IN WHICH ARAMINTA ATTENDS A TRIAL!
*ೃ༄
ARMS TONITE ∕ CHAPTER SEVEN

"'MINTA, SWEETIE, PASS ME THAT ONION." The soft voice of Araminta's mother dragged her out of the daydream she had been in the middle of enjoying, and into reality, which at the moment was her kitchen.

Marina and her father had gone out to pick up a pie from the bakery on the other edge of the town to have for dessert--normally they wouldn't go out of their way to get some pastry, but it was Marina's birthday so they had decided it would be worth it. While the two of them were off doing that, Araminta was helping her mother make Marina's favorite dinner.

      With a small hum, Araminta picked up the onion off of the table, waltzing over to her mom lazily before setting it up on the countertop. Her fingertips danced across the wood lazily as she watched her mother dip the knife into the vegetable. Cooking wasn't she'd ever really found interest in, she would rather do basically anything else--except for practicing her handwriting, cooking was definitely better than doing that.

       "You know, cooking is a very valuable skill." Her mother spoke, turning the onion under her fingers before making another slice. "One day, your husband will really appreciate it." She smiled down at Araminta, who fake gagged at that statement.

       "I don't want a husband, Mama. They seem like too much work." She told her mother matter-of-factly, which made the woman chuckle softly to herself. It wasn't meant to be funny, but she was a bit proud of herself for making her mom laugh.

        "Trust me, little mouse, they are a lot of work." She responded, turning up her nose as she began to thinly slice one half of the onion. "And unfortunately, your father is not the exception." She mumbled that part, but Araminta was still able to pick it up.

         "Well, then why did you even get married? Seems a bit counterproductive." She replied, picking up one of the slices to give it a sniff--and then proceeding to gag at the god awful smell. She couldn't believe that something so horribly smelling would be going in her food--she'd much rather have something with a good scent like lilacs, but unfortunately she had been informed many times before that lilacs are not edible.

         Her mother let out a sigh through her nose, the corner of her lip twitching. "Because I fell in love... And the work seemed worth it to endure." She turned, tapping her finger on the top Araminta's nose. "And one day, you will find someone who's worth it, little mouse." She swatted away her hand, scrunching her face up.

        "I don't think so. I want to grow up and stay alone till I'm an old lady, and I'll adopt some cats like Mrs. Martin." It was a plan she'd decided on a few months earlier, after she'd watched one of the boys in the neighborhood choke on a peach. "Boys are stupid, I can't imagine spending fifty years with one."

      "Well, a long as you think that will make you happy." She shrugged, moving the now diced onions into the bowl of already chopped carrots. "Get me the celery, please?" She smiled down at Araminta, who rolled her eyes before obliging and moving to the table to grab the bunch of celery.

       "You know, this is an old family recipe. According to my grandmother, she learned it from her father who was taught by his mother who lived beyond the walls." She raised her eyebrows playfully as she added the last part, her words causing Araminta to gasp loudly.

"Beyond the walls?" Her eyes grew wide, and suddenly she found herself much more interested in the conversation. "You never told me we came from outside the walls!"

"I never mentioned it? Hmm... Well, I suppose I could tell you..." Her voice drifted off as her eyes flicked down to look at Araminta, looking a bit mischievous. "A looong time ago, my great grandfather grew up in a very wealthy home in a civilization outside of the walls, a very well known family--"

"Wealthy? Well known? Why would he come in the walls and stick us in this shit hole--"

"Language, Araminta. And just be patient, I'm getting to that part." She pushed her lips together as she sliced off a branch of the celery. "Anyways, as I was saying, my great grandfather lived a very safe life in his little home. But, it was a very boring and lonely life. He was a man who longed for an interesting life, and for an adventure. So, even though it meant leaving behind everything he knew, he left the safety of his home and went out into the world to experience life. Eventually, he met a woman--a Scout, and he fell in love and lived a happy life within these walls."

