Bit of a slower week these days, but I'm still writing—yet another battle scene hahaha. But don't worry, I promise I'll still manage to sneak in some romance in between all the death and bloodshed... maybe even a third lemon, who knows? ;) For now, however, I'll let you darlings enjoy the new chapter! Keep your fingers crossed that I'll manage to finish the one I'm currently working on.
As always my lovelies, go ahead and enjoy this chapter and don't forget to toss me a little review, to let me know what you think~ ;)
P.S. All Attack on Titan characters belong to Isayama Hajime. I only own my OCs.
41. A cup of tea
~ 854 ~
It had to be very early in the morning when Falco was disturbed from his sleep by all the commotion outside the tent.
"What the hell is going on out there?" he heard Gabi groaning before her disheveled hair emerged from beneath her blankets.
Crawling over to the entrance, Falco pulled the flap aside to see the Scouts hurrying to finish their food and arrange the campsite.
"Did everyone forget to wake us up for breakfast?" he pondered aloud, just moments before he saw Natalie coming towards their tent with two bowls.
"Here... we had breakfast earlier than usual today; I saved your portions." she smiled.
"What's going on?" he asked, accepting the food.
"Commander Erwin is arriving soon with the Queen. I think it's best if you two stay out of sight for a bit."
"Wait, why is the Queen coming here?" Gabi called out, sitting up at last.
She still hated talking to any of them but had slightly mellowed out over the last couple of days; enough that they hadn't needed to tie her up again.
"She wants to speak to Zeke." the redhead replied. "And it's too dangerous for him and Reiner to be moved into the districts right now. Until we manage to catch every last one of the traitors in the Survey Corps, we can't risk them being seen by too many people. Now eat your breakfast."
With that last statement, she reached to gently tousle Falco's hair before standing and heading back to the others. No sooner had she rejoined her team than they saw the group approaching them on horseback, with Erwin in the lead and Historia at his side, wearing her military uniform.
"How are things here?" the Commander inquired while Historia, Hange, and the others were dismounting.
"So far so good." Levi reported, looking where Zeke and Reiner were standing with the rest of his team, and drawing Erwin's gaze to them. "They haven't given us any trouble yet."
"Your Highness." the group greeted when Historia approached them, bowing to her.
"I'm glad to see everyone back alive and... mostly unharmed." the blonde replied, offering a concerned look to the small bandage still tied to Jean's temple.
"It's nothing, Your Highness." he smiled in response. "I'm perfectly fine, it was just a graze."
Returning his smile with relief, she then turned to the two shifters, taking a moment to look them over with the kind of scrutinizing gaze Reiner would never have imagined she could pull off.
"It's good to see you again, Reiner." she at last greeted them. "And you must be Zeke Jaeger... Eren's brother."
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness." he smiled courteously, ever the adept diplomat.
"You know why I'm here, I trust." she continued, waiting until he had nodded before finishing her sentence. "We will debate your proposals in due time. First, I wish to speak with Natalie and Eren..."
At that, she moved to walk away from the group, carrying herself with all the grace and authority of her position despite being as nervous as ever on the inside, only stopping long enough to deliver one last word over her shoulder.
"...Alone."
Surprised by her request, the redhead exchanged a brief look with Eren before they both moved to follow the petite woman away from the campsite. Only when she was certain they were out of earshot did Historia stop and turn to face them, prompting them to halt in their tracks.
"Do you... have any advice for me, before we go into this meeting?" she asked and all at once, she was again the kind and timid Historia they knew.
"Look, I know this feels overwhelming." Eren replied after thinking it over for a moment. "This power I'm housing might be something comparable to a god; like your dad said that day. And right now I'm probably the one person whom the entire world wants dead more than the rest of the Eldian race. What I mean is that no one else understands you better than I do; I know what you're going through right now. You were crowned as Queen of the most hated nation, without knowing a thing about ruling, or high-circle table manners. But at this point, the ball isn't just rolling anymore; it's speeding down this hill and it will only get faster from here on out. So all we can do is grit our teeth, and do what we can about whatever gets thrown at us next."
When he paused to let his words sink into Historia's mind, he saw her growing surprise just as he had seen it on Reiner's face in the airship. Sometimes it felt strange even to him that he could pull such thoughts and emotions out of himself, but he was grateful that Natalie's oratorical skills had somewhat rubbed off on him over the years.
"As for that shit brother of mine, he might have potentially ridiculous value to us, but he's not irreplaceable! Don't let his demeanor or anything he says intimidate you; he's just a man from the internment slums. You are the Queen of this island. With just one word, you could have us chop him up and feed him to the dogs... his Titan power be damned. He may run his mouth however he pleases, but he can't force any of us to do anything—least of all you. He needs us just as much as we need him. We'll do our best to support you, but the final decision has to be yours. So let's show him we have a backbone too and that he can't intimidate us."
"You're absolutely right, Eren. I just—"
Though she hesitated to speak her mind further, Natalie understood from how the girl was looking at her that she was on the blonde's mind.
"I won't let anyone force you into anything, I promise."
Her words seemed to both reassure and further distress Historia at the same time.
"But if I refuse... he'll just put this burden on you. I can't let you make this kind of sacrifice for me."
"No one's putting any burden on me. It's just as much my choice as it is yours."
=0=0=
In the cheerful birdsong that filled the forest, no one was moving or speaking after they had settled in for the discussion, back at the campsite. Historia was seated on one log by herself, presiding over the gathering, looking as tall and enduring as a marble statue despite her tiny body. And Natalie felt relieved as she took in the young Queen's carefully selected neutral expression.
'You'll do fine, Historia. You're already a much better Queen than you give yourself credit for.' she mused, feeling a sense of pride in how the blonde had matured and how seriously she was taking her new responsibilities.
