Ymir is looking around, seeing the plains surrounding her, coupled with some patches of trees, and her expression becomes more confident -"I...this is the place" Erwin comes forward, himself looking around, never having been so far away from the city -"I don't see anyone in here...maybe they've already gone..." he says, his tone dejected. Ymir quickly waves her hand, catching the commander's attention -"No...sorry, this is where I...I turned back to human" she says, looking around.The entire group is busy admiring the place, feeling the sun on their skin, beyond excited that they've made it this far.
Erwin and Ymir had to transform into their Titans, to provide cover or to diverge the attention of other Titans around, which were swiftly dealt with by the survey corps. Even Jean, Connie and Sasha contributed to that, again killing the giants, avoiding casualties as best they can.
"So I assume that the direction to go is ahead, right?" the blonde asks Ymir, who nods absentmindedly -"Yeah. Farther ahead. But I don't know how far - as far as I remember, there's another wall"
"Grisha did mention a wall in his books - Marley used to transform Eldians on there. Eren also saw it. The problem was, and maybe still is, getting to it. The books weren't so descriptive on that regard" Hange says, catching up to the two, facing Ymir -"So for now we're going to go forward. This land isn't so different from our home, so we can adjust pretty well"
The trio can see some Titans up ahead, the setting sun casting long shadows of the giants, betraying their positions before they can be of any danger -" Let's wait for the sun to set fully. Thankfully the sky is clear, so light will still come through" Erwin says, walking towards the rest to order everyone to stop.
Ymir hears some soft footsteps behind her, and turning back she sees Armin, coming over with some food rations, handing one to the freckled girl -" Honestly I thought the outside would be more different. So far there's not much stuff that we haven't already seen" Armin starts, looking around, seeing some trees up ahead -"Not that I'm disappointed, but...yeah" he stops, inhaling deeply, Ymir noticing his odd behaviour, imagining that he has something more substantial to say to her.
"If we do this, most likely there will be some trials, for Reiner, Zeke and the other - and Annie" Armin starts, Ymir raising one eyebrow at the mention of the short girl -"Do you think that Historia wants to imprison them?" Ymir chews silently, asking herself what the Queen would most likely want to do with them, if they succeed -"I don't know. Queen Historia is different from normal Historia. Queen Historia probably wants to make sure that those people will no longer be able to hurt others. Historia probably wants to help them recover" she starts, Armin listening in, understanding her point -" It all depends on what Zachly does. The jerk has a way of command everyone around him. Historia does not. Why?"
The blonde sighs, taking a few breaths -"Well, I keep saying that this way, we'll have an inside look at the enemy, learn as much as we can from Reiner, Annie and Zeke, and that is partly true...but...I mostly want to be friends with them again, and see if...see if Annie would want to start something with me" Armin's confession spikes Ymir's interest in the subject, breaking out in a smirk, directed towards the blonde teen -"Oh, ok, now I see...so I'm guessing that even if Eren doesn't manage to remove the Titans you would still like them to not get eaten, uh?" at Armin's nod, Ymir continues speaking -"Well, I can see your point. My guess is Levi and the higherups would be opposed to that"
They remain in silence for a while, both thinking of ways to convince Levi first -" Don't expect shorty to suddenly be on your side - we have to sell the idea to him" Ymir warns him, and Armin waves her off -" I am not worried about him. Erwin said that he'd talk to him. But he did say to talk to Historia - it makes sense, her being the queen and all"
Ymir nods, trying to shove aside their usage of Historia only because of her royal lineage and not because of her person -"Ok. As I said, Queen Historia is not Historia - talk to her, not the Queen"
Silence grows again, the duo finishing their rations, standing up to look for their friends, walking towards the top of the group -"By the way, Ymir - maybe with all that happened I forgot. But I'm really glad you came back for us - not only you helped us tremendously with a lot of things, but you made Historia a lot happier than she was" Armin says, turning to face the taller girl.
"Why did you decide to come back?"
Ymir takes a deep breath, and faces the blonde teen -"I don't know. I wanted to help Reiner and Bertholt out, and before the whole mess, they assured me that both me and Historia would be together and alive. But I didn't know that for sure - I didn't want to die, and I didn't want Historia to be trapped for me. I guess that after all, I didn't want to leave friends behind"
Armin nods, smiling understandably, watching as the sun dips below the horizon, the last few rays of light disappearing with it -"Do you want Reiner to live?" he asks her, both making their way to their respective horses -"I don't know. Depends what Reiner we're talking about"
"Alright people - now most Titans will be inactive, but that doesn't mean that we're totally safe - the enemy already has somehow commanded Titans to attack us at night. Be aware of your surroundings" Levi instructs the group, most of the MPs looking between each other, a mix of fear and cockiness on their faces, causing Levi to glare them down, effectively making them follow orders more precisely.
"What's with the story that you almost ruined the entire mission, Eren?" Jean teasingly asks him, smirking at the brunette, who stares him back -"Wait what? What did you do?" Connie interjects, watching as the two friends are occupied with glaring at each other.
"Enough Jean - nothing happened!" Mikasa exclaims, urging her horse to get closer to Eren, her too staring at Jean, who raises his hands as surrender -"Relax, I was just teasing him...he knows that" he finishes, looking at Eren, who begrudgingly nods, facing the land in front of them.
"It...it was just a misunderstanding on my part...now it's not a problem anymore" he says, the group looking between each other, seeing if they should trust his dismissive comment. Mikasa silently nods at them, knowing that Eren had already said all that he needed to get out, putting her faith in him.
"As long as you're sure, we're sure" Jean adds, the rest of the group nodding along, deciding to turn their focus on spotting any Titans around them.
They march for a while, avoiding sleeping Titans, making sure to make as little noise as possible, the light from the armor of Eren and the moon making the land almost illuminated completely.
Ymir looks around herself, trying to see if she can recall any memories during her time as a pure Titan, but the only thing she manages to get is darkness. She shivers, wondering if she did that due to the lower temperature or the memories, focusing ahead, seeing on the horizon a tall structure, suddenly seeing it in her memories. She rushes ahead, searching for Eren, finding it immediately, the brunette also staring at the wall -" This is the place, right?" she asks, Eren nodding silently.
The group is standing near a fourth wall, sand dunes reaching almost on top of it, leaving just a couple of meters left -"We can make that leap no problem with the gears" Levi comments, already getting off of his horse, starting to climb the steep dune, having to resort to using also his hands to balance himself on the sand. The rest of the 104th squadron dismount as well, also making their way up the dune of sand, Armin holding some sand in his hands, watching as it falls through the small gaps with amazement -" It's like earth, but way finer!" he says, Jean also looking with interest.
Levi fires a hook on the wall, testing it first to see if it will hold, and using it to hoist himself up at a slow speed, reaching the top in seconds, climbing on to it and looking at the other side, freezing completely in his tracks.
Hange and Erwim follow him, copying his movements, Hange also stopping to study the sand, getting pulled by Erwin after a while -"We can study it later" Erwin says, a small smile on his face. The duo also make their way to the top, looking at the scenery in front of them, their mouths open from bewilderment.
