A/N: Reviews people! I need Reviews!
Super Comrade: Ah, I see. Also, I'm glad another author likes my story, as it shows what I write measures up to not just my own standards, but others standards as well.
1 week after the end of the Eldian Civil War
Historia looked shifted uncomfortably as a stylist did a Francian braid around her head.
"Please hold still Prinzessin." The stylist pleaded, "I don't want to ruin this, your golden hair is absolutely wonderful."
Historia would've nodded, but chose not to in order to please the haggard stylist.
She continued her work. Currently, she'd already burned through a dozen different tailors, stylists, and other fashion professionals. All to make her look the very best for the upcoming coronation.
"And…done!" The stylist sighed in relief, Historia looked into the mirror, and even she had to gasp in surprise. The braid almost seemed to gleam as the smooth hair caught the sunlight and reflected it somewhat.
"You did…wonderful."
"I'm honored by your highness." The stylist turned then bowed. Historia nodded, before turning to leave. She had a bit of free time before she actually had to present herself.
"I thought I'd catch you here." A voice came as she left the room. Alto. He was dressed in the trench coat utilized by soldiers for official occasions.
"Where have you been?" Historia demanded "I've suffered through a dozen fashion professionals!"
"You're not the only one," Alto sighed, "I'm officially getting promoted during the ceremony as well. I've visited about 4 different people about my hair alone!" He shook his head, "Not to mention that I'm slated for about ten different meetings about what they found in the Interior Police files."
In the past week, the Military had undergone massive changes. Now called the Eldische Heer, Alto had instituted a draft for the first time in 100 years and had placed priority in military research and creating a military designed to fight other nations rather than just Titans. Starting with the formation of the Eldische Bodentruppen, the Eldian Ground Forces. While the regular divisions maintained separate from it. There was considerable push back regardless, as information about Marley was still limited primarily to the Scout Regiment, the new Heer Oberkommando and some members of the F.L.A, many failed to understand the sudden shift to fighting other humans.
"Is there anything we can use?" Historia asked, her tone turning serious.
Alto nodded, "There's something called Panzerabwehrkanone. Anti-Armor Gun. It was developed shortly after the Fall of Wall Maria, before it's inventor was assassinated and the plans were secreted away. We've given it the designation Pak. 50 and sent it to the industrial cities to begin production"
"There's more. They've come up with - or rather found - a new kind of artillery known as the howitzer."
"I'd like to see it." Historia said,
"They're assembling a prototype as we speak, it'll be ready in a day or two."
"I see…"
"There's also something called the rocket, but we call them Thunder Spears. Another Anti-Armor Titan weapon, they fly at the target once activated via a trigger and detonate after a time."
"Flying explosives?" Historia summed up, Alto nodded.
"How soon can all this be produced?"
"We've already sent the plans ahead to the industrial cites. So once we ascertain their viability - right away."
"Good." Historia nodded, "How are you?" Historia asked at last,
"Tired." Alto sighed, "I'm constantly running between the Capital and Wall Rose, overseeing reconstruction, monitoring the development of new weapons, dealing with opponents to the restructuring of the Heer…" He trailed off,
"Have you seen Mina recently?" Historia asked innocently, and Alto turned a little red.
"Why are you asking?" Alto looked away.
"I think someone has a crush." Historia teased.
Alto's face went redder, as he turned away from her.
"I don't hear a denial!" Historia jumped on him, and began giving Alto a noogie.
"Stop! I don't want to go back to a stylist!" Alto cried out.
"You guys are sure enjoying yourselves." Ymir appeared.
Historia and Alto quickly separated. Ymir smiled at them, she was dressed in a trench coat similar to Alto's, but rather than a plain shield, it had a black shield with a crown in the center.
The symbol of the new Royal Guard.
The Royal Guard was formed out of veterans and the best members of all three branches, and we're trained by former Anti-Personnel Squad members, and we're equipped with both the regular Anti-Titan and the new Anti-Personnel ODM gear.
"You realize it's almost time? You need to start heading for the coronation stage." Ymir said to them, then walked over to Historia, and kissed her on the forehead.
"You look beautiful." She whispered, Historia smiled.
"And you say I have a crush." Alto scoffed, "You two are complete love birds."
"Yeah, we know." Ymir took Historia in her arms, hugging her from behind. "But the difference is that it's fun to tease you about it."
"Hey!" Connie and the rest of the 104th Cadet Corps came up to them. "So, a freaking Kaiserin huh."
