Promise Me | Book Three

Chapter Nineteen

Liesel's POV

I see two men grab my brother by his arms and drag him away. Eren doesn't bother walking, he just lets himself hang lifelessly as the men pull him.
I need to talk to him... I need to see him.
"Armin, wait." I tell him, grabbing his shoulder. "We need to get to Eren's cell."
The premier is getting down from his high desk, and the crowd begins to leave the room, also. I jump over the metal bar and to the premier. He looks at me with a shocked expression as I make my way towards him.
"Excuse me, sir," I bow down to him, although I feel stupid and he doesn't deserve it. "Will I be able to go to my brother's cell? Just once. I need to talk with him, please." I beg to the premier, even interlocking my fingers.
"You'd have to ask one of the people in the military. I'm only a premier, not a prison guard."
I sigh. "Fine."
I turn to the door Eren left from to see that it's still open. I wait until the premier has turned away to dash for the door and pass through. The guards are still struggling to drag Eren, so I should be able to follow them without notice.
I see Armin still standing there, at the other end of the courtroom.
"Come on!" I whisper to him, but he just stands there awkwardly. Unknowing of what to do.
"For Eren." I mime, and when I see that he's not moving, I move on ahead before I get caught. The doors are wide open, so I am exposed.
I walk slowly behind the guards, with quite a distance between me and them.
One of the guards get frustrated with him, and he hits Eren in the head to try and get him to move again. My instinct is to attack them, but that'd blow my cover. I have to stay behind them, and not make a sound.

"I'm sick of carrying this guy around! Why can't he walk himself, the bastard." One of them starts, and I can't help but think about how pathetic they are.
"Who am I to complain? I'm just going to do the job I signed up for." The other says, and he seems to be the only one who knows what he's doing.
"So, do you know who killed the girl?" The blockhead asks. "Why would I know? Do you think I did it?" The other responds.
"No, but you might know something I don't. Besides, if I did kill her, I wouldn't be a wuss and kill her with a manoeuvre gear! Pssh, too easy! I'd slice her up myself!"
"Shut up, moron. You'd probably ask her out or some dumb crap like that."
The stupidity of this conversation is ridiculous.
"Do you even know who Mikasa Ackerman is? Well, was? She is the woman worth a hundred men. She was considered the most talented person who went through training." One says.
"I could still slice her up. But, maybe, I'd flirt with her first, you know? No woman can resist this!" The other laughs, and I can only think about Eren. Is he conscious? Is he listening to this?
He must feel distraught. Especially with these idiots talking about her, right in front of him!

The men turn the corner and I follow behind them.
"Oh, crap, the staircase. How are we supposed to take him down when he's dragging like this?"
"I say throw him down, and we'll meet him at the other side."
"No, idiot! I guess I'll lift him."

The "more intelligent" guy puts him down, and I realise that he'll turn around and see me, but there's no place to hide. Just bare and open space.
I'll have to do something!
But, I think to slowly, and they spot me.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" I jump at his voice. I'll have to play dumb, now.
"Oh, is this not the exit?" I say. "No lady, go the other way everybody else went! It's not that hard!" Spits the blockhead.
I think I might be able to flirt my way out of this, but I don't know how. I guess I can try.
"I'm so sorry. I guess that I just heard your voice, and was... attracted to it. And now that I can see your face, I just realised how handsome you look in that uniform." The words fall out of my mouth like water, and I don't know what the hell I should do.
"Well, little lady. You're not too bad yourself, are ya'?"
Yes, I think it's working.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you'll have to leave. This guy will lead you out." Says the more stern one.
"No, no, she can just walk with us for a bit!" The other says in my defence, and I feel a flush of relief.
"Well, Dan... You'll be the one getting fired and not me."
The man lifts Eren and begins to walk down the stairs.
The other wraps his arm around me and begins to invade my personal bubble, but I just have to play along for a bit longer.
"So... Where are you from?" He asks. "I'm from this town. You sure can't be from around here. I would've spotted you from miles away. You being so beautiful, and strong." I flirt, squeezing his "muscles".
"Ah, stop it, you. But, yeah... I do have these beauties." He says, kissing his other arm, and sharing a gross smile with me.
We finally make it to the bottom of the stairs, and I see a cell.
The two of them begin trapping the chains around his arms and feet, and Eren lays almost lifelessly on the floor.
He slouches against the wall, and just stares up to the ceiling.
The cell door is now locked.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but duty calls. But, where do you live, I could... Pop by?" He says, in his annoyingly stupid voice. He leans further towards me, and I pretend to laugh.
"Aw, well, the only place you'll be going to is-" and with that, I find the weak spot in his neck area and strike it hard. He flops to the floor so suddenly, and falls to my feet. "Hell."

