The calm of death
877 - The Azumabito Palace
2nd year of Her Holiness Sasha of Eldia,
5 months after the Battle of Hizuru
Levi is sitting at the balcony of the Palace looking at the stars, reflecting.
Armin approaches: Conflicted?
Levi: Who wouldn't?
Armin sits besides him: You are stargazing a lot nowadays.
Levi: So?
Armin: Nothing… it's just weirdly peaceful coming from you heh
Levi: I'm getting used to it.
Armin looks ahead: Yeah… I guess you should…
Levi: The survey corps… when it was born… and Paradis wasn't mapped completely… used to use the stars to guide them back to the Walls…
The stars were named after the kings and heroes of Eldia…
I'm searching for new ones… to give them names that are worthy…
Armin smiles: Have you named some yet?
Levi: Yeah…
Armin: Here… in Marley there are star charts. They have mapped the night sky for centuries and formed a navigation system with constelations, groups of stars that form shapes.
Nowadays… after the Rumbling… the night sky has cleared up and new stars can be seen…
Maybe new constelations can be named… with some of those names you selected…
Levi chuckles silently: Trying to cheer me up?
Armin: No… just giving respect and recognition were it's due.
Levi and Armin silently looks at the sky for a moment.
Armin: You feel the time is coming?
Levi: Yes… after that event… I feel a connection… and since a few days… a sense of sadness has invaded me…
Armin: We are ready Levi…
Levi: You are one to talk. You will sit at the chair.
Armin: I couldn't live with myself if I would only give orders at the comfort of the command chair… I'm going with you.
Levi: Then you are dumb… you have a family.
Armin: And if just sit… they'll hate me for it.
Levi: You are all idiots
Armin: Guess so haha
Levi: Heh
The Marleyan Liberation Front, by orders of Armin, had taken a tactical retreat for a few weeks to regroup. Through the nation, opposition had been mostly vanquished by Aganyu, so he began to regroup the military for a different reason. He was preparing for a war that only a few knew about.
Paradis - Dauper
Blouse Base
The Survey Corps had installed a provisional base at The Blouse's Estate due to the pushback from the government. The Army Titan had ruthleslly destroyed opposition groups through Paradis and had reached the South, beginning an assault on the Rose Province.
Pieck, Jean, Marco, Ymir and Connie were discussing how to proceed.
Marco: Should we just go into exile or hide?
Ymir: Are you kidding? Leaving my mother a prisoner for who knows how long? Is that what you are suggesting?
Marco: Then what do you propose?! We are trapped here! We are essentially surrounded!
Connie: He is not wrong Ymir…
Ymir: So that's it? Are you giving up on Ragako Connie?
Connie is distraught by what she said.
Jean: We can't give in… we have managed to survive under worst circunstances…
Marco: Then what do we do dad?
Pieck: The Army Titan. We need to neutralize it.
Marco: Sure! Let's do it. Let's go right now! Oh right! We'll get skewered from a mile away.
Ymir: You are such a coward Marco why are you even here?
Connie: Is there a way to do it Pieck?
Pieck: Well it does have weaknesses. The main one are the tendrils that connect the main body to the replicas. If we can manage to sever the central tendril from the titan body, all the replicas will dissapear.
Jean: We tried it already… all of the soldiers died before they could even get close to the titan.
Pieck: We need more experimented soldiers.
Connie: You mean us… right?
Pieck: Yes.
Ymir is worried: I agree… we have to…
Marco: Well… we were going to die anyway right?
Jean: Not necesarily… if we have Mikasa.
Connie: But she has exiled herself to her house…
Pieck: We have to get her board.
Marco: And how will you go? You'll get killed if you go near the Pontiff's mother estate!
Pieck: We'll need a diversion. All of us will go to the Ackerman Woods in different routes: Marco you'll go with Ymir, I'll go with Connie, and Jean… you will sneak in and talk to her.
Jean: Mm.. me?
Pieck: Yes. You are the closest to her. I would send Ymir… but she is the princess… and after her last encounter with Sasha… she'll probably be conflicted to see her. It's best if it's you.
