.˜"*°• L I T T L E M O N S T E R •°*"˜.

Erwin had been right. The news of the King's assassination and the destruction of the gate had spread throughout the walls within a few days. Even though the palace was yet to make a formal announcement on the subject, people had already put two-and-two together that the murder was most likely linked with the gate.

The Scouts remained at the HQ within wall Maria, the appropriate changes being made to turn it into a permanent base. Their mission may be over but the work was only just beginning for the Scouting Regiment. They would be working closely with those from other regiments in order to clean up the city of Delegade and restore it to it's previous state so that people could return home.

Spirits remained low within the Scouts. So many people had been lost during the mission that even smiling now felt wrong. Missy hadn't been present when Levi had informed Zero of Arro's death, but the black-haired squad leaders absence within the halls was enough for Missy to guess that he had most likely returned home to his family. Missy felt a twang of guilt in her chest every time she thought about the two Gillard brothers. They had been close, Missy could tell even after only knowing them a day. They were nothing like herself and her siblings, who's bonds were practically non-existent.

After ushering her out of Erwin's office that day and ordering her to go and find her friends, Missy hadn't seen much of Levi. Missy wasn't surprised that he had also been absent around headquarters, seeing as there was a group of malicious mass murderers on the loose within the walls and he was the Commanders right-hand man.

Her fingers threaded through the green grass beneath her as she silently listened to Connie, Eren, Jean and Armin play their game of cards. They'd chosen to sit and relax outside in the sun on their day off, although not a lot of relaxing was getting done with Jean and Eren's constant bickering. Missy sighed through her nose, her eyes fluttering shut as she enjoyed the feel of Historia's hands combing through her hair, plaiting it into a loose braid which ran down to her hips.

"Your hair is so long now," She smiled, weaving a few freshly plucked daisies into her braid.

"Mhm," Artemis hummed back lazily.

"You need to cut it," Eren stated bluntly, his eyes glued to the cards in his hands.

"Says you, Rapunzel," Missy scoffed, opening one eye to glare at the boy. "I'm surprised you've not started braiding yours".

"Ha-ha," He rolled his eyes. "At least I don't accidentally sit on mine whenever I sit down".

"He's right, you did do that yesterday," Armin chuckled, before placing a card down in front of Eren that made him growl.

"She's too stubborn to cut it," Jean declared, leaning his chin on his hand as he smirked at the girl. "She knows that's exactly what the Captain wants".

"Me not wanting to cut my hair has nothing to do with the Captain," Missy snapped. "Stop making shit up".

"So why do you get so defensive when I say that?" Jean teased, as Missy made to lunge at him but was held back by Historia's hands on her shoulders.

"Speaking of the Captain," Ymir said, nodding her head towards the HQ building.

Missy turned to see Levi walking towards the main doors, listening intently to whatever Erwin was saying beside him. Levi's eyes flickered over to the group of Scouts on the field, before averting his attention back to the Commander.

"I wonder why the Prince has turned up in Maria so unexpectedly," Erwin mumbled thoughtfully. "If he had gained any further knowledge on the assassination, surely he would've called me back to the Palace to discuss it with the other Commanders".

"Beats me," Levi replied, paired with a bored expression. "I'm not even sure why he's requested that I join this meeting".

They rounded a corner and the large, double doors of the meeting room came into view. The first thing he had noticed were the Military Police officers stationed outside on either side of the entrance. Levi knew for a fact that Hera and Achilles Rhydduch were usually stationed at this door during the day. The MPs opened the door to allow them through, and Levi's eyes immediately discovered three men sat around the meeting table.

He immediately recognized Prince Thomas sat between the two other men. His dark, auburn hair fell loosely over his shoulders and his glittering, gold crown was perched atop his head. Erwin and Levi bowed politely before sitting down opposite the men. The man to the right of the Prince was a short, stocky man with thinning, brown hair and circular glasses. Levi didn't recognize him from his few visits to the palace, and found his curiosity growing as the Prince opened his mouth to speak.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today, I know it's a trivial time for everyone with everything that's been going on within the walls lately," Thomas started with a soft smile. "We just have a few matters we would like to discuss with you".

