The journey was long and never seemed to end. She travelled from the interior to the outskirts of the wall. From there she was escorted outside of the wall to the shoreline. It was something she never thought she would see again. As she was brought to the outside, Robin remained on the inside.
She stood upon a stone wall and stared out to the waters in front of her. It was a breathtaking sight as the sun was setting in the horizon. The crisp salty air filled her lungs with every breath she took. She was captivated by the sight to the point where she didn't notice the man that was standing a few feet away from her.
"It's a beautiful sunset isn't it," he proclaimed gesturing to the sun.
Lana slightly jumped at the realization that he was standing there.
The man was dressed very casual, but something about him set him apart from the average person. He had a straight posture and his manner of speech was very proper.
"I would presume that you are Lana Ackerman?"
"Correct. And you are?"
"I am Sergeant Samuel Adams. My team and I are here to escort you on the remainder of your journey."
"Sergeant? I was unaware that any of the factions actually had a position like that. Are you a Military Police Brigade soldier?" she was curious of the stranger, never once recognizing him. She had met many different soldiers from many different factions, but he was not one she knew.
He chuckled. "You are mistaken. I am not a Military Police Brigade soldier. I am a Royal Knight of Rhea."
Lana's eyes widened as her heart sunk. She could feel a gut wrenching feeling in her stomach. Every part of her was telling her to run and get out of there but she was frozen.
"You can relax. I can assure you that I am an ally of yours. As a matter of fact, I am working with Keith Aberdeen."
Hearing Keith's name caused Lana to relax a bit more. However, she became more puzzled as to why he knew of Keith to begin with.
"How do you know Keith?" she asked.
"All in good time. He did say that if I mentioned him, you'd be more willing to come," He walked closer to her and placed his arm around her shoulder. "Right now let's just get you on the ship and sail out shall we?"
Lana boarded the Rhean ship filled with various royal Rhean crewman. All eyes were on her wherever she went. It made her feel uncomfortable with how much of an outcast she felt. However it was a feeling she knew from years ago.
The boat rocked back and forth with each wave crashing into the side of the boat. It was memory Lana had long forgotten. The motion was something she remembered. With each passing moment, she was growing more and more anxious.
Lana was hunched over the side of the ship losing herself in the motion of the boat. The sounds of the water hitting the sides was the only thing she could hear. Her head, buried in her arms on the side of the boat as it rocked. Time was not a factor to her in that moment. She was completely lost.
She had been leaning onto the side of the boat for several hours before Samuel had come up behind her to pull her out. He gently grabbed onto her shoulder. The feeling caused her to shoot upright and swing her fist in full force. Without even realizing it, the skin had melted from her arm as her muscles were enhanced within the steam. Samuel was quick to jump back and dodge the swing evading the potential fatal attack.
"Easy soldier, it's just me." Lana had realized what she had done and apologized to him shaking off her nerves. "It's quite alright it's a small sign of post-traumatic stress disorder, but you need to watch yourself. Others may not take lightly to your kind around here as much as I do." Samuel turned as Lana followed his gaze.
There were a few of the crewmembers who ignored the situation and went right back to work. However, there were a small handful of them that clutched onto weapons that they had strapped to their bodies. The killing intent were in their eyes as they eventually let go of their weapons and returned to their responsibilities.
"What do you exactly mean by my kind," Lana questioned with annoyance.
"You know very well what I mean. There is no denying that the world we live in is a world where people will discriminate you for being a different skin color or a different kind of human. It's just a part of life even though we live in a supposedly free world.
Once things seemed to return to normal Samuel continued, "We will be arriving soon. I suggest that you change so that you don't catch unwanted attention."
"Change, didn't think about that one so I didn't exactly pack much in terms of clothes to change into."
"Not to worry. With some help I have provided you with a change of clothes. As well as a different uniform."
"Uniform? Why would I wear a different uniform?"
"Once again all in good time."
The boat docked within a city. There were people wandering the docks tending to various boats. Lana, now out of her Survey Corps uniform, made her way off of the ramp. She was extremely paranoid. Out of all the places that she could have been brought to, she was brought to the one place that could lead to her demise. She was brought right into the fire of everything that was Marley.
Once on the dock, she began to walk down it and was greeted by a familiar sound.
"Well, well, well, it's about damn time that you showed up."
Lana looked up from her feet and was ecstatic to see Keith and Lucas standing a few feet away from her. However, they weren't the same Keith and Lucas that she had said goodbye to.
