Chapter 26: Captive
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Previously: The basement is reached. Petra receives more of Annie's memories. Pieck kidnaps Eren. Connie dies. Jean asks Bertolt about Marco. Petra comforts Bertolt before Erwin eats him.
Eren = Modern Eren
Eren II = Canon Eren
Her burns itched and her bruises ached faintly. Sasha barely noticed, too overcome with grief. The group stood solemnly around her.
Before them, Historia paled and clung to Ymir, who wrapped an arm around her. "How could this happen?" Historia asked, shaken.
"After Eren was taken," Moblit started to explain, "when we tried to figure out how many soldiers had been killed during the abduction, we realized two people were missing but their bodies were nowhere to be found. They were very much alive when the Beast Titan was taken out and the recruits didn't encounter any more danger after that—not until the Cart Titan's attack. So there was no reason for their bodies to be absent."
"Pieck attacked dressed as a soldier," Levi said. "We think she and Reiner killed the missing soldiers and took their uniforms. The soldiers might have been part of the group that went to chase after her and Reiner. Apparently, two people from that search party came back late, claiming 3D gear malfunction which caused one of them to be hurt." Levi glared into the distance. "We thought they'd flee or attack from the direction of the outer gate, but none of us expected them to be bold and crazy enough to infiltrate us."
"It's my fault," Ymir said, sounding furious with herself. "If my stupid ass had thought to describe what Pieck looked like we could have kept an eye out for her and avoided this disaster."
"How could you have known?" Historia said, trying to comfort her.
Erwin nodded, frowning unhappily. "We should have thought to ask you what all the enemy Shifters looked like. I should have thought of that."
Jean resumed recounting the events. "I asked around and some soldiers remembered seeing someone matching Pieck's description assisting an injured soldier with a bandaged face. Likely it was Reiner in disguise since we did know his face. The recruits assumed she was a veteran. The veterans assumed she was a recruit. She was walking freely among us and none of us had a clue."
"Once they safely crossed into Shinganshina by pretending to be soldiers," Levi started once more, "Reiner slipped away. Either he was too injured to transform again, or they didn't want to risk getting into a fight with us. After Pieck grabbed Eren, she raced to meet Reiner at the outer gate and he used his 3D gear to get them over the Wall. On the other side, she transformed again and probably ran straight to their ship. With her speed, we never had a chance of catching up."
"The recruits told me one horse went missing," Jean spoke up again. "I think Reiner stole it and used it to sneakily leave for the outer gate when Eren and the others went to the basement. Captain Levi found the horse wandering near the gate when he and Ymir gave chase."
"Sasha, what's wrong?" Historia asked after a grim silence had settled around them.
Sasha brought her attention to focus, realizing she'd been listening half-heartedly, barely reacting. "Connie's dead," she said dully. She didn't know how else to break the news or what else to say.
Tears filled Historia's eyes and she swallowed, voice shaking. "A-And the others? What about Mikasa and Armin? And Hange? But Petra should be okay, right? She heals." Historia glanced at Ymir. "Like Ymir and Eren." She winced, no doubt thinking about Eren's inevitable doom.
"Mikasa and Hange were hurt but it's nothing serious," Levi told her. "Petra and Armin are both fine. Erwin was hurt badly so we turned him into a Titan and had him eat Bertolt."
Sasha wondered why Levi seemed unhappy about it. It had saved the commander's life, hadn't it? And he had Titan powers now. Wasn't that a good thing? There was a pang in her chest. If only Connie hadn't died immediately. Maybe, just maybe, they could have given him the serum and saved his life. But he's dead, she thought, light-headed.
Often Connie used to joke the two of them were like twins. That he was her brother from another mother. Strangely it rang truer now than it had when he was alive. It felt like someone had sawed off her own arm.
Sasha started to fantasize about how they could have split the serum and it would have worked and everything would have been okay. But she forced herself to stop before she lost herself too deeply to that fantasy. It would only make coming back to reality that much harder. There was no point in thinking about the what-ifs. The past wasn't going to change. All it would do was torment her further, trying to think of how if things had gone differently she wouldn't have lost her closest friend and there wouldn't be a gaping hole in her chest.
"I will get the queen caught up on what we found in the basement," Erwin said to them. "It's been a long day. You all go clean up, get yourselves checked out at the infirmary, and get some food in you. Go and rest."
One by one, they filed out of the room. They split ways, none in the mood for talking.
Sasha reached the mess hall and sat by herself, steam rising from the hot food before her. For the first time in a long time, she was not hungry.
Mikasa opened her eyes weakly.
Bright sunlight came from the windows, indicating it was still daytime. She sat up too quickly and swayed from the blood rush.
"Careful." Armin lay a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Don't move too fast. You'll make yourself dizzy."
Mikasa touched her forehead and felt a bandage.
"You hurt your head when you were knocked from your horse," Armin reminded her.
Thankfully, the disorientation wore off and she took a few seconds to steady herself. Relieved to see Armin whole and unhurt, Mikasa checked the room for the other person she needed to confirm was safe.
Jean was standing against the wall across from the bed, arms crossed. Knees to her chest, Sasha was on the floor next to him. Mikasa guessed Ymir was probably with Historia. Two other people were noticeably absent. "Where's Eren?" Mikasa asked. "And Connie?" She couldn't believe Eren would leave her side while she was hurt and unconscious. Unease rolled through her for some reason and she found herself reaching for excuses, trying to explain away Eren's absence.
When the sober looks on her friends' faces appeared unchanged, worry began to gnaw at her.
"Where are they?" Mikasa turned her desperate eyes to Armin. "Armin, is Eren hurt? Why aren't you saying anything?!" Her voice trembled. "Is he stuck in some important meeting?" The excuse sounded weak even to her own ears. Their silence was answer enough but she couldn't bring herself to accept the growing dread in the pit of her stomach. "What is it?! Someone tell me what happened!"
"Connie died," Sasha said quietly from the floor.
Mikasa felt her heart lurch in her chest. "Sasha..."
"Eren," Armin started then swallowed. "Eren was kidnapped."
Cold fear washed over her, chilling her insides. "Kidnapped? Why didn't anyone go after him?" Mikasa asked. Her voice came out soft and detached. A piercing pain began in her temple.
