Ripple of Kindness
Disclaimer: I do not own AoT
AN Something new, going to be posting these little snippets at the beginning and end of every chapter from now on. These are inspired by the "Currently Publicly Available Information" bits from the anime.
Ancient Eldian Historical Discoveries:
The Culture of Pre-Ymirian Eldia is largely unknown, as few Eldian texts existed prior to approximated year in which the Eldian Empire was founded. Philosophers of Helladi and surviving Marleyan records are mostly tinted through a cultral lense to portray Pre-Ymirian Eldians as barbarians and savages, as well as many other races and societies. Filtered through accounts recorded in ancient Farisa, Kankaraa, and other cultures support the less bias truth behind these facts: a scatter collection of tribes steeped in a warrior culture. Most Eldian Historians agree that, regardless of advancement, cruelty was the currency of this era for all nations.
The wails of Marleyian Soldiers echoed from the depths of Nagrindr. Wails not of pain, but of sorrow. Wails as they watched their brothers in arms chopped to bits by the troll-hags that guarded over them. Not one piece of them was to be left behind; all would be returned to Marley.
Tales of their cries reached the rest of the city in three days, including within the palace halls of Fritz.
It was not surprising that King Fritz found himself preparing for a long, possibly all-day meeting with his council…again. After recent events, they had much to do. Like planning what message to send to Marley, how well they could defend their territories from minor skirmishes and attacks if Marley tried to push their luck. The Titaness was great for decimating armies and towns, but she could not be everyplace at once.
That said, Fritz was more than a little surprised to find that he was not first to the meeting room.
"Ymir?" he said in surprise, the woman standing to the side of the table, as if she was supposed to be there. But she wasn't. She had never attended a war meeting except for three or four times, and those were only because he had wanted to keep her close by at those times for various reasons. It wasn't like he was opposed to her attending, but it was still the first time she had come without him ordering her to come along.
Curious.
"May. I. Speak. With you. Master?" Ymir asked submissively, not meeting his eyes.
Ahh, so perhaps this wasn't about the war meeting. "It will be sometime before the members of my council arrive," he answered, wondering where this was going.
"What. Was done. To. The. Soldiers?" Ymir asked with a rigid look about her.
He rose an eyebrow before understanding set in. "You believe I had them tortured despite your wishes?" he asked neutrally.
"You. Never. Said. If you. Would. Or. Would not," she retorted in some form of acceptance, not surprised her request would go ignored. "I. Just. Want. To know. What. Happened. To. Them. Please?"
Fritz stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, moving past her to take a seat at the table, Ymir turning as he did but remaining standing. "I didn't harm them, Ymir. I just gave them their punishment. Their dead companions were dismembered. The Warden of Nagrindr decided to do it where they could watch. The remains have been sealed in barrels for them to carry home and lay to rest. They'll be sent on their way today."
Fritz wasn't sure what he expected from that. Sadness or outrage for twisting her desire for mercy? Nothing at all, Ymir just desiring to know the truth of the matter?
What he got was something in between the two. Ymir looked up, meeting his gaze for the first time with eyes that were wavering back and forth between surprise and confusion. "But. They. Are. Unharmed?" she clarified.
"Yes," Fritz admitted bluntly, almost annoyed he had to say it any blunter. Either from his tone or her own satisfaction, she lowered her eyes again yet seemed relieved at least. "Was that all you came for, Ymir?"
"Yes. I am. Sorry. To. Bother you," she said, bowing her head, than holding her pose for a moment. "Thank. You. For. Sparing. Them."
Fritz watched as she turned to leave, watching her with interest. "Ymir, I-"
"Umm, King Fritz? Lady Ymir?" one of the guards called, opening the door slightly. The man barely resisted flinching at the king's glare. "Apologizes, but Princess Sheena is here and she is very adamant about seeing you, King Fritz."
