THE FINE ART OF PLANNING

Historia Riess

"...an MP, but the Scouts can't even get their heads on straight long enough to-" Nile flicked his eye up at the sound of Historia clicking the door open. The snarky twist on his lip melted into one of formal respect.

Immediately, standing in a crisp salute, Historia almost didn't hear his next words over the sound of his chair scraping backwards, "Queen Historia, it's a pleasure to see you."

Levi glowered at Nile for a beat longer before abruptly turning in his chair to face Historia. She noticed he couldn't quite conceal the irate furrow of his brow. He seemed about ready to trade blows with someone for breathing too loudly.

Did Nile suggest he was cleaning the windows wrong or something?

Historia inclined her head slightly, in greeting. Kicking the door closed, she lazily tapped over to the polished table and slid into a rigid chair across from Levi. She felt both sets of eyes transfix on her as she grinded her chair underneath the table, but didn't care in the slightest to meet them.

"Uh, at ease. No need for over formalities."

"Oh thank god." Nile said, lowering himself to his wobbling chair in the following silence.

Unsure of how to begin, the queen glanced, unobtrusive, back and forth between where Nile and Levi were seated. Wait...why were they so far apart-

Oh? Historia raised an eyebrow, incredulous.

They literally sat as distantly as they could possibly manage, but made sure they didn't have to meet each other's eyes. Nile at the head of the table, and Levi on the side at the other end. They're like children in self imposed time out.

Historia was glad she'd come in when she did. Any longer and she might have been interrupting a little more than an unfriendly repartee.

"So," Levi cleared his throat. The livid construct his face had been carrying for Nile was gone. The emotion that replaced it Historia had never seen the hardened captain wear. Nor did she recognize it.

"How is…" He trailed off.

It sounds like he's in pain, Historia thought idly, meeting his eyes. Yeah, that looks like the very definition of a painful experience…

"… are you," he finished.

There was an unfortunate moment when Historia's confused eyes met her former captains until he involuntarily snapped his eyes shut with a grimace, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Now Historia could tell, it had been uncertainty in Levi's eyes. An expression so seldom worn by the man that Historia had barely recognized it notwithstanding how often it found a home on her own face.

I can't believe… THE Captain Levi uncertain?

Time crawled.

Nile gradually raised a hand to cover the upturn of his lips. The mustached man began silently shaking a few seconds later, pure mirth in his tearing in his eyes.

He's never going to live that down.

It was odd, really. Historia hadn't ever interacted with high ranking leadership, that is to say, leadership at all in any way that didn't end with her following commands. At least until the end of her military service. It had always simply been that they gave commands and she followed them.

Basically, the new queen was floundering in deep water when it came to engaging or communicating on the same level with the very people who used to make her clean stables without a second look.

She grinned. Just a little.

Who knew I could hold conversation better than humanities strongest.

Part of her wondered idly if Erwin, Hanji and the others ever felt the distinct, overwhelming, emphatic urge to never ever make another sound to spare themselves from embarrassment.

Historia couldn't decide whether or not she was hearing Levi whisper various expletives or Nile huffing, and snorting, just as quiet.

Well, how is are you? Don't leave him hanging!

"... Fine… I'm good, I think," Now it was Historia's turn to curse bitterly.

Well, THAT made a whole lot of sense! You THINK you're good? Oh, god, I'm never going to get this moment back...

Historia grit her teeth, death gripping the wooden arms of her chair.

One…

Two…

Three...

Levi cleared his throat, not meeting anyone's gaze. He looked like he still wanted to say something, but had forgotten how to speak altogether.

The look of unbridled glee on Nile's face as he looked between them, made Historia think she might as well have given him a permanent key to the palace's food storage.

Four…

Five…

Six...

I can't look anymore. Historia took a leaf out of Levi's book, and scrutinized every individual fine grain of wood in the table.

I can't tell which one of us is the hopelessly lost cause. He started this conversation, but I gave it the power to keep living.

Seven…

Eight…

Nine…

It felt like Historia was walking barefoot over a path of rusty nails.

