Disclaimer: I do not own the SNK series in any way, shape or form.
A.N at the end of the chapter.
Entering into the courtroom, Annie was inwardly dreading for what would happen in the next few hours. The room in and of itself was far differently than those in Marley. With a sole, immense room of grey with a large imposing podium where the Supreme Commander was already waiting for them. A large, detailed painting on the ceiling, as if they expected someone to just lie down to look at it. On her left lied the higher officers of both the Survey Corps and the Garrison Regiment, with the Military Police lied on her right, along with several nobles and members of the Cult of the Walls. There were a few civilians in the stands behind her, though the numbers were laughably low for a trial of this significance she mused. As she was cuffed to the small column in the middle of the room, a sensation of foreboding invaded her, as if the implications of whatever would happen finally stopped being mere abstractions, but hard unavoidable realities.
The Supreme Commander finally looked down at her from her podium, fixing his glasses reflecting a glint that bore into her eyes, making here to look away. "This is happening again a lot sooner one would expect" the commander said as he poured water into his glass. "Let's get started."
"Your name is Annie Leonhart, correct?" The tone in which the Supreme Commander spoke in was one which faintly reminded Annie of General Magath, all-business and unwavering in its authority. She nodded. "A soldier who took an oath to dedicate your life for the# wellbeing of humanity. Is that correct?"
"I did, sir" she answered faintly. She had technically taken that oath. She supposed it didn't matter to them if she had meant it. The man in his podium nodded.
"Given the fact that there is no legal process for dealing with your kind" he read from the document in his hand, "your fate shall be placed on the hands of the present Military Tribunal, instead of the regular civilian processes. And, therefore, the final word of your sentence will be solely up to me. Today shall be decided whether or not you live, understood?"
"Yes sir" she said meekly.
"Your case might be considered by some of the presents as similar to the one we experienced two months ago with Eren Yeager. But considering that unlike him, you have been identified as responsible for the death of twelve members of the Scouting Legion, along with several more casualties, during the 57th Expedition, the opinion towards you shall be far more severe. Do you have any objections?" Annie shook her head.
"None, sir." At least none that you'd care about she thought with bitterness.
As the formalities were developing, at the left stand, Erwin and Levi stood at the front of the small detachment of the Survey Corps. In spite of their blank faces and attentive eyes, both of their minds were racing.
Levi was thinking about the small exchange he and Erwin had had before the trial. He had arrived late at night the night previous. After taking a small rest, he had met with the commander to discuss both of their finding.
"Did you and Hanji find something?" he asked. The captain nodded.
"We both did. There are indeed titans inside of the walls, saw it with my own eyes" he explained. "When we returned, Eren and I met with Hanji. Her investigation into that Reiss fella shows that the day Wall Maria fell, his estate was attacked by "bandits" he was the only survivor. We also found that he adopted a bastard daughter shortly thereafter, she graduated into the scouts this year." Erwin's reaction at that had been shocked. He then explained Levi that the Female Titan had given away the names of both her accomplices, and both were also inside this new patch of scouts. Levi snorted at the revelation.
"Apparently the scouts tend to attract people with dark secrets" he had commented sardonically.
"When we're done here" Erwin said, "we need to round up and secure those three. Having the heir to the real power behind the throne would give the leverage necessary for us to proceed with our operations without their intervention."
"Or at the contrary" Levi countered, "will move them against us." Erwin didn't seem too worried about it.
"We would have two titans on our side if they try something." Levi looked away, to say he was still bitter about the deaths of Gunther and Oluo would be an understatement. If it was up to him, that blond bitch would be dog treats by this point.
"You think we can get her?" he asked. Erwin nodded.
"I'm confident that we can get Leonhart on our hands." Erwin must have noticed the look on Levi's face. "I know that you hate her, rightfully so. Nevertheless, I'm assigning her to your squad when we're done here."
Levi's eyes had widened. "You're gonna trust me with taking care of it?"
"I am trusting you with making sure that she does not make a false move. If she does, I am certain you will end her. I also trust you enough to be sure you won't do anything unless you consider it completely necessary." Those words had been enough for Levi to grit his teeth before muttering his compliance.
Looking up to him, the captain looked at the expression of Erwin as he listened to Zackly's words. He trusted the man, he simply hoped he knew what he was doing.
In the courtroom, the head of the Military Police, Nile Dok, stepped forward. A grim look covered his face.