Now he was the one confused. Him? Not Ymir? A quick glance to Ymir told him she was uncertain as wee. "Send her in," he granted, wondering what his youngest could be wanting. The only one that eager for his attention was usually Maria after impressing one of her teachers. Or frustrating them.
The guard let out a grateful noise before opening the door and letting the princess barrel in like she was possessed. She scanned the room with hawk-like scrutiny, instantly being surprised by her mother's presence. "Mother?" she said before looking to her father with eyes somehow both relieved and incredibly sad. "Father!"
Fritz and Ymir shared mutually bewildered looks as Sheena ran over to the king and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Sheena? What is wrong? Why are you crying?" Fritz asked in confusion.
"I had a nightmare," Sheena answered in a whimper.
"That's all?" Fritz asked, perhaps a bit callously, but not cruelly. Ymir said nothing, merely observing the exchange.
"I-I'm sorry, I just...I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Sheena answered into his side.
"Why wouldn't I be okay, Sheena?" Fritz asked in surprise.
"T-that day? When that man hurt Mother with the spear? I-I was so scared for Mother, that I f-forgot! I forgot he was trying to hurt you!" Sheena cried, her body trembling. "And...and last night, I dreamed about it. Only Mother didn't block the spear in time. And...and you didn't get up."
Fritz's eyes widened briefly before settling, his gaze warmed over as he ran his fingers through Sheena's hair in an effort to comfort her. "All is well, Sheena. Dry your tears."
"I-I know. Princesses shouldn't cry," Sheena said with a hiccup.
Ymir felt both relieved and lost. On one hand, she was happy that there was a relatively good bond between her daughters and their father, her master. After all, children with nightmares tend to run to the one they believe will protect them.
But...she felt a little out of place, standing there, watching this scene. Was there something she should say? Something she should do?
Ultimately, she did nothing before Sheena pulled herself back, wiping her tears to give a trembling smile to her father. "I just...I really wanted to see you, Father. And I wanted you to know that I don't want you to die."
I don't want you to die.
The familiar words echoed in the air as Fritz shared a look with Ymir.
That proved to be a mistake.
"Huh?" Sheena said, looking between her parents curiously, wondering why they were staring at each other like that. "What? Were you two doing something important before I got here?"
"And just what do you think we would be doing, my gracious little princess?" Fritz asked wryly.
"Well, you are both alone in a room together...am I getting a new sister?" Sheena asked with curiously, looking at the room again as if searching for something. "I thought you needed a bed to make a baby?" she questioned rather bluntly.
"Not always," Fritz muttered, obviously finding the topic amusing. "And who told you about that, I wonder?"
"Maria says she heard mothers have to lie on a bed so the healers can put the baby in. Or did she say to take them out?" Sheena asked, her face pinched together thoughtfully.
"Sheena, you and your sisters will not need to worry with that for many more summers and winters," Fritz remarked with a headshake. "Now, run along Sheena. This room will be very busy soon."
"You've been busy every day since Mother was hurt," Sheena said, frowning angrily. "Is it about the people that hurt Mother?"
"I suppose you could say that, yes," Fritz admitted, patting her on the head, smiling a bit at her fury. "My though, I didn't know you had a temper under that pretty face, Daughter! Careful, you might scare all my soldiers away with that look."
Sheena couldn't hold her rage, giggling and blushing under the words of her father. "Okay, I'll go now, Father. But Maria is getting worried about you! You haven't been to dinner with us since then either. Are you even eating?" she asked before blinking, doing a double take at the room again. "Wait...is this like a special dining room?"
"No, but we do eat here if things take too long," Fritz admitted calmly. "That's enough for now, Sheena. And I'll try to make time for you and your sisters very soon, I promise."
Sheena nodded, hesitated for a moment, then hugged her father again before rushing over to her mother, hugging her around the legs too. "I don't want you to die either, Mother," she said into her mother's clothes before heading off, the door closing behind her.
"That girl will be the death of someone someday. Either myself or her future husband," Fritz remarked in jest, glancing back at Ymir, who was watching the door still. His brow furrowed; surely she hadn't literally meant that she thought he himself was the only one she was important to, right? She had to know she was important to their daughters by default, right?
