Interlude 1: Grisha Jaeger
'Tanya is a reincarnation of Ymir'.
Saying that wouldn't be that far off.
My daughter has always been a god-given, from her birth she was more like a character that came straight out of mythical epics. She posses the Royal Eldian blood from her mother, born into a family of the oppressed Eldians, to one day lead them to victory. It seemed like fate and watching her grow up made me more and more convinced that that was the case.
She didn't cry much as a baby, always curiously looking around the house or open my books, as if she was studying them. She learned to speak incredibly quickly, I was convinced she was a genius. Even disregarding my bias as a father anyone could tell the girl was gifted.
Before I starting teaching her about our Restorationist cause she had a strong interest in Medicine. Her kind heart must've made her want to heal people. She would follow me to the clinic many times and talk about someday becoming a doctor like me. It made me proud as a father.
Something changed when I started teaching her about the Restorationist cause. The look on her eyes changed, it reminded me of myself when I first heard that my sister was killed by the damned Marleyans. Her eyes were full of determination, she stopped playing with me as much. She started reading books and exercising a lot more. She must have been incredibly determined to fight against Marley.
I started bringing her to the Restorationist meetings, where she quickly became an idol there. Everyone was convinced that she was a reincarnation of Ymir herself. She was shocked when I first brought her to a meeting, she must've been very happy to be allowed to meet her fellow patriots.
She quickly took in the teachings of Ymir and would give strong speeches. She would always tell us to plan in the long term and not do anything rash or violent, such a kind heart to worry for her fellow patriots. Encouraged by her words we started to recruit more and more people. Taking her advice of planning in the long term and avoiding rash decisions we started stockpiling weapons and explosives slowly for the time of our uprising in the future.
When the shocking announcement of the Warrior program came, it was the turning point. That day her eyes were burning with passion, it was practically screaming to let her become the warrior to ensure victory for her people. She excitedly entered the Warrior program after declaring her intentions in a grand speech at the Restorationist meeting.
During the next two years, we ramped up our Restorationist activities. While Tanya was making headway into becoming a Warrior we couldn't be outdone by her so we decided to catch up. We started garnering favors from Eldian owned establishments in the Liberio Internment zones, and even some people were passionate enough to go to the much more cruel foreign Internment zones to recruit more people. We were preparing for the day Tanya would bring us the Founding Titan and start the Eldian Revolution.
During those two years, she would be left at my parents' place frequently. She was getting top marks in her training, we didn't even need to motivate her any further, in fact, her existence alone was motivating for all Restorationists. Talks of her existence kept growing to the point where her existence became something akin to a religious figure, she would get called the next Ymir, or even Ymir herself.
Ahh, I truly love my daughter. She really reminds me of Faye, my long passed little sister. Tanya makes me glad that I was born into this cruel world. She is the one to fix everything... I want to see her again... I want to go back home quickly and hold her in my arms... I just have to go home first... Where am I anyway?...
"Wake up you devil!"
Suddenly I was punched awake by a man shouting in my face.
"Stop muttering already, disgusting," said the man
As I open my eyes hazily a wide-open orange sight came into view. I was looking downwards from a tall wall to sandy dunes with distant mountains looming over, the sunset painting the whole scenery red.
What am I looking at? Where am I? Where is Dina? Where is Ta-
Suddenly it started coming back to me. I'm looking at the entrance to Paradis Island, I'm on the wall of the Paradis harbor about to drop down, Dina is here with me somewhere on the wall along with all the caught Restorationists, and Tanya was... Tanya is back in Marley...
Tanya...
Tanya she...
"TANYA! AAAAAAAAA!"
"SHUT UP!"
Again I was punched
"Hey, Kruger! I told you to keep him shut already! I'm getting sick of hearing 'Tanya' already" Said a grossly familiar voice
"Yes Sergeant Major Gross! I'll shut him up!" Said from behind the man that punched me
"This is..." I let out
"Paradis, the penal colony for Eldian traitors. Your people's heavenly kingdom." said the man behind me
"You're going to be serving a life sentence here for the crime of treason. And you'll be serving it as a mindless titan." He said looking into my eyes, his face and voice familiar.
"You'll sense humans, chase humans, and eat humans. That's all you'll be doing until the day you die. Of course, there's almost no way to die here." I remember where I know him from now
"I... I've met you before. When I was a child." I said
"Do you remember..." he replied
"How could I ever forget... that day?" I say, remembering the worst day of my life.
As I was thinking back I heard the voice of Grice
"I beg you... Kill me..." he begged, walking by behind me
"Keep walking" a soldier pushed him towards an empty spot next to me in the line of kneeling Eldians
"Grice..." I let out, recognizing him
"Hm?! Is that you Grisha!? Hey! What's going on...?! Why would Tanya inform on us?!" He yelled in my direction
Asking me a question I don't know the answer to... why... why would she...
"She's your daughter, isn't she?! How the hell did Tanya sell out her parents?! What the hell did you do?! You're the one to blame! ...You know what?! YOU WERE ALL TALK! YOU NEVER DID A THING FOR US. IT WAS A MISTAKE TO ENTRUST YOU WITH EVERYTHING. THE RESTORATIONISTS! DINA TOO!"
Grice... is right...
"SAY SOMETHING!"
"... I'm sorry..." was all I could say
"Why did I ever let you... Eldia... is finished." Grice was crying from despair
"We have a live one here. You're free to go." The man said, kicking Grice down the wall.
