"'It started with the children.'" Willy's voice quavered slightly as he read over Inga's letter. They were in his office, the king, Levi, and Petra. Levi stood against the wall, hands jammed in his pockets, trying to think. He could not put it together. Inga said that all this had happened, but Erwin had not done these things. Erwin could not do these things. He'd changed, sure, but no one could change this much.
Inch by inch. One step at a time. Today someone relaxes their belief surrounding theft, then torture, then murder. One action leads to another. Levi understood it all too well. That was how he'd gone from being frightened when he broke into old ladies' houses to kicking people's teeth in and yanking out their fingernails without a care in the world.
If the stakes were high enough, a man could do anything. Even a good man. A great man.
Erwin. Why?
Then again, suppose it'd been Kuchel or Oruo at stake. Levi would gladly burn down the world to save his kids; he'd told Petra as much after she killed Fischer all those years ago. Erwin had a son, and that child was all that mattered to him. Levi could understand, and he hated that he understood.
Willy continued.
"'The king tested every single child on Paradis who'd been born the year Eren Jaeger died. Some families tried fleeing the island, but all we're allowed now are rowboats or fishermen's boats. No one could make it to Liberio in one of those. Eventually, there was too much suffering and they rebelled, especially when Erwin took the babies from Wall Sina as well as from Maria and Rose. When the wealthy understood he wouldn't let them out of this deal, they joined the rebellion and helped the citizens. But the Guard was too strong. The rebels were defeated, and the king had every single noble executed, man, woman, and child. He took over all noble lands, saying they were the crown's now.'"
Every single noble gone from Paradis. Levi didn't think he'd ever shed a tear for the rich fuckers in Mitras, but the children had died, too. The innocent. Their graves were some pit dug deep in the earth, sprinkled with lime.
"He needed total control." Petra sounded lifeless. Levi could see the thought in her tired eyes: this is my fault. He did this for Armin. I gave birth to Armin. If I hadn't, they'd all still be alive. We'd still be home on Paradis.
Even a loving mother would have a hard time justifying one kid's life over the lives of thousands.
"Don't," Levi said. He went to her, gripped her shoulder. "Don't think that way."
She gave a wan smile. "You know me so well."
"And now there's a curfew," Willy said, summarizing the rest of the letter. He looked grim, his mouth a tight, firm line. "Erwin has basically enslaved the population of Paradis. They take shifts working the fields and the mines. He's started giving noble lands and titles to those most loyal to him. He's building a world under his absolute control. If he ever got his hands on the Founder…" Willy shuddered and folded the letter shut, tossed it on his desk.
"That's not the man I knew," Levi grunted. Petra kissed his hand.
"The man you knew is gone." Willy slumped into his chair and stared at the ceiling. Levi saw the king's mind churning. Glad someone else was doing the thinking. He, Levi, only wanted to fight. He wanted to go home and fight and fight until he'd freed every citizen, until he'd brought down the Guard, until he'd…
Killed Erwin. The thought made him nauseous.
"Levi," Petra whispered. She knew.
"Levi," Willy said. He fixed the man with a piercing look. "Do you remember what I asked you years ago? At Kuchel's birthday?"
"Would I be willing to become king," he said lifelessly. He was such a piece of shit that for an instant he wanted to curse and say it wasn't fair. He almost had the life he wanted. A simple life with a house, garden, the kids, Petra, some dog. Levi was not a man built for the world of kings. Maybe he had the blood of kings in his veins, but it meant exactly shit to him. He was half Reiss, but he only saw himself as an Ackerman. A warrior. A simple man with simple motives. Fight the enemy, kill the enemy, protect the innocent. Easy. Clean.
"I ask it now. Will you help me overthrow Erwin?" Willy leaned forward, clasped hands on top of his desk. "Will you help me save Paradis?"
"Why do you care so much?" he muttered. "You hate your own blood. Why give a shit about Paradis?"
"Levi!" Petra cried. He left her, paced back to the window. He was a wolf in a cage. Let him out. Let him out. Don't make him do this.
"I care because Erwin Smith is our mortal enemy. Because I think we know him well enough to know that he has no plans to die next year. With these crimes against humanity, he's…" Willy shook his head. "He plans to be around a long while. I don't know what his game is. I…I can't outmaneuver him." It was a grim admission. Willy scowled. "I've only beaten him once, and that was with all of you helping. I need you again, my friend. Will you help me?"
Friend. Were they friends? Amazing how after over half a decade, Levi still wasn't sure. He and Willy got along well, even drank together sometimes. But was it friendship? Friendship was what he had with Hange. What he'd had with…
He cleared his throat.
"How would we even swing this?" He looked at Willy. "How do we know making a big damn deal about it wouldn't drive Erwin into a corner? Bastard gets canny when he's cornered. I don't think going in with trumpets blaring's gonna do any good."
Willy sighed deeply. "You may be right."
"You don't want to be king," Petra said. It wasn't a question. She was sympathetic, but up to a point. She reached out her hand, reached for his. He didn't give it. Couldn't.
"Correct, Ral. I'd be a shit king. Just another puppet." He gazed out the window, frowned. There was some weird commotion happening in the streets. A bunch of guys in suits talked together, then took off running. Strange.
"Kiyomi and I have no designs on Paradis. With you at the island's helm, we could have a true Triple Alliance again. We could have decades of peace." Willy stood. "Levi? What is it?"
"What's happening out there?"
People came together and scattered, shouting as they turned up car radios. At that moment, he heard voices rising outside of Willy's door, all throughout his office. Someone knocked rapidly. His aide entered, looking pale.
"Majesty," she whispered. "I…"
"Grace, what?"
Grace only turned on the radio. Levi had seen fear like that a few times in his life. It was the fear of seeing a titan at the gate. The fear that said the whole damn world could end. Somehow he knew what he would hear before she found the news.
"…that the capital city of Okiya has been destroyed," the Marleyan announcer said. "The Hizuran government is in shambles, as the shogun and his family appear to have been killed in the initial blast."
"Erwin wouldn't dare," Willy breathed. Petra dug her nails into Levi's hand. The king almost fell into his seat. "How? They couldn't have gotten the hyperfusion bomb all the way out there. Paradis's air force has been demolished."
Levi knew in his gut.
"It's Erwin. He's there," he croaked. Petra shuddered. Sure enough, a second later it was confirmed.
"The Colossal Titan exploded in the midst of the Takaba Garden district, where the most influential and powerful in Hizuran society live. While we don't have confirmation yet, sources on the ground tell us that the blast appears to have emanated from the Azumabito clan's stronghold in the cty. Lady Kiyomi Azumabito and all her family are reported to be dead. In other news—"
"Mikasa," Petra gasped. Willy shook his head.