Then her eyes went to the young woman standing exactly four steps behind the female monarch, hands daintily clasped in front of her waist and her gaze fixed upon the ground. She recognized the woman as Julie, the maid who always served them tea in Historia's office whenever they visited. At first, the Queen had passed her off as just a personal maid, but over time she had confessed that the woman was much more than that. She was highly skilled in all forms of combating other people—whether with various weapons or barehanded—having been trained in secret by the former Royal Council to defend the fake King.
After Historia's coronation, Julie had naturally come into her service, and over time, the two women had developed a close bond. Thus, while it was out of the ordinary for Historia to have a maid tagging along everywhere, to Natalie it made perfect sense. Without the Survey Corps to protect her, she was all alone in the Interior, at the mercy of all the political plotting and backstabbing. It was natural that she would want a personal guard watching over her at all times, especially when her efforts to help the Underground people by confiscating part of the wealth from the nobles had led to a growing amount of distaste for her, among the upper class.
"Then, as we all know why we are here, I wish to begin this meeting officially." Historia spoke up at last, and all the Scouts present subconsciously felt the need to straighten in their seats at the unexpected strength of her tone. "Before we discuss Zeke Jaeger's plan, however, I ask that you all allow me a moment to thank Reiner for delivering Ymir's final words to me. You have my gratitude for it."
Though he didn't speak, the man felt compelled to nod—his gesture looking to Historia oddly similar to a bow. She knew her changed demeanor had surprised him, given their last meeting had been back when she still hid behind Krista's mask.
'No, stop it!' she berated herself for the way her heart stung painfully at the mention of Ymir's name. 'You'll have time to be sad later. You need to focus right now.'
Taking a moment with her eyes closed, to recompose herself internally, she again gazed over everyone gathered before her. To her right were Erwin, Levi, and Natalie, giving her a sense of not just strength and safety but also unity. She could see that—though they clearly hadn't spoken ahead of time—all three were thinking along the same line. Next to Natalie, on the second log, sat Eren with Mikasa and Armin at his side, looking just as confident and calm as he had been during their short counsel.
Right across from her were Reiner and Zeke, the latter watching her over his glasses; and more than anything, it was his gaze that troubled her because she couldn't read it at all. Then on the left side was Jean, sitting with Sasha and Connie; and closer to her was Hange with Yelena and Onyankopon, as the two chosen to represent both of their allies—the anti-Marley Volunteers and the Azumabito household, respectively.
"We are all on the same page, I trust, as far as information goes." she began, looking at Erwin, who nodded, and then turning back to the blond shifter. "Good. Then, Zeke Jaeger."
As though sensing that they were about to get into the thick of it, the shifter subtly straightened his back and tightened his interlaced fingers, despite still looking very relaxed as he leaned onto his thighs.
"Let us address your proposals one by one, and weigh both the good and the bad that may come out of them."
When she saw all eyes going to the young woman standing silently behind her, Historia felt the need to finally explain her presence.
"Do not mind Julie; she is simply here as per royal protocol rules." she piped up, her carefully measured tone admitting no counterargument to what she was about to reveal. "She is my personal maid and has diligently tended to me since the day of my coronation. She is as trustworthy as they come. Now that this issue is out of the way, let us not waste any more time. First, the Titans' Rumbling..."
As she spoke the last words, her eyes turned to Eren and Natalie; she knew they had possibly the strongest feelings about it and would thus let them speak on the matter. Immediately she saw the two exchanging a glance before Natalie nodded, allowing Eren to speak first.
"As we all know, I hold the Founding Titan, which is the only of the Nine that can trigger this catastrophic event. For that to happen, I must come into contact with someone of royal blood, as the Founder is linked to that bloodline in a way we haven't yet been able to fully understand. That being said, I can't deny that Zeke has made a solid suggestion—that showing the world a fraction of this power, showing them we're not afraid to use it to defend ourselves... that it might serve as a deterrent for the other nations, thus buying us time to catch up to the rest of the world."
At that, he paused to let his words imprint into everyone's memory, speaking just when Natalie turned her head towards him again, as if wondering whether he actually agreed with it.
"However... I do not wish to have any part in the deaths of so many people. I am not a murderer and I refuse to become the monster that the entire world already believes me to be. If the world attacks us, then so be it. I will use part of the Wall Titans then, but only to defend our people. I will not deal the first blow in this war, because I still believe we can somehow avoid it."
"Tell me..." Zeke spoke up in the utter silence that had fallen over the group. "I have noticed this even before we left Marley, and it has piqued my curiosity. Eren, I know what you're talking about with this belief you seem to have found. And you're not the only one who seems to hold Natalie in such high regard. I know she has a way with words, but you can't tell me that's the reason for all of you to put this much stock on her pacifistic ideal—or is naïve a better term? So I'm curious... why?"
"Don't tell me you don't know what the Attack Titan can do." the younger sibling replied, sounding offended by what he perceived to be Zeke disrespecting Natalie.
"Oh, I know what it does. Which is why I also know it's not nearly as convenient as it seems. If it was so powerful, extracting Reiner and me wouldn't have turned into such a bloodbath."
"That wasn't her fault." Eren nearly cut him off. "It was a miscalculation on all our parts. We should have taken Floch more seriously, so what happened in Liberio is on us. And I know that doesn't mean shit to the people who died, or who survived with horrible injuries. But it wasn't Natalie's fault."
At that moment he paused, and from where Historia was sitting, it looked to her like he was daring Zeke to say anything else against the redhead. If anything, the other shifter seemed to pick up on that challenge because she saw his brow subtly furrowing.
