A/N: I hope I got Historia's name right! I decided to use the format ism+laqab+nasab+nisba, and it should mean 'Historia, Servant of God, daughter of Roderick, of the family Reiss'. Also, since I could not find an Arabic translation for Reiss I had to use the Urdu translation provided by . But Urdu has some Arabic roots, right?
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Sheikha Historia Amatullah bint Ludhriq al-Reissue
It was strange, at least to Annie, having a grown man with children much more problematic than her afraid of her presence. Balto would slink away whenever she was near, hiding his face, or venture off upon claims of other responsibilities. Annie was not bothered by this in any fashion, only finding his actions queer and slightly humorous. His wife Nifa, however, was very friendly towards the girl and made conversation with her. They spent the vespers period of Saturday together on the porch, one reading and another knitting, speaking whenever it interested them. Sasha and Connie spent most of their daylight hours running amongst the chickens and wildflowers, coming in when night fell to entertain themselves with Annie and indoor-appropriate games. Annie enjoyed their company as well.
It was the afternoon of the day of the family's departure when everyone came together on the porch. Reiner and Bertholdt had lived most of their weekend outdoors, away from the drama of the others. This day was different in the sense that they had something to look forward to. Reiner had first gotten the idea when he bought a carton of root beer. The plan was originally to have Annie drink the soda pop in front of the relatives in large and rude gulps, displeasing them with her unladylike belching afterwards. Annie commented upon this by informing them that soda, like many things, was too sugary for her taste. The modified plan then became to gift the drink to Sasha and Connie.
And so they sat that Sunday afternoon watching the hooligan children celebrate their sugar high by running and screaming and being overall embarrassing. Nifa was more upset with their behavior than angry, while Balto was absolutely livid. It was many minutes before they crawled up the stairs and crashed, panting, bodies spread across the floorboards. Annie peeked over her copy of Frankenstein.
The children took to lying across their mother's lap in their exhaustion, Nifa scolding them mildly and petting their heads. They did not mind much for her words and rested peacefully.
Annie narrowed her eyes, leaning into her book. "Isn't a chimera a monster in Greek mythology?"
Bertholdt motioned to see the text, finding the aforementioned word. He read the line carefully before handing the novel back.
"I think 'chimera' can also mean something that only exists in the imagination…" Was his answer, Annie nodding in satisfaction. She settled down once more and continued to read.
"We need to find you a dictionary if you are going to keep asking us what the words mean." Reiner said, shifting the gun on his lap. "Neither of us knew what the hell 'paroxysm' was."
Annie hummed as a response, engrossed in her reading. Balto propped himself up in his rocking chair, taking the sudden conversation as an invitation to start his own. He cleared his throat pointedly.
"Uncle Reiner, Uncle Bertholdt, this has been such a lovely weekend with you two…" Balto began, even Annie scoffing at his false sweetness. He continued: "I hate to bring this up, but… Did you look at the wills I sent you? At your age, you do need to be thinking of these things… To be thinking of being prepared for the future."
Reiner spat over the railing of the porch. "You do not need to be worrying your little lawyer-head, we do not plan on dying any time soon."
Balto opened his mouth to counter-argue, but was interrupted by the sounding of a horn and the appearance of a car. Sasha and Connie startled when they heard the click of a gun. Annie looked away from her book and towards the baby blue convertible with an attached trailer.
The salesman was unorthodox. Instead of showing a cheery smile and walking around the car while highlighting his wares, he dove out of his car and landed behind the hood, safe from any bullets that might fly. Reiner bolted to his feet with his gun perched just as the salesman began to wave a white handkerchief.
"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" He pleaded while crouched. Reiner rumbled in his chest.
"He's been here before… Damn. Come out where we can see you!"
"We can talk when you put your gun down!"
"I like a challenge… I am going to sneak around."
"Reiner, no." Bertholdt warned. "You don't want to actually shoot him!"
