A/N I always thought Annie was a great character. Despite her mission and the things she did, there were many occasions where it was shown that she really cared and that she felt great remorse for what she did. I hope you like how I will portray her.
Anyway, enjoy this chapter! I'll try to get the next one out faster but no promises :)
Chapter 5: Annie's Trial
General Zackly cleared his throat. "Annie Leonhart. Because of the circumstances of this case, this will be a Military Tribunal. That means your fate has been entrusted to me, do you understand?"
Annie looked down, her unkempt hair falling in front of her, hiding her eyes from everyone as she replied, "Yes…"
"I'm glad," Zackly began. "Now, objectively this case is one of, if not the most clear-cut case I've ever seen during my time as Commander-in-Chief of the three Military branches."
Annie's eyes widened as she continued to stare at the ground, a feeling of panic and fear welled up inside her as she heard those words. Doubt started to cloud her mind as various scenarios flashed through her head. Was she going to die? Did Eren just give her false hope?
Hope. That was what she felt when Eren came to talk to her a few days ago. He had given her hope that maybe she may live long enough to see her father again. She thought about his words after he left. She even started to believe in them. Was the world Eren dreamt of possible? Years ago, she would have scoffed and laughed at the very idea of such a world; she would've never cared to strive for such hopeless things. But maybe… just maybe it was time to change, to care, to fight… to fight for a world where Eldians didn't have to suffer, the way she and many others did. She had always dreamt of a world where she and her father could just be a family, a world where they could enjoy life and not be shunned because they were Eldians. She never thought she would see the day where she felt hope for this dream, to believe that it may be possible. But here she was, hoping and praying that she may live through this to see such a world, to help build it.
She made her decision after that talk with Eren but can Eren pull this off? Or has her fate already been decided?
"But," her head shot up. "Luckily for you, I cannot simply decide to have you executed. I must follow a certain process," he paused. "Today, we're here to decide which branch of the Military will have the responsibility of determining your fate. Under normal circumstances, this would fall to the branch you were a part of, in your case; The Military Police Brigade. However, these are not normal circumstances. Due to your nature as a Titan shifter, I must recognise the fact that the Survey Corps are more prepared to deal with you than the other branches. Now… moving on to why we're here today, let's hear from the Survey Corps first."
Erwin stepped forward; his voice boomed across the courtroom as he spoke. "I am Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps. Usually, I would be the one speaking on behalf of the Survey corps but today, I am delegating this responsibility to Eren Yeager of the Special Operations Squad."
Murmurs broke out in the courtroom as Erwin said those words. Some were expressing their disbelief that the Survey Corps Commander would hand over such a responsibility to a fifteen-year-old soldier, who had only been in the Survey Corps for a few months. Historia stared wide-eyed at an impassive-looking Eren; this was a surprise to her.
"Quiet! Quiet!" demanded Zackly, causing the murmurs in the room to dissolve until only a few whispers could be heard.
Eren cleared his throat. "I am Eren Yeager of the Survey Corps and a member of the Special Operations Squad, otherwise known as Squad Levi," he paused for a moment. "As many of you already know, I am the Titan shifter that fights for the Survey Corps."
Murmurs broke out. For some, this was their first time seeing the Titan shifter that they heard so much about in the flesh.
Once the murmurs disappeared, he continued. "The person in front of us, Annie Leonhart, has no doubt ruined many lives. That is unforgivable. However, she possesses great power and important information about our real enemies and that, in these current times, is invaluable." Annie held her breath as she continued to listen. "Our proposition is simple. Give Annie Leonhart to us, the Survey Corps, and we will retake Wall Maria."
As soon as he finished, a huge uproar broke out as angry mutterings filled the room, people looked at Eren in shock and anger, the idea of letting her live was unacceptable.
"Silence!" shouted Eren, the room became deathly quiet as his voice reverberated around the courtroom.
Historia, Erwin, and Levi looked at Eren in surprise.
Eren looked around briefly, making sure everyone's attention was on him again. "Believe me, I understand what you are thinking. I have lost countless people I care about to the attacks carried out by Annie and the other shifters."
Eren leaned forward, gripping the fence in front of him as he remembered all the pain he suffered in the future. Their betrayals cracked him, but the death they caused as a result shattered him to pieces. If Jean wasn't there, he wasn't sure he would have been able to slowly piece together what was left of him.
