"You didn't have to," Hange said, but she immediately began stuffing her face with the leftovers from the party. Petra sat with her hand on top of Levi's while their friend ate like she'd never tasted food before.
"Hange. The fuck happened?" Levi said when the woman had mostly finished. Hange pushed up her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
"Ah. Where to start? Hmmm." Petra noticed then that Hange's smile was wavering, but she held onto it desperately. Shit, she was close to breaking.
"We can do this in the morning if you need to sleep," Petra said.
"No. I'd really like to talk about it." Hange's hand trembled on her water glass. Her glance kept darting to Petra and back, Petra and back. "Erwin's gone. I mean he's out of his mind. He…"
Hange shivered violently then, clutching her arms. The ring still glinted on her finger, but Petra could wait to talk about it. First, she had to get the situation under control.
"It's all right," she whispered. She took Hange's hand.
"It started the night you left." Hange wouldn't look at them as she spoke. "That's the night Erwin really lost it, and went away forever."
Hange stood there in her robe and slippers, shaking not because of the snow on the ground, but from the sight of the…thing in the pit.
"That's…" She fell to her knees, hands braced on either side of her. "Nile?"
The titan had Nile's face, the narrow jaw, even the scraggly black hair.
"That," Erwin said, standing over her, "is what happens to people who betray me."
Hange shut her eyes. "So. I guess that's why I'm here."
"Yes." He crouched beside her. The horror was in looking at his face. It was still Erwin's face, the Commander, the man she'd loved as a comrade, one of her two best friends in this world. The man who'd sacrificed everything at Shiganshina. But now, the light in his eyes was gone. It was like some malevolent creature was wearing Erwin like a suit and speaking with his voice. "I know you helped Nile. I know he went to Shiganshina soon after Petra was brought here. I know he discussed plans with you to move the Ackermans."
If she was going to be subjected to a fate worse than death, she'd do it proudly. Hange looked him right in the eye and sneered.
"Yes. I'd do it again. You kidnapped Petra! Our Petra, from the Survey Corps! You treated her like she was a criminal!"
"If being dressed in jewels and promised a queen's crown is prison, Hange, you have a very unusual understanding of reality."
"Don't be smart. You knew what that would do to Levi. You knew she didn't want it, but you did it anyway."
"She's my son's mother." Erwin sneered right back. "This is what was best for him."
"We aren't your fucking chess pieces!" Hange shouted. Screw it, maybe he'd just push her into the pit and let Nile eat her. At least it'd be over quickly. "We're people! We don't always want to do what you tell us, Erwin! This isn't a fucking command strategy, this is life!"
Her voice echoed across the snowy woods. Hange glanced at the soldiers to their right, hands on their blades. Ready to draw. Erwin held up his hand to them.
"You're right," he said softly. "This isn't a game, or a strategy. This is indeed life." He stood and towered over her. "It's the life I was returned to. I was brought back against my wishes," he hissed. Hange froze. That couldn't be true…could it? "Levi restored me to this life to protect his child and Petra. Selfish. Greedy. And I?" He gave a smirk. "I accepted the charge. I restructured Paradis to give us a fighting chance on the world stage. I braved danger undercover to cultivate ties that let us influence Marley. I launched a war that freed every Eldian in this world from captivity, and restored us to a position of power that the world can't easily go against. I sacrificed my blood, and my heart, every day to the carnage of those wars. I gave up the woman I loved in order to become king and protect this island. The woman I loved now hates me." There was the slightest waver in his voice. "When the cruiser was attacked and Levi killed, I sacrificed the good opinion of my entire council, and your friendship, to retaliate in a brutal manner. Brutal, but correct. One million died in the attack on Hybernia; five to six million would have died with a prolonged conflict."
"Yes." Hange felt numb now. They had run the numbers a while ago. The estimates did say that.
"So. One of my two best friends now hates me. I accepted it." Erwin's voice was growing gravelly now. "I saved your life, and this island, and you only gave me scorn. But I understood why. Then Petra came to me. I did take advantage of the situation, but she came to me! I protested several times, but she kept saying she wanted it. God help me, I wanted it too; I needed that comfort. So I took her, and in the morning she hated me. And I understood. I accepted it. I hated myself. And then." He laughed almost in disbelief. "A miracle. Levi lived. And he came home and discovered what I'd done, and came to this forest and mutilated me while I lay on the ground and allowed it to happen, because I understood!" he roared. Hange flinched. "He hated me then as well, and I accepted it. I was alone in this world. Yes, my own actions were my downfall, and I accept that. But there was never a shred of patience in any of you." He advanced on her. Hange got to her feet and backed away. "You brought me back and used me. You had to know that the path forward would involve the blood of innocents; you can't be that naïve. You let me damn myself to save you."
"Erwin…"
But there was madness in his eyes now.