         Araminta thought on the words, her eyebrows furrowed tightly together as she stared down at the floor. Honestly, she was ninety percent sure it was just some story her grandma had made up--she had been a little scrambled in the head in her later years, but it was still something interesting to think about, right? What if her family really had come from beyond the walls? If they did, and it was their fault she was stuck in this stupid cage, she was going to beat her great-great grandfather's ass if she she ever got the chance.

        "Well, it sounds like he was an idiot." Araminta said simply, dipping her hand into the ingredients bowl to snatch a small carrot slice. Her mother attempted to swat at her hand, but Araminta was too quick slipping it between her teeth. "But at least he knew how to cook."

        Before her mom had the chance to respond and scold her for eating the ingredients, the door burst open to reveal Marina and her father, who held a small basket in his hand that she assumed the pie resided in. Marina skipped into the room, her dark hair bouncing against her back as she approached the counter.

       "Mama, guess what? They gave me a free lemon tart since we told them it's my birthday!" Marina began to ramble on about her lemon tart and how delicious it was, while Araminta and her mother returned to preparing the meal.

       It was a nice night, for starters Araminta got to have some pie, which was a very rare but very welcomed occasion, and on top of that her parents hadn't fought about anything that night. Instead, they'd all been happy together, dining with one another in the glow of the lantern that sat on their table.

      It was a night that she would add to her collection of good memories.

850. AFTERMATH OF TROST

      ARAMINTA DID NOT FEEL LIKE EATING. Not after the day she'd spent wandering around Trost with the other cadets, trying to identify bodies while the horrid smell of rotting flesh intoxicated the air. Just thinking about it made her want to gag, and the bowl of soup sitting in front of her was looking less and less appetizing.

On the other hand, Sasha seemed unbothered by the sights she'd seen that day, eating up her soup like she was starving or something. Araminta watched her, nose scrunched up while her chin rested in her hand and wondered how she was able to eat so fast.

"I heard they're taking Eren to court today." Connie spoke up, leaning over on his elbows across the table.

"What? Why?" Araminta responded, furrowing her eyebrows together. It'd been a few days since she'd seen the boy in question, and according to some of the other cadets in her class (how they would have any idea, she wasn't sure), he was being held by the Military Police for crimes against the king, which was absolute bullshit in her opinion.

"I don't know for sure, but someone said they're deciding what to do with him. Like... Whether he should live or die..."

        "Who told you that?" Araminta asked in a flat voice, lifting her head from her palm to look at the boy incredulously.

      Connie held up his hands in surrender, shrugging his shoulders. "Just one of the cadets, everyone is gossiping about it like crazy. It's probably not true, right Sasha?" His green eyes flickered to the girl, who was finishing up her soup.

      "Hm? Sure, whatever. Hey, are you gonna eat that?" The brunette, who obviously hadn't been paying attention, gestured to the bowl in front of Araminta with a pleading expression.

       "Yeah, go ahead." Araminta pushed the bowl towards her friend, heaving a short sigh. "But you're right, it's probably not true, it's not like anyone in here would have any idea what's going on." Her eyes skimmed the room, looking for what exactly, she didn't know, but she didn't spot anything of significance.

"I doubt they'll kill him." Jean had been quiet for so long, Araminta had honestly forgotten he was even sitting with them. She was so startled by his voice she nearly fell off of the bench she was sitting on. He didn't seem to notice, though, his empty stare burning holes into the table.

      "You okay there, Jean?" Araminta inquired, once again bringing her chin down to rest against her palm. There were lots of people in the dining hall wearing that same sullen expression, and honestly she couldn't blame them after the things they'd seen that day.

       "'m fine." He mumbled, not even bothering to look up from the table.

       "You sure? You know you can talk to us, Jean-boy." Connie leaned over, nudging the ash-blond boy. Jean finally glanced up, shooting the two of them an angry glare that seemed to shut Connie up quick.