Keith's longer blonde messy hair was clean cut and styled. A thin layer of facial hair lined his face as his piercing blue eyes met hers through his thick framed glasses. Lucas had a thick black beard covering his lower face and even parts of his neck. He looked as jolly as ever with the beard.
Lana was quick to run up to the two and embrace them in hugs.
"What on Earth are you two doing here?"
"Keep it down would yeah," Keith tried shushing her. He leaned in a whispered, "We aren't exactly supposed to be here remember."
A shrill shriek sent a wave of shivers through all of them. A very busty older woman came barreling down the dock with her arms high in the air. She collided into Lana forcing her to be engulfed in the cushioning chest of the individual.
"My darling dear, my how you've grown up!" the shrill continued.
Lana was able to recognize the voice and managed to rip herself off of the chest. "Angel. Angel is that really you!"
The woman had fair porcelain skin. It was clear that she showed signs of aging but she was still as beautiful as ever. Her body was wound up in a lovely corset heightening her already large chest. This was the very same person who had taught her how to be a performer.
"Oh you are just so sweet like the boys here. I haven't gone by the name of Angel in years. Please, it's just Eleanora now."
As everyone was exchanging pleasantries to one another Lana looked past Keith's shoulder to see two figures standing off to the side. They were dressed in ragged black clothing that sent red flags in Lana's mind. The taller one appeared to be close to Lana's age. He had a facial expression that appeared to be unfriendly to deal with. The shorter one had noticeable freckles on his face. He seemed to be a lot more gentle and kinder than his counterpart. He turned towards Lana's direction which enabled her to get a good look at his face.
The moment she was able to get a good look, a part of her felt a feeling of familiarity. She was completely out of the conversation as Keith, Lucas, and the others began to make their way down the dock. She blindly followed keeping her eyes locked on the person. As she passed, the man had made eye contact with her and gave a small smile.
In that moment, a name came to her mind. "Cecil?" she spoke out as she kept walking.
The man's smile dropped immediately as his eyes widened. His partner pulled himself off of the railing and stared Lana down hard. The two shared glances at each other before turning back to Lana.
"Hey are you alright?" Lucas asked pulling her out.
"Yeah, I'm fine just a long journey is all."
The group made their way to a small apartment that Keith and Lucas had set their base up at. The apartment was next to a theater where they had performed a few shows in order to seek out the Marleyan's soldiers but blend in and earn money.
Lana sat in the main room where the others had sat with her along with three other young faces and the two dressed in black from the dock. Two of the younger faces were Andrew and their brother Trevor, Eleanora's children. Andrew was aspired to be a dancer and was once known as the daughter of Eleanora. Trevor was the brute force of the family and helped Andrew through the changes that they wanted to go through.
Lana learned that the two from the dock referred to themselves as Deck and Suit. They were con artists from Rhea who dabbled in sleight of hand tricks. What she learned was that the one younger boy in the room was Damien, Deck's younger brother. The three of them were previous Crovus Clan members. The two brothers were deemed as pure-blooded titans while Suit was human.
Alongside Deck, Suit, and Damien; Keith and Lucas had started a revolution within Rhea as part of their mission. It was a revolution that enabled rights to be established to those of titan blood. Within the mission Keith and Lucas were able to bring forth a new age within Rhea where titans can live without fear. A new chapter was started as those with Corvus Clan marks now bore the marks of The Guardians. An updated version of their current marks but with a crown upon the raven's head and markings that gave it a more elegant look. Those who were not Crovus Clan members apparently had marks of a winged crown using the wings of a raven.
"I'm relieved. You have all worked so hard within the last year," Lana proclaimed.
"But now it's time for us to get down to work," Samuel declared.
It was time for the plan to be discussed. The whole reason why they were there to begin with.
Keith and Lucas were tasked to monitor the activities of Marley. Any information they gathered was sent back to Paradis by pigeon and directions were given back to them. Eventually they confronted Zeke and Reiner at the show they performed proving that the two were currently residing within the city. Deck and Suit wanted to tag along to fight Marley as a way to prove that titans can act as defenders. Damien followed his brother wherever he went. Eleanora wanted a sense of adventure once more and her children followed. Everyone had the task of bringing Marley down.
What Lana was not made aware of was the fact that the Survey Corps have already been brought into Marley. With the assistance of the Rhean army, the Survey Corps were able to sneak in without any problems. Currently Eren Yeager is in the front lines as everyone else is on standby. Keith and the others are to keep their covers and wait in the wings unless necessary to jump into battle. The Survey Corps are waiting for the signal and will jump in to attack. Months prior, Paradis had the ruler of Hizuru alongside Rhea meet with the Queen and establish an alliance. It was around this time that things within the Survey Corps began to shake.