"Captain Levi and Ymir did," Jean answered. "But the Cart Titan caught us by surprise and she had a head-start. Captain Levi and Ymir couldn't close the gap and the Warriors got away with Eren."
Mikasa's left eye began to throb furiously. She bunched up the blanket under her hands and gritted her teeth. The headache worsened and she started feeling nauseous.
Armin noticed her flinch in pain. "Don't put so much pressure on your brain. It'll only make the headache worse."
Denial hit Mikasa hard and she said, "Maybe he'll be okay. We thought he died once before. He was eaten right in front of you, Armin. He might make it out this time, too!"
Jean shook his head. "He unknowingly had a wild card then: his Titan powers. What ace does he have up his sleeve to survive an entire hostile country? The Marleyans won't spare him. They'll kill Eren so they can take his power for themselves. Then they'll come for us."
"He might be alive for now but he won't live for long," Armin said, eyes downcast. "There's nothing we can do here."
Crazy plans flooded Mikasa's mind, refusing to give up. Maybe they could storm Marley. But how would they get there? The only ships they had were inside the Walls. What if we build ships outside the Walls and by the ocean? But how would the Scouts know where to sail? Where to find Eren even if they reached Marley? By the time they got to the mainland and learned where he was being held prisoner, Eren would likely be long deceased. She doubted Marley would dawdle in stealing the Founding Titan. They probably already have someone lined up and ready to be turned.
The thought caused Mikasa's breath to be caught up in her throat. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her chest while simultaneously a hole had opened up inside her, spreading blinding grief and numbness throughout her entire body. It ate away at her insides, leaving her feeling empty and weak. This ugly feeling was one she had never wanted to experience again.
She knew she could live without Eren. She had proven as much to herself in Trost months ago. It would be painful but she would move on. Carry his memories, mourn, then continue to live her life.
But she needed to go through the aching loss first before she could find acceptance. Knowing that, at this very moment, Eren was likely still alive and on his way to be killed yet she was powerless to do anything about it, that was excruciating beyond words. It was more horrifying than if she'd learned he was well and truly dead. At least then there really, truly wouldn't be anything she could do.
There was no battle to distract her from her maddening realization. The first time she had thought him dead, they'd found Eren alive and safe before things calmed down enough for her to have had a chance to work through her loss and grief. But this time, here and now, she wasn't so lucky.
"I want to be alone. Please," she said when Armin looked ready to protest.
Once they left, Mikasa lay back down and curled up, letting the black hole of misery swallow her whole, drowning herself in heartbreak and tears.
Armin couldn't stay still. He wandered around the HQ, barely noticing the soldiers.
The sun was setting and he realized he'd been drifting the grounds aimlessly for hours.
Most of the HQ was empty. Almost all of the soldiers were in bed, sleeping. Armin wondered if they'd been issued a gag order about Eren's kidnapping. Probably only a temporary one. It's not like we can keep this a secret for long.
Before Mikasa had regained consciousness, Ymir had filled them in on the truth of the outside world and shared her own story with them, so they could understand why she'd ditched them and what had compelled her to save Reiner and Bertolt.
Ymir's selflessness made Armin think about his own selfishness, and he felt disgusted. Vexation and bitterness began to overpower him and he itched to throw something. Break something. Scream. Rage. All of it self-directed.
You stupid, useless idiot. Armin let out quiet, infuriated noises, quickening his pacing around the empty mess hall. How could he have been so careless? He had been so busy being gloomy and feeling sad over Annie that he had missed the obvious. He had seen Pieck approach them but his mind had been elsewhere, missing the enemy before his eyes.
Armin gritted his teeth his frustration continued to increase. He would have realized she didn't belong if he had just paid more attention to his surroundings. But no! He fumed at himself. You had to sulk about Annie instead of making sure your best friend, the enemies' number one target, reached Wall Rose safe and sound! Now Eren, their greatest hope, his childhood friend, was gone and there was nothing they could do about it. All because you couldn't stop thinking about some insipid bitch. He slapped his head furiously, crying and ripping at his hair.
He was aware the anger and hate he was trying to rile up against Annie was fake, so he could push his feelings for her aside and denounce them. Knowing that only made him angrier and more ashamed. His mood worsened recalling his increasing pity for her, which had immediately and unconsciously gone up when Ymir spilled everything about Marley. His heart kept saying they were brainwashed children carrying a staggering amount of stress, and burdens that would have been too much even for most adults, but he didn't want to feel bad for them. He wanted to hate them. It just hurt too much with Eren gone. Fury was easier to deal with right now.
His brooding and self-loathing were interrupted by Ymir. "Wasn't expecting to see you here," she said.
"I'm surprised you left Historia's side," Armin replied.
"She left hours ago. She had to return to Mitras with Commander Erwin and deal with the fallout of what the Corps discovered today and Eren's kidnapping." Ymir sat at the table by Armin. "I was gonna join her but I figured I'd go with you guys when you head to Wall Sina in a couple of days yourselves. Not like I'll be getting much time with Historia cause of everything that's going on. But more importantly," she said sadly, "I didn't want to leave Sasha by herself. She's sleeping now but I want to stay nearby. Historia thought I should stay too for Sasha's sake."
"I guess the higher-ups have to figure out how to break the news of Eren's kidnapping and the truth of the outside world. How do you think they—"
She waved a hand. "Let's leave that up to them. What's on your mind?" Ymir asked. "I can understand you'd be upset because of Eren but you seem weirdly disturbed."
Armin's jaw clenched and unclenched. He exhaled sharply. "I should have noticed her."
"Noticed who?"
"The Cart Titan."
"Pieck? How would you have known it was her? I'm the one who should have thought to warn everyone what Pieck—and Zeke—looked like. If anyone's at fault here, it's me."
"But I would have known," Armin insisted, pacing again.
"How?" Ymir questioned skeptically. "It's not like Pieck was carrying a sign that said 'Marleyan Warrior over here!' and you would have been the world's biggest idiot to miss it."
"Her hair."
