c3defensecommand90:Sorry for the long delay to reply but I want you to know I'm happy you enjoy this story, certainly, this AU will be quite something, I don't mean to come off as arrogant but this plot I have in mind is quite unique.Also the change of Alma will be revealed eventually as most mysteries of this story, in the meanwhile I. Hope you're still invested in this story and again thank you :). .Overall, very interesting story and I hope to see more in the future. Cheers!

Author notes at the end of the chapter, enjoy guys.

After another letter was written, Frieda allowed herself to smile triumphantly, she had spent the entire day in her solar and the afternoon she had to be at court again, just a couple of days passed since her coronation and she already felt like she had been ruling for a year, the people she had to deal with were distasteful.

As she heard a knock on the door, her nose crinkled at the thought of another flattering fool trying to gain favour with her.

"Your majesty." The voice of her guard spoke, opening the door a little.

"What is it." Asked an exasperated Frieda who was not in the mood to deal with the pompous Lords.

"Prince Blake Reiss has requested a private audience with you," Her guard informed her. "He's waiting outside, what should I tell him?"

Her contempt was replaced with joy upon hearing her cousin came to see her. As she frantically fixed her hair and desk, she quickly sat on the chair and put her hands together with fingers interlocked to try to look as serious as possible.

"Let him in."

The man who opened the door for her cousin was Louis Williams, the commander of her guard, the middle-aged man entered the room with her cousin at his side, now that she looked at them side by side she realised how different one was from the other.

In terms of appearance, her cousin was quite tall for his age, already taller than all his family, his now short dark blonde hair and smooth skin stood out more now that commander Louis was next to him, the man was tall as Kenny if not taller, broad-shouldered and well-built whereas Blake was robust and pot-bellied. Their personalities couldn't be any more different.

Louis was stern and stoic. Her cousin was passionate and emotional but something they had in common was their honesty and loyalty something she was truly thankful for.

"Frieda!" Blake greeted happily as he approached her, Frieda tried to remind herself she was the Queen at that moment and had to behave as such.

But she failed at the last moment, she raised from her seat and made her way towards him where she returned the greeting with a smile and a warm hug.

"Thank you, commander, you may leave." She said to her guard, the man gazed at Blaked with his blue pale eyes as he bowed to her.

After he left, Blake had noticed that look commander Williams gave him. "What's his problem?" he frowned as he crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Don't worry, he gives that same look to everyone who doesn't address me respectfully, according to him." She clarified for him as he snorted.

"I've seen you are quite fond of those attires now., Frieda noted with a grin which made him look at ais own clothes.

"They're more comfortable now, after a few uh... adjustments, these breeches are no longer suffocating my legs and crotch."

"Yes, I noticed." She tried not to laugh at the memory of his annoyed face all day during her coronation. "You should've seen your face."

Blake's smile vanished as he rolled his eyes at her. "You were acting the same that day, that weird dress of yours was big enough to hide a corpse under it."

"You don't have to remind me." She smiled slightly, "I felt my chest was going to explode that day."

"Well, at least you're now wearing something more practical." His statement couldn't be any more true, as now both wore more appropriate clothing that allowed them to feel comfortable.

"I doubt you're here to speak about our choice of clothing." She said, hoping the reason he was there was to accept her appointment.

"And you're right." He agreed, pulling out the golden broach she had given her a few days ago, when he extended his hand for her to grab it she couldn't help but feel disappointment and sadness.

"I can't accept this Frieda," Those words were something she hoped wouldn't listen but it seemed that was his final decision.

She grabbed it without saying anything, her solemn expression was all he needed to know.

"I can't accept it, Frieda." He repeated and she felt a bit annoyed that he was reminding her as if he was mocking her.

"You have to make it public, no?" She stood still for a moment blinking, his smile meant he wasn't rejecting her offer, he was accepting it.

"You cheeky little..." Frieda wanted to hit him for toying with her, but that feeling was soon replaced with happiness and as both laughed she hugged him tightly.

"We're going to change this world for good Blake, you and I are meant to rule together." She whispered in his ear, she felt his arms wrapping around her frame and returning the hug with equal affection.

