Historia looked at her beloved. Soon, he would depart for Shiganshina to fight the rebels. If their plan went the way Eren had predicted, they would never see each other again.
"I guess this is it" he spoke slowly.
"Yeah…"
"I love you."
"I love you too."
With that, he brought her closer to embrace her. As he kissed the top of her head, tears started pouring down her face.
"Don't…" Historia said with a trembling voice.
"I have to" Eren responded "it is for the best…"
She knew he was right. Once again, he would leave her. But this time, she wouldn't need to wait for him.
"Dad…?"
Suddenly, the couple looked to the side, just to see that little Armin woke up.
"Are you going anywhere…?" he asked sleepily.
Eren walked over to his son and picked him up.
"Daddy has to go away, for a long time" he said, hugging the child.
"How long?"
"One day, you will know."
The two parents waited together for Armin to fall asleep once again.
"Take good care of him."
"Right."
Eren looked at her with an overly serious face.
"Don't you ever find another man…"
Historia just chuckled upon hearing that.
"Yeah" she said with a weak smile "maybe I'll find myself a woman instead…"
"Don't be silly, Historia…"
'And he's gone…'
The queen was sitting on a porch, watching her little son play with the orphans. The situation on the island was slowly settling down. All of the casualties caused by the destruction of walls were buried and people were slowly forgetting all the pains that the war has brought them.
"Are you worried?" She suddenly heard someone say behind her.
It was Hitch. She was a few months pregnant, but often visited due to how close the two of them were.
"Not really" Historia responded looking at the sky.
A moment of silence has passed.
"He's not coming back, is he?"
"No" the queen answered in the simplest way.
It was truly heart-breaking. She would never get to see her love again. Historia understood that he did it to save them, yet some selfish part of her wanted him back.
"Hey, look!"
In the distance, Marlowe was riding on horseback towards them.
The two females walked out of the porch to greet the man.
"Darling, your majesty…" the man spoke upon getting off his horse "I have news."
"Tell us" Historia replied, already anticipating his words.
"We've found Dina, Erwin and Levi along with the warriors" he started "they were just where Eren told us he would finish the rumbling, the Isle of Ice. We saved them and brought them all back."
"What about him?"
Marlowe took a deep breath. This wasn't easy for him as well.
"According to what Dina told us, he died upon completing the rumbling."
This was it. That piece of information did not hurt her any less, even though she knew about it already. But as the queen, she needed to keep the appearances up.
Seeing that Historia wasn't saying anything, Freudenberg continued.
"All of the shifters lost their powers. On the continent, where Eren led all the wall titans, we've come into contact with subjects of Ymir from the past. Those who had formed the three walls upon the will of Karl Fritz. And also, we found very confused Mrs. Springer in Ragako."
"So, the power of titans really disappeared from the world…" Hitch stated with shock.
Historia needed something to occupy her mind with.
"What about the Eldians from the walls?" She asked.
"There seems to be no more than a million of them. We are in contact. It looks like Eren had already foreseen most of the problems and used the power of the founder to update them about the situation. They are confused, but willing to listen to the crown…"
"Good" Historia spoke "send an army detachment to help our brothers and sisters."
It was important to win them over. It would prove really useful in integrating them into their society.
"According to Eren's wish, his friends buried him in the same place where he died."
Maybe it was better this way. A tomb in some faraway land, never found by anyone.
"Thank you" the queen said as she walked away.
Historia wasn't alone. But still. She was missing him. The man who became her real family. Her lover was gone. And she couldn't do anything about it. Even though she held the absolute power over this world, she was unable to do what she truly wanted.
She watched their son play with the other kids. Soon, he would grow up and start asking about his father. What would she tell him, then? That Eren sacrificed himself so he would live? Armin wouldn't understand it that easily.
"Mommy!"
"What is it?" She asked her son with a small smile.
"Could you read me the story of Ymir again?"
And yet, happiness was still there, in her life. She just had to reach out for it.
"Sure, sweetheart…"
