In Between The Ends

Chapter Thirty One

     Three small starlings fluttered and danced together along the soft air currents high in the sky as Arya watched them from her bedroom window. Her body still ached from her ocean adventure and days of sitting in a bumpy caravan, but the sheer emotional exhaustion had lulled her into a long and startlingly undisturbed sleep that she had only just arisen from.

She wasn't dead yet, and to Arya that counted as a major win. Her door was locked and guarded, meals pushed forcefully through a hinged gap at the bottom, but by some miracle and all her theatrics the Council had agreed to send for General Loren. Considering how long it had taken for the message to be sent and returned he had to still be somewhere in Mitras, which hopefully meant that Historia and her daughter were just as close.

The hours dragged on, and Arya began to pace back and forth within the confines of her room, running her hands restlessly through the bottom of her hair. Even greater than the worry for herself was the stress of not knowing the condition of her friends. Had the Azumabito prototypes gotten them over in one piece? An image of fiery wreckage against a mountainside appeared in her head, and she shook her head violently to be rid of it.

Peering out the window again Arya took to searching the neighboring roofs, side streets and any dark corner within her view. She was sure that one of them held Mikasa; perhaps she could even see her now. Having the knowledge that she was being tailed and guarded by someone of her renown was both humbling and reassuring, though even with their skills combined there was little they would be able to do in the face of an entire Jaegerist army. They would need everyone for this.

Thanks to Mikasa's run in with the Braus family during one of her excursions into the Capitol, they had a fairly solid means of relaying information back and forth between each other and the landing party coming down from the North. They were all relieved to find that they weren't as alone as they had thought.

Though most of Historia's supporters had either defected in fear or gone underground after her capture, Artur Braus and his family had become pivotal in turning their half-cooked plot into something much more feasible.

According to Armin and Connie they had originally been just as worried over Artur's choice of remaining on the island with his people as they had been with Connie's mother, hardy as they were, but now it was obvious that they're strategy would have fallen apart without them. It was possible that by now her companions could have already reached the rendezvous point passed the foothills and met with the escort of horses, riding full speed towards her as she stood there wrestling with her anxiousness.

Not only had his people provided the Northern team with a way to reach Mitras swiftly, Artur's wife Lisa and their adopted daughter Kaya had found positions within the kitchens of the castle three weeks prior, giving them eventual access to Arya in her cell during mealtimes.

Though the Council was aware of their history and connections, the Braus family's ranch and cavalry was much too precious a resource to go unused by the Jaegerist government. Their necessity meant that all Arya had to do to pass along any information she gathered for the rescue team was leave a small slip of paper tucked under her plate; not that this had proven useful yet.

How am I supposed to do my part if I am stuck in this cell the whole time?

As if the universe had heard her pleas, the lock in her door began to rattle.

Not five minutes later Arya was being herded through the entrance to the courtroom where 3 years earlier she had heard the truth for the first time. Unlike that particular event the only people in attendance for this hearing was the Council, who were now regarding her cautiously. Having turned at the sound of her arrival General Loren watched her approach with a scrutinizing stare, and just as she had back then Arya tried to wipe the nervous expression from her face.