"Commander Dok, what is the suggestion of the Military Police as to what to do with her?" asked Zackly.
"Sire, Annie Leonhart was a joined member of the Military Police. Her betrayal is a special affront towards us who swore to upheld the king's peace. As such, we suggest an immediate and public execution towards her. May the citizenry cheer her death and the hells eternalize her suffering."
Annie resisted to urge to roll her eyes at that. Oh boohoo, I'm hurting the corrupt regiment's reputation she wanted to say. Cry me a fucking river.
"Commander Pixis" Zackly proceeded, "what would the Garrison Regiment do to her?" The bald leader of the rosy troop cleared his throat.
"The Garrison Regiment doesn't have any intention with regards to the fate of the miss. We will back the plan of action of the Survey Corps, as we believe they have proven capable of handling the situation better than any other faction."
Erwin listened to Pixis attentively, satisfied that he had agreed to back the scouts again. The two leaders had an unofficial meeting just after Erwin got to the city. It didn't take much to convince Pixis to back him in the trial, the old man had always been amongst the most perspective in the whole military.
"Very well" Zackly said. "With that in mind, what would the Scouting Legion do to Annie Leonhart?"
"Sir, the plan we have for the Female Titan is the following one. We shall enroll her into our ranks, where she would be employed as an asset in our operation to retake Wall Maria" some murmurs were already, some of the clearer ones calling such a thing outrageous. "After such, her usefulness will be revalued based on what is discovered about the outside world, whether her execution or continue use against the enemy."
"The enemy you say." the Supreme Commander, along with the rest of the room, seemed intrigued at that. "Are you implying that there's something out there more than the titans?" Erwin nodded.
"After a long interrogation, Annie Leonhart revealed vital information about what lies beyond the walls. Information that we believe is imperative for your knowledge." Zackly turned towards Annie.
"Is that so?" he asked. She nodded after a small hesitance. "What information is that?" Annie waited a few moments a let out a sigh.
"I was born in a nation called Marley, outside of these walls. The world is not overrun by titans like you believe, it's prospering like never before." Instantly the room shook in shock. Murmurs from bewildered witnesses flowing loosely throughout the insides of the court. Annie felt the urge to smirk when she saw the supposedly stoic expressions of the guards be broken by their jaws hanging widely.
"Lies!" the voice of one of the Cult of the Walls members thundered above the others. "She's a demon who's trying to deceive us! She must be put to the sword in this instant!"
"Funny you said 'demon' of all possible insults." Annie answered casually. "That's exactly what the outside world sees you people as. Demons. The lingering evil from an old, supposedly oppressive empire called Eldia. A people so wicked that all their descendance are forever tainted as long as the demons in the island of Paradis, that is all of you, keep drawing breath." There was a fire in her belly, watching the bubble of these naïve self-serving idiots burst, throwing them into the hell that was their real situation. A small smirk implanted on her face as she turned her gaze towards Zackly.
"I am an eldian, like the rest of you. Eldians born in Marley are treated like garbage. The only chance for a decent existence is by joining the Warrior Program. It's Marley who sent me along with the Colossal and Armored titans here, all with the intention to pave the way for a full cleansing of the Earth from the vermin that is the demons of Paradis."
"Supreme Commander, if I may" Erwin intervened, Zackly nodded, giving him the word. "We have reasons to believe her tale, as we have confirmed other parts of it to be true. We also got information from another source that there's additional information which corroborates so in the old Shiganshina District. By recapturing Wall Maria, we would be able to confirm whether or not we're indeed a nation under siege by other humans."
"What other part of her tale is this one you're referring to, Commander Smith?"
"With the permission of Commander Pixis of the Garrison Regiment, I sent a small detachment to investigate the insides of Wall Rose. We found a titan inside of the structure." The words sent another uproar with the crowd, probably one even bigger than Annie's testimony by sheer loudness. A merchant which sat by Nile Dok came forward.
"That's impossible!" he screamed.
"You're admitting of conducting blasphemy of the utmost kind!" the priest rose again. "To harm the integrity of the Walls, and claim such precarious fallacies should be punished immediately! Off with his head!"
"I saw the titan inside the wall with my own two eyes" captain Levi deadpanned with his arms still crossed. "Are you two calling me a liar, you pigs? How about you admit to the reality that's slapping us all in the face and get this over with?" His words added to the uproar. Both stands throwing insults at the other, defending their heads. The guards had taken position in front of them, to keep them from jumping and causing even more chaos. Annie felt a goofy smile on her face, who would've guessed court being this fun? she said to herself.
