Disclaimer: I do not own the SNK series in any way, shape or form
Note: Timeline in this chapter is a bit all over the place, and some events happen in different time, full explanation in A/N at the end.
Sunset was nearing as the scouts were riding towards the castle were they were to take refuge for the evening. Lead by Nanaba and that other member of the Squad Mike, Ymir and the others rode through the road. The dimming light making the distinction between the path and its surrounding more and more blurry.
Keeping a steady pace in the middle of the make-shift formation, Ymir kept a blank face, saving her uneasiness of the situation to herself. Her and Krista's team met up with the other team, the in which Reiner, Berthold and Connie were in, about half an hour ago. They came with reports that the village they went to evacuate was gone, all inhabitants disappeared, leaving only the houses and, what put her off personally, the horses. Something fucked up most have happened. When she suggested that the titans got to them, they retorted that if that was the case, they would have found a massacre instead of a ghost town. And, to add to the oddity, they only found one titan, one whose legs were too weak to hold it up, so no one knew how it got there to begin with. Something really fucked up's going on here she said to herself while mulling over what was happening.
Looking back, she saw that Krista carried a tense look on her face. If Ymir was to guess, she was also thinking about in just what they got themselves into.
"Hey" she called, "you okay?" Krista blinked as she was pulled from her mind
"Yes, just worried" she managed to answer.
"We're not too far from castle Utgard" Nanaba said, she must have overheard them. "We should be able the spend the night there just fine." Krista nodded, though she still looked troubled. Another scout, the one with the weird hair sighed.
"Just when we thought things were starting to look up" he said. "How the hell they even managed to break through Wall Rose?"
"Were things looking up, though?" Ymir muttered to herself, as she remembered a strange exchange she had the other day.
It was the night before the launch of the expedition, she was assigned guard duty. She was prepared for a boring night, just idly walking around the halls, maybe take a small nap and so. As she walked, complaining inwardly about her desire to go her quarters, she was taken back to the present when she noticed a figure just at the end of the hall. She called to it, and the figure approached her, revealing none other than the suicidal bastard himself.
"What are you doing up in the middle of the night, Eren?" she asked as her posture relaxed a little.
"Couldn't sleep" he answered casually.
"Didn't take you for one for getting nervous" she said sarcastically. Eren shrugged as he joined her walking through the empty, dark hall.
"There's always more than meets the surface" he said. "Thought you knew that better than anyone."
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply, her eye narrowing.
"Oh, you know, big and strong Ymir hanging out with sweet and delicate Krista. I guess we all have our soft spots." She simply shrugged, relaxing once again.
"What can I say? Krista's great." The two continued walking silently through the halls of her end of the castle. As they went outside onto a section of the walls, Ymir was grateful to see the starlight shining over the earth, a nice change from the dark corridors, lit slightly by candlelight. Her small moment was interrupted by Eren, though.
"Speaking of Krista" he said nonchalantly, "when are you telling her you can also turn into a titan?" Wide-eyed and caught off guard, Ymir quickly shifted to see Eren, He was looking at her, those mismatched eyes of his coldly reading her reaction, a small mile appearing on his lips. Pushing him onto the wall behind him, she glared daggers at his still nonchalant expression.
"How the fuck do you know?!" she whispered with venom on her tongue.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes! Yes, it fucking matters" she hissed. Blowing through his nostrils, Eren lifted his hands.
"Just know that I have my means" he said. "Look, Ymir, I'm not your enemy, if I was, you'd be getting dissected right now. The question right now is: are you my enemy, though? You know what's outside the walls, and that if we are to beat Marley, we'll need every advantage we can get." Letting go of him, Ymir looked away.
"You think you walldians have a chance?" she asked.
"Why not?" he answered, dusting off his jacket. "Marley won the Great Titan War, against all odds, and managed to get seven of the nine no less. Why can't that be repeated?"
"That's easy for you to say…" she muttered. Seeing her still being hesitant, Eren sighed.
"Look, I'm not gonna hold your hand and tell you that everything's gonna be alright; I'd just be bullshitting you if I did. Just know that we do have a chance, and that we're not down until we give up..." he turned to look at the field that lied in front of them. "I am not your enemy Ymir, I mean it. But if you prove to be mine, I'm willing to do anything if it means keeping my loved ones safe…" He turned his back on her and started walking back into the hall they came from. "Just keep that in mind" he said without looking back.
That conversation she'd had with Eren was still replaying in Ymir's head by the time they made it inside the castle. Nanaba and the other veteran were giving instructions where to put the horses and where exactly they'd be spending the night. As she walked into the run-down tower, Ymir looked at Krista behind her. Did they really have a chance? She couldn't tell, and experience told her that, when in doubt, she should stick to herself.