"I lost my mother to them," he stated. "I lost friends and my home to them. So many shared the same fate," he took a deep breath before he continued. "For those of you who don't know, these people that attacked us, I would have called them friends, my trusted comrades… Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, and Annie Leonhart."
Annie looked away. She knew what she had done but to hear Eren say it so bluntly; it was too much; it was like a dam just opened, releasing all the guilt she had locked away over the years.
"Their betrayal broke me," he stated. "To think that I spent years with them, training together, eating together, suffering together… To think that these were the people that I would have sacrificed my own life for, it sickened me to know that everything was a lie."
Annie closed her eyes as the truth hit her again and again.
"So, trust me when I say this… I know how you all feel."
Eren was met with silence as he finished his speech. Looking around, he noticed many looking at him with widened eyes. Some looked at him with shock, while others looked at him with respect and sadness. Respect that somebody, that was barely a teenager, was able to overcome all this and sadness at the fact that he had to endure such pain at such a young age. After recent revelations, it was not hard to see that perhaps the soldiers of the Survey Corps did not deserve the hate that was directed at them in the past.
After a few moments of silence, Eren started to speak again. "Yet, despite all this, I know we must do put our personal feelings aside and do the hardest things to ensure the survival of humanity, don't you all agree?"
He was met with various nods and sounds of agreement.
Eren nodded, satisfied with the response. He turned to General Zackly. "General, let Annie Leonhart live and entrust the Survey Corps with her fate. With her, we will retake Wall Maria and free the people from the Titans, but that is not all. It is not only her power that is invaluable but as I mentioned earlier, it is also her knowledge."
Zackly looked at Eren in slight confusion. "You talk of this knowledge like as if you know already, yet I am left confused as to what knowledge she has that surpasses the importance of her Titan Shifting powers. What could she possibly know that means keeping her alive is the better option?"
Eren looked around the courtroom, what they were about to find out will rock the very foundation of their world, just as it did in his reality. He remembered when he decided to reveal this information to Erwin, a few days after his conversation with Annie.
Flashback
Eren waited patiently outside Erwin's office, his eyes squinting slightly as he stared out of the window, the sun blinding him with its brightness. He had decided that he should reveal the truth about their current situation to Erwin, which was why he was waiting outside his office. He had thought about it during the days following his talk with Annie and he had no good reason to not let Erwin know; he was the Commander, and he had always felt that if Erwin had lived in his original reality, maybe peace would have been achieved with a smaller price.
He would never change what happened. Captain Levi chose Armin and he would easily do the same but Commander Erwin… he was exactly what Eldia needed in his reality, he would have driven them forward and he would have done exactly what needed to be done. Eren, himself, ended up finding himself in that kind of role but he wasn't Erwin, no one was like Commander Erwin.
The fact that he was in a coma for a month could easily be used to explain how he got this sudden knowledge. Maybe, in the future, he may reveal his true origins to the people close to him but right now, he cannot afford to deal with any unforeseen reactions, time is an essence and he cannot waste any on his journey to bring about this new world.
Eren's head turned as he heard the office door open, revealing a soldier. He watched as the soldier walked away, his eyes following him.
"Eren."
Eren's eyes shifted towards the voice. "Commander," he greeted with a salute.
"Come on in, I heard that you wanted to speak to me."
Eren followed Erwin into his office, their footsteps silent as they made their way towards their seats.
Once they were sat down, Erwin began to speak. "So, what is it you wanted to speak to me about Eren?"
Eren leaned forward. "There is something that I recently discovered, something that will make us question everything that we know."
Erwin leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "Make us question everything we know…" he repeated as he leaned back on his chair. "My curiosity is piqued, what have you discovered?"
"The truth."
Erwin's eyes widened. "The truth?" he asked. 'Is this what I think it is…? Has he discovered something about the… outside world?'
"As you know, I have been in a coma for a month," began Eren. "During that time, I saw glimpses of… my father's memories. I have told no one because I needed time to understand, to make sense of everything but now… I think I have learned the truth or at least a big part of it. I know the truth about the Titans and… the world."
Erwin leaned forward, his anticipation mounting. Was this the truth his father tried to find?