      "Does this have anything to do with Ma--"

      The dining hall burst open to reveal three Military Police Officers, one with a clipboard held tightly while the other two held shotguns to their side. "Mikasa Ackerman! Araminta Holm! Armin Arlert, are you present?" The one in the middle shouted, surveying the crowd of cadets.

      "Present." Araminta and Armin responded in unison from across the room, standing up so the soldier could see them. What the hell was this?

       "You three have been called to be witnesses at this afternoon's hearing." The man unknowingly answered her question, narrowing his eyes at her. Witness? Hearing? So they really were having a trial to decide what to do with Eren?  And that meant... He really might be killed...

        "Come with us." The man added, before turning to leave the room. Araminta hurriedly turned to face her friends, feeling a bit frenzied by the situation.

        "Um. I guess I will see you guys later." She blinked at Connie, Sasha and Jean, before flipping around and rushing to the exit of the dining hall.

It made sense that she would be a witness, after all of the time she'd spent around him and his Titan form, of course she would be a good witness for the case. But that didn't make the announcement feel like it caught her any less off guard. A few minutes ago she had been eating--well, not really, she hadn't eaten anything--and now she was being ushered into some fancy carriage alongside Armin and Mikasa. At least they were there, it would have been much more nerve wracking if she was just surrounded by strangers.

Apparently the Military Police Officers had brought their own carriage, leaving this one solely for the three of them. Well, the three of them and some other soldier whose job, it seemed, was to watch them and make sure they didn't do anything dangerous. Though, if Mikasa decided to jump out of the carriage or do anything wild like that, Araminta imagined the soldier wouldn't be able to do much to stop her.

"Is it true, then? They might kill Eren?" Araminta had finally spoken up after the carriage began moving, looking to the officer in hopes of him answering. He said nothing, though, eyes glued to the window. Hm. Maybe he wasn't supposed to talk about it, or maybe they'd cut out his tongue to keep him quiet. The first option was probably more likely.

"They can't kill Eren." Mikasa responded flatly, her long fingers resting on the red scarf that hung around her neck. She narrowed her eyes. "I won't let them."

"Mikasa, no matter what decision they make, you can't do anything that will get yourself hurt--" Armin began, but was quickly silenced by a sharp glare from her.

It went silent for a moment, the carriage filled only with the sound of the horse's hooves clicking against the stone pavement outside. Araminta cleared her throat, looking down to her hands that laid in her lap. "We just need to tell them what we saw... A Titan that kills Titans, and a Titan that sealed the wall. Right?"

"Yeah... I hope that's enough to convince them." Armin whispered.

"What do you think, officer? Do you think he should die?" Araminta tilted her head to get a good look at the man sitting in front of her. He could only be a few years older than them, he still looked quite young compared to the other soldiers, maybe that meant he wasn't as close minded as the others.

He didn't answer at first, eyes still trained on the glass beside him and motionless except for the occasional sway as the carriage rolled over a small bumped. But finally, his lips parted and he spoke. Unfortunately, it wasn't the answer Araminta was hoping for.

"I think he's a monster. It's stupid that they're even keeping him in this city, he's a hazard to society."

Mikasa almost jumped out of her seat, but Armin quickly grabbed onto her arms to stop her. Out of the corner of her eye, Araminta noticed him tighten his grip on the gun he held in front of him, prepared to shoot Mikasa down if she moved another muscle. This guy was a fucking idiot, as it turned out, just like every other brainwashed coward from the inner ring, she shouldn't be too surprised. Araminta narrowed her eyes, curling her fingers into tiny fists by her side.

"Did you not fucking listen to anything we just said? He killed Titans. He helped us retake Trost. Does that really sound like a monster to you you?" She snarled, nostrils flaring angrily.

He rolled his eyes. "A Titan is still a Titan, no matter what. Doesn't matter if he destroyed the wall, or killed every Titan wandering around Wall Maria. He is still the same as the rest of them."