"You remember what happened at Shiganshina, right?" Eren went on, his stare never leaving Zeke, whose expression—for a moment—betrayed that his defeat there still stung. "You want to know why you lost that battle? It was all Natalie... yes, Captain Levi was the one who took you down, but he wouldn't have known to do that if it wasn't for her. Remember how your little ambush failed? That was all Natalie... she told us that you'd be waiting there. She insisted that we train our soldiers to fight on flat ground. She saved all of us. So tell me again how her power is inconvenient because you saw the results with your own eyes when she delivered. After seeing that, I'm willing to believe anything she sees, no matter how insane it might sound to others. Besides, she's probably the only person I know who hasn't become at least somewhat jaded and cynical. She still believes in a better future for Eldians on Paradis and throughout the world. And she's willing to sacrifice just about anything for that... to where you'd think she was suicidal if you didn't know better."
"Why does it only need to be one or the other?" Armin pondered, so quietly that Natalie wouldn't have even heard him if he hadn't been sitting right next to her.
"What is it, Armin?" she goaded him on.
Startled from his contemplation, the blond glanced around as though he had just remembered everyone was gathered around him.
"I—I'm just curious about the issue of the Wall Titans. Why does the Rumbling only need to be attack or defense? Why can we not just use the few Titans we could theoretically wake up?"
"Use them?" Onyankopon chimed in, sounding completely baffled. "How would you even make use of those things, other than for war? I understand using a Titan like Eren or Natalie... but a Colossal? And several ones, at that..."
"We could have them erect something on the shore. Have them in a place where anyone trying to spy on us would see them clearly. Have them build something far too large to be done by any conventional means, without it taking years to accomplish. Maybe a flag pole? No... that wouldn't work; weaving a flag that big would be bothersome and considering how hot the Colossals are, it would simply catch on fire the moment they go near it. Some other structure, then? How about... fortifying the southern sea border with some defensive structures? Something that would protect the port we built. Maybe even see if we could use the hardening King Fritz used to make our Walls, to reinforce the one behind the harbor?"
"I'd say it's worth a shot." Hange agreed. "The problem remains... who would work with Eren to control the Founder; Zeke or Queen Historia?"
"I would rather not tamper with the Founder just yet." Zeke replied, catching even Reiner off guard.
Removing his glasses, he started wiping the lenses on a corner of his shirt—more out of habit than actual need—looking to Historia as if to make sure she could properly read his gaze.
"I have no trouble controlling Titans made with my spinal fluid. However, the Founder is a different story altogether. I simply don't know enough about it or what it can actually do; to us, on the mainland, this Titan has always been little more than a vicious myth, a way for Marley to keep the Eldians under their boot. To us, Ymir was nothing more than a monster, a harlot who made a pact with the Devil of all Earth to gain the Founder's power, which she used to help the Eldian people trample and enslave all other nations."
It was odd to Historia how the simple fact that he hadn't put the glasses back on, despite having finished cleaning them long before he was done talking, struck her as a show of sincerity from him. Perhaps she was just being weird to think that, however, she couldn't restrain the feeling that there was no lie in his words; that he had no ulterior motive, at least for the moment, while addressing her.
"I would rather you handle that, Your Highness." he concluded succinctly.
"I agree that the Queen could do it easily." Eren concurred. "During our experiment before Shiganshina, it was clear that she had no trouble boosting the Attack Titan's power, as well as tapping into the Founder's power to let us enter that other world."
"I only have one request." Zeke went on, his eyes going from Eren back to the young Queen. "I would like to witness this event, even from afar. Being raised with all those horrible stories about the Founder's power, I'm both intrigued and impressed that you all believe something good can come of it. I'd like to see that as well."
Taking the fact that Eren and Natalie turned their eyes upon her at Zeke's last word as her subtle cue to make a decision, Historia took a moment to settle her thoughts in order before speaking.
"Very well. I agree with Armin's idea that we need to make some use of any Titans Eren might manage to awake through the Founder's power. I trust he and Commander Erwin can come up with a solid plan for that."
At that, she again glanced at the fair-haired Commander, the man's silent nod reassuring her that she was on the right track.
"Then... Zeke Jaeger. I will allow you to witness this once everything is settled upon. And you will see what the Titans' power can do in the right hands. I will entrust Captain Levi and his men to safeguard you even out there in the open."
A subtle glance at Levi was all she needed to know from his gaze that he would not fail in his task.
"Very well. If there are no more concerns regarding this matter, then we may move on to the second proposition in your plan." she continued, her gaze passing over Zeke before she looked at Onyankopon. "I had wished Miss Kiyomi could be present herself for this meeting, and I thank you for joining us as her representative."
"Of course, Your Highness." the man replied. "Lady Kiyomi regrets not being able to be here in person. However, there is already disturbing news from the mainland. I received her letter yesterday with the ship that arrived. It seems word of the battle in Liberio has already spread like wildfire to all nations."
"Well... we weren't exactly subtle about it, were we?" Jean sighed.
"However, this may be a good thing for the people of Paradis." Onyankopon continued, after nodding to the Scout. "Lady Kiyomi has told me that the Marleyan army is in disarray after losing most of their chain of command. And there are already rumors—though of course, not anything more than that at the moment—that the other nations are already stirring. The Eastern nations have not forgotten the humiliation of their recent defeat." he continued, looking to Zeke and Reiner, who had been the very instruments of that defeat. "Now that Marley has lost both the Beast and the Armor, the Jaw and Cart will not be an enormous threat in a war."
"They're already going to war again?" Hange inquired, looking shocked by the prospect.
"The most opportune time to strike at prey is when it's injured; and by losing four of its Titan shifters, Marley is as good as dead." Yelena chimed in. "But this is also the most dangerous time because in its death throes that prey will fight with no regard for anything except saving its pathetic life."
"Lady Kiyomi believes that the other nations will form another alliance to rise against Marley and try again to bring them down, while they are still recovering from the Liberio battle." Onyankopon agreed. "They will not waste this unique opportunity, however..."
The subtle shift in his tone, and the way his expression darkened, immediately charged the air between them with tension.
