Chapter Text
The heavy flail landed across Eren's back, making him grunt and grit his teeth, the chains restraining him rattling as his body swung under the blow. Blood and sweat trickled into his gleaming golden eyes undimmed by the pain.
“You fucking monster,” his captor said, breathing heavily. “Did you feel that? Should I do it again?” He did it again. Eren concentrated on breathing.
This man was the king's- well, a king's torturer, and he approached his job with a kind of weary professionalism enlivened only by the genuine hate he had of Eren's golden eyes.
“You,” he said, prodding Eren's neck with the flail, forcing his head up. “Are not the first Witcher I've had to deal with in this dungeon. So much extra fucking work taking you mutants apart. It's exhausting.”
“Don't let me keep you from having a break,” Eren gritted out.
“Still mouthy, huh? You really think your friends will spring you?”
“I know they will. And they're nice enough to let you live if you keep out of their way while they do it.”
This time he didn't bother with the flail, he clobbered him with his big, meaty fist and Eren's ears rang and he tasted blood.
“Now look what you did.”
The torturer stalked off, tossing the flail on a nearby table. Eren sagged in the chains, catching his breath, hoping the pain would subside.
“And the worst of it is,” the torturer spoke, taking a long drink. “It's all a fucking waste. His Majesty is not interested in a single thing you have to say. I'm just killing time until your execution. Soon I hope; I'm sick of looking at you, sick of listening to you.”
Eren was tempted to make another smart remark, but as bold a front as he was keeping up, he didn't want to antagonise the man and face another lashing. The king had ordered he remain recognisable, and so the more exotic torture devices remained on the walls of this hellish place.
The torturer grumbled and ate off the tray sitting on the table and Eren closed his eyes and wished that his friends would hurry. They had to know where he was; Levi's elven Scoia'tael scouts had eyes everywhere in the forest, and surely one of the Templars would have thought to report the news to Erwin.
He doubted they were getting along, even with a common purpose, but the thought of them made him smile, his bloodied skin pulling slightly.
They'd come for him.
The sound of boots on stone had him opening his eyes in time to see the torturer getting to his feet after his meal.
“Well, can't let them think I'm going easy on you.”
Eren sighed, resigned.
“You're bored? Am I boring you? Still expecting your friends?” The torturer grinned, showing off a mouth full of broken teeth. “I don't think you've realised yet but if we don't want information, there's only one fucking reason we're keeping you alive.”
Eren lifted his head.
“Your friends are walking into a trap.”
Eren stared into the torturer's eyes, and his fingers twitched.
**
Levi carefully stepped through the bracken, arrow notched, watching his feet for the hidden grate that was supposed to be around here. A short distance away he could hear the Templar crashing through the undergrowth on the same quest, and if it weren't for the fact that he would draw any unwanted attention before they even guessed Levi was there, he would have put a blade through his neck just to shut him up.
He didn't like Erwin. Well, he hated most Humans, and Templars especially; Eren didn't really count as Human in his eyes. Eren was a Witcher, Human once maybe but treated just as badly by Humans now as Elves and Dwarves; worse even, because they feared him.
But Erwin had risked both his position and his life to help Eren in the past, and when he'd come looking for Levi, standing at the edge of the forest and bellowing into bemused elven ears, Levi had reluctantly agreed to let him help.
Levi felt metal under his soft leather boot and he stooped and checked to make sure this was the entrance to the old sewers they were looking for. He made a few bird calls to try and get Erwin's attention, but the big, round-eared moron presumably thought they were actual birds and didn't react. Eventually Levi buried an arrow in a tree next to his head and beckoned him over when he looked up.
Erwin braced himself and heaved, gritting his teeth as he pulled up the heavy, rusted grate. As soon as he could get a grip on the edge, Levi couched down and helped and the two of them shifted it with as little noise as possible.
Levi wrinkled his nose as he stared down into the dark. It smelled pretty bad.
“I'll go first,” Erwin said. Levi didn't argue.
He lowered himself down by his hands and dropped, and Levi heard the splash of water when he landed.
“It's about ten feet,” he called up. Levi didn't bother climbing in, he lithely dropped through the hole and landed crouched.
“I wonder if there is anything living down here,” Erwin said, lighting a torch.
“Count on it. Remember where we are. We need to come up under the castle dungeon.”