"I gave up everyone and everything I ever loved, just to save you! And I was content, Hange! Content to die alone and hated in a few years, because at least I'd served my purpose and saved you all. But then…"
The most horrible thing. Erwin struggled with tears for a moment, and clenched his fists.
"Then this miracle occurs. This little boy. The only family I have left; the one person who wouldn't turn away from me. Some comfort in this barren existence." He bared his teeth. "And they wanted me to visit! To leave them in their happy family—a family I paid for with my soul. Levi would've been more a father to him than I'd have been. I won't stand for it!" His face was a mask of righteous anger. "I gave you all everything I had to give, but I would not give up my son. That one thing, that one joy I wanted for myself. And you all denied me yet again, and told me I was the monster."
Hange shook, her teeth chattering. It was the fear more than the cold.
And a tear fell down her cheek, because even though he was wrong…he was a little bit right.
It was the last scrap of pity she had for him.
"So…what do we do now?" she asked.
Erwin approached slowly, his eyes taking on a predatory light.
"If you were anyone else, you'd join Nile in that titan pit. Either as a companion, or as food." He sneered. "But you have a greater purpose. I'm going to open the Reiss archives to you in their totality. The volumes of titan science, the ancient scrolls. You will work day and night to find a cure."
"To…?" But she knew. Oh, she knew.
"The Curse of Ymir. I will not die in seven years. I intend to have a full life span. I want to see my son grow up, and teach him to be king. The Smith line of kings begins now. We will be the guardians of Paradis, and Eldia. And you are going to help me accomplish this. Because," he said, gripping her shoulder and squeezing hard. "If you want your beloved Pieck to live even a moment longer, you will agree."
"I…" Hange winced as she heard Nile's fevered roars in the pit. "You know I'll probably need test subjects."
"I'll supply the subjects. You do the rest."
"And then?" Petra whispered. Hange by this point was drooping. Petra knew that kind of bonelessness. It was the first moment of relief after consecutive days of tension.
"The library was extensive. I spent the first solid month just reading. Pieck was allowed to help me; we ended up living in the damn archives for a while. We ate, we slept, and we read. There was a lot about the ancient titan science that I just couldn't understand. They used archaic phrases and terms that were probably self-explanatory, but if you don't have a clue what they mean… Well."
Levi had brewed tea, and now poured her a cup. He sat back down, took Petra's hand. She could feel the tension in his fingers.
"Eventually, I had enough of a knowledge base to begin trials." Hange nearly dropped the tea; her hand shook that badly. She smiled, and Petra saw she was fighting tears. "We used irradiated titan crystals, Zeke's blood and skin and spinal fluid samples, even bits from Historia. Most of Erwin's "test subjects" were criminals. But some…some came from the lottery system."
The people who'd fled to Paradis for a better life. Petra gasped.
"No," she whispered.
"They thought they were getting a new start," Hange said darkly. She stared into her cup. "But it was the end of the line."
"Please! Please stop, please!" The man screamed hysterically as the attendants strapped him down to the table. Hange came forward, tapping the syringe filled with the revamped serum. She looked at the man, some refugee from Aeropa who'd longed to see his people's homeland.
He was now in an underground bunker in Wall Sina. Hange didn't know if he was aware that his wife had received this treatment yesterday. That she was dead.
If there's a hell, I'm going to it.
"I'm very sorry," she whispered, and injected him. The scientists stepped back. Hange and the other soldiers put hands upon their weapons, waiting.
The man was still. Then his body began to convulse, strain against the straps. He let out a piercing shriek, and then…
First his right hand swelled to an insane degree, then returned to normal size. His gut expanded like a balloon, then went down. Finally, his head began to grow, his eyes to bug out of their sockets, and Hange and the rest turned away before the man's entire head splattered open like a ripe cantaloupe.
She felt the brain matter strike her back. Shivering, she turned around.
Another Eldian. He'd endured decades of oppression and ended up done in by his own people.
"I think we're finished for the day," she said lifelessly.
The attendants began to clean up the splattered mess as Hange trudged wearily into the observation room next door. Erwin stood behind the two way mirror, arms folded, staring intently at the wrecked operating chamber.
"This isn't working," she said.
"Make it work."
She wondered if she'd have enough time to chop his head off if she drew her blade. For Pieck's sake, she didn't test it.
"I've spent two solid months comparing your blood and spinal fluid to Zeke's, Historia's, Nile's, my own, and a random selection of other pure titans and Paradisians. All I can tell you is that there's a marked deterioration in shifter cellular structure that occurs over time. Zeke had maybe a year left, or less, when he died. His cells are more decayed than yours, and yours are more decayed than Connie's. I can't program the damn cells to want to repair themselves, Erwin. And every time I try to administer a "booster" serum, all it does is destroy the test subjects. I don't want to sit here butchering people when we could spend more time in research."