"Yes, he's still a Titan but he's also a valuable weapon for humanity. If it wasn't for him, we would all probably be being forced into retreated within Wall Sina by now. Does that sound like a weapon you want to just toss aside?" Armin inquired, hands still held firmly on Mikasa's shoulders as he looked towards the man.

"Yeah, you should be fucking grateful that we're not overcrowding Wall Sina and stealing your food stock right now." Araminta tagged on. She couldn't believe not only that he was this stupid, but that there were hundreds of people within the walls that felt the same way as him.

"Look kids, I'm not the one you have to convince. The only opinion that matters today is Zachary's. So why don't you shut up and save your breath before I throw you all out of this carriage? Hm?" He seemed very annoyed by them, now looking at the glass as something to bash his head against so he didn't have to listen to them anymore.

Araminta wanted to argue more, she really did, but she also knew it wasn't a good idea. On top of that, he did have a point. There was no point in arguing with him and trying to change his mind, it wasn't like he was the one holding Eren's fate in his hand like a frail little bird. No, that was Zachary, apparently, whoever the hell that was.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what she would do if they chose to kill him. Would she threaten everyone to death like Mikasa, and wind up getting herself killed in the process? Or would she just stand by and watch it happen? She had no idea. So, rather than dwelling on if's, she decided the best thing she could do for now is focus on convincing them to let him live. She just wasn't sure how to do that.

THE COURTROOM WAS FILLED WITH soldiers, so many soldiers there to argue about what Eren's fate should be. The boy in question wasn't here yet, apparently he would be brought in soon to basically be interrogated, but Araminta was already feeling nervous. Her fingers were trembling and her palms had already been coated in a thin layer of sweat.

       Normally, she did not have a problem speaking in front of large groups of people. She'd done it several times in front of her fellow cadets, and been totally fine, but this was... Different.

Now, she might possibly be called on in front of a large group where literally every single person (minus Armin and Mikasa) was superior to her in some way, shape or form. Especially Zachary, who she'd learned was the commander of every military branch or something like that. He wasn't here yet either, the desk he would be sitting at currently empty.

       The door swung open loudly, almost instantaneously snatching the attention of everyone in the room. Araminta was among them, whipping her head to look at the door so hard she thought she might get whiplash. Being escorted by two soldiers with his hands cuffed behind his back was Eren, the man of the hour. It was the first time she'd seen him in a few days, and she felt relief wash over her at the sight of him alive. Now all he needed to do was stay that way.

Her eyes stayed glued to his figure as the boots of the soldiers clicked against the tiled floor, echoing against the high ceilings. The air filling the empty space of the building was tense, which in turn made Araminta incredibly tense. She had curled her small, shaking fingers into fists by her side, knuckles growing white from the pressure.

In the last week, she'd fought Titans, watched her comrades be eaten, had to stare into the lifeless eyes of the other members of her cadets class and identify their bodies, but somehow this moment was a million times more horrifying than any of that had been.

While she was distracted by watching her friend, she hadn't even noticed that Darius Zachary had entered the room, taking his seat at the front of the audience. Araminta's gaze drifted up towards him while Eren was cuffed and secured to the floor, the sound of the bar sliding against the hole in the tile nearly making her cringe. If she hadn't been under such strict orders to keep her hands in one position like everyone else in the room, she'd imagine her fingers would be curled tightly around the cool metal bar of the railing that separated her from Eren and the judge.

"Now then... Shall we begin?" Zachary's voice cut through the tense and quiet like a slick knife, reminding Araminta that this was all real. "Your name is Eren Jaeger, correct?" He didn't wait for an answer, adjusting his glasses against his nose. "You are a soldier who took an oath to protect humanity. Is this correct?"

Eren stared back at him, stunned. "...Yes."