Commander Zackly was yelling for everyone to quiet down. Finally, after some moments, all presents kept their calm, though a tense air was still very much present.
"Commander Smith, you conducted this operation without my consent?" he asked with his gaze firmly placed on the Survey Corps' leader. Erwin nodded, he knew admitting to this would imply a reprimand from Zackly.
"I did. In retrospective I realize that such an operation would need your approval." Zackly hummed, muttering something before shifting towards Dok. Picking up on the hint, the head of the MPs cleared his throat.
"Even if the tale of the prisoner is true, it still does not change the fact that she has been proven to be an enemy of us. We still hold that the only way for her is that of capital execution. She has to pay for the damage she committed."
"We scouts know what she did better than the rest of you combined" Levi said again. "She killed many in our ranks, including half of my squadron, so save me the moralizing and concern-trolling. If there's anyone here has an interest on her being dead is me. Still we most put aside our thirst for revenge if we want to have a chance towards the enemy that is waiting for us."
Just then, a small commotion could be heard outside the room. Then a soldier, a scout judging from the cloak, erupted into the room, followed closely by the two door guards. These quickly put him on the ground.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Zackly. The scout got out of the hold and made a quick salute, he was hyperventilating. He must have just gotten off his horse.
"Sir! Supreme Commander! Titans have been spotted behind Wall Rose!"
Any constrain that Zackly managed on the crowd was completely lost just as soon as the words came out of the coming scout. Yells came back and forth across the room, many downright attempted to get out of there, being kept in place by the guards. Many nobles were calling, demanding that the gates of Wall Sina be closed and sealed immediately, an action which was poorly received by the scouts and civilians. From his podium, the supreme commander could spot a reporter in one of the upper balconies rabidly taking notes of the event. The trespass of Rose and the reaction of the nobles would be common knowledge by the end of the week, the month at the latest. This could very well cause riots throughout he thought as he shook his head. He heard a voice calling him; looking up he found Erwin.
"Supreme Commander! Give Annie Leonhart to us! We will use her in our victory!" he proclaimed.
Turning to her, Zackly noted that the girl was keeping her head up as the cacophony raged on around her. Almost as if she wasn't there. Could anyone trust her? He doubted it. Turning over to Erwin, he proclaimed his judgment.
Standing on top of Wall Rose, Eren took a deep breath as he stepped aside from the rest of the group. They had arrived to Castle Utgard about the same time they had done last time, cleaning up what was left of that attack, shortly before dawn. Killing the mindless titans had been more difficult however, knowing that they were residents of Connie's village, converted by Zeke. And though he didn't see the Beast Titan, he could notice the fingerprints of his half-brother all over. He would face him soon enough, and if things went his way, Zeke's life will end at that, saving him a lot of trouble.
Shaking his head, he looked over at the others. The survivors of Utgard remained the same, much to his relief. Historia was clinging onto the stretcher were Ymir was placed, dry tears fixed on her cheeks. Jean and Armin were checking up with Sasha and Connie as the latter two explained Hanji what exactly happened. Mikasa was staying near Historia, occasionally throwing him glances, as if making sure he wouldn't jump off the wall for any reason, a funny thought all things considered. Hannes had just appeared a few moments ago, and was telling the others that there was no breach in the wall.
And then there were Reiner and Berthold. The two stood a bit further from the rest of the main group. Eren put a hand on his lower back, to make sure the dagger he had gotten was there when it'd be needed. He was hoping to be fast enough to neutralize Bert, the wildcard here, and be able to deal with Reiner without that factor. Looking over the edge, Eren took another deep breath. This plan was more rudimentary than his last one, but it should do. Soon, the two warriors started directing themselves towards him.
"Eren, you got a moment?" Reiner asked. Now was the moment it all started. Eren nodded.
"Sure, what's up? Your arm giving you trouble?" he asked innocently.
"No, it's not that" Reiner answered shaking his head. The blue aura around his body shaking as he did. "I wanted to let you know that I am the Armored Titan and Bert is the Colossal one." Even expecting what he was going to say, Eren was slightly dumbfounded with how casually Reiner said such a thing. It dawned on him just how at his limit Reiner must have been, how desperate he was to go back home to drop their act just like that in what could only be considered a hail Mary. Much to the dismay of Berthold, Reiner continued explaining how their mission was the destruction of those inside the walls, and how that may no longer be necessary. "Eren" he said, "if you come with us, we can leave without causing any more damage."