But she did agree with Eren on something, keeping her loved ones safe was indispensable.
The journey through the roads of the interior of Wall Sina was awfully silent. They had departed under the cover of night, shortly after midnight. Officially that was justified that doing so would prevent a mob from gathering at the extraction of the Female Titan, leading to a possible riot. But Erwin had two other motives to get moving as quickly as possible.
The first was that he had arranged a meeting with Commander Pixis in the early hours of the morning. An unofficial meeting where they would discuss the information Erwin had received the prior day by Eren Yeager. He was fairly confident that Dot wouldn't take too much to be swayed into their camp for the plans already forming inside the commander of the Survey Corps.
That led to his second reason to evacuate so suddenly from Stohess. By beginning the process of the trial as quickly as possible, he would be leaving a lot of space for Levi and Hanji to act on their respective assignments without too much attention, as most would turn towards the trial.
He had met shortly with both of his confidants before departing, where they went again over what each would be doing. Levi would depart the next morning to an already-decided place where they would make a carving in the wall, to confirm Eren's allegation. Meanwhile Hanji would be digging into the Reiss family, she was ordered to document any suspicious behavior, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential. After both finished, they would meet to exchange information, after which Levi would go to the capital and inform Erwin over the result of the investigation, and Hanji would remain in command while they were off in the trial.
Erwin had decided to depart in a small group, of a single carriage with a small, almost token, guard to keep the movement as swift as possible. Time was right now of significant importance, any minute saved on this trip could make a world of difference. Sitting inside the carriage, he looked over to the other passenger, gagged and bound in hands and feet.
To think that this short blond girl, who had barely even graduated, was the Female Titan, the one single-handedly derailed the 57th Expedition, cut the Special Operation Squad in half, furtively killed Hanji's two captured titans and, if tale be true, had been behind the fall of Wall Maria and had successfully infiltrated into the society of the walls for five years. If anything, this girl had proved to be resourceful, capable as a fighter and an operative in subterfuge, something he had to admit they were sorely lacking in. Eren's proposal of incorporating Annie Leonhart as an asset to their cause ringed in his head, and in spite of all the damage she had done, Erwin found himself seriously considering it.
Seeing her in this state, he noted how Leonhart's eyes were looking out into the passing field, blues eyes not reflecting malice, but resignation, boredom even. The head of the Survey Corps wondered what approach would work the best in the courtroom for convincing Zackly, Nile and the others to let the Survey Corps to keep and employ her as an asset in their future operations. Unlike with Eren, Leonhart had actually been responsible for several deaths. On that note, having her being admitted into the Scouts would generate a lot of tension and resentment amongst his troops, something Erwin could hardly afford. Levi wouldn't like that, but he wouldn't go against Erwin's orders. But everyone else? That was harder to answer. Nevertheless, he had to go through with this, the rewards for having her on their side would be too great to simply ignore.
Speaking of it, this might be a good moment to start swaying her to our side Erwin thought as he inclined forward to remove the gag from her. She eyed him curiously.
"It is dangerous to leave an opening for a shifter to turn" she said in a raspy voice, as her throat was dry. Erwin offered her some water, which she took.
"It is also difficult to have a conversation with someone who's gagged" he retorted.
"What is there to talk about?" Leonhart asked, disinterested. She knew that she could probably afford not to play aloof, but Annie supposed that she could take the opportunity to see Erwin Smith in action. Eren had visited her again the previous night, keeping it short as to not raise suspicion. She still didn't like that she was still being kept in the shadows as to what exactly he was planning to do, but he had assured her that right now she should focus exclusively on her trial. It irritated her, but guessed she couldn't help it.
"Quite a lot, actually" Erwin said. "I'm going to be straight. We have received some intriguing information. Information that you could help verify."
"That would depend on the information you wish to verify."
"It has come to us of the existence of a nation outside of the walls named Marley, is that correct?"
"Yes" she said after a few seconds, nodding to emphasize. "There are dozens of nations outside of these walls, in fact."
"What can you tell me about it, Marley?" Erwin asked, keeping his excitement about finally learning about the outside world far away from his tone. On her part, Annie hummed, as she collected her thoughts on her oh-so-beloved fatherland.
"Marley is the most powerful nation in the world at the moment, its territory covering most of the old Eldian Empire. It is currently uncontested in its position as they are the holders of most of the eldian population, and have seven of the nine titan shifter powers."
"The eldians, they are the people we belong to, right?"
"Yes. We're also known as the subjects of Ymir. Other names worth mentioning involve: devils, vermin, maggots, and undesirables."
"I see… We're not well thought of in the outside world."
"The story goes that the old Eldian Empire was tyrannical and genocidal. True or not, doesn't matter, the reputation and the baggage stuck."