"GRICE!" I shouted
Grice was pushed down! By that Pig! That pig... it's that pig... I'm sure of it. He's the pig from the authorities who killed my Sister...
He killed Faye!
"We've got a bunch of them today! Let's get this going!" The pig issued orders to the soldiers while clapping for attention
After his orders, the soldiers pulled out their titan injections.
"Ah... Everyone..." I watched as everyone was injected and kicked down.
After they fell to the ground they turned into titans in an explosion of light.
The now Titans were looking forward to the fleeing Grice who was kicked down without turning earlier.
"Stop it... STOP IT ALL OF YOU! NOO! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?! THAT'S GRICE!" I yelled at my fellow patriots in futile
I watched as the titans ran towards Grice. Behind me, the two soldiers were talking about something.
"No... I still want to interrogate him." Said Kruger behind me
The titans almost caught up with Grice
"Oh, a woman next? What a waste if only she didn't have devil's blood in her..." Gross the pig said behind me.
Glancing to my right I saw her, it was Dina!
"...Dina" no... why? they can't... why?
"Darling..." She looked at me in horror, her eyes full of despair
"Why... is she here? Did you not get the message? I... I told you all about her! Se ought to be valuable to you Marleyans! THERE'S A ROYAL BLOOD INSIDE OF HER-" I was shut down by Kruger as he tackled me down
"Shut up." He said to me forcefully. As he covered my mouth.
Why?! But I told his men about it! Could it be that he covered it up?!
"What's the matter?" asked a soldier nearby
"I couldn't stand hearing his nonsense. Continue your work." Kruger lied to the soldier
"Darling... I... No matter what I become... don't worry I'll find you." She was getting injected!
No! DINA!
"Heh sounds good. You two have a nice life together as Titans." Gross said while kicking her down
"DINAAA!"
As I scream she exploded in light, turning into a titan
"DAMN YOUUU!" I was shouting my last curses to Gross
When suddenly I was pulled back and Gross was falling.
What happened?
Why is Gross down there? Why am I still up here?
After Dina was pushed down, my despair was replaced by anger I thought was burnt out.
I lashed out at Gross. I couldn't move my body so all I could do was yell at him about how he killed my eight-year-old little sister.
My mind was hazy from the anger
He told me that it was fun for him. Fun to watch humans get eaten by monsters. That he feels alive watching it, that he faces the truth of this cruel world and understand it.
That he killed my sister to show it to his kids.
He turned another one of us into a Titan
Saying that that is all that we are.
And all that humanity wishes is to wipe out every last Eldian.
But now he was pushed down to the ground by Kruger.
He was getting eaten alive by the Titan he pushed down earlier. Torn apart piece by piece. Letting out horrible screams that I wanted to hear from him earlier...
"Well? Is it as much fun as he made it out to be?" Asked Kruger
"Who... Who are you..." I asked
"I'm the Owl," He said
The Owl entrusted me with his final mission. My final mission.
He will give me his Titan. The Attack Titan, for me to steal the founding titan from within the walls.
He told me of the 'Curse of Ymir', the nature of the paths, of how little we know of the true history of the world, how there is no such thing as truth in this world, how he did his job and I have to do mine now.
He told me to make a family, to love someone inside the walls and if I can't we're doomed to repeat it all again. The same history the same mistakes again and again.
I have failed as a husband and a father. I should have realized sooner that I was repeating the sins of my father. How I was brainwashing Tanya, how I never treated Tanya as Tanya. I treated her as a child with Royal blood and the hope of the Eldia Restorationists.
I pushed my ideals on her, and as she went past my ideals I kept pushing more on her. She was just a girl who wanted to become a doctor, and as I started treating her less like my daughter and more like a tool. She abandoned us, she chose her grandparents. She handed over her foolish parents to Marley.
The look she had on her face when I was turned in, the utter emptiness of it, and the ghost of a smile on her lips, still haunts my dreams.
AN
Hey, this story is still in my mind. I'm just busy af with work as usual. Was kinda struggling with choosing the direction this story would go in after Tanya gets adopted into the Tybur family. I had a bunch of directions in mind but choosing was a bit difficult.
The next few chapters will be some interludes from different POVs, thinking of doing the main story purely from Tanya's POV and doing interludes with different POVs in between large story arcs.
Sorry that this chapter was basically a retelling from the canon with very slight differences. I was thinking that this chapter should be in the story for the future, seeing things from Grisha's POV felt important enough for me. And maybe it will affect Eren later on? Hmm... will have to think more about it. Still not sure about some ideas.
Btw it seems like I'd write more frequently if I allow myself to write a bunch of other stories whenever I feel like it. So ima just do that later if I feel like it, hell I chose a random name like lofihiphopgirl to keep things separate from my artist identity.
I'm still amazed at how well received this story is. I'm sorry if you liked this idea and the one writing it updates so slowly. Honestly, if there's anyone who wants to take this idea and write their better version of it then you are welcome to do so. I would love to read something written by an actually competent author rather than me lol. Even if there's the better version running concurrently I'll be writing this no matter how slow it is, I want to see it to completion. Since I'm writing this to learn to write stories in a fun way.
Also Aaah I'm stuck in hololive hell, I don't want to escape this rabbit hole. Might write a hololive fic idk.
Also love AoT Final season btw, really excited to see all the Marley centric fics coming out soon from new writers. I always wish I was a competent enough world builder to write in detail about the Marley society and the geopolitics of the surrounding nations and such.
Again thank you very much for your reviews, I read them all and it always makes me very happy.
I will be uploading a new chapter soon! soon!