"Wherever you lead us... Wherever you lead me, Frieda."

They broke the hug and she grabbed the broach, keeping it inside her dress pocket, she grabbed him by the hand and walked out of the room.

"People are gathering at court." She looked at her pocket watch as they walked through the halls. "Today I'll make appointments now that you said yes."

"Were you just waiting for me to say yes?" He inquired. "What did the other Lords thought of it?"

"They just nod and agree to everything I say." She sneered in contempt, "They are still waiting for one of them to be named High Chancellor."

"I couldn't be any happier Frieda." He confessed, rubbing his hands together and looking at the ground. "Although I'm inexperienced, I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't, you're wise beyond your age Blake, never forget that."

They reached the throne room where Frieda would have to hold court for the entire afternoon, when they approached the doors, one of the soldiers guarding it spoke.

"Your majesty, Lord Reiss is already holding court in your stead."

The statement made one her eyebrows to twitch in confusion and anger. "Why?"

The soldier gulped at her reaction, looking at his partner nervously. "He said he wanted to spare you the trouble of having to attend today..."

She knew it wasn't the soldier's fault, she simply nodded and motioned to open the door.

As they obeyed her command her cousin placed a hand on her shoulder and made his way to the room first."Can't wait to see their reactions."

The room wasn't as crowded as the day she was coronated but many people still stood there.

"They're waiting for an appointment that will never come." She wanted to giggle at the thought, it wasn't professional at all but these people would rather ruin countless lives if they could get some sort of profit from it, as she placed the golden broach on a pillow a servant was carrying, everyone glanced at the object that would signify one of them as the high chancellor, Frieda could feel their greed increasing.

She felt all eyes landing on her the moment she made her presence known, glancing at the throne her father was sitting in, she felt the anger returning as she saw father dismissing some lord.

"Your Majesty." Father focused his attention on her, as he immediately stepped down from the throne.

"Thank you for holding court before we arrived, my lord." Her expression was calm but her emotions were hard to keep in order. "We shall continue from this point forward."

Her father didn't say anything and simply stood next to the stairs as she sat on the throne.

"We thank you for coming, my Lords and ladies, we hope to provide any solution your problems may require." Her smooth words seemed to please most of the nobles standing at the sides of the room, "But then again, these people are the most simple-minded and easy to appease." Her brain reminded her.

She didn't know how much time passed, but the room didn't empty at all even if she already attended to most of the people there, they were still waiting for that golden broach to be offered to one of them most likely.

The last man before ending the day was one she was already tired of seeing even though she had only seen for a few days.

Fancy clothes, arrogant smile and the same stupid request was enough to make her day from bad to worse.

"Lord Inocencio, is it? You may speak." She said politely.

"Your majesty." The annoying young man began, "I come to request the same thing I've been saying these past few days, a moment of your time, to discuss matters of my family's company in a more... Detailed way.." That small pause from him made her want to snort in disgust but luckily he continued. "That's why I, on behalf of my family, beg you do the honour of accompanying us on dinner tonight."

"We thank you for the invitation lord, Inocencio." She immediately replied, "But the answer is still no, we've been very busy these days, and we cannot afford to join your family in dinner for the time being."

Everyone began to whisper and give Inocencio disapproving looks as the man's smile didn't disappear. "Of course your majesty, I thank you for your time." He said and Frieda could only appreciate the man took rejection graciously.

When the man left, she felt the time to name Blake as her counsellor was the appropriate moment, she raised her voice so all the room could hear her.

"We thank you for your support and we strive in making the best decisions for everyone, however, in these hard times we need someone loyal, honourable and wise, therefore..."

The pause she made was on purpose, the eagerness of everyone in the room was increasing as she took a deep breath and braced herself for the imminent backlash of her decision.

"We choose our cousin, Blake Reiss as the right person for the appointment."

The look of everyone, her father included, was priceless, Blake kept himself composed and calm, not betraying no emotion saved for a small smile and a gracious bow. "Thank you, your majesty." He said and took the broach into his hands, withdrawing to another position where he wouldn't be the centre of attention.