"Hey." Mina slung her arm over Historia's shoulder, "Kaiserin or not, she's still a member of the 104th."
"Hey, you know what." Sasha said, "When she's Kaiserin, she should punch Levi!"
The Cadet Corps fell silent, hit Captain Levi?
"Hell yeah!" Jean said, "She should pound that runt."
"Making her reign the shortest in history." Eren coughed,
"I wouldn't suggest it." Alto said, "Unless you want your reign to be cut short by the wrong end of a steel blade."
"Don't listen to this nay-sayer!" Connie cheered, "Punch Captain Levi! Punch Captain Levi!"
"Alright! I'll do it after the coronation!" Historia conceded,
"Yes!" Jean said, "This will be fun to watch!"
"'And so - Historia Reiss was the shortest-lived Kaiserin in history.'" Ymir read an imaginary eulogy.
"Sorry to interrupt you, your highness." Another Royal Guard came up to the 104th, "It's time."
The mood went from joking to serious, as Historia inhaled. "Come on Alto, it's time."
Historia entered behind the stage, the Royal Guards gave her and Alto encouraging nods.
"They're waiting for you." Was all Andelia - the brown haired APS member who Rosalie attacked at the beginning of the conflict - said to her. Historia and Alto nodded,
"Let's do this, shall we?" Alto looked at her. Historia nodded, and they stepped out onto the stage.
The light was - for a brief moment - almost as blinding as the applause was deafening. Historia blinked before her eyes cleared and she looked out over the crowd.
'These…are my people. They believe in me, and I'll believe in them.' Historia thought to herself.
She approached Premier Zachary, and kneeled before him.
"Madam, is your Majesty willing to take the Oath?" He asked,
"I am willing." Historia nodded.
"Then I - as the Premier of Eldia - shall minister these questions; and The Kaiserin shall answer each question severally as follows?"
"I shall."
"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the Eldian Kaiserreich, and protect them from the enemies of the world beyond?"
"I solemnly promise to do so." Historia nodded, she wanted this to be over with already.
"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"
"All this I promise to do." She stood, and turned to the crowd as she rehearsed, "The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God."
Leaning down unto the lectern, she signed a piece of paper outlining what was said, and raised it up triumphantly to the applause of the people.
"Next, Prinz Alto Burke." Zachary turned to him, and Alto stood up as Historia went to her seat.
"Do you swear to render unconditional obedience to the Kaiserin?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear that - as a brave soldier - you will fulfill this oath, even onto your death?"
Alto nodded, "I swear."
"Then please recite the full oath."
"I swear to God, this holy Oath, that I shall render unconditional obedience to the Kaiserin and Eldian Kaiserreich, and at all times, be prepared to give my life for this oath."
"Then within my power, Alto Burke, I now grant you the title of Generalfeldmarshall."
He nodded, turned to the crowd, bowed, and returned to his seat.
The ceremony seemed to crawl by after that, it seemed that everyone was receiving some kind of honor or promotion. The three generals of I,II, and III corps as well as Rosary - now heading the new Eldische Geheimdienst - were all dubbed Generalleutnants. Erwin and Pyxis we're promoted to the same rank, while Nile became a Generalmajor and Hanji became an Oberst along with Kassandra and Ambros.
Finally, it came time for the speeches.
"Now, I believe our new Kaiserin, Historia Reiss, would like to say a few words."
Historia stood, and approached the lectern.
"Eldia." She began, "The name may be unfamiliar to you, as it was to me some months ago. So I know it has taken you by surprise the sudden shift from being Humanity to becoming Eldians. A single race."
"But the truth is that is what we are." Historia told the crowd, "For years, my father, my brother Alto's grandfather. And countless others before them for the past hundred years have lied to us all. Using the power of the Founding Titan. They erased our memories of our national identity, and those of the world beyond the walls, and trapped us within these walls saying it was for our own protection."
"Now, I will tell you the real story." The crowd shifted, this was unexpected, but they were also curious. And not a single one left.
"One hundred years ago, we were the hegemon of the world, under the banner of the Eldian Empire. Our rule stretched across three continents, and our influence across four more. None could challenge us, none would challenge us. And that became our undoing." Historia bowed her head, "Using the Power of the Titans, we had created an empire that relied on war to survive, and without any enemies to fight, we fought the only people we had left to fight, eachother."
"This, is where the nation of Marley comes in, the nation responsible for the Titan scourge that has plagued us for the past 100 years!"