"Is there anything else worth mentioning." Annie stop to think for a few instants.
"Hmm. Even though Marley is the undisputed superpower of the world, it is feared that the advancement of conventional weapons will close the gap in the not-so-distant future. That's all I can think of at the moment."
"Very well. Thank you" Erwin said, nodding gratefully. "Now, to a more immediate matter: If we the Survey Corps take you into our ranks, how can we be sure that you'll remain loyal to us and our cause?"
"I won't be loyal. I have one goal, and one goal only. When I left for this island, I promised my father back in Marley that I would return to him no matter what. And I intent to fulfill that promise. Whether I do so as a hero for Marley or as liberator for the Eldian people is insignificant for me, it always has been… The moment my former comrades find about my desertion you people will be my only ticket home. Is that a good enough answer for you, commander?"
"I suppose it will do. I appreciate your honesty, Annie."
"What can we expect of Marley in the immediate future."
"There's the two others Warriors infiltrated in your ranks, the holders of the Armored and Colossal Titans. They can also employ the two other shifters, the Beast and Cart Titans, who as I far as I know are standing by back home. I doubt Marley would employ little more than that, as they are over-reliant on their titan powers, and don't know what Paradis is capable of."
"You know who those infiltrators are?" She nodded with slight hesitance. "Can you tell me their names?"
Annie kept quiet for a bit. She knew that the moment she gave the names away, she would be considered by Marley as an enemy from that point on. She would no longer be welcomed home as a Warrior, but as just another of the infamous island devil of Paradis, if not worse. Was she ready to go through with that? To go against everything she once knew? She had never been the best team player, but even Annie grew a bond with her fellow Warriors, even the obnoxious and fake Reiner. She remembered what she had told him shortly after Marcel's death "Marley, Eldia, fuck them all! They're liars, the lot of them! They only think about themselves! And so do I! I have to survive! I have to get home!" Not her proudest moment really, she was stressed, fatigued and beaten. It was really a miracle she had agreed to carry on. And here she was, about to betray them, all to fulfill her promise. Her heart sunk as she spoke.
"Reiner Braun and Berthold Hoover... They're both members of the Scouting Legion."
It was well into the afternoon when the team Levi had gathered for the task reached a part of the wall isolated enough for them to start working. His team consisted of the motley crew he had formed a few nights ago to find Eren, along with the brat himself. They were about twenty kilometers from the gate of Stohess, an uncomfortable distance if someone asked Levi, but they needed the space to operate undisturbed.
With help from their ODM gear they had spent nearly one hour now carefully making a hole in the structure. It was a slow and tedious process doing so without causing damage, so as the blocks could be put back once they were finished and everyone would be none the wiser. The fact that about twenty minutes ago it started raining didn't either.
Occasionally either Armin or Jean would ask him about the purpose of this strange task. They stop asking when he vaguely answered that Erwin wanted to confirm something, but they clearly remained restless. Thankfully for Levi, both Eren and Mikasa remained quiet as they worked. Speaking of Ackerman, he had noted that she had been significantly less hostile to him these past few days. Whether she had actually warmed up to him or simply took acting lessons he didn't know, but it was nice not dealing with her staring daggers on his back.
Eren for his part, had mostly remained content not adding anything of importance to the conversation, making small talk with the other members of the team, as if this completely unimportant to him. Levi wouldn't call himself a master at reading people, more than once his judgement had been proven wrong; but the way Eren carried himself reminded Levi of one those priests of the walls when holding mass. How they acted like the nicest, most swell people you could encounter, acting as if they weren't scheming bastards who with an agenda. He wouldn't go out and say it, though. So far, Eren had proven to be fairly trustworthy and reliable. But perhaps he should keep a close eye on the brat, just in case.
"You guys hear that?" asked Armin while knocking on the block in front of him. "It's hollow from here." The others made their own attempts to confirm. Indeed, there was a hollow space behind this set in front of them.
He wouldn't admit it, but Levi was unnerved at that. If the walls did have titans inside of them, then that would support that Eren's tale was true. It would prove that titans were humans. It would prove that Levi was still a murderer. He shook those thoughts away; now was not the time. Putting his tools to use, he and the others quickly worked through the last layer between them and the answer.
After a few more minutes, a pitched scream came from Jean. Turning to him, Levi saw Jean holding onto his gear as he momentarily lost balance.
"What in the fuck is that?!" he yelled as he regained composure. Slowly, the others were taking their respective blocks off, all showed faces of disbelief as the face of a titan stood before them.
Wide-eyed, Levi ordered them to the top of the wall so they could focus.
"T-That's a titan" stammered Armin. "A titan inside of the wall…"
"How did it get there?" asked Jean as his shock was wrapped in anger.