"Why not see what he is selling?"
Reiner looked down with surprise at his niece, the girl spinning around on the stair she claimed as a seat. "It looks fairly interesting, at least with the cover on."
"I think your uncles know better than to waste their money on salesmen." Balto interjected, receiving a look from Annie that made him shrivel. She glanced back to her uncle.
"Why do you have all that money if you are never going to spend it? It is no use to you after you die…"
Balto became red in the face. His wife tried to sooth with her touch, advising him not to increase his blood pressure. Reiner took notice of this and thought.
"You might have a point…" Reiner said. "I could see what he is selling. Then I could shoot him."
Bertholdt released a breath of relief, sweat already coating his features. Annie marked her book and followed her uncles.
Gun tucked away on the porch, the salesman crept from behind his car. He was a thin man with brunette hair and spectacles. His suit bore a lively print that matched his hat, which he tipped with a grin.
"Mister Braun, Mister Hoover, you may call me Hanji!" The salesman introduced. "And after our terribly unfortunate last encounter I've taken it upon myself to find the perfect item for you… And, well, I think I've found it."
"We'll see." Reiner replied, causing the salesman to laugh. Hanji whipped the cloak off the trailer with a brilliant display, revealing the object underneath.
"… A clay pigeon launcher?" Annie questioned, Hanji laughing again.
"More than that!" Hanji provided. "This is the sport of kings! Until now only royalty and Heads of State could afford such a fine machine. And, as a bonus, it is simple to operate! Even you could do it, little Miss!"
Annie said nothing to the doubt of her ability to problem solve. She instead listened to the operation instructions, the salesman chinking back a lever.
"Now you just need to pull back the other lever! On my signal, okay?"
Annie waited with her grip on the lever. At the vocal provocation she yanked the article back, sending a clay pigeon flying with the action. The trunk was opened and a gun whisked out, quick to fire and blast the flying target to pieces. Reiner choked on his loss of breath. Balto jumped at the noise, his children much more enthused.
"Wow! That was amazing!"
"Do it again, do it again!"
"The most powerful one on the market, and very reasonably priced!" Hanji informed, locking his gun back into the trunk.
"Is that why it is so loud?" Bertholdt asked timidly. Hanji was beginning to give an explanation when Balto decided he needed to voice his opinion, the man ambling down the stairs.
"That is the biggest waste of money I have ever seen!" He said. "Sir, you better take that garbage and get the hell off this property!"
"I'll take it!" Reiner announced, Hanji smiling at his successful selling of the product. Balto's face flushed in anger.
"I am not going to have my children around this foolishness!" He warned, weakly.
"Then leave." Annie advised, her look hard and cold. Balto seized up.
The relatives left as Reiner shelled out the money for the machine, the bills in a large clump. Annie promised to see Sasha and Connie at school the next day, the two weary from their exciting adventures at the farm. She returned to her uncles as the salesman left, the clay pigeon machine paid for and left behind. Annie asked Reiner what he wanted to do with it.
Annie spent the rest of the day reading and launching clay pigeons for her uncle.
.
Annie could not believe how cliché the morning of her first day of school was. She awoke to have a breakfast of Cheerios with her uncles, drove to school in the same manner she had the Friday before, and was told to have a good day while given her lunch box, which- surprise, surprise- contained a sandwich and an apple. She sighed.
Anka gave the girl her schedule as soon as she walked into the office, briefing her on the strange procedure of only changing classes for science and mathematics and specialized, once-a-week courses. Annie did not question it and made her way through the hallways to her homeroom.
Annie decided she did not like Miss Ral the moment she met her. She was young and green, with too bright of a smile and too sweet of an attitude. Annie saw her as the type of person who picked favorites and un-favorites, who gave no leeway on rules no matter the situation, whose mood could crash in an instant. The woman insisted upon Annie introducing herself before the class, the girl internally peeved at the suggestion. Miss Ral waited until the final bell rang and her students settled.