"There is also the matter of some foreign diplomats who died in that bombing." he said with a heavy sigh. "We still don't know exactly how many, and to which nations they belonged. But you can be certain that those nations will not easily forget this, nor will they forgive Paradis for it... probably ever."
"When do you think Miss Kiyomi could tell us which nations lost their diplomats in the attack?" Historia asked after weighing their options.
"Possibly in the following days."
"Then I would like you to send a letter to her, asking her to come here as soon as she obtains that information. I would like to discuss any available diplomatic measures with her, regarding these nations."
"I will write to her as soon as we return to Trost, Your Highness." the man promised.
Again Historia paused as if to let all they had discussed sink in properly into everyone's memory. But she knew that no matter how much she delayed it, they still had one final issue to debate. Part of her still wished they would have never come to this, yet another part knew that she couldn't show any fear or hesitation when the stakes were not only her body but also Natalie's.
"Then let us address the final and certainly most controversial point of your plan, Zeke Jaeger." she said, carefully measuring the strength behind each word as well as the tonality of her voice. "As you know from Miss Kiyomi and Natalie herself, we have very strong feelings about this particular topic. We have weighed your suggestion quite thoroughly, and although your... willingness to self-sacrifice for it has been noted, both myself and Natalie have chosen to decline your proposal. We believe an earlier-proposed alternative to be a much better choice."
She could tell by the way his brows arched that he was perhaps sincerely caught off guard for the first time during that meeting. And she again noted to herself that he still hadn't put his glasses back on—instead choosing to hold them in his hand—as if he wanted her to read his gaze, as if he truly wanted to have a sincere debate with her. It was both surprising and somewhat unnerving because she now felt like she had to bear the full intensity of his piercing stare... a kind of look she had only ever seen in Erwin, or maybe in Levi. She knew he was carefully analyzing each word she had said, trying to pick out any subtext in her statement, trying to decide on what to say next.
"Of course, it is fully in your right to refuse." he at last spoke, his eyes never leaving Historia's, to show that he was impressed by her bravery, but not intimidated nor caught off guard by her refusal. "I would assume the proposal you are referring to is to use another woman on this island, then. That means that Natalie has not passed on what I said to her when I first suggested she could take your place."
As he stated that, his eyes went to the redhead, whose guilty look said it all, as did Levi's dark scowl and Erwin's tight expression.
"Neither have the Commander and the good Captain, I see." he went on.
He was making no attempt to mask the challenge in his tone, nor did he flinch, even when he saw Levi's hand twitch where it rested on his knee. Then his gaze went back to Historia, and though she was carefully controlling her expression, he saw it in her eyes that it had caught her unprepared due to being kept in the dark on the matter.
"Then I will explain why I proposed Natalie, Your Highness." he continued with the air of a disappointed father. "Her argument to Lady Kiyomi was regarding your safety in the event of a pregnancy. And it is true, such a thing does not come without its own risks. That is why I believed that Natalie, as a shifter, would be the ideal candidate to replace you given that her ability to heal even on the brink of death would ensure her survival, even in the unpleasant case of complications arising."
"However, I will not order her to use her own body in such a way." the Queen replied, nearly cutting off his last word. "That would truly make me the monster that the world already believes me to be."
"Then... you will order another woman to do it? Am I to understand you are playing favorites, Your Highness?"
"Not at all; I will not order any woman to do it." she said with a snappy note in her tone, this time interrupting Zeke when he opened his mouth to speak again; and this time, her voice carried all the power of her royal position, admitting no further argument. "You have explained your reasoning, Zeke Jaeger... now allow me to explain mine. After a rather extensive strategy meeting with the good Commander here..." she began, gesturing subtly to Erwin. "...we feel that the risks outweigh the potential benefits we could gain from allowing this, especially now with traitors in our midst showing greater boldness than ever before. I cannot allow myself to be in such a vulnerable state right now when my people need my strength... though I may no longer have to draw blades in future battles, there is still no telling how deep into the fray I may yet have to go. Particularly, if it turns out that you and Eren cannot handle the Founder's power as well as he and I have; should it come to that, expecting a child in such a situation would be asking for death at the worst, or a high risk of miscarriage at least."
"Aside from that..." Erwin finally spoke up at the subtle side-glance she gave him. "Her Highness still has her ruling duties. Not to mention we would be severely reducing our battle capacity, to ensure proper security for her wherever she would lie in hiding."
At that, he looked over to Levi, whose murderous scowl was fixated on Zeke, then to Natalie, who looked like she would have rather been anywhere else.
"As for Natalie..." he continued, this time drawing all eyes to him. "I would think your experience at Shiganshina was answer enough as to why we cannot afford to have her sidelined. While hypothetically she could still deliver any possible future visions from the rear, it is true that her visions sometimes change at a moment's notice due to unforeseen events occurring along the way, which alter the predicted outcome. Considering how narrow our window is to prepare for an incoming attack from the mainland, such a prolonged absence from her could be quite disastrous, if not fatal, to us. Of course, the fact that so many of us are still sitting here alive is just as much a testament to our skills as it is to her foresight. But my point is that even with her on the battlefield, things can still go seriously awry if only due to bad luck or—as in Liberio—due to betrayal. Being on the battlefield without her would increase that risk tenfold. And I believe it needless to remind you of all people, as someone who grew up in Marley, just how cruel this world can be to us, Eldians."
"Not to mention that she's also capable of hardening similar to Eren's." Armin intervened as soon as the Commander had finished speaking. "It may not be exactly on the same level as his Titan, but it certainly isn't anything to scoff at, either. Having her sidelined with a pregnancy could become a severe disadvantage to us in the case of a battle."