"Mikasa and the Azumabito retainers are supposed to be on their way to Marley now. I had it confirmed an hour or so ago. Our cruisers did pick them up."
Levi's heart was racing. He hadn't realized until it seemed all but sure that the brat was dead just how much he'd miss Mikasa if she ever…
"But Kiyomi's dead," Levi muttered.
"Grace. Radio our embassy in Hizuru. See if…" Willy trailed off. Of course. The embassy was in Okiya. Levi sat beside his wife and held her hand. He stroked Petra's palm with his thumb. Holding this woman, he could believe this was not happening. With her safe in his arms, Levi could believe that the world itself was make believe. None of this was real.
And then…
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are receiving a transmission," the announcer said. She sounded grim. "From King Erwin Smith of Paradis. Stand by."
Levi's whole body clenched as he heard Erwin's voice. It was rough silk, a bit gravelly with age but still fucking smooth and controlled.
"This is Erwin Smith," the king said. Petra made a wounded sound. Willy looked like he might be sick. Levi just stared at the radio. "By now, word is already spreading across the continent and the world. I have come to Hizuru. In my Colossal form, I have eradicated the Azumabito family, the shogun, and much of the military infrastructure in the Okiya province. As I speak to you now, my people have overtaken the Hizuran navy. They are steaming their way across the globe, preparing to subdue all Hizuran territories. The Triple Alliance is no more. Kiyomi Azumabito is dead, and Marley and her territories now stand alone against the might of Paradis and Hizuru both."
"This can't be real." Willy sounded nauseated.
"I have also taken Hizuru's stockpile of hyperfusion weaponry. Including their newest innovation: the missile launch program."
"Fuck." Willy slammed his fist on the desk. Levi just kept rubbing Petra's hand, his mind spiraling downward. Yes. The missile program. Hizuran innovation had eradicated the need for bomber planes to drop death from the sky. Thanks to the new program, hyperfusion bombs could be launched from mainland Hizuru and directed to just about any point on the globe.
With the press of a button, Erwin could eradicate whole countries.
"While I could turn this world into a smoking crater if I wished it, I have never desired omnicide. My goal has always been to preserve life, Eldian and otherwise. This world can still live in tranquility. All you must do," he said, speaking to everyone listening, "is stand by and allow this Alliance to become what it should always have been: an empire. The Eldian Empire arises once again. Marley, Nambia, the Mid East, all must fall under my control."
"Why is he doing this?" Willy was red-faced. He looked like he might collapse from a stroke. But Levi understood. He would always understand Erwin.
"He thinks we put him into a corner." His voice sounded tired. "He's afraid for his son. He doesn't want to die."
"He's planning to bomb the entire world if…" Willy couldn't finish.
"No," Petra whispered. The men looked at her. "We have enough hyperfusion bombs to retaliate. We could destroy Paradis if we wanted. Erwin knows that." She swallowed, looked dizzy. "And his…my son lives on Paradis. Erwin won't risk it. He'll use the missiles if he has to, but he just wants to hold us all hostage."
"She's right," Levi said.
"If you will not submit, you must prepare for war," Erwin said. "In the meantime, I shall take control of the worldwide Eldian populations."
Levi thought of what Inga had written. The babies…
"He's trying to find the Founding Titan," he said.
"Shit." Willy screwed up his face. "That bastard."
"He's going to kill all those children." Petra looked dizzy.
"Connie can't blow his cover," Levi said, hating the words. "He can't."
"What is Connie's plan, anyway?" Willy snapped.
"Don't know. But whatever it is, we won't help him by tipping our hand to Erwin that we know." Levi sighed. His head was pounding.
They could hear even more shouting in the streets below. Car horns blared. Petra was trembling. She had to be thinking of Armin.
"He used me seeing my son as a way to get off the island, didn't he?" she whispered. His wife bent over. "I destroyed everything. This is my fault. If I hadn't fucked him—"
"This isn't your fault, or Armin's," Levi hissed. He cupped her cheek. "It's his. Only his."
"My little boy." She sounded so broken. Levi hugged her fiercely. He would not let Erwin, that fucker, hurt her anymore.
"I have to get Nambia on the phone." Willy sounded dazed as he stood. But he stopped and regarded Levi. "So. Levi. What's your answer?"
Levi stared up at the king. The Tybur king. He imagined for one second that it was Erwin across that desk, asking Levi what to do. What to say. How to act.
Paradis was under attack from within. Levi's home. His people. And now the world was under attack as well.
He shut his eyes. He should have seen this coming. Perhaps he even had, but had wanted to live as much of his life in peace as possible. Unfortunately, peace was no longer an option. Maybe it never would be again.
"Yes," he said. He looked at Willy. "Yeah, okay. I'll become king."
Erwin was exhausted when he returned to Paradis. He had been gone for three days, overseeing the final takeover and surrender of the rest of Hizuru. The Kaitanaka Provinces up north had given him great trouble, but they had fallen. The fission scientists and engineers had either been eradicated or brought firmly over to Paradis' side. Erwin had the missile launchers, most of the hyperfusion weaponry in the world, and a nearly limitless supply of material. Marley still oversaw a sizeable portion of the world's population and hyperfusion arms, but Willy could not overpower Erwin. Not with Kiyomi gone.
Erwin returned home to wait for the new shipments of Eldian children. He felt sorrow for their young lives, and the way he was ripping their families apart. Still, this would enflame tensions worldwide once more between Eldian and non-Eldian. Erwin anticipated new uprisings, which would only weaken Marley's infrastructure. He had created chaos. He would bring peace, though.
He would unlock the Founder and bring peace.
It was dark by the time Erwin arrived home to Mitras. He wearily climbed the stairs, ready to sit with Siegfried for an hour or two. His little boy. His perfect child. That sweet angel was all that could lift Erwin's spirits now.
But when he approached the nursery door, he heard shouting. Brigitta's voice, and Siegfried's. Erwin burst inside to find the woman with a stuffed tiger in her hands. She was shrieking at Siegfried, who was huddled in a little ball on his bed, wailing and sobbing like his heart would break.
"Put Toby down! Auntie, please!" he wailed. But Brigitta ripped the tiger's ear right off its stuffed head. Siegfried screamed like she'd done it to him, and not his toy.
"You're so spoiled! Why do you hurt me like this?" she bawled. Brigitta had a frenzied look in her eye. She started to rip the tiger's other ear. "You're Siegfried! That's your name! You ungrateful—"
"What is going on in here?" Erwin boomed. Brigitta dropped the tiger, and Siegfried launched himself at his father. Erwin picked up the child, shushed and hugged him while Siegfried wept against his shoulder.
