Chapter 19: Exposed

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Previously: Zeke comes up with a plan of attack before leaving for Marley with Ymir. Sannes is captured and they fail to make him talk. After finding out Grisha killed her siblings, Historia kidnaps Eren to go see her father and get Frieda's Titan back.


Erwin's expression didn't change, listening to Hange catch him up. A grimace was fixed on his face.

Beyond chiding him for his carelessness in getting the MPs killed while chasing after Ymir, the Assembly could not punish him further as they did not have enough to keep him under house arrest. Zackly had given him a citation and cut him loose. The four advisors to the king had not been happy but there was nothing they could do about it. Then Hange had arrived, bringing the news of Eren and Historia's kidnapping.

Erwin felt unease roll through him. Historia was central to their plot in throwing out the old, corrupt leadership and replacing them with someone new while still keeping peace with the populace. If she was gone, their entire plan would fall apart. The results would be disastrous. It could be the end of the Survey Corps if they were not careful about how they proceeded. "And we still haven't gotten confirmation about the Reiss family?"

"No." Hange sighed heavily. "Sannes hasn't broken yet. We've been trying to keep him from getting any sleep."

She fell quiet, letting him ponder in peace. His mind raced, trying to find the best way to deal with the situation they were in. After some time, he came to a decision. And did what he did best. Gamble.

"I know that look," Hange said, straightening up.

"Here's the plan. First, you will take Squad Levi and return to Trost. We've made allies with the Reeves family, yes?"

"We're on good terms, yeah."

"Use that connection. Dimo Reeves holds a lot of influence. Try to get him to spill the truth about the Interior Police hiring him and his men to kidnap Eren and Historia."

"Where are you going with this?"

"We're going to reveal the Military Police's dirty deeds and paint them as the bad guys. If things go sideways, we'll need a safe place to hide. While the people of Sina might not give the article much consideration, the rest of the population will be more open-minded. Especially Trost." The people of Trost owed a great debt to Eren.

"So we get public opinion to turn on them."

"While you go talk to Reeves, I'll go see Sannes and get confirmation. I truly think you're right about the Reiss family. We'll start the coup by casting the MP in a negative light. Meanwhile, Levi will take your squad and try and locate Eren and Historia."

Doubt clouded her face. "What if I'm wrong? What if Historia isn't royalty and it really is the Fritz family?"

"Then the secrecy will play against them. Only members like Sannes and the Assembly know the truth. Once their shady actions are made public, the credibility of the Interior Squad will be shot. And with Pixis's help, if our plan succeeds, Zackly will arrest the advisors for treason. There will be no one left to challenge us when we install Historia on the throne, regardless if she is the true heir or not." To Erwin, it mattered not one bit whether the blood in the girl's veins was royal or commoner. What mattered was public perception. What the people believed. And if they believed it, then it was the truth. "Even if the noble families try to cause a fuss about it, they won't be able to do much since we'll have the men who hold power, the Assembly, arrested. And with the entire military supporting Historia, they won't be able to stop us."

"Doesn't that mean we'll have to lie to Pixis and tell him we verified Reiss is the royal family? He won't support us unless Historia is the heir."

"I don't like it either. But what other choice do we have? It's either that or we let the Assembly and that fool of a king, Fritz or Reiss, continue to lead humanity—or our people—down a deadly path that will most certainly end in the Walled people's annihilation."

"We won't be different from the current leadership if we do that. Lying and manipulating the truth, even to our allies. I can understand the reasons behind it, I can. But it still bothers me," Hange confessed, disturbed. "Makes me feel a little dirty, honestly."

"If we are to survive, we have to be willing to get out hands dirty. I am not fond of tricking our allies either, but we must do what needs to be done."


Jean tapped a finger against his bicep, sitting in a plush seat, arms crossed.

Connie and Sasha were on a sofa off to his right, Armin and Mikasa in the opposite direction, standing by the window.

No one was talking. We're not good at sitting around having nothing to do but twiddle our thumbs. All the while their fates, possibly the fate of the Walled people, were up in the air with their resident Titan and their expectant future queen missing. Jean blew out a breath through his mouth, wishing Levi would hurry the hell up.