"As you see, we have solid concerns regarding the effects our entire nation might suffer, should either of us be placed in such a delicate condition." Historia concluded. "We have yet to confirm to whom we will offer this opportunity, however—"
The sudden sight of a figure stepping between her and Erwin—who had until then been the only one in her peripheral vision—caused Historia to swallow her last words. It took her a moment to come back to her senses and realize that the figure was now kneeling in front of her, in full view of everyone watching with various degrees of surprise.
"Allow me to do it, Your Grace." the young woman asked without so much as a flinch at the thought, not taking her eyes off Historia's boots.
"Julie..." Historia whispered, her expression at last failing, to reveal the horror she felt at that moment.
But it was only a momentary crack of her otherwise well-trained mask, gone as quickly as one would blow out a candle. In one heartbeat she took in everyone's faces, from Erwin to Onyankopon—all of them looked completely caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. All but Yelena, it seemed to her.
"Rise." she commanded, turning her attention back to her maid.
But the young woman merely raised her head to look up at her, clearly unwilling to stand and look down upon her ruler.
"Your Grace, both you and Miss Natalie are far too important for this. Please... allow me to do this for you. I would accept this endeavor, for the sake of everyone living on Paradis."
As she spoke, though she didn't move an inch, her eyes cautiously trailed towards Yelena. She had been getting a very odd and disturbing feeling around that woman from the very beginning and had warned Historia to be extremely cautious during their meetings. And seeing the blonde straighten up in her seat had told her that the woman was about to offer herself for this task.
'I'll be damned if I let you have your way, you foreign bitch. I don't know what you're planning, but so long as it poses any kind of danger to my Queen, I will do all I can to interfere.'
It was her subtle gesture that assured the young Queen that Julie had a good reason to step forth like that. She knew the woman was ever observant, even when it didn't seem so, and she trusted the maid with her life by now.
"For me, it would be the utmost honor to do this for your sake." Julie continued.
She even plastered a carefully measured trace of a smile onto her lips, as she cast a deliberately languid glance over her shoulder, as if she was examining Zeke's face for the first time. At that, he subtly arched a brow not just because of her gesture but also because—if he were to be completely honest—she happened to be quite attractive, now that he was getting a proper look at her.
"If it helps to ease Your Grace's concern, I will confess that I find him to be quite handsome." she spoke again, turning back to Historia. "He would not be any burden to me."
"Well, now..." the shifter chimed in at that, reaching up to trace his fingers along his beard in a half-contemplative, half-taunting gesture. "I was going to say there's no need for you to be nervous because I don't bite. But it seems if I'm not careful, I will be the one eaten instead. I must admit I look forward to getting to know the young lady better, next time."
"Then, since you two are in agreement over this settlement of the issue... and we are, as well..." Historia spoke up, with a final sweeping glance over the gathering, from which she was met with almost unanimous nods of agreement. "...then I will agree to it as well and let that be the conclusion to our meeting today."
Only after she stood did Julie rise from where she had been kneeling, following Historia while the others began getting to their feet as well. All but Zeke, who still seemed deep in thought as his eyes scanned the people still gathered in smaller groups.
'I should tell them... no point in keeping this a secret any longer. But I'm not certain that Yelena wasn't involved.' he mused, recalling the woman's odd stare at Natalie as they were loading into the carts at Shiganshina.
Eyeing Armin, who was standing closer to him than the others, a glint came to his eyes as he shifted the glasses into his right hand.
'You'll do.'
With that, he rose from his seat immediately, feeling Yelena's gaze on him, and to his fortune made a credible show of tripping onto his own legs. In his fall, he reached out as if on pure reflex, grabbing onto Armin's shoulder and prompting the boy to instantly stiffen in response to nearly being pulled to the ground. And when he saw the blond look at him, then turn to catch him in his arms and try to steady him, he knew the angle he was at prevented Yelena from seeing his face.
"A-are you alright?" Armin inquired.
"Say nothing, just listen. That night in Liberio..." he whispered, seeing the young Scout's stare gain a note of tension as if he already suspected what he was about to hear. "...I saw that Floch shoot Natalie."
With that hastily delivered message, he allowed Armin to straighten him up and chuckled while running a hand through his hair.
"Sorry about that; my leg must have fallen asleep from all that sitting. I owe you one... Armin, was it?" he said, reaching to pat the younger man's shoulder and snap him out of that shocked state he had slipped into. "You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, coming up with a way to use the Colossals like that. Make sure you put that brilliant mind to good use."
"Y-yeah... no problem." the blond smiled nervously. "Excuse me..."
Fortunately for him, his usually flustered demeanor left Yelena none-the-wiser to what had transpired, something Zeke could tell just from the fleeting glance at her face as he put his glasses back on.
"Commander!" Armin called out, following Erwin as he headed for his horse. "May I please have a pen and paper? I have an idea regarding our plan to use the Colossals."
He could only hope that Erwin would read his gaze as usual, and almost visibly sighed in relief when the Commander headed off to the side and gestured for him to follow. Taking a moment to scribble his message on the papers Erwin offered, he turned it back towards the man and watched the glint of realization come to his eyes as he read it.
SYBPU FUBG ANG NG YVOREVB. MRXR FNJ UVZ QB VG.
– The building blocks of speech
(A/N: Floch shot Nat at Liberio. Zeke saw him do it.)
"I see... good job, Armin. I would like to discuss this in further detail tomorrow, in my office." he said, having already worked out the code in his mind.
It was one of the simpler codes, which was taught to all the Survey Corps members, for just such occasions—which meant he would have to burn that piece of paper as soon as he arrived at the barracks. At that, he turned to go back to his horse, only to stop after a few steps.
"Levi." he called out. "I want you to come see me tomorrow morning along with Armin."
"And leave this to the brats?" the Captain blinked at being summoned so unexpectedly.
"Natalie can handle things here for a few hours. She is your second-in-command, isn't she?"