By the corners of his eyes, Eren noticed that Mikasa was standing just a few meters from them, and a bit further Armin and Sasha turned to call us to get moving. He turned his back on Reiner and Berthold.
"There's a lot of people nearby" he said, feeling a claw coming out of his finger, his eyes sharp in contrast to the shaky tone he put on his voice. "How are you going to explain it to them?"
"Don't worry about it" Reiner answered swiftly. "So, you are coming with us, right?" Eren nodded slightly.
"I guess… I'll be able to see your home, and you return to it" I most definitely know Marley better than you ever will, Braun he thought. He heard Berthold grab the Armored Titan by the shoulder.
"Reiner, you have any idea what you're doing?" he asked with desperation.
"Yes, Bert" he answered sharply. "And yes, Eren" his tone lowering. "I want to see my home once again." It was then Eren knew Reiner's guard was lowered.
"Most be hard…" he said. "Doing a Marcel impersonation for five years must be tiring." And before any of the two could react, Eren quickly turned on his opponents, slashing Reiner in the eyes and Berthold's throat. Quickly, he took the dagger on his back and stabbed it at the top of Bert's neck, paralyzing him.
After that, Eren moved to the still blinded Reiner and pushed him off the wall. By then the rest of the party had caught on onto what happened. Armin and Mikasa, followed closely by the rest, were dashing towards him.
"Eren!" Sasha exclaimed, "what the fuck was that?!"
Before he could answer a bright yellow light started shining down in the direction he had thrown Reiner. Knowing that was his signal, he moved to the edge.
"Armin, make sure that the knife stays inside of Bert's neck" he ordered. "Mikasa, the Armored is slow and has openings on the joints of his body. I'll try to give as many windows to attack as possible." With that he threw himself into the abyss, shifting in sight of the now awaiting Armored Titan at the bottom of the wall.
As he landed, Eren positioned himself about twenty meters from his enemy, adopting a low guard as he prepared for a fight of grapples against the heavily armored titan of Reiner the warrior. The blond started moving first, throwing a punch towards the head of Genesis. Ducking under it, Eren took a grab of Reiner's waist and threw their bodies to the ground.
Landing on the branch of a nearby tree, Mikasa witnessed the fight that had quickly transpired. Seeing the older brother figure of Reiner quickly descend into that of the beast that destroyed her life in Shiganshina was difficult, but now was not the moment to lament. Drawing her blades, she moved towards a closer position of the match, looking for an opening on the Armored Titan's plates. She saw that Eren took a hold of his opponent's arm with his whole body, followed by pushing himself into the ground, causing tension on the arm.
With the opening clear as day, Mikasa dashed forward, quickly slicing a gaping hole in the armpit of the Armored Titan before moving back, to look for a new opening to attack.
Back on top of the wall, Armin and Sasha watched bewildered what was going on down there. As the rest started coming to see what exactly was going down, Sasha could swear she was suffering whiplash as yet another turn of events happened. As Connie grasped the situation, his eyes went wide.
"W-was Reiner the Armored Titan all along?" he said, voicing the thoughts of all the other members of the 104th. Armin nodded hesitantly, still having trouble gripping the situation. He turned to the smoke coming from behind them to notice that Berthold's wounds had healed, and yet he couldn't move thanks to the knife Eren stabbed on him.
"And he is the Colossal one" he said pointing at the lanky man, who was tearing up as those who thought of him as a brother in arms turned on him.
"Take him into custody" Hanji said, quickly taking command on the situation. "We need to get down from here and help Eren with the Armored bastard. Armin, you and Connie think can move him?" The two soldiers nodded and, with some difficulty, lifted Bert and as fast as they could the group moved towards the elevators.
"Just how much has been under our noses all this time?!" Sasha yelled exasperated.
Eren quickly let go of the arm and stood up, taking a basic guard. As Reiner cumbersomely raised himself from the ground, he was quickly welcomed by a kick on the head, a hit which almost made the Marleyan warrior trip back on the soil. Quickly following on that, Eren took hold of the other arm and extended it. Mikasa must have picked up on that as she swiftly cut the armpit, leaving the arms of the Armored Titan neutralized for some precious moments. Once she was out of the area, he started rotating still holding onto Reiner's useless arm, before throwing him with force against the wall.