"The Cart Titan was black-haired so it's reasonable to assume the Shifter would also have dark hair—not that it's a guarantee, like Petra and her dyed blonde hair but her Female Titan will always be a redhead. Anyway, you didn't even see the Cart Titan. You couldn't know she had black hair. You were in Shinganshina and she was in the other town. And even if you did know it, were you going to suspect every woman with dark hair?"
"No, no, no, you don't get it. It's not about the hair color. Look at Zeke, he's blond in human form, that's his natural hair color, but his Titan still has brown fur. It's not about the color but the length." Armin gestured with his hands. "Pieck had long hair. That's what I should have noticed. Long hair is against military protocol unless it's tied back somehow, either in a ponytail or up in a hair bun. But her hair fell freely past her shoulders."
"There's no guarantee it would have tipped you off and you'd immediately realize she was the Cart Titan. What if she was a soldier who happened to lose her hair tie or something?" Ymir pointed out reasonably.
"But it would have been enough if it got my attention." Armin held on stubbornly. "I didn't have to be suspicious of her, to immediately make the link between her and the Cart Titan. As long as I had noticed it, it would have been enough because when she started closing in on us, I'd have been aware of her. Maybe then I could have shouted out a warning in time and Eren might still be here. But I didn't, and the Walled people have lost their best chance at survival. And I lost my best friend."
"C'mon, you can't blame yourself for that, Armin. You can't catch every single detail. Nobody's perfect. Everyone makes mistakes."
"But I would have caught it," he said miserably, face twisted in frustration and pain. "I know I would have..." Shame overwhelmed him. "...if I wasn't so busy moping over Annie."
Ymir nodded, understanding dawning on her face. "That's what this is really about, isn't it? Not that you missed it but you missed it because your mind was stuck on Annie."
Armin didn't reply. He didn't need to.
"Listen, you can't blame yourself for being human. For having feelings. Everyone let their guard down, not just you. The blame doesn't rest squarely on your shoulders. You need to stop taking it all on yourself."
"Don't bother," he cut her off from going further. A strange sort of numbness and coldness had spread through him. "My best friend is dead. Or he will be soon enough. And it's my fault."
"But Armin—" Ymir began.
"I have to live with the fact my distractedness and my carelessness, my feelings for the enemy, they got my best friend killed, along with possibly dooming all of the Walled people. Nothing you can say," Armin said solemnly, "no excuses you make, will ever change that fact. This is a burden I have to live with for the rest of my life."
It was hours past sunset when Petra wandered through the HQ, haunting the halls like some specter. She felt too caged in her room and went up to the flat rooftop of the castle, sitting on the ledge, extinguishing the gas-powered lantern. It was light enough out here with the half-moon shining in the sky, and she didn't want to waste oil. We have the glowing ore, she remembered. Preserving oil as fuel wasn't as important anymore. Doubly so because they had more than adequate funding thanks to Historia. Still, it was an old habit.
Petra stared at her hand. The moment she had dumped Zeke in another more secure carriage to be hauled off to Wall Sina, more of Annie's memories had flowed through her.
Mr. Leonhart was on his knees, hands on Annie's shoulders, head bowed. "Annie, what I did was wrong. I'm not going to ask you to forgive me after all that's happened. But...there's one thing...just one thing...I want to ask of you..." When he lifted his head, his eyes were full of tears. "I don't care if you make the entire world your enemy. Even if every creature alive comes to hate you...your father will always be on your side. So please, promise me, that you'll come back."
Her eyes stung and she wiped them.
Footsteps came from behind her. "What're you doing up here, Petra?" Levi asked. "I've been looking everywhere for you. There's something you need to know."
"Just wanted to get some fresh air," she said, clearing her throat and swallowing the lump in her throat.
Levi sat beside her. "Were you sulking?"
She was unsurprised by his refusal to accept social cues and being blunt in his observation. Though he did wait patiently for her to gather herself. "When I made contact with Zeke, I received Annie's memories..." Petra sighed deeply before admitting. "...and I'm feeling sympathy for her."
"What do you mean?"
"I started thinking about her father and then my own, both just waiting for their daughters to come back home. For both of us, our only family is our fathers. I mean, it's one thing to think the enemy is like you and has family and friends who care about them. It's another to know it in this way. But my father has always been kind to me and showered me with affection." Annoyance and sadness filled her voice when she said, "Whereas hers was an unloving asshole for most of her life."
"I don't see what the problem is," Levi said, apparently not getting it.
"I'm feeling bad for my friends' murderer," Petra said in shame and guilt. "How disgusting am I?"
"You're not disgusting. It's not like you're giving her a free pass. You can hate someone but still feel empathy for their pain, especially when you see them suffer as a child. That's called human compassion. Not a bad thing to have."
"I just wish it would go away and I could go back to hating her without feeling any guilt."
Levi scoffed. "What do you have to feel guilty about? It's not like you hate her for no reason or over something idiotic. The bitch killed so many of our friends and had fun doing it. Boo-fucking-hoo she had a crappy childhood," he said, sneering. "So what? I did, too. So do countless others. Doesn't mean we all turn into murderous cunts. And what you saw might explain her shitty behavior but it certainly doesn't excuse it."
"Why does it feel so wrong then?" Petra asked, shoulders slumped.
"Because you're human, and a decent one at that. And sometimes, you, Petra, just feel too much."
"It's so frustrating that she didn't care at all about the lives she took but I pity her still," she said bitterly. "If it helped her accomplish her goal of going home, she didn't care about who she hurt and killed. Marco was the only one who kept her awake."
"That makes her a shit person, it's no reflection on you if you still feel bad for her. I'm not going to get upset with you because a part of you feels compassionate toward her. The day you become completely unaffected by the people you kill, even if they are enemies, is the day I become concerned about your state of mind."
"That's not all," Petra confessed, unable to hold back. "I don't just feel bad for them, I even comforted Bertolt so he could die somewhat peacefully."
"So?"
"So, after everything he did, I stayed with him in his final moments so he wouldn't die feeling alone and hated."
"Look, you have to be ruthless in battle. You shouldn't be unnecessarily cruel, but you have to be ruthless. After the battle, I think you can show some kindness. Bertolt was about to die and you offered him a small mercy. What of it? There's nothing wrong with it. It's not like it had negative consequences for our side. If your actions could have caused us problems, then it would have been an issue."