Before any other Lords could say anything regarding her decision, she cut them off by dismissing court and exiting the room, with her father and Blake following behind her.

She glanced at her pocket watch and turned her attention to her cousin. "A council meeting will start soon, please go there and wait for us." She told him and he frowned in result.

"Will you let me alone with those annoying old men?"

"You're my advisor now cousin." She reminded him, firm but not unkind. "We won't take long."

He didn't argue further and obliged, walking in the opposite direction from where she was walking.

"Father, a word please." With that, her father followed closely.

Now at her solar, her father got the chance to speak first before she could. "That Inocencio guy is very persistent with that dinner of his." He noted, glancing at every direction with uncertainty. "I agree you do not have time to attend to his family's state but courting the nobility is your priority before anything else Frieda."

She just stared at him and without any words, she searched in her desk for the letter that would explain everything, when she found it she stretched out her hand for him to grab the letter.

When he read it, his opinion changed, albeit just a little bit.

"I see, he wants to... Court you." Her father resumed the letter in a few words which made her sigh.

"I know the Inocencios, noble family, remarkable merchants and successful businesses people, but the heir to the house, Xavi Inocencio is known for being a distasteful and perverted liar."

"And you deserve better, but you should start considering marriage more seriously, with you being queen.."

"I have the responsibility to give birth a suitable heir to the throne." She cut him off. "But the matter is, I already have an heir.." . And someone I want to marry"

"Your cousin is a great choice, Frieda." He agreed, immediately understanding who she meant, but the look he gave her made her realise he had more to say.

"But?" Frieda inquired.

"Making him the second most powerful person in the walls after you are... Not the most appropriate choice, not because of lack of capacity, but for inexperience."

"Did you know the youngest person to ever be appointed as high chancellor was a girl of 8?" She said, leaving out the part that Charles IX Fritz was one of the thirty mad Kings in the history of Eldia. "The girl turned out to be one of the best high chancellors in history, she was so good people even considered she was the one ruling the empire instead of the king." Again, when you spoke about the atrocities of Charles IX and his incompetence, literally everyone was better suited to rule.

Not that it mattered much though, after the great titan war, most eldian kings had been erased from history and only her had access to the truth, the memories of all of them, she had yet to unlock those memories.

"Your uncle mentioned that name a couple of times, he also said we're the last vestige of a once-great empire, but the past is... well, the past. Now you have to look forward." Her father tried to advise her, it pained her to no end to hide the truth of Eldia to her family, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reveal the truth.

"What I was trying to say is, never underestimate someone young, they may surprise you, which makes me wonder, why did you try to hold court without my permission?"

"I wanted to help you, Frieda, you don't have to carry this burden alone." His words seemed sincere, despite the tense relationship he had with their family, Rod Reiss had always been honest with her.

"I know you want to help, father." Her tone was soft and she gave him a smile to reassure him everything was fine. "But please next time, tell me first. I can't afford to look weak or permissive, especially with these people."

"You have my word, my girl."

The rest of the day was uneventful and she was deeply thankful for that, however, a voice woke her up in the middle of the night, as she raised from her bed and looked at the darkness of the large room, she couldn't see a single thing so she decided to light up a candle and pointed it out to the dark.

"Who's there?" She asked with a mix of fear and confusion. But no voice answered until the silence was broken.

"Can you hear me, child?" A deep, soothing voice spoke throughout the room and at the same time, inside her head.

"W-what..." A flabbergasted Frieda said, her eyes widened and the tiredness in her body left as the voice echoed through the walls.

"Be not afraid." It spoke again, her body didn't respond and she simply stared at the nothingness of the room, maybe it was her mind playing with her, but she could swear she saw many silhouettes forming around her.

"You've been doing well, Frieda." The voice sent a chill down her spine, but at the same time, the use of her name made it feel at ease if just a little.

"Are you..." She stopped and covered her mouth, the knot she felt in her stomach was preventing her from speaking but she made a great effort to swallow her fear.

"Are you... One of them? A ghost of the past?"

