It was just the beginning of autumn when the government issued for Arlert Industries to work on the hot air balloon again. The request was met mostly with confusion, as the reason why they were forbidden from developing the prototype was that the queen considered it harmful against the social order. However, the notice wasn't without any backing, as the next day, the first squad of the MPs arrived at their company, along with the previously confiscated balloon.

They were ordered to work in absolute secrecy, and the government even provided them with a special, secluded industrial plant within the interior. As Armin had never been to the interior before, he happily agreed to travel along his parents to the faculty. They were given resources, manpower and funds for all that they needed to produce the air balloon. It all seemed pretty exciting for the blonde teenager. Every day, he could lend his help with the manual works, or even find some much needed structural solutions to problems that naturally pop up, when you're inventing something new.

Now, it was already winter and today, her majesty would visit the plant to see for herself how much they had achieved.

"Armin!" His father yelled at him "it's dirty all over here!"

"That's the usual state of this place, dad!" He yelled back, trying to focus on his task.

The balloon needed a steady and strong source of heat that would not only help with the inflation of the envelope, but also allow it to fly. That was, why the burner he was in the midst of calibrating right now, was the most important part of the construction.

They were using an entirely new kind of fuel, usually used for the vertical maneuvering gear. The iceburst stone. Its burning capabilities, as well as the amount of energy it usually released, made it the perfect kind of fuel for the balloon. It amazed Armin, how no one ever used it for anything other than fighting titans.

But then, why would the government even need the hot air balloon right now? Rumour had it that they were planning on disbanding the survey corps. Maybe they were searching for an alternative, or maybe the scouts were the ones who actually requested it.

You could never be sure of anything with the royal court. That was the only thing that Armin had concluded from various interactions with Mikasa, and different news about the government.

"You're enlisting?" The blonde boy exclaimed with worry as he watched his friend packing her things up.

"I told you about my goal already" the dark-haired girl responded, without even bothering to look at him "if you don't want to help me, this is where we part our ways."

Armin looked down in sadness. There was nothing he could do to stop his friend from getting into trouble that would potentially cost her greatly. He didn't really believe in her story. As far as he was concerned, that 'Eren' was her coping mechanism, that allowed her to live on, after the loss of her family.

"I'm sorry…" the blonde slowly started.

"You don't need to be" she spoke indifferently "you can be a little slave to the government for the rest of your life, for all I care…"

That shocked him to the core. To hear one of his most precious people say such words, pained him greatly.

"Mikasa…"

"This is a goodbye" the girl in question said, as she finished packing up.

After giving him one final look, filled with sorrow, betrayal and hurt, she stormed out of the room.

"Hey, Armin!"

The boy looked up to see that his father was urging for him to come along.

So, the queen was already here. The blonde quickly stepped out of the basket and dusted himself off, trying not to look too dirty in front of the monarch.

As the entire staff gathered in front of the hangar, the doors to the carriage that stopped in front of them, opened.

Then, queen Frieda, stepped down to the ground.

One thing that Armin noticed immediately was that she was extremely beautiful. Her aristocratic face was perfectly shaped and the gaze she had in her eyes, somehow made her look older than she actually was. Yet, something was off about her. While the woman didn't seem too strong, in a way, she had an aura of strength around her. Her confidence, her movement, it all made her seem like she was the strongest piece on this chessboard.

Well, she was the queen after all…

"Welcome, your majesty" his father spoke as he stood in front of the small crowd of engineers.

"Hello, mister Arlert" the monarch spoke with a smile.

"I'm sorry for the inconveniences" the man started, showing her the way to the hangar "the weather sure is rough as of right now…"

"Oh, I don't mind, really" the queen responded, waving her hand.

"Nevertheless" his father continued "we are extremely happy to have you here…"

And soon, they were all standing in front of the already inflated hot air balloon.

"It looks…" Frieda said, taking in the sight "…simpler than I thought it would."

"The construction isn't complicated" mister Arlert responded "thanks to that, any service works are extremely easy."

It didn't seem that the queen was too impressed with the build. Armin could see that his father was getting more and more nervous with each passing moment. Even though her security was pretty subtle, the MPs were here at all times. Usually, they were pretty cool with everything, but now that the queen was here, any bad reaction would mean some kind of retaliation.

"Why don't we show you what it's capable of?" The man spoke, looking at his blonde son "Armin, get into the basket."

So, he would be the one to do the honours.

'Better than just standing here' he thought as he slowly climbed onboard.

He gave the queen one last glance, and then he pulled the lever, regulating the flame.

Slowly, the balloon started rising from the ground. As the woman widened her eyes before the spectacular sight, the blonde boy spurted a triumphant smile. Soon, the build was hovering in the air, threatening to break the ropes preventing it from flying away. His father smiled along him and looked towards the stunned woman.

"Right now, it has little navigability, so we are keeping it in the hangar, but soon…"

"It's amazing…" Frieda whispered as she watched the balloon hover in the air.

"I'm glad you like our presentation" the man responded, after motioning for Armin to return the construct to the ground.

"Like?" The dark-haired woman asked "I admire it! Thank you all for your hard work."

As the blonde boy climbed out of the casket, the queen turned to face him.

"You're really brave, you know that?" She said with a smile, placing a hand on his scalp.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

"Hey, why do you never defend yourself? They'll just keep bullying you… Are you okay with being a loser every time?"

"I'm not a loser!"

"And why would that be?"

"I didn't run away!"

"He's pretty shy, don't worry about him."

It was only now that the boy realized, he was still in the hangar. For some reason, his eyes were wide open, and he was still looking at the queen.

"I'm okay!" Armin spoke, trying not to look weird "I just got dizzy after exiting the casket!"

Frieda gave him another smile.

"I'm sure you'll grow up to be an excellent engineer, just like your father."

"Thank you, your majesty" the blonde boy responded.

As the queen turned to talk with his old man, Armin began to wonder.

What in the world was that? For sure, he saw someone… A boy his age… Did he know him? Was it just him being dizzy?

'Who was that?' He asked himself.

One thing was for certain. Everything about the queen was beyond extraordinary. And so, he had a feeling that maybe, Mikasa's theories somehow had a grain of truth to them.