Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there was a certain kingdom named Mauer that had a terrible sickness sweep through it. Many fell ill, including the Queen, and though the Royal Doctor did all he could to save her, she ended up succumbing to the sickness and passing away.
In his wrath, King Rod summoned Dr. Jaeger and his family before him. He declared that since it was Dr. Jaeger's fault that he had lost his wife, then he would provide a new one, and the guards tore Grisha's only daughter away from her mother's arms. Though Eren screamed and fought against the hands holding her, she was dragged away and locked into a room high in the northern tower. The room was beautifully appointed, with a huge bed softer than any Eren had ever slept on, a wardrobe full of fine and expensive clothes, and a private bath, but it was still a cage, if a gilded one. The windows were barred, and the door was locked with a guard stationed outside at all times.
~~~~~
It was late, the moon shining high over the city sprawled beneath the castle. Eren sat at her window, looking out at the golden lights below. If she squinted, she could almost imagine that some of them were shining from her own house. She wasn't sure if that made her feel better, or if it just made her worry about her parents more.
There was the sound of a key in the lock, and Eren gripped the penknife she had taken from the desk tighter in her hand. It was a pitiful weapon, but she had no intention of going peacefully to whatever fate awaited her.
However, when the door opened, she found her hand slackening around the handle in surprise, for framed in light from the lanterns was not the king or even one of the guards. A petite, blonde woman stood there, and though she had thrown a hooded cloak over her fine court gown, there was no mistaking who she was.
“Y-Your Highness! What…what are you doing here?” Eren hastily stood, dropping into an automatic curtsy which Princess Historia waved aside as she lowered her hood.
“I’m here to help you escape, of course.”
Eren frowned, eyes darting to the door the guard had already shut. “Forgive me, but why would you defy your father to help me?”
Historia snorted. “Make no mistake, I’m here for my own sake as much as yours. Father isn’t angry about Mother; he’s seizing the chance to get a new, younger wife that can bear him a son. I’m just protecting my position.” She perched primly on the edge of the bed, and Eren sank back down to the window seat, tension draining out of her shoulders. Historia continued, “I can get you a disguise and arrange someone to help you get out of the castle and to the border. It will take time, though, and you will need to delay my father in the meantime.”
Eren’s mind worked rapidly, “I could pretend to go along with it… I’m entitled to dowry gifts. I could demand gowns, jewels…things that take time to make.” Eren nodded to herself. Better yet if she could smuggle what she asked for out with her. She knew simply leaving the kingdom would not be enough; she would need to find someone who could protect her from King Rod’s reach - a prince or even another king, and one that was a more palatable match. Another thought occurred to her. “You will need to somehow warn my parents. If they’re still in the kingdom when His Majesty discovers I’m gone...”
Historia nodded her agreement. “I’ll arrange it.” She stood, straightening out her skirts, and Eren stood with her. “I should go before anyone notices the visit. Ymir, the woman guarding you now, is my agent. You can trust her, but speak of this to no one else.”
~~~~~
And so Eren’s demands to King Rod began. She asked for three dresses: one as golden as the sun, one as silver as the moon, and one that sparkled like the stars, and a small chest to keep them in. The king seemed eager to please her, and soon Eren had all three dresses, hidden away in the little chest for when she made her escape.
Ymir passed on the news that the Council was displeased with the way King Rod had sought her hand, and he was jumping at the chance to win Eren’s approval. Eren was inclined to believe the gossip when he fulfilled her second request - a matching set of jeweled necklace, bracelet, and ring - as quickly at the first.
It was while she was waiting on the third and final request that Ymir knocked on her door with her disguise.
"Uh... What am I supposed to do with...this?" Eren held out the wide strip of cloth in her hands. There were fasteners along the side, but the whole thing was far too short to be a skirt.
"It's a breast band," Ymir said dismissively, as if that answered everything.
"A what?"
The freckled brunette rolled her eyes. "A. Breast. Band. The female soldiers wear them to keep everything out of the way. Kinda hard to run and fight if your girls are bouncing all over the place." Ymir eyed Eren's chest critically. "It won't get rid of everything, but as small as you are, it should smooth you down enough to pass as a boy."