"These are exceptional circumstances. This hearing will be a military tribunal where ordinary laws do not apply. I have been given authority to make all the judgements." He read off the paper in his hand, looking a little bit... Bored. How could he be bored right now, reading off some stupid paper while Araminta's nerves were on fire, and a boy's life was on the line? "This trial will decide whether you live... Or die. Any objections?"

Yeah, no shit there were objections, especially on Araminta's behalf! However, she kept her mouth shut, it wouldn't do any good to start cussing out the judge.

"No." Eren responded, lowering his head.

"You catch on quickly. That will be helpful. Let me get right to the point--" His voice faded away from Araminta's attention as there was movement in one of the balconies above her, eyes leaping up to see Hange and another scout she didn't recognize. Hange seemed to notice Araminta's eyes on them, glancing down at her before giving a short nod. They must had been with Eren moments before the trial started, otherwise they wouldn't have arrived late, right?

"...I will decide which regiment's custody to place you under. The Military Police... Or the Scout Regiment."

The Military Police, a group full of idiots like the stupid guy that fought with them on the way here, or in other words, a group full of Jeans. She doubted any of them had ever even seen a Titan before, and here they were arguing for a chance to murder Eren simply because they didn't understand his existence. Her mother would not be happy with the names she wanted to call them.

"First, the Military Police will give their proposal."

"Yes. I, Nile Dawk, commander of the Military Police, will be giving our proposal today, Sir." The man called Nile spoke up, taking a small step forward to distinguish himself from the others. "We believe that after a thorough dissection and examination of Jaeger's body, he should be executed immediately."

From beside Araminta, she heard a sharp breath from Mikasa, knowing exactly how she was feeling since she felt the same way. Dissection... Execution... She was horrified to imagine a future where that happened. Not only because Eren was a very near and dear friend to her, but he was also the only one who could truly help her answer her question on the origins of Titans. The only one who could serve a true symbol of hope for humanity.

        "Granted, it is true that his Titan abilities allowed us to fend off this attack... However, his existence alone is causing ripples that could lead to internal strife. So, we should at least get as much information  as possible out of him before we turn him into a martyr for those who died in battle."

       "That won't be necessary!" The man who stood beside Nile suddenly called out, jutting a finger towards Eren. He wore a familiar robe, the one she believed belonged to those who worshipped the wall. Araminta internally rolled her eyes, preparing herself for whatever nonsense he was about to spew. "He is a vermin who tricked us in order to get past the wall, which was given to us by God's great wisdom! We should kill him right now!" If this guy was allowed to go off like this without being given permission, Araminta wondered if she could do the same and get away with it.

        "Pastor Nick..." Nile spoke slowly, his lip curled in annoyance. "Remain quiet, please." The Pastors shot him an angry look, before nodding and lowering his head. His actions were reminiscent of when Marina would throw a fit over not getting her way when they were younger.

       Zachary cleared his throat, leaning forward in his chair against his elbows. "Thank you, Commander Nile. Next, I wish to hear from the Scout Regiment."

        "Yes, Sir." Araminta peered over her shoulder to find the source of the voice, realizing very quickly that it was Erwin Smith of the Scouts. She had met him very briefly back in Trost, after an excitable introduction from Hange, otherwise she might not have recognized him. "I, Erwin Smith, 13th commander of the Scout Regiment, will be presenting the proposal."

        "Very well..."

        "We of the Scout Regiment wish to induct Eren Jaeger as a full-fledged member, and use his Titan abilities to reclaim Wall Maria..." He paused, blue eyes trained on Eren. "That is all."

The room fell silent. What? Eren's life was literally on the line, and that was all he had to say? Hange had been right before, he really was a man of few words.

"Hmm? Is that it?" Zachary asked, his thick eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at the commander.

"Yes. With his powers, we can reclaim Wall Maria. We feel it is clear what our priorities should be." Erwin replied, lifting his chin upwards. It made sense, Araminta guessed. There was no point in trying to smooth talk the judge, all he needed to know was their plan.