A plan was devised where Lana would play a large part once more. With Rhean forces currently lining Marley, a meeting was to occur between the armies of the two nations. Samuel was representing the Rhean nation to sign a peace treaty. The two nations were to form a ceasefire and continue on with a truce and remain neutral. Lana was to play the part of a Rhean Knight escorting Samuel on this meeting. She was to sit in and act the part until the time was right. This would allow the Rhean to establish a fake identity hiding their alliance with Paradis while maintaining a level of trust with Marley. With Lana attending the meeting it would show the Marleyean army that Paradis has one less titan in their grasp, which was what they had hoped for.
After a long discussion night had fallen, and everyone was beginning to part ways for the time being and settle in for the night.
Later in the evening Lana wanted to find out more about Deck and Suit. She could swear that she had seen the two of them before. They looked too familiar for her not to intervene. She calmly walked to the door where the two were staying. Before she could knock, she could hear the two of them speaking to one another.
"What are we going to do, this is bad, this is really bad!" she could make out Deck's voice.
"You need to calm down Clyde. Everything will be fine."
"FINE! You think this is fine! She remembered your name! I thought your power was able to completely eradicate the memory of someone!"
"I thought so too, but maybe there is something more to this than we had originally thought. Maybe I'm just not as strong as I used to be. Maybe she has just gotten stronger. I mean she has the shifting capabilities that I don't. Maybe she has grown into the powers of our father. We are descendants of the Weismann's after all. The power of the mind is the strongest power we have as a family aside from our beast man form."
"Arg, I knew we shouldn't have talked to her all those years ago. I shouldn't have let you interact with her. I shouldn't have."
"Easy Clyde. Maybe this is fate. Maybe it's time for us to be brought back together. I mean Carl didn't want us speaking to each other because of the whole Crovus Clan thing, but things are different now. We can live in peace. We are Guardians."
She could hear movement within the room.
"I made a promise to my mother and father that I would protect Alannah no matter what. She inherited the gifts of both families. She is one of the only known pure blooded titans who has this ability of many. She is a true Weismann and a way we can properly reclaim the throne. With her power and my power, there is nothing that can stop us."
"For us," Deck stated.
"For us," Suit repeated.
Lana left the hall and didn't want to hear anymore. What it sounded like to her was a plot of a revolution. Even after the rights to her people have been re-established it wasn't enough for Cecil. It sounded like he wanted more. She was a key to this plan to which she wanted no part of. Let alone the concept of family. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and she chose not to.
The following morning Lana woke to a knock at the door. Samuel was standing on the other side with a uniform in hand. It was an official outfit of the Rhean Knights, one of which she did not recognize.
"Since when did the knights wear this?" she questioned the navy blue garbs lined with golden threads.
"It's a monumental meeting, which mean the ceremonial uniform is to be worn. You don't normally see these any other time," Samuel informed her as she grabbed the uniform from him.
It consisted of white pants, something she was used to before. The navy jacket was firmly fitted to her body and was lined with a golden like rope as a decoration. Red trim outlined the front and the bottom of the jacket. Along the front were shiny golden buttons. The collar was high and uncomfortable for her but she made it work. A navy blue beret firmly sat on her head with her hair tied back tightly in a bun. She was told to wear white gloves and to strap a scabbard to her to allow her to carry a short sword with a golden handle. Black boots were given to her as she was instructed to tuck her pants into them. Much like the collar it was uncomfortable but she made it work.
Lana stepped out of her room to see Samuel dressed in the same sort of fashion. One thing struck her mind as she was curious on how he was able to get a uniform fitted in a short amount of time.
"This plan was set in motion years ago. It was anticipated that something like this was going to happen so when the ties to Rhean were established the finalized plan came into place and I handed the documents over pertaining your measurements," Keith stated as he leaned up against a nearby wall.
"That is creepy and I don't even want to know anymore," Lana brushed passed him as he let out a chuckle. "Let's just get this done and over with so that we can all go home."
"Hold up, before you two head off, why not take a photograph to remember this moment," Eleanora proclaimed with a camera in hand.
A photograph, Lana thought. That was something she hadn't heard of in a long time let alone been a part of. She turned to see Keith and his squad huddling in along with Deck, Suit, and the others. The group all smiled as the flash went off. They couldn't reminisce over the photo for too long, it was time for action.
They began to make their way to the military hall where they were to sign the treaty between the two nations. Keith and the others stayed behind for their part of the mission had been completed. Their job was to assist the Survey Corps in what they needed in order to skim through the crowds.