"He…" Brigitta wiped her face. She looked ill and sweaty, fever-eyed. "He won't stop telling me to call him Armin. I can't…"
"My name's Armin! I, I wanna be called Armin!" Siegfried bellowed. Erwin only hugged his son, shushed him. "T-Toby got huuuurt," he wailed.
"It's all right, sweetheart." Erwin kissed the boy's cheek. "I'll have someone sew Toby right up. He'll be good as new. Okay?"
Siegfried sniffed, but calmed down. "Thank you, Papa."
The little boy's eyes swam with tears. Erwin hugged him, put him on the bed. Siegfried scampered to hug Toby, sniffling over the torn ear, the little ball of fluff that had fallen out. Brigitta stood there looking hunched and withered, some crone from a Gothic tale.
Erwin rang a bell cord. He asked a footman to send a maid to sew the tiger back up. Then they were alone again.
"Now." Erwin sat on the bed and patted Siegfried's hair. "I'm going to have a little talk with Auntie, and then why don't I come back here and read you a story?"
"O-Okay." Siegfried snuggled against Erwin. The king's heart expanded as he hugged that little child. His only true reason to draw breath. "I love you, Papa."
"I love you more than anything in this world."
Erwin summoned Brigitta with a look. She followed him out of the nursery and down the hall to their bedroom. He walked calmly while she cried and snapped at him.
"He won't stop asking for his mother! I told you not to let her come! Now he's all upset and wants to be called Armin. He hates me!" She wailed as they entered the bedroom and Erwin shut the door. "I gave him everything, and all he wants is her! I told you, I told you that—"
Erwin grabbed her shoulder and flung her onto the bed. Brigitta landed with a gasp, the springs creaking. He made no other move on her, but stood there with a fist loosely formed at his side. She looked up at him in astonishment.
"If you ever touch my son again, I'll kill you." There was no anger in his voice. It was the simple recitation of a promise.
"Erwin?" She gaped in horror.
"Listen to me. You'll be moved out of this room and this apartment. You will only be allowed to see Siegfried while I am present."
"No. No!" She tried to get up, but he lifted his hand and she collapsed. He wasn't even going to hit her. He just wanted her attention.
"If I see you near him without my express permission; if I see you when I do not explicitly wish to see you; you will be thrown into a prison cell and remain there indefinitely."
"But…" She looked dizzy. Had she taken to drink, like Marie? Perhaps Erwin was bad for people's health. "But I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You and I, Erwin. We were going to be—"
"What? Married?" This bitch had scared his son. She had hurt his son. "Why would I need you when I can have her?"
Brigitta didn't ask whom he meant. The mother that Siegfried longed for and preferred. Brigitta slumped over, a discarded doll.
"You bastard," she said quietly. But Brigitta could not compete with Petra. The mother of his son. Erwin would have Petra again. Seeing Siegfried with his mother, the joy that she brought the child, had assured Erwin that he would have her. Petra was what his son wanted; Petra was the mother Siegfried would have.
And the wife Erwin would take. The empress at his side. Whether she wanted it or not.
"I'll give you one hour to remove any trace of yourself. I'll have Klein arrange a new room for you." He turned to go. Hesitated. "If you still want me to restore what nature took from you when I claim the Founder, you'll behave yourself. Stay away from me and from Siegfried unless I request your presence."
"I…"
She muttered nonsense to herself as he walked out and returned to the nursery. There he found Inga speaking kindly with Siegfried, darning Toby's ear with needle and thread. The child leaned against the maid, sniffling and smiling a bit. Erwin felt a flush of deep warmth.
"Thank you, Inga. You may go."
"Majesty." She gave a curtsy and left. That was a good woman. When Erwin had the Founder, he would restore everything the doctor had cut from her. He would restore her face. Erwin was hateful to his enemies, but to those who served him well he would show generosity that none could match. "Is Toby better?"
"Yep." Siegfried cuddled the tiger as his father sat beside him. Erwin pinched the soft little cheek. Siegfried beamed and hugged his arm. "Papa. C-Can you call me Armin?"
Ah yes. That.
"Why, sweetheart?"
"Mama said she called me that when I was born."
"You like that name better than Siegfried?"
"Ummm. I dunno," he said shyly.
"Do you miss Mama?"
"Mmhmm. Papa, can we see her soon?" That sad little face.
"What if I told you that very soon now, Mama is going to come here and live with us?"
Siegfried all but bounced.
"Really? Really, Papa?"
"Yes." He tickled the child's stomach. Siegfried giggled with joy. He crawled into Erwin's lap, and Erwin hugged the beloved boy tightly. "She will live here with us, and so will Kuchel. You'll have both of them to play with you."
"An' Oruo? An' Uncle Levi?"
"Of course, sweetheart." Erwin kissed the child's forehead.
Yes. Oruo and Uncle Levi were Siegfried's now, too. And Erwin would claim them.
Levi was his.
"I can't remember all these damn words," Levi growled as Petra helped button up his military jacket. He wasn't the type to get nervous, but right now the lines of his palms were sweating. His undercut felt slick with sweat, too. He hoped he wouldn't appear dewy in front of the world. They stood before a closed pair of doors, and Levi listened to the click and whirr of cameras as the international press recorded this little conference Willy had put together.
Willy had dressed himself in his Old Eldian Empire best, robes and sandals, the works. Levi and Petra, meanwhile, wore the military regalia of the Survey Corps. Levi felt a little stronger with the Wings of Freedom insignia on the back.
They were wearing wings and brown jackets to contrast the Paradisian Guard's crown and black. The message was clear: Erwin Smith is all about power. Levi Ackerman's all about freedom.
'Ackerman?' Willy had asked. He'd wanted Levi to adopt his father's surname. No doing.
'You made everyone hate the Fritzes and Reisses' Levi had replied. 'You and Erwin. The Ackermans are warriors, not kings or politicians.'
Occasionally Levi won an argument.
But he still hated the idea of standing out there in front of a microphone and talking to literally the entire fucking world.
"Willy said there'd be a teleprompter for you." Petra's hands were steady, her voice gentle. Nothing fazed her. She was the brave one. He kissed his wife—his queen.
Only way I can do this king shit is with you by my side.
"Looks like you're gonna be a queen after all," he murmured.
She kissed his cheek with such tenderness. "You've always been a king to me. It'll be easy."
He felt his face flush. Damn embarrassing brat. He worshipped her.
"It's just not me. Tch." He screwed up his face. "'My fellow Eldians, the usurper Erwin Smith has taken my father's throne. I, the true king, Levi Ackerman, will—'fuck."
"Yes. You will fuck." Petra lifted a brow. "But not until later."
"I'll kill you," he said affectionately. They kissed. "But it ain't me, Petra."