After arriving in Wall Sina, Jean and the rest of the squad had gone with Hange to see the commander. In the meantime, their captain had left to snoop around and try to find out where Ralph may have taken Eren and Historia. Upstairs, Hange was filling Erwin in while they waited down there in anxious silence.

Minutes later when their captain finally arrived, the relief was palpable in the air. Nifa and the rest of Hange's squad was also with him.

"Have you found them?" Jean asked, jumping to his feet, eager for action. He wasn't the only one. His squad gathered around him, equally ready.

Levi inclined his head in affirmation. "I eavesdropped on some guards who were on duty last night. I followed them to a pub. They got drunk even though it's still afternoon, not that that's a surprise. They started gossiping about a man who used some secret code which meant they were to allow him to pass through the gate without it being recorded. He was escorting a female figure in a hood while carrying a second person who was unconscious. We thought Sannes was the more dangerous one. We shouldn't have underestimated his partner. He didn't make it to the First Interior Squad for nothing."

"He must be threatening Eren's life to make Historia go along." Then Sasha perked up. "But doesn't this confirm Historia is of royal blood?"

"No," Jean disagreed and explained, "she could still just be a nobleman's bastard. Aristocats need an heir and for all we know, her father can't have any more children so he wants her and it could have nothing to do with the royal family."

"That's beside the point now," Nifa said. "The important thing is getting them back."

"Do you know where he could have taken them?" Armin asked Levi.

"Ralph had the guards at the gate prepare him a carriage to get to Stohess District."

"Is that so?" Erwin appeared behind them, Hange by his side.

"Erwin." Levi faced him. "I take it Four-Eyes caught you up to speed?"

"She did." The commander quickly told them of the plan he had come up with.

"Shouldn't we be the ones to go rescue Eren?" Mikasa asked, looking ready for a fight.

"No," Erwin replied calmly. "Squad Hange has more experience. You're better off protecting Reeves and his men. They're loose ends. If it were me, I'd want them eliminated so they couldn't expose me. It'll also make Reeves and his men more likely to talk if they're afraid but they know they have protection."

"But I can fight," Mikasa argued. "Better than anyone else in this room. Except for Captain Levi," she said a bit grudgingly.

"Yes," Erwin agreed, "and your skills are well known. Especially by Reeves, from what I've heard. Which is why I need you there with Hange. Knowing what you can do and that you're there to protect him and his men will make it more likely he will go along with our plan." Mikasa opened her mouth but he continued, "Also, the last time Eren was kidnapped Levi was injured because he had to save your life instead of rescuing Eren. You were a hinderance."

Jean wanted to defend her, but the commander was right.

"I'll follow the orders this time," she promised, looking somewhat chastised.

"Good. Then go to Trost with Hange."

Jean couldn't decipher Mikasa's expression. She almost seemed to be struggling with something. Armin placed a hand on her arm, giving her a look, and shook his head. Her shoulders slumped.

"I'll go to Trost," she relented with a sigh.

"I will go see Sannes and get the confirmation we need to move forward with our plan."

"Uh, what if it fails and he still refuses to give it up?" Connie asked hesitantly.

"My plan won't fail. Now, you all have your assignments. Get moving. Time is of the essence."

Jean had a feeling they weren't being told everything. Not that that was anything new or surprising. Forget being officers, they weren't even veterans of the Corps yet, having only survived one expedition. But he trusted the commander. And he was just glad to finally have something to do. Once they found Eren, though, Jean decided he was going to give the idiot a piece of his mind for getting kidnapped a second time.


Mikasa was not surprised one bit at the younger Reeves's reaction.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Flegel Reeves shrieked hysterically. "No way! No fucking way! Tell them, Dad!"

Dimo Reeves sat behind the desk, listening warily.