Eren Yeager was already within Marley. He had made his way in a disguise and had gained the trust of a young Eldian. He was the first of the Survey Crops to arrive, however he arrived on his own accord. According to Samuel, the Survey Corps were currently waiting to strike and retrieve Eren from his foolish actions. A plan was devised. It was under the safe assumption that Eren would strike in a big moment. The attack was to draw out all of the titan shifters. Later in the evening a performance was to take place by the Tybur family. A story speaking out about the history of Marley and how everything came to be in regards to their valiant hero Helos. Helos the hero who had defeated the monsters of Paradis. Lana and Samuel were to appear within the audience and attend the show. When Eren made his move the rest of the Survey Corps would follow disregarding Lana and were instructed to go after and defend Eren from attackers. The end goal was to retrieve Eren in the midst of everything and to eliminate or capture any notable people from the area.
Samuel and Lana were escorted into the building and into the meeting room. Several men in uniform sat at a table. Two of those men, Lana recognized well. She could feel the hatred grow but kept her calm to keep her cover.
"Gentleman, may I present to you Sir Samuel Wilkins and his escort…"
Reiner shot up from his seat once he finally caught sight of Lana., "How is this even possible!" He jutted forward prompting Lana and Samuel to grab a hold of the swords. "You're supposed to be on Paradis. You're not supposed to be here. You're a soldier of the Survey Corps."
Everyone seem to grow on edge at the interaction between the two.
"And I was hoping for a more welcoming greeting Mr. Braun," Lana stated pulling the sword from the scabbard.
"Fascinating. Someone of your kind is reaching for a weapon before utilizing their own abilities." Lana turned to meet Zeke's eyes.
"As a Rhean Knight, I am accustomed and required to defend myself and my country by a sword not by my natural abilities."
"Everyone sit down and remain calm. I will not have anything else ruin this meeting."
"My apologies, it won't happen again," Lana proclaimed letting go of the sword and stepping back to allow Samuel to sit in front of her.
"Please before we continue, I must hear about how this came to be?" Zeke asked gesturing to Lana. "If I do recall you and I were face to face in the heat of battle in Shiganshina."
People in the room seemed to exchange glances with one another as they began to question what was going on.
"It may be true that I was once a soldier of the Survey Corps but that is now within the past," she began to lie. "My days on Paradis are gone. I had grown weary of the living in their world and decided to move on back to my homeland on Rhea. There I was able to atone for my crimes and in return, my sentence was to act as one of the very knights that tried to kill me. So in the end I went from being a soldier to being a knight."
"Interesting, very interesting," Zeke stated, his eyes locked onto hers.
She couldn't make out whether or not he believed her. But what mattered was the fact that everyone else in the room did. Reiner was clearly suspicious of her and he had every reason to be. The meeting continued and the treaty was signed. Everything was going according to their plan.
As Samuel and Lana began to make their way back Lana had a feeling come over her. It was a strange feeling, one she had felt before. It was almost as if something was calling to her. It was weak but she followed it anyways.
"Where are you going?' Samuel asked following her.
"I don't know, call it a hunch," she said pushing her way through people.
Sitting on a bench was a man. His eye was bandaged underneath long dark hair. Lana noticed the man was missing a leg. He kept his head down and his hands on his lap. As she approached him following the call she began to notice something familiar. This was no ordinary man, it was Eren.
"I never imagined I would run into you here," he said looking up at her.
"The same could go for you," she replied. "Rumour has it, you went rogue."
"What happened to you, you're so old?"
"Says the boy who could use a haircut," she stated flicking his hair.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"The same as you, don't you know?" she proclaimed with a bit of annoyance.
"No really, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here at all."
"Watch your tongue, I have direct orders to bring your sorry ass in."
"Don't you have a family you need to protect? What kind of mother abandons their children?"
Lana slapped him across the face without any hesitation. She was completely angered by Eren's statement.
"Like you would understand. I chose to be here because I wanted to protect my family!"
"Easy, don't make a scene," Samuel tried to calm her down.
"So you left your family to protect them. Doesn't seem to be like a smart decision to make. Shouldn't you be with them in case something were to happen? What if you died here, then who would return to them? A mother should be there for their child."
Lana grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to her face. "Don't you think I know that? Do you really think I wanted to be here right now! NO, I want to be at home with my children and my loving husband. Don't you think I want to be able to have that kind of future with them? Of course I do, that's why I need to be here. That's why I'm doing this, so that I can have something to return to. It's not just my family I am wanting to protect it's you as well. All of you are my family. I can't just sit back and watch everyone I care about die. You of all people should know what that's like. And for you to tell me otherwise is disgusting. You're not the only one." She threw him back down and walked away from him.
