The day finally came when the Hizuru delegation would arrive. All important officers and most of the survey corps, along with the queen herself, gathered in the port, waiting for the incoming ship to dock. Dina looked around. Most people seemed sceptical of the foreigners, but she could tell that everyone present has been looking for this moment for quite some time.

The volunteers had gathered in the harbour as well. Dina hadn't been that eager to trust any of them but given that Zeke was the one who organised their group, she decided to give it a shot. As far as she was concerned, all their actions on the island seemed genuine and the stash of serum created by Yann was the biggest proof of that.

"Eren" Yelena started once she spotted the young shifter "I haven't seen you since you lifted our entire ship. I'm looking forward to…"

"No" Levi stated as he protectively stepped in between the two "he'll never come in contact with any of you again. This brief meeting is as far as we will go."

This was one of Erwin's decisions. Dina wasn't sure if it would really pay off. Antagonizing Eren even more wasn't something she was looking for. And she knew that he blamed her for the commander's order as well.

"That's plenty" Yelena responded with a hopeful smile on her face "today's an auspicious day…"

All of them turned to look at the arriving ship. It looked more like a light cruiser than a civilian vessel, but none of the usual warship equipment had been installed on it. Once it moored in the dock and the stairway had been lowered, the foreign delegation finally set feet to the island of Paradis.

In front, there was an older eastern-looking woman. Upon their entrance, Historia came forward to greet them.

"Welcome to the island of Paradis" the queen said happily, extending her hand "I am Historia Reiss, the queen of Eldians."

"Hello, your majesty" the older female responded while taking the queen's hand "the nation of Hizuru sends its regards."

Yelena told them earlier that the head ambassador for this mission was Kiyomi Azumabito. Apparently, her family was one of the most influential within the country, and she was the current head of the clan.

Dina looked around to watch the reactions. Many of the officers were weirded out by the unusual appearance of the foreigners, however the most apparent reaction was Mikasa's. The girl was absolutely stunned by the fact that she resembled the people of Hizuru. The ambassador apparently saw her reaction and gave the young woman a smile.

The talks took place the next day, after the delegation settled within the capital, setting grounds for the embassy. After a day long rest, the representants of the foreign nation seemed to be eager for all that would come.

Before the actual negotiations had been proceeded with, Kiyomi reached out to Mikasa. Just like everyone else, Dina was really interested about the reasons behind that.

"Do you recognize this family crest?" The older woman asked the dark-haired girl.

At seeing the familiar pattern, even Dina could tell that she recognized it. The shocked Mikasa revealed that the symbol consisting of the three swords, had been tattooed on one of her wrists.

"Before my mother died, she gave me this mark" the girl explained "she had it too, and she asked me to pass it on to my children."

The delegation was really surprised at this. Especially Kiyomi, who walked over to Mikasa and held her presented hand. It turned out that the young woman was in fact a long-lost heir to the Azumabito family line. The military instantly wondered how they could exploit this connection, but the queen quickly cut it short, saying they needed to hear the delegation first.

Once they were finally seated, the head diplomat started slowly.

"This is a historic day for both our nations. And this day never would have come if not for the man who brought us together. We heard about the descendant of our shogun clan on Paradis and met in secret with the source of that information, Zeke Yeager."

Dina couldn't believe what she heard next. Zeke told Kiyomi that he had been a true restorationist the whole time. That he sold his parents out because they were already under suspicion and with that, he gained trust from the Marleyan government. That he had a plan to combine their powers and defeat their enemy together.

It all seemed too good to be true. But Dina didn't have any choice but to believe it. She wanted her son back, after all. Regarding the Hizuru, it didn't take much time to reveal their true intentions.

The very basis of the alliance was the trade agreement. They would give away their resources, in exchange for technology and mediation. Yelena warned them about this beforehand, however they didn't quite realize the full scale of Hizuru's hunger for money and power.

"As for the final condition" Kiyomi said "all of the titan powers you possess except of the power of the founding titan, shall be passed down to members of the royal family."

Dina felt the tension at the table rise. She knew that Eren and Historia would never let their little Armin be plunged into this war, but realistically, what could she do about it? If she herself had any more children, she would never accept this either…

"That's okay" Historia responded, shocking everyone at the table.

"Y-your majesty…"

"You can't possibly be thinking…"

"However," the queen continued raising her hand to silence the officers "I have a condition of my own."

That surprised the Azumabito female. She raised her eyebrow, clearly not expecting them to make demands.

"Oh" she responded slowly "and what could that be…?"

"Regarding your mediation" Historia explained "we shall send our own delegation along with yours. They will be traveling with your diplomats and maybe, their abilities will prove useful in swaying some of the nations to our side."

Dina could see the cogs turn within the minds of the foreigners. After a moment of silence, Kiyomi finally replied.

"That is acceptable. Who exactly do you have in mind?"

"Commander Erwin Smith and Dina Yeager, Zeke's mother."