Bratty thief stole my heart

Chapter 14: Looks like you're not dead

Eren's Pov:

Everything was black. I could see nothing at all, but it wasn't a bad thing. It was not the kind of scary, threatening black like the one you were afraid of as a kid. It was the kind of welcoming darkness that wrapps you up and engulfs you, hides you from the world and makes you want to stay there forever.     

My body felt like it was floating yet I wasn't really feeling anything. Like my senses were all shut down and only my mind was left to wander. I wished I could stay like this. I didn't care if I couldn't feel anything, that just ment that I didn't have to feel the pain any longer. Because what else have I felt ever since my captivity. Just being completly numb, drifting threw an ocean of darkness seemed perfectly fine to me.

But from time to time I heard voices. Some unknown by me, but one painfully familiar. I couldn't say who it was though, there was some kind of mist between me and this voices that made them sound blurry and deranged.

At some times not even the safeguarding darkness could protect me from the pain. I would hear myself scream, but it distant and somehow unreal. It was like it was someone else's pain and not mine .

The voices were trying to sothe me and reassuring me that I'd be fine. Surprisingly the strange familiar voice I had feared before suddenly made me feel protected and I was able to forget the pain just by focusing on their words, even though I didn't understand what they said.

I let myself drift away again and I was just existing, feeling nothing, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, thinking nothing. I was simply there. But after what felt like an eternity I heard the voice again. I tried to get closer to it, I wanted to be near that voice. I listened to what it said and from one second to the other I could hear what they were saying.

"Can't you just shut up?"

Huh? Before I could think more about it another voice spoke. This one was more gentle and soft. I concentrated  on the new voice and was able to understand her, too, now.

"I don't want to bother you, your highness, I'm just worried about Eren's future."

Worried? About me? Why?

I was confused, I wanted to know more, so I listened to the reply.

"And you think I'm not? The council has already questioned me why the brat is still alive. They want to execute him in public as a demonstration of their power."

What are they talking about? Execution? Council? What was going on?

"But Sir, if you don't want to execute him, then what else do you plan to do with Eren? Just keeping him your prisoner forever? You were the one who tortured him for informations so I don't think he would like that."

"I don't know what I want to do with him, Petra. Of course I had originally planned on executing him as soon as I was done with the interrogations, but now I don't want to kill him anymore. I don't want him to die!"

I could hear a hint of desperation in the voice and I wanted to reach my hand out and pat the head of whoever said this to make them feel better.

"May I ask you why you've changed your mind, your highness?"

Highness? Was he some sort of royalty? He was sad about somebody dying. Was I dying? But why should he be sad about me? I don't even know who he was.

"I have to admit that I don't have the slightest idea. Maybe it's because he is such a good person, even though he is a bratty thief. He cares so much for his friends and he had the guts to resist me for so long, just for their sake. He...he is just a boy. I know I have treated him terribly and for some reason it makes me feel guilty. I've never felt any pity or guilt when I had hurt or killed anyone, but he makes me feel aweful for what I did. And I don't understand why!"