The Military Tribunal was a tense and disturbing trial, filled with fear, violence and so much anger.  Watching the young soldier, Eren Yeager, kneel helplessly in front of those who would decide his fate, was painful.  I had so much faith in Levi that I was able to set aside my own ignorance and prejudice in order to give Eren a chance. 

  He was hailed a savior to the citizens who resided within Wall Rose, especially those who saw him as their only hope of ever returning to Wall Maria. However, those with Wall Sina citizenship remained selfish as usual, complaining about the influx of refugees and the impending food shortage; saying that retaking the Walls was impossible.

Nile Dawk, Commander of the Military Police, called for Eren's immediate execution, after a thorough interrogation of course.  This didn't come as a surprise to me.  I had a deep-seeded hatred for every single member of the Military Police.  They were ruthless, selfish bastards who only joined because it came with a powerful title, giving them the ability to do whatever the hell they wanted.  And of course, MP's wouldn't have to do any actual fighting.

A psychotic Pastor from the Order of the Walls demanded for Eren to be killed on the spot, saying that he was blasphemous for even existing.  I was glad when Commander Erwin was quick to stop him, speaking in a calm, refrained manner, following such a rash statement. He reminded everyone that Eren was the only reason Trost was safe, and how Eren's titan power could be used for good.

Arguments and opinions were thrown around carelessly by both merchants and soldiers alike until violent moments of Eren's childhood were revealed. He had apparently been involved in the murder of a few robbers when he was younger. In learning this, I found a connection with young Eren, knowing he was only trying to protect his family and stay alive. 

Suddenly, Eren noticed that his adopted sister Mikasa's past had been brought up as well, as threatening glares began to focus on her too. Fearing what would follow the rising tension in the room, Eren's once cooperative behavior evolved into a frustrated plea for everyone to just have faith in his ability to fight. 

My eyes widened as his words resonated within me.  He was so right.  None of those MP bastards had ever even seen a titan before in their lives.  They had never watched a person be torn to pieces by the hands of a monster. They had no idea what horrors Eren had seen. And yet, he still wanted to be the one who fought for their lives anyway. 

 I thought that his cry would have convinced everyone of his invaluable existence, of his power to possibly save us all. But instead, Eren found himself staring down numerous barrels of Military Police guns. Before anyone could even react, Levi was on the floor in front of us, kicking Eren across the face in full force. 

I gasped in disbelief, utterly confused by his sudden attack. I was mortified as Levi began relentlessly beating Eren to the ground, blood spewing from his body. Since Eren had been completely restrained, there was no escaping the barrage of strikes landed at the mercy of Levi. 

Mikasa was held back from intervening by their childhood friend, Armin. I watched as a darkness filled Mikasa's eyes with rage. Just then, I turned back to witness Levi's final blow before Nile demanded that he stop, for fear of Eren transforming into a Titan there before us.  

 I finally understood Levi's brutal demonstration when he turned to Nile, blatantly stating that pain was the best lesson, and that he himself was the only one capable of killing Eren if he were to ever lose control again. Levi had to implement absolute fear into those who wanted Eren dead, to make them want to hand Eren over to the Survey Corps and wash their hands clean of him. Eren had to endure just enough pain so that Levi could save him.

 With the final verdict given, Commander Zackly handed Eren off to the Survey Corps, per Erwin's proposition that Eren join with Levi as his fail-safe. I exhaled a huge sigh of relief, allowing my tension to finally dissolve. I watched in remorse as Eren was dragged away, barely conscious. Levi glanced up at me for split second, before exiting behind the newest member of our team.

 I looked across the courtroom, watching the members of the Military Police stagger from their seats in humiliation. Levi had ridiculed them all in front of everyone, and they were furious. 

 I turned to follow Commander Erwin as our row began to filter out, but suddenly stopped dead in my tracks.  My body froze, and I could barely breathe. I felt myself losing my equilibrium when I realized who had been sitting in the very same courtroom, directly across from me, the entire time. Erwin turned around as he noticed I was no longer following him. His kind eyes flickered in alarm as he spoke my name sternly. 

I couldn't respond.  I couldn't even move.  

Erwin marched toward me, grasping my arms and barking my name. I gasped at the severity of his voice, reviving my comatose body. I looked up to find him staring down at me, visibly concerned by my sudden petrifaction. I remained speechless, invariably trembling, as he guided me out of the courtroom and into the hallway.  He gingerly helped me sit on a chair just outside the door to where Eren was. Bending down before me, he stared straight into my eyes.

"I don't know what just happened back there, and I don't expect you to explain yourself to me, but if there is someone in that room that caused that reaction, then I need to know who it is.  Do you understand?"