"We are not the last of humanity, we never have been, that much is clear to me."
Erwin's eyes widened and held his breath in anticipation.
"We are part of a nation called Eldia and we, Eldians, are mostly made of people known as the Subjects of Ymir. We have only lived behind these walls for the last one hundred years. We never originated here… no… we retreated here, and the first King, Karl Fritz, made the three walls we know today using countless Colossal Titans and erased the knowledge of the outside world from all Subjects of Ymir using the Founding Titan," explained Eren.
Erwin stayed silent for a moment as he digested this information; this proved his father's theory. The King did alter people's memories; they were trying to hide the truth this whole time.
"But why did he erase this knowledge, what good would that do?"
"Because he wanted peace, but he believed Eldians should have never existed," started Eren. "Eldia was at war with a newly reborn nation called Marley and Eldia was losing. The King gathered the royal family and the people of Eldia and moved here, a place called Paradis Island, and he threatened to use the Colossals, that are in these walls, to destroy the world but he was lying, he made a vow renouncing war to ensure that his successors can never use the Founding Titan's power to retaliate if the walls ever fell, in which they did."
Erwin nodded in understanding, the pieces finally fitting together in his head. "You mention that we Eldians are made out of people known as Subjects of Ymir, what makes someone a Subject of Ymir?"
"People that are a Subject of Ymir can turn into a Titan," answered Eren.
Erwin's eyes widened in understanding. "So not everyone can turn into a Titan?" he asked.
Eren shook his head in response. "No."
"But then where are these Titans coming from?"
Eren looked remorseful as he said his next words. "Not everyone made it to these walls."
Erwin's face took on an expression of realisation. "So, then Marley has been sending Eldians to this Island as… punishment?"
Eren nodded.
"You said that most of Eldia were Subjects of Ymir, so who were the others?"
"I'm not sure of them all but I know that the Asian and the Ackerman clan were the only ones to reject the King's ideology, as a result, they were hunted down and killed to prevent them from spreading the truth of the outside world as people that were not Subjects of Ymir were immune to the Founding Titan's powers."
"Ackerman? Like Mikasa Ackerman?" asked Erwin.
Eren nodded. "Yes, I believe Mikasa is a descendant of both the Asian and Ackerman clan. Thinking about it now, I don't think she could turn into a Titan if she was to be injected," stated Eren.
Erwin leaned forward again. "Do you have more proof to back up what you are saying? It's not that I don't trust you but with this information, the best action is to spread the truth, but I cannot do that without further proof."
Eren nodded, understanding that not everyone will just take the words of one person as fact. "Yes, I believe my father has left something that would explain the truth in its entirety to us in that basement but that is not all… we also have Annie," said Eren.
Realisation dawned on Erwin. "Annie… she is from… Marley, isn't she?"
Eren nodded. "I plan to use this to keep her alive in the trial, which is why I come here today; to tell you beforehand since you are my Commander and probably one of the most important factors in this inevitable fight we will undoubtedly have against Marley, if we are to truly be free."
Erwin leaned back on his chair as he thought about Eren's words. After a few moments, he suddenly stood up. "Eren, thank you for telling me all this, let's start our journey towards freedom." Erwin held his hand out.
Eren slowly stood up, grasped Erwin's hand. "For freedom," he replied. Eren then saluted before leaving.
Once the door closed again, Erwin sat back down, a slight smile on his face as he thought about what he had just learned. 'Father, you were right, your theory was right.' he looked at the closed door. 'Thank you… Eren Yeager.'
Flashback end
Eren looked towards Annie, who looked back in confusion. "Annie, tell everyone in this room the truth, the truth about our world."
Annie looked at Eren in shock. "Wha-"
"Tell them!" demanded Eren. "If you want to live, tell them."
Annie looked around the room, a feeling of unease tickled her as she felt everyone's eyes on her. She looked down, her hair falling in front of her face to shield her from all the eyes.
She took a deep breath and spoke. "I… I come from a place outside these walls, a place called Marley."
Murmurs broke out in the courtroom, many in shock as they expressed their disbelief that there seems to a place outside these walls that had human inhabitants.
"Marley? Are you saying there are some humans outside these walls?" asked Zackly.