Tears stung her eyes and she felt like curling up in shame. "It just makes me feel like crap, considering what he did to Wall Maria."
"You've never seen the Colossal Titan, much less seen Bertolt turn into the Colossal Titan," Levi explained patiently. "It's only natural you have a hard time associating the two. More than that, you're used to your enemies being mindless monsters, not complex humans who're like you, people with their own dreams and flaws and families. Hell, I'd be disturbed if you weren't conflicted over facing human foes for the first time."
"I suppose that's going to have to change," Petra said and they fell silent, contemplating the difficult conflict looming over the horizon. It was frightening to consider that as one of Paradis' Shifters, she'd have to turn cold and approach humans with the same ruthlessness she had used when dealing with Titans. I'll have to become more like Annie, she thought, shuddering. Perhaps not someone who took glee in killing but at least someone capable of becoming detached and clinical during battle. She found Levi staring at her with a sad grimace. "What?"
"Nothing." Levi looked away before meeting her eyes again. "You look freaky blonde." He clicked his tongue. "I prefer you as a redhead."
She played with the tips of her bleached hair. "It's going to take forever for me to return to my natural hair color. I've been half considering shaving my head bald."
"You're going to look like an egghead."
"I don't know. I think I could pull it off," Petra said, smiling faintly. She straightened, eyeing what he had tucked under his arm. "You said you had something I needed to know?"
Levi was quiet at first before he showed her the sketchbook. "I'll tell you later. But here, take a look."
Petra accepted the sketchbook and flipped through it. "What's this?" There was a drawing of Reiner, followed by some others such as a young man with slicked-back hair and a little girl with dark hair and eyes.
"Ymir described all the Marleyans she encountered and Moblit made sketches of them. She's the one who took Eren." Levi tapped the page with a knuckle when she came to the drawing of a dark-haired woman.
"I know her." Petra's eyes widened. "She offered me assistance once. She seemed so nice."
"When was this?" Levi asked.
"It was around when you and the others went off to Eren's house."
"She probably planned to knock you out and kidnap you, then pretend you went with my group. I guess she tried to quietly get you alone but it didn't work. Maybe because she didn't know about your experience level, she couldn't risk being overpowered by the Female Titan in an outright battle, especially with soldiers around to help, so she didn't push it. They also couldn't arouse anyone's suspicion. Their main priority was Eren, after all. Loudly taking you would have given away their position, and they knew we'd have hidden Eren away in Shinganshina with ease and protected him."
"When she offered to help me," Petra said, recalling her reluctance, "I just felt uncomfortable for some reason. I thought maybe it was because I was embarrassed, needing help with cleaning up or being naked in front of her. But there really wasn't a reason for me to feel that way. It's not like the showers here or the ones at the Trainee Corps have doors. Privacy isn't exactly a priority in the military. Shame from nudity among fellow soldiers is nonexistent in me at this point. I don't know why but I just didn't want to accept her help."
"It was probably her hair," Levi said thoughtfully, looking at the drawing. "I overheard Ymir and Armin talking earlier when I stopped by the kitchens and they were in the mess hall."
"You mean you eavesdropped on them," Petra corrected, lips twitching.
"You didn't realize it but that was probably what tipped you off. Per military protocol, long hair has to be kept back and out of the face. Either she didn't realize it, or she didn't have a hair tie or the time to find one."
"Now that you mention it, her hair was easily twice as long as mine."
"Somewhere deep inside your mind you put it together without realizing it," Levi said in approval. "And it sent alarm bells ringing in your head. That was your intuition talking, or gut instincts, same thing. It was warning you of danger. You were smart to listen to that feeling. Mine rarely leads me wrong."
Another realization came to her. "No wonder she was so enthusiastic about my request! I asked her to check on Eld for me," Petra clarified at his raised eyebrows. "She could claim approval from a senior veteran while she went around checking the wagons to see if she could find Zeke or Bertolt. If anyone asked, she could direct them to me and say she had my permission to nose around. And I would have confirmed it and gotten her off the hook!" Petra slapped the sides of her head with her hands, gripping her hair. "I'm such an idiot! I should have noticed the oddity with her hair!"
Levi took the sketchbook back, closing it. "Don't beat yourself up about it. We could have avoided losing Eren if only we'd all been more observant. But we got careless and arrogant, thinking we could overpower the Warriors and they'd be stupid to approach us. That overconfidence ended up biting us in the ass."
We're so used to losing we let the victories get to our heads. Petra sighed. Her thoughts turned to the person most responsible for their wins. "Poor Eren. I wonder where he is. I can't imagine how horrible it must be for him." She drew up her legs, hugging her knees.
Levi snorted, resting one arm on his raised knee. "He's always liked you and never acted like a jackass with you, so you don't know just how he can get. I bet he's being a little hellion, giving them a verbal beatdown and making them regret kidnaping him."
"You big-chrome cock goblin! Where the fuck are my arms?!" Eren shrieked at Reiner, whose eyes widened comically.
If Eren II wasn't feeling so wary he might have laughed at the shocked look on Reiner's face. In what seemed to be the largest cabin of the ship, his twin stood before Reiner and Pieck. Two guards who had escorted Eren to the room flanked him, armed with rifles. Pieck had introduced herself and said "So you're Eren Yeager" and that was as far as she got before Eren came to his senses and flipped out.
When it came to dealing with fear, his twin, Eren II had realized, sometimes resorted to swearing using such foul language that it was enough to make a sailor blush.
"You shit-eating bag of dicktips!"
Pieck attempted to speak once more, but yet again she was overridden.
"I'm going to sue the pants off you cum-sucking thundercunts!"
I better stop him before he really gets going. Eren II thought, sensing Eren get riled up.
"Your mothers should have swallowed you!"
Eren II spluttered, simultaneously enjoying the show while also being completely mortified at Eren's creativity with vulgarity. "That's it," he said. "Shut your mouth this instant. Or Reiner is going to punch your lights out." Thankfully, his doppelgänger listened for once and clamped his mouth shut.