"Does the air taste salty to you too?" Connie asks, causing Ymit to chuckle at that, climbing the dune as well -"Why are you laughing, ugly? I asked a legitimate question!" Ymir stops and looks down, smiling wide at the group below -"Just come up, Connie, I'll explain there" she says, before joining the commanders on top, Hange immediately talking to the freckled girl with excitement.
"Do you hear some weird noise as well?" Jean adds, getting some nods as replies. He turns to Eren, who is starting to climb up -"Eren!Do you have any idea what this is?" the brunette doesn't respond, merely turning and giving a thumbs up, flashes of his father's memories invading his mind, eager to see that with his own eyes.
Mikasa climbs behind him, shooting her hook onto the wall, and using the gear to lift herself up the remaining meters. She reaches the top, Eren extending his arm to her, and she takes it, happy to see the barely contained glee from the brunette -"You have to see this!" he exclaims, before almost pushing her to the other side, where she stops.
All they can see is a vast blue landscape, as big as the eyes can see. Small waves crashing on the sand below them, moving and disrupting it every time. Ymir moves in front, standing with her back to the scenery, addressing the rest -"This, my good friends, is the sea!" she almost shouts, her arms spread out, the group staring at the vast body of water.
"See? See? The book was right, Eren! The book was right! Sea!" Armin yells, almost jumping from enthusiasm alone, the brunette smiling at his friend. At his side, Mikasa is staring at the sea, amazement written on her expression, and he grabs her hand, feeling a squeeze in response.
"So, can we go down there, Ymir?" Jean asks, looking at his sides, searching for any obvious ways of getting off the wall, seeing none close by -" Yeah, we can - it's just salty water, as long as you don't go too far into it, you'll be completely safe"
"People, let's remind ourselves of why we are here in the first place - I can't see any trace of anyone near here, so I suggest that we split up, and search both sides of this at the same time. One group will have Eren and Ymir, and the other will have me and Levi. That should bring enough coverage of any inconvenience" Erwin says, bringing focus again to the squadron -" I don't think that's such a good idea, to split up" Hange intervenes, trying to ignore the curiosity about their surroundings -"We made this plan because together, we can take them on. If we split, we're splitting our firepower. I suggest to pick a direction, and go"
Levi turns to Ymir, staring her down -"Do you know where exactly they brought you?" Ymir stares back at Levi, before turning to her left and waving her hand in that general direction -" I'm not certain, but I think it's going to be that way...there's going to be a raised platform on the sea, so that they can dock their ships"
"So we find that, we find them?" Jean asks, receiving a nod from Ymir -" Won't that also mean that there could be reinforcement on their side?" he adds, and Erwin steps up to answer him -"If there are reinforcement, I probably could take care of them - but he's right : we have to find them alone. That's out best chance. Now we walk"
"If only we could fly...but there aren't any high targets to grapple on" Sasha laments -"At least it's not hot"
"We also have to find a way to get over the horses - or do we just leave them here?" Jean asks, looking at the group below -"After all the Titans will leave them alone, right?"
"The easiest thing would be to leave them, yeah - we can continue by foot, in here we can see clearly in all directions. As soon as we spot something suspicious, or even better, spot them, the group will climb up the wall. The horses will stay behind the wall. Even if we win, I don't want to go all the way back home by foot. Don't want them injured in a possible fight" Levi says, Hange and Erwin nodding their approval.
After signalling to the group on the ground to march, the squadron begins their walk, their eyes glued to the sea, watching out for any docks.
"The ship should get here in a few days - Reiner, you need to think carefully about how you're going to explain this" Zeke starts, sitting around a small fire, the blonde teen scowling at him -" There's nothing to tell. I failed. That's it"
Zeke sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose -"Reiner, we can't help you if you aren't even going to make an effort to help yourself! You encountered many adversities in this mission, and none of them were your direct fault - you had other variables that played a part in them. You need to tell them what exactly happened"
Reiner scoffs, not intending to answer the question, already resigned to his fate -" It's pointless anyway - they won't allow for mistakes when considering me, or better, considering what I am. You know that - they've always treated us...nevermind, sorry" he stops his rant, shaking his head to get back in his warrior mentality.
Zeke watches Reiner with attention, Pieck wearing her usual bored expression, clearly not bothered by what he said -" You're right...they don't see us as people. But as assets. But our role in history was significant. We have to play our part now to fix that" Reiner snaps his head at the comment, staring straight at the older man -"You were just saying how the ones living in here were innocent! And now you're telling me that-" he stops, after seeing Zeke's raised hand.
"Yes, these people are innocent, in a way - they don't know, or know very little, of our history. Which is why we need to fix that. If the way to do that is to hurt these innocent people, then so be it"
The trio remains in silence for a while, Reiner still struggling with himself, and being afraid of his punishment from Marley. He stands up, staring at the wall behind them -"They aren't innocent! They killed Bertholt! They probably killed Annie! They killed Marcel!"
Zeke squints his eyes at Reiner, wondering what is driving his constant mood shifting -"Can I just say, it's weird how you at one point seem to like them, and the next you hate them with all your heart - why is that?" Pieck asks him, Reiner gritting his teeth at the questions.
"If you don't want to thoroughly explain what exactly happened, then it means that they'll make you be eaten by someone else. You know that"
Dammit! I do know that! Maybe that way I can finally be at peace!
Zeke exhales deeply, staring at the depleting fire in front of him -" Whatever. If you have chosen to die, that's ok by me. Not like you have many years left anyway"
Reiner closes his eyes, trying to ignore his emotions and thoughts, wanting to just spend his last days in total relaxation. He stands up, walking towards the sea, taking a few steps in the water.
They would like it here...Armin kept talking about the sea. It's real, buddy. One day you'll be able to get here.
"Zeke...why do you do this? Why do we do this? What's the endgame? Why do we keep having to atone for the past? For a past we had nothing to do with?" the blonde asks, Zeke taking a moment to gather his own thoughts.
" If Marley asks me, we're doing it because we have to. Eldians were an evil race. They wanted to kill every none Eldian. We're doing this to stop that from happening again" Pieck joins in, watching Reiner facing them again -"But you know as much as I so that we're doing it to provide a better life for our parents. Why did you join, Reiner?"
"Because...because of what Marley taught us - we have to fix our past, isn't it? Isn't that what you keep telling us?" he says, turning to Zeke for the last part. Zeke nods, ready to start speaking -"Correct. Our ancestors played a part in that almost genocide. We are here to stop that from happening again. We needed Eren for that reason. Not only to get back our Attack Titan, but to fi ally gain the founder. That way, no more threats to the world"
"Come on Reiner - your behaviour right now isn't one that has had that in mind for the last 5 years - why did you really join?" Pieck questions him, slightly annoyed by his mood.
"He joined because he's a spineless coward!"
The trio turn their heads towards the shout, seeing Ymir standing on the stairs attached to the wall, behind her the rest of the 104th squadron. Reiner widens his eyes, the sight of his former teammates shocking him again, for a moment feeling glad of their presence.
The MPs surround them, holding their rifles ready, keeping at a safe distance in case of any transformation, forcing Reiner to back off. Levi lands in front of him, staring straight at Zeke, the bearded man horrified by his presence -"Hey Yeager - long time no see. I see your arms and legs grew back no problem. Shame"
Zeke immediately stands up, Pieck at his side, looking at the group of people surrounding them, mentally calculating their chance of success -"Why are you here?" Zeke asks, Erwin making his way to the bottom -" We're here to stop you from going back to Marley"
"We considered the idea of letting you go and let get reinforcements, but we unanimously decided against that" Levi comments, moving his sight to Reiner, glaring at the teen.