Barely holding back from arching a brow at the stern reply, he could only nod in agreement, despite looking less than pleased about having to split up.
~ oOo ~
Knock-knock
"Come in!" Erwin called out while pouring the ashes left from burning the previous day's message into the flowerpot on the windowsill behind his chair.
Looking over to see Armin and Levi stepping in, he gestured for them to close the door and approach his desk.
"Levi..." he began, after sitting back down. "I have spoken to Queen Historia and Premier Zackley yesterday. Tomorrow at noon, they require you and your squad to join us; the Queen wishes to inform the Royal Council of what has transpired in Liberio, as well as the issue of our traitorous comrades and our agreement with Zeke Jaeger. She is spending the night here in Trost and has ordered the Council to join us tomorrow for the meeting. Premier Zackley along with Nile, Commander Pixys, and myself will attend as well."
"Have you spoken to the Premier about... um..." Armin inquired, his voice dying out when he remembered Levi was standing next to him.
"Yes, and he has given his permission for us to use any means necessary to interrogate our prisoners."
Even as he spoke, Erwin could see the realization dawning on Levi's face, the intensity that came to his eyes speaking of the fact that he could already guess where this was going.
"Zeke has told Armin yesterday that he saw Floch shooting Natalie in Liberio." the Commander concluded, briefly eyeing the way Levi's hands clenched into fists despite his unflinching expression. "Armin managed to pass the message on to me before I left the forest, and I got in touch with Premier Zackley about it. He has authorized the use of violence if they refuse to cooperate peacefully. It seems he too has little trust for Yelena and her Volunteers and suspects that if anyone would have helped Floch, it would have been her. We need to be certain, however, if we are to plan any course of action from here on out."
"I'll handle them after the meeting tomorrow." Levi at last spoke up with nigh a vicious snarl underlining his words.
"The Premier agreed to torture so easily?" Armin chimed in, looking disturbed by the thought.
"Of course he did." Levi grumbled. "He might be all proper on the outside, but he's always had some really screwed fascinations, the old fuck."
"I believe it needless to tell you both that you are not to speak a word of this to anyone else." Erwin concurred. "Not only would it cause an enormous scandal if it gets out that the military uses such means for interrogations—rare as they are—but we would risk word reaching Yelena and her men. Levi, we need to make sure that they specify which of the Volunteers helped them. I do not believe all of them are guilty. Some may not even be aware of what she was doing with Floch. I'd hate to have innocent people executed."
"That's right..." Armin agreed. "Onyankopon has done nothing but help us since he first arrived. I'm sure there are others in their group like him, who want to sincerely support us!"
For what amounted to almost a minute after Levi had nodded to his request, the Commander silently watched him, and Armin couldn't hold back the thought that these were two men who could truly understand each other's mind just from that silent stare.
"Levi..." Erwin finally spoke up again. "Tell me honestly what you think; your intuition is second to none and you're the best judge of character I have ever met. Do you believe Zeke is really on our side?"
His question caused Levi's muscles to relax, and he saw on the Captain's face that he was seriously considering recent events.
"Ignoring the fact that I hate him and that he's a piece of shit... I do think he's making some honest efforts to gain our trust. If nothing else, I know Natalie is never impressed by anyone unless what they feel is true; and she was impressed by Zeke since they first met in Marley. That doesn't mean we can just give him our trust so easily, though. Usually, his types don't care which side they're on, so long as it benefits them. There's still a chance he has his own secret agenda that he's not saying shit about. But I think, at least for as long as we show we can get shit done, he'll behave."
=0=0=
"After the meeting, I want you and the brats to go back to the barracks ahead of me." Levi stated as they walked into the Trost HQ that day, heading for Historia's office.
"You're not coming with us?" Natalie blinked, caught off guard by his order.
"I have something I need to do when we're finished here. I'll be back before it's time to leave."
"What do you have to do?" she asked, picking up that odd note in his tone that sent an icy shiver down her spine.
"Nothing important."
She would have insisted, but it seemed he had chosen the exact moment when they were about to enter the office to inform her of that, as if he knew she would argue. Upon stepping inside, along with the rest of the team, they bowed to Historia, who stood from her desk with a smile.
"Please, sit." she invited them, gesturing to the long table set in the middle of the room right in front of the large desk, where Hange was already seated waiting for everyone.
It seemed the Council had yet to arrive, and the young Queen informed them that Zackley, along with the three Commanders, had gone to greet the noblemen at the barge and lead them to the HQ building.
"How are you?" Natalie asked as Historia leaned onto the backrest of Levi's chair.
"Good, all things considered." she smiled softly, reaching to weigh a hand onto the redhead's shoulder. "I didn't expect Julie to offer herself for that, and I talked to her after we returned here. She believes Yelena was about to make that offer, and she didn't want such a vital matter left to a foreigner."
"Of course that lanky bitch comes up again." Levi snorted. "She has her fingers in all the pies these days, huh?"
"She does seem to get around quite a bit." Jean contemplated. "Do you—I mean, I don't want to make any accusations without proof, but... is it possible she had a hand in helping Floch plan the Liberio bombing?"
Though the others seemed to not notice, the look passed between Levi and Armin didn't escape Natalie's cautious eye. Making a mental note to further question the young Ackerman about it after the meeting, she instead turned back to Historia.
"Listen..." she breathed, reaching up to take hold of the blonde's hand. "When you have the time these days, I want to see you and Eren. I think... we need to try reaching that other world again."
At her words, she saw Eren straighten up in his seat and lean forth, listening intently. Thus, taking advantage of the fact that it was only them in the room, she inhaled deeply before speaking her mind.
"I need to see Ymir; I need to try talking to her again. This whole situation is becoming far too complicated. I'm sure she has to have some... I don't know, advice?"
"You said that last time she refused to answer your question, right?" Hange pondered.