"Now that we've got that colorful introduction out of the way," Pieck continued, unfazed, as if she hadn't heard a single insult. "Tell me, how were you able to utilize the Founding Titan's power? Do you perchance have royal blood?"
"Eat a—"
"Don't you dare."
"—popsicle."
Eren II sighed again.
"What?" Eren mentally shrugged. "I made it PG-13 for you."
Normally, if he were here, Armin would be the one to tell him to stay calm and gather information while Eren II lost his cool. When did I become the non-explosive and more level-headed one? Seeing through Eren's eyes, he made an observation that turned his stomach—metaphorically. Fresh breakfast leftovers remained on two of the plates on a table nearby. A day has passed since we were kidnapped, he realized. No chance we're getting rescued now. We're on our own.
Eren glared at Pieck. "Listen here, lady, I'm not gonna tell you shit. Why do you even bother asking?"
"If you cooperate, I'll talk to my superiors and ensure you're unconscious when you're eaten alive. You're going to die anyway," Pieck said with a shrug, "why die awake and in agony?"
Eren scoffed at her. "I'm not stupid. You can kill me and feed my corpse, my spine, to one of your people to steal my powers, but there's no guarantee you'll find the answers you're looking for in my memories. I inherited the Attack Titan and Founding Titan from my own father, but in spite of our strong blood tie, I still don't get his memories easily. So it's even less likely that your new Shifter will be able to dig out any answers you're looking for."
"Don't mention about royal blood being a trigger!" Eren II rushed out just as Eren was about to blurt it. The less Marley knew the better.
"You're trying to dangle the bait of a painless death before me in hopes of learning my secret," Eren continued safely. "Cause when I'm dead and gone, there's nothing you'll be able to do about it. And since you can't do anything then to find out how I controlled the mindless Titans, you have to resort to bribery now."
"We have other much less than savory methods we can use, but I was trying to use the carrot instead of the stick first." Pieck smiled pleasantly. "Trust me, this is the better option for you. Why put yourself through unnecessary pain? We'll get you talking, one way or another. You might as well pick the painless route. Because trust you me, we have people with ways of making you talk that'll make you wish you had died."
"Then best of luck to my future interrogators. I'll be sure to share more of my fun vocabulary with them," Eren said, sneering. "Hey, Other me, you'll take over then, right? I don't do well with pain."
This damn chicken-shit. Eren II thought to himself, getting the urge to smack Eren. He runs his mouth off without thinking and expects me to deal with the consequences. Jackass.
"I told you he'd pick the hard way," Reiner finally said.
"I figured it was worth a shot." Pieck addressed the two guards. "Take him back to his room and cut off his arms. Tie the stumps securely so he can't regrow them. I don't want him to grow his arms past his biceps."
"What?!" Eren gasped. "You can't do this to me!"
Reiner scoffed, arms crossed. "Like hell we'll let you have your arms. You're too dangerous—"
"No, dumbass, you have to let me have my arms. Aren't you forgetting a rather important bodily function here? Unless you plan to hold my dick when I have to take a piss." Eren's eyes widened in disgust. "Wait, you're not, right?"
Reiner spluttered, caught off guard.
"Oh, I bet you sick fuckos would get off on that, wouldn't you?" Eren accused, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"That won't be necessary," Pieck remarked with a calculating look. "We plan on limiting your liquid intake to further weaken you. Reiner said you're rather willful. It'll serve a double purpose."
"But I'll still have to go a couple of times a day," Eren complained.
"I'm sure you'll manage."
"You assholes are the worst."
Eren was dismissed after that and Reiner escorted him back to his room. "You're behaving strangely, Eren," he said, staring at him with an odd expression. "Not quite like how I expected."
"Pot calling the kettle black, is it?" Eren shot back. "Connie told me all about your weird personality flip."
An hour later, Eren lay in his cot. The room was rather decent-sized for a ship. No windows, naturally, and it was otherwise unfurnished. Unashamedly, Eren wimped out when two people came to shorten his arms with axes and he let Eren II take over temporarily. He felt bad about it but if he had been in control, he probably would have cried like a baby and vomited over everything.
"We gotta figure out some way to get out of here," Eren II said, mind racing.
"How do you propose we escape from a ship?" Eren twisted his mouth, trying to somehow scratch his nose. Of course it had to start itching like crazy when he couldn't reach it. He flipped over onto his belly and rubbed his nose into the sheets. "Where would we even go?" The mattress muffled his voice.
"Shh! Don't talk out loud!" Eren II said at once.
"I doubt they're listening but I guess better safe than sorry."
"I'm sure if we put our brains together we'll figure out a way to get out of here."
Eren flipped over onto his back. "Not like there's anything better to do. Wonder if I've watched any movies with jailbreaks on a ship..."
Zeke heard the door leading to the underground cells open.
They'd just given him a tray of bland slop a little while ago. Hoping it meant someone important was here to speak to him, Zeke approached the bars as much as he could with the chains restraining his wrists and ankles. Three pairs of footsteps echoed down the walls.
The two guards who had been standing watch outside his cell—they never reacted to anything he ever said to them—left their posts. A tall man appeared with a bespectacled woman and a girl in what looked like formal military attire. From the deep bows the guards gave the girl before leaving, Zeke wondered if she was Historia Reiss. The age was right and she matched Reiner's description.
Definitely the royal, Zeke concluded when the girl sat in the chair and the older two flanked her.
"Apologies for the long wait," said the tall, broad-chested blond man. "We had some important matters to deal with first. I am Erwin Smith. And this is Hange Zoe." He didn't introduce the girl.
Based on Zeke's guess, a few days had passed since he was tossed in the underground cells. He had a good idea what might have kept them. "I suppose you had to deal with the fallout of what you discovered about the outside world and your grand incompetence in losing Eren."
"Bold words from a man who's about to be killed," Hange said. "Shouldn't you consider the situation you're in and be less arrogant? At least offer us some information that might be of value in exchange for being fed more peacefully to the person who we've decided will inherit your Beast Titan."
Chains jingling, Zeke returned to his cot and sat with his legs crossed, hands folded neatly in his lap. "Let's not insult each other's intelligence. If you truly had a way to create Titan serum you would have brought more than one vial. Your soldiers were arguing if they could split the serum they had so they could save two people, by turning them into Titans and having them eat me and Bertolt. You knew you were facing at least three Shifters. Logic would dictate you would bring at least three vials. But since you didn't, it stands to reason you couldn't for some reason."