"Is she. Wrong?"
"Hm?" Fritz came out of his musing, staring at Ymir with a lost expression of his own. "You'll have to be more clear, Sheena mentioned many things."
"About. A new. Child?" Ymir stated, glancing at him with an uncertain expression.
Fritz had both eyebrows rising at that. He hadn't laid with Ymir in close to half a year now, both because they had been busy with Marley and because he was actively trying to NOT get Ymir pregnant again when her powers were rather important to the survival of Eldia.
Still, he couldn't help considering the pros and cons of having his council walk in on him taking Ymir, the Titaness, right on the council table. There was a certain appeal to that...
"Will she. Have a. New. Sibling. Soon?" Ymir asked cautiously.
Fritz hummed at her question, trying to make sense of it. Was she weary of having more children again after years of raising the other three? Or was Ymir one of those types that grew restless without a babe to care for after so long? Had her near-death made her want to have another child, her own mortality pressuring her to do it sooner rather than later? It made sense. Many warriors, men and women, often had a new sense of priorities after returning from a close meeting with death. But did that apply to Ymir? She hadn't just almost died, she had been about to give up on life.
Speaking of children, he needed to eventually discuss with Ymir figuring out if and how her powers could be awakened or inherited to their daughters. They truly needed to have that talk one day, if their children's children, and their children, were to have a future.
He shook his head, both to himself and her. "Not just yet, no. While Marley appears defeated, I would rather not give them the window to attack while you're with child," he answered, watching her reaction. She only nodded, not showing any disappointment or relief. A thought came to his mind. "Would you like to remain for the meeting, Ymir?"
She only looked slightly surprised by the offer, than unsure on how to reply. "Is it. Important. That I. Stay?"
"No, it isn't," he admitted, pausing to see if she would accept the offer, but he only received silence. "If there's nothing else, Ymir?" he asked, gesturing to her that she was free to leave. She bowed her head before leaving silently.
Fritz leaned back in his chair. Ymir made much more sense to him now, but the mysteries were still there. He had seen inside her...being, he supposed, but it had only been an instance. Enough to know the important parts: She had always wanted to be important to someone. She had indeed wanted to save him. Yet she had been ready to give up on life. Everything else was a blur, like some long dream he could only remember the most vivid parts of.
He held up his hand, staring at it curiously, wondering if there was a way to do that again, without one of them nearly dying. Ymir's powers were immense and still unknown in most respects. And to know one another's thoughts was a useful ability, limited only by how close they needed to be.
His gaze drifted down to the round table. A trophy of sorts from the first major Malayan city they laid siege to. It had been a rather splendid table. Had being the keyword. It once had a vibrant and detailed map of the known world painted on its surface. But warriors were occasionally idiots, like not bothering to cover the damn table when transporting it back to Eldia in the middle of the raining season.
He'd like to have it repainted one day.
A smirk came to his face. Maybe he'd wait until after he did that to mount Ymir on the council table. There was a fitting imagery, the King of Eldia fucking the Titaness on top of a map of the world.
Meanwhile
"Who are you?"
Sheena didn't know everyone in the palace. But she recognized most people that were present day to day. The servants, the guards, the people that helped her father run the Eldian Empire and of course the cooks. But she knew that this person was not usually here.
It was kind of obvious though. She had seen women in armor before, but they weren't in the palace all the time like the guards. This one wore a helmet that covered everything but the mouth, with a slot for the eyes, and curled horns on the side. Sheena was bad at guessing, but she thought she was a bit too young and slim for a warrior, even a woman-warrior. She was also holding a spear and, until Sheena spoke, had been pacing nervously outside her mother's room.
Now she was looking at her with shock, standing straighter. "Princess Rose?"
