Forced Union

4

Levi slowly reached up and grabbed her hand.

"Hanji, it's not... not your fault..." he said.

"It is," Hanji replied, her voice shaking.

She continued to clean up the lashes from the whip.

"Z-Zeke...he gave m-me a choice," Hanji said.

"I choose wrong and it resulted in you getting hurt."

Levi looked at her, his eyes dull with no fight in them.

"What...what did...he make you...do?" Levi asked.

"He's forcing me to marry him," Hanji replied.

"N-no! You, ca...can't!" Levi exclaimed weakly.

"I don't have a choice Levi," Hanji replied solemnly.

"It's either that or he hurts you and I cannot let that happen."

"Hurry up!" the soldier ordered.

Hanji sighed and continued her work. She applied an antiseptic cream to the wounds and tightly bandaged his entire chest.

"I love you Levi, don't ever forget that," Hanji said.

She placed a soft kiss on his lips. Levi kissed her back. He felt the tears drip onto his cheeks and knew these tears were Hanji's.

"That's enough." The soldier said.

He walked in and dragged Hanji away from Levi, locking the cell as he shoved her outside it. The soldier didn't even bother to bind her, he just pulled her up the stairs and out.

"The hell are you doing?" Zeke demanded as the soldier walked in and shoved Hanji to the floor.

"She kissed the prisoner and confessed her to love him," the soldier replied.

"No matter," Zeke said.

"She won't ever be near him again. She will be marrying me."

Hanji pushed herself up with her arms and glared at Zeke.

"You are a disgusting mess," Zeke muttered.

Hanji was still covered in mud from her previous encounter with Floch.

"Well excuse me for not having time to bathe for your moronic power-obsessed ass," Hanji snapped.

"I've been tied up and shoved in a corner."

"Get the servant girls in here," Zeke ordered.

The soldier nodded and left. Zeke walked over and knelt in front of Hanji. He grabbed her face in his hand.

"You will make a very suitable wife," he said.

Before Hanji could reply, the door opened and two females came in.

"Get her bathed, dressed, fed and settled into her room for the evening," Zeke ordered.

"Y-yes sir," came a familiar female voice.

Hanji looked and her eyes went wide.

"S-Sasha?" she said.

"Hello Commander," Sasha replied quietly.

She stood with another young female. They had been dressed in simple maid-like outfits. Both were quiet and standing at attention.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention," Zeke said.

"I also happen to have the 104ths here as well. So, you better be on your best behavior. I am not against hurting them as well."

Hanji felt her heart drop. This day got worse and worse.

"Sasha, Ana, do as you were instructed. Take good care of my bride," Zeke said.

"Yes sir," Ana replied.

Sasha helped Hanji up and led her out of the room.

Later on-

Hanji sat in the claw-foot bathtub. The warm water didn't seem to help ease the tension in her body.

"Commander, please remove your eyepatch so we can bathe you," Sasha said.

"It's Hanji, don't call me a "commander" ...I'm not one," Hanji replied.

"You are our Commander still," Sasha said.

"Nothing will ever change that."

"I failed Sasha," Hanji replied.

"I couldn't keep any of you safe and now...Zeke is going to get the Scouts as his."

"Nonsense, we'll figure this out," Sasha said.

"Levi will find you and then we'll take Zeke down!"

"Sasha...Zeke has Levi," Hanji replied.

"Zeke is forcing me to marry him and when I refused...he hurt Levi...badly. If I don't go through with the marriage, Zeke will do much worse things to him and you all..."

Sasha pulled Hanji into a hug.

"We'll still figure this out, there's gotta be a way," Sasha said.

"Thanks, but...what's done is done," Hanji replied.

"I have accepted my fate. If it keeps you all safe, it will be my last good act as the Commander of the Scouts."