"Your time is running out." He glared at her. "Rather, Pieck's is."
Yes. Six months left, if that.
"What about Uri Reiss?" Erwin asked.
"What about him?"
"You noted that every other Reiss shifter seemed to expire directly at the thirteen year mark. But for whatever reason, Uri lived well beyond that time."
"I don't know." She rubbed her temples. "One possibility is that since Rod didn't want to take the job, they had to wait for one of the children to grow up enough to take the Founder."
"But Uri just kept living. He survived long enough to make that transfer. How?"
"Maybe he was an anomaly. I don't know, I don't have his material to study!" She tried not to shout.
"But that begs the question. Did he live longer because only he could? Or did the other Reisses die before they had to? Did they know they could live longer? If they did, why didn't they take the opportunity?"
"I don't have answers to those questions."
"I gave you access to the archives. Do your work."
And he left.
Bastard.
Hange finished up in the lab and went to the palace, where she had a meeting with Historia for new samples. The young queen was sitting at her window when Hange entered. She always seemed to be at the window, gazing at the world. A world she could no longer touch.
"What do you need today?" Historia was paler now than she'd ever been. Months indoors in a single suite of rooms would do that to a person.
"Just some more blood. We'll do another spinal tap tomorrow."
Historia rolled her sleeves without complaint. There were shadows under her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Hange asked. "Any pain?"
"It's just another day," the queen said evasively. They sat at the table, and Hange got out her kit. Her eyes kept tracking to Historia's stomach; the shirt was untucked rather sloppily.
"Is it hurting again?" she asked quietly.
"No." Historia smoothed the front of her shirt.
Beneath the cloth, there was a long, red scar across her pelvic area. Hange didn't know where the queen or Eren had found someone willing to perform a hysterectomy on a young, healthy woman, but it likely hadn't been in any savory location. The stitch job was straight up butchery. But Historia had gotten rid of her reproductive abilities.
Erwin could torture her, but never her children.
She drew blood, stoppered the vials, and smiled sadly. Historia looked off into a distant corner of the room. She was a shell of the vibrant girl Hange had once known.
But at least she seemed proud.
"This won't last forever," Hange murmured.
"I know it won't."
The sureness in the girl's gaze was…unnerving.
"I don't even know what we're supposed to be looking for." Pieck coughed into a handkerchief as she came around a pile of books, an open file in her other hand. "Haven't you told him there's vocabulary we don't understand?"
"Not only that, a bunch of dates don't add up," Hange grumbled, tossing her pen aside and rubbing her temples. "Not all of the Reiss "coronation" dates are the same across all recordings. Which means I don't know if they've been fudging the "thirteen years til death" rule."
"Do you think it's possible the whole curse is a myth?" Pieck sat on the cot beside her. They were in their home away from home, the underground research bunker. Hange's girlfriend laid her head upon Hange's shoulder.
"Zeke's cells showed bad signs of deterioration." She sighed heavily. "Yours are worse every time I take new samples."
"So my body breaks down? That's it?"
"Something inside of the cells…whatever it is that allows you to become a titan also starts killing you after a certain amount of time. Maybe it's the rapid multiplication of cells. They can only reproduce so many times before they die. I don't know. You and Erwin and the other shifters are all different from normal Eldians and pure titans."
That was the strange thing. While studying pure titan blood and fluid was made difficult by the fact that it disintegrated quickly, Hange had found that there was no cellular structural difference between "pures" and humans. Apart from the evaporation, of course.
The shifters were their own special breed. They had their own rules.
And Hange didn't understand the game.
"I think I need better equipment." She flopped onto her back, the springs squeaking beneath her. Pieck lay down next to her and draped an arm around Hange's stomach. "Paradis is leagues better now, but we're nowhere near Marley or Hizuru."
"Maybe Kiyomi will let you use her labs again," Pieck said.
"That's an idea." She kissed the frail young woman. Pieck's lips were growing chapped these days. Her funny, sleepy look was starting to become almost haggard, making her look fifteen or twenty years older than she actually was. Hange kissed the girl's thin cheek. "Maybe when I'm in Hizuru, I can find out a little about Levi and Petra," she whispered.
"You don't think they're there, do you?"
"Kiyomi wouldn't tell us where she was taking all of them. Erwin keeps me in the dark on everything concerning the Ackermans." Once, there would have been no secrets. The thought pained Hange. "Either way, I'll find out something. I have to. I need to know they're okay."
"I'm sure they are. We're all survivors; we made it this far because we just refuse to die." Pieck grinned, but then coughed wetly into her handkerchief. They both saw blood in it when she finished wiping her mouth. "Well. Maybe I'm less of a survivor."
"You made it through Marley before the Restoration, became a Warrior, and survived tons of combat scenarios. You're the biggest survivor of all of us," Hange grumbled. She hugged Pieck tight. She felt the girl's heart beating. She wouldn't let that heart stop.
