Anders Fritz, in one of his rare moments of rest, was standing on one of the castle's many balconies, his arm leaning against a column in the corner and holding a cup of tea on the other hand. His hair was pure white, his face sickly and marked by wrinkles. His once bright blue eyes were now dim, having lost their light along the thirteen years he had been the bearer of the Founding Titan.
— Your highness, I'm afraid Lord Klaus Brandt, his heir Sören, and Heinrich Bjorn, heir to the Beast Titan, won't be able to join the meeting. — Said a bearded man in a toga, his hands clasped behind his back.
Anders looked over the horizon, thinking these were his last days. He took a sip of the tea and turned around to the messenger.
— Very well, our plans haven't changed. The meeting will still occur.
It was still morning; the sun hadn't risen to midday position yet. Anders had time to spare. He sent off the messenger with a gesture. The man bowed and hurried away, leaving the king alone to watch the scenery around his castle. He closed his eyes and concentrated deeply. Suddenly, he found himself in a strange landscape. An infinite sea of sand and a starry sky above. Most striking of all, a giant tree-like shining structure stood in the distance. Anders was shocked the first time he came to the Paths, but he got used to it. A blonde girl wearing a tattered dress and holding a wooden bucket came to him.
— I want to know where the Armoured Titan is. — He ordered.
The girl walked to the tree of light and touched it. At the same moment, the answer came to Anders' mind. He could see exactly where Klaus Brandt was located. It would be two more days until he came back. "I made the right choice after all." — He thought.
He concentrated and found himself in the "real" world again. Feeling rather bored, he decided to sketch the landscape in a small piece of paper, using a quill and paint. His days would be over soon, and his daughter would inherit his power. He had come to terms with this before, but his eyes welled up. He toughed it out and continued to sketch.
Hours later and the meeting was on. The eight most powerful people in Eldia were reunited, along with seventeen more people, their heirs, and advisors. Heinrich's brother, Hodritz, took his place in the meeting, but the matter was not yet discussed. They were sitting around a big U-shaped wooden table. Hildegard was anxious. The day she would inherit the Founding would probably be revealed in this meeting. She looked around the table and saw some familiar faces.
— Let the meeting commence. First and foremost, we have matters of inheritance to solve in this moment. — King Anders said.
A muscular, sunburnt man raised his hand. His beard was long, but his hair was properly kept short.
— Your highness, I have already decided who will inherit the Beast Titan. It will be Hodritz, my honoured cousin. I believe he possesses all the qualities of one worthy of one of the nine titans' power.
There was a slight murmuring around. Hodritz was smiling proudly. The king announced:
— There is yet another candidate to the succession, but as you can see, he is not here with us. — He looked around at each person's eyes and said: — Whoever votes for this man here, raise your hand.
Only three people raised their hands. The current Beast Titan, his advisor, and Hodritz himself. He became red with shame when noticing how unpopular he was in the succession race.
— The answer is clear. The titans that will be passed on in the following week are the Founding, the Armoured, and the Beast. With all matters of inheritance settled, we must now talk about war. The far western border…
As the king talked, Hildegard's mind drifted away. She thought of commanding titans in battle. Humans had few ways of dealing with them, the power of the titans is overwhelming. Then she thought about Octavia, all the other slaves and servants whose names she didn't know, the conquered non-Eldians she saw in chains, the rows of women taken to many tents after battle... Her mind was made up.
Almost an hour had passed, and the meeting ended. Most of the participants were standing around, talking with each other, except for Hodritz Bjorn and the current Beast Titan, who quickly left. King Anders coughed up some blood and was quickly taken back to the castle by a servant. Hildegard was approached by two people whom she recognised as the current Jaw and Female titans, Gunnar Jung and Ingvild Haugen. Gunnar was of average height and build, with a thin blonde beard adorning his face. His eyes were of a striking green and his golden hair was shoulder length. Ingvild, a tall woman with jet-black hair and eyes and a strikingly pale skin, smiled gently to Hildegard.
— Seems like the king's time is up, eh?
— Yes… — Hildegarde scratched her own arm.
— Hey, don't look so down. — Gunnar said. — You will be the new queen! Besides, King Anders' memories will live on within you. I assure you it isn't as bad as you may think.
Hildegard was acting rather aloof. She answered with a simple nod and remained silent.
— You know, ever since I inherited the Jaw Titan from my mother, I recall her memories with me. It helps if you ever come to miss your old man. — He added, trying to cheer her up.
Hildegard would in fact not miss her father. He was very rarely home and didn't do much besides resting or attending to meetings when he came back. She thought of the enormous responsibility and the new measures she would take. "By Ymir, I hope the people of Eldia don't resent me for my future choices." — She thought.