While she and Hange were talking to the merchant boss, Armin, Jean, Sasha, and Connie had gone with Moblit to the Berg Newspaper office. Her presence, along with Hange's, would be enough to ensure Reeves's cooperation, letting him know he would be safe. But Hange had thought they might need a higher number of soldiers to convince the journalists. Might make them feel more reassured if it was a group offering them protection instead of two people. They would be told Reeves Company would also help protect them in addition to the Corps. And Reeves would be told the newspaper would have his back. One wasn't likely to agree without knowing the other was in so they were approaching both at once. Hopefully, they would both agree.

"We're not doing it! They'll kill all our families! Not everyone's a suicidal maniac like you Survey Corps freaks!"

"Quiet, Flegel," Dimo chided his son. When Flegel looked ready to argue, he shot him that familiar look parents sent their kids, a final warning telling them to pipe down, or else. "You were saying," he said to Hange when his son shut up, standing sulkily behind him.

"Yes, thank you," she said, sitting across from him. "As I was about to say, we'll be here to protect you in case you fear reprisal from the Military Police. Because believe you me, they won't let a loose end like you go free. There is no hundred percent guarantee you won't ever talk. You'll be in more danger if you keep your mouths shut."

"But if we come clean then they lose their reason to come after us."

"Exactly. I sent my second-in-command to talk to some journalists. We can do this quickly. Once the truth is out, any harm coming to you, your men, your families, or your business, well, if they do that the police will basically be confirming what you said was the truth. They will be forced to leave you alone. Otherwise, the public will turn on them."

"You can't know that for sure!" Flegel said heatedly. "Some of our employees have children! Do you—"

"She's right," Dimo cut in. "We'll be in less danger this way. It's been on my mind already. If we keep the deal the Interior Squad made with us and stay quiet, they can take us out with ease to ensure their kidnapping plot never comes to light. They could frame our deaths as an accident. Or stage it like we were attacked by criminals. We'll have to live the rest of our lives in fear they may decide we're not worth the risk. Silencing us permanently is the only way to ensure we'll never talk. But if we act first and reveal they hired us to kidnap Eren Yeager, Humanity's Hope, for some nefarious purpose then they can't touch us without acknowledging their corruption."

Hange nodded. "Trying to get Eren through an underhanded and illegal method instead of going through proper channels means they can take whatever actions they want again him without having to face blowback from the public regarding our best hope at beating the Titans."

"But—"

"You owe it to Eren," Mikasa finally spoke up, nailing Flegel with a hard look. "He saved your home. He saved Trost." He squirmed under her stare. "Now it's your turn to help him."

"I'll do it," Dimo Reeves declared, ignoring his son's protests, though they were half-hearted now.

"Thank you." Hange smiled gratefully.

"What about the girl? Should I...talk about her?"

Mikasa noted the frown of confusion on Flegel's face and realized he didn't know about Historia potentially being of royal blood. Hange had told her only Dimo Reeves had been informed to get his full cooperation.

"Only mention that they also wanted Christa Lenz for whatever reason," Hange answered carefully due to Flegel's presence. "Or maybe she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Since we don't have any solid evidence of why she was taken, best to only say what we know for sure instead of speculating."

If they leaked Historia's possible royal lineage, they risked losing credibility. It seemed too ludicrous. Besides, with Sannes still keeping his mouth shut, we've only got Hange's theories, Mikasa thought. If they ended up being wrong about the Reiss family, claiming the Interior Squad had also kidnapped the royal heir, it would blow up massively in their faces.

A knock came from the door. "Squad Leader, I've brought them." Moblit's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Come in," Dimo called and the group of seven entered the office.

Two nervous-looking gentlemen were with Moblit and the rest of Mikasa's squad. Mikasa noted the younger did have a mild look of determination whereas the older one was mostly anxious.

"This is Roy and Peaure," Moblit introduced them.

Hange stood and shook their hands. "Thank you for coming."

"We only came to listen," the older man, Roy, interjected quickly. "That's all."

"That's all we ask."


When Sannes came to, his body felt sore but he felt a lot better.

Erwin Smith stood in the doorway, talking quietly to the dark-haired man, Moblit, Sannes recalled, who had kept him awake after Levi and Hange left.

