On the following day, Hildegard called a meeting with the holders of the Nine Titans, who were still on the capital due to last night's celebration. Such reunions traditionally occurred less than ten times a year, as each titan had territories to govern under the careful supervision of a member of the Fritz clan.
— I take it you all know why we are reunited here today. — Hildegard stated.
Sören and Arnulf looked attentively while Hodritz and Sigrid Tybur, holder of the Warhammer Titan, clearly showed indifference. She nonchalantly looked at her own fingernails.
— This is the first meeting since King Anders' death. Do you think you can live up to his legacy, Princess Hildegard? — Sigrid carefully stressed the last two words.
— I am sure I will surpass him, Tybur. Now, to the subject of the meeting… Six of you will infiltrate the enemy states.
Without words, most of them showed their contempt towards the decision. Gunnar Jung, the Jaw Titan, who had been silent until that moment, suddenly sprang up, his face red with indignation.
— Do you seriously expect us to leave our territories unattended while being on enemy territory for some unknown amount of time?
— This does not seem prudent, Princess. — Sigrid remarked.
— You fail to understand we're the most qualified for this. — Arnulf replied in defence of Hildegard.
— How so? — Arnulf began to talk, but Sigrid raised her hand, signalling for him to stop. — I want the Princess to answer this.
— Erm… You see… — Her hands trembled while she gesticulated. It was hard to gaze at Sigrid's amber eyes. — Regular Eldians lack power and mobility. If one of you is captured, you can simply transform and walk away, while non-titan shifters would likely be tortured to death after revealing our secrets.
— You know what, queen Hildegard? This plan is not that bad. — Hodritz said. — So you mean if something goes wrong, I can crush a city?
— In essence, yes. I'd like to avoid destruction as much as possible. The priority is gathering information and perhaps capturing or killing the masterminds behind this.
— What about our lands? — Gunnar asked.
— I have already sent messages to your retainers and clan members and have selected members of the Fritz clan to oversee your territories while you are away. You have but to agree and we can commence the preparations.
— Which ones of us will go, my queen? — Sören asked.
— Sigrid, Emmerich, and I will remain on Eldia to defend against potential conflicts. Ingvild and Grimwald will infiltrate Maldatia, Gunnar and Hodritz will go to Tauremania, and you, Arnulf, and Ulrika will infiltrate Paradis.
— None of us is called Ulrika, Princess. I thought only shifters were going to be part of the operation. — Sigrid said.
— I'm yet to introduce you to the fruit of King Anders' research. Using the Founding's power, he made it so that Ulrika is able to access the "instinct" of her predecessors. I don't know the details yet, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to test her.
She called a servant and told him to bring Ulrika to the meeting. Some moments later, a girl with pitch-black tied hair wearing a simple beige toga came to them. Judging by her height and body, she couldn't be older than twelve. All shifters looked at her either in disbelief or shock.
— It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Ulrika Ackerman — She said with a soft voice and a bow.
— Hah! Has the queen become insane? — Hodritz blurted between bouts of laughter while pointing at Ulrika. — Come here girl, I'll humour you. Uncle Hodritz will let you throw a punch in his face.
He approached her, lowered his face, and closed his eyes, smiling amusedly. Sigrid could barely hold her laughter. The other shifters simply stared, still processing Hildegard's seemingly foolish suggestion.
— Be careful not to break his bones, little Ulrika! — Sigrid uttered. Her face was red, and her eyes were tearing up in laughter.
Ulrika uppercut Hodritz's chin, sending him flying backwards. All people present emitted some sort of collective gasp, then silence reigned. Hodritz rose from the ground holding his chin and spewing blood. The jaw seemed to be unhinged.
— She… fucking… broke my jawbone… — He struggled to pronounce the words.
— Is this proof enough, titans? Is there any of you who's tougher than Lord Tenderjaw here? — She challenged them, opening her arms threateningly.
— Now, now, we don't want to start a fight, do we? — Hildegard grabbed Ulrika's shoulder. — Just be a good girl for now.