As Erwin exchanged some more words with the Prince, Levi's attention shifted to the third man. His breath hitched in his throat and his eyes widened by a fraction as he locked eyes with those of Alec Rhydduch.

No, Levi thought to himself, his fists clenching beneath the table as he desperately tried to keep the shock from showing on his face, what is he doing here?

Alec Rhydduch sat on the Prince's left side, his built stature towering the other men around the table. It was clear that the navy blue eyes and dark brown hair that the Rhydduch children had inherited had been thanks to their father. Levi took note of the same silver, swirls and specs that he saw within Artemis' eyes. Levi bit back a snarl as Alec tilted his head slightly, his mouth curling into a hateful smirk.

Fucking bastard, Levi thought, he's got some nerve showing up here after hiding away in Turk for the past decade.

"Long time no see, Ackerman," Alec spoke, his gruff voice like poison in Levi's ears. "You've not changed a bit, I see".

Levi remained silent, the air around him becoming so thick that he felt his throat constrict. His fingers twitched at his sides, as if instinctively searching for the blades at his waist.

The Prince glanced between the two, before a look of realization lit up his face. "Oh! I forgot the two of you are already acquainted".

"Acquainted indeed," Alec snarled, tapping his fingers against the top of the table. "Glad the Commander was able to tie a leash on you in the end. I was worried that you might live and die as a damned underground sewer rat".

Levi fought back the urge to smirk. "Don't tell me you're still mad at me for busting that ankle of yours, Alec"

"Mad at you?" Alec chuckled darkly, leaning forward in his chair as he sized Levi up with an amused look. "I'll admit I was angry at first. I dream't of the day I'd see you again to drive my blades straight through that cocky little skull of yours. However, an early retirement turned out to not be so bad after all. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been able to dedicate the last decade of my life to training those insolent twins of mine".

Levi's jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth together so hard they might've shattered. Erwin furrowed his eyebrows, watching Levi out of the corner of his eye, ready to stop him if he decided to pounce.

"Can't say it had much effect on that damned boy, but not even you could deny that Artemis has turned into quite the war machine. I heard she was the only one out of her Squad to survive your last mission. I'd love to take all the credit for that, but I guess she has you to thank too for the amount of time her dear dad could spend on building her into the little monster she is now".

Levi saw Erwin slide his hand towards him on the table a few centimetres, a silent plea to not react. Levi breathed in through his nose, closing his eyes for a split second before opening them again and relaxing his face. His jaw thanked him.

"On the contrary I think I'll take all the credit," Levi spoke coolly. "For both twins, in fact. They were merely satisfactory soldiers when they first joined the cadets. They're now two of the strongest soldiers that the regiment has ever seen. Although, that's what happens when you train a person effectively, without beating the shi-".

"Levi," Erwin warned, his voice thick with authority. He didn't disagree with anything Levi had said, but he would rather his best Captain not be arrested for slaughtering a man at a meeting table. No matter how better off the world would be without Alec Rhydduch.

"Now, now," Prince Thomas said, holding his hand up to Alec. "Let's try to get along, we have a lot to discuss after all".

Erwin cleared his throat, resting his hands on the table as he shifted his chair closer. "And what is it you would like to discuss, your highness?".

Thomas nodded, his smile faltering as he opened his mouth to speak. "As you are aware by now, the destruction of the outer gate within Delegade was only a mere distraction to turn our heads away as the assassination of my father was undertaken. The fact that this mere distraction cost hundreds of people their lives is not something we can treat lightly, the people behind this clearly have no regard for the lives of innocent people. Their main goal may have been the downfall of the King, but they had no remorse for the amount of people that they killed in order to achieve this goal".

"Do you have proof that the two incident's are linked?" Erwin asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"We do. It seems an organization has been forming behind closed doors. One of them was indeed one of the Garrison members we arrested when the gate was first destroyed. He has come forward, after some persuasion, and admitted this to us. Unfortunately, he refused to give us any other answers. He told us nothing about the organization behind this, just that it exists. He also did not let on to any future plans that this organization may have. At this time, we have no idea whether the organization has achieved their overall plan, or whether this was only the start and that their next attack may be just around the corner".

Levi shifted in his seat, the bubbling anger caused by Alec now settling down into a simmer as he listened intently to the Prince's words.