Sheena giggled. "That's my sister. I'm Princess Sheena!" she said before scowling as she looked at the spear. "Why are you outside Mother's room?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Princess. This is my first day here," the warrior said respectfully. "I'm supposed to report to your mother. Do you know where she is?"
"What for?" Sheena asked distrustfully.
The woman looked confused before glancing at her spear- then going rigid. "You think that- Oh, I am so sorry for worrying you Princess!" she apologized profusely, realizing what a child must think from recent events, still so fresh in a young mind. "I swear to all the realms that I mean no harm," she assured, dropping to one knee, giving a smile to the little girl. "I'm here to serve and protect your mother. I want to make sure that never happens again to her."
"You're going to protect Mother?" Sheena asked with wide, awed eyes. Then she blinked. "But you look so small! I thought warriors were big! Even the Iron Women are big!"
The woman looked a bit struck by that. "You mean the Jarnvidr? Princess, I am a Jarnvidr," she stated firmly.
"..." Sheena stared at her, not looking impressed.
The warrior was starting to feel insulted now, but wisely didn't say anything rude to the princess. "Ahem. Besides, my unassuming size is why I was chosen, Princess. If I slip into servant clothes, no one would guess I was a warrior of any sort," she stated as an attempt to defend her honor from the youngest child of the Titaness. "That way, they never see me before I get them," she added with a small smirk.
And just like that, Sheena's eyes lit up again. "Ahhh, that sounds amazing!" she said childishly.
Syn almost sighed, albeit fondly. Children could be so easily impressed and disappointed, it gave her whiplash.
"Mother is with Father in the room with the circle-table," Sheena answered, humming apologetically as she saw this didn't help this woman any. "I could take you there if you want?"
"Thank you, Princess, but I'll wait. I won't be a very good guard if I can't stand and wait for a few hours," she countered lightly. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sheena. My name is Syn. Syn Brunndottir."
"Syn," Sheena repeated with a nod. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Syn. I hope Mother likes you!"
"So do I, Princess, so do I," Syn said with a wary smile, watching as the Princess left down the halls to her own room. "Disir give me strength," she said to herself as she rose up to continue her vigil and wait.
Or she would have, had she not looked down the other direction of the hall.
Her body instantly tensed, falling back down on her knee and bowing her head low as the Titaness herself walked up to loom over her.
Syn felt a rush of awe and fear. She knew all too well the might of Ymir, all of the Ironwood did. One wrong move and King Fritz would not have the time to order her execution. Yet, still...
"Lady Ymir, it is a privilege to be in your presence!" Syn declared enthusiastically, keeping her eyes cast down on the feet of the veritable Goddess. There was silence, but that was to be expected. "My Titaness, I am Syn Brunndottir. The King has tasked me with the honored duty of guarding over you and your children."
She knelt there, unwilling to move unless she had a sign that she was given leave to rise. She only dared to glance up to Ymir's hands, to see if there were any gestures. There was none. Was she doing something wrong? Was she supposed to kiss her feet now? It was a bit more of a Marleyian custom, but it would seem like a fitting show of respect from a mortal like her to one such as Lady Ymir, to properly lower herself bef-
Her thoughts were interrupted as the Titaness walked into her room without any form of acknowledgement. "My Lady?" she said in surprise, but got no reaction as the door closed. She knelt there, stunned, before smiling softly. She was just here to serve Ymir, her very body to be a shield if any would dare to lay harm on her human form. Perhaps no words were needed.
With that, she returned to standing and guarding the doorway.
Ymir, meanwhile, was more than a little confused by what just happened. She was used to servants attending her; she was her Master's concubine after all. But that was...different.
The least but most immediate issue was that she had confirmed something about herself: She wasn't ready to speak to others if she didn't have to. Fritz and her own daughters were one thing. She still hadn't brought herself to speak to any of the long-time guards or servants. People she just met were a definite no.
But even if she had been willing to talk to the woman, Ymir was at a complete loss for what she would have said. Her master had assigned this warrior-woman to her, to guard her and her children? Wouldn't he have told her that? Or had it slipped his mind?