"Who was that Mr. Krueger?" she could make out a voice from behind them.
"Just an old friend of mine," Eren replied.
Upon their return, Lana was welcomed to Keith and Suit sitting in the main room. Samuel stepped out and let the three of them talk to one another. Keith's intent was to explain to Lana everything that was going on. She gave her a few books and explained to her the forgotten history of the Titans of Rhea. Cecil and Keith both shared the history of how things came to be where they are now
Titans were once recognized as the Guardians of the country. They protected the land from any invaders. Eventually there were those who were wanting to seek out more power. The revolution by LeBlanc was formed with the help of the royal princess. The current leader fell to the revolution as LeBlanc prevailed with the help of the princess. She despised her father's ideology much like her brother Emil. However, she took a different route than Emil and allied with an enemy. Emil vanished after killing his sister taking with him several viles and destroying the lab.
He had travelled to Eldia and helped the people through Ymir to create a nation. Through his actions the people were all connected by his blood and were able to hold onto the power of titans.
Meanwhile the surviving daughter of the princess was being taken care of. She grew up among those who had been hidden away, exiled and hunted for being titans. The lineage continued among the pure bloods until it reached Remus Weismann. Remus met his wife Acadia and the two had two children. They had a son named Cecil and a daughter named Alannah.
The current Weismann family was allied with the Sidonia family. A family that was once the right hand of the LeBlanc family but who had a falling out. With no heir to the throne from LeBlanc, the Sidonia's had the right to the throne and obtain the kingdom. However, things changed after the revolution and years later the Sidonia's no longer allied with LeBlanc after their heir was denied the right to the throne.
The Sidonia's re-established their alliance with the remaining titans as well as those within the underground. The Sidonia family protected their new found alliance by secretly allying with the Crovus Clan. Several titans infiltrated the Crovus Clan to eventually take them down from the inside out for helping the kingdom. The true goal was to bring the Weismann family back as the true rulers of the kingdom.
Cecil was unable to maintain a true titan form. His powers were weak in terms for physical strength, however he made up for it by having strong powers of the mind a well-known Weismann power. It was a common trait to have every five generations. Remus and Acadia sought to have another child with the hopes of having a stronger titan to bring them to victory.
The Crovus Clan found out about the plan and eventually killed the two parents after the birth of their daughter. The daughter was brought to Doctor Eli Carter and his wife Elaine Sidonia, Neal's Sidonia's sister. The two were tasked of protecting the heir. Cecil escaped with Neal and were brought under the watch of Carl McGill. Cecil was instructed never to make contact with his sister and to keep his identity a secret. Because he was unable to transform fully, they were able to keep his lineage hidden.
Overtime things changed with the death of Eli, Elaine, and even Neal. Those within the Crovus Clan left and formed The Guardians and sworn to protect those of titan blood. Cecil proclaimed that he still wished for the Weismann to gain control of the throne. He was Lana's true brother, she was born a Weismann. Lana was considered to be the true heir to the throne by her blood right. She was to come forward and to claim what was rightfully hers.
The current king of Rhea is an acting king. Within the last few years an heir was not established. If Lana and Cecil were to step in and reclaim the throne that once belonged to their ancestors, then they could live the life that they deserved.
"Once all of this is over, come with me. Come home," Cecil said with a smile holding onto Lana's hand.
"This is all so sudden. But I can't. My home is with those on Paradis."
"But what about me your brother. We are finally reunited."
"Cecil, I'm only just now finding out that you are my brother. For crying out loud, you've given me information that I'm not even sure what to do with. Right now, let me just play this role of a soldier so I can step into my role as a mother. Maybe one day, we can visit."
"But the throne can be yours!" he proclaimed.
"But it's not my home anymore. It just wouldn't feel right to do it. Besides, I'm still technically a wanted criminal in Rhea," she replied with a small smile.
"I understand," he responded by letting go of her hand. "Just let me do one last thing."
Lana allowed it and he calmly stepped towards her.
"Cecil are you sure. We don't know what would happen to her," Clyde proclaimed.
"Do you trust me?" Cecil asked her.
Lana nodded as he grabbed a firm hold of her face and pulled her towards his. Their foreheads touched as Cecil released all of the memories that he had supposedly erased from her memory. All of their encounters and their times spent together. It was enough to bring her to tears at the thought that she hadn't remembered any of it.
Everything didn't make sense, and she couldn't quite fit the pieces together just yet. But in that moment she was reborn again.