Pride flowed through him. Despite their best efforts, he had stayed firm to his oath. And Ralph. Even if it hurt, he couldn't help but grin. Ralph had taken both the Titan boy and the heir. The Survey Corps was done now. Beaten and battered as he was, Sannes was content. They can kill me if they want. All that mattered to him was the mission was a success.

"Sleep well?" Erwin turned his attention to him after dismissing Moblit. He sat in the chair in front of Sannes.

"You've failed." To his surprise, instead of being upset or angry, Erwin raised an eyebrow at him, almost confused.

"What do you—oh. I see. You don't remember."

"Remember what?"

"I suppose it's understandable. After so many days of sleep deprivation, your cognitive functions were poor. Which is why you told us everything we needed but forgot you did after you had your nice long nap."

"Give it up. Using the same old tricks won't work on me."

Erwin simply shrugged, at ease. "Makes no difference to me. We got what we needed."

"Well good for you. Now you can go fuck off."

"I just wanted to say thank you. We already knew about Reiss being the royal family and you confirmed it. But we had no idea about the other Titan."

Sannes felt his insides freeze. Uncertainty flickered in his eyes. "What other Titan?"

Erwin stared unblinkingly at him. "The Reiss family's Titan. The one that can control the mindless Titans."

A sick feeling rose in Sannes's gut. Had he done it? Had he really accidentally blurted everything while severely sleep deprived? No, no, no! It had to be a trick. He couldn't remember telling Erwin anything. Erwin had to be lying. Desperation filled him but he couldn't figure out how they could know about the Founding Titan. Still, he refused to crack and blurt out something foolish in panic. "What nonsense are you spouting now?" Sannes growled.

"They're your words." Erwin shrugged. "And you also mentioned something called an...island?"

The blood drained from Sannes's face.

"I would like to know more about that but there's no time. I need to send a message to Pixis about everything you told me. My plan was for Berg Newspapers and Dimo Reeves to join forces to expose your group. That you hired Reeves and his men to kidnap Eren Yeager and Christa Lenz. We couldn't risk the population dismissing Reeves's story so we decided to stick with 'Christa Lenz' instead of using 'Historia Reiss.' Moblit told me just now that all they needed one last push and this should do the trick. With the knowledge you gave me, I can bring Pixis to my side, who can provide adequate protection for Berg Newspaper and Reeves Company. By tomorrow morning, everyone will know the Interior Squad tried to kidnap Eren and some innocent girl."

"It doesn't matter what—"

"I must also go see the Assembly. Seems they've somehow gotten word Eren and Historia were captured and their confidence has returned. They'll try to put it on me, I'm sure. I imagine they'll claim they've learned 'through unnamed sources' that Eren is gone and say it was my incompetence that got him taken. Or perhaps they'll claim he ran away. Either way," Erwin said, waving his hand dismissively, "I have a plan to handle them. And again, it can be set in motion without any lies to my allies, all thanks to you."

"You're lying!" But Sannes didn't truly believe it. The commander knew too much. Only Ralph could have told him that but if his partner was still around and they had cracked him, they would have kept the pressure on Ralph instead of trying to get him to spill the beans. But Erwin's here talking to me instead. Which meant Ralph was truly gone. And I really did reveal everything to Erwin.

"More than confirming Reiss as the royal family, you even told us about their Titan and how mindless Titans are, in fact, humans. Hange has this theory," Erwin continued, either ignoring or oblivious to Sannes's distress, "that they eat humans because of a base instinct to return to their true forms. But of course, that can only happen if the person they eat has a Titan power."

He knows everything! Sannes stared at Erwin, heart falling.

The commander sighed deeply. "Eren will be distraught when he learns he got his Titan power by eating his father. That the serum Grisha injected him with didn't give him Titan power like we originally thought, but only turned him into a mindless one. So his father could pass on his Titan—and Frieda's Titan he stole in the crystal cavern five years ago—to Eren by having Eren eat him."

"It... It doesn't matter!" Sannes said desperately. Then he glared hatefully. "You may have broken me, but it's too late! Eren will be eaten and the Founding Titan will go back to where it belongs and you—" It was subtle but he saw it. A flash of something flickering in Erwin's eyes.

"The Founding Titan, huh? So that's what it's called."