"I'll be right at your side. So will the kids." She hugged him tight. He returned the embrace.
"Ready?" Willy asked. He appeared beside them, dressed in that ridiculous getup of his.
Ready to be king? To take on Erwin?
Guess I have to be.
"Sure," Levi said. Willy shook his hand, and then got into position. The Ackermans stood out of the way and awaited their cue to enter. Kuchel and Oruo scampered over; the grandparents had brought them. Kuchel looked ready for her moment in front of the cameras. The little girl was beaming, well-scrubbed and adorably outfitted. Oruo, meanwhile, looked like he'd rather dangle off a high balcony than be photographed. Levi hugged the boy to his side. They were alike in that way.
"Everyone ready?" Petra made last minute inspections of her children's clothes and faces. Kuchel bounced.
"So if Papa's a king, does that make me a princess?" She looked ready to burst at the idea.
"I ain't a princess," Oruo snarled.
"Yes. We're royalty because of Grandpa Uri," Petra said. She hugged her children close. She kissed Levi. They were all together, all unified. It calmed him. "But no matter what, we're a family. That's most important."
"Listen to your mother," Levi said softly. The love of his life.
Erwin. I'm coming for you.
The thought was a knife in his side. But no more time to think; he heard Willy's microphoned voice boom out across the balcony, onto the world's stage. Levi waited in the wings, his heart loud, his breath shallow. He hated crowds. He hated public speaking. Erwin and Willy had been born for this shit. Levi was the only real king of the three, but he had no aptitude for it. Fuck.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Marley. Of Paradis. Of the world," Willy said. Levi heard the cicada whirr and buzz of hundreds of cameras. His stomach lurched. "You all have known me for years as head of the Tybur line. Controller of the War Hammer Titan. The Savior's Descendant. The last scion of the great Eldian families. And most recently, the King of Marley, and one third of the Triple Alliance." Willy's voice fluctuated between sincerity and sorrow. Fucking perfect. "As an Eldian, I grew up despising the blood that ran in my veins. Most, if not all Eldians have felt as I did. That we were born of monsters, and that we must atone for those ancestral sins. In recent years, we Eldians have reasserted ourselves upon the world's stage at the behest of Erwin Smith, the so-called King of Paradis." So-called. Nice. "The world has seen for nearly a decade the truth of Eldians: that we are, by and large, a humble people whose only goal is to serve mankind and repent for the cruelties of our past. But now, that image and that truth are threatened by the imposter, Erwin Smith."
Imposter. Levi thought again of riding alongside Erwin under that large, blue sky. Seeing far into the distance, towards the sunset, towards the truth of their world. The salvation of their species. An imposter? The greatest man who had ever lived, an imposter?
He's greater than you or me, Willy.
Even now, it burned him to think of such insults being hurled at that godlike man. Erwin…
"Levi." Petra squeezed his hand. "Get ready."
Fuck.
"And as a custodian of Marley, and Eldians worldwide, I declare this: I, Willy Tybur, king of Marley, have made a declaration of war upon Paradis Island, and upon the false king and tyrant, Erwin Smith!"
The camera clicks reached a crescendo. The crowds gathered around the balcony cheered, got so loud Levi was afraid they'd start rioting.
"And now, I want to introduce to you the true king of Eldia, and the true king of Paradis. Historia is a false queen, as her husband is a false king. The true heir to the throne of Paradis, the long lost son of King Uri Reiss, was not born to privilege. He was raised amongst the lowest of his father's citizens. Levi Ackerman—not Reiss, no, as he's foregone the titles of his father's house—was born to squalor and ruin. But he has risen over the last forty years to become a great man. A warrior. A tireless fighter for the freedom of all peoples, Eldian and non-Eldian alike. It is my privilege to stand alongside him, to join in the fight to reclaim his father's throne. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the true king of Paradis, Levi Ackerman."
Here it was. Levi walked out onto the balcony, stiff as a petrified board. Petra's warm hand never left his. She had picked up a sulking Oruo and bounced him on her hip. Kuchel pranced alongside her father, eyes sparkling as she met her public.
It was a wall of light and noise. Levi blinked; could barely see shit. He felt Willy's hand on his shoulder, and Petra's hand leave his. Fuck. Then he was thrust before a microphone, blinking owlishly at the press and the cameras that captured every second of his humiliation. Fuck this.
Why the fuck was he here?
To save Paradis. Come on, bitch. Focus.
"Um." Levi swallowed. His eyes focused on that teleprompter in front of him. The white letters started rolling against a black backdrop. Time to go. "My fellow Eldians, the usurper has taken my father's throne," he read. Even Levi could hear how hollow and monotone his voice was. He tried not to frown, which only made his shoulders hunch up to his ears. Click. Click. Whirr. Fuck, the noise was everywhere. Those cameras. He was naked before the world.
How could he try to stand up against a charismatic force like Erwin Smith? This was Erwin's domain. Levi was a soldier. Just a soldier. A family man. He didn't want to be a fucking king.
"I, the true king, Levi Ackerman, will…"
And then the teleprompter broke. Levi stared. He waited for it to right itself. Nothing. No go. All the words he'd practiced leaked out of his head. He froze before the entire world. The crowd began to titter. He could feel Willy trying to work out what to do, quickly.
"Uh." Levi grunted. "Fuck."
The crowd gasped. The cameras collected his every moment of humiliation. Maybe he should just turn around and go back inside.
"Papa! Bad word!" Kuchel cried. It'd come out of her without thinking. His daughter gasped and clapped hands over her mouth; Petra had told Kuchel to be silent today.
The crowd suddenly burst into a round of laughter. Levi looked over his shoulder at his little girl, who was bright red. She stared at the shiny leather toes of her shoes. Fuck it. He waved her over. Willy watching, looking queasy, Levi gathered his daughter against him. He hugged her to his side.
"Yeah. That's the good thing about having daughters. They keep you honest," he mumbled. The microphone caught it. The cameras caught it.
More laughter from the crowd. And then…applause.
Kuchel giggled and buried her face against Levi's shoulder. The crowd aawwed and cheered. Levi saw Willy, who now was staring out at the audience and the cameras with an interested expression. And Petra was laughing. Laughing til tears ran down her cheeks.
She came over and gave him a quick kiss. That brief touch of her lips centered him. Anything could be all right with such a woman at his side.
More cheers from the crowd. Oruo glared out at his adoring public and roared his anger, shaking his little fists. Petra whispered for him to knock it off and kissed his cheek. He instantly became a lamb for his mother, hugging Petra tightly. The crowd ate it up. The cameras whirred.