The voice didn't say anything for a few seconds that felt like an eternity to her, she feared she had said the wrong thing and once again her mind proceeded to imagine a thousand outcomes, a not a single one of them was pleasant at all.

" You could say I am one, but in life, people knew me as Karl Fritz, the 145th king of Eldia."

She sat there completely without moving or responding, instead of fear, now she felt overwhelmed as a hundred questions rushed through her mind.

"I am here to guide you, child. I see righteousness in you I haven't seen for centuries, I know it may be hard to understand, but I promise you that I'll explain things."

This was her moment to ask about the truth, what was happening in the world and the origin of the walls. So she could harness to power within her and use it for the sake of her people

"There's no need for you to know that now." The voice told her, it heard her thoughts?! How could that be possible?!

"The power of the founder is one that connects us, Eldians, to invisible paths that transcend time and space. You're the centre of those paths right now Frieda Reiss, should you continue to walk this path of wisdom and piety, the paradise your uncle tried to create will become a reality." The voice declared, and as she felt the presence vanishing, she called out to it through her mind, but the voice kept fading.

"When you find yourself desperate and not knowing what to do, look for me, child, I'm here for you."

She suddenly woke up, gasping for air as if she'd been suffocating, her heartbeat so hard it felt it would pop out of her chest, she quickly glanced at the curtains and she saw the sun slowly rising at the distance... It had been a dream? No... It was the start of her connection to the founding titan. She sat on the edge of her bed for a few minutes and glanced at her shaking hands, she clenched them into fists and gritted her teeth tightly.

The anxiousness and adrenaline began to leave her body and she got ready for the day.

She had a little bit of free time before starting her duties, despite wanting to spend the day with all her family she knew it wasn't possible at the moment, she decided to go to Historia since it felt like she hadn't seen he, little sister, in a while, leaving Blake and her father to solve any issues that may arise during her absence.

The man driving her there was commander Louis, she was thankful that her father had appointed such a dedicated soldier as her personal guard, how uncle Uri got along with Kenny was beyond her, the thought of dismissing him had crossed her mind many times but she refused to talk about it with Blake or father out of fear of what the Ackerman would do.

She climbed off the carriage as her guard stayed a few meters away in case she needed protection, when she saw Historia sitting under a tree her heart warmed, the day was starting much better than yesterday.

"Frieda!" Little Historia rushed to her upon seeing her, jumping at her arms with joy as the oldest Reiss spin around with her little sister in her arms.

"I've missed you Historia." Frieda rubbed her head affectionately, "What about we play together hmm?"

"Historia I..." Alma appeared, whatever she was going to say changed when she saw the now queen of the walls in front of her.

"Your Majesty." Alma spoke with respect and bowed deeply at her, "It is an honour to have you here."

"No need for that now Alma." Frieda quickly said. "I'm taking a break before I resume my duties."

"Oh, of course." Alma's cheeks turned a little pink, trying to excuse herself, albeit clumsily. But before she left, Frieda was confused about something.

"Wait.." She approached the woman and whispered in her ear. "How do you know I'm queen?"

Alma's eyes widened in horror and averted her gaze from the monarch, but she had no other choice but to speak.

"Lord Reiss was here recently your majesty... I didn't invite him I swear, please don't punish me.." Alma's rant ended when Frieda gently shook her by the shoulders.

"It's alright Alma, I believe you, but... Why was he here?"

"For Historia." Alma gave her daughter a subtle look, both women stared at the girl who was desperately trying to get the attention of commander Williams, who was standing still like a statue. "He's been sending letters to her and visiting her."

"Another one of father's secrets" Frieda mused, if she was honest, she loved the idea of her father finally knowing her little sister, on the other hand, if he was careless, mother would think of it as if he was still having an affair with Alma.

"I think it's best we don't talk about politics or my family to Historia," Freida suggested, but giving her position and Alma's reaction, it sounded more like a command.

"Of course your majesty."

Historia's favourite thing was riding the horse with her, the giggles Historia made were enough to ease Frieda's mind and God knew how much she needed that.