"You see, the Power of the Titans is the name given not only to the Ten Titan shifters - yes, there are Ten - but to every Eldian's innate ability to become a Titan."
She let it sink in as the people began to realize what she was saying, "Yes, it is true, the source of the Titan scourge…is not only Human, but those of our own race!"
"We built the Eldian Empire with this power, and it became our undoing. The world feared us and fear turned into hatred, hatred which lies beyond the walls until this day!"
"When we turned on eachother, Marley played the role of a great puppet master, dividing us until we were too weak to act."
"However, unknown to the Marleyans, they were a puppet themselves. Of Karl Fritz, our own King!"
The people gasped, thoroughly enthralled with the story, "Karl Fritz plotted our civil war, and Marley's takeover of our Empire, all for a misguided sense of conscience! He believed he had the right to condemn the future for the mistakes of the past, and so as his own people suffered and his Empire fell, he took a minority of us and erected these walls! He erected them by creating millions of Colossal Titans and building the walls with their Hardening! And then he created the first titans that would begin the scourge, and retreated within the walls, but not before leaving one last curse on the most powerful Titan Power of all, the Founding Titan. He exploited how it could only be utilized by the Royal Family, and made it to where whoever inherited it would be forced to inherit his ideology and continue the lie, and using his considerable political power, forced much of the nobility, including the Burkes, to do the same, and those who refused, were slaughtered as well as suppressed knowledge of the outside world and technological advancement, all in order to maintain power. My elder sister, Frieda, was a victim of this system as an inheritor of the Founding Titan."
"So, we hid in our walls for the next 100 years like this as Marley took control of the world beyond, exploiting our people to do it by turning them into Titans, mere weapons of war, and many of them were - again - the ones that we have fought against, died fighting, and have killed."
And so, she went on, explaining the Titans and Marley and all that they knew about the outside world and the past 100 years. How they'd encountered Marleyan soldiers present on the island during the 1st Joint Branch Expedition and Battle of Stohess.
Finally, she finished, there was nothing left to tell.
"So now, you understand, why have we taken the actions we have?" Historia asked the crowd, "Opponents claim that this is a mere attempt to take power in Paradis, however, when artillery shells rain down on our walls, how long can they claim this is a farce? How long can they say it's all one big hoax? I ask you - will you fight for your home? For Eldia? For your loved ones? Or are you willing to let Marley steamroll us like Karl Fritz and his slaves wanted? If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you don't fight, you can't win! So the only way for us to win…is for us to fight! Sieg Eldia!"
Excerpt from "The Second Great Titan War: The Origin" c.900
Historia Reiss's 'Sieg Eldia' speech would be a rallying cry for the Eldian Kaiserreich against the Marleyan Empire. July 28th would be the earliest date that would be considered to be one of the many debating starting points for the Eldian Miracle, when the Island of Paradis reached a level of technological and military advancement nearly ten years past the rest of the world, in less than four.
Some time later…
"Alright, you promised us." Jean pushed her forward as Captain Levi approached, "Beat his ass!"
"This is suicide…and he'll kill me because of guilt via association." Alto muttered,
"Get him! Punch Levi! Punch Levi!" Connie chanted,
"Oh god…" Mina facepalmed,
"Punch him!" Sasha encouraged,
Historia gulped, and - mustering her courage - with a warcry socked Levi in the face.
"Oh shit!" Alto jumped back, as Levi rubbed the bruise left behind by Historia's punch.
"I had nothing to do with this." Mina stepped back,
"Oh no." Jean whimpered, "I said punch him, not deck him in the face!" Jean shook Historia,
"How was I supposed to know!" Historia whined,
"It was these three!" Ymir pointed at Connie, Jean, and Historia before retreating several steps backward.
Levi chuckled, "You brats really are something else."
• Pak 50 - A 7.5 cm Anti-Titan Gun, essentially the equivalent of the 1939 Pak 40 used by Germany during WWII.
A/N: It's my 50th Chapter, lets go! And as you can see, Paradis is already beginning to catch up with the rest of the world. In small ways at first, but once we get past RtoS technology is going to go forward by leaps and bounds. And also, I'm just curious, can any of you spot the historical references I made during this chapter? (Other than the Pak gun, that was a freebie.)
Also, before anyone asks, No. I will not do a full scale rumbling, reason being that I never liked the direction it took in canon. And I believe a Marleyan-Eldian war will be a lot more fun to write.
Official Wiki Link
the-official-flare-titan .fandom. com