"Uh. Look. Screw it, I'm not the kind of guy who talks to cameras. I'm a soldier. I've fought my whole life," Levi said, desperate to wrap this up. "I don't really want to be king." He heard Willy make a noise like he'd been punched. "But Erwin Smith's enslaved Paradis. My home. He's killed thousands of Hizurans. He has to be stopped. So if becoming king is what it takes to stop him, I'll do it. Whatever it takes to stop him, I'll do it. You have my word. And you have my word that I won't try to be some fancyass king, lording it over everybody. I just want Eldians to live peacefully with everyone else. That's it. So. Thanks."
Clicks. Whirrs. And then applause.
Cheers.
Stamped feet, cries of 'King Levi!'
Petra, his wife, his queen, wrapped an arm around his waist. Tears shone in the amber depths of her eyes, and she smiled. That gentle smile. Those loving eyes. She kissed his cheek. He became centered in that moment as his wife smiled and his daughter clung to him and his son blew a raspberry.
"King Levi! Queen Petra! The king! The queen!"
The cheers became roars. The press ate it up.
Willy stood alongside the Ackermans and waved, grinning widely. He shook hands with Levi and leaned down to speak in his ear.
"I couldn't have designed this better myself. Congratulations, my friend." Willy Tybur winked. "Your Majesty."
Yeah. Time to be king.
Fuck.
Petra made a pretty good queen, if she said so herself. She'd been afraid at first that she'd have to try to appear dainty and meek, the model wife and mother when she was none of those things. But as it turned out, the worldwide press and the people had loved Levi's press conference. They had seen a devoted family, a husband and wife blissfully in love, two rambunctious children. In comparison, Erwin and Historia were distant and almost unreachable, too pretty and polished and cold.
Petra worked alongside Willy and Levi to get their Eldian fighting forces ready to go to Paradis. The newspapers loved her, following her all around and taking photographs as she instructed soldiers, ran drills. As she shopped for groceries, picked the kids up at school. A regular woman, a strong soldier. A queen anyone could relate to.
The papers called Willy the Red King and Erwin the White King. Levi became the True King, and Petra the True Queen.
"We're all members of the royal family, aren't we?" Ingrid had asked one night, eyes practically goggling as she considered her newfound status as grandmother to a prince and princess.
"Yeah." Levi sounded resigned as he drank his tea. Petra kissed him. In the privacy of their room, she made love to him. Wrapped in each other's arms, they gave whispered promises. They would always be together. They would always fight together. They would liberate their homeland. Their family would be safe.
Willy soon came to realize that Levi was not the best representative of the royal family as far as the press went. But Petra was adept at playing her role. She showed reporters her best fighting techniques, which the women's magazines ate up. 'A Strong, Independent Woman' the headlines said, showing Petra's grinning image on the glossy front covers. She also let the Better Living columnist for the Valle paper into the family apartment, showing off the kitchen and the parlor. A woman who was as domestic as she was warlike? The world went crazy for her.
They even made a newsreel of Petra cutting her long hair, returning to the short bob of her youth. 'A Queen's Sacrifice' they called it, since long hair was a detriment when fighting. Women all over Marley adopted her hairstyle, some even going so far as to dye their hair red. 'The Petra' became the fashion for much of that summer and into the fall.
Kuchel adored all the attention. She trained with Levi and Mikasa, showing off her Ackerman fighting skills for all the world to see. Watching an eleven year old girl flip one burly man after another was tabloid fodder. As the Ackerman family revealed themselves—Levi's stoicism and humble origins, Petra's charm, Kuchel's sparkle, even Oruo's spirited fury—the world fell in love with the new royals.
The press turned against Erwin and Historia…and even Armin. 'Not a real family', they said. 'A lifeless doll' they called Historia. 'A sad little lump of a boy' they termed Armin. Petra had wanted to rip their heads off when she read that.
Her baby.
"We'll get him back," Levi would whisper in the night, after she wept just thinking about her son. Her husband stroked her hair. "He loves you. He'll see you again."
"Why didn't I just take him with me? I should have fought harder for him," she sobbed.
"Baby, there was nothing you could do. But we're going to Paradis, and we'll take him back. I swear it."
There'd been a time where Levi would never have sworn any such thing. But for her, he'd do it. Do anything. Make any vow.
Promise her anything, no matter how impossible.
For the Ackermans, the war seemed an abstract thing. Petra knew intellectually that the fighting had begun off the shores of Nambia, that the Mid-East was experiencing a terrible schism of territories that supported Erwin vs. Levi's claim. Some had even broken off and started to agitate for an independent nation of their own. Erwin had tipped the world straight into chaos. Levi wanted to go where the fighting was thickest, but he'd been advised, and rightly, that doing so would only make the situation harder.
"You don't want to die on the battlefield," Willy had said one night at their dining room table. He and Petra had been growing irritated, trying to get Levi to see reason. Hange had been there as well, also doing her best. "You're the one piece we can't afford to lose."
"Tch. Pieces. Like this is some fucking game," Levi had said.
"It is," Petra had snapped. Honestly, this man… "It's like…like chess. Remember when we used to play?" Attempted and failed to, that is. "The moment the king falls, it's over."
"Tch."
But Levi had finally softened when Oruo scampered into the room, flying a model plane through the air and making it crash land against his father's side. Levi had scooped the boy onto his lap as Oruo continued making horrific explosion sounds. Petra understood. For this little boy, Levi would restrain himself.
He was the most dutiful man alive, but he'd told her once that she and their children were his top priority. Family changed a man.
And so Levi and Petra waged a war of propaganda, designed by Willy. Petra spoke to newsreels, did interviews, showed people how to plant their own little vegetable gardens even in the city. They wanted to free up as much food as possible to go to the troops, after all. Petra and her father had even discussed it on camera. As a former vegetable seller, Pieter had had much to say. Seeing a queen with dirt on her hands, one who came from such humble origins, only made the people love her more.
When Levi and Petra went to one of Willy's fundraisers or galas now, dressed up in white tie and evening gown, people mobbed the sidelines and screamed Petra's name more than the king's. 'The True Queen' also became 'The People's Queen.' Levi loved reading all those articles supporting his wife in the paper. She'd come in and find him at the breakfast nook with his morning tea, practically glowing as he read how people loved Petra.
'She's so relatable! She feels like me!' 'I know just how she grew up. You feel like you can trust her.' 'You can see what a good mother she is. She's so natural.'
"All the housewives love you," Levi would tell her, folding the paper and taking her onto his lap. They'd kiss deeply. "That means you've got the whole world by the balls."
She giggled, kissed his nose.
Willy had even told her that she was the campaign's most valuable asset. Levi's gruffness only went over so well because it had her natural sweetness and cheer to balance it out. People loved seeing them together. Levi occasionally got short with photographers who snapped photos while they took the kids to the park for a rare family outing. But Petra reminded him that this was their new normal. They were fighting Erwin with pictures as much as with bullets and tanks.