"What makes you think we are going to simply accept this and let you arrest us?" Zeke says, knowing that, due to his range in his Titan form, he could take down most of the MPs in a couple of hits. Hange steps forward, holding a thunder spear, aiming at Reiner -"It wouldn't be convenient for you. You no longer have the upper hand"
"Even when they had the upper hand they still lost" Connie says, making sure to not speak too loudly, getting nudged by Jean -" Don't lower your guard" he warns him, Connie nodding once.
"And if we surrender, what are you going to do with us? Eat us?" Zeke questions Erwin, trying his best to ignore the glare coming from Levi -" That's plan b - our first plan involves something else. Please don't resist - you don't need your arms and legs to do what we want" Erwin answers, raising his arm high, every MP loading their rifles, taking aim at one of the three.
"And you expect us to just agree to what you want? Surely you would know better than to just ask us to trust you" Reiner intervenes, taking a step forward, not paying attention to the line of MPs pointing their rifles at him -" What's the plan?"
"You're worried about YOUR SAFETY?" Jean screams, getting the blonde to turn his head towards him -"You came here, destroyed our cities, killed us, and you're worried about yourself?" he continues, Reiner grimacing internally from the description of his mission -"How self centered can you be?"
"Jean, keep calm - we don't want to fight them" Mikasa whispers, the blonde taking a few deep breaths in order to calm himself down -"Sorry...I just..."
"Reiner is correct though - how can we agree to something we don't know?" Zeke speaks up, Pieck fiddling with a ring on her finger, preparing the spike to rise up in case -"Say what you want to do, and maybe, we'll help you"
Levi squints his eyes, grabbing another blade -"And what if you don't agree?" he asks, Zeke turning towards him, smiling with a clear threatening aura -"Surprise"
"Maybe you didn't get your situation entirely. Allow me - you're surrounded by armed military personnel. They're trained to snuff out dangers before they can happen. Meaning that they will shoot you if you cut yourself with that ring, miss. Than there's the survey corps. But you know us already. And finally, we have the Attack , the Jaw, and the Colossus. You're in no position to make threats" Erwin calmly explains, making his way to the front, looking directly at Reiner -"You were a good soldier, Braun. You can still be a soldier"
Reiner flinches at that, taking a few steps back, instead turning to the 104th squadron, still staying on the stairs, clearly waiting for one of them to transform.
With them on a high place, they'll reach our necks in no time...
"How about you listen to our demands, instead? All we want is Eren - with that, we will be on our way" Zeke speaks up, looking at the brunette, watching as Mikasa unsheaths a blade, her grey eyes almost burning a hole in Zeke's head.
"No - time is almost up, by the way" Levi steps forward, his blades pointing at Zeke. Reiner looks back, catching Zeke's eyes, the bearded man nodding his head once at the blonde.
"Alright - we've delayed enough" he says, raising his arms in surrender, taking a few steps forward. Everyone is looking at Zeke, preparing themselves for any sudden move from his part. Suddenly, Pieck runs forward, her ring already with the spike out, and she manages to scratch Zeke's back.
Reiner sprints back, grabbing Pieck and shoving her away, barely missing the bullets coming their way. Lightning appears near where Zeke is standing, forcing everyone else to back away, creating a cloud of steam that is quickly rising. Levi, after managing to grab Erwin and pull him away, fires a hook onto the wall, lifting both of them up -"NOW, HANGE!"
Hange fires the thunder spear, the propelled rod flying through the air, entering the cloud of smoke and steam, disappearing from sight. Hange flies back, the movement snapping the cord attached to the spear, making it ignite, and immediately a huge explosion clears the area, blowing away the steam with a cloud of darkened smoke.
"The MPs are ok - some minor injuries for the on in the back, but overall fine. We didn't lose anyone" Armin says, Erwin nodding at him -"Good. Let's keep it that way"
The group stares at the clearing smoke, seeing a silhouette of a dome, revealing the Beast, hunched over, protecting Reiner and Pieck, the spear having just missed its target, causing Hange to curse loudly -"I missed...dammit!"
Zeke stands up fully, Reiner and Pieck still standing underneath the Titan. Levi signals Mikasa to come with him, the raven turning to Eren to share a kiss with him, before reaching the captain -"We have to deal with him. The sooner, the better - we'll attack from both sides at the same time. We strike the arms first, then the legs. Ok?" Mikasa nods, getting ready to leap off the wall, when a loud boom is heard, and another lightning hits the ground. The Armored Titan is standing, defiantly staring at the survey corps, knowing that their blades won't be enough to take him down.
You're nothing but a bunch of devils...nothing but devils...
The MPs are climbing back onto the wall, the Beast Titan using his long reach to swipe at them, managing to hit a couple of soldiers, sending them flying, and they hit the wall, slumping unconscious on the ground. Levi growls, and looks at Eren, the brunette already getting rid of his gear, about to jump -" Don't be an idiot, Yeager - you'll have to fight 2 Titans by yourself, and you'll lose. Wait - now we have to lure Reiner away from there"
Reiner is about to walk towards them, when a giant hand stops him, the Beast extending his arm in front of him -" They want us to separate" Zeke says, a deep gravely voice coming out of his Titan. Erwin squints at that, grimacing internally -"They know that we want them to separate. We won't get anywhere if we just wait them out" Hange looks at him, surprised by that -"Why not? We can wait them out!They can't stay in that form forever!"
"We can't also wait here forever" Levi says, landing near them on the wall -"I think it's time for you to make an appearance on the battlefield" he adds, facing Erwin -"Kick them, punch them, whatever, pick them up. As long as you divide them. Then we take over"
Erwin nods, turning towards Armin and nodding once to him, the blonde facing the rest of the group -"Take cover!"
Zeke watches as everyone climbs up the wall, retreating on top of it, and running away from them - What's your plan now? - he sees Erwin remaining, finally recognising him as the one who ate Bertholt, widening his eyes - Damn...
Erwin slices his hand, lighting blinding Zeke and Reiner, and the ground shakes as the Colossus lands near them. Zeke immediately stands up, feeling for the first time in 5 years the sensation of being small, the Titan in front of him towering over them -"Reiner! Go back! Go back!" Zeke warns, the Armored Titan grabbing Pieck and taking off away from the giant, taking advantage of his speed.
Zeke sees the Colossus lifting his leg back, pausing at the peak of the arc, and swooping down with incredible speed, managing to avoid the gigantic foot, jumping to the side. He looks back, his path blocked by the Colossus' leg, seeing people running on top of the wall towards Reiner.
DAMMIT!
"Ok Eren - now go and take down the bastard - me and Mikasa will handle Zeke" Levi tells Eren, the brunette nodding at him, already running towards the Armored, Jean, Connie and Sasha at his side. He leaps off the wall, biting into his hand, transforming once again into the Attack Titan.
"You can't fight us and protect her at the same time, Reiner - just give up" Jean yells, the Titan still hunched over the girl, Pieck looking at the squadron in front of her with suspicion. He looks in front of him, the Colossus standing between him and Zeke, the Beast now facing Levi and Mikasa, both grappled on the Colossus' body.
