"This place sure looks different without the walls."
Jean couldn't help but agree. As their steamboat slowly rolled towards the city gates along the river, the small houses in the distance slowly began to grow larger, the buildings once protected by the farthest wall being totally exposed to the outside. The only remnants of Wall Maria left were comparatively tiny piles of rubble, surrounding Shiganshina like a horseshoe. The armory in the center, once a simple stone structure dwarfed by the walls surrounding the city, was now a landmark that could be seen from a good distance away, an Eldian flag hoisted atop the citadel.
Jean and Connie were standing at the bow of the ship, taking drags of cigarettes as the city grew closer and closer. It had been over a year since Jean set foot inside the walls. Well… that's not so accurate anymore, is it? Not only were the walls gone, but the society had reborn itself in a new image; the nation of Eldia, the newest power on what was left of the world after the Rumbling, easily the strongest single country in the world. Only the Allied Nations could equal its power, with what little of the military that wasn't destroyed by Eren Yeager bonding together in a new alliance to counteract the new Eldian world order. As the boat went along, Jean could see the landscape roll by, a grim reminder of the horror they had bore witness to. The horror they had ended.
The long, rolling forests of massive trees and wildlife were gone. In their place lay a barren, brown waste, footprints stamped over footprints creating a highly compacted, flat terrain. The beauty of the outside has been utterly and totally destroyed, the compacted hordes of titans from the walls ironically destroying the outer territory of Eldia more thoroughly than Marley, than Hizuru. Dust storms were a common occurrence, with Queen Historia's efforts of attempting large replanting efforts being sidelined due to the Yeagerist's grip over the chains of power, focused far more on expanding their military, their power, as to keep the outside world from ending their young, new nation.
"I can't believe they rebuilt so soon", Jean mused, taking a drag from his cigarette and breathing out a cloud of white, billowing smoke. Shiganshina has been through great troubles, enough so that Jean is surprised the district even exists now. First the initial attack in 845, then the battle against the Beast Titan in 850, Bertholdt's transformation inside the city, and then the Rumbling. Jean wasn't sure any of the original inhabitants of the district were still living here. The Diaspora of Wall Maria is a historical record now, when the inhabitants of the districts and countryside fled inside Wall Rose after the Titan attack and resettled. While many returned to the districts of Maria once the wall was retaken, many others stayed, having found new lives in the five years in between. Furthermore, people from the inner districts and the Underground saw a new land for them to settle, a new chance at life. That, or a great new location for a branch of business. Jean wasn't sure about the intricate details about the state of things after the Rumbling; information outside of Eldia is limited, after all, but he noticed that Shiganshina was expanding out from the remnants of the walls, houses and shops lined along roads stretching out towards newly constructed harbors.
As they neared the city, Jean could hear one of the bulkheads swing open, two men in uniform stepping out. Jean didn't know them. He didn't recognize anyone here anymore. Their verdant green long coats were emblazoned with the Wings of Freedom, once the emblem of the Survey Corps, but now the symbol for the Party, and the nation of Eldia as a whole. Jean felt mild disgust at the appropriation of a symbol he once wore proudly. A symbol he had donned for his friends, his family. For Marco.
"You two."
One of them curtly stated to Jean and Connie. The boat they were on, contrary to the liner they had taken to Eldia from Fort Salta, was an Eldian vessel, under Eldian guard. Queen Historia had given them strict orders to not allow any harm to come to the ambassadors, and as a result, they were accompanied by a contingent of guards, intended to protect them from any harm. With them being the prime causes of the death of Eren Yeager, there were worries that they would be killed by a fervent Eldian populace, who viewed Eren as a god among men, the savior of Eldia, and the martyr that gave their people a chance to survive. From their perspective, the Alliance had unjustly murdered Eren, who wanted to secure a future for his people, and a future for Eldian children. The guards weren't happy with this arrangement; Jean could tell by the way they gripped the slings of their rifles, slung over their backs, that they would love nothing more than to put them on a firing line for their deeds. But, Queen Historia gave her orders. Good soldiers followed orders.
"You need to come inside. We can't protect you if you stick yourselves out here like this." Jean paused for a moment, looking at them in his peripheral vision, before taking one last drag of his cigarette. He lowered it from his mouth, exhaling one last cloud of smoke before flicking the butt off of the ship, the burning cherry visible until it hit the water, silently extinguished as it was pulled under the boat by displaced water. He stood up straight, Connie's smoke falling to the water below as well.
"Lead the way", Jean requested, his grey fedora clutched in his right hand by the brim. His polished black shoes tapped against the wooden deck of the boat, contrasting with the heavy thuds of thick-soled jackboots, combined with the menacing clicks of hobnails that dug into the wood. With Connie in tow, they were led back inside the rudimentary cabin area they were staying in. It was comprised of a simple common area, where the rest of the ambassadors were staying for their trip. Much like the ship they traversed the sea with, there was a round table in the center with the ambassadors sitting on the perimeter, the Eldian soldiers attached to them playing cards.
Immediately, Jean scanned over the little troop they had assembled. Armin and Annie were next to each other. Naturally, considering they were still going quite strong. He saw them touch atop the table, Armin's thumb slowly gliding across the back of Annie's hand. Annie didn't return the gesture, but the fact she wasn't pulling her hand away likely meant that she wasn't objecting to it. Reiner was nursing a cup of coffee, taking care not to get anything on his white suit. Then there was Pieck, who was absently twirling her hair around her finger, seeming very interested in the woodgrain of the table. However, she soon turned her tired gaze up to Jean's, which he returned. For a moment, they locked eyes, but Jean pulled his gaze away. Enough words had been said between them. Jean could feel the frazzled nerves in the room. They were walking right into the lion's den as traitors, after all.
