"The only truth of this world is that there is no truth," Eren Kruger lamented, emptying the vial in his hands into the syringe. "That being said, there is one other thing."

"What more could there possibly be?" Grisha sighed, placing a hand to his head.

"The Marleyan government has lied to the rest of the world," Eren squatted down, face-to-face with the other man. "There are not nine Titans, there are ten."

Grisha's eyes widened as they were caught in Eren's. "Wh-what do you mean, why would they lie about something like that?"

Eren was silent for a moment before responding, "Marley hates playing all their cards. The world already knew of the Nine before the Tenth was discovered, hiding amongst an Eldian family. Passed from generation to generation, similar to the Tybur family's War Hammer. They've kept the power to themselves, and with the ability said Titan possesses, it isn't a surprise they've managed to keep it hidden."

"What is it?" Grisha was invested now. A secret Titan? "More powerful than the War Hammer?"

"No," Eren said, shaking his head. "Not more powerful. But every bit as useful. It is called the Scouting Titan, named after its ability to camouflage and blend in with its surroundings. When wielded properly, it is nearly invisible."

Grisha racked his brain for any sign of the information throughout his schooling. They had been taught about the others, but he remembered nothing about a Scout Titan. "What family supposedly wields this Titan?"

Eren held the kneeling man's shoulder as he prepared to inject the spinal fluid at the base of his neck. "I don't know for sure; but my sources tell me it's the Iscariot family."

His lips parting, Grisha recalled Alec Iscariot, who happened to be a prominent member in Marleyan society. Specifically, his mind travelled to the lack of armband any time he'd ever seen the Iscariot family. "That family isn't even Eldian," he said slowly. "They can't transform into Titans."

Eren shook his head, despite knowing Grisha couldn't see it. "Have you ever noticed that each member of the family carries a card that they produce in lieu of a blood test when needed?" The implication forced a memory to the front of Grisha's mind – it was Alec, accompanied by his son, a boy around Grisha's age; they passed through the checkpoint out of the Liberio Internment Zone, and Alec had flashed a yellow card out of his back pocket. Grisha had only been a child at the time, the oddity of the situation not meaning much then. "That card is held by every member of the Iscariot family, given to them by the Marleyan government supposedly to conceal the fact that they're Eldian. Every high-ranking government official would recognize it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Grisha was horrified by the idea that the Marleyan government could be hiding a multitude of Titan Shifters.

"Because," Eren sighed. "There very well may come a time when you or one of your successors takes on Marley. And when that time comes, that individual needs to be prepared for the secrets Marley is hiding from it's citizens."

"Won't I just forget all of this as soon as you turn me into a Titan?"

"That's not always the case," Eren said, placing his hand back on Grisha's shoulder. "And it's possible someone else will see it."

"Huh?"

"Be it your wife, your child, or even a stranger. Love someone in those walls." The standing man sighed dramatically. "If you can't do that, history will only repeat itself. This cruel history, these foolish a. They'll repeat. You have to see this through."

"Excuse me, Miss, but this is a restricted area. I'll need you to submit to a blood test prior to entering." A Marleyan soldier reached out to place a hand on the shoulder of a woman, but fell short as she recoiled away from his grasp.

Madeleine sighed dramatically, pulling a small yellow card out of the breast pocket of her shirt. Without a word, she tossed it in the direction of the officer. On one side of it, the word Iscariot was printed in large black letters. As he flipped it over, instructions on providing it to his supervisor were printed on the other. He eyed the girl suspiciously and sent a Junior officer to locate his Superior.

The officer's left hand hovered above the pistol in his belt. Something about the girl didn't feel right, she didn't look normal. Her long white hair fell in soft curls, and she was so pale he would've mistaken her for Albino if her eyes hadn't been such a light green. She was watching him out of the corner of her eye with a look that he couldn't decipher. One thing he did know, though, was that it made him uneasy. He would've sworn she was Eldian, his gut just said so.

Soon enough, his Junior officer returned with a high-ranking official in tow. The girl's indifferent look faded into a smile that looked a bit too tired for a woman as young as she was. "Bede," she greeted supervisor by his first name. It appeared they knew each other.