— Princess, at first, I didn't trust you, but now I want to see how this will end. I'm in favour of your decision. — Sigrid said.
The others, perhaps persuaded by Sigrid's support, and to a lesser degree, Sören's and Arnulf's favouring, raised their hands in agreement. Hodritz had been itching for a fight since inheriting the Beast Titan, but Hildegard had yet to declare wars against the neighbouring peoples. This was an opportunity to use his titan in a real battle. Hildegard told the details of the temporary territory administration and discussed strategy with the shifters. The meeting ended slightly less than an hour later, each shifter returning to their estates on the capital. Only Arnulf and Hildegard remained on the castle.
— I did it… I don't know how, but they were convinced. Thank you for your support, Arnulf.
— It is my duty to serve you, your highness. — He replied with a bow. — Even so, you seem distraught somehow.
— It has been so since I inherited the Founding Titan. Sometimes, I think I'm not fit for a queen. It's difficult for my own subjects to even consider my opinions. Perhaps I won't be able to change Eldia, and much less the world, too much. — Her lower lip trembled while she held back tears.
— Nonsense. You are the one with the most potential to change everything. You bear the power of Ymir, and you are going to be instrumental for Eldia's future. Even if it is not immediately recognisable, you will be a steppingstone for further changes. — He said in an attempt to comfort her.
Hildegard wiped the tears with the back of her hand and looked at the afternoon sky.
— It almost seems like you can see the future. Well then, I'll follow your advice and keep moving forward. — She stated, even more determined.
A great distance from the capital, beyond the eastern shores of Eldia, another meeting occurred. Inside a stone fort, twenty men and women were gathered, each of them wearing different clothing. At least four Marleyans were present. One man, wearing a silver lorica, stood with a sombre air about him. His black eyes pierced each person with a cold glare.
— The three men we sent have not yet returned. Do you have something to say, chieftess Cliodhna?
— I don't know, but I think they were captured by the Eldian devils or died on the way to Paradis. They were too foolish, those two. — Declared a fierce-looking woman, wearing animal pelts and with blue facial tattoos which contrasted with her pale skin and red hair.
— They're coming, I'm sure of it! My diviner read the entrails yesterday and the message was "great disaster"! We have to act immediately! — Cried a man with a thick brown beard and tanned skin. His long, swept-back hair revealed a strange horizontal scar on the forehead.
The man on the lorica put his hand on the brow and sighed. "This confederation is a mess. These tribals are too primitive and incompetent." He tried to be inspiring and said:
— This is one of the last stands of humanity. The Eldian devils took our land, and we are the survivors. You islanders are next. We are simply lucky they neglected this island due to its… lack of infrastructure. It is our duty to rid the world of at least their most powerful demonic deity, the Founding Titan. That is why we're infiltrating their ranks and investing so much in the navy. They are the devils of the earth, so we must master the sea.
Cliodhna raised her hand and spoke with a hint of hostility.
— This "island lacking infrastructure" is our land, don't forget that. If you don't stay in line and the titans don't devour you first, we will eliminate all of you continentals. Your petty Marleyan colonies on the shores are no match for the Fomhóire's might.
— So we should kill each other and leave this island empty for the devils to settle on? I can't allow that, and I am sure you natives share the same motivation as us Marleyans. — He replied.
— It is only temporary, Cliodhna. That is why this confederation was formed. The enemies of our enemies are our friends. — Stated another man with half his face painted blue. His red unkept hair resembled flames.
She nodded with an annoyed expression. Tribes that were enemies for thousands of years and even foreigners from across the sea working together? The devils somehow managed to unite them all with the always present titan threat. Cliodhna hoped more than anyone this all ended soon. The man in the lorica put his hands on the table and stared deeply in her green eyes.
— I swear Marley shall never rest until Eldia is destroyed or at least subjugated. There will come a time in which we will rule over them and make them pay for their sins. Of this you can be sure.