Jean: All right then.
Connie: Now that's confidence Pieck…
Pieck gives him a death stare: Let's get ready. We should be there by midnight.
The Ackerman Woods – Midnight
The estate had a metallic fence installed since Sasha's rise to power, with surveillance towers surrounding it. Jean managed to sneak through the Woods to the fence. He Heard a siren and a commotion starting from the other towers.
Jean climbed the fence at the momento when the guard of the tower was distracted and slowly and carefully reached Mikasa's home.
It was surrounded with guards.
Jean: Shit… what now?
Suddenly the guards ran towards the secondary gate.
Jean: Huh? What happened? Is Mikasa not there?
Jean approached the home. It was empty.
Jean: Damn!
Mikasa: You lose confidence too easily Jean.
Jean is startled: FUCK. How are you here?!
Mikasa: They made an underground passageway under the house. The guards were ordered by a superior to receive me at the other side.
Jean: So you knew about this?
Mikasa: You underestimate Pieck's abilities Jean.
Jean: So you know why we are here?! Why did I even come here then!?
Mikasa: I don't. I only knew something was going to happen.
Jean: Oh…
Mikasa: So tell me… you don't have much time…
Jean: Well… we need your help to kill Yelena. That's the gist of it.
Mikasa walks away brooding: So it has come…
Jean: Huh?
Mikasa: Come… let's go.
Jean: Wait… that's it?! After almost two years of no contact with you… you just say let's go? Just like that? To kill the main accomplice of your daughter.
Mikasa: You better stop talking Jean….
Mikasa looks down: There is a reason… all of these things had to happen… I wish… it didn't
Jean: Huh?
Mikasa: Let's just go.
After an hour the situation had calmed down. Ymir and Marco were hiding at the cusp of a tree.
Marco: Just how it was this easy?
Hitch: That would be because of me. WINK
Ymir: Figures…
Hitch: Looking good princess I like the butch look, dirty, coarse hair and all.
Ymir: You think you can still talk to me like that… traitor. Ymir unsheathes her swords.
Marco starts to panic.
Hitch: Heh you are still a dummy ain't you? How cute. Why do you think your stupid plan worked like a charm? Hmm?
Ymir: What are you saying? That you are betraying Sasha?
Hitch: Not at all.
Ymir: Huh? What do you mean?!
Hitch: Better start to practice thinking princess… you'll rule this place someday… a dumbass queen won't do any good to the country.
Ymir is confused.
Hitch: Your mom says hi by the way. Asked me to tell you to keep it together and hold on for a Little while. Best to trust her… and don't do anything stupid… SEE YA!
Hitch jumps down.
Marco: Just what the hell was that?
Ymir: I don't know… but… it felt… reassuring.
Ymir saw a light flicker from the trees on the other side of the estate. It was the signal to move out.
Morning - Dauper
Mikasa: I'll act on my own
Pieck and Jean are surprised.
Pieck: What you mean? You can't possibly kill the Army Titan on your own.
Mikasa: Go on with your plan Pieck… but I'll act on my own. That's all I can say.
Mikasa was acting even more somber than usual
Jean to Pieck: What you think? Something is going on…
Pieck: Yes… it's suspicious… yet I don't fell any danger to us…
Jean: It's better to trust her judgment… and leave things to fate. There are some things we are not supposed to know.
Mikasa was sitting by herself when Ymir approached her.
Ymir timidly: L..lady Mikasa
Mikasa: Hello dear.
Ymir stays quiet and starts to sob
Mikasa looks at her with a loving look: Ymir…
Ymir: I'm… I'm sorry Lady Mikasa… sniff… the last time I… I almost…
Mikasa: I understand Ymir… don't worry.
Ymir crying: I… don't know what to feel… about her… I want… I should hate her… but i can't…
Mikasa is silently listening.
Ymir: How could she… how could she have done all this…
Mikasa: It's my fault.
Ymir: Huh?