"Miss Iscariot," Bede removed his hat with a genuine smile. "I didn't realize that this was your departure." He gestured to the small ship docked just behind the gate.

Madeleine gave him a sad smile. "It is indeed," she confirmed, glancing pointedly to the small suitcase she'd been rolling behind her.

"You two can go back to guard duty," Bede said to the other two officers. "I'll escort Miss Iscariot to her ship." The two saluted and returned to their post, still wearily watching the two.

Bede offered his arm, and she took it. "How long will you be gone?" He asked quietly, as to avoid being overheard.

Madeleine bit her lip. "At least a year, maybe more," she said. "You're aware of my destination?" she asked, not wanting to give away anything he didn't already know.

Nodding, Bede sighed. "I don't think it's right to be sending you there, even before you've inherited your Titan. Who knows what those Island Devils would do to you if they found out?"

"We sent three children last year," she argued. "Children, I'm more than ten years their senior, and I've been training my whole life. I'm no less prepared than they are to defend myself for the sake of our Motherland."

Bede stopped walking, which jerked her arm back. "Maddy, they're Titan Shifters," he said seriously. "They can transform and defend themselves if need be. You can't," he pointed out.

"Please," she snorted a bit. "You've no idea the extent of my training, I doubt there's a snot-nosed brat on that island who could take me. Primitive beasts."

But later that evening, Madeleine found herself at the bow of the ship, reviewing her plan and think about how she'd gotten here.

The Scouting Titan had been wielded by her family since the dawn of time. The children of the Iscariot Family had always shown a particular inclination for it's camouflaging abilities, even before inheriting the Titan. At least, until she'd come along. The ridiculous white hair stood out like a sore thumb when camouflaging, and as a result, she'd been overlooked as a candidate. She'd had to work harder, be faster, stronger than any of her cousins to even be considered. This trip was her final test – she was being sent to aid the Warriors in taking the Founding Titan, ensure they're able to take it. Do this, her grandfather had said, and he would gladly choose her as the successor. What grandfather said was law – regardless of where she stood in the family, what he said, goes. If he said she would be the Titan, she would be the Titan.

Madeleine stared up at the night sky. There was no greater honor than inheriting a Titan, it meant you were the best of the best. And unlike the rest of the ridiculous Eldian scum, she didn't have to compete with a bunch of snot-nosed brats in terms of grades and favoritism. She already had a leg up on the rest of her family by being beautiful – who would suspect a lovely little thing like her to be a big, scary Titan? Nobody, that's who. And the rest of the Iscariot family knew it. In the unlikely chance that Marley was ever attacked, nobody would think twice about her being a Titan Shifter. It was the same type of reasoning that Peick Finger had been chosen as the Cart Titan, she was sure of it.

Sighing, she laid back on the ship. She needed to do this, needed to prove that she wasn't a lost cause. That she was good for more than a knife fight or shooting a gun. The Iscariot family trained children from a young age to take on the Titan; every single one of them would likely be used as a host at some point, and it was the job of the rest to produce as many heirs as possible, keep producing more and more candidates for the Scouting Titan. She couldn't be one of them, she refused to be a human incubator for the rest of her life.

A call came from somewhere above her head, land had been spotted. Paradis Island was just up ahead.

Madeleine shot up and ran to her quarters. Opening up the suitcase, she pulled out a set of clothes – a black turtleneck and matching pants, and a pair of shoes she could comfortably run in. She threw her long hair into a messy bun on top of her head and used the cool water from the bathroom sink to wipe off the makeup she'd been wearing all day. She subconsciously felt for the small silver locket around her neck – it contained a picture of Lucy, her little sister, only six years old. She wondered if she should remove it?

"Ma'am? We're here," a female officer cautiously opened the door to her quarters. "It's time."