Somebody please save us from ourselves!

Ten…

Eleven…

Twelve...

Levi cleared his throat for the sixth time when Nile had finally had enough.

"Is there something in your throat there, captain," He couldn't keep his voice from shaking, like he was mere moments from breaking into uncontrolled hysterics. Tears congregated in the corners of his squinched eyes.

Both their heads snapped up.

Historia just stared at Nile.

Maybe he can save this.

Levi, however, bolted to his feet, shaking in a vehement rage. If Historia was being profoundly honest, he stood the same way scouts did when they were about to brutally slay concourses of titans. Nile just stared back at him. Everything from the way he slouched to his raised brow screamed "just try it".

The skin on the captain's knuckles was white.

This is the kind of situation I can actually read…Thanks to Jean and Eren fighting pretty much always. Ymir always used to joke that they—

Historia coughed suddenly. She made enough of a hacking wheeze that she drew both Nile and Levi's attention, if for no other reason than to see if she was sending herself into an early grave.

Can't have the new queen choke on her own spit and die because you were all too distracted killing each other. Nice to know you're a valuable part of keeping ranking officers alive.

Now that she had both the blockhead's focus on her she couldn't help but shrivel a bit and cling to the arms of her chair unappeasably. It felt like she could strip the whole chair down to scraps from just the pressure in her fingernails.

"Uhh," Eloquently put, dunce. Historia winced, "How about we start the briefing…"

Levi sat down. Nile pulled a stack of papers and a rolled map from a satchel under the table.

"Ahh, right," Levi had brandished the illusion of hunter and prey while regarding Nile just seconds ago. Why did it fall away and show Historia this markedly distracted, insubstantial, and remote person now?

"The underground," The captain's voice held no inflection, but to Historia it seemed like he was whispering. The same way someone would whisper to a terrified child.

"What do I need to know about it?"

Nile snorted. Historia glanced over as he continued.

"I doubt anything we can teach you would prepare you for that," he coughed slightly, "With all due respect, that's why you shouldn't be coming, your highness. In fact, we can easily carry on without you—"

Historia snorted, attempting to cover the hurt she felt. This AGAIN? I'm not helpless.

"Well, excuse me, but I hope everyone remembers how they made sure to pick a queen that wasn't a dandelion in the snow. I've been through the military. I've finished titans without assists. I hope at the very least you don't forget how I dealt the killing blow to Rod Reiss," Dad... Historia stopped abruptly, like she'd run too close to a sheer ledge. She continued slowly, "I'm sure that nothing can be too much after that…I'm sure I can handle it."

Stop telling the queen what they can't do!

Historia let out a breath after that, feeling her outburst run out of steam. She looked down, and pursed her lips. She hadn't meant to rant, but… well, it was like she said. A queen not a dandelion.

"Historia, have you ever been robbed?"

What the hell?

She arched her eyebrow at a somber Levi.

"...Not that I'm aware of."

"Ever been anywhere… unsavory," The word was spoken like the captain could actually taste it," Some areas of Trost are like that…"

"...not really," Historia could feel a frustration beginning to grow.

Of course I haven't been there! Levi, of all the people on the mission YOU know the most about my old life. Why bother asking?

"What about the farm you lived on," the captain continued, searching Historia's face intently. "Were there ever too many workers and not enough resources to go around? Did anyone ever have less than enough, and was segregated, or maybe caused a racket about it?"

"No," Historia supplied, "Every one had enough to get by," She thought of Freida, "and any conflict we did have was resolved quickly."

Levi glanced at Nile as if unsure of how to continue. The man at the end of the table shrugged almost imperceptibly.

"Captain Levi," Historia said, flat toned," I understand and accept that I don't know the state of the people in the underground. Sure, I'll admit I'm absolutely clueless." Levi looked back at her, leaning heavily on the table, "But I need you to understand."

Nile was looking at her too now. Historia pursed her lips, eyes finding her shaking hands.

But I can not… I won't… leave anyone who I can help. Never," She looked up with conviction, and met the eyes of her silent companions, "It doesn't matter where they're from. That means going into the underground. ME going. That's why I'm here!...as queen, I mean."