Annie nodded. "Yes, more than just some… Humanity is far from extinction. They're thriving outside these walls," she replied.
Shock reverberated around the courtroom as the bystanders digested this information.
Zackly leaned forward, despite his indifferent expression, he was feeling his own shock at this unexpected revelation. "Then why have we not seen them?"
"Because… they're the reason Titans are attacking," Annie looked up, her eyes looked frantic as the guilt of what she had done came crashing down on her. "And I was a part of it… Marley sent me wipe out the people that lived behind these walls… It was my fault, everything… everything…"
The room went silent.
"Sir!"
Zackly turned towards Eren.
"I believe my father had left something that will tell us the truth in its entirety back in the basement in Shiganshina. Allow Annie Leonhart to live, give her to the Survey Corps to aid in the mission to retake Wall Maria and allow us to find out the full truth of the world beyond the walls, so we can make our first step towards true freedom."
The silence stretched for several moments.
Zackly stood up, all eyes on him as he spoke. "Do you, the Military Police, have a proposition?"
Nile Dok shook his head, he had decided to put his faith in Erwin ever since the government was overthrown. "No sir, we do not have a proposition."
"And do you, the Garrison Regiment, have a proposition?"
Pixis shook his head too. "No, we will put our trust in the Survey Corps."
Zackly then looked around the courtroom once more. "Then I have made my decision," he began. He looked down at Annie. "Annie Leonhart, you are to be given to the Survey Corps and you are to aid them in their retake of Wall Maria and you are to reveal any information regarding the outside world to the Survey Corps, failure to do so will result in your elimination. Do you understand?"
Annie nodded numbly; her heart slammed against her chest rapidly as she stared wide-eyed at the General. She looked over at Eren, who stood stoically next to Erwin and Levi.
'I see it now… If anyone could bring peace to this hate-filled world, I have no doubt it would be you…'
After the trial, it was decided that the Levi Squad was to be the squad that watched over Annie Leonhart. It was the most logical choice because of the presence of Captain Levi and Eren Yeager, the only other Titan shifter within Survey Corp's ranks.
Annie was being transported to the Survey Corp's headquarters in Trost; her hands were still chained together as she sat inside a carriage. Across from her sat Eren, being the only other occupant in the carriage. Levi and Erwin were in a separate carriage ahead of them.
Annie had sat in silence for most of the journey so far, too many thoughts going through her head. She was still feeling numb from the trial, partly from disbelief but mostly from the relief of not being executed. She wasn't afraid of death, but did she want to die? No, she didn't. There was still so much she still wanted to do, and she didn't exactly have all the time in the world, with only six more years left before the Curse of Ymir takes her, she needed to make those count.
She looked at Eren, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Eren," she said.
Eren jumped a little as he was abruptly taken out of his thoughts. "Yes?" he replied.
Annie hesitated a little. "I… I just wanted to say thank you, for doing what you did."
Eren looked surprised as he heard those words. "I didn't do it for you as a favour Annie. I did it because I believe it will benefit the people behind these walls," he said.
Annie nodded slightly. "I know but… thank you, either way. I don't think I will ever be able to repent for what I've done but I hope that one day, I can come close to it."
Eren nodded before turning his head to look out of the window again, watching the rubble, that Trost has become, coming into view. Luckily, the headquarters wasn't destroyed, but they were the only ones in Trost as it was being rebuilt.
The carriage suddenly stopped as a shout of "We're here" came from outside Annie and Eren's carriage.
Annie stood up and stepped off the carriage, Eren followed closely behind. As she walked, she noticed the huge areas of crushed buildings.
She looked at Eren in confusion. "What happened here?" she asked, curious to know what had destroyed Trost to this extent.
Eren looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Bertolt, Reiner, and Zeke," he simply stated.
Annie's eyes widened. "They attacked?" she asked.
"Yes."
Annie hesitated a little, not sure if she wanted to know what happened next. "A-and what happened to them?"
Eren looked at her for a moment silently. "I ate Bertolt," he stated plainly. "After that, Reiner and Zeke retreated."
Annie looked down, not knowing how to react to such news. Sure, she was never that close to Bertolt, yet the many years they spent together as comrades meant she cared about him, even if only a little. Still, there was no point thinking about it now. She has another goal now, and this time it was something she agreed with; freedom for Eldians in both Paradis and Marley. It was also the only thing she could do that may allow her to see her father again, and that was something she wanted above all.