The force of the crash sending vibrations up the length of the wall all the way to the top, causing the scouts to trip. Armin and Connie fell to the ground, releasing Bert, who fell in a way that severely took the knife out of the way of the artery it was blocking. With his newfound freedom of movement, Berthold quickly moved his hand to the knife and got it off of him. Panting, he damned Reiner from deciding on doing this so rapidly, and Eren for reacting even more rapidly. Reiner had gotten them into this mess, now it was his job on getting them out of there, and possibly get to Zeke. He started shifting, looking with regret at the ones he had shared a roof with for years.
Seeing the bright light emitting from Berthold, the others quickly got out of the way. A cloud of steam started being emitted, and from it the infamous face of the Colossal Titan appeared. In spite of just appearing as the upper part of its torso arms and head, it still faced a great challenge, Hanji assessed. The god of destruction extended its arm, taking hold of the stretcher where the still unconscious Ymir was. The yells of Historia Reiss were heard over the general commotion, but to no avail as the Colossal placed the stretcher and its broken host in its mouth before balancing off from the wall, falling where the battle was taking place.
The team of Eren's new titan and Mikasa was proving very difficult for Reiner, he thought as he regained motion of his arms. He went for a punch on Eren, but the latter quickly grabbed it with one arm, and extended the other, with claws coming out of it, took hold of Reiner's face. Feeling the claws digging themselves just above to the facial protection his titan provided, Reiner faced himself with the realization that he may very well die here. And then Eren pulled, the hardening covering the Armored's face coming off with it. And before he could even process that, a hard slash came to his now exposed eye, most definitely courtesy of Mikasa.
Stumbling backwards, Reiner raced his mind with possible solutions to the mess he had gotten himself into. Then he noticed the shadow over them, looking up he saw the massive body of the Colossal Titan land before him.
Well aware of the slowness of his titan, Berthold took advantage of the few seconds in which everyone was stunned by his appearance to swipe Eren and his titan off the battle. The hand of the Colossal making contact with Eren, sending him flying into the base of the wall.
Mikasa witnessed it and quickly dashed to attack the Colossal, being stopped by a wave of steam emanating from it, forcing her backwards.
With that, Berthold turned his titan to face Reiner, putting the stretcher Ymir was in and jumped out and into the shoulder of the battered Armored Titan.
"Reiner, we need to get out of here!" he said. "We have the Jaws back, forget Eren, we need to get moving." Reiner listened and momentarily hesitated. Taking Eren with them was the ticket for them to be welcomed in Marley. "Reiner, come on!" Bert screamed desperately. "My steam won't last forever!"
Inside of the Armored, Reiner sighed and nodded. Putting Ymir inside of his mouth, he dropped the plates on his legs and started running off. Hoping that the scouts wouldn't decide to pursuit, as with his state, he may very well fall. Annie, I wish the best Reiner thought, don't get caught.
Back on the base of the wall, Eren could feel the mask of Genesis crack and brake on the edges. That hit by Bert had done a bigger number on him than he expected. But that wasn't a part of his thoughts as he felt consciousness slip from him. He was frustrated, furious. He had been so close to shut Reiner down, and all the trouble that meant in the long run. Now, his gamble lay broken before him. A new attempt would be needed.
"You won't leave Paradis" Eren managed to mutter, before falling unconscious.
Mikasa came towards the titan as she tried to get Eren out of it when she saw him unmoving. She focused on its nape, making a slash, from which he came out swiftly, passed out. As she carried Eren off the titan, she stopped to look at its face, the faint noises of the other scouts in the background. The mask of a mouthless demon broken, a monstrous well of fangs and whip made of blackness for a tongue, slipping through the cracks.
And that would be it for this chapter.
I got to admit that I had a lot of fun writing Annie's trial, especially how it devolved almost into a riot. It may serve you as a prelude towards the path my story will take the more it starts differing from the original events. A reason for that, if you ask, is that I'm a diehard fan of political dramas, gnagster movies, period pieces and the like, not surprising being a Political Science student, and so you can expect this story to lean more and more on that route as it progresses. I'll try to keep it still as entertaining as possible, as I understand not everyone's into that kind of story.
On other news, I have decided to write the prequel I mentioned last chapter, if you're interested you look forward to that in the coming weeks. I'm not too sure on the smaller details, but it will be significantly different in structure and tone from this one.
With no more to say, I thank you for reading, and continue reading. All reviews are welcomed, and I'll see you next time.