Historia could have sworn she saw people in those empty seats between Levi and Nile. With the warm supporting smile of Freida, and adoring dedicated glint in Ymir's eye, Historia couldn't help but grin hesitantly.

"I owe it to too many people to stop trying before I've even started. If we can't give them a chance to live lives better than ours, then who can? So, understand or don't, I'm going to help the children underground. This mission is the most important thing I can do as a queen."

She was met with even more silence. However, it wasn't the agonizing gritty silence from earlier. This was soothing. Concentrated. Historia gave the smallest of salutes to the empty seats, before Nile spoke.

"I understand, Queen Historia," Historia cocked her head. Nile's voice was much more emotional than normal. She looked to Levi.

His face might have been intimidating, with all it's low hard lines, but Historia swore she saw a small grin grace the captain's cold exterior. When she met his dark eye's he gave her a hard sharp nod. In another person, Historia thought his reaction might be similar to publicly swearing fealty to her cause.

"Right then," Historia ended the moment, and cut the silence out of the air, "Tell me about the mission. And this time you don't have to ask if I know anything. Assume that I don't."

"Yes," Levi looked pointedly at Nile by whom the stack of papers and rolled maps lay. "Nile—if you would."

The commander rolled his eyes, brandishing a map from the stack and rolling its crisp edges out on the table. Historia's eyes breezed over the gold etchings, the waterways and intricate textures drawn on by skilled hands. Red dashes marked alleys and buildings throughout the map of Mitrias, scarring it. There were about twelve in total.

"There are thirteen entrances to the underground." Levi pointed at the dashes. "Nine run under Military Police rule, three have substantial damage and cave-ins to the main passages, leaving us with one in the private possession of the noble Nicholas Lovof."

Nile scoffed, but hushed after yet another glare from Levi.

"We will be taking his stairs into the underground."

"Why?" Historia asked.

"Glad you asked." Nile cut in. "Since no one knows you're in on this princess, we can't use Military Police stairways. They keep too many records, permits and all, it's a lot of paperwork and I don't want to get into faking all of that. Plus, we don't want someone seeing you there on accident and spreading the word underground that the Queen is coming to spend the summer there."

Historia bristled at the nickname. Princess?

"Additionally," Levi noted. "We'll need to keep our distance from the other squads going underground. We sent the first three down today, and the last four will join them tomorrow. We have them stationed at safe houses throughout the district with directions to search specific sectors. So long as we stay out of those general areas, we shouldn't have a problem with them."

"Though," Nile stroked his mustache. "They are there as backup if we get into a pinch."

"Which won't happen." Historia added firmly. She wouldn't let anything happen. Not if she could do anything about it.

Wood scraped on the floor as Levi pushed his chair back, walking to the pile of maps, and instead of asking Nile for assistance, rummaged through the pile himself until locating another map. Nile in turn, held back an eye roll as Levi laid a much older map on top of the other one.

"This is the underground." He said, smoothing out the crinkled edges of the faded paper.

Historia's eyes flew across it, trying to sort through unfamiliar shapes and streets. She liked to think she was good with maps, but this one seemed decades old and rarely updated.

"Is this the newest map we have?" She asked, not bothering to mask the doubt in her voice.

"Unfortunately yes." Nile answered, glancing at her. "We don't send many people down there to begin with, let alone cartographers."

Now it was Historia's turn to hold back an eye roll. It wasn't Nile's fault, but she couldn't believe how incapable the previous government had been! She liked to think she was doing a better job in a few days than they had done in 100 years, and she was a teenager!

"It's fine." Levi said, scanning the lines on a map like they described an old friend. His eyes flicked from side to side, calculating. "We won't need it much."

Right. Maybe Historia should just ask Levi to draw them a new map. Or at least to help document the underground a bit better.

"Where will we be primarily working?" She asked curiously.

"All over. I have several leads I've been thinking of. We'll set up camp somewhere in this area—" He gestured to a side part of the map. "—and work until we find something or until we decide to end this."