"Yes. I don't know if she'll behave any differently if I go to her of my own accord, but... I have to try. I don't know what else to do..."
Her last words, spoken barely louder than a whisper, compelled Historia to step behind her chair and set both hands on her shoulders, squeezing them reassuringly.
"We can try it as soon as you and Eren are available." she smiled. "Maybe with both of you there, she'll be more inclined to cooperate."
When her words failed to comfort the redhead, she exchanged a concerned look with Eren.
"We'll get her to talk somehow." he nodded.
No sooner had he said that than the voices coming from the hallway told them the others had arrived. While Historia removed her hands and walked back to her desk, the doors opened to allow the new arrivals entry. Looking over, Natalie's eyes fell upon several very well-dressed men, at varying degrees of corpulence and spreading a whiff of an almost sickly sweet smell, mixed with the subtle acrid stench of the sweat glistening on their round faces, a musty scent of old dusty clothes heated by the sun, and a fragrance of soured wine—a combination that had the redhead working hard to hold back from retching, as they passed by to take up the seats closest to the Queen.
'I pity Historia, having to put up with these unwashed pigs.' she mused, a subtle glance to the rest of her squad and to the military leaders confirming that they all shared her sentiment.
With Zackley taking up the seat at the head of the table, facing Historia, and the three Commanders joining them in the remaining seats closest to him, the Queen clasped her hands atop the desk.
"I trust your journey here was comfortable, my Lords." she began, watching with a carefully calculated expression as they wiped the sweat off their faces with perfumed handkerchiefs; but she allowed them no window to answer, having little patience that day to deal with their repulsive selves. "As I trust, you have carefully read Commander Erwin's report on the Liberio mission and its aftermath, as well as the report regarding my meeting with Zeke Jaeger and what was agreed upon there. We are here to address these issues, today."
Understanding they would not be given a moment to breathe, the four noblemen nodded despite exchanging subtle displeased glances. That child-Queen was proving to be more of a nuisance with each passing day, but for now, they had to bear with her.
"Of course, Your Grace." one of the nobles replied, with a well-practiced smile. "We have carefully examined the contents of both reports."
For but a moment Historia narrowed her eyes subtly. It was true that she hadn't been wearing the crown for long, and that she still had much to learn about ruling; however, she was finding it easier and easier as time passed to tell a lie when she heard one.
"I would still ask Commander Erwin to briefly summarize the reports before we begin." she concluded, offering them a smile that did not reach her eyes at all. "Indulge me, my Lords."
Though clearly displeased, the four noblemen returned polite smiles and bows of the head before settling back into the ornate armchairs which had been brought specifically for them, while Erwin stood. In the silence which filled the room after he had sat back down, everyone could have heard a pin drop and Historia knew from the expressions on the four councilors' faces that they hadn't actually read the reports as thoroughly as they had claimed. Most likely they had just skimmed over the contents, and she would not allow them to claim ignorance later on.
"Your Grace..." one noble at last spoke up, carefully measuring his words. "Forgive my boldness, but why was the Council not informed of your meeting with Zeke Jaeger? There would have been no need for you to go there, when he could have been escorted to the palace by the Survey Corps."
"I understand your concerns, Lord Heldt." Historia nodded. "The reason I went there instead is due to the dangers that moving him would have involved. For one, we still are unaware of the whereabouts of Floch and his squad. The military is working hard to locate them, however, they have yet to be found. Second, bringing him into a densely populated area such as Mitras would run the risk of people realizing who he is. We could very well have a public revolt on the matter of bringing one of our worst enemies into our midst. Even if he is—for now—on our side, most of the people would still consider him an enemy; and for good reason. It would also run the risk of an assassination attempt by any of Floch's supporters."
"Have there been any confirmed supporters of his in the Survey Corps?" another one of the councilors asked, turning to Erwin.
"I assure you it won't be long before they are found and made to answer for their treason." the Commander replied, looking completely unfazed by the nobleman's frown and his attempt at an intimidating tone. "Our investigation has not yet concluded; as you know, the ranks of the Survey Corps have nearly doubled after the successful retake of Wall Maria."
"But can we really put our faith in the military right now?" the third nobleman asked with a sly smile in the corner of his mouth and a honeyed tone. "How can we be sure that the people sitting in this very room are not supporters of this deranged maniac? Two of them are not even human anymore."
The jab had been delivered with such precise acidity that Natalie didn't even need to look, to know that Eren was wearing an expression of disgust identical to hers.
"Exactly." the fourth councilman, who had been silent until then, at last chimed in. "Now, with the ranks of the Survey Corps having increased so much, how are we to know that everyone in this room is still a sincere supporter of our Queen? How could those men have escaped the airship so easily, without inside help?"
It was at that question that Natalie felt a palpable shift in the air, and her subtle glance around the table revealed nothing but tight expressions at best, and dark scowls at worst, all directed at the fat noble who seemed to almost take pleasure in getting under everyone's skin.
"I do not believe it beneficial for our people, that the Queen's decisions be influenced in any way by the military, even supposing they could be trusted in this situation. After all, the reason we have a Queen is that the people would never accept a military regiment ruling over them, is that not so?" he sneered at Erwin whose blank expression gave nothing away, before turning at last to Historia with a smile. "Your Grace, especially now that we have opened up to the rest of the world, I believe it is of utmost importance that you be counseled by people well versed in politics and diplomacy."
And like the snapping string of a guitar, her far-too-overstretched tolerance was so spectacularly exceeded, after having been constantly tested time and again in the past few days, that it would have made Ymir—bless her deceased soul—cackle heartily.
"Your concerns are duly noted, Lord Abelard." Historia piped up with a stern voice.