"Do you know how to create it?" Hange asked, eyeing him shrewdly.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Zeke lied. He only knew what everyone else did: spinal fluid of a Titan was the main ingredient. But the exact compound and process were known only to the Titan Scientists of Marley. It was a state secret that would never be shared with an Eldian, not even a Warrior. Even if the Corps somehow discovered the technology to create the serum that the royal family had been using, they lacked the precise knowledge to manufacture it themselves.
"In the spirit of not insulting each other's intelligence," Erwin countered, "I will have to call you out on your bluff. Marley would never share such an important secret with you. Not only because they see Eldians as second-class citizens, but also because it seems to be one of the foundations of their power. Intimate knowledge of the serum and access to Subjects of Ymir would be a deadly combination. With Liberio is in the heart of their nation, it would be so easy to devastate the country overnight by turning the internment zone's citizens into Titans. So I sincerely doubt the Marleyan government is so carefree to share the formula with someone like you. What purpose would that serve anyway?"
Zeke didn't deny it, only shrugged. "Regardless, the situation hasn't changed. You still don't have the means to turn someone into a Titan and take the Beast Titan from me."
"Coincidentally," Hange said, tapping her chin, "it occurs to me that we could just grab a random Pure Titan from outside the Walls and feed you to it."
"There's no guarantee the new Shifter will be loyal to you or have what it takes to be a soldier. And Marley didn't just banish rabble-rousers here. Some of the Eldians sent here were abhorrent criminals, the absolute scum of humanity. Sure you want to risk a deranged psychopath getting Titan powers?"
Hange scoffed. "Can't be more dangerous than you."
"I'm flattered you think so highly of me. But there's still the fact you won't get the information in my head if you kill me. You need it now more than ever with Eren gone."
Erwin shrugged, arms crossed. "We do have a way of making Shifters pull out their predecessor's memories."
Zeke's mind raced. Was such a thing possible? Did they discover some way? Or was it a bluff? He remembered what happened when their Female Titan-Shifter had touched him in the wagon.
"Ah, you mean Her Royal Highness over here," Zeke said, nodding to Historia, who straightened at being noticed. "But if she could make an inheritor of Titan powers remember everything the previous Shifter knew, you should have learned a lot more from Eren and Petra. Or from Bertolt's memories. From what I overheard, Commander, I'm assuming you've received the Colossal Titan. Yet nothing you've said so far is something Ymir wouldn't know. Unless you can prove to me otherwise, I don't believe that royal blood is the key to unlocking all of Marley's secrets I have in my head. So I doubt you'll carelessly feed me to a Pure Titan. If you want to get my intel, you only have one option available."
"We have interrogators who're experts in making people talk," Hange threatened.
"I meant that you can ask me nicely."
"And why would you turn on your own people?" Erwin asked.
"They're not my people," Zeke replied flatly. "I hate Marley as much as you do. In fact, it might interest you to know that I am a member of the Eldian Restorationist Movement, a group that has worked tirelessly to overthrow Marley and restore the freedom and dignity of Eldians for decades. I can prove it, too. There is no way I'm loyal to Marley because I am the son of the last Fritz royal from the continent." Zeke had a feeling they were already aware of his heritage. And since they knew he was telling the truth, he wanted to use it to earn a little trust with information they could verify.
Unfortunately, Erwin didn't buy it. "If you think telling us of your royal heritage will earn you some trust, you're sadly mistaken. I spoke to Petra and she told me exactly what happened in the wagon when she touched you. You were right in front of her when she told Levi she received memories from Annie like she does sometimes when she and Queen Historia make contact."
Queen Historia, is it? Zeke latched on to it at once. Well, that explains a lot. The months before the Battle of Shinganshina, they must have somehow dethroned the previous king and placed their loyalist Historia on the throne. That's how they knew about Titan serum but Reiner and Bertolt didn't. As far the boys were concerned, the royal family who followed Karl Fritz's vow was still in charge and wouldn't tell the Corps about Titan serum. Otherwise we could have anticipated the stunt they pulled with the Female Titan. It also explained why they didn't bring more injections. As a bastard, Historia wasn't privy to information such as the serum's formula. Zeke couldn't imagine spoiled royals holding out for very long under torture. They would have been broken quickly. Yet there was only one injection brought to Shinganshina. Meaning it's highly likely the rest of the royal family is dead.
"Based on the exchange in the wagon," Erwin went on, "and what you can guess Grisha Yeager would have left in the basement, you must have realized we were aware of your royal heritage. So you thought you'd earn a little bit of our trust by telling us this truth that you knew we could confirm. Then we'd think you were on our side because you shared it with us freely."
Again, Zeke didn't deny his words. "You're as intelligent as Reiner said," Zeke praised. "But if you know I'm of royal blood then you know I can't be on Marley's side."
Hange snorted, clearly not believing him. "You turned your own parents in and the Eldian Restorationist Movement was caught and sent here as punishment."
"That's because the authorities were already catching up to them," Zeke told them, completely honest this time. "It was only a matter of time before my parents were caught. Not only would my mother and father have gone down but my grandparents and I would have also been sent here as punishment. I saw an opportunity and took it to cement myself as the perfect Eldian, one hundred percent loyal to Marley. It's because of that decision I was allowed to eventually inherit the Beast Titan. I sacrificed the Eldian Restorationist Movement in order to save it from complete annihilation. Their mission still lives on within me." In a sense, anyway.
"Forgive us for not taking you at your word," Erwin said. "You're the one responsible for turning Ragako village, yes?"
"It wasn't my choice." Zeke shrugged. "It's not like I could tell the Marleyans no. They used my spinal fluid in an experiment to create some sort of gas. The gas was spread into the village and those people were turned by my scream. It was the Marleyans' doing. It's not my fault."
"That's why you could control the Titans at Utgard Castle," Historia finally said. "Why they were moving at night."