"I've only got a few months left," Pieck said quietly.
"I'll solve this."
"But if you don't. I was thinking…" The girl sounded almost shy. "Maybe…you'd like to make it official?"
Hange's brain almost shorted out. That couldn't mean what she imagined it meant. She sat up.
"Official? Like…"
Pieck blushed hard. "I, uh, only mean that if I die, my father would need someone. I had to leave him back in Marley. I'm sure he's frantic. If you were my wife, you could bring him here. I mean, and make sure he wasn't experimented on." She looked hopeful. "Or…you could go and live in Marley."
"Not without you."
Pieck held her hand. "We'll see."
Hange sighed, scratched her head. "This is all wrong."
Pieck deflated a little. "Well. Yeah, I understand. It was just a suggestion."
"No. I mean," Hange said, sliding off the bed and kneeling on the floor. Ack, the ground was sort of cold, and she was in her late thirties; her knees weren't at their happiest. "I mean I'm supposed to ask you."
"Why?"
"Because I'm older. I think that's how it's supposed to be done."
"I'll accept that." Pieck grinned, her pale, funny face glowing with relief. "So. Go on."
"Pieck Finger." Hange cleared her throat. Truly, her beloved had the strangest name of all time. "Will you marry m—?"
She didn't quite finish the sentence before they were kissing, but she didn't mind much.
"Is that why you have this?" Petra gasped, forgetting the intermittent horrors of the story for an instant as she snatched Hange's hand and gazed triumphantly at the shining ring. "You got married?"
"Damn it, Four Eyes. I was supposed to be your best man. I was supposed to give you a boring ass bachelor party," Levi muttered.
Hange smiled and shrugged.
"But where is Pieck?" Petra asked.
Hange's smile faltered.
"Let me get there," she said, and cleared her throat. "Erwin allowed me to go to Hizuru. I was under pretty heavy guard most of the time, though Kiyomi got them to ease off of me after a few days."
"Did you see her?" Petra asked.
"Kiyomi? Oh. You mean…" She nodded. "Yes. Mikasa. She's…interesting."
Hange stood up, shocked. "Mikasa? You look so…prepared."
They were in the laboratory; Hange had been minding her own business, looking through her microscope, when she felt the air shift slightly. Mikasa Ackerman was just standing there, right next to her. The girl had taken to wearing clothes of more Hizuran design, with a navy colored shirt that wrapped loosely around her body and cotton trousers that belled and allowed for easy movement. She also kept a sword strapped to her waist, and clearly not just any sword. The design was one Hange had never seen before. Hizuran.
Most of all, there was an intensity in the young woman's eyes that Hange hadn't seen before.
No; not intensity. Self possession.
Mikasa looked hardened. Not necessarily by battle, but spiritually.
She's had to be alone for months in a strange country.
The girl had always craved home and family above all else. Both had been stripped from her. She was a survivor, though. She'd endured.
"I'm not here," Mikasa whispered. Hange looked around. Yes, of course. Erwin was still hunting her. She came softly to Hange. She moved like a ghost. "Eren. Have you heard anything?"
The panic and need in Mikasa's eyes hurt the heart to see.
"No. Sorry. He hasn't been caught, but we don't know where he is."
Mikasa frowned at the floor.
"Are Levi and Petra okay? And Kuchel?" Hange whispered. "I can't get any clear information."
Mikasa gave a microscopic nod. "Kiyomi dropped them off in Valle."
Good. Now at least she knew they had made it to the mainland, and she had an idea of their location.
"What've you been doing here?" Hange glanced around again. How had the girl even gotten inside the room? They'd stuck Hange in an underground lab; there were guards posted at the door while she worked.
"Training. And learning."
Hange frowned. "Learning what?"
"My ancestor was the son of Hizuru's shogan," the girl sad. She sounded almost shy; she hated bragging. "The Azumabito always give their standing army to the most direct descendent of that shogun."
Hange's brows lifted. "You. You have an army?"
Mikasa shushed her. Shit, the doorknob was turning.
"I wasn't here."
They were whispered words, and when Hange blinked the girl had vanished just as the door to the lab opened. Hange turned around as Kiyomi entered. She was dressed in a Hizuran outfit, a "kimono" if Hange recalled the word correctly. She approached Hange almost silently. Maybe Mikasa got that sleek grace from the Azumabito as much as the Ackermans.
"How is your progress?" Kiyomi smiled.
"It's coming along. Thank you for lending me three of your top chemists."
"It's nothing." Kiyomi went to the worktable and peered through the microscope a minute. She studied the vials of different colored liquids. Hange waited, now a little confused and concerned.
"Is anything wrong, Lady Kiyomi?"
"Nothing at all." The woman kept delicately studying and sometimes touching things. "Do you enjoy your work?"
"Huh?"
"Would you say you take pleasure in this endeavor?"
