The Path Back to You | Levi x OC

Chapter 34 - The Dripping Rose

Levi

"That was close," said Armin, eyes wide beneath the darkness of his hood.
As they watched the Military Police begin to leave the cabin and scatter into the night, Levi felt a frown drop into place.
"If we hadn't left right then, what would have happened to us?" Conny wondered.
"But why? What would make Commander Erwin-"
"New orders came from the government," said Levi. "There's been a freeze on all Scout Regiment activity outside the wall. They're telling us to hand over Eren and Historia."
"By the way," said Nifa, "right after Erwin gave me the message, the Military Police came for him."
He glanced to where Anya still sat astride Nightmare and almost flinched at the rage he found upon her face.
"That's treating him like some sort of criminal!" Hange cried.
"Someone's not working from the shadows anymore," he said. "They're moving for all eyes to see."
"To go that far to protect the walls' secrets..." Hange mused. "What's more, why do they want us to hand over Eren and Historia? Not to kill, but for them to obtain?"
"Who knows? Anyways, it's clear the enemy is officially after these two," he said, waving a hand at Eren and Historia. "Loitering around here is dangerous. We're moving them to Trost District."
"Why?" asked Moblit. "That's the same place Pastor Nick was killed!"
"It's worse to head towards the interior. With Trost in a panic, it should be easy to slip in. And if it somehow comes down to it, we can use these in the city."
He pulled back his cloak to reveal his ODM gear and blades.
"Plus, not knowing the enemy puts us in a tough spot. We need to find out who's behind this. Hange, lend us some of your squad."
"Of course. All right; I'm going after Erwin. Moblit's with me. The rest of you will follow Levi and Anya."
He watched as Anya gave a small, sharp nod to Hange, who returned it before going to mount her horse.
"Hange!" Eren called, jogging over. "I remembered a conversation between Ymir and Bertholdt. Didn't get time to tell you, but it's all here."
He handed her a piece of paper, and she tucked it into her cloak.
"All right; I'll take a look at it later."
As she and Moblit bade them farewell and galloped away, Levi turned to Anya.
"Know anyone useful in Trost?" he asked.
"Of course," she replied, her big, amethyst-blue eyes full of angst. "One so happens to own an inn."
"The sooner we get there the better."
They led the way back to the city, doing their best to avoid the main paths. The members of Hange's squad took the rear of their little formation, while Eren and Historia stayed as safe as possible in the middle, sandwiched between their friends. Levi tched and drew his horse closer to Anya's, lowering his voice.
"Hey. He'll be okay."
He expected her to snap back with something, but she remained eerily silent. She was lost in a world of her own, and he hoped she'd return from it soon. He was going to need her. They all were.

***

Anastasya

"Okay. I'm going in," said Anya, eyeing up the looming city walls. They'd made it there in good time, though her ribs well and truly knew about it and she was doing her best to disguise her agony.
"I'll be back in half an hour, maximum."
"Take Jean with you," said Levi.
She wanted to protest, to say that it would be quicker were she to go alone and that she was capable enough to deal with any trouble she might encounter but, to her dismay, she found that she was no longer sure of herself. Her body ached and creaked from all the riding, and she felt just about ready to snap from worry about what was happening to Erwin. She knew that a breaking point was on the horizon, and the longer she could delay it, the better.
"Alright. Jean, let's go."
She and Jean approached the outer gate, which had not yet been drawn shut for the night, and they were allowed through without question by the useless guards. Once back within the walls, they slowed their horses to a leisurely pace, trying to blend in with the crowds.
"Where are we going?" Jean asked.
"The Dripping Rose," she replied, voice strained from the pain of riding. "It's an inn that an old friend of mine owns."
"Captain... Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about me."
She saw Jean stop himself from asking again, instead choosing to change the subject.
"Will your friend keep us hidden?"
"Yes."
They stopped outside a large, well-maintained building nestled into an alleyway. Anya grit her teeth and dismounted with a sharp gasp. She led Nightmare through a side gate, Jean following close behind with his own horse. They arrived in a pretty, paved courtyard lined with stables on two sides, where they were greeted by a stableboy.
"Is Jacques around?" Anya asked.
"Yes, he's inside. Should I take you to him?"
"No. Tell him..." She paused, sighing. "Tell him that Ice is here."
"Okay!"
The kid ran inside, and Jean turned to her with a puzzled expression.
"'Ice'?"
"An old nickname."
A minute later Jacques, who was a tall, slim man in his forties, emerged into the courtyard.
"Ah, the Ice Queen returns!" he said, throwing his arms wide to embrace her.
Anya held out a hand.
"Don't. My ribs are busted."
He swept one hand back in to dramatically cover his heart.
"Cold as ever, I see. And now your hair matches! I'd heard you were back from the dead and I was devastated when you didn't come to visit."
"I've had rather a lot keeping me busy but I was in the city this evening and I thought, 'you know what? I'll go and see my favourite innkeeper', so here I am."
"Fantastic! And you brought a friend. Come in, come in!"
Anya stepped closer and placed a gloved hand on his arm.
"This isn't a social," she said, voice low. "I need your help."
Jacques' jovial expression switched to serious before she could blink. He acted like an idiot a lot of the time, but she knew that in reality, he was a sharp, well-connected man who happened to hold a huge grudge against the Military Police.
"Tell me."
She began to relay the barest of details to him but, before she had even finished, he interrupted her.
"Go and get your squad. Any friends of yours are friends of mine. All the better if they're from the Scouts."
"Thank you," she said.
"After what you did for me, it's the least I can do."
As she turned to get into the saddle again, Jean stepped forward.
"Captain. Let me go."
She ran her tongue along her top teeth and regarded him a moment. She needed to get used to delegating again. To rely on others more.
"Go straight there and make sure they don't come all at once."
"Understood!"
"Be careful, Jean. If you're not back in thirty minutes, I'll come looking."
"I will be, Captain. See you soon."
Jean mounted his horse and trotted from the yard, leaving Anya and Jacques alone. She scrubbed at her face with one of her hands.
"God, Jacques," she said, turning to him. "It's good to see you again."
"You too, my dear. Come on inside."
She followed him into the back room. It was sealed off from the rest of the inn to ensure privacy, but she knew that there were more hidden rooms. She beelined for a chair, lowering herself down carefully.
"How's business?"
"Drink?" he asked.
"Brandy."
He poured one for her and one for himself, and then took one of the adjacent seats.
"Business has been better. After the recent invasion, people are staying inside more. I think they can sense the unrest. They're certainly not happy with the government."
"Oh?"
"They're blaming them for the Titan in the wall, and for the invasion. What do you know?"
Anya chose her words carefully.
"Not nearly enough to offer an explanation or theory, but... I think both incidents have started something. Something big."
"Hmm. The King is handing out food rations tomorrow. It's the anniversary of his coronation."
"Trying to boost public approval, huh?"
She shook her head and sipped her brandy, recognising a good PR stunt all too well.
"Listen, someone is after two of our squad members in particular. We're going to need a covered wagon tomorrow. Think you can get us one?"
"You can just take mine," he said. "I'll even drive it, if you need."
"You're a diamond, Jacques."
"Just doing what I can to help an old friend. It's a pleasure, considering that until a week or so ago, I really thought you were dead. How the hell you survived out there for so long alone I'll never know."
"Me neither."
"You still with that grumpy short-ass?"
"Yes, I'm still with Levi," she said, trying not to smile. "What about you?"
"Still on my own," he said. "I like it that way, though. Hey, tell me about beyond the wall. What it was like."