"Jean." He snapped over to the voice that called him, Armin's, who reluctantly removed his hand from Annie's and folded his hands atop the table. "Is your speech finished? We only have a couple days before we address the Royal Court." Jean let out a sigh from his nose in response, pulling one of the empty chairs out, next to Reiner, who drew his eyes towards Jean. Really, everyone had their eyes on Jean now. He and Armin were the two leaders of this ambassadorship, the two brightest minds in the group putting their heads together to lead the addresses that each of them were going to give. The tone, the central themes, the ultimate goal. They had decided upon the obvious goal of reconciliation, hoping to convince the Eldians that the outside world wasn't going to threaten their nation, as long as if they remained peaceful and committed no belligerent actions.
"I have a set of bullet points, but you know how much I hate setting things in stone." Jean replied, scooting his chair up to the table. "Besides, it might look better if I don't read from a script. It's more from the heart that way." Immediately, Annie spoke up.
"Jean, you're addressing an entire nation of people that are willing to gear for war if anyone so much as looks at them funny. Don't tell me you're going to risk our whole plan because you don't want to write anything down." Armin gently put his hand on Annie's shoulder, as if he was persuading her to calm down, before turning his gaze back to Jean.
"Listen, I trust your judgement, and I know you understand how important it is that we succeed here. But Jean, this is no time to freewheel. Like Annie said, the fate of the world depends on what we do in two days. Our stories, our words, may very well be the bridge between Eldia and the rest of humanity. We can't squander this, it's our only shot."
He was going to reply, but the guards started to stand up and put away their cards, stacking them up and grabbing their rifles. The leader amongst them cleared his throat, before addressing them.
"We're going to escort you to the field north of Shiganshina, like you wanted, then to the inn where you'll be staying. We aren't going to rush you, but… well, the longer you stay out there, the more people might notice where you are. We take it you understand the risks."
A few silent nods were given in affirmation. Armin reached on a windowsill, where a bouquet of neatly trimmed blue flowers lay upright in a glass vase. Water was pooled at the bottom, keeping the flowers fresh for the trip from the harbor to Shiganshina; courtesy of the Queen herself, who knew they were planning on stopping in the area. He handed them out to everyone who requested one, with Jean holding his in his left hand. He was told they were Eren's favorites.
A short time later, they were walking down the gangplank of the boat, stepping ashore into the streets of Shiganshina. They were practically surrounded by soldiers as they walked out, Jean sliding his dark grey fedora atop his head, complimenting his similarly colored suit. He could feel the gaze of the gathered crowd bore into each and every one of them, a chorus of jeers and shouts melding together in a sea of noise that Jean wished he could just shut out. The only thing he could decipher in the crowd was 'dedicate your hearts'. Erwin's, and by extension the rest of the Survey Corps, official motto, repurposed long ago by the Yeagerists as a rallying cry for their cause. Every time he heard it, he felt disgusted. Once a phrase he could believe in, it had been perverted until it no longer represented the former meaning. They did not dedicate their hearts to humanity. They would dedicate their hearts to Eren Yeager. To Eldia. To Eldians.
The soldiers carved a way through the crowd by their mere presence; while the crowd surely would want a piece of the ambassadors, their fervent nationalism would keep them from standing against the soldiers at their flanks. Still, that was just the people at ground level. Being the tallest person in the whole group, Jean felt particularly vulnerable to sniper fire, should anyone be perched up in a window with a rifle. However, despite the hostile atmosphere, they remained unmolested in their journey.
Jean wanted to feel at home here, but really, this was as far from home as it could possibly get. He didn't recognize a single thing, a single person, a single building even. What's worse, this whole city was practically a shrine to Eren Yeager, being his home district and all. He could see a monument built atop the ruins of his old house, a 10 meter obelisk forming the centerpiece of a park. It was emblazoned with a key, the key he remembers being placed in the lock of Grisha Yeager's desk. Ironic; they're some of the few people who even saw that key, saw that house, saw what was in the basement, but they were still treated like the deepest of traitors. Jean lowered his head slightly, the brim of his fedora hiding his eyes as he walked along with the rest of the group.
A few minutes later, they came to a barricade staffed by various soldiers, blocking off a side road to the north that lead to a plain dotted with trees, the centerpiece being a particularly tall one nestled at the top of a small hill. The soldiers stayed with the barricade, letting them make the short walk in peace. Eventually, the dirt road ended, and Jean lead the way, his black leather shoes stepping over the bright green grass and leaving tracks for the others to follow. As the tree got closer and closer, he could make out more at the base, however it was hidden temporarily as they reached the foot of the hill.
Jean felt his heartbeat slowly increase as he took long, heavy strides up the hill, the gentle slope enough to form a crest for which the base of the tree to hide behind. However, it didn't take long for him to clear the crest. He could feel a pang in his stomach, produced of a feeling he still can't describe. Slowly, he removes his hat, clutching it to his chest as he looks forward.
"Jean."
A soft voice calls out to him, one he hasn't heard in a while. One that still makes his heart pound and flutter at the same time, even years after the first time he heard it. At the foot of the tree was a raven-haired woman, dressed simply in a skirt, shirt, and light outer jacket, as well as a plain red scarf. He could see her cheeks were ever so slightly damp, like she had teared up recently. But, she's smiling, seeing her friends come back after so long away. Jean can't help but return the smile.
"Mikasa."
As she stands up and starts to greet the others, Jean's attention is drawn to the stone she's sitting next to. Writing was carved into it, but Jean didn't need to read it. Eren's resting place. Far more meaningful than even the tallest of statues, the most dedicated of followers, and even the love of an entire nation. They didn't know who Eren Yeager was. As Jean crouches down and places his flower before the stone, he feels memories begin to wash over him.
The last time him and Eren spoke.