"I wish you were here every day," Historia said, holding onto her arm as Frieda rode her horse. "It gets boring sometimes."

"I wish I could too." Frieda gave her a sad smile. "But I'll come whenever I can, I promise."

"Blake will come too?" Historia's perked up a little after she mentioned their cousin. "We'll have so much fun together!"

"Of course dear." Frieda hugged her sister as they continued their bonding time.

One of Historia's favourite books was the one Christa, the young kindhearted girl who helped everyone and was loved by everyone, judging by the parallels between her and Christa, Frieda felt she was like the girl from the book, as that was the same thing she was doing as Queen, gaining the love of her everyone.

"You like Christa, don't you Historia?" Frieda pointed at the drawing of the girl in the book and Historia nodded.

"But I want to be like you too!" Historia exclaimed which made Frieda blushed in surprise.

"When I grow up, do you think I can be like you?" Historia continued, followed by a hug from Frieda.

"Sure! That's perfectly fine!" As they shared a moment of happiness and love, the voice arrived.

"Say goodbye to your sister, child, you have work to do."

"My cousin and father can take care of everything at the capital, just let me stay a little longer with her." She replied inside her head.

"You can't, you're the queen, your people need you, a great monarch sacrifices everything they hold dear, your family can wait."

She knew the voice was right, so she pressed her forehead against Historia's and tenderly kissed her cheek. "I'll come to visit you soon like I said Historia, until then."

"Aww... Fine." Historia pouted and Frieda had to leave before the cute expression on her sister's face convinced her to stay.

As she climbed onto the carriage and they started their trip back to the capital, Frieda's mind wandered off, creating some entertaining scenarios to keep herself distracted before the same vexing duties of every day took over her day.

Suddenly the carriage stopped and she was back to reality.

"Stay inside the carriage please your majesty." She heard commander Williams from the driver's seat, she heard another voice talking to him and her curiosity got the better of her, for she did the opposite her guard asked her to do.

As she got off the vehicle, another girl was talking to the soldier, she was a little older than her, maybe a couple of years, standing relatively tall with dark eyes. Her hair was dark and slightly wavy, kept behind her head in a bun, and her facial features were small and gaunt. She wore a torned and dirty black and white dress with long, puffy sleeves and an embroidered white collar, the blood running down from her hand down to her elbow confirmed her assumptions.

Frieda stayed a little behind the carriage so she could hear their conversation but choose not to reveal herself just yet.

"I just need medical assistance please, if you can take me there I'll pay you handsomely for the trouble." Her voice was smooth, elegant with a strong tone at the end.

"I can't young girl, I'm on duty, I might be able to talk to my boss and return for you if you stay here or I can send someone else." The commander offered and her curiosity demanded her to know more, she walked forward, revealing herself to the mysterious girl.

"What's happening here, commander?" Frieda asked the man who frowned upon seeing her.

"She asked to escort her to the wall, boss." He explained, not using her real title was probably the best idea given they didn't know who she was.

The mysterious girl suddenly changed her demeanour when she saw Frieda, now standing straight and not wincing in pain, she stared deeply at the monarch and with the most graceful reverence Frieda had ever seen, the girl greeted her.

"Is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my name is Lara Tybur."

The voice joined in the conversation. "Frieda Reiss, meet one of the Tybur descendants." despite sounding itself neutral for the most part, Frieda could sense the disdain in the voice when it mentioned the name Tybur.

An image of a mighty 16-meter titan flashed through her vision as she stared at the girl with shock.

"The war hammer titan." Frieda realised.

And as if the Tybur had heard her thoughts, the war hammer shifter raised her hand a little so Frieda could see the tiny, almost invisible bolt of lightning coming out of her bloody hand, with a confident tone she said.

"We need to talk."

Sorry for the taking so much in updating. Truth be told I've been updating this story on other site but well , here it is now.

Lady Tybur has been officially name in the anime so that makes me very happy.

From this chapter onwards things will get very spicy and many plots will take place at the same time until they become intertwined and we get one strong plot that features many characters.

Always remember, feedback is always welcomed and greatly appreciated.