"Oh," she looked back up. "So, you have the Colossal?"
Eren nodded in response as they continued walking towards the Survey Corp's headquarters.
As she walked, she thought back to what he said moments ago and something he said caught her attention. "How do you know Zeke?" she asked, curious.
Sure, she knew Zeke's last name was Yeager too, but it wasn't exactly a rare surname among Eldians, and she doubted they had time to exchange names when they fought. If he knew about Zeke, it must have been through memories of previous holders of his Titan, meaning it could just be Bertolt's memories but if it was not then…
Her eyes widened. 'No way, are they… related?'
To be honest, when she thought about it. She didn't know her former War Chief at all. He never talked about his life; she knew nothing about his past. Yet, it would be so rare to have two closely related people live in both Marley and Paradis.
Eren paused in his stride and tilted his head to look at Annie. "He's… my brother," he started. He noticed the look of shock on her face. "You didn't know?" he asked, surprised.
Annie shook her head. "No, we knew nothing about Zeke and the last name Yeager wasn't a rare surname, there were many families that had Yeager as a last name," she paused for a moment as they continued their walk. "Could you do it? Kill your own brother, if it came to that?" she asked.
Annie took a step back when Eren looked at her again, there was something different in his eyes, it was like staring at ice-cold rage that was bursting to break free but why would he have such a reaction to someone he barely knew? Even if they were brothers, they had never met until that fight, from what she knew anyway.
"As far as I know, the only family I have is here, in Paradis. If he gets in my way, I won't hesitate to end his life," said Eren. "Now come on, that's enough chatting."
She didn't resist when Eren started dragging her away. She knew Eren would do exactly what he said he would do if Zeke ever got in his way and she had a feeling, that was exactly what was going to happen.
As they walked through the entrance of the Survey Corp's headquarters, they were met by Levi, who was waiting for them.
"Eren, go get my squad and come to Erwin's office. We're going over the initial plan to retake Wall Maria. Now go," said Levi.
"Yes, sir!"
At the training ground, the sound of ODM gear could be heard as Mikasa flew around dummy Titans, slicing their napes again and again.
With a huge burst of speed, Mikasa spun as fast as she could and shot towards a dummy, slicing its nape. She landed with a soft thud and sighed in frustration. 'Not fast enough,' she was trying to recreate Captain Levi's signature move but no matter how hard she tried, it seemed like she just couldn't match his speed.
"Mikasa! That was great! You nearly have it!" complimented Armin, jogging towards her.
"Still not good enough," replied Mikasa.
Armin smiled. "You'll get it soon enough," he reassured.
Mikasa nodded, she appreciated his words, but she needed to be better, much better.
"H-hey guys… isn't that…?" stuttered Connie, pointing towards the training ground's entry gate.
Everyone turned to look just as Annie and Eren entered the training grounds.
Jean froze and just watched her walk closer. Then, just when she was about a few meters away, something within him snapped as he thought back to Marco's dead body a few months ago. Blinded by fury, he ran towards Annie and shoved her roughly to the ground.
Annie stayed silent as she looked back at Jean, his furious expression told her everything. This was about Marco, the one she left to die while she took his ODM gear. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it happened only a few months ago. Marco's life was one of the many innocent lives she took as a warrior, and she intended to suffer the consequences for every single one.
"Oi! What were you thinking when you killed Marco! Annie! Tell me!" shouted Jean, while he stood over Annie.
Frustrated, he grabbed her by the collar of her clothes and roughly pulled her partly off the ground.
"Tell me dammit!"
Annie struggled to speak, her heart hammered against her chest as she tried to find the right words to say but one look of Jean's face made her realise that, no matter what she said, she could never lessen the pain he feels, so she said the only thing she could say.
"I-I'm sorry," her voice was barely above a whisper.
Jean froze, his hand still tightly gripping her clothes as tears leaked from his eyes. Seeing Annie broke something inside of him, the dam that held in all his pain cracked and crumbled.
"S-sorry…?" he repeated, disbelief clear in his voice. "Sorry? That is all you have to say…?"