Still, she didn't appear to be lying, as she hadn't tried to harm Sheena while Ymir watched from around the corner. But that led to the strangeness of this Syn's behavior. She had heard others tell Fritz what an "honor" it was to serve him or meet him. Some meant it; many were just trying to flatter him. Syn seemed genuine in her desire to serve her.
To obey her.
Had her master given her, his slave, a slave of her own? Was that...allowed? Even if it was, she didn't know how to process that idea. She had always been the one doing the obeying, not the one being obeyed.
Even if she was just an overeager guard, Ymir wasn't sure she liked the idea of having this Syn around all the time. There was just a sensation in the back of her head that made her uneasy around the woman...
Hours later, the city gates were surrounded by people, kept back by two lines of soldiers. The crowd yelled, booed and tried to throw whatever they could at the soldiers of Marley. Of the forty-nine who had come to give their false-surrender, thirteen had been slain. One for every year of the Titaness, some noticed. And so, thirteen sealed urns were strapped onto the backs of thirteen soldiers. The defeated captives were given two wagons and the horses for them, but each wagon was already filled with the food and water they needed to make it home.
If they wished to ease their burden, they would have to abandon their supplies or their dead.
The soul crushed men took one last look at the City of Eldia, the citizens cheering for their suffering. Less than two decades ago, this was a fractured land of huts, villages, and barbarians. Lands they raided, pacified, and believed their empire would eventually subjugate. Now? Many of them couldn't help thinking just how similar the city looked to one of their own, of finely crafted stones, defended by well-equipped warriors, with a proud and mostly united people under one powerful leader.
And now, they would march home in defeat.
Caius Lebienus, the mutilated remains of the would-be assassin sealed within the container on his back, traveled his eyes further away…to the palace, to the balcony. He glared with cold hatred as he saw...them; The Barbarian King and the Titaness Witch, watching their humiliation and their hopelessness.
Never before had Caius hated something so much yet had no way of striking at it.
But if his mind had been less focused on his rage, he might have noticed his men. Many of them were just relieved to leave these lands, to see home and hearth once more...
"Will. They. Survive?"
With anyone else, Fritz might have suspected she doubted his word, but he could read the more thoughtful and curious tone in Ymir's voice. She honestly didn't know if they had enough supplies to make the journey. "Unless they're completely without brains," he answered apathetically. "There is enough food to make it to Marley on foot, but they'll likely take the river to the south. They should be able to find a ship there and sail homeward with ease. As long as they don't break those containers, they should be safe from any disease from the rotting corpses."
Ymir nodded in understanding as she watched them tread out across the fields before the city, to the wastelands between Eldia and Marley, just barely visible on the horizon.
"Are you upset I added a punishment to your mercy?" he asked curiously.
Ymir paused before shaking her head. "No. I. Understand. You. Wish. To. Make. Marley. Scared. Of. Trying. Again," she acknowledged softly.
"I'm hoping fear of you will do the bulk of the work there," Fritz remarked grimly. "How have you faired since your...injury?"
Ymir was briefly surprised by the question, the concern, but tried not to read too much into it. "I am. Unharmed. Now," she answered truthfully.
Fritz hummed, glancing at her briefly and then his hand, giving it a considering look before shaking his head. "Myself and the council believe we need to focus on our defenses now."
Ymir searched her mind for what he meant. "You. Wish. Me. To use. The. Flesh Stone. Again?"
Flesh Stone. That was the name many had come to refer to the strange substance that Ymir could produce as the Titaness. She used it to make bridges in the past, among other things. It moved like a substance akin to clay or wax, but it hardened to become nearly as strong as metal, turning from a pale white to an unassuming gray. And they seemed to resist the wears and tears of time, unchanging even a decade after their creation.
Fritz nodded. "We need defenses to hold back any invaders. And a proper defense means that a proper band of warriors occupying the defenses could repel many enemies even without you needing to come to the front."