By far the most hilarious aspect of their new lives was the society balls that Willy and Giulia hosted to get the world leaders on their side. Levi was finally forced to dance in public. Not just to dance, but to dance alone in the center of the room, all eyes on him. The first time he did it, Petra had found him hanging at the edges of the room, dewy with sweat. He'd looked like a cornered rabbit.
"Look in my eyes the whole time," she whispered as she led him to the floor for the first dance. "Remember that night in the stables in Mitras?"
"Yeah," he said. They'd danced the Marian Waltz, Petra's favorite. She hadn't been able to dance it at the ball, and so it had just been them in the musky, dimly lit stable with only the horses as an audience. As they prepared to dance, Petra's gloved hand in his, his hand on her waist, she saw the look in his eyes shift from mortal terror to fond remembrance. "Dancing with you's the only way I know how to dance," he said.
"Then here we go," she whispered. The music struck up, and they turned around the floor. Levi's eyes never left hers, and she grinned as they hurtled back across the years to being two shy people, new in love and on the brink of a relationship, wondering what the future had in store for them. She mouthed that she loved him. His eyes told her that he adored her. When the crowd began to applaud—because despite his shyness, Levi danced very well when he knew the steps—it didn't rouse her husband from his pleasant stupor. He remained captivated by her as the waltz finished. As the room cheered.
Levi pulled her close and kissed her lips just once. But it was not a rehearsed gesture. Everyone could see the genuine feeling behind it.
The leaders loved the Ackermans as a couple. The people adored them. For the first four months of the war, they lived in an enchanted bubble of interviews, parties, and speeches. Levi trained Kuchel alongside Mikasa and her Azumabito warriors. Petra would never forget the way the Ackerman girl broke down when she reached mainland Marley and learned the full extent of what had happened to Kiyomi. Petra had held the girl, stroked her hair as Mikasa raged at the unfairness of it. Her family kept slipping through her hands.
Kuchel had crawled onto Mikasa's lap, and Oruo had even deigned to sit beside her on the couch. "We're still your family," Kuchel had said, snuggling against her cousin. Petra had watched as, through her tears, Mikasa beamed.
"And I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you." She kissed Kuchel's head. "Ever."
After running drills, Petra would go and watch the Azumabito fight her small, eleven-year-old daughter. Petra never ceased to be amazed and a little alarmed at the way Kuchel could flip a grown man three times her size, or take down five attackers with a single practice blade. In those moments, her sweet little girl became a dead-eyed warrior, as talented as her father and cousin.
"Why can't I do it, too?" Oruo grumped one day as he and Petra watched Kuchel and Levi spar in the ring. Levi corrected Kuchel's footing, gruff but clearly bursting with pride.
"Because it hasn't been unlocked in you. But I don't want it to be," Petra said softly. She hugged her little boy. "I don't want you to ever need to fight like this."
"But I'd be better'n Kuchel," he said, narrowing his eyes. Well. He probably would at that. Oruo's instinct for fighting was five times naturally keener than his sister's.
"Well. Maybe one day. But could you stay my little guy just a while longer?" she asked. Oruo beamed at her, looking in that one moment like a sweet boy instead of a malevolent gremlin. 'Malevolent gremlin' had been Hange's words. Oruo had been very proud to hear it.
"Okay, Mama." He hugged her tight. She stroked his hair as he thought. "So. Armin." His little voice became gravelly again. "He gonna come live with us, too?"
"Yes. I hope so," she said. Oruo made a weird little grunting noise. She knew he liked being the only boy in the family. "He's your brother, after all. Do you think you could be happy with that?"
Oruo ruminated a minute. Then he nodded. "I'll finally have someone I can beat in a fight," he said sagely.
Petra sighed and hugged him tighter. One step at a time.
For four months, it was hectic but mostly normal.
And then that changed.
"Let the memories guide you!" Willy called through cupped hands. Petra and Kuchel stood alongside the king, watching as the War Hammer made a great shining spear that it hefted to its shoulder, prepared to throw. Cassius Tybur made an impressive titan. His War Hammer wasn't as sleek looking as his aunt's had been, but the squatter frame seemed more densely muscled. The helmet even had a pair of twisting horns on either side. Petra grinned to see it. The boy did love fantastical designs.
The Tyburs had a policy of never sending the War Hammer into battle, and since the current holder was only a teenage boy they especially had no intention of sending him overseas. However, they all agreed that the War Hammer could be very useful in the event of an invasion, and wanted Cassius to be prepared.
The press was forbidden from recording the War Hammer, or even from knowing that Cassius was the one who held it. The Tyburs had always kept their family secrets close, and this particular secret closest.
They trained in an arena on the outskirts of Valle, away from prying eyes. Petra watched as the titan turned the spear into a shield, and then eventually into a large, spiked mace. She imagined that mace clobbering tanks and battalions, and a shiver ran down her spine.
Kuchel giggled and jumped up and down when the War Hammer eventually finished its exercises and melted down for the day. Cassius emerged from the dissolving crystalline substance and grinned as he ran over to his father. The boy had Giulia's curling hair, and Willy's coloring. Kuchel ran over to Cassius.
"Good job! You're getting super amazing at it," she crowed. Even though she was several years younger than the Tybur boy, Cassius smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck. He was easily embarrassed. He was one of Kuchel's very best friends. Giulia would cluck and say how she could hear wedding bells whenever they played together. Petra thought it was a little weird to see potential romance in childhood games—after all, she and Oruo had been best friends and nothing had ever come of it. But she appreciated that at least Giulia seemed to like the idea. She'd come to really care about Kuchel, as almost everyone did. The Giulia who'd committed treason against her country and nearly gotten Levi killed was gone. Petra knew she'd never do anything that could harm Kuchel, not now.
"Thanks." Cassius bumped fists with Kuchel as the adults and kids made their way out of the arena. Cassius stopped for a little while to let the shifter marks fade from his cheeks. It was best if no one saw him like that. When he was good to go, they drove back to the city. Kuchel and Cassius were laughing about some comic book. Willy appeared a bit remote, but seemed happy enough. He wore a comfortable grin.
"How's it on the front lines?" Petra asked quietly.
"Southern Nambia has fallen back," he replied. He gave a sigh as he turned the steering wheel, guiding them into rush hour traffic. "It looks like we'll lose that territory."
"Is it a mistake not to send the War Hammer in?" she murmured, snatching a glance at the kids in the back seat. They were laughing and pointing at a page.
"Annie Leonhardt still won't come out of her crystal. Her "time" is up, but she hasn't passed on her titan. I think we may have lost the Female, at least for the foreseeable future."