***

Levi

Eren, Historia and Levi were the first group to enter the courtyard of the Dripping Rose. Anya and Jacques went out to meet them as soon as they arrived.
"Levi; you remember Jacques?" said Anya.
He dismounted and regarded the outrageously tall man.
"Yeah."
"He's agreed to let us stay for as long as we need."
"Thanks," he said.
"You two," said Anya, addressing Eren and Historia. "Follow me."
Levi watched as Anya led the pair inside, and then waited for the next group consisting of Armin, Mikasa and Jean to show up.
"Jean; help with the horses," he said.
"Yes, Captain."
Ten minutes later everyone was sitting in one of the inn's underground rooms. The recruits were gathered around a large table, eating a casserole and chatting, while at a separate table Levi, Anya, and Hange's squad quietly discussed the next step.
"I've got us a covered wagon," said Anya, chewing on some bread, though Levi knew she was forcing herself to eat past her anticipation. "We need to try and determine who's after us and why. I suggest a decoy. Armin and Jean can pose as Historia and Eren and walk through Trost with us, while Eren and Historia are in the wagon heading for Commander Pyxis. We can trust him. If someone tries to take Jean and Armin, we can follow them and find out what's going on."
Levi nodded and she continued.
"It's the anniversary of the King's coronation tomorrow and, to curry public favour, the MP will be handing out food rations from the King's reserves. Trost is going to be busy, so it'll be perfect for us moving through without detection."
"All right," said Levi. "That seems like the best course of action. We'll leave here tomorrow at 8am."
"I'll go and tell them," said Anya, dropping the bread back onto her plate and going to sit with the recruits.
Twenty minutes later, Levi and Anya remained behind while everyone else went to bed.
"Hey. Relax," he said, watching as she nibbled on her thumb. "We're in a more precarious situation than Erwin right now."
"Really? The way I see it, we're holed up relatively safely underground in a group, and he's on his own and missing an arm."
"Hange and Moblit will be working to get him out. It's also highly unlikely they'll murder such a high-ranking figure."
"They have ways of making it look like an accident, as you and I both know," she said darkly.
She smacked her lips and sighed.
"I just want someone to give us a break. Or for one of those reports to bring good news, just once."
"I know," he said. "I think it's going to be a while before that happens, though."
"You thought I was going to run."
"Huh?"
"Earlier, when Nifa told us about Erwin."
"I thought I'd have a far harder time convincing you not to dash off and be the hero," he admitted.
She reached out a hand and placed it on his wrist, meeting his gaze.
"As much as I wanted to go, we're a team. I wasn't about to leave you to deal with this crap on your own."
He turned his arm so that he could take her hand.
"How's the pain?"
"Bearable."
"Liar. You should stay here tomorrow."
He knew it was pointless, that she would never accept, but he tried regardless.
"And let you have all the fun?"
"What if you get hurt?"
"I'm not worried about that," she said, letting go of his hand. "I'm worried...about slowing everyone down. If that happens, just leave me. I'll find you sooner or later."
"Don't be stupid. I'm not going to risk losing you."
She smiled, and he drained his tea and got up.
"Let's try and get some shuteye."
They went to the small, cosy room that Jacques had given them for the night. Neither of them bothered to change their clothes; they might have to flee at any time.
"Why do I feel like this is going to be the last bed I get to sleep in for a while?" said Anya, settling in next to him.
"It might be," he said. "Try and sleep. Make the most of it."
He kissed the top of her silken hair but was unable to heed his own advice, staring up at the ceiling for hours, turning everything over and over in his mind.