Eren's Titan stares at Reiner, his fist raised in anticipation of an attack from the Armored Titan, the three corps member standing on Eren's shoulders, preparing for any eventuality.
Ok...one chance to end this now!
Reiner jumps forward, twisting his back, preparing his left fist to punch through the arms of the Attack Titan. Jean and the other two grapple onto the wall, Eren dropping on the ground, Reiner's fist hitting air - Knew you'd do that, Eren! - Reiner grabs both shoulders of the other giant, holding him on the ground, and swiftly using his knee to hit the head, smashing the jaw, blood dripping on the ground like a small waterfall.
Just give up, Eren - I don't want to keep fighting...I don't want this to be my contribution!
Eren wastes no time in hugging the Reiner's leg, tilting his body back to make him lose balance, forcing Reiner to take a few stabilising steps.
Suddenly Eren stands up, still holding the leg, causing Reiner to crash on the ground, his back on the ground, locking eyes with the Attack Titan, who circles the leg with his own, locking it in place before twisting the arms, Reiner's leg beginning to crack and break.
"Come on Eren! Break his leg!" Sasha encourages the Titan, Reiner struggling to keep his leg stiff, increasing the amount of armor around the hip and knee joint. He uses the other leg to swipe at the Attack Titan's body, repeatedly kicking the midsection, forcing Eren to try and avoid and block his attack, making his lose his focus and almost let go of the leg.
Ymir sees both Titans being engaged with their targets, searching for the Cart, sure that in a short while she'll have to fight it. Armin manages to reach her, running by her side, also looking for the host -"Do you think that you'll have to fight her?" he asks the freckled girl, Ymir merely shrugging -"Doesn't matter at this point"she replies, still looking for Pieck -"Anyway, first we have to find her"
The Colossus is still standing tall, blocking the way of the Beast Titan, who is currently trying to find a safe spot underneath the giant, to avoid the incoming attacks from Levi and Mikasa. They grapple on Erwin's shoulder, flying up, Levi landing on the head -"Stay still for just a second! We're going to end this now!" Erwin stabilises, Zeke wondering why the sudden stop, when he sees a hook landing on the ground near him, the rope tensing up, looking up to see Levi flying at incredible speed towards him. The captain fires bother hook, attaching to the body of the Colossus, causing him to swiftly change direction, using the momentum of the fall to fly at Zeke, who attempts to cover his neck with his hand, and Levi flies past him, getting back up on the Colossus's body.
What was that? That doesn't make the sightest-
He feels pain shooting up his leg, looking down to see blood spraying from his ankle, just catching sight of Mikasa flying away, making a wide circle to turn back and attack again. The slice caused his leg to almost detach, and Zeke tries to stay balanced, forced to use his arms to not fall. He does not put any weight on the cut leg, when he feels a sharp pain on his shoulder, turning to just see a hook on it.
Damn!
Levi shoots past him, aiming his blades at his neck, now an open target. His swords cut the nape of the neck, revealing Zeke inside the body -"DAMN YOU LEVI!" he shouts, trying to get back in, when Mikasa forcefully pulls him out,throwing him on the ground, his ankle snapping on impact.
The duo lands near him, Levi walking forward -"I was just saying that maybe we don't need your entire body. Let's fix that" he says, Zeke looking horrified as Levi raises his blade again.
Reiner and Eren are still wrestling, Reiner on his back, using his hardened heel to kick at Eren's body, Eren feeling that the torso is taking heavy hits - Won't last for much longer - he decides to use his body weight to snap the leg, jumping up and trying to fall down, still hugging the leg, hoping the it will snap.
Not going to let you do that, Eren!
Without anymore pressure blocking his leg, Reiner manages to smash it on the ground, Eren falling hitting the ground, temporarily dazed from the hit.
Reiner is about to get back up, when he feels a huge weight on his body, seeing the Colossus putting his foot on the body, pinning him down. Levi lands on his chest, looking at his face -"You've lost, Reiner"
Ymir and Armin appear shortly after, Pieck walking behind them, having seen the loss of the two more powerful Titans and having surrendered to Ymir and Armin, the group erupting in shouts of cheers for the victory.
Eren is laying down, the fight having taken a lot out of him, taking deeper breaths than normal. Mikasa is at his side, slowly rubbing his hand, staring straight at Zeke, steam rising from his amputated limbs.
Jean and Armin are sitting near Reiner, the blonde teen also watching his own stumps slowly regenerating, leaning against the wall. The trio stay in an awkward silence, no-one wanting to speak.
Levi walks to Eren, slightly nudging him with his foot -"Come on Eren - do your thing" Mikasa glares at her superior, the effect not as great as Levi's glare -" Let him rest! We can wait a few more minutes!" she argues, trying to get Levi to back off.
Zeke looks at them, wondering what exactly the plan is - He said to do his thing...what could they be talking about?
Jean watches the back and forth between the Ackermans, knowing that before either of them would back up, days would pass. He looks in front of him, Reiner still silent, his eyes closed -"You never answered her question, Reiner. Why did you join?" Armin asks him, Reiner flinching slightly at that, looking up to meet Armin's eyes.
"Because you couldn't have that opportunity to hurt us" he answers, Jean and Armin looking between each other in confusion -"What opportunity? You mean Eren?" Armin questions him, Reiner shaking his head -"Yes and no - the founder was the main problem. If the royals ever decided to use it again, we would have been surely killed"
Jean is trying to hold himself, not understanding the flimsy line of logic -"You did know of the King's vow, right? The vow that literally forces the holder of the Titan to not fight at all?" Reiner doesn't look at him, his eyes widening a bit at that new piece of information -"And yet you still decided to come and take it, because you were afraid that a thing that was never going to happen,might happen?"
Reiner looks up to him, his mind reeling with all the teachings Marley had taught them, completely contradicting his beliefs -"N-no...that's...that's not what happened!Fritz erased your memories to make sure that your evil wouldn't be spread anymore! To make sure that the outside world would be safe from you!"
"Well, genius, answer me this then - were we at any point, about to attack the outside world, that we didn't even know existed?" Jean yells at him, standing up, more and more people taking notice of their argument. Reiner doesn't answer, staring wide eyed at Jean, only aggravating his mood.
"ANSWER ME!"
Armin stands up, putting himself between the two teens -"Enough Jean! At this point I think it's pretty obvious that what he was taught was different from what he saw, isn't it, Reiner?"
"Even if it was, they still pulled through - they still broke down the walls, and killed people! They must have knows that our reality was different from what they told them, but they still did it!" Jean still yells, glaring at the tied up teen with anger -"If anything, it only means that you're more awful than we think" he states, turning around and walking away, leaving Reiner with his thoughts.
Armin sighs, sitting down again, looking at Reiner, the teen still struggling with their conversation -"Did you know Annie before you got sent here?" Armin asks him, hoping to at least alleviate some tension -" She's still in that stone. We didn't manage to break it. Or maybe we could, but not without also breaking her"
Reiner looks at Armin, the two locking eyes. Reiner sighs, and looks down at the ground again -"We met in training. Didn't talk much. We spent our time just improving" he says, Armin nodding slightly -"And why did you join?"