Petra didn't mind too much. That bitch had killed Oruo and the others. She would not greet Annie Leonhardt warmly if they ever met.
"If we lose this titan," Willy said softly, "Marley loses its final spear."
"But we have the hyperfusion," Petra said, hating how the hairs on her arm stood up.
"I don't want Erwin Smith to have nearly all the titan powers to himself. Even if he doesn't know he possesses so many." Yes, the oblique reference to Connie's secret. Petra felt a headache starting. She kept thinking of Paradis, the subject of constant shell fire. No one was using hyperfusion weaponry because the effects and fallout would be catastrophic for all involved. At least Erwin hadn't gone that mad. Not yet.
But the danger loomed overhead, a sword dangling in the air.
"Besides," Willy said, "it's symbolic. The War Hammer belongs to the Tybur family. If we lose it, it's almost like being castrated in the public eye."
"Pretty graphic."
"But still true."
Petra sighed as they remained stuck in traffic. She frowned when the car in front of them didn't move, even with the green light. Willy honked twice. Petra rolled her eyes at the car before them. Idiot. Probably daydreaming.
"Mama," Kuchel said. Her voice was not its usual happy chirp. She sounded flat. Grim.
Whenever she sounded that way, Petra knew it was the Ackerman family speaking through her. Their instincts. Their intuition.
Something bad was happening.
"Kuchel?" she whispered.
"Get out of the car!" the child cried. Willy and Cassius thankfully did not need to be told what this was. Everyone unbuckled and rolled out of the vehicle just as the car in front of them…exploded.
It wasn't a bomb. All of a sudden, a great crone of a titan loomed over them. They'd only just managed to get out of the blast zone. Petra wailed as she felt heat sizzle along her arm. Her eyes watered. She'd have a burn there.
But that didn't matter. The Jaws titan glared down on them. Floch. How the fuck had he…?
Petra did not have the Ackerman instincts, but in that instant she knew what this was.
"Cassius, quick!" she screamed.
The young boy raised his hand, ready to bite himself and transform. But he was already weak from the previous training session, and he was too gentle by nature.
And Kuchel was right next to him. Petra knew from the way the Tybur boy glanced at her daughter that he would not risk transforming and killing her in the blast.
That mercy brought him no reward.
Kuchel shrieked and rolled away as Floch pounced, his freakish head hinging backwards as he went to bite—
"Cassius!" Willy screamed. He held out a hand for his child. Petra had never heard Willy Tybur this raw. This human. This much a father.
But there was nothing they could do as Floch devoured Cassius Tybur, snapping through the boy's body and drinking his spinal fluid. Petra began to shake. No. Erwin wouldn't…
But he had. The bastard had ordered the death of a child to gain his power.
Willy screamed. It was a scream that came from a person's very soul. The scream of a heart shattering.
Petra kept shaking, and then her heart sped up as Kuchel whirled around. Tears streamed down the child's cheeks. Her friend was gone. Floch's titan grimaced at her.
"Aaahhhhh!"
Kuchel shrieked as she dodged and spun through the air, landing a kick in the center of the titan's eye. Floch roared, crawling backwards as steam spouted from the injury. Petra's little girl did a somersault and landed unharmed, but she chased after the titan. She was an Ackerman, but without blades she would die.
"Kuchel, no!" Petra raced after her daughter. But she moved in slow motion. The world stilled around her as Floch opened his jaws wide, as Kuchel tried turning through the air to change her direction, but too late. Too late.
Snap.
Petra felt her heart stop. She collapsed to the ground and made a low, animal noise. Her baby. Her baby. She'd rip Floch's heart out. His and Erwin Smith's. They'd pay. They—
"Mama!"
And then Kuchel was in her arms. Petra made insane noises as she pressed the child close to her. She squeezed Kuchel so tight, too relieved to chastise her. Ahead, she saw that Floch had created a large crystalline wall, shielding himself from Kuchel before he turned and raced away. Already Petra heard the police sirens, but she knew that Levi was in Liberio today. He was the only one who might have stopped Floch. They could try, but it would be a losing cause. Damn it.
Petra covered her daughter in kisses. Kuchel wailed, arms wrapped around her mother. Her little girl sobbed from a broken heart. Her friend was dead. Killed in front of her eyes.
Why had Floch spared Kuchel? Surely he'd want to take an Ackerman off the board.
But then Petra thought of Erwin. Of how he loved her daughter. Likely he had issued a directive to Floch and the rest of Paradis's military: if any harm comes to Kuchel Ackerman, the one who did it will pay dearly.
She had never despised Erwin and silently thanked him in the same breath before. It was a rotten experience.
Levi sat and watched his daughter as she slept. She'd begged him not to leave until she fell asleep, and now he could only watch her breathe, her little stuffed bear cuddled in her arms. He could not imagine if his daughter had disappeared into that titan's mouth. He felt the strongest surge of empathy for Willy and Giulia possible. The Tybur family was sequestered right now. Petra had seen Giulia. She said that no one should have to suffer like that woman was suffering.
No one should have to lose a child. Even though Giulia knew Cassius would die young, she'd thought he'd at least see manhood.
I'd have died, Levi thought as he watched his innocent baby sleep. Giulia's stronger than me.
He kissed Kuchel's forehead and left the room. At the dining room table, Hange and Petra were assembled. Oruo was snuggled in his mother's lap. He didn't look scowly right now. Instead, there was real fear in those eyes.
They'd made his son afraid. Levi would kill them.
But if Petra's right, and she probably is, Erwin's the reason Kuchel's still alive.
He hated when shit got complicated.
"What's the word on the street?" Levi sat down. His tea was ice cold in front of him. He pushed the cup away.
"Losing the War Hammer's not good for morale." Hange looked exhausted. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep. "Security's been amped up around Annie's crystal, but with the War Hammer powers Erwin has a much easier time of taking her whenever he wants."
"Tch. Fucking asshole," Levi muttered.
"Yeah," Oruo said. Unlike his sister, he didn't mind swearing. Petra hugged the little boy tight. She must be imagining what would happen if he were wrenched from her arms.
Levi was almost blinded by hate.
"There's more infighting between different political groups in the conquered territories. Some people are afraid to go against Erwin now. And more and more countries are starting to fight for their own independence, abandoning the Marleyan army and warring with us and with one another. It's no good."
"Hange. You're the brain trust," he said. "You're the only person Erwin ever said was smarter than him. I know you're not a strategist, but think. How do we win this?"
"We're losing soldiers left and right, but there's one thing that's been pretty consistent. The government's been tracking your approval ratings, yours and Petra's. Everyone loves you both, especially her." Of course they did. He'd married an angel. "I guess Erwin and Willy would say we need to tell the world a story. Right now, you're both just seen as public figures. People love you, but soldiers won't follow you if all you're doing is going to dinners and making speeches."