They came across alligators and a couple of shambling undead before they found the door leading to what they hoped was the castle dungeon. Levi hung back in the shadows while Erwin forged ahead, sword in hand. They found themselves in a large underground chamber.
“This is a chapel,” Erwin said, his voice echoing. “An abandoned one, probably. I wonder why it's here.”
Levi couldn't care less.
They were halfway down the length of the chapel when Levi heard a noise, and he dived down between two rows of pews just as the King's men stepped out of the alcoves lining the chapel. Arrows thudded into the wood around him and pinged off Erwin's shield. He'd dropped the torch to defend himself and the low flame made the shadows rise up around them.
Levi let his arrows fly, while Erwin swung his sword, but they had nowhere clear to go, pinned down in the middle of the room, only the aging pews for cover, whereas their attackers could duck into alcoves to avoid Levi's barbed arrows.
“We have to go forward!” Erwin said over the noise.
Levi knew that; they needed Eren, but they'd be walking right into the entire castle on high alert. Even Scoia'tael would think twice about infiltrating such a place, and with Erwin along, stealth was out of the question anyway.
He wasn't sure he'd want to leave Erwin behind by this point anyway. He appreciated the way the big Human put himself between Levi and their attackers so he could poison his arrows.
A guard ran at Erwin and he blocked and cut him down, even as an arrow landed in his relatively unprotected side.
“Shit.” He stumbled, but stayed standing. Levi made sure the archer died but this wasn't looking good. Erwin couldn't protect him forever and he didn't have unlimited arrows, or a forest to escape in.
Eren is depending on us, he thought. He'd be waiting for them, he knew. If we die here- Maybe they could make a run for the doors at the end of the chapel; maybe they could find somewhere to hide.
Wood splintered, scoring Levi's cheek as an axe bit into the wood just above his head. Erwin belted the man with his shield and Levi drew his wicked blade, following up and cutting his throat. He got blood all over his glove and sleeve but that was the least of his problems right then.
“Any ideas?” Erwin panted. Crouching down next to him with his shield raised. He must be desperate, Levi thought, if he's asking me for advice. And I'm desperate too, because I was hoping he'd have some himself.
“We're fucked,” Levi said flatly. “This was a trap and we walked right into it.”
“If you'd known it was a trap would you have still gone?” Erwin asked.
“For Eren?” He looked at his blade. “Yeah.”
“It's an honour to die with you, Elf.”
Levi unsheathed his second blade. “Let's see how many we can get through first.”
They were braced to move when the doors to the chapel burst open, and Eren's familiar howl, sweeter than any music, filled their ears. He was battered and bloody, carrying a plain sword in his hand and wearing nothing but his trousers and a glimmering shield of magic.
“Eren!” Erwin called.
Eren raised his right hand and made the igni sign and screams filled the room as the king's men battered themselves against the floor and walls trying to put out the fire that burst from their clothes.
Levi and Erwin didn't hesitate to push the advantage.
“More are coming!” Eren shouted, rolling under a swing and lashing out with his blade. “I think they know I escaped.”
Erwin hurried to barricade the door while Levi cut a swathe through the singed soldiers, Eren at his side once more.
“We can get out through the sewers,” he said.
“It's always the sewers,” Eren said, flashing that brilliant grin.
They beat a hasty retreat, having got what they came for.
“I knew you'd come and get me,” Eren said, one arm around each of them as they practically carried him into the forest. Superhuman or not, he'd lost a lot of blood and once the adrenaline had run out he'd practically collapsed.
“We were the ones who needed rescuing,” Erwin said. He was injured as well, and the three of them were obliged to move slowly.
“It was a trap.”
“We know,” Levi said. “We should have known you'd rescue us though. It's what Witchers do, right?”
“Not as often as I'd like,” Eren said sadly. “I was waiting for you, but when I realised you were walking into a trap, I had to do something.”
“We all lived,” Erwin said.
“We nearly didn't, and I just want to say.” Eren smiled. “Before I pass out. I don't know what I'd do without you; without either of you. You are very,” his eyelids were drooping. “Important to me. You can't die.”
There was no reason the world would rearrange itself just because Eren declared it so, but Levi realised he had faith. Eren would always come through in the end, and judging by the expression on Erwin's face, he believed it too.