me away.
I then realized something and had to ask it carefully. "Zaiya..."
"Yes, Viktor?"
I refuse to let go of her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. "I know we fought in many life-or-death situations, but... what would you do if you saw me die in a fight?"
Zaiya was surprised by how calm my voice was. "That's not possible."
"But if I did?"
"Then I will bring your body home." She replies in a saddening tone. "And once I die, I would like to be buried next to you."
Just hearing that from Zaiya is relieving yet bittersweet. Our moment is then cut short when we hear footsteps from behind and it appears to be Abel. "So you two are here." It seems like he was searching for us and got lucky, and then he walks over to me with a concerned look. "Viktor, listen. After a lot of thinking, I am still against the idea of you saving Sina alone..."
"Don't worry, Abel," Zaiya says. "He's not going without me."
Abel's eyes widen when he learns that she is coming with me, but he is still hesitant. "Please, I'm warning you. The royal government is not to be trusted and messed with."
"So we are just going to sit around and wait for a miracle to happen?" I ask in a spiteful way. "As a scout, I cannot live that way."
Abel has always been my most trusted friend and I never once doubted him, but I just want him to trust my strength. In all of us. He knows I can be a stubborn yet selfish man, so there is no way to convince me otherwise. As we all know by now, we will either make it out alive or not return at all. This moment together... may be our last. But there's hope.
"Well, then. I can't argue against that." Abel feels a bit betrayed by my choice, but there will be something gained and something lost from it. At times, the choice cannot be better, but something that is less bad. He then continues. "I still remember clearly when we first became friends as kids. To this day, you continue to charge forward and put your life on the line. Even after all this time, you still haven't changed."
"Yes, I live a dangerous life, but that is my duty," I tell him. "When in danger, I always trust my instincts."
"And Abel," Zaiya calls out softly, taking his hand and she reaches out to clutch mine as well. "I just hope we will reunite again."
"Hope is a dangerous word," Abel warns me, then he brings us close for an embrace. Of course, he believes and will pray for us in silence. "And you guys know I hate waiting, so just come back to me as soon as possible... with Sina."