"We have a new student today…" She began, Annie holding her reactive sigh in her throat, the phrase not new to her. She did not step forward when her teacher encouraged her to give an introduction and summary of her interests, the girl instead giving her classmates a picturesque view of her empty expression.
"I am Annie Leonhardt." She said, the only inflection to accent her last name. "I like to read."
If Miss Ral wanted more she did not get it, Annie sitting in her seat after less than a dozen words. A hesitant and awkward applause was given. Annie could feel the curiosity rise amongst the children in the room and finally released her sigh. She leaned on her elbow as the teacher raised her chalk and began her lecture.
.
Annie had assessed her bestowed class fairly well before lunchtime. She knew who were the smart ones, the quiet ones, the ones with dominating presences, the kinder ones, the harsher ones. The prize of intellectual champion was competed over by two friends, a Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert. Mikasa was naturally gifted with brains and did not care whether she was or not, while Armin was passionate about knowledge and lived his life in such a way. The kindest and quietest person was boy named Marco Bodt. He had freckles from the sun and was friends with a much pricklier Jean Kirstein. Jean took it upon himself to bicker with Eren Jaeger at any opportune moment. The boys would quarrel and have to be quelled by Marco and Mikasa and a sharp word from Miss Ral. It surprised Annie to find that Mikasa was Eren's adopted sibling.
The lunch hour finally came, albeit slowly, Annie gathering her food and book to take outside. She greeted Sasha appropriately when she saw the girl in the hallway, with a wave and a word, Sasha much more joyous and vocal at seeing the older girl. The bench Annie found was shaded by a tree and outlying to the bustle of the playground. She ate and read in relative silence.
What Annie did not expect was to be interrupted. She noticed as he began to walk up to her and lowered her book an inch, eyes critical. Being spotted made the boy nervous. He dropped his gaze and hugged his tome to his chest.
"C-Can I sit here?" The boy Annie remembered as Armin Arlert asked, clearing his throat at his stutter. Annie leaned her head to the side to contemplate the request. She did not reply, instead scooting to the side to open a space. He sat and relaxed.
"I would have thought you would have liked to spend time with your friends." Annie commented as the boy peeled open the pages of his book. Armin shook his head once, his answer simple.
"Mikasa and Eren are having footraces and I am not very good at that…"
Annie hummed thoughtfully. She did not speak to the boy anymore, her attention absorbed in her reading. Armin did the same.
.
Bertholdt inquired his niece how her day was, and she told him it was fine, also informing him that Armin had invited her to the library his grandfather worked at whenever it fancied her. Bertholdt expressed that it was wondrous that she was making friends and made the girl flout.
The night came quick and dark, Annie early to retire to her room. She read a while and examined the picture once again. She noticed how the woman wore Arabian garments but lacked Arabian features, clear in her European lightness. She tucked the frame under her pillow and was about to turn off the light when she heard the door slam and saw her Uncle Reiner trudging towards the lake. She concluded to follow.
The dogs and the pig were already present when she reached the water. She stood with them to watch her uncle, the man different this night. He held the broom but did not attack with it. He instead looked across the lakebed with a cold, distant gaze, motionless as the extinguished wind. Annie took a step forward.
"Uncle Reiner?" She asked and received no answer. She pondered what would happen if she tried to wake him. She reached out towards him only to be stopped, longer arms blocking her path. Bertholdt shook his head violently at his niece.
"I don't want him to take your head off!" He said, Annie scornful of the idea that he could. Bertholdt sighed softly at her confidence in downing another grown man.
The two soon had a small campfire blazing, the dog pack sitting around the fire pit with Annie and Bertholdt. Bertholdt moved the sticks with a long iron poker, fixing the brush to keep the fire alive.
"What are you doing out this late?" He asked, Annie shrugging and gesturing at her still-as-stone uncle. Bertholdt nodded in understanding.