Madeleine allowed the guard to escort her back to the ship, where the other shipmates were tying off the boat and laying down the ramps to descend. She allowed a male officer to escort her down the ramp to the dock, and they led her up the wall. e

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Madeleine allowed herself a moment of thought of all the Eldians who'd met their demise here. Innocent men, women, and children had been turned Titan and banished to this island. Staring off over the sand dunes ahead, she couldn't make out a single Titan. She'd been told there likely wouldn't be any out this far, most wandered towards the walls due to the large number of people behind them. She knew she wouldn't be safe the closer she got to the walls, so she needed to get going while night was still upon her.

The same female officer as before approached her, breaking her thought. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I –"

"I know," Madeleine interrupted the woman, raising a hand to stop her. "You needn't say it, just do it." Climbing down the wall would not produce the disheveled look required for someone found outside the walls. She needed to be kicked off, just like all the Eldian scum of the past. Her train of thought there was cut short, by the sharp sting of a boot to her lower back, which sent her tumbling off the wall.

Madeleine had been running all night and had yet to come across anyone, Titan or otherwise. The guard had pointed her in the direction of the walls and she hadn't changed course, praying that she was going in the right direction. As dawn approached, she dragged herself up a monster of a tree to hide out and sleep for a bit. She couldn't do much during daylight anyways, too many Titans would be roaming free and she only had a small knife with her. It was one thing for a Titan Shifter to be out here alone, but a totally different thing for a regular person with only a knife to protect them.

When she finally felt that she was safely out of reach of even the largest of Titans, she settled on large branch and rested. She'd likely only travelled a third of the way there, it was going to take days, she'd hardly packed food, not thinking it would take as long as it was. At least she'd fit the "starving survivor" look.

Throughout the day, Madeleine was awoken several times by thundering footsteps of Titans below, none of which seemed to smell or even notice her perched up the tree above. The things were disgusting and terrifying, but she'd been near the Titan Shifters long enough for the grotesque Pure Titans to not bother her.

At least, that's what she told herself. In reality, she found them absolutely abhorrent, and she was more terrified right now than any other time in her life. The Scouting Titan and the rest of the Titan Shifters were still people inside, with functioning brains that could be rationed with. These Titans, the Pure Titans, were not. They were mindless, senseless, human-hungry monsters that would kill her without a second thought. The Titan Shifters had battled them during training and while at war, but the Iscariot family had never used their Titan to fight, at least not dating back over the last few centuries. Even while training, she had never been in any real danger. But out here in the wild, that was certainly not the case.

Days and nights passed, and she grew more and more exhausted from the lack of food and decent sleep. Madeleine counted herself lucky that she had not yet encountered a Titan that required her to fight. Most she could simply avoid up in trees. On her third night, she finally saw it: Wall Maria in the distance. That evening, she made herself at home at a nearby stream. She took in her ratted hair, still half-up in a bun, and tried to comb the dirt and leaves out of it as much as possible. She hated being so filthy. She attempted to wipe the dirt off her clothing as well, but there was nothing she could do about the cuts and bruises from trees and from being kicked off that God-forsaken wall.

Madeleine wandered the outside wall for a few hours; the first town she had come across had a giant whole blasted in its wall, and Titans were pouring in. There would certainly be no people there to find her, and far too many Titans to safely stay in the area. She followed the wall, marveling at its height. She knew of the Titans in the walls and could only imagine how large they must be. Her mind wandered, imagining hundreds of monsters linking arms behind the cobblestones; she shuddered and pushed the thought out of her mind. It was too dark out to be scaring herself like that.

Finally, she decided to climb a tree to rest. The sun would rise soon, and it was too dangerous to stay on the ground. She would find a way in tomorrow.

Madeleine woke to a sharp under her chin, and in her half-awake state, she attempted to sit up. Whatever was jabbed under her chin sank into the soft skin, and she felt a trickle of blood sliding down her throat. Her eyes flew open and she found herself face-to-face with a pair of stone-cold grey eyes.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

A/N: Finally! I've had this story in my head for a little while, but I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to write it or not. It's the first time I've had a story from start-to-finish in mind, so that's exciting. Please review if you'd like, I could always use feedback and constructive criticism!