The careful balance of calmness in tone and volume granted her an air of authority that, for a time, silenced even the visibly overweight noble who had been running his mouth with such fervor before. Though many a pair of eyes had turned upon her—particularly bewildered stares from Natalie and Eren—she didn't back down. She had sworn to Ymir that she would live her life as she wanted; that she would live for herself from that moment on. So if courteous protocol, as the aristocrats so often loved to call these cat-and-mouse-like games, would not get things done...
"Though I must admit, I cannot help but find such enduring depth to your mistrust of my advisors—" ...then she would throw her weight around instead, by brandishing wicked claws gloved in the loveliest silk, beginning from the emphasis on her usage of 'most'. "—most suspicious."
She needn't even look up from her clasped fingers on her desk at the man, to know red was already rising to his face, a vein twitching on his forehead.
"Tell me, Johann... what is this?"
But she did look up, icy gaze nailed right upon him even as one gloved hand rose to gingerly touch her crown. So utter was her interruption of his line of thought, he could only half-stumble out the words.
"...A crown, of course."
"Quite so." she pressed her advantage. "The symbol of the reigning monarch of Paradis, set on my brow for both my birthright and my achievements."
Near utter silence had fallen in the room now, making the 'shing' of her reaching to draw the ornate letter opener from its holder echo a little.
"I broke wide open the centuries of deceit that the Fritz and their accomplices had upheld, as had my ancestors before them."
It wasn't quite as bendy as a blade made of iron bamboo alloy, yet it still slightly yielded under the force she applied on it from both ends.
"I aided in casting them down as well, to pick up the unpleasant pieces after. Even before that, I helped protect the populace from Titans; including the notorious Warriors of Marley and my very own father."
She looked up at the man again while her fingers curled around the opener, almost like a delicate sword.
"Did you hear of that? So deep had he fallen into his insane desperation to avoid responsibility, to try and thrust them onto others, that he became by far the largest monstrosity ever known, dwarfing even the Colossal Titan."
She briefly pointed the knife at him...
"So I did what had to be done and put him to rest before he could annihilate us all."
...then made a neat little cutting motion to the side.
"Just like that."
But she wasn't looking to threaten the man, no, so she slipped the letter opener back once more.
"I understand you are quite the accomplished businessman, widely known and respected among the aristocratic circles for both your wealth and experience. However, and I do beg your pardon if I misremember... have you not lived your whole life within Wall Sina?"
By now, the man was looking visibly uncomfortable yet defiant still, to a degree, like a cornered animal looking for a way out.
"For the better part of my life, yes."
A way out, she wouldn't allow him—not this time.
"Then tell me, have you ever seen a Titan in the flesh? Rather, have you ever experienced the hardships of those within Maria and Rose, outside of simply hearsay and the occasional newspaper?"
She knew perfectly well it was a vicious blow against the nobleman's pride, even if delivered more like a venomous, velvety touch along the face rather than a violent slap.
"Nearly every single one of the respectful ladies and gentlemen present here..." she rose utterly on her own now, no chair drawn back for her, for she pushed it herself. "...have done that very thing."
She walked now with the quietest clacking of her low heels, coming behind Hange as she put a hand on their shoulder.
"Some have even seen the outside world... the world we only years ago didn't even know existed. They met the terribly wide gap between us and them head-on, with inventive genius."
Next, she moved to stand behind Levi, quite brief in touching the man's predictably tense shoulder.
"I will not even mention all of the blood spilled, all of the loved ones lost in combating things of nightmares..." for Mikasa she would spare a moment and a glance as well. "...finding new, unexpected avenues of connection in the least likely of places..." as well as Natalie. "...and they are the reason we have managed to avoid many a disaster so far, by the skin of our teeth."
And then, behind Eren, was where she paused, hands placed on his shoulders.
"They are here, Lord Abelard, because they have proven themselves worthy of trust and far more experienced than most, more times than anyone should ever have to."
It may have been only her imagination, but she felt the faintest tingling of static between her fingertips and him.
"But make no mistake. While I take their advice into consideration, whether or not I heed their council is still ultimately up to me. Just like Eren Jaeger is no tool of mine, I am no tool of his."
She could feel the young man's posture shift and straighten under her, as her words instilled confidence in him.
"The power of the Founding Titan is something that defies reason, and yet he is still willing to shoulder this terrible strength together with me... the same way I shoulder this crown."
For the briefest moment, her eyes spared a measure of mercy to the nobleman, closing as she chuckled softly.
"Ah, but do not misunderstand. I do not compete for the affections I know he has for someone else."
The amusing sight of the younger Ackerman of the two having turned a darkened red in the cheeks brought some additional humor to how deflated Abelard was looking by now.
"If I was to ever consider such relations with someone, be it genuine courtship or simply continuing the royal lineage... then I must confess my intrigue for Mr. Smith."
It felt strange to call her former Commander, an older man too, at that, in such an official yet such a bizarrely informal manner. But to her relief, there was no discernible disapproval or anything remotely similar to disagreement upon Erwin's features, when their eyes met and she offered him a smile that he could not read.
"Though that is, of course, if the good Commander is not too occupied endeavoring for the safety of us all, to even just visit for a cup of tea sometime."
Sooo today's replies for my lovely reviewers :D
1. aLeexheaven - Gaahhhh I'm so happy you picked up on that feeling! I actually have been trying to build Natalie into a motherly figure for her squad mainly. By now, even though I didn't focus much on it, the team sort of sees her and Levi as their parents not just as their superior officers. I think it will become more apparent in future chapters, but I'm so glad you noticed it already. As for watching the fourth season, it's not 100% a necessity so long as you're familiar with the overall story line. Because most of the events in the Marley arc will be very different from the original, and then the Rumbling arc will be almost entirely different. Because this is what my entire story has been building towards: a different Rumbling arc.
As always, thank you so very much for taking the time to leave a comment. It never fails to make me all giddy and put a huge grin on my face!
So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