"Correct. Now, do you understand? Do you really think you'd have had much of a chance if Marley knew why I was so special? If I was truly loyal to them I would have told them everything and even had multiple children they could use as tools. But I'd never do that," Zeke said intently, his face hard. "At worst my children would be treated as trash and possibly killed without reason, like my aunt was, with no one batting an eyelash. At best they'd be completely brainwashed into being Marley's weapons, to be used and disposed of as the Marleyans saw fit."
A faraway look came over Zeke's face, recalling how the people outside the internment zone used to spit in his and his family's direction. The cruel words Eldians had to suffer in silence, the expressions on the people's faces, how it felt when he realized they saw him as something less than human—worth less than even an animal—all that hostility and indignity was forever etched into his mind. He'd never allow his own children to suffer such cruelty.
"Grisha left behind journals about his life in Marley," Historia said. "We know what it's like out there."
Zeke's jaw set. "You may have read what it's like over there for Eldians, girl, but I have lived it. Don't you dare presume to claim you know the lifelong discrimination and hatred of the entire world. Our experiences are not the same."
Historia became flustered. "That's not what I meant."
He tempered his anger, knowing she was telling the truth. "Yes, I know, I apologize. I became heated and took it the wrong way," Zeke said, composing himself. "If you were in my place, knowing what you read in that journal about the Eldians' treatment, do you really think you could ever be loyal to people like that? They may have the other Eldians manipulated into eating their bullshit propaganda but not me. And Marley's treatment of Subjects of Ymir is actually almost decent compared to the rest of the world."
That startled them.
"You see, that's because we're of some use to the Marleyans as weapons of war. In almost all of the other nations, we're treated even more horrifically. But I want to put an end to that. When I found out the holder of the Founding Titan was my own half-brother, it seemed like the work of fate. Eren and I, my brother and I, we were supposed to change everything and finally free the Eldians from this unfair life of endless torment and degradation. But that dream will forever remain just that," Zeke said sadly, "a dream. Now it'll never become reality."
Erwin stared at him in consideration. "You're saying you wouldn't have handed Eren over to your government if you were with the Warriors right now?"
"Of course not!" Zeke said indignantly, snapping his head up. "Why else would I try to warn you Pieck was targeting him? When she saw me she mouthed 'I'm sorry' and I realized she was prioritizing retrieving the Founding Titan over me. I tried to get your attention but it was too late. I can't ever return to Marley. Pieck might know about my traitorous family and realize my true loyalties lie with the Eldian Restorationist Movement. Even if she doesn't, my superiors will figure it out. Or at the very least, they'll all think I betrayed Marley out of familial love for my brother. Either way, I'm a traitor in their eyes and as good as dead."
"You really care about Eren, do you?" Hange asked. "Despite not even knowing him."
"I can sympathize with him," Zeke answered. "I know what it's like, being raised by that man, Grisha."
"You talk as if he's some horrible man." Hange stared at him like he was a bug she was studying. "Eren didn't seem to feel that way about his dad. He said Grisha was a great father," she commented offhandedly.
"That's because Grisha brainwashed him," Zeke insisted. "He did the same thing to me and molded me into his tool without any consideration to what I might want or feel. He never saw me as his son or even a person. I know he did the same to Eren." Zeke's face fell. "And now my brother's dead before I could help him."
"You really think there's no saving Eren?" Historia asked in disappointment.
"I do have the Colossal Titan," Erwin said. "Picking up a ship and carrying it all the way to the edge of the island can't be that difficult for me. There are quite a few logistical issues we'll have to figure out first, sure. But it is worth considering to retrieve Eren."
"Let's say," Zeke said, "by some miracle you're a natural genius at being a Titan-Shifter like Bertolt was and immediately figure out how to handle your Titan. And let's also say Marley even decided to wait a couple of weeks before feeding Eren to a Warrior candidate. Even then it wouldn't matter if you had the soldiers and weapons ready within a day or two to rescue Eren, with me telling you where they might be keeping him. I doubt you have the technology or even the knowledge to build a ship that's capable of oceanic travel. Your regular ships won't make it to the continent. You have no way of reaching Marley."
"So Eren really is well and truly out of our reach," Hange said dejectedly.
"The Founding Titan is just an excuse. What Marley really truly wants are the natural resources here on this island." Zeke noticed Erwin perk up. "They do, of course, want Eren's Titan powers but ultimately, it comes down to greed. They won't take too much time interrogating my brother, who probably doesn't know much to begin with, and especially because Marley is down four Titans. Your only saving grace is that with me here, the Founding Titan's power is inaccessible to Marley."
"Oh?" The commander raised his eyebrows. "But we know it's possible for a non-royal to use that power. We've seen proof with our own eyes. Eren was able to do it."
"Apparently," Zeke said to them, "the Tybur family, holders of the War Hammer Titan, told Reiner and his friends that the first King of the Walls, Karl Fritz, made a vow to renounce war so they had little to worry about when they attacked the island. All of King Fritz's descendants are bound by that oath and can never unleash the Founding Titan's true power. It's why the royal family never lifted a finger when Wall Maria was breached."
"That doesn't explain how Eren could control mindless Titans," Historia said.
"Because there is a way to circumvent the vow and have a non-royal unlock the Founding Titan's full potential." Zeke noted their reactions carefully. "This is really the only piece of information you are unaware of, isn't it? You knew about the royal family's inability to use the Founding Titan's power. But you don't know how it can be...side-stepped."
"What's the way to bypass Karl Fritz's oath then?" Erwin inquired. "Since you're in such a sharing mood."
"Quite simple. Give the Founding Titan to a non-royal Eldian and have a royal blooded person inherit any Titan power. Once the two make contact, they can activate the Founding Titan's true abilities together."
Their eyes widened in shock that he actually told them.
Zeke saw Erwin and Hange make the connection. "Yes, that day it was my mother's Titan that Eren encountered. My brother had the Founding Titan and he unconsciously directed the Pure Titans to attack her." Zeke withheld it was probably only the royal-blooded individual who could command the Founder, Ymir Fritz. But with his mother, his personal theory was because she had been mindless and had no will of her own, by default it was Eren's will and wishes that were followed. Or perhaps it was even that his mother had hated her existence as a Titan and wanted to die all along, so it really was his mother's wish that the Founder followed and they just happened to be the same as what Eren wanted.