"And they'd be right not to," Levi said. Fuck, this might end up being an answer he actually wanted. "I'm not a natural king. You both know that. I'm a soldier."
"And soldiers will follow you into hell," Petra said quietly. "Erwin said it, and he was right. It's because you care about them."
"If we want to unite and strengthen the Marleyan armies," Hange said, summing it all up, "then you're going to have to take an active part in the war, Levi. You and probably Petra as well."
That was the one detail he didn't like, but he saw the spark kindle in her eyes. She was like him, no real society darling. She was a worker. A soldier. And if the people united behind a king and queen they loved, they could overcome Erwin's bullshit.
"Pet? What do you say?"
"I say yes." She looked down at Oruo. There was some hesitation in her gaze; she was afraid of leaving her children parentless. But she shook her head, as if shedding the thought. "We can't lose this war. If we do, Erwin's got the entire world. Who knows what he'll do then?"
"He's only got eight or nine months left," Hange offered. "If we're lucky, he'll just run out of time."
"You know Erwin, Four Eyes." Levi reclaimed his cold cup of tea, and took a sip. Eh. Still tea. Good enough. "He wants to break the curse. And he'll do whatever it takes up to the very last second."
Erwin sat before the fire, head in his hands. More failed experiments. More failed children. They'd started bringing the children over by Hizuran ships, all so Erwin could try and see if one had the Founder. But none. None did. And he didn't want to hear those fearful screams. He didn't want to see those children sob and beg for their parents as they were injected. He didn't want to watch those children cut down by his soldiers when they became pure titans.
He hated it. Hated himself. But he had to survive. The very actions he was taking to save his son would ensure Siegfried's destruction if Erwin did not break the curse and win this war. The world would hate Siegfried. Revenge themselves upon him.
How much more suffering? How much farther did Erwin have to fall?
A knock came, and his guards announced Connie Springer. Erwin sat up, patting his hair as the young man entered and saluted. Not such a young man anymore. Well, at least not a boy any longer. In his late twenties, Connie was beginning to develop the leaner features of full manhood. There was even an early crease forming between his eyes.
"Yes?" Erwin asked. He did not have the time or inclination for niceties. Not anymore.
"Um. Majesty. I…" Connie's chin wobbled a second. Erwin felt disgust. He did not need to be made to feel worse about these unfortunate children. Everyone knew that Connie felt broken up about this development. That he hated the policy, even if he said nothing against it.
"Say it, whatever it is," he snapped, expecting pleas for mercy. But Connie surprised him.
"I've been seeing some of Reiner's memories."
"Oh. Yes?" Of course, as a shifter Connie had inherited his predecessor's knowledge and experience. Erwin himself had learned much of Marleyan custom by reliving memories from Bertholdt Hoover's perspective.
"You're looking for the Founder, Majesty. But maybe you don't need to find the kid who inherited it."
Erwin frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Um, well…" He rubbed the back of his neck. Connie was not the best equipped to offer verbal explanations for complicated scenarios. "Like…the Founder Ymir."
"Yes. What of her?"
"I don't think she's dead," Connie blurted out. He winced. "I mean, not dead-dead."
"How dead, then?"
"Um, you know about PATHS, right?" Erwin really did not have time for this meandering nonsense.
"Connie, say whatever you have to say in the plainest terms possible."
"Okay. You know how Ymir, um, is supposed to be the one who makes titans? And, like, sends the bodies and stuff along the PATHS? Right?"
"Yes. That's…wait." Erwin squinted. "You mean to tell me that is literally the explanation? That some ghostly woman is out there in another dimension, literally building us with her own two hands?" It sounded frankly insane. "How did Reiner even get this bizarre idea?"
"I don't think it's an idea. Or not one he came up with. I've been getting more of his memories lately, and I think it's real. It's some intel briefing he received when he got back to Marley, after Shiganshina. Zeke told him. Zeke'd been doing a lot of titan research, you know?"
Yes. True. Erwin sat back. That would explain why he hadn't seen any such thing in Berholdt's memories.
"But even if an entity such as Ymir existed, what does that have to do with our situation?"
"She's the Founder. She's the one who can make anything happen to us, if this is all true. She's the only person who can give you what you want. Like, she can stop the curse."
"But…even if that were true, I'd have to go to PATHS. Which is an impossible concept."
"But Ymir's got a direct link to the world through her royal blood, doesn't she?" Connie sounded anxious. Unusual for this boy to be so enterprising and far thinking. Then again, he loved his homeland. He wanted Paradis to survive. For that, Erwin must survive. The king rose from his chair.
Thoughts began falling into place.
"Oruo. And Historia," he whispered. He had one of them just upstairs.
"Reiner said…I mean, like, Zeke told Reiner that scientists had wanted to try actually summoning Ymir to this world through someone with royal blood. Maybe you could use Historia?" The boy's voice faltered then. Erwin studied him carefully.
"Connie. When did this idea occur to you?"
"L-Last week," he whispered. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Of course. He had known this would put Historia in grave danger. He had wanted to protect his friend and queen.
Erwin did not feel the anger he perhaps should have. Connie was above all a decent person. Erwin preferred him to Floch for that reason alone.
"We'll have to begin searching through records," Erwin mused. He frowned. "If you can recall exact details about this 'process', write it down. Why didn't Marley ever try this themselves?"
"Because Zeke was the only royal they had, and he was in hiding."
Well. That made sense. It was all a theory…but a theory worth pursuing. At the very least, it would give the children a reprieve. It would allow Erwin a little sleep at night.
"I'll have Pixis and Anka begin organizing a research team. In the meantime, the queen will be moved to Hange's old laboratory."
"Near the titan pits?" Connie scratched his head.
"Yes. It will be comfortable enough. And her guard will be expanded. She might be the last chance we have to stop this fucking curse." Erwin nodded at Connie. "For both our sakes."
"Yes, Majesty." Connie saluted again.
"Connie?" Erwin gave a rare smile. "This was well remembered. Thank you."
Connie bowed and left the room, leaving Erwin before his fire. His shadow flared upon the wall. He stared into the flames, lost in thought.
Perhaps. Perhaps…
Connie let out a big sigh as he wandered back towards his chambers. Man, he was real bad at acting. But the instructions Eren had written on that paper for Reiner had been very detailed.
This had been the time to mention to Erwin about Historia's "potential." Historia herself had known it was coming. She'd been preparing herself for this day for years.
She was about to endure hell on earth. But, Connie thought sadly, it was nothing compared to what Petra Ackerman would soon face.