"Gee, thanks," Eren muttered under her breath while surreptitiously eyeing her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't that small, was she? "Well, that explains the trousers."
"Mmhm. And...this!" Ymir pulled out a hairpiece from the pile of clothes she'd brought up. "See, it matches your hair perfectly." She stepped behind Eren and turned her toward the mirror. "Just pin your hair up like so...and slip this over it...and ta-da! Short hair." Eren blinked at her reflection in the mirror. Ymir was right, the fake hair blended perfectly with her own. "I still think we should just cut it; it'd be safer, but Hist- Her Highness insisted."
At the mention of cutting, Eren's hand instinctively went up to her head, and she looked over her shoulder at Ymir in wide-eyed alarm.
Ymir snorted. "Don't get your panties in a twist; I said the idea was nixed, didn't I?"
Ymir helped Eren get the rest of the disguise on, including showing her how to adjust the band around her chest. When they were done, Ymir walked around her slowly. Eren fidgeted. "Well? Do I look like...not me?"
"You look like a fifteen year old boy."
"I'm nineteen!"
"Not in that disguise you're not." Ymir circled Eren again, and as she disappeared behind her, Eren felt a sharp pinch on her bottom.
"Hey!" She whirled around and glared at Ymir, rubbing one hand against the offended flesh.
Ymir grinned and let out a low chuckle. "Well, you might not have much of a chest, but your ass more than makes up for it."
"Uh... Thanks?"
"You're welcome." Ymir grinned and draped an arm casually over Eren's shoulder. "C'mon, let's get all this stuff stashed away and get you back in your corsets before the guard change. Then, as soon as the last 'present' gets in, we'll get you outta here faster than you can say 'jilted.'"
~~~~~
A few evenings later, Eren received the final gift - a cloak made of fur from every type of animal in the kingdom. Late that evening, she dressed in the disguise and wrapped the cloak, fur side in, around a pack containing spare clothes, food, and the chest with the rest of the dowry gifts.
It had proved alarmingly easy for Ymir to sneak her out of the castle. She just walked out the postern gate, and the guard there had waived her through, taking her to be the rag-boy that carted off the bits and pieces of reusable trash from the kitchens every night. Ymir’s friends, two huge and formidable looking men named Bertholt and Reiner, had found her shortly after, and the three of them had slipped out of the dark and quiet city, not stopping until near daybreak at an inn several miles away.
“You can have that bed, Eren.” Bertholt had gestured at one of the two beds crammed into the tiny room. “We’ll share the other one. Rest until lunch, and then we’ll leave with the crowd. Next inn’s about a half-day away, so that will get us there at nightfall.”
Eren chewed her lip and eyed the narrow bed. “Are you sure you can both fit? And shouldn’t we be staying away from the roads? And inns?”
Reiner chuckled. “Slept in worse places, haven’t we, Bertl? And for your other question, no. The easiest way to hide is to blend in with everyone else. It’s all attitude. You act like you belong there, and everyone else will assume you do. Besides, the guards will be looking for a girl all alone, not three guys.”
Eren drifted off to sleep, mulling over Reiner’s words in her head.
~~~~~
It seemed that Reiner had been right, as the three of them made it to the border between Mauer and Freiheit with no problem. Reiner and Bertholt couldn’t accompany her any further, so this was where they parted. They both wished her luck, and Reiner pressed a small coin pouch into her hand before telling her to stick to the main road if she wanted to reach the capital.
“Reiner, I can’t accept this…”
“Nah, it’s not from me.” Reiner scratched the back of his head. “It’s from Princess Historia, so you don’t have to worry about food or nothing until you can petition the King, what’s-his-name... Anyway, you take that and never mind where it came from. Good luck, Eren.”
Eren’s hands clenched around the bag, and she felt tears stinging the corner of her eyes. Historia didn’t have to do that - just getting Eren out of the kingdom and away from her father should have been enough for her goals. “Thank you.” On impulse she hugged Reiner and then looked up at the two men, blinking back the blurriness in her eyes and smiling. “Both of you.”