The woman's dark eyes met Hange's. Then Kiyomi gazed at the door. A signal that anyone could be listening.
"I…I always like trying to solve problems."
"So you like the project? Its goal?"
"I want to save my gir—fiance's life," Hange said. "And the life of another boy."
"Only those two?" Kiyomi said it so quietly Hange almost though she misheard. But slowly, she nodded. Kiyomi's mouth tightened in an almost-smile. They both understood what had just passed between them.
Hange did not want to save Erwin.
"We're selecting the new shogun soon." Kiyomi sighed. "I'll be glad of some new blood. The old one has really become so unmanageable. So corrupt."
"Yeah. He must be that way," Hange said, glancing at the door.
"In my place, wouldn't you do anything to see a tyrant taken out of power?"
"Anything?" Hange swallowed. "Uh. Yeah. I think I would."
"I knew you'd say that." Another half-smile. "Incidentally, I hope you've been enjoying our local cuisine."
"The fresh fish and rice wraps, whatever they're called, are the most delicious thing I've ever tasted," Hange replied.
"We've struck a deal with King Erwin. Hizurans are unparalleled in the commercial fishing industry. We'll be bringing boats of the freshest product to Paradis very soon. Hopefully you'll enjoy our wares."
"I'm sure I will." What the fuck was this conversation?
"We have a regular schedule. Every Thursday afternoon, we go to the eastern docks on Paradis and unload. The boats usually remain there for another hour or so after the exchange is done, refueling and such. If you wanted, I'm sure you could stop by and say hello. We might even give you some flounder on the house."
Every Thursday afternoon. The eastern docks. Hange began to get a clearer picture of what Kiyomi was saying.
"I'd like that. But the fish is really fresh, right? I mean, the boats don't make any other stops."
"Oh, no. They leave Hizuru, fish, and then go to Paradis. Sometimes they come straight back to Hizuru, though other times they head for southern Marleyan waters. The swordfish there can't be beat."
In other words, there was a way off the island if Hange could manage it. There was a way of getting her to Valle. She nodded. The women understood each other.
Hange wasn't sure if Willy was part of this or not, but this much was clear: Kiyomi was looking to take Erwin off the board. Permanently.
"Willy has to be in on the plan. Right?" Petra turned to Levi, who was frowning deeply as he listened to the story. "He has to want to dethrone Erwin."
"Or kill him," Levi said quietly. Did he sound sad because even now he hated the idea of Erwin's death, or because he wanted to make sure he and only he ended the king's life? Either way. He looked somber. She took her husband's hand, and he squeezed.
"That's partly why I wanted to get here." Hange jumped in her seat when a baby's cry sounded through the walls. It was incredibly loud. Oruo was in rare form tonight. "Wha—? Oh, yes! Word trickled down through Erwin's ranks that you two had a baby." She beamed, looking properly happy for the first time tonight. "Boy or girl?"
"Boy. Oruo. Here." Petra got up and went to the bedroom. Oruo was screeching in his bassinet, and only calmed down when she picked him up and bounced him. The baby blubbered as she walked him to the table, shushing him all the way. "You wanna see your Auntie Hange? You wanna see her? Yes you do!"
Oruo grinned at Petra, but when she placed the baby in Hange's arms his eyes widened with shock, and then fury. He glared at Hange, as if questioning how she dared try to take his mother's place.
"Levi, he's just like you!" Hange crowed. "That little scowl. Dressing up like a unicorn."
"Ha," Levi grumbled. They gave Hange a minute to coo and smile at Oruo, while the baby looked increasingly irate.
"Maybe I should take him back." Petra didn't want Oruo to combust with anger.
"Bet he's already calling you Shitty Glasses inside his head." Levi smirked. Hange laughed and waggled her finger in Oruo's face. Oruo, now happily back in his mother's arms, deliberately ignored the other woman and went to sleep. Petra rocked him.
"So then you escaped. I mean, clearly," she said.
"Not right away. If it'd been just me to consider, I would've left the second I hit Paradis again. But…Pieck needed treatment." Hange stared back into her tea. "I knew it was dangerous, that a potential cure would just give Erwin the last drop of power he needed to be unstoppable. But I couldn't help it. I had to try to save her." She sighed, looked up. "And then I did."
"Okay. Lie still," Hange whispered. Pieck coughed again, something rattling in the back of her throat as she lay on the table with her sleeve rolled. She'd hardly been able to get out of bed this past week. Their "six month anniversary" hadn't been all that spectacular. Just sitting in bed, drinking tea, and discussing plasma. Outside, the snow fell heavily. Here in the lab, they had days left. Maybe hours.
"What's this one got?" Pieck croaked.