"As expected of me, my coronation will be held within the next couple of weeks, and I shall become the next King of Paradis," Thomas explained, motioning to the crown on top of his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't prepared for this commitment so soon. I'd barely begun training to fill my fathers shoes when he was killed so with this new threat lurking within the walls, I cannot guarantee my own safety, or the safety of the civilians trapped here with the threat. This is why I have made the decision to reinstate the Duo guard to the throne".

Levi stared blankly at the Prince as his brain tried to process the words he had just heard. A beat of silence passed, and Levi was more than grateful when Erwin spoke up instead.

"Just until the threat is revealed, or is this a permanent change?".

Bringing the Ackermans and Rhydduchs back to the throne would mean setting them back hundreds of years. It would reopen old wounds that the families had spent centuries healing from, as well as stripping them of their human rights and shoving them back into old chains. Most of all, it mean't that Alec Rhydduch would be getting exactly what he had wanted all this time.

Levi forced his gaze towards the large man, noting the smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he examined his scarred hands on the table.

"A permanent change," Thomas replied quietly. "I've met with all the Palace governors to discuss the technicalities of it all. It was cast to a vote in the end, and the majority won".

"And what about the rules?" Levi spoke, his tone cold and snappy.

"The rules will be put back in place," Alec interrupted, the corner of his lip lifting in amusement at Levi's obvious displeasure at the news. "All four of them".

Levi struggled to keep his usual stoic expression as his blood ran ice cold in his veins. That would mean members of both families would have to marry by 25, vow to produce at least two children for the bloodlines, and then throw those children into the same training Alec had been replicating all this time.

He thought back to Artemis and the shadows of her inhumane upbringing that could be seen festering behind those silvery, blue eyes of hers. Now her nightmare would never end.

"Have you come to collect Levi for the Right guard?" Erwin asked, his expression calm but his words flecked with something almost deadly.

"No," Thomas shook his head. "Achilles Rhydduch will be taking place of the Left guard after the coronation, and Kenny Ackerman has already been summoned to the Palace to take the place of Right".

"Kenny over Levi?" Erwin questioned. "I thought Levi would have been the obvious choice if protection is what you seek".

"There are only three Ackermans left in existence," Thomas replied with a frown. "Kenny, Levi and Mikasa. As much as I agree that Levi would be best suited in the Duo guard, we may have a different task for him".

"A different task?" Levi repeated, not even trying to hide the scowl on his face.

"This is Florian Brockhurst," The Prince introduced, finally motioning to the plump man beside him. "He is one of our best scientists in the Capitol. His life's work has been dedicated to the blood curses that Ackermans and Rhydduchs share, as well as being President for Titan research".

Florian waved awkwardly, half-smiling at the men in front of him. "Thank you for taking the time to see me today. I understand you're probably confused as to what my purpose is here in this meeting so I'd love to explain it to you".

Levi bit back a scoff, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

"My two main passions in life as a scientist have always been Titans and of course, your two families," He began, motioning between Levi and Alec. "I've studied every aspect of the gifts given to you by our Goddess Ymir, and have long awaited the day that your families returned to stand beside the King. Among my years of research I have tested the DNA of both of your families, noticing quite a few differences in how your DNA is made up in comparison to a normal human being. I won't go into it with you, it's just a lot of difficult, science-y words that you probably wouldn't understand. However, exactly one year ago I proceeded to run tests on the combination of the DNA between both of your families, and to tell you that the results were astounding would be an understatement".

Levi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, watching as Florian placed a series of documents on the table and spread them out. From what Levi could see, there was a lot of writing and labelled diagrams. He didn't care to read either.

"These results showed us that when you're DNA is mixed together, it creates something truly superhuman. The gifts given to you by our blessed Ymir would be nothing compared to the power a human would have if they possessed the blood of both families. Someone like this could be the key to our survival, and the complete eradication of Titans".

Levi and Erwin shared a look, curious, yet confused.

"So you want to mix the DNA of both families?" Erwin asked. "How do you suppose we achieve such a thing?".

"A child must be born," Florian explained. "A child with a parent from both families".

"Woah," Levi chuckled darkly, standing from his chair. "Is this some kind of sick joke?".