The thought of Eren and his fate tore at him, but Zeke steeled himself. His brother may die soon enough, and while that was regrettable and broke his heart, Zeke had been harboring his wish to end the suffering of Eldians for many years before he had even heard the name Eren Yeager. He may have loved nothing more than to free their people with his brother's help—after freeing Eren from Grisha's bullshit first—but it didn't need to be Eren with whom he achieved his goal.
If I tell them the whole truth about the loophole, they'll try to find a way to feed me to Historia. She, as a Shifter, will make contact with the non-royal Eldian who holds the Founding Titan and be able to command the Founder. But if they thought it was the will of the Founding Titan's holder that mattered, they'd try to get the Founding Titan back and give it to one of their soldiers. They'd have that person make contact with him thinking their new Shifter had say in what happened when in reality it was the opposite. I'll be able to use the Founding Titan's power to take away the Eldians' ability to procreate, Zeke thought. After that, he had to kill Historia—that would ensure his directive couldn't be reversed in the future—and have a small scale Rumbling to ensure the islanders wouldn't be disturbed and allowed to die peacefully.
But for him to accomplish his goal, he would need Paradis's help in getting the Founding Titan away from Marley. And he also had to earn their trust in case they got their hands on Titan serum. They might feed him—or an enemy Shifter they might capture—to Historia as a precaution, just to make certain the two parties involved in activating the Founding Titan's full power were their own people and trustworthy from the get-go. He had to ensure he was their only royal Shifter. Turning Historia would also mean shortening the lifespan of their only royal. Hopefully, that would make them more inclined to keep making Historia into a Shifter a last resort.
Zeke held out his arms. "I propose a truce. Let me join your side and help you bring down Marley and avenge my bother and aunt and all the Eldians victimized by them. You're down one Shifter and I'm an expert with my Beast Titan. Additionally, I will freely offer you my information and intelligence. What do you say, Your Highness?" Zeke didn't miss the way Historia's eyes flit to Erwin for him to decide.
She's just a prop queen. He focused on Erwin. He's the real authority. He figured they were only using Historia's name to keep everyone placated. According to Reiner and Bertolt, Historia wasn't exactly raised in a palace and taught to be a queen. She's probably clueless and only acts as a figurehead, letting others run everything in her name.
"You don't have to decide now, of course," Zeke said. "I'm not going anywhere, obviously."
"Make yourself comfortable, then," Erwin said before they left.
Once they were gone, the guards returned to stand watch once more.
Zeke lay back down, mind spinning with ideas on how to earn their trust. He had to be careful in giving them intel in small increments. If he gave it all away too fast, he'd quickly become less valuable. I can't give everything away until I know for sure they believe what I said about circumventing Fritz's vow. They could feed me to a mindless Titan once I have nothing to share. If he went slowly, he could buy time to get them to trust him and make him their ally. It was more convenient for Paradis, too, letting him spill his secrets on his own instead of struggling to pry them out of him. Despite their claim about royal blood being a trigger in retrieving a previous Shifter's memories, it seemed to be a shaky thing. They couldn't be too keen on risking everything he knew on such a weak phenomenon.
There are so many things they don't know, Zeke thought. He could share some of Marley's secrets with them: their technology, insider military intel, best and worst places to attack the country, which government officials to take out to cause maximum chaos, and so much, much more. There's also my international contacts as well. He was a veritable gold mine of information and they'd be fools to let it go to waste.
Erwin Smith seemed to be a smart enough man to realize that. He'll see the value in what I'm offering by educating them on global politics as well and getting them in touch with other nations. Zeke knew he just needed the commander on his side, the queen and everyone else would fall in line without hassle once he had Erwin convinced. But I'll have to be very careful with him. The cunning bastard didn't seem like he'd be fooled as easily as the rest of them. For now, he had to truly do everything in his power to help Paradis Island get into a better position globally. Though it aligned with his interests so it should work out well for all of them.
After the stunt he pulled by trying to warn Eren, Zeke knew Pieck would report it to their superiors for sure. I've burned my bridges with Marley. He needed Paradis for his own survival. I need to really win them over to my side, though, not just have them see me as a semi-trustworthy POW. He had no power, no friends, no connections on the island. I'm at their mercy. More than being invaluable, he had to be seen as a reliable ally so they wouldn't turn Historia into a Shifter. Should that happen, he'd be of no use to Paradis when it came to the Founding Titan. If it ever comes to that, even if they trust me enough at that point not to kill me, it will be Historia whom they'll have command Ymir Fritz, not me.
As ideas and various plans and bits of information he could feed to the Corps to earn their trust receded, his thoughts returned to his brother. Zeke's heart squeezed in his chest, imagining Eren in Marley's clutches. I'm sorry, brother. I wish I could have saved you.
The bitter feelings he held against Grisha rose back up stronger than ever. If only that man hadn't used his second son as a tool to further this own selfish agenda as he had his firstborn. Eren could have lived a long and happy life if Grisha hadn't forced him into becoming a soldier.
Zeke felt lonely all of a sudden. He'd started picturing saving the Eldians with his half-brother, imagined them taking on the world side-by-side. He would have undone Grisha's brainwashing and the two of them would have united under a single goal. Together, they could have faced all the odds and won. I could have had a brother both in blood and in purpose, who stood beside me through thick and thin. But that was never going to happen and it made him feel alone.
But Zeke pulled himself out of his gloomy mood. You got used to being alone before and you'll do it again. His little brother was as good as dead but Zeke's mission still lived. He didn't have the luxury of giving up. You're not the only one in pain, he told himself firmly.
Eldians across the world were suffering worse every single day and he had to put a stop to their misery. And to do that, his first step was doing everything in his power to ensure his own survival by getting the Survey Corps on his side, making them fully believe in him and gaining their support.
It wouldn't be easy and might take months, if not longer, but Zeke was nothing if not patient.
In canon, Eren finds out about the Curse of Ymir and what happens when a Shifters dies through Kruger's memories. Presumably Grisha mentions it in the journal he left about Titans but the basement group only read the journal about his life. Hence why the two Erens think Marley could take his powers even using his corpse.
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