He winced. What does it even matter? Sannes thought bitterly. Knowing its name was nothing compared to everything else he had already spilled. No. No more, he swore to himself. He refused to give the man crumbs of even useless bits of information.

Erwin stared at him but Sannes kept his mouth shut. "You're done talking, then? Very well. I have a confession to make. Everything I just said about you breaking under sleep-deprivation and telling us those secrets...it was all a lie."

Sannes stared at him, floored. A trick! He stared at Erwin suspiciously. It was probably another ruse to get him to fall into some trap. Or to torment him further. Regardless of what Erwin said, if he kept his lips sealed it wouldn't matter.

"Historia was rather close to Ymir, the girl with Titan powers who Reiner and Bertolt kidnapped. On the Wall, before we went after them, Historia begged Eren to help save Ymir and grabbed his hands, triggering memories in both of them."

Realization began to dawn on him.

"Yes, that's right. So you see, everything I told you, it was all conclusions Hange made weaving together pieces of information she learned from both Eren and Historia's memories and everything Ymir said to Historia. Then I simply pretended I got it all from you because after all, how else would I know?"

Sannes saw Erwin's lips moving but his words seemed far off.

"I watched your reactions carefully and fed you bits since I didn't know if Hange had gotten something wrong, but it seems her vast intelligence did not fail us." Erwin smiled, satisfied.

Sannes stared at the commander, helpless, failure heavy on his shoulders.

"Thank you again, Mr. Sannes. Your help was most appreciated."


"Look at this!" Rod waved the newspaper angrily in Kenny's face.

Kenny scanned the front-page article. "Smart. They got ahead of us." His thoughts turned to the previous day's fight in Stohess. The Corps had taken the bait. Knowing the Scouts would investigate, he'd scattered crumbs of false information and lead them into a trap. His lips twitched, thinking about the look on his nephew's face on the roof when the woman's face exploded. The little fucker still managed to get away. He couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride.

"What're you smiling about?" Rod demanded. "This isn't good! We could have covered up yesterday's attack saying the Survey Corps started it. But we can't now because it'll look like a big-faced lie! A desperate attempt to counter this article! And they talked about Eren being kidnapped by the First Interior Squad!"

"Clever of them to use 'Humanity's Hope' as well as his name in the article," Traute commented, reading the newspaper as she entered the study. "Keeps him human and reminds them he's a symbol of humanity's freedom."

Twin red blotches appeared on Rod's face. "This isn't the time to—"

"Relax," Kenny interrupted easily. "So the Military Police will have their reputation a little tarnished. Nothing' ta worry 'bout. We got Historia and Eren. We'll just say those agents were Titan haters that went rogue and acted independently and were harshly punished."

"What if they demand to see Eren?"

Kenny almost rolled his eyes. "Not everyone knows what he looks like. I doubt it'll happen but if it's necessary, we'll just have a lookalike pretend to be him and keep him safe and hidden away for 'his own safety.' In the meantime, we can deal with the Survey Corps."

"You should have killed Reeves and his men."

"Ralph told me the girl said they had suspicions about Reiss being the true royal family. With Eren and Historia taken, where do ya think is the first place they'd look for 'em?"

It took Rod a few seconds to put it together, and he squeaked. "Here? They're going to attack the estate?!"

"We're got people keeping an eye out," Traute informed him. "They're not here. And we'll be gone soon enough anyway."

"So ya see why I decided to get Little Mouse—"

"Leonhart," Traute provided at Rod's confused look.

"—outta here first, instead of goin' after Reeves?"

"Where is she now?" Rod asked them.

"At one of the Anti-Personnel Squad's secret bases in the Yarckel District," Kenny responded.

"Why wasn't she kept there from the beginning?"

"It's the only one capable of detaining someone who can turn into a Titan but we needed time to get it ready first," his second-in-command lied smoothly.

"I should have just had her killed," Rod said regretfully, shoulders slumped.

"And lose the Female Titan?" Traute asked.

"The Founding Titan is the only one we need," he said dismissively. "In fact, I want you to go make sure Annie Leonhart is killed right away. She's of no use to me and I don't want to risk her falling into the Survey Corps' hands."