"There's a particular element in Zeke and Historia's blood that's not present in any other samples," Hange said as she filled the syringe. "Hizuru helped me isolate the… Never mind." She was too nervous to talk science. Hard to imagine. She hadn't yet given an injection to one of the shifters, and imagined Pieck's head exploding, or her screaming in pain as her stomach ruptured. But Pieck had insisted on being the test subject.
She had nothing left to lose.
"So you hope it'll, what? Reverse the damage?"
"On a cellular level, yes. Maybe the DNA that links a royal to the Founder can heal cells in the way that shifters' bodies heal themselves after injury. I don't know. It's all a guess. Ready?" She turned with the needle raised. Pieck looked sleepily up at her. Her undereyes were bruised with lack of sleep. She smiled wanly.
"Ready. Just in case…" She held out her hand. "I love you."
Hange couldn't cry now. She took her girlfriend, sorry, wife's hand and kissed her lips. This could be the last time. She didn't speak, afraid she'd start bawling.
Hange took a deep breath, and administered the injection.
They waited a full minute. There was no obscene reaction. Pieck lay there, pale and tired. Hange pulled up a chair.
An hour later, neither had moved. Then, Pieck sat up very suddenly.
"Huh." She and Hange looked at each other. "I'm feeling a little better."
"It could be a psychological effect. If you believe the medicine heals you, then you can imagine you're better. But let's see."
They waited until the evening, and then Hange took some samples. She studied them, and there was no doubt.
Some of the damage had reversed itself.
She let out a wild scream, pumping her fists in the air and leaping up and down. Pieck laughed, cried, and then they embraced. As Hange held her wife close, she thought that she would have done just about anything for this moment.
She would even give Erwin Smith an unlimited life span.
But she would not be happy about it.
"This is excellent news." Erwin sat upon his throne, where he received all formal meetings. Hange stood before him, Connie and Floch to his left and right. The king was smiling in a non-creepy way for the first time in a long, long time. "And there've been no side effects?"
"We want to keep a close eye on her for at least six months," Hange said. Erwin nodded.
"Of course. I still have plenty of time. Enough for that. And then you'll administer the serum to me, yes? And my men." He gestured to the boys. Floch grinned; Connie looked pale.
"If this goes the way I want it to, you'll need to receive regular injections for the rest of your life. But that can be an indeterminate amount of time."
Erwin laughed and clapped his hands once. He leaned back in his throne, positively beaming.
"I knew you could do it. I never doubted you," he said reverently.
"Er, don't congratulate me just yet. We still have a long way to go at proving long term efficacy. But yes. This is a very positive step forward." Positive for Erwin. Shit for the rest of the world. "So, we can stop the human trials now. Yes?"
That would be another bright spot.
"Of course. Ah, this is the most wonderful news. It calls for a celebration." He looked to his shifters. "The three of you, dine with me tonight. And Pieck as well. We'll toast to long lives."
"With pleasure, Majesty," Floch said reverently.
Connie wavered on his feet. Hange saw him struggling against some impulse.
"Connie?" she said.
"Is everything all right?" Erwin asked.
"Um. My…my mom." He looked at the king with a quiet horror. "You told me if I took the Armor, you'd give my mom the Cart when Pieck's term was up."
"Yes," Erwin sighed. He did look sympathetic. "Well, we need an extension on that. At least another six months, and probably at least a year after that. Maybe two. Pieck's an important test subject now, and besides, it wouldn't be right to Hange to deprive her of her wife. Not after all she's done."
Hange was relieved to hear him say that, but her heart also hurt for Connie. There were tears in the boy's eyes now.
"But I…I don't know how many years I have for…" He scowled. "We don't know the serum's going to work! I want my mom to come back while I'm still alive!"
"We'll see what we can do, Connie," Erwin said. He was kindly but very firm. "Perhaps I can strongarm Willy into giving us Annie Leonhardt's crystal. Floch has the jaws; perhaps he could crack it and we can feed the Female Titan to your mother."
"But when?" Connie wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I…I held up my end of the bargain. I did everything you asked. You promised me!"
"This is for more than my sake, Connie, or yours." Erwin grew a touch icy. "This is for the good of the nation. The good of Eldians. If you took the Armor only to save your mother and not Eldia, then you are a poor excuse for a soldier." Connie kept his mouth shut, but his face turned red. Floch grinned, relishing this. That fuck. "I will restore your mother. You have my word. But only when we have a titan to spare."
Connie looked at the floor. Hange watched him tense all over, suppressing the urge to shout. To scream. To threaten.
"Yes, sir," he whispered.
"Good. Then come." He stood, even clapped Connie on the shoulder. "Let's go."
Floch proudly paraded out of the throne room at Erwin's side. Connie trailed listlessly behind them. Hange followed, and discovered Pieck waiting for them outside the door. She took her wife's hand.
"It went well?" Pieck asked.
"Yes." Hange watched Connie with some sadness. "For almost everyone."
And so months passed.