Another sigh escapes Reiner, this time looking up to the sky -"Same as everyone else's - we wanted a better life. We wanted to help our parents"
"I guess that Marley doesn't treat Eldians very well, right?"
Reiner scoffs, allowing himself to smirk at that -"Understatement of the century"
Armin waits a bit, thinking about it for a few seconds -"Is that also why you attacked? Out of envy?"
Silence reigns, neither looking at the other. Reiner is about to answer, when Levi walks over to them -"Hey. Eren is going to do it now. You may be needed" he says, before going again over to Eren, Mikasa at his side, helping him keep calm. Reiner turns towards Armin, a questioning look on his face -" What's he supposed to do?"
Armin breaks into a smile, standing up before facing Reiner -"Remove Titans!"
Zeke widens his eyes, after hearing Armin's explanation of their plan - So they want to use the Founder...have they figured out how to use it without getting caught in the vow? - He looks are Eren, the brunette staring right back at him. He sighs, slightly shaking his head - Even better. Now I can solve this problem once and for all.
Eren and Mikasa walk towards Zeke, followed by the superiors. Hange catches up with the duo, patting Eren's back -"Ok, have you figured out what to say? Hopefully this isn't a one time only thing, so you can keep making your case"
Eren nods, squeezing Mikasa's hand slightly, her reciprocating the gesture -"I hope so". Hange is about to ask more, when Erwin manages to catch Hange's eyes, shaking his head, signalling to not talk to him, nodding towards Mikasa.
They stop in front of Zeke, Eren and Mikasa crouching in front of him, the raven glaring at the bearded man, effectively stopping any sort of retort he wanted to say, silently threatening him.
Ackermans...
"Ok Eren. Whenever you're ready" Erwin says, giving the trio some space, allowing the teen to not feel any additional pressure from the superiors.
Eren inhales deeply, still holding Mikasa's hand, and then opens his eyes. He raises his hand, feeling strangely confident despite the overwhelming pressure he feels, and firmly grasps Zeke's hand.
Eren opens his eyes, seeing a night sky, stars covering the sky, as far as the eyes can see. He furrows his eyebrows, confused for a moment.It was dawn when I touched his hand...what happened?Suddenly he turns around, not feeling Mikasa's hand anymore, looking around himself to see that everyone was gone. The sea wasn't there anymore, everything covered by sand, no end in sight. He turns, seeing a large column of light reaching unimaginable heights, almost too bright to directly look at it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Eren turns towards the sound, seeing Zeke standing next to him, the man also admiring the tower of light.
"Where are we?"
"Honestly, I don't know - but I'm pretty sure this is where memories are, how can I put it...stored" Zeke explains, Eren still looking at the place surrounding them with awe -"Eren. Whatever you are planning to do here, I can't let you do that"
"W-what do you mean? Why would you be against removing all Titans? This will help people!" Eren snaps at his brother, Zeke still staring ahead in the column.
"Yes and no - you don't know the outside world, Eren. People hate Eldians. Rightfully so - they were complicit in wiping out entire civilisations. What we're doing, me, Reiner, Pieck. What Annie and Bertholt were doing. Is help restore and atone our past sins. We can't allow our past to go unpunished"
"But we didn't even know the past! This is all your doing! And...you are still wiping out entire civilisations of people!"
Zeke shakes his head, scoffing at Eren's statement -" We're just fixing our mistakes by making sure that Marley emerges victorious. Any other country would eliminate us without question. Marley allows us to live. It's just self interest"
"Then...why? Why wouldn't you want me to remove all Titans?" Eren asks him, Zeke beginning to walk towards the light -"Easy. Without our powers, Marley would kill us all. Same as the other countries" he answers -"Eldians are hated by basically everyone. They're scared of us. And with good reason! We can do unimaginable damage to nations. We are doing it. The way out, is to make sure that Eldians are not going to exist anymore" Zeke finishes, his tone almost nonchalant, the weight of his statement not bothering him in the slightest.
"But getting killed like animals is not within my interests. I want to live the rest of my short life in peace. Making sure that no more Eldians will threaten the world. The other nations will surely still hate each other. But...that wouldn't be our problem anymore"
Eren catches up to him, wondering what his plan is, worried about the answer -"Then...what...how are you going to accomplish it?"
Zeke stops walking, turning towards Eren, a small smile on his face -"By asking the Founder to use its powers to sterilise the Eldian population"
Eren widens his eyes, the response making him feel sick, not expecting that level of awfulness. Zeke starts walking again, not waiting for Eren to start walking with him -"There are few good Eldians. Someday, some shifter would maybe rebel. Attack Marley. Destroy our nation, and countless others. We can't take that risk. By making sure that this generation of Eldians is the last, we ensure that no-one will ever feel pain again due to us"
"Then why not remove Titans? The outcome will be the same! Why-"
"BECAUSE OUR RACE IS CURSED, EREN! We played a huge part in killing large parts of humanity! We can't live with those sins weighing us down! We are not allowed to live"
"WE DIDN'T TAKE PART IN THOSE ACTS! WE ARE INNOCENT OF ALL CRIMES!"
Zeke stops, hearing Eren running towards him, suddenly turning back and punching his in the face, knocking him on the ground.
"Shut up - our father brainwashed you. Our existence is our sin. We shouldn't exist. We are on the wrong part of nature. When Grisha let you have his burden, when he should've just let the King have the founder still, he roped you in his mess. Now rest, Eren"
Armin sits besides Reiner, the teen still tied up, his limbs party regenerated already. They're both looking Eren and Zeke, both seemingly unconscious, an extremely worried Mikasa at Eren's side, still holding his hand.
"She refuses to let go of it. I think she wants Eren to feel her presence even...wherever those two are" Armin starts, himself also worried about their friend, but having enough trust in him to know that everything will turn out ok.
"How did you know that Eren could do that?" Reiner asks, curiously watching his former teammate -"When we came to rescue him, he stopped the Titan from killing him Mikasa, remember?"
"Yes...I thought it was impossible for a non royal to utilise the Founder...I remember hearing his anger...I almost went to rescue him myself. So that's how he did it? Out of sheer will alone?"
Armin chuckles, the last part being a perfect description of whatever Eren does -"Not really. Turns out that that Titan was a royal. That blood activated the Founder, and Eren was able to use it - we tried with Historia, but apparently the key part is the Titan one. Hence, we needed Zeke"
Reiner nods, understanding the requirements needed -"Crazy...we were told it was impossible"
Armin looks at him, recognising the former friend in that expression and tone slightly happy that it wasn't all a ruse -"You seemed surprised about the King's vow...what did you think...or, what did they tell you?"
Reiner sighs, knowing that even with the explanation, there would be no sympathy for his actions, himself finding them deplorable in his current mindset -" King Fritz was defeated by a great Marleyan hero, Helios - they said that he defeated the Devil of the lands" before he can continue, Armin interrupts him -"That reminds me, why did you call us devils?"
"Because they told us that Ymir made a pact with that Devil - so, all of us, are children of it. That's...that's why we're...you're...Eldians are supposed to be evil. Helios forced King Fritz to delete your memories, so that...you wouldn't be evil anymore. Or better, wouldn't have a reason to tap into it"
"While the remaining Eldians? They were captured by Marley and used as assets?"
