The land of Maria

When freedom isnt feee

Over the spanning months, Eren grew. His ability was so close to Marco's the knight was able to teach him how to control it. Eren wasn't a scrawny knight any longer. Thanks to Jean he was growing muscle. Jean had him helping out in the stables as much as his pregnant condition allowed. Then there was Annie. She was an altogether new nightmare for Eren.

"Keep your hands up. Protect your face!" she screamed. She hardly talked to Eren unless She was screaming instructions at him. Eren was learning to fight. Since he carried the King's child, no one would battle him hand to hand. He fought a wooden dummy.

Except for Annie. Annie wasn't one of the best, Eren found out she was the best. At least as knights go. Mikasa was better in all out hand to hand combat but the princess wasn't good at stopping her attacks. Mikasa wasn't allowed near Eren since she accidently kicked him in the leg.

Annie could attack and pull her punches. Even if Eren moved, she never did more then graze his clothing. She just wasn't good with people skills. Eren was getting used to it, but Annie was the only one that yelled at him like this.

With the wedding drawing ever closer, Eren had more to deal with. Petra refused to go home. She insisted she was staying until the ceremony. Each night she sat at Levi's side. She would wear more revealing clothing than the night before. She laughed at anything the king said. Petra was, in all eyes, the prefect guest. She kept her rooms neat, she was in prefect control over all her servants. Levi was even beginning to melt his icy attitude towards her. With her whimsical smile and alluring personality, Levi was saying she wasn't as bad as he first thought.

The king was finding more ways to spend time with the princess. He needed an army to battle both the war with the humans and the war with the dragons. He told Eren how insightful Petra was in giving Levi information on the human realms. They were a place the shifter king hardly went.

"No offense, love, but not even you can give me the information I need." He told Eren one day. Eren wouldn't say anything. He would hang his head and listen as Levi ranted his praise for Petra, and their strengthening friendship.

There were few people Eren found he disliked in the castle. Petra was the worst. He did everything to avoid running into her. She did everything to torture him.

She wasn't physical about it, unless she knew she could get away with it. Like if they were in a corridor alone, she would trip Eren. Or push him into walls. More than one occasion she had attempted to push him down stairs. She tried to get him to eat poison berries, or leaves. Thanks to Armin, he didn't.

The nature mage knew about plants. He told Eren how many of the ones Petra gave him would induce contractions or out right poison the baby, killing it. So, Eren learned not to take food directly from Petra. She became sneaker.

The times when Levi was gone from the castle, she would put these things in his food. Armin, who was his official food taster, would find them. He began to make two dishes for Eren. One that sat out with the royal dishes until ready to serve, and the one he actually served to the king's knight.

Armin had tried many times to get Eren to tell Levi just what Petra was doing to him. Eren refused. He didn't want Levi to worry. He had enough to deal with. Fighting two wars wasn't easy. He had to keep track of movements all over his lands. So far they hadn't had another actual battle. Eren knew the time was drawing short for that peace to keep.

One more thing Eren discovered about his betrothed, he thought better while having sex. Eren spent his days working on being better for his king. His knights he spent pleasuring his lover. Levi would often remark it was the only joy he found in life these days.

Today was a day Eren hated. Levi, along with Erwin and Armin, were leaving. They would be heading out to meet Mikasa's forces. All of Eren's allies within the castle were abandoning him. Levi had put Furlan in charge of watching over his knight. He clapped the tall thin knight on the shoulder.