Hange monitored Pieck's every movement, every up and down. She continued to study the serum formula. She continued to improve it.
"Is that what's in the bag?" Petra stared at the leather satchel, all but bursting to know. She'd always been inquisitive. Maybe a little pushy.
"Petra. Let the woman tell her story," Levi grumbled.
Oruo awoke, blew a raspberry, and reached for her with a big smile on his face. Then he looked back at Hange and glowered.
"Ah yes. The bag." Hange patted it. "That's—"
"Mama? Papa?" Kuchel shuffled into the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Who's… Aunt Hange!"
"Hey, kiddo!"
Kuchel flung herself into Hange's arms. The little girl clearly eased some of the sad tension written on Hange's face. Kuchel was good at that. Oruo growled at his sister, and Petra kissed his cheek.
"You, you, didja bring Grandma and Grandpa?" she asked eagerly, bouncing up and down. "An' Aunt Brigitta and Unca Erwin?"
At Erwin's name, all the adults tensed up.
"Kuchel. Go back to bed. It's late," Levi said. The little girl pouted.
"Can I stay up 'til Oruo goes to sleep? Pleeeease?"
"Hmmph." Levi narrowed his eyes, but when Kuchel asked like that he could refuse her very little. He patted his knee. His daughter came over and sat. "Remember, be quiet. Aunt Hange's telling a story," he said.
"Uh huh."
"So. The serum?" Petra prompted.
"Yes. Well, here's the thing about that…"
"How is it going?" Erwin asked. He stood in the laboratory's doorway, watching Hange pack up her equipment for the day.
"Things are progressing," she said. She picked up a few books and papers, sliding them into her satchel. "Oh, I'm taking some of the research materials home with me to copy. Do I need to clear that with the royal library?"
"I think it should be all right. Just make sure to have them back by tomorrow." Erwin was relaxed with her again. It was spring now, and for four months Hange and Pieck had been utterly cooperative. She had discussed progress with him, explained Pieck's improvements. Erwin had grown more excited with every new stage.
Two months ago, he'd given Hange most of her liberty back. She and Pieck did still have to live in Mitras, but they could have their own place. They could go anywhere within the walls that they wanted, though they needed clearance to go to the ports.
Pieck and Hange had been models of obedience. He was extremely happy.
"I'm taking Pieck for a picnic. Did you know they don't have picnics in Marley? At least, not for Eldians." She shouldered the satchel. "That woman's never sat on the ground and eaten a sandwich before.
"Truly, a horrible turn of events." Erwin smiled as they walked out together. "Well. Just be sure to—"
"We'll be back in Mitras by eight o'clock. No worries." That was the other thing: the curfew. At least it was at eight. Hange lifted her hand in farewell as they reached the front door and Erwin went left. "Kiss Siegfried for me."
"I will."
He was so happy, she realized, because he had her friendship back. Her constancy.
Hange went home. Pieck was waiting with the picnic basket.
"This should be delicious." Hange hugged and kissed her.
"Great way to spend a Thursday afternoon." Pieck gave that slow, lazy smile.
They drove their cart out to Wall Rose, all the way out to the heart of the farmland. No cities around here, just little villages with cheery red barns and whitewashed houses. Eventually they found a cozy spot under a tree. They ate, laughed, kissed, and drank a little of some very good wine. Not too much; Hange needed to drive the cart, after all.
"I think this is the moment I've liked best," Pieck said. They were lying on their backs, looking up at the dappled sunlight through the tree branches.
"Out of what?" Hange asked.
"All of them."
"Really?" She rolled onto her side. "I feel kind of less than adequate in bed if lying under a tree is more exciting."
Pieck laughed, kissed her, and grew serious. "It's peaceful. I didn't know a lot of peace in my life. Until here. You." Pieck cuddled against Hange. "I got to live a full life. Not many Marleyan Eldians can say the same."
"Yeah." Hange kissed her. "That's a nice thing to think."
"Should we go? The sun's starting to go down."
"Yes. We can't be late."
They packed the basket and rumbled down the hill in the cart, cutting across a couple of fields until they spotted a village up ahead. Or what remained of one, at any rate. The roofs of the houses were all caved in, like bombs had dropped throughout the town. Hange hummed a tune as they drove to the other side of the village, all the way to a barn with an open door. There she stopped the horses, and helped Pieck climb down.
Within the barn, they heard a deep, ragged breathing. Hange usually loved to take a peek at the titan on its back, but today she didn't feel like it. They walked past the helpless figure of Mrs. Springer. They both sat down a little ways away from the door. For a few minutes, they held hands and gazed ahead at nothing.
"I know this is the only way," Hange began. She couldn't go on.
"We don't have much choice." Pieck leaned her head on Hange's shoulder. "My time's almost up."
They hadn't told Erwin that these last three weeks Pieck's cells had decayed again. Rapidly. That she was hurtling towards death.