Reiner doesn't answer, simply nodding at Armin -"We were told that Marley would respect us, if we did what they wanted. We just wanted to be treated...like you guys treated us. Before you knew"
Jean sits down, having heard the conversation between the two -" You're still a gigantic idiot, Reiner" Jean comments, Reiner glad that the comment holds no real malice, despite his mission.
"You could've decided to stop it, and come clean. Bertholt...he would still be here - sorry, that was out of line" Jean says, staring at the sand at his feet. Reiner shakes his head -"No problem. It's true anyway"
"Listen, Reiner - I think it's pretty safe to say that the higher ups and the MPs would want you dead" Armin starts, Reiner nodding in a resigned way -"It's what would have happened if we went back home - I don't expect anything different here"
"But we think-"
"Armin thinks, he just roped me into it"
"We think, that you should be spared. Even without Titans, people will still hate us. Especially Marley. We need some way of talking to them. You and Annie, maybe even Pieck - would be perfect for this"
Reiner manages to suppress a smirk, knowing that it wouldn't be well received -"Still wanting to talk everything out, Armin?"
Armin simply nods, his expression betraying no humour behind his line -"It would be the best outcome"
"Do you really trust me that much?"
Armin looks straight at Reiner, picking his words carefully -"Depends"
Reiner considers the answer, mulling over it, and then nods his head, Jean shaking his, a small smile on his face.
Zeke starts walking again, getting closer and closer to the light, Eren struggling to get up, not wanting all the hopes that his friends put on him to be let down.
Zeke is about to call out to Ymir, when a garbled noise catches his attention. Turning, he can hear the noise again, coming from Eren, the teen getting up with difficulties -" N-no...you...you can't do this..."
Zeke sighs, shaking his head at the act of bravery from Eren -" There's nothing that you can do. Sit down" he says, turning back once more.
"YMIR! I AM CALLING YOU! COME FORWARD!"
No! Nononono!
The light coming from the column intensifies, almost blinding Zeke, forcing him to cover his eyes with his arm. A small dark spot emerges from the light, getting progressively closer and closer, allowing Zeke and Eren to see better. The silhouette gets bigger and more defined, until it gets close enough for them to see a small child, dressed in ragged clothes, walking towards Zeke.
"YMIR! I am a royal - my wish is your command. Hear me, and make every living Eldian infertile. No more cursed people. No more evil!" Zeke screams, smiling widely at the girl, feeling relief coursing through him.
Finally...finally we'll all be at peace...We can rest!
Ymir is now close enough for Eren to see her face, and he almost screams at the sight - sunken eyes, her body thin enough that Eren can see her ribs poking through, her face covered by shadows. Eren struggles to get up, finally getting a good grip with his shoes, propelling himself up, running towards Zeke, taking advantage of his distraction to tackle him to the ground.
"WHAT ARE YOU-" Zeke starts to scream, but Eren manages to push his face in the sand, muting him -"YMIR! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" he yells, wrestling with Zeke, trying to keep him underneath him -"YOU CAN STOP YOURSELF!"
Zeke, with some effort, succeds in getting free, knocking Eren away, the brunette rolling on the ground. He stands up, Zeke ready to overpower him completely, and he bites into his own hand.
Zeke flinches, backing up, frantically searching for a knife or sharp object, but he notices that Eren isn't transforming, the teen keeping on hurting himself, attempting to call out his Titan.
"No use Eren" Zeke says, running towards the teen, holding him to the ground, both watching as Ymir makes her way towards the light -"Titan powers apparently don't work here. Even if they did -" Zeke evades a soft punch, using his body weight to stop Eren from moving -"Mine would overpower yours. Now watch - she will do my will"
NONONONONONO!
Eren still struggles, finding all of his effort to go unrewarded, Zeke not allowing one inch of movement, prohibiting any chance of escape. The brunette almost gives up, tired from the effort.
Please...I can't give up now! I have to fight!
Eren doubles his effort, relentlessly trashing his whole body, forcing Zeke to cover more options in order to keep him down.
If I don't fight...we lose!
In his struggles, Eren manages to slip one arm past Zeke, the bearded man having to balance himself by catching his fall, using one arm to stop himself, just seeing one elbow quickly filling out his view. Zeke gets hit fully, his nose spewing out blood, reeling back from the hit, allowing Eren to easily throw him behind him, the brunette running full speed towards Ymir.
"STOP! STOP! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!"
He manages to reach the kid, kneeling down in front of her, trying to stop her in her tracks. Zeke, ignoring his bloody nose and the pain, stands up, and starts walking towards them -"Give up Eren! She will do this!"
Eren ignores him, still staring straight at Ymir -"I know why you do this! I know why you still allow this to happen!" Zeke stops himself, wondering how did Eren gain so much knowledge about their ancestor.
"I know what happened to you - I know how the first king mistreated you!" Eren still speaks, not knowing if Ymir is listening, or even understanding at all -"I know what you wanted! I know that you've been waiting for someone to help you push past your own belief!"
"But...I can't allow that to happen! I won't hurt my friends that way!" Eren can feel some tears making their way out his eyes, wishing that he wouldn't be alone in this, cursing himself for not actually talking more about this with them.
They surely would know what to say! Even Levi would know!
"Please..."
Ymir doesn't say anything, and Eren isn't even sure if she has stopped, so he tentatively lets go of her, relieved to see that she isn't continuing on her path.
"How...how do you know all this?"
Eren doesn't look up, still in front of the kid -"I told myself from the future" he answers, ignoring the ongoing questions from his brother, now focused on finishing his mission.
"I know that you're waiting for her to...to do that. I know it! But...she doesn't want to do that. And I don't want them to be hurt, or to feel hopeless"
"I don't want to unleash hell" he adds whispering, taking a few shuddering breaths. Eren looks up, seeing tears gathering from the sunken eyes of Ymir, not knowing if it came out of pity or desperation. He shakes his head, inhaling deeply and starts talking again.
"I know that you loved Fritz. I know that he treated you horribly, but still thought that he would respect you if you just did what he wanted"
Zeke listens intently to the conversation, finding himself to be more interested in just witnessing that than to stop it, and he recognises himself and a lot of other Eldians in the last sentence.
Marley is never going to respect us...and the rest of the world is never going to not be afraid of us unless they knew that we wouldn't be returning ever again...
Despite repeating the same thing over and over again, Zeke still stands still, somehow not wanting to move and stop Eren.
"And I know that..." Eren stops to gulp down his sobs, wiping tears away from his eyes with his sleeve -"I know that she will do that out...out of...love, and care - same for the others. That even with their affection and care towards me, that didn't stop them from stopping me"
"But...I don't want to cause them any pain...because...because I love them back - that because I love them, I don't want to make them go through with that"
Eren thinks intensely about his friends, seeing them in his mind. One by one, each face passes through, until Mikasa's face remains. Her deadpan expression betraying so much emotion, her grey eyes, her red scarf, the source of her faith and strength. Somehow he is able to almost feel her, knowing that in the real world she must be close to him.
I don't want to hurt her.
Eren squeezes shut his eyes, unable to hold back his tears, giving up and fully crying, his hands going to Ymir's shoulder, resting his forehead on hers, hoping that the girl would understand him better.
I love her.