He looked up at her, a funny expression crossing his face.

"The Scouts are discussing further plans for the expedition to retake Wall Maria. Erwin is requesting I be ready for leave anytime between three to four weeks."

"Meaning we have until then to get this up and going without you." Nile finished for him. "Well that shouldn't be too hard. We have eight patrols, counting us. That's 23 of us, all working around the clock."

Historia nodded. This was looking good. Really good. A warm feeling fluttered up from her stomach, and she couldn't help but smile. It was finally coming together.

"You have my word that you will be able to leave when you are requested, regardless of the state of the operation." She directed towards Levi. "I just ask that you give as much time as you are able."

He nodded without speaking.

"What about your covers?" She asked, changing the subject. "How are you accounting for the fact that you're supposedly not going underground?"

Levi paced back over to his chair, sitting and crossing his arms. "Armin will take care of that. I've briefed him on the mission and your role. He's trustworthy and smart enough to talk any nosy brats that come sniffing our way out of our hair."

He paused, glancing at Nile.

"Though, aside from the four of us, Armin included, no one else knows you are going underground."

The serious inflection in his voice made Historia gulp back a flash of fear.

"Actually, I uh—may have entrusted that information to a few others." Nile said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "But I trust both of them with my life, and I wouldn't have told them if I didn't think we'd need their help."

Levi's head whipped to Nile so fast Historia worried he might have sprained something. "Who?" He demanded.

"Captain Burns." Nile answered. "I know you already turned down his offer for help, but I feel that we need him. He runs every military police operation in the capital and has for the past year. He's as trustworthy as they come, not to mention he's the one supplying us with soldiers. Without his help this will be a lot harder to pull off."

Levi's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Who else?"

"My second in command Adelia. She actually went underground with the first three patrols a few hours ago. I've known her since she was a toddler and I personally picked her to take charge of the underground squads. She's practically family, even babysits my kids every once in a while."

He looked between the two.

"You can trust them both, I swear."

"I believe you Commander." Historia gave a quick nod.

Levi held his glare for a moment longer, clearly not liking the news Nile had just said.

"Fine." He sighed. "But you should have checked with me first."

"I'm sorry, I must have missed when you became the new Commander in Chief." Nile sneered.

Levi slammed his fist into the table.

"Do you think this is a joke—"

"That's enough!" Historia interrupted, surprising herself as both sets of eyes flashed to her. "I don't want to regret choosing either of you for this mission, but you're making me doubt my faith in the military." She gave them both a pointed look.

They really are like children.

This was going to be an interesting operation.

But, she resigned, glancing again at the empty seats. This wasn't about her. It was about them. The others, the children.

Levi sighed as he brushed a hand over his head.

"When we're underground we need to constantly be on our toes. Anything could happen at any moment, so we can't exactly not be telling each other everything." He glared at Nile. "Regardless, Historia's safety comes above everything else. If things get too dangerous, we leave. If the other patrols report too much danger, we leave. We're not going there to frolic around in shit."

Historia nodded.

"We're going to be fine Captain. I trust both of you to keep things under control."

"Well?" He asked, glancing around the palace hallway. It was empty save for the two of them.

"It's better than we expected." The other man said, joining him in the torchlight as the night stretched on. "They aren't telling anyone that the Queen is going underground."

He froze, heart skipping a beat.

"Are you serious? No one at all?"

"Well, aside from a few people, but yes." The other man answered. "I didn't stay for long, but I overheard them talking logistics about sneaking her down with them. It will just be Levi, Nile, and her alone for at least a few weeks."

He couldn't believe his ears. This was beyond what he could have hoped for!

He smiled at his friend. "Good work. We could have never made it this far without you. We have a lot to plan."

His friend nodded back and left without another word. His silhouette faded until it melted into the darkness.

The man sighed, smiling. For the first time in years things were finally going right. Levi was walking right into the palm of his hand and bringing the new queen with him.

They would be vulnerable underground, vulnerable enough to be destroyed.

And without Historia, the government would crumble.

And he would be there to pick up the pieces

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