Regret

The Reiss heir sat in shocked silence, her friend, former teammate's words spinning around in her skull like an omnidirectional gear gone haywire. She absorbed this new information the same way she had when it was revealed to her that she was to become the new queen. She was overwhelmed, blonde eyebrows furrowed together in distress and her hands clasped tightly beneath the wooden table for she feared she might try to strangle the boy who sat right across from her. Who watched her take it in with unwavering teal eyes.

"Does anybody else know?" She spoke quietly, the slightest tremble in her voice. She drew in a breath to calm her frayed nerves.

"No one." Was his curt reply.

The blonde shook her head, almost in disbelief, "Mikasa?" She whispered in question.

"No."

"Captain Levi?"

"No."

The small girl put a hand to her temple, rubbed at it to soothe her pounding head, "What about Armin," she sighed, "Did he know about the baby?"

The brunet across leaned into his seat with a defeated huff, "He didn't," he said, "But he did know of us."

He turned his attentive stare from her to the window beside them that overlooked the expanse of a flourishing garden. One the queen herself had manned and planted with the children of the orphanage. They deserved the very best, she had thought. The very best.

"Of Annie and I." He muttered, and dropped his gaze to the ground. Pursed his lips in frustration, because that's what her very name brought upon him, "He is very perceptive, I wouldn't put it past to figure out something like that."

The young queen fumbled in her seat, folded and unfolded her hands. Rubbed at her temple some more, brushed away the golden bangs that fell over her azure eyes. At a loss of what to say, she wanted to help him. Like she wanted to help everyone. But this was, this was too much. That poor child.

Finally, she stood from her seat so abruptly the chair fell back from the force and looked straight into the boy with a piercing blue stare, like she was rending him immobile. He jumped momentarily but didn't move. Eyeballed her with just as much intensity if not more.

"Goddesses, Eren!" She wailed, "You fought her!" The blonde flexed her tiny fists, sniffed and turned away, only to turn back with much more ferocity on her doll like face.

"You battled her, almost killed her!" She repeated, marching closer to him, "And she was pregnant with your child-!"

"I had no choice!" His booming cry stunned her into silence, and now he towered over her small form. But the queen did not waver, standing as rigid as she could and craned her neck to stare with equal challenge into his radiant green eyes. But she saw no fight in them, only misery. Only grief.

"I had no other option," he lamented, "I hesitated. I did. But lives were being risked than, Historia."

He turned his back on her, placed his open palms onto the table, hoping it could offer him whatever support. "The lives of my friends!" He sobbed, hung his head in remorse. Leaning his whole weight onto the table. Historia watched the boy crumble before her.

"It was a do or die situation," He mumbled, then raised his voice, "It was either her or us!"

"Eren…"

"Her or humanity!" He cried.

"Do you not consider her human too?"

He clutched the edges of the table till his bronze knuckles turned white, "Of course not!" His voice shook, "How can I?!"

"She's a…" He stilled, bit into his bottom lip until he tore through skin and could taste the copper in his mouth, see the wisps of steam rise above.

"She's a…"

"She's a titan." Historia finished, placed a comforting hand upon the middle of his spine, as she had done back in that cave some time ago, only she saw no flashes of forgotten memory this time. "Just like you."

"I don't know what I'm going to do." He said truthfully, his shoulders sagged with the weight of his actions, Historia came around to his side, and he turned to her, the corners his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. He had no care if the queen saw him like this; because she had already seen him at his worse.

"If she's ever released from that crystal," He shook his head, then banged a clenched fist against the table, startling her, "Fuck!" he bellowed.

"I don't even know if she is alive in there." He dropped onto his discarded seat, his face buried in his palms, and the tears came running, wet on his hands. "The baby…" She heard him whimper.

She could only offer him her condolences.