Kenny had a feeling it had to do with Rod and Historia being the last of the Reiss family. Grisha Yeager had managed to defeat Frieda, even though she had the Founding Titan, and eat her because she hadn't been experienced enough. If Rod gave away the Female Titan's power to a trusted family but they got greedy and decided to challenge them, they could take control away from the Reiss family in the future. Presumedly Rod couldn't take the Female Titan's power himself. But he was too much of a wimp to take any Titan power, which was why he would make his daughter eat Eren instead of taking the Founding Titan back himself and giving Historia the Female Titan. It left only one option for Annie. Death. I'd never let such a useful weapon go to waste if I were king.

Kenny wondered if Historia could eat both Eren and Annie. Maybe it simply wasn't possible for a person to have two Titan powers. But no, Eren proved that wrong. Most likely it was just Rod being an idiot and too panicked to make the right call. Intelligence wasn't exactly his strong point. Rod thought most often with his dick or didn't think at all.

Traute only hummed noncommittally at Rod's order to kill Annie instead of verbally confirming it.

"We'll take care of her once Historia has the Founding Titan," Kenny replied, giving his second-in-command a look. "She and Eren must have reached the chapel by now. We should leave for it."

"Right. Right." Rod nodded to himself. "Everything is okay now. Better than it has been in five years. Once Historia has the Founding Titan, everything else will fall into place soon enough."

Keep dreamin'. Kenny had his own plans. His mind went to the treasure he had liberated from Rod's stash. It'll be my dream that comes true. He would steal the Founding Titan right out of Rod's grubby fingers when he thought the victory was his. Picturing that made his lips twitch in anticipation.


"How'd it go?"

"It was a huge success," Hange answered Armin with a big smile.

Armin and the rest of Squad Levi cheered happily, Connie and Sasha hugging and jumping around. They were back in Wall Sina, having returned from Trost.

"Finally," Levi said. "Things are going in our favor."

"The Assembly has been arrested by Zackly for treason and the Military Police's credibility fell even more due to that shoot out. Gotta hand it to Berg Newspaper for jumping that story quickly and painting the policemen as the aggressors." Hange's joy dimmed as she said that.

Moblit placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Armin's smile disappeared, remembering the result of the fight in Stohess. If Erwin had sent them with Levi instead of her squad, the bodies full of holes would have been him and his friends'.

"Commander Pixis still has some of his best squads keeping Reeves and the Berg Newspaper employees and their families safe," Moblit said. "I don't think there's anything to worry about now, but it's just a precaution."

"It also helps that the MP Commander is on our side now," Hange continued. "Nile wasn't too thrilled about the Assembly so easily willing to subject his family and the rest of Wall Rose's population to the Titans that had 'invaded due to the Armored Titan breaching Wall Rose.'"

"Are we going after Eren and Historia now?" Mikasa stepped forward, prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

Armin could relate.

Hange nodded. "I think I know where they are. If Grisha confronted the Reiss family at the chapel and he defeated and ate the Founding Titan there, there must be someplace safe nearby for them to transform. A place where the Reiss family could pass on the Founding Titan to the next heir without attracting attention."

Armin was still disturbed by that revelation. Hange had told them about Eren's dad killing Historia's siblings before passing on the power to him. He worried about how Eren would react to that. And he was also concerned about how Historia would take the news since the plan was to make her queen. Could she look past his father's actions and not hold a grudge against Eren for Frieda's death?

"Eren did mention an underground crystal cave," Sasha remembered.

"There's probably some secret cavern at the chapel," Jean offered.

"It would be the perfect place to hold people with Titan powers captive."

Armin didn't miss Levi's use of a plural word. Perhaps it was nothing, but he still asked, "People?"

"Annie's also missing," Levi informed them with a scowl. "When we sent soldiers down to check on her, they found the cell empty and collecting dust."

"The Assembly wasn't just trying to keep us from interrogating her, they were also trying to hide the fact they took her." Hange crossed her arms. "My guess is they'll try to get both Eren and Annie's Titan powers. Rod will take Eren's, and maybe give Historia Annie's since she'll be less of a threat than Annie."