"I see. Might I ask where you would start in order to accomplish this goal? Pyxis, wasn't the wall in Trost District completely sealed?"

"Yes. The gate will never open or close again." Pyxis, who Araminta didn't even know was present, spoke up in response to the question.

"We hope to start out from the Karanes District in
the East. And from there, proceed to Shiganshina. We will work our way along a new route that we will create from scratch--"

"Just a minute! This time, shouldn't we seal off every single gate? The Colossal Titan is only able to destroy the gate portion!" A man shouted out. "If we reinforce those areas, we won't ever be attacked again!"

"Shut up, you merchant dog! If we use his Titan power, we can return to Wall Maria!"

"We've had enough of you people playing hero!"

"You sure talk a lot for a fat pig." A familiar, low voice muttered behind Araminta, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Captain Levi. She couldn't help but agree with him, biting back a giggle at his words. It sounded exactly like something she would say. "What guarantee do we have that the Titans will wait for us while we seal and reinforce the gates? When you say 'we', you're talking about the friends you're protecting so you can continue to get fat. You pigs don't even notice the people who are struggling to eat because there isn't enough land."

Araminta made a mental note to tell Captain Levi how cool he was later.

"We're simply saying that if the gates were sealed, we'll all be spared."

"Stop it, you sacrilegious scoundrel! You would dare lay hands on Wall Rose, a gift from God Himself?!" Pastor Nick was yelling again, and even though she agreed the merchant pig as Levi had called him was spewing fucking nonsense, she rolled her eyes at his words anyway.

"They're the reason it took so long..." Armin's soft voice caught Araminta off guard, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. "...to mount weapons onto the wall."

      "But they have the support and influence. So they're dangerous." Rico spoke quietly, and Araminta nodded.

      "Yeah, influential and fucking delusional. Dangerous combination." She muttered in response, narrowing her amber eyes at the Pastor in question, who was still arguing with the merchant. Rico let out a soft laugh, quiet enough it could be disguised as a small huff.

        There were some loud taps, and Araminta turned her attention to the source of the sound to see Zachary smacking his palm against the wooden surface before him. "Order! You can take personal arguments elsewhere!" He scolded, and it was very clear his gaze was pointed at the Pastor and merchant man. "Jaeger, I want to know... Can you, as a soldier, continue to help mankind by using your Titan powers?"

        "Yes! I can!" Eren nodded quickly.

        "Oh? But according to this report from the attack on Trost, you swung your fist at Mikasa Ackerman after turning into a Titan."

        Eren gasped, whipping his head to the side to look at Mikasa in surprise. Araminta swallowed. "He... He doesn't remember." She whispered to Armin, who nodded silently in response. He didn't remember losing control and attempting to kill Mikasa.

         "What, you think I should have lied in my report?" Rico hissed, and Araminta didn't have to look to know Mikasa was giving the blonde a death glare. "Hiding that wouldn't be beneficial for humankind."

        "Who is Mikasa Ackerman?" Zachary asked.

       "That would be me." Mikasa responded quickly, turning her deadly glare upon the old man.

       "So you are. Is it true that while in Titan form, Eren Jaeger attacked you?"

        Mikasa sucked in a breath, turning her head to look at Eren who was still staring at her in shock. "Lying isn't going to help him." Rico advised beside her.

       The dark haired girl stayed quiet for a moment, as if she was mulling over her options in her head. "Yes. It's true." She finally spoke, looking down at her feet. With that answer, conversation erupted among the audience, and Araminta managed to catch snippets of what they were saying.

       Monster.

       Kill him.

       Her stomach churned.

       "A Titan's a Titan, after all." One of the merchants muttered, and by that point Araminta'd had enough. 

       "Shut the fuck up, you fat pig. I bet you've never even seen a Titan, you don't even know what you're talking about." She sneered, which earned gasps from everyone around her.