Mikasa: I kept her to myself… kept her restrained for so long… instead of letting her be free… even if that meant she would be in danger… I haven't learnt anything… after all this time.
Ymir: Lady Mikasa
Mikasa: Family… was always my deepest desire… a wish that never lasted… and when I finally had one of my own… my fear of loss… my selfishness… permeated unto her.
She has done all of this out of resentment… to me. But Ymir… she is not lost. I might be asking to much of you… but please… have faith in me on this.
Midnight
During the day, Pieck and the rest decided to regroup with the various cells of the Survey Corps and the remaining members of the Kingdom of Paradis on Ragako the following day to strategize the assault on the Army Titan.
Mikasa remained the day by herself selecting and preparing her equipment.
Ymir, after her talk with Mikasa, couldn't sleep, so she wandered around the fields thinking.
Suddenly she heard unusually strong winds that shook the trees, followed by a stomping sound and a slight tremble. Ymir got on guard, thinking it could be a Sentinel Titan that had tracked them.
The strong sounds stopped and were followed by light footsteps that crackled the fallen leaves. A cloaked figure emerged from the Woods.
Ymir was shocked and disturbed by who it was.
Sasha: Ymir… you look… so different.
Sasha was wearing a full body large robe, covering all her body but her face. She had long hair that flowed through the opening of the robe. Her face seemed sickly, pale and thin, the outline of her eyes were darkened, the marks under her eyes were longer and the muscles were exposed, just like a titan shifter.
Ymir: What… what are you doing here?! Ymir took out her her sword.
Fuck… fuck… we are fucked.
Sasha raised her hand in response: I'm alone… and I am here just to talk to you.
Her hand was thin, pale and was wearing the Ackerman ring.
Ymir: Forgive me if I don't trust you… what do you want?
Sasha lowered her face: Honestly… I don't really know heh… I guess I just wanted to see you.
Ymir: What? Is that a joke? See me? SEE ME? WHAT IS THIS?!
Sasha kept quiet
Ymir started pacing around in frustration: What the fuck is the matter with you? You almost killed me… you have kidnaped my mother… you have DESTROYED OUR HOME, OUR COUNTRY… THE WHOLE WORLD! YOU HAVE DESTROYED YOUR FATHER'S LEGACY. YOU BROUGHT BACK HELL INTO THIS WORLD. AND YOU WANTED TO SEE ME? YOU THINK EVERYTHING IS LIKE BEFORE?!
Sasha softly responded: I'm sorry…
Ymir: Huh? What did you say?
Sasha stumbled to her knees: I'm sorry… for everything Ymir. Truly.
Ymir is very conflicted. She wanted to cut her head rith there… but also felt a profound love for Sasha.
Ymir: Tell me why… why did you do this
Sasha embarassed: I… truly don't know… I just… followed the motions…
That answer enraged Ymir and was about to strike Sasha with her sword but she saw her face: she looked so sick, like on the verge of death, with tears flooding her eyes.
Ymir: What… what is wrong with you?
Sasha got up: Here… this is from your mom.
Ymir is shocked: It was her mother's royal brooch.
Sasha: You'll see her soon… I aslo want you to have this. Sasha gave her the book Levi had written about the Survey Corps.
Sasha: Please… make sure this story is known… and… I trust you.
Ymir: S.. Sasha wait…
Sasha turned around: Take care… Ymir… and by that I mean fix your hair… it's a mess. Heh
Ymir felt like her heart sunk… it felt like Sasha was saying goodbye.
Ymir: WAIT ST… A crystal Wall suddenly rose from the ground preventing Ymir to follow Sasha.
Ymir shouting: WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! ANSWER ME!
Sasha entered the Woods and after a moment strong winds blowed again. The crystal Wall burst into tiny particles like sand.
Ymir was left dumbfounded, saddened and concerned. She looked at the brooch on her hand and placed it near her heart.
Back in her chambers, Ymir opened Levi's book and a letter fell off. It had Sasha's handwriting.
As Ymir was reading it, tears stained the letter.
Ymir: You fucking idiot…