No-one says anything else, the only thing present is deafening silence. Eren opens one eye, half expecting to be back in the real world, instead still seeing the sand beneath him, a pair of small feet next to his knees. He is about to start talking again, sure that his plea went unheard, when light covers everything.
Eren can't stand to leave his eyes open, covering them with his hand when even closed, he's still blinded by the light. A small noise is heard, getting gradually louder and louder, overwhelming everything. Eren feels his ears about to explode from the noise, and starts to scream from pain alone.
He manages to slightly open his eyes, unable to properly lift his head, and he sees a small smile, some tears cascading on it. He screams again, squeezing shut his eyes, the noise becoming unbearably loud.
Then, as sudden as it has started, the noise disappears. The light begins to die down, and Eren opens his eyes, turning around to see Zeke laying down, still dazed by the noise. He faces Ymir again, seeing her standing still, her appearance now changed. No longer wearing rags, but fully dressed. Her hair now falling down her front, covering her eyes, and wearing a sincere smile.
Everything around them starts to disappear, little by little, until the only things remaining are Zeke, Eren, Ymir, and the column of light.
"Thanks, Ymir"
Eren blinks once more, and he finds himself sitting down, his hand being squeezed by Mikasa, who is calling his name, worried by the tears streaming down his face. Eren looks around, seeing the sun rising over the sea, and turns back to face Mikasa, giving her a small smile.
"Did it work?" Eren asks her, just happy that she and everyone else is unharmed. Hange comes forward, Ymir in tow, showing Eren a small cut on her hand.
"You...you ruined everything!" everyone turns towards the voice, Zeke beginning to stand up, having to balance himself, his legs wobbly from the experience -"You have doomed us all! We aren't supposed to stay here!"
Eren softly exhales, beginning to feel pity for his brother, to have that constant thought of not fitting in - Who's brainwashed now - he thinks, taking no pleasure in that fact.
"Eldians have to live with our sins forever now - all thanks to you! I was ready to save us all!"
"You were ready to commit genocide. Again"
Zeke flinches, getting aggravated by that detail -"It would have been for the best" he argues, now steadier on his feet -"I told you before - every single one of us is a cursed demon. We can't bring anything but pain. That's always been our history! Why would you want to keep that up!"
"We didn't - you did"
Zeke stares at Mikasa, those four words burning in his brain, not able to see from their point of view -"You only say that out of ignorance! If you knew what we did-"
"We do know" Erwin steps up, using his height advantage to stare down the bearded man, Zeke taking one step back -"We learned from Grisha, and from Eren, what our history really is. Even before that, our history was nothing but pain"
Erwin stands right in front of Zeke, the latter feeling smaller than he's ever felt before -"The difference is, we're trying to keep going. You want to stop and give up" with that, Erwin turns around, addressing the MPs and the rest of the group with orders to get back home.
Armin and Jean help Reiner stand up, the taller teen watching his own superior struggle with this reality, staring straight at the ground. Eren walks towards his brother, taking a few breaths before addressing him -"My father didn't talk about his past. We only knew of that a few weeks ago" he starts, Reiner listening in to the conversation as well as others -" There's a lot of things that happened in order to get to this point"
"Some of them" he says, stopping after he feels his voice start to crack, Mikasa immediately walking to his side, holding his hand -"Some of them simply awful"
"But they had to happen"
Levi squints at Eren, not understanding his point at all - What is he talking about exactly?
Zeke doesn't answer, still staring at the ground. Mikasa gets called by Sasha, the red haired asking the raven for help preparing for the trip back, and also giving her friend a big hug, happy that their current nightmare has ended, wanting to celebrate -" We're free, Mik! We can finally explore! I'll show you my village - or at least what's left of it!" Sasha exclaims, bubbling with excitement.
Connie turns to Ymir, pointing at the sea -"You did say that it's safe to go on, right?"
Suddenly Zeke lets out a shout, and begins to run at Eren, grabbing a hidden blade in his sleeve. Mikasa starts to rush towards them, seeing that the distance is too big to get there in time, despair washing over her.
Zeke is about to stab Eren in his heart, when he gets tackled by Reiner, the hit throwing Zeke against the ground, where he gets subdued by Levi, knee against his back -"Stupid move, Zeke - you ok, Yeager?"
Mikasa reaches the brunette, checking for any nick or cut on his body, not seeing any in sight. She turns to Reiner, the teen looking at Eren, and she gives him a small smile -"Thanks"
Reiner doesn't answer, just nodding to the raven, Mikasa understanding his message nonetheless.
Armin walks over to them, embracing Eren, celebrating the success of his mission. Jean stops at Reiner's side, looking at at trio -"Now he trusts you completely"
Reiner doesn't smile, feeling that rest of the group's gazes on him -"What about you?"
Jean shrugs, watching Connie tentatively put one foot in the sea, taking it back from the sudden cold, then getting used to the temperature, putting down the leg entirely, until he stands, turning to face the others with his arms raised above his head, Sasha screaming with delight.
"Don't give me a reason not to"
The journey back was more relaxed than the departure, the threat of the Titans now gone, people were able to fully relax, experiencing true freedom for the first time in their lives. They met some people, confused and afraid, and it took them some time to fully explain their situation, and what had happened to change it.
Zeke was forced to travel tied up, no way of moving arms and legs, riding next to Levi, who promised him that he would still cut off his limbs if he gave them any problems.
"Now you don't have your regenerating abilities, so you better watch out"
Reiner and Pieck were allowed more freedom, Armin and Jean vouching for Reiner, riding with him at all time, vowing to Levi and Hange that if Reiner attempted anything weird, they would immediately stop him,but they both knew that he wouldn't waste his chance.
The moment after everyone calmed down, Armin immediately thought of Annie, and almost rushed everyone to depart at once, almost wanting to break formation and gallop to the city, but was convinced by Eren and Mikasa that she wouldn't have a way out of that door.
"It was locked and barricaded - no window, no way out but the door. She'll still be there"
They arrive at Wall Maria, noting the structures that Eren made are gone, reduce to crumbles.
"What happened inside the walls?" Connie asks, getting weird looks from the rest of the squadron -"I mean, inside the walls there were other Titans, right? So are there gigantic holes in them right now?"
Everyone looks over to the walls, taking a few steps away from the structures, afraid of their new instability -"I guess that now there wouldn't be an objection in renovating them - or even taking them down entirely" Armin comments, looking over to his friends.
"Maybe just renovating them - we're still at war against everyone" Jean says, Sasha slapping her hand against his arm -"Did you really have to bring down the mood again?"
Connie chuckles at that, noticing Reiner setting up his tent farther away from the rest of the group. He walks over to him, the taller teen nodding once, resuming his activities -"You know that you can out the bed a little closer to ours, right?"
"I'm pretty sure Levi would punch me - I can't regenerate anymore, so I'd like to take as few punches as possible"
Connie smiles a bit, turning serious afterwards -"Listen, you did some truly awful things. You, Annie, Bertholt. And that will never be forgotten. Ever - we don't even know that full extent of your acts. What we do know, is that you were basically brainwashed. Doesn't make it ok, but it's something"
Reiner nods, surprised by the level of candor coming from Connie -"And today is an exception. We're all happy that at least our world just became a bit safer. Tomorrow will be more difficult to deal with it. Deal with you"
"Don't give us reasons to don't trust you again"
Reiner smiles softly, somewhat happy that they are better persons than himself.