The other soldiers looks to me urgently, and readies his weapon. I prepare myself for a hard fight, but I see someone barge in and collapse on top of him, also managing to knock him out as his head hits against the cell bar.
As he turns around, I realise that it's Armin.
"Armin?! But, you-" I start. "I followed behind you guys. I'd feel to guilty leaving you and Eren... Plus, I need to help him. He's my best friend. He comes before my selfishness."
At this sentence, I smile.

I crouch down to search for the keys on one of the soldiers, and find them. I unlock the cell door, and walk inside to accompany Eren, along with Armin.
"Eren!" I shake him.
From my second shake, he snaps out of his trance and blinks at me and Armin.
"Liesel... Armin?"
Armin smiles brightly, and then his lips lower as he experiences realisation.

"Eren... I'm sorry," he says. "I should have... I should have helped you... This is my fault."
Eren sits up and prompts himself, finally. "Don't blame yourself."
His voice is weaker, like a young child's... Maybe even more weak than that if a child's. "It was my fault. I told her to come with me," he mutters, and tears begin to fill his eyes. "I wasn't aware enough. My ignorance got her killed."
He covers his mouth with his hands.
"She was shot... She went in the way to protect me from it. We- we were on the wall. I thought we could make it."
His voice breaks more with every word. The emotion is overwhelming him, it's breaking him.
I close my arm around Eren.
"I broke my promises to her. We had so much left to do... We had so much left to say." He has to stop to catch his breath from crying.
His words make me shake, and I feel the tears ache the back of my eyes.
"I loved her... I loved her so much... I still do, but... I want to tell her, again."
Armin grabs Eren's hand. He doesn't seem to be able to say anything, but he supports Eren in this way.
"I don't feel at home, anymore. My home was her."
With this, Eren begins to stand, but he seems weaker. He is struggling. The chains also pull him back, so he can't move far at all.
"Where is she?" He starts. "Where have they taken her?"
"To the cemetery, I presume. To be cleaned and buried... But, I believe that those with criminal records are just... Burned." Armin informs Eren.
Eren clenches his fists so hard, I hear the crack. "They can't do that!" He yells, but his voice still sounds hoarse.
Armin grabs his arm. "Mikasa was a soldier, they wouldn't do anything right away, calm down! It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since the attack... You'll be able to see her, again."
Eren drops back to his knees, and buries his face in his hands.
"I can't see her, again..." He speaks. "Not like this. I failed her... I- I don't want to see how she died all over again when I see her."
"Eren! This will be the last time you get to see her, and you're going to pass?" I yell at him, trying to knock some sense into him.
"It's not your choice!" He yells back. "You don't know how I feel! Has anybody so precious to you ever been snatched away from you, and it has left you with a life you no longer care about?!"
I don't respond, and let him vent.
"I could die tomorrow, and I wouldn't care; there is nothing left for me in this world!"
He stops and cries, throwing his head down, so I can't see his face.
"So, that's it, Eren? Me and Armin mean nothing to you? After all he has done for you!" I resist, but I don't hear a response from him.
"After we came to help you, you throw it back in our faces?! Is that it, Eren?!" I feel my anger build up, and I want to slap him so hard, and I feel my arm raising, but I stop myself.
It's not worth it.
"I'm done, Eren." I say, with former hesitation. I throw the keys on the floor, uncaring of what he wants to do with them.
I leave his cell, and I don't look behind me.

I don't feel Armin's presence behind me, although I expected him to come. But, then again, Armin is more loyal than me.