"Sit down," Alec spat under a growl. "Every single person within these giant walls deserves the freedom of the outside world. You are being given the opportunity to be a key factor in making that happen, so before you stalk off in a selfish fit, sit down and listen to what needs to be said".

Silence filled the air as Levi and Alec stared each other down.

"It's not something we would ask of you if we weren't sure it would be beneficial to the cause, Mr Ackerman," Florian explained, gathering his papers back up with slightly shaking hands. "I've put a lot of work into this theory, and after relaying my findings to the Prince, he agrees it's worth the shot".

"What I'm understanding from the bullshit leaving your mouth right now, is that you want me to put a baby in one of his daughters," Levi ground out through gritted teeth, jerking his head towards Alec. "Not gonna happen".

"It doesn't have to be you," Alec replied, catching Levi's attention. "If you refuse, we will turn to Mikasa Ackerman. She could marry one of my sons. The outcome would still be the same either way".

"Mikasa?" Levi asked breathlessly. "You'd make a nineteen-year-old go through with this?".

"The choice is yours," Alec shrugged, his eyes boring into Levi's. "I'll remind you though, that if you deny your participation in this experiment, you'll be going against the word of the King. That's worthy of a few years behind bars, Levi".

Levi's jaw tightened as he clenched his fists together so hard he was sure he was drawing blood from his palms.

"So you want Levi to decide whether it'll be him or Mikasa participating in this?" Erwin asked, fingertips tapping on the table. "I'm guessing that marriage will be required".

"Marriage will be required yes," Alec replied. "I won't have any of my children having babies out of wedlock, that was my second request".

"Second? What was your first?" Erwin asked, raising an eyebrow at the man.

"That I get to choose which daughter I put forward if Levi agrees," He shrugged, waving a scarred hand in Levi's direction. "It's bad enough already that I have to let him put his hands on one of my girls, so it's only fair that I get to choose which it is".

Levi couldn't believe his ears. He knew that the four laws being reinstated meant he would have to marry soon anyway, but to have it shoved upon him like this was disgusting. The Rhydduch children had been through enough already, and the Ackermans hadn't exactly had it easy either after being hunted to near extinction thanks to Thomas's grandfather. Forcing this upon them was evil. However, Levi was Levi, meaning there was no way he would allow Mikasa to become part of this stupid situation. She would still be bound by the four rules, but he would be able to buy her a few more years of freedom. She would have the chance to marry for love, not for the sake of humanity.

"I'll do it," Levi spat, his eyes burning holes into the table before of him. He was afraid that if he looked up, the tether would finally snap, and he would massacre all three of the men that had just decided to take away his freedom. "Just leave Mikasa out of it".

"Wonderful!" Thomas beamed, clapping his hands once again as Florian let out a sigh of relief. "What a noble thing you are doing for Paradis, Mr Ackerman, your duty to this cause will be honored for years to come".

Levi bit back a scoff, his body rigid with anger that so desperately wanted to be unleashed.

"Alec will be given some time to come to a decision as to which daughter he would like to volunteer for this, and then we will put together another meeting with both families to explain not only the experiment, but the news of the Duo guard too," Thomas explained.

"Whilst I make my decision, I would prefer if this entire conversation was kept secret from anyone outside of this room," Alec requested, leaning back in his chair with an expression that melted the ice in Levi's veins and replaced it with burning flames. "I'm sure all three of my daughters are focused on their work, and I wouldn't want them to hear through a grapevine. Hera, Circe, and Artemis need to be kept in the dark for the time being, as well as their brothers".

Levi's head snapped up at that, praying that he had misheard. "Did you just say Artemis?".

Something shifted in Alec's expression as he observed Levi's reaction. "Yes, of course. Artemis is one of my daughters after all".

"She's nineteen!" Levi yelled. "Which is the exact reason I didn't want Mikasa involved!".

"She's above legal age," Alec said, waving a hand dismissively. "She's not the little sixteen year old girl you met three years ago, Captain. She's a woman now, but I'm sure you're already well aware of that".

Levi's blood boiled beneath his skin.

This cannot be happening, he thought to himself as the three men stood, ready to take their leave.

But there was no escaping it, Levi's fate had been decided for him. It had been decided before he'd even entered the room.