Bertholt smiled back and patted her shoulder while Reiner’s face turned bright pink. Not long after, Eren waved in farewell one last time before disappearing around a bend in the road as it ran through the forests of Freiheit.
~~~~~
Eren spent some of the money she was given at the next little village on more food, and decided to save the rest until she reached the capital city of Rose by camping in the forest whenever she could. The fur cloak proved more than warm enough for a sleeping roll, and the weather stayed clear for most of the journey. This continued until one morning when she was making her way from her latest campsite back to the road and heard a cacophony of barking suddenly erupt from the nearby underbrush.
~~~~~
“The dogs seem to have treed something. But…what?” Mike, the Huntmaster, stared up at the large bundle of fur up in the branches above the three men.
“Is it a bear?” King Erwin looked up at the motley creature, reaching for the hunting bow slung behind his saddle.
Levi snorted at the both of them. “Since when do bears carry packs?” He pointed at the pack in question, leaning up against the side of the tree before dismounting and drawing his sword. He never liked the hunts Erwin dragged him on, as filthy and uncomfortable as they were, but bandits were something the Guard Captain knew very well how to deal with. If that was what this was. He waded through the dogs gathered around the tree. “Oi, you! Come down here if you don’t want to end up full of arrows!”
The figure stirred, a hood falling back to reveal mussed brown hair and bright green eyes. “C-can you call off the dogs, first?” The voice was fairly high, the face peering down still round-cheeked with youth. Levi relaxed a little, although not completely. It wouldn’t be the first time an organized troop of bandits used a child as a decoy. Nevertheless, he still looked back at Mike with a raised eyebrow, and the tall man let out a whistle that had the hounds leaving the tree to gather around him.
The boy started to climb slowly down, and Levi lowered his sword and reached up with his free hand to help him down when he was close enough. "Now," Levi began when the boy's feet were firmly back on the ground, "what the hell are you doing here?"
"I-I was just making my way back to the road when your dogs frightened me. I'm on my way to Rose City."
Levi frowned. "You're traveling alone? And just what business does a kid have at the capital?"
The boy gulped and took a step back from Levi, closer to the tree. "I-I..."
"Levi, stop frowning like that; you're scaring him." Erwin sent the boy a conciliatory smile. "It's okay; you're not in trouble. What's your name?"
“Eren.” Green eyes filled with uncertainty looked back and for between Erwin, Mike, and Levi. “And, um, I was going to try and find a job at the castle.”
Levi snorted. “Look at your hands, kid. They’re soft. I bet you’ve never done a hard day’s work in your life.” He sheathed his sword and picked up the pack, tossing it to Eren. “Go home. Your parents probably miss you.” He spun on his heel to walk back to his horse.
An angry shout stopped him. “I can’t go home!” Levi looked back to see Eren glaring at him, green eyes catching fire in the morning sun. “And I… I don’t know where my parents are.” The last part was almost mumbled as Eren’s gaze dropped down to the pack clutched in his arms before snapping back up to Levi. “I can cook! And clean! And I will get a job in the castle, just you watch!” With that, Eren pushed past Levi, heading for the road without a backwards glance at the three men behind him.
Mike’s familiar, rumbling laugh broke over the group once the boy had gone. “Well, he certainly had fire in him.”
“He did, indeed.” Erwin was still smiling. “What do you think, Captain?”
Levi mounted his horse, staring through the trees in the direction Eren had disappeared. “…Not bad.”
~~~~~
Eren couldn’t believe her luck. Shortly after she’d left the group of men behind in the forest, they’d caught up to her and just offered her a job in the castle kitchens. She’d been suspicious at first. She’d been significantly less so when the rest of the hunting party had showed up, all dressed in royal livery and all calling the shorter of the two blond men “Your Majesty.”
“Okay, Eren, that looks good for tonight! Get some rest; we’ve got that ball to prepare for after all.”
“Alright, Sasha.” Eren dried her hands and then added her apron to the pile waiting for Connie to take down to the laundry. “Uh, hey, all the food’s going out at the start, right? Do you think I’d be able to sneak up and watch the dancing once it’s out? I’ve, um, I’ve never seen anything really fancy like that before.” The last was a bald-faced lie - Eren the doctor’s daughter had been to several royal balls, but Eren the kitchen boy, as far as the chief cook knew, had not.