        "Araminta!" Armin hissed, grabbing onto her wrist in hopes of shutting her down. The merchant gaped at her, before his face contorted and his skin turned bright red in anger. If he didn't look like a pig before, he definitely did now.

       "However," Mikasa spoke loudly, so everyone turned their attention towards her and thankfully ignored Araminta's remark, "two times prior to that, Eren saved my life while in his Titan form! The first time, just as I was nearly captured by a Titan, Eren stood in its way to protect me. And the second, he protected Armin, Araminta and I from being blown to bits by an artillery shell. I urge you to take these facts into consideration."

        "Hey, hang on!" The familiar voice of Nile, god Araminta hated that guy, rang out through the courtroom. "Your testimony, Ackerman, contains an abundance of personal feelings. You should know, Sir, that Mikasa Ackerman lost both of her parents at a young age, and was taken in by the Jaeger family. On top of that, our investigation revealed she and Jaeger stabbed and killed three men at the ripe age of nine years old. And while it may have been in self defense, it can't help but make us question his humanity. Is it really smart to entrust a murderer with the sake of humanity?"

Araminta's blood was boiling. She reached up, wrapping her fingers around the bar around her and tightening her grip, she was about two seconds away from leaping over the edge and punching Nile in the face. "Cowards. They're all a bunch of cowards." She seethed through her gritted teeth, her jaw clenched tightly.

"...And her too! Who knows if she's actually human?!" The same Pig Man had his fat, sausage finger pointed at Mikasa.

It took every ounce of her strength not to yell at them, and call them names. If Mikasa and Eren were monsters, they might as well lump Araminta in with them. Beside her, she could sense Mikasa's fear, releasing her grasp on the bar with one hand and instead putting it comfortingly on her shoulder. No, Mikasa didn't deserve this, to have fingers pointed at her and being threatened to be dissected.

"And their friend, too! She's as nasty as the two of them, calling me names! Let's dissect her too!" Pig Man added on, shifting his point to Araminta. Her eyes widened in bewilderment. What?! Because she called him fat, that meant she needed to be dissected?!

"You're a fucking moron! All that food clog up your brain?" She snapped back in response, which was definitely just proving their point but at this point she didn't care. If they were able to sit and hurl accusations at her, why couldn't she do the same?

"Araminta, shut up!" Rico snapped in a low voice, reaching her foot around to kick her in the shin. "You're just making things worse!" And though the young girl hated to admit it, Rico was right. So she let her other hand fall down to her side, sucking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. God, if Shadis had seen what she just did, she would be running laps or doing push-ups until she literally died from exhaustion.

"Stop it! Go ahead and call me a monster, go ahead and threaten to kill me, but leave them out of this! They aren't involved at all!" Eren suddenly shouted, pulling at his cuffs while looking at Pig Man.

"We have no reason to believe you!"

"It's a fact!"

"The only fact is the way you're covering them is proving you're working together!"

He was defending them? Speaking out of term, risking throwing this entire trial so it wasn't in his favor, just to defend them? A strange feeling spread through her chest--gratitude? Pride? Amazement? She had no idea what it was, but it made her skin grow hot and her lungs felt low on air.

From there, the words he was spewing began to fade away, and Araminta became lost in her own thoughts. She was the one who was supposed to be defending him, not the other way around. She was supposed to be stopping him from being executed. Yet here he was, probably making the worst possible decision he could make in this situation, all for her and Mikasa. He was a good friend, he really was. She couldn't ask for anyone more loyal than him.

The yelling stopped, and the next thing she knew there was a gun pointed directly at Eren's head. Oh God, he had done it now. This was it. He was going to die. All of her stupid arguing had proved to be useless, and he was going to die. He hadn't even gotten to be a Scout, or bear the Wings of Freedom, or go beyond the wall. They were going to kill him here and now, all because he had chosen to defend himself and his friends. What a stupid reason to die.