Armin couldn't help but feel a little guilty for the dread he felt, thinking about Annie's demise. Despite all the pain and suffering she'd caused the Walled population and their friends, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.

"When are we leaving for the chapel?" Jean asked.

"In about two hours," Hange answered.

"But the chapel is a couple of hours ride away," Mikasa started, looking ready to leave now. "We can't waste any time—"

"It's alright. Rod will probably try to convince Historia to join him first. If he blindly gives her the Female Titan, she might attack him, not trusting him. So he'll try to get her to join him first. And he'll wanna make sure she's trustworthy so we have some time."

"In any case, we need the time to finish preparations before heading to the village," Levi added. "Charging in there half-cocked will get us killed. Especially against an opponent like Kenny."


Traute landed next to her captain. "How's the reunion coming along?"

"All sunshine and rainbows."

"I just got word. The Assembly has been arrested for treason."

"Is that so?" Kenny murmured, continuing to watch the father-daughter pair.

Historia and Rod were hugging, both emotional. "I'm so happy to see you," Rod said, eyes full of tears.

Traute scoffed. She would bet every cent she owned that Reiss was only glad Historia was open and affectionate to him because it would help him in the end. Now he won't have to work too hard to convince her to murder her friend.

"There are so many things I have to tell you—"

"I already know everything. And there's something you have to know," the girl said urgently. "Hange and the rest know about Freida's Titan and this chapel."

That got Traute's attention.

Kenny stood straighter next to her, looking greatly interested. "We're gonna do a permitter check," Kenny said to Rod suddenly and she followed him.

"Alright, Kenny," Rod said, watching them leave.

Her captain led her to a small platform near the roof of the cavern, around the curve of the wall. Perfect spot to keep them hidden from Rod and the girl's view, but she and Kenny could still spy on them.

"Ah, this is a good spot," Kenny remarked, watching the scene play out below.

Traute crouched beside him. "Why're we hiding?" They could just stroll up to the two and execute them without effort and take what they wanted. Kenny would become King of the Walls. Success was within their grasp. Then again, her captain was rather theatrical and she had a feeling that probably had something to do with it.

"I just wanna give 'em some time ta catch up. I'm a nice fella, ya know."

"No, you just want to make a dramatic entrance, don't you?" Traute rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the father-daughter duo.

"...touched Eren and I got all my memories back. And after overhearing Hange and Levi, I figured out his father," Historia spat out, glaring at Eren, "murdered Frieda and the rest of our poor siblings."

"Yes... Yes!" Rod gasped, delighted, though trying and failing to hide it. "That's right! His father killed the rest of my children and my wife after he had already eaten Frieda. They were innocent. No danger to him. But he still murdered them in cold blood."

"He looks like he's about to start sobbing," Traute observed, watching as Eren stared at the scene in distress. After keeping him constantly sedated, he was finally fully awake for the first time in days.

Rod presented her with a syringe. "Will you eat him and return the Founding Titan back where it belongs, daughter?"

"I'll do it!" Historia vowed fiercely. "And once I have it, I will eliminate all the Titans and free the Walled people!" She glanced at Eren while making that declaration.

So she's not completely okay with killing him. Traute noted. No matter how angry she felt at him, her vow to fulfill the boy's lifelong dream was an offering to help appease her own guilt at what she was about to do. Even if she truly meant to free her people, it was also because some part of her felt bad about what was about to happen. It's so she can sleep better at night for taking his life because in the end, she achieved both their goals so her betrayal was okay. That it wasn't as terrible an act.

Historia brought the syringe to her arm, Rod peering eagerly as she brought her thumb up. Before she could push and inject the serum into herself, Kenny started to clap, interrupting whatever Historia was about to say to her father.

Finally! Traute couldn't believe it. They were here. Kenny's dream was about to become a reality. She followed him to the ground.

"Well, well, what a touchin' father-daughter reunion this has been. But now it's my turn," he said gleefully, stepping forward. "It's a good day to become king!"


Please Review~