"I-I… I think it's always been there" Armin said, he's quickly putting it together thought Levi.
"It's always been there…" whispered Mikasa as she looked over the edge towards the opening in the wall.
"How else can we explain that?" the blond boy asked. He then turned towards the captain. "You knew about this?"
Levi had to give it to him, Armin Arlert's best weapon was his brain. "We received from a source about this, Erwin wanted me to confirm it before anything else while he was away at the trial."
"A source you say?" intervened Jean. "Who? Who would know such a thing and keep it to himself." Levi quickly glanced at Eren, who was standing behind the others. He shook his head and made a signal with his hand, signal which Levi quickly got damn brat.
"A source which wishes to remain anonymous" the captain answered. "That's all you need to know." Taking a heavy breath, Levi tried to skip past the shock of the discovery to assess what he needed to do next. First of all, he needed to get out of here, and make sure to leave to trace of them ever being there. Secondly, he had to meet up with Hanji and get what she got from her digging. And with the complete information, he had to catch up with Erwin, both for filling him in and to attend the Female Titan's trial.
"We need to seal the breach, as quickly as possible" he ordered as he was starting to prepare, his boots were damp and filled with mud from the rain, it would be a pain to clean them. "Then, we go back to Stohess. Also, I don't want you to say a word about this, to anyone. Understood" They nodded, giving another glance at Eren, he saw he fixing his cloak so his face would be covered.
"Good" the captain said. "Let's get to it."
Back at Stohess, captain Levi quickly went to meet up with squad leader Hanji, Eren shortly behind him. No doubt he following Levi while the others didn't may have raised some suspicion, Eren mused, but he could always use the 'official Levi squad business' excuse if it came to it. He hated having to lie to his friends, but right now he didn't see any other way, to an extent he hoped there wasn't. I'm going to tell them he promised himself once again.
Entering into Hanji's office, Levi and Eren quickly moved over to her, who was sitting in her desk with a myriad of papers scattered everywhere.
"Any luck?" asked Levi. Hanji pouted.
"Not much. This Rod Reiss seems like just another noble. He likes to keep a low profile."
"Not surprising" said the captain. "If he is indeed the power behind the throne, I'd want to keep me in the down-low."
"Apparently being part of a shadowy government is a lifestyle" Hanji agreed with a shrug. "I did find something interesting. Two things in fact." Eren and Levi leaned.
"First" she opened, "the very day Wall Maria fell, his estate got attacked by bandits, the report says. Rod being the only survivor. Doesn't that seem like a little too big of a coincidence." This was all old news to Eren, he knew far too well that it was his father Grisha, who motivated by himself, killed as many of the Reiss as possible and stole the Founding Titan. He briefly wondered how could that have happened in this timeline, since this Eren died fairly early on, and therefore couldn't enter the Paths to ensure that happened. He quickly brushed it aside for later, as he needed to refocus on the conversation.
"Secondly, just when I thought there was nothing else on him to find, I come across a document hidden below a hidden cabinet. A document of recognition of a bastard daughter, by the name of Historia. Signed just after the fall of Wall Maria and the attack on his estate."
"Could you find something about this Historia?" asked Levi. Hanji shook her head as she took the document out.
"Nothing other than this."
"Can I take a look?" Eren asked extending his hand. Hanji nodded and handed him the document. He had never actually seen this document last time around, so this was a first time for him. Skimming through it, he looked for anything that could help them set them on the right course naturally. Then he saw it.
"Hmm, her description is similar to someone in our training corps" he said. Seeing that Levi and Hanji gained a quick interest to that, he proceeded. "I mean, there was a girl over who had a very similar build to the one described here: short stature, blue eyes, golden hair, light skin, and all that. Plus, I think she had the very same birthday." Hanji's interest was so great that now she was leaning mere centimeters away from him.
"Don't make me wait, damn it. Do you have that girl's name?!" Eren nodded.
"She went by Krista Lenz, and she enrolled in the Survey Corps."
And that would be it for this chapter!
I want to apologize, this took longer to complete longer than expected. A mixture of unrelated affairs, writer's block and general procrastination make for a powerful combo, I have discovered.
Now, as I already noted at the top, this chapter, and spoiler alert the next couple, have a pretty non-linear timeline. This is mostly because as I went through these events, I found that for a good deal of time, the only character whose arc keeps moving is Annie's. And, as much as I like Annie as a character, I don't want to make it feel as if the rest of the story is on halt as her affair is solved. And so my solution is to have the whole of Annie's trail happen simultaneously to that of the preamble to my version of the Clash of the Titans Arc. By the time we get really moving, this small issue should be solved and the timeline of events should remain pretty straight-forward.
I promise it won't take so long to publish the next chapter.
And with that out of the way, I'll see you next time!