Still unable to speak, I barely nodded.  He smiled, patting my shoulder, as he returned to his feet.

"Please excuse me (F/N), but I must meet with Eren at once. Take a moment to regain your composure. You will want to join us as soon as you are able."

 I could feel myself battling between rage and pure horror, but I pulled every ounce of energy I had into my fists and squeezed them tightly, before exhaling in exasperation. I was in control. I would fight this. And now was not the time to be weak.  I furled my brow in determination and pulled myself to a stand, before glancing down to find my palms bleeding from digging my nails in so fiercely.  

 I delicately turned the handle to open the door, quickly followed by crossing my arms over my chest, in order to hide my bleeding hands. Upon entry, everyone turned their attention towards me. I glanced at Levi who was draping his arms across the back of the sofa, one leg casually crossed over the other. He sat next to Eren who had so quickly begun to heal, obviously because of his titan regeneration powers.  I stared at Eren, and he stared at me. 

I slowly made my way into the center of room, standing next to where Hange was gleefully tending to Eren's wounds.  I muttered a low greeting, arms still crossed.  He hesitated at first, still visibly shaken, before extending his hand warmly. I knew I couldn't shake his hand in return, so I just nodded in acknowledgment. Eren withdrew his hand, embarrassed that he had even offered it. I could feel Levi sense my agitation, but he didn't say a word.

Afterwards, Levi and I began our trek back to our temporary lodging to gather our personal belongings. We were to meet back up with the rest of the Special Operations Squad to take Eren to an old scouting base, where we would prepare for our next mission.

 I remained fairly quiet as we walked through the city, the sun still high in the sky. I felt myself remaining vigilant, doing everything I could to avoid a possible run in with the man I saw in the courtroom.  Finally, Levi broke the silence between us.

"Oi, I'm sorry you had to see me beat the shit out of that brat. It was the only way he was getting out of that room alive. That or he'd be the MP's fucking science experiment, getting all dissected alive and shit..."

 Even though it was quite warm outside, I kept my arms crossed as my hands continued to throb. I knew Levi was aware of me hiding something, but he wasn't going to push it...yet.

 Just as I was about to respond with understanding, I heard a drunken shout from up ahead of us. I looked up to find a handful of Military Police pointing and yelling at Levi. Ignoring their jeers and profanities, Levi continued forward as I walked alongside him.

 "So fucking useless," he muttered.

"HEY!  IT'S CAPTAIN FUCKING LEVI!  HUMANITY'S SMALLEST SOLDIER!"  

  I glanced over at Levi from out of the corner of my eye as he kept the same pace, ignoring the obnoxious howls of laughter at his expense. We had no choice but to cross paths with them in order to reach our destination. A few MP's fanned out in front of us, creating a blockade. Levi halted, standing in front of them with an annoyed sneer on his face.

"You made fools out of us back there- in front of everyone!  You Scouts are just worthless titan fodder anyway though. But- hey guys!  I know why Levi here hasn't been eaten yet!  He's too damn small to even pass as a snack!"

  I could feel Levi's annoyance building, but he was too focused on getting the hell out of the Capitol to do anything rash. So I took the initiative to push the soldier out of our way so we could leave. In turn, the MP grabbed me by the arm and punched me in the face.  I jolted backwards, falling into another MP's grasp.  Stunned, I looked up to find Levi flying forward, shoving the soldiers off of me. I heard more laughter behind us, as three more MP's began to saunter toward us. My head was spinning from the unexpected impact, as I fought to shake it off.

  "Holy shit boys, you picked a fight with the wrong guy! But damn, Captain Levi, I thought you were smart enough to keep your women in line!  Have you not noticed that here in the Capitol, we don't put up with that shit? Men are the only actual soldiers around here. Besides, I'm guessing you're already aware of this fact, women are only good for a few certain things anyway.  Just like this one here- only kept around for a good fuck. Am I right, Captain?"

 My heart stopped at the sound of the MP's voice. It was him. My eyes burned with fury as I watched a smug grin cross his face. I exploded into an unbridled rage as I felt myself fly forward with sheer murderous intent, but Levi beat me to it.

With a single punch, he knocked that pompous asshole to the ground before turning back to me, preventing me from doing anymore damage. He took a few steps toward the bewildered, drunken fools, before spitting on the ground next to them, muttering:

 "You can thank me later for saving your sorry asses.  She would have killed every single one of you."

 Levi flattened his palm on my back in effort to calm me down. I was breathing so heavily, clenching my fists, ready to fight.  But Levi's eyes warned me to back down as he swiftly guided me away from the chaos. 

The Military Police continued to sputter and shout behind us, but all I could hear was one cruel laugh, pretentiously reveling in the fact that he had found me.