Apparently the royal blood only stretched so far. Maybe a pure Reiss could maintain it, but a normal Eldian shifter could not.
"Right." Hange sniffed. Idiot, she'd said she wouldn't cry. "And we owe it to Connie."
"Yes," Pieck said. She held Hange close, and Hange clasped her tight. She tried to believe that if they just didn't let go, that the whole thing could be avoided. Death, Erwin, everything. Against this, what could life really do? Against love.
Hange had never really believed she'd fall in love. Not like Petra and Levi. It was a snobby opinion, but she'd always thought those above a certain level of intelligence almost couldn't fall in love. They couldn't be animal enough for that emotion.
What an idiot she'd been.
"Will you do something for me?" Pieck whispered. "Find my father. Take care of him."
"I will. I promise." Hange kissed her wife again and again, fighting those stupid, horrible tears. "You know, if what Eren said is true, there's some kind of path out there where all the Eldians go when they die. I'll find you there."
"I'll be waiting." Pieck grinned. There were tears in her eyes, but she slowly blinked them back. "A woman of science believing in an afterlife? Incredible."
"Well, you have to admit, titans are bizarre from a biological standpoint. Everything in this world is strange." Hange shrugged. "It makes a believer out of you." They laughed.
Then it was time.
"Don't watch," Pieck whispered.
"I don't think I could." Hange swallowed. "But I'll be here."
"Yes. I know."
Another kiss, then two, then several, and then Pieck was walking away, headed for the barn. Before she disappeared Hange felt the urge to get up and tackle her, refuse to let her go. But she would have to let Pieck go sooner or later. Sooner, really. And better they do it this way than force her to be poked and prodded in Erwin's underground bunker, desperately trying to prolong her life and find a cure.
Hange clasped her knees and stared at the ground. Her ears strained. She couldn't hear Pieck.
Then she heard a growl, and the hard snap of titan jaws closing.
It was over. And because it was now over, Hange had so many things she wanted to say, things she couldn't any longer. With no one to see her, Hange cried as she heard the sound of hissing steam coming from the barn. After a few minutes, she got herself under control.
A middle aged woman came tottering out of the barn. She wore only a shift, and looked around in a dazed manner.
"Wh-where…? Sonny? Martin?" she called. Fuck. Her children.
Her dead children.
"Mrs. Springer?" Hange approached and held the woman's shoulders to support her. She looked entirely confused. There were shifter lines running down her cheeks. "I'm Connie's…friend. Hange."
"Connie." Her face cleared a bit. "Where is he?"
"I'll take you to him right now. I'll explain everything on the way."
Hange helped the woman into the cart, climbed into the driver's seat, and looked at the empty barn. There were the last few traces of titan disintegration.
Titans were amazing creatures.
She looked at Mrs. Springer. The woman looked back.
Hange swore she could see Pieck somewhere in those eyes.
"Okay." She sniffed and cracked the reins. "Let's go."
She had to move fast. She had a boat to catch.
"I dropped her at the nearest farm with written instructions," Hange said. Her voice was thick with tears. She struggled to keep from sobbing. "I'd had papers doctored that gave me permission to access the eastern port. I got on the fishing boat, and it took me to Valle. I've spent most of the day trying to find you guys. And that's it." Hange looked at them with wet eyes. "That's the story."
Petra was crying. She got up, and handed Oruo to Levi. The baby grumped to be handed off. Then Petra hugged Hange tight, and let the woman cry against her. Kuchel whimpered; she hated to see people upset, even if she didn't understand the reason why.
"I'm sorry, Hange." Levi's voice was flat, but Petra could see the dim sorrow in his eyes. It said everything. "I'm so…"
Petra knelt beside the chair. Hange wiped her face with the back of her hand. Levi, pained, slid her a handkerchief.
"So that's what's in the bag?" Petra sniffed. "The serum notes, and the research papers?"
"Yes. But there's one more thing. The one Erwin will kill me for."
The others weren't enough? Puzzled, Petra got back in her seat as Hange opened the satchel.
"Wherever Eren is, he's not with Erwin. Which means Erwin lacks the power of the Rumbling, and anything else he might want to try with the Founder. So Erwin's chief deterrent against Marleyan aggression is the hyperfusion bomb."
"Right. Hizuru and Paradis have it, but have refused to share with Marley." Marley had a much larger military than the others did, even combined. Marley had a greater population. The bomb in Erwin's hands was what kept them from getting too cocky.
"Well. Willy Tybur's in luck." Hange took out a sheaf of papers and slid them over to Petra. She looked at them, but it was all calculations. Might as well be a foreign language. "That's the schematics for a hyperfusion bomb."
"Wait." Petra and Levi looked at each other. "That means…"
"Erwin Smith just lost a lot of sway in the Triple Alliance. And that's going to shift the balance of power. A lot."