"I'll do my best"
The group enters Wall Rose, among cheers coming from citizens and MPs alike. Historia is standing with Pixis at her side, trying to not seem to eager to see Ymir, spotting her girlfriend, the freckled girl dismounting her steed, turning her head both ways, seemingly looking for something.
Ymir's eyes finally land on Historia, and she makes her way towards her. Erwin and Hange walk alongside her, meeting with Pixis, recounting the outcome of the mission.
"Did you do it?"
Ymir smiles at Historia, simply lifting up her hand to show her the still visible cut, the Queen observing it for a couple of seconds, then breaking into a full smile, jumping to hug Ymir, almost screaming from happiness.
Pixis turns towards the noise, seeing the couple hugging tightly, smiling at the sight before turning back to Erwin and Hange -"So I'm assuming that the mission was successful?"
"Correct - Eren was able to remove all Titans" Erwin answers, pointing towards a group of people, looking around themselves, some crying out of relief -"All the Titans still roaming transformed back into humans. Those are some that we found on our way back. We assume that there will be more across the land. We'll search for them"
Pixis nods, watching them again, then noticing three people tied up, recognising Reiner after a small while -"And they are alive because?"
"Valuable asset, sir - we're still at war. They know Marley. We can't waste them by killing them. We should instead learn from them" Hange replies, facing Pixis -"We are aware that Zachly would be against this, but it's really our best chance"
Pixis nods, waving off their conns -" I'm sure you're all tired now. You should go get some rest. In a few days we'll hold a meeting. Discuss every aspect and choice"
"Meanwhile, we'll put them in the cells for now - we should also discuss with them individually" Pixis adds, turning to some MPs to order them the transport of the Marleyans -"For now, just relax"
Armin quickly runs towards the military building, entering and making his way towards the basement door. With the help of the on duty guard, he clears the way, asking them to leave him alone.
He knocks on the door, waiting a few seconds before talking -"Annie? I'm Armin" he says, listening for any answers. He gulps down air, his hand holding the key, about to unlock the wooden door -"I will open the door now. Even if you run you'll get caught immediately. Please don't"
He slowly unlocks it, the metal clanging of the mechanism loud in the silence. He slowly opens the door, allowing some light to enter, revealing a girl, sitting down leaning against the opposite wall, holding a folded piece of paper. He enters, feeling stupid for not wanting to make any sudden movements, and he relaxes, breathing more normal.
"Hey Annie"
Annie doesn't move from her spot, instead lifting her head to meet Armin's eyes. She lifts the letter, and asks him -"So I assume you did it, since I found myself out of that"
"Correct. Now we're just in a war with another nation. No Titans"
Annie nods, softly coughing, looking behind Armin into the hallway -" Do you really think I could be useful? Or is there another reason for it?"
Armin blushes, slightly shaking his head to control himself -"I do honestly think that your knowledge is going to be useful. Along with Reiner, and...uuh, Pieck, you have informations that we want"
Annie tilts her head, her deadpan expression telling him that she's still waiting for the actual truth -" Go on"
"Whatever reason I might have is of secondary importance"
Annie smirks, scoffing slightly -"Smooth. Am I going to be in prison?"
"For the start, yes. We will hold a meeting for this. We'll try to convince them of your usefulness. But for a while, yeah. You'll stay in a cell, sorry"
Annie shrugs, and Armin knocks on the door, both teens hearing footsteps approaching, soldiers entering the basement to get Annie, escorting her to a cell.
As they pass, Annie looks in Armin's eyes, and smirks -"Horrible taste in women, Arlert"
Armin just smiles, following the group back outside, closing the door behind him.
The day after, inside the royal hall, Erwin, Hange and Levi are sitting in front of the higher ups, Historia residing over everyone.The rest of the 104th squadron is sitting behind their commanders, Ymir sitting next to Historia, again smirking at the officers next to her.
"Eren Yeager. Please stand up" Historia commands him, and the brunette makes his way forward, looking at his Queen -"You single handedly saved this world. There is no honor great enough to reflect that. We can only offer you our eternal gratitude"
Eren watches as every single person stands up, and bows to him, feeling extremely uncomfortable by that gesture, relief washing over him when they finally stop.
"Unfortunately we can't celebrate your accomplishments longer - we are still at war. This time, against an enemy that we know little about. Erwin, please explain" Pixis says, the blonde man standing up, taking the stand.
"Yes sir - Marley is the nation that ordered our destruction. They ordered the retrieval of the Founder, and the conquer of more land, with the promis of more resources. Fortunately, we have some people who know extensively their reasoning and culture. Those people are Reiner Braun, Zeke Yeager, Annie Leonhart and Pieck Finger. I am sure that we can convince them to help us"
"If I may, sir" Hange stands up, getting permission from Pixis -"We don't know the extent of their firepower. Fighting in a war would not be the best outcome" Hange argues, continuing to speak -"This war sparked from hatred and fear. Misunderstandings. I propose to create a team of ambassadors, with our people and the captured Marleyans we have"
Pixis nods, seeing the logic behind the words -"That would surely help tremendously. It would be a shame to not at least attempt it. And who would you propose to join Braun, Yeager, Leonhart and Finger?"
"The entire 104th squadron, sir" Levi interjects -"These kids witnessed every event that happened first hand. They know their history, and also know the reasoning for the war. Plus, I'm pretty sure that they've already started to talk with Reiner, and not in a threatening way. So there's history too" he says nonchalantly, the squadron trying to not look too guilty.
The meeting continues, the idea of the team of ambassadors getting approved almost unanimously, Zachkly needing some convincing in order to approve of the team.
Eren and Mikasa exits the building, followed by the rest of the team.
"Crazy how different everything changed in just a few months" Connie says, Sasha nodding enthusiastically at his side -"Now we can finally explore! Get back to our villages! Live life like we used to!"
Jean laughs at the display, also excited at the prospect of being free -" I just want to enjoy these weeks. Sooner or later we'll be roped in again to fix someone else's mess"
The trio immediately make plans to go out the city, visit as many places as possible in this short time, while Eren, Mikasa and Armin simply watch them from behind.
"How did Annie react?" Eren asks his blond friend.
Armin smiles, remembering his interaction with the girl -"Better than I expected. I'm not sure anything is going to happen, but...at least I tried"
"I'm sure that everything will go your way, Armin - be yourself" Mikasa adds, holding hands with Eren. The brunette squeezes back her hand, locking eyes with her.
Armin catches up with the rest, the group already settled underneath a tree, the shade offering some cool and refuge from the heat.
Eren and Mikasa stare in each other's eyes, leaning to share a kiss, their friends smiling at the sight from afar.
They detach, smiling all the way, starting to walk towards them.
"I love you, Mik"
The raven smiles even more, getting closer to him -"Love you too"
We're finally free
Welp, this is the end. Thanks to everyone who followed me, and ignored formatting mistakes, and there were a lot.
Thanks for commenting, and leaving reviews.
I'm thinking of writing a follow up, because the new pages added to ch 139 I really don't like, personally.So again, maybe I'll write my own version. Let me know if it's something that you'd like.
Thanks again for keeping up with me!