Or maybe he wouldn't die. At least not by gunfire.

Araminta hadn't even noticed that Captain Levi had moved from his spot next to Commander Erwin (maybe it was because of how small he was), but she did notice him now standing in front of Eren and swinging his foot directly into Eren's face. A bloodied tooth skipped across the ground, mirroring the skip of her heart. What the hell was he doing?

Another kick, to the stomach this time. And then another. And another. And another over and over again until it seemed he had kicked the life out of Eren. What the fuck? Okay, maybe she wouldn't tell Captain Levi how cool he was. After all, he might just fucking kick her in the face.

"Why is he--" Armin whimpered, to which she responded with a harsh tap on the arm to shut him up. It hurt to watch, it really did, but she knew Captain Levi wasn't a psychopath. Well, okay, she hoped he wasn't a psychopath. There was a reason he was kicking the shit out of the boy who's life he was trying to preserve. Knowing that didn't make her want to punch him in the face any less, though.

"This is just my personal philosophy..." He finally spoke, with his foot pressed down on the back of Eren's head. "...But I believe pain to be the most effective form of punishment. What you need right now, Eren, cannot be taught using words. Only action." With that, he kicked Eren a few more times for good measure, while the room stayed silent except for his grunts of pain.

Araminta cringed.

"Levi... Stop, what if he gets mad and turns into a Titan?" Nile asked.

"What are you talking about? Weren't you just saying you were going to dissect this kid? I heard that in his Titan form, he killed at least 20 Titans before exhausting himself. If he's an enemy, he would be extremely troublesome. But, he isn't my enemy. What about you people? All of you persecuting him right now should stop and think about that. Can you really kill this guy?"

         Oh, Araminta understood what was going on now. If Levi could get Eren under control now, surely he would be able to do it later too, right? Even if he was in Titan form, based on what she had seen of Levi, she had no doubt he would be able to take Eren down--which was a bit of an uneasy thought, but it was better than seeing him murdered now by a bunch of Military Police pigs.

The trial went on a bit longer, where Erwin continued to make their case and promised a trial mission to test Eren's abilities, and finally the Commander-in-Chief gave in, turning Eren over to the Scouts. Honestly, she was a little bit jealous that he got to join earlier than everyone else, but it was understandable. He brought forth special cards to the table that no one else could, right now he was probably the most powerful person amongst the military.

They didn't give them a chance to say goodbye to him, quickly escorting him out of the room to do God knows what, with his busted open face craned around his shoulder to try and look at the three of them. Araminta had lifted her fingers, giving him a small wave before he disappeared out the doors. It was the last time she would see him for a few weeks, but that was fine, she was still going to see him eventually nonetheless.

"Araminta, you're still joining the Scouts, right?" Armin had asked her while the three of them were walking back to the carriage that had brought them there. They had been quiet most of the walk, lost in their own thoughts as they processed everything that had just happened, until Armin had broken the silence.

"Hmm? Yeah, I am." She had nodded in response, a bit confused as to why he was asking as if he didn't already know the answer.

"Good. I'm sure Eren will be--" He stopped, eyes growing wide as he looked to Mikasa who was shaking her head at him. Araminta narrowed her eyes, wondering what the hell they were acting so weird for. But honestly, they were always being a little bit weird, so she brushed it off as something normal.

"I'm joining the Scouts too. It'll be nice to have another familiar face there." Mikasa added on, coming to a stop as the three of them reached their designated carriage where their same escort from before was waiting for them.

"Congratulations, brats. It seems you got the outcome you wanted." He spoke flatly, eyes narrowed at them before opening the carriage door. "Now get in, let's get you back to your other brat friends."

araminta is just soooo levihan's daughter.
she's so goofy and crazy in this chapter
i love my little firecracker. also... this is
the last time we will see eren for a couple
if chapters 😭😭 rip my prince we will
see you soon......