A Queen's Request: The Final Arc

DELIVERANCE

'The action of being rescued or set free.'

Introduction: Stepping Forwards

Fight.

Alone in his cell, Eren wiped the sweat from his forehead as he leaned over the sink, his wild eyes staring back at him from the mirror.

Historia.

For a moment there, it was her looking back at him. He couldn't even remember trying to reach her, let alone why he needed her to fight. But he did; of that, there was no doubt in his mind. She needed to fight, for the sake of her land and her people. She needed to fight for Eldia.

He thought about Levi, and his child in her belly. It made his head throb. Had she gotten to see him yet? Had the Captain touched her, comforted her, told her about Sasha's last moment's as she wept in his arms?

He was getting dizzy again. He splashed his face, allowing that whispered voice to slip through his conscious.

Fight.

It brought back that reassuring sense of equilibrium, as though he had been pulled back from a cliff edge before he could tumble over. He took a long, steadying breath in, stepping closer to the mirror; anchoring himself as he stared at his reflection.

A noise behind him made him turn. Commander Hange was observing from outside of the cell. She took a step towards the iron bars.

"What are you doing? Hey, were you talking to that mirror, just now?"

Levi stared at her.

She chose … to fight?

It was like she was transforming before his eyes. The last fragments of the girl she had been, before she'd stepped up to the throne, were slipping away. She wasn't going to let anyone dictate to her what her future would look like anymore. Not Darius Zackley and the Paradis Government; not Eren or Zeke Jaeger; not even him. The only one who decided what her future would hold, was the Queen herself.

He loved her for it.

"I don't deserve to be excused of suffering any more than anyone else. I'm tired of regretting what I didn't do. I'm making this decision for myself; I decide my own fate."

So. Fucking fair enough, then. He couldn't argue with that. All he could do, was everything in his power to ensure her sacrifice wasn't needed, in the end.

"It won't come to that." He hoped he'd managed to say it with more confidence than he felt. That old dream - the one with Erwin, and the syringe, and her - flashed across his mind, but he pushed it away. Before either of them could say anything further, the sound of footsteps rebounded outside of the door to the little room.

Damnit. He couldn't afford to linger any longer. He needed to get that hairy bastard out of here, and as far away from her as possible.

"I have to go."

He turned, and came face to face with Farm Boy. The kid looked a little flustered.

"Hello, Captain Levi."

Levi stood to the side of the door, allowing him to enter with a curt nod. He decided to get the words out before he could change his mind. Best to get it over and done with. "Good job on keeping her safe."

George's face grew a shade pinker. Levi hoped he was enjoying his moment of praise from him, because it probably wasn't going to happen again anytime soon. He reached for something at his belt, and Levi recognised the glint of the knife he'd given to him. "Thank you, Captain, but I really didn't do anything." He lifted the weapon, tossing it to catch the blade before offering it to him. Tch. Levi wondered how long he'd spent practicing doing that.

"Oh - I almost forgot, I have something to give to you, too." Historia fumbled in the pocket of her coat. When her hand re-emerged, she was clutching his Shiganshina medal. She moved forwards, hand outstretched.

He stared at them both, stood before him, offering the little pieces of himself he'd left behind with them previously. Well, he was leaving again now, wasn't he? And the way Historia had been talking … it seemed they may both still need the only things he could offer under the circumstances: strength and hope.

He shook his head. "Keep them. You're not done protecting her, " he said to George. "And I haven't done anything to deserve that back, yet" His head tipped towards the medal in Historia's hands.

George hesitated for a moment. He took back the knife, his face suddenly more serious than Levi thought he'd ever seen him.

Historia blinked at the little Wings of Freedom engraved on the medal. She clutched it to her chest. "I'll keep it safe for you, then."

The Queen looked so radiant, even in the dimly lit room. For the second time that day, he had the urge to just take her and run, far away from this entire mess. Lock her away somewhere remote; more remote even than the Orphanage, and spend his days guarding her. Her and their child. But he knew, even if he had it in him to abandon his duty to Hange and the Survey Corps, to Paradis, to their little corner of humanity, she wouldn't let him. Not anymore. She certainly wouldn't allow herself to be saved like that, whilst everything around her went to shit.

No. Historia wanted to fight for their world. Just like him.

Not giving a damn that Farm Boy was still standing there, Levi strode towards her. He grabbed the wrist that held his little medal and pulled her to him. Just one more moment. One more selfish moment - he'd make it count, because he was leaving again. And the thing was, ally or not, he had a feeling that guarding Zeke Jaeger was going to be one of the most challenging missions of his life.

He kissed her slowly, and deeply, hoping to convey all that he could not with his shitty words. His eyes closed as he lost himself with her. She was everything. He would come back for her again. He loved her. She melted into him, and it was like becoming whole again. Better than the clumsy, rushed kisses they'd shared when she first got here in their desperation from the time they'd spent apart. He almost forgot George was even there. That was, until the guy spoke again.

"…Captain?"

He made an annoyed sound against her mouth. He wasn't done yet. But wait … something about that voice wasn't quite right. Farm Boy's voice wasn't that deep. And why did he sound … surprised?

Historia pulled away suddenly. He turned his head.

George's face was now glowing like a lit beacon. Just past him, there in the doorway, stood a very disgruntled-looking Jean Kirchstein. Beside him was Mikasa, apparently equally as perplexed.

Well, Shit.

And here begins the final arc of our tale ...

Thanks to the Guest who asked when we'd start to diverge from the manga in terms of plot. This is where it begins - although there will still be familiar elements in the story from canon, now you're probably going to start seeing some things which contradict current manga events. I've just been really lucky up to this point that a) We haven't seen pretty much ANY significant Historia storylines since I began this story, and B) The Levi and manga storyline in general has been easy enough to tie events to. Now we're in manga endgame, however, and because my story is Levi & Historia- centric, the ending to this story I've always envisioned obviously involves them as the key players in the fight for Eldia and saving the world, in contrast to the 104th and The Warriors, which is where the manga is currently focused. (Although they may both still have significant roles to play - here's hoping! - but I suspect their stories won't be intertwined much).

Thank you if you've stuck around for this long - 40 odd chapters is certainly a long slog for you guys as readers! I massively appreciate the feedback I still get, and that people are still interested. I will do my very best to deliver a satisfactory ending with this final arc, and only hope that I can get anywhere near your expectations - no pressure!

As always, much, MUCH love - SR x