Ymir blinked in surprise. The Eldians being able to turn away an enemy without her needing to assume her other form? That would be...relatively nice, in a way. She wouldn't say it, but she appreciated it when she wasn't the only one getting her hands dirty.
"I. Will. Try," Ymir answered in concern, both of them recalling the time she tried to make a very large bridge for the first time, nearly passing out in her giant form. Producing Flesh Stone was very draining for some reason. It got easier after a while. From her age or from practice, it was hard to say.
Fritz didn't say anything to that. They had time, and they still had to plan. Perhaps test on how fast could Ymir create certain defensive structures in different sizes. Then they could weigh the pros and cons between how long it should take Ymir to finish the project, how effective the plans would be as defenses and how long they would take to complete. After all, Marley was in no shape to go on the offensive right now.
"Why. Did. You. Send. Me. Syn?"
The change of topic almost threw Fritz off completely. "Syn?" he questioned, searching for the name in his memories.
Ymir glanced behind them out of the corner of her eye, dragging Fritz's attention to the supposed-servant girl standing at the door way, just out of earshot for the most part.
"Ahh, her," Fritz said in understanding. "I decided it was best to have a guard with you in case someone thinks to attempt what Marley did by mistake," he answered, getting a confused look for his answer. "In case someone tries to attack you outside of battle."
"Oh," Ymir couldn't help saying. "Why. Her?"
"I left that decision up to the Warden," Fritz answered offhandedly before finding Ymir's question odd. "Why, do you take issue with her? Or do you not like having a bodyguard?"
"I...do not. Know," Ymir admitted with a frown.
"If you decide you do not like her, she'll be dismissed and replaced," Fritz assured, quirking a brow at Ymir. "But it would be best to discover what you don't like about her before another is picked."
Ymir nodded, her head dipping deeper. "I. Don't. Like. Talking. To. Strangers. Yet."
Fritz supposed that wasn't unreasonable. She hadn't spoken in well over fifteen years, but she had been perfectly able to for thirteen. Perhaps she would grow accustomed to it again with time, perhaps not. "You know, despite how hectic things have been, I have had some time with our daughters," he mused with a small smirk. "They all love hearing your voice."
Ymir smiled ever so slightly, recent memories coming to her mind. Time surrounded by her children as she shared her first conversations with them. They were the warmest memories she had ever possessed in her cold life.
A hand on her shoulder jerked her mind back to reality.
"I'm growing fond of it myself," he admitted with a chuckle as he stared out at the mighty realm he ruled.
Ymir had no reply, staring at him in surprise before turning her gaze back over the city as well
Syn watched all with vigilant, neutral eyes.
Ancient Eldian Historical Discoveries:
Ymirite or Flesh Stone, as it is commonly called in the present and past, is matter of great scientific debate even eighteen centuries later. Most scholars choose to call it Titanite or Ymirite, also Titanstein or Ymirstein. Some believed it was the Flesh of the Gods, turning to stone when detachted from the source. Many scholars and alchemists declared it the fabled adamantine before seeing it. Ymirite looks no different than ordinary stone, outside of its near unnatural smoothness. Its true power is the ease or quickness it could be used. And that erosion has very little effect on it, of course. Despite what the legends would have us believe, Flesh Stone is actually less durable than the concrete used by ancient Marleyans. However, this is only true on its own. In the state of Titanite, or Flesh Steel, that is another story entirely...
End of Chapter
Merry Christmas everyone! Just a little end of the year gift to end this on. Hope you all are enjoying it. And, yeah, Less Cruel does not mean nice. Fritz is still an ass in a lot of ways, and his best moments are usually for his daughters. But he at least tries with Ymir. Also, now Ymir has a guard. I hope you all enjoyed Syn. I figure after that little incident with the spear, Fritz giving Ymir a personal bodyguard seemed like a good course of action.
And my first installments of Anicent Eldian Historical Discoveries. I'm mainly trying to keep them related to the chapter in one way or another.
Until next time! Be safe everyone!
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