Jean let out a shaky breath. He clenched his fist and, in his rage, threw a punch at Annie, her restrained state prevented her from protecting herself, but she had already decided that she would face the consequences of her actions and that was exactly what she would do right now.
Annie's head snapped back as the first punch landed, her head bounced off the ground with a thud. She closed her eyes and waited for the incoming barrage, but they never came. She slowly opened her eyes again, to see Jean's arm held in place by Eren, his face was stoic while Jean continued to struggle, tears still leaking from his eyes as he stared at her with hateful eyes.
"Let go, Eren! She deserves this! Let my fucking arm go!" Jean shouted as he struggled to rip his arm from Eren's grasp.
"Jean," said Eren. "Don't give in to your rage, you need to let it go."
"That's funny coming from you!" shouted Jean. "Let me give her what she deserves!"
Jean's eyes widened when Eren suddenly grabbed him and threw him to the ground while using his body weight to keep him there. He struggled against him, grabbing and pushing as he tried to get Eren off.
"Calm the fuck down!" shouted Eren, his grip was strong as he pushed Jean further into the ground. "There is no point to this! Whatever you feel right now, use it to fight! Avenge Marco's death by taking back everything the Titan's took from us!" he loosened his grip. "You're better than this Jean… Don't be like me…"
Jean's eyes widened and his body stopped struggling as he listened. 'He's right…' he looked away from Eren. "Let me up," he muttered.
Eren got up and stuck his hand out. Jean grasped it and Eren pulled him up.
"Commander Erwin wants us in his office, make your way there," said Eren.
Jean nodded, now silent, and started to walk away but was stopped when Eren grasped his arm again.
"We will succeed Jean."
There was a moment of silence as Jean looked back at Eren. Then, Eren loosened his grip, and Jean looked at him for a moment longer before turning away.
"Come on, guys," muttered Jean. Connie and Sasha followed him as he walked away; towards Commander Erwin's office.
Eren looked down at Annie, his face expressed no emotions as he eyed her bloodied face. "Get up."
"Eren!"
Eren turned at the voice, and he brightened up noticeably when he saw Armin and Mikasa jogging towards him.
Eren smiled. "Hey guys," greeted Eren.
"Eren," said Mikasa, her eyes trained on Annie. Mistrust clear on her eyes as she stared at her.
Eren stepped forward, grabbed her hand and held them gently in his grasp. "Mikasa," he softly said. "How have you been these last few days?" he had been busy with the trial and had no time to spend with Armin or Mikasa, which was something he longed to do.
Mikasa's eyes flicked to Eren as soon as she felt his hands on hers, any thought of Annie disappeared from her head in that instant.
Mikasa's cheeks became flushed at the gesture, she was still not used to the way Eren was treating her, but it felt so good to have Eren look at her with such care. "I-I've been fine," she replied softly. "How about you?"
Armin's eyes flicked between his two friends; something was different between them. His eyes slowly widened as realisation dawned on him. 'Wait, could Eren have feelings for Mikasa?' Armin already knew Mikasa had feelings for Eren, it was so obvious, the only person who couldn't see it was Eren himself, but he had gotten no signs that Eren ever felt the same.
Armin observed Eren, noticing how gentle he held her hands and his eyes, he had never seen him look at anyone like that. Armin smiled to himself as he watched them interact; maybe this could bring the happiness that had been missing in both his friend's lives.
"Not that good to be honest," replied Eren, a teasing smile played on his lips.
Mikasa's eyes widened in worry. "What? Why?" she glared at Annie. "Did you do something?" she growled out.
Annie took a step back in surprise, her eyes flicked towards Eren when she heard his chuckle slice through the silent air.
"Mikasa…" he softly said. "It's because I missed you."
Mikasa's eyes widened as she blushed, not expecting that answer. "O-oh… I-I missed you too," she replied.
Armin smiled in amusement as he watched Mikasa turn red. 'Imagine telling someone a few months ago that the calm, strong Mikasa could be sent into a frenzy of blushes. If anyone could do it, it would be Eren.'
Eren took a step back. "Alright, come on, Commander Erwin is waiting for us."
Mikasa and Armin nodded before following Eren, with Annie closely behind. It was time to take the first step toward retaking Wall Maria.