Sasha tilted her head, wisps of hair escaping from her ponytail. “Hm, tell ya what. I’ll let you skip on the clean-up if you take care of making the soup after so I can get out of here early.”
“The soup?”
“Yeah. Captain Levi doesn’t eat before the balls because he has to make sure the Guard is all in position, but it’s too late to have a heavy meal after it’s over so he always asks for soup. I’m going to be up before dawn tomorrow overseeing everything, so you’d be doing me a really big favor.” Sasha clapped her hands together in entreaty.
Eren laughed and agreed to the deal and then headed off to bed after shaking Sasha’s hand on it. Back in her quarters, she breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that Armin, one of the scribes and her assigned roommate, wasn't back from the library yet. It had been three weeks, and so far she'd managed to keep her identity a secret from everyone.
She'd just stripped off her tunic and removed the breast band when she heard the unmistakable creak of the door opening and a voice call out, "Thanks, Mikasa! See you tomorrow!"
Eren froze. Late, it was too late for her to dive for cover, and she slowly turned her head to meet wide blue eyes.
Said eyes flicked downward for a split second, just before the air was shattered by two simultaneous screams.
~~~~~
Eren hurried down the corridor. The kitchen had been a madhouse all day, and the last of the dishes had finally gone out with the servers. Eren had just enough time to change before the dancing started.
Armin was already waiting, with the gold dress removed from the trunk and laid out on Eren’s bed. “There’s warm water in the basin; I thought you’d probably want to wash up a little. Oh, and Mikasa brought a bottle of rosewater. I’ll wait outside until you’re finished dressing.”
Eren smiled. “Thank you.” She truly meant it; Armin and Mikasa - who had burst into the room, sword drawn, when she heard them both scream - had listened to Eren’s story when everyone had calmed down and agreed to not only keep her secret but also to help her. It had been more than Eren could have ever hoped for since arriving at the castle.
She was just finishing her make-up when Armin knocked lightly on the door. “Eren, it’s time to go. I can hear the music starting.”
“Alright.” Eren took a deep breath and turned, smoothing down the necklace against her throat. “How do I look?”
“Wow,” Armin breathed out. “You’re beautiful. If I didn’t know you were you, I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
One corner of Eren’s lips curled up. “I’m going to take that as a compliment on my disguise, then.” She held out her skirts, which gleamed in the lanterns lit around the room, and looked over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror one last time. “Do you think it’s enough to catch King Erwin’s eye?”
“I think you’ll catch a lot of people’s eyes. If not His Majesty, you’ll at least have your pick of several nobles.”
Eren shook her head. “It has to be the king.”
Armin frowned. “Do you like him?”
Eren paused. Erwin was certainly a very handsome man, but she’d barely even talked to him, apart from the encounter in the forest. She couldn’t really say if she liked him or not. She squared her shoulders and raised her head to meet Armin’s gaze. “It doesn’t matter,” she said firmly. “He’s kind, and he’s powerful enough that not even King Rod will defy him if he discovers where I’ve fled. It’s a good match.”
“If you say so.” Eren could still see a hint of doubt and concern lurking in Armin’s eyes a moment before the blond smiled and held open the door for her. “Well, you better hurry. Mikasa’s on guard duty at the ballroom doors, so you won’t have any trouble getting in. Good luck!”
~~~~~
Levi sighed and swirled around the wine in his glass, although he didn’t drink it. He was technically on duty right now, even if that duty was mostly to “stand around and look pretty” according to Mike. It wouldn’t do to be at anything less than his best if anything did happen. He probably could have set the wine down, but having it gave him an excuse to wave away any of the women that approached him for a dance.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Erwin who currently had one of those women blushing and, yes, simpering up at him from behind her fan. He shook his head and turned away, wondering how Erwin could stand having all of them constantly throwing themselves at his feet.
As he looked away, he saw the doors open and a young woman step into the room, eyes scanning around as if looking for something. Her gaze settled briefly on him before moving on, and Levi felt an eddy of recognition. A part of him felt certain that he knew her from somewhere, yet at the same time he was sure he’d never seen her before.
She glided away from the doors and through the edges of the crowd, the gold of her dress making her stand out among the jewel-toned colors of the courtiers’ gowns like a crown surrounded by flowers. She was headed for the royal dais, and Levi set down his wineglass on a passing servant’s tray as he moved to intercept her.
When he was close enough, Levi realized that it was her eyes that were familiar. They were green and bright, with hints of blue and a reflection of the warm gold of her gown. He tried to recall where he had seen them before, but he could only think of trees for some reason. Before he could follow that thread of thought, he noticed the woman was cocking her head questioningly at him, chestnut brown curls spilling over her shoulder.
Levi opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again, because blurting out 'who the hell are you?' was probably not the most tactful thing to do at a royal ball. Luckily, he was saved by the orchestra starting a new set, so instead he bowed his head and extended his hand.
She hesitated a moment, eyes glancing down at the proffered hand before going back to his face, but then she placed her hand in his and allowed Levi to lead her onto the dance floor. As he led her through the steps, he could already hear the murmuring rising up around them. As far as most of the court knew, Levi did not dance. Although a select few knew that he did indeed dance, and quite well, just not in public.
Not before now, at any rate
They danced through the set, neither of them speaking. Eventually the music came to an end, and Levi found himself still looking searchingly into the woman's face as he tried to find the right thing to say. His concentration was broken by a tap on his shoulder, and he turned, annoyed, to see Erwin smiling down at them.
"Excuse me, but I simply have to meet the woman that was finally able to tempt our grouchy Captain into a dance." Levi felt his eyebrow twitch at Erwin's description of him, but the King ignored him, all charming smiles as he raised the stranger's hand briefly to his lips. "Might I have the next dance, my lady?"
Her lips curled up into a smile. "Of course, Your Majesty." They both glanced at Levi, who bowed his head again and retreated back to the edge of the crowd.
Levi decided that now was probably a good time to make a circuit of the room and check in on his guards, but even as he performed his duty, he couldn't help but find his gaze stray to the sparkle of gold on the dance floor. Erwin was not being silent during their dance, his head bent down to quietly whisper to her. Levi watched as cherry-red lips moved in reply or pearl-white teeth flashed in laughter to something Erwin had said.
Erwin seemed to notice Levi watching them, because halfway through the dance he looked up at Levi and winked. He actually fucking winked.
Levi felt his teeth grind together.
That royal bastard was doing this on purpose.
~~~~~
After the two dances, Eren had made an excuse and slipped away from the ballroom. Armin had been waiting in a nearby unused room with her fur cloak so she could cover up the gown before she made her way back to their room to change, just in case anyone decided to follow. He stepped back out in the corridor first to give the all-clear, and a short time later Eren was back in her disguise as a boy and in the kitchens, putting together the soup as Sasha had asked.
As she stirred it, she reflected on the night. King Erwin had been perfectly charming, but something about him had felt a bit...distant to Eren. Instead, she found her thoughts turning back to Captain Levi.
She'd been a bit startled when he'd stopped her, her heart pounding faster with the thought that he might have recognized her since he'd been the closest to her in their encounter in the forest, but instead he had simply danced with her. Unlike Erwin, he'd been completely silent the entire time. But there had been something about the intensity of his gaze on her that had made her wish the dance had lasted just a little longer...
No! She wasn't here to moon over some Guard Captain, she was here to get the attention of the King!
Eren slapped herself on the cheeks, flinching when she realized she'd forgotten to take off the ring. She looked down at it sparkling on her finger and then looked at the soup bubbling in the pot over the hearth.
Captain Levi's soup.
The Captain's face flashed through her mind for an instant, seemingly expressionless but grey eyes alive with a dozen different emotions.
Before she could second guess herself, she twisted the ring off her finger and washed it in the sink. She dropped it into the waiting bowl and then ladled out the soup over it. She'd just gotten it and a small loaf of bread under a domed cover when a servant showed up to take the tray to the Captain's quarters. Eren finished cleaning, and then she headed off to bed.
She wondered if she'd even be able to get to sleep with the way her belly was twisted up in equal parts butterflies and knots.