"He does this sometimes. Just give him a few minutes."
"Why?" Annie queried. Her uncle shook his head with a smile.
"He may be old, but his spirit is still restless. You should know that." He replied, Annie having to shadow her own smile. "He was even worse when he was younger."
Annie critiqued her Uncle Reiner for a moment, heeding his sorrowful stare and peacefulness.
"I think he is looking for something." She observed, Bertholdt nodding in confirmation.
"He is. He is looking for her. The woman he could never have."
An image of the woman in the dusky picture came to mind. Annie looked back to Bertholdt, questioning.
"Who? What was her name?"
"…Her name was Historia." He said after a pause. "Sheikha Historia Amatullah bint Ludhriq al-Reissue."
Annie gained a doubtful and curious look on her face. "'Historia' seems a little out of place in that name." She said, Bertholdt laughing a fluty laugh.
"Historia was the youngest daughter of a Sheik." He explained. "But her mother was from Italy, from Milan. That is why her first name is 'Historia'."
Annie hummed in understanding. She petted the pig when it walked up to her, rubbing between its ears. She hesitated.
"… Tell me. Tell me about Historia."
"Then I will have to tell you the whole story!" Bertholdt argued meekly. "And it is not a short one, it takes days…"
"What else do you have to do with no television?" Bertholdt did not have an excuse for that. Even the dogs whimpered, leaning forward, eager to listen. Bertholdt made a distressed noise and looked down, beaten.
"Alright, alright, fine…" Annie sat proud with her victory, stretching out her legs to prepare for the story. Bertholdt rubbed his head before he began.
"As I said before, Reiner has a restless spirit. He convinced our parents- my adopted parents- he was too restless for Texas and needed to go to Europe, to France; and that I, well, needed to come along… That was the summer of 1914."
"Isn't that when World War I started?" Annie interrogated. "When Germany…" Bertholdt nodded solemnly.
"We arrived in France along with the entire German army." Annie saw her uncle shiver at his remembered fear. But he swallowed his emotions to continue.
"I wanted to go home, but Reiner convinced me we could tour Europe a step ahead of the Germans. And we did, for the most part. We saw the monuments, the museums… Reiner liked the pretty European women."
He smiled at the disgusted face his niece made, knowing he would catch her with that. The bulldog covered his face.
"We eventually ended up in Marseilles, with a passage booked on a ship leaving Europe in the morning. Reiner wanted to spend our last night enjoying the night life…"
Annie narrowed her eyes. "Like… Can-Can bars?"
Bertholdt flushed and dipped his head. "Y-Yeah… We made friends with soldiers while we were there. They bought us some drinks. Strong, foreign drinks, and… We woke up on a ship heading for North Africa. We were shanghaied. Shanghaied into the French Foreign Legion."
"Shanghaied into the French Foreign Legion…" Annie repeated reflectively. "So even though you were American…"
"We could still join the Legion." Bertholdt provided. "Reiner said it was all his fault, but that he would protect me, that he wouldn't let anything happen to me… And he did. He saved my life countless times."
Annie waited as Bertholdt gave his brother a loving, respectful look. Annie touched her chest where it hurt again, hurt at seeing the bond and love between the two. She was not upset that the story was interrupted, only thankful it began again.
"Four long years we fought all over North Africa, fought many battles, against countless enemies, overwhelming odds… But it eventually ended, as you know. That is when we went our separate ways for a while. I led safaris in Kenya for the richer, such as writers and Hollywood stars. This was temperate enough for me, although too mild for Reiner. He instead received permission from the new governments in North Africa to put an end to the slave trade…"
"Sounds like something he would do."
Bertholdt rubbed his cheek. "That was him. A wild American that no nomad or slave trader had seen the likes of before."
"Sounds like him too-."
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
Bertholdt yelped and covered his mouth at the sudden declaration, quaking, while Annie looked casually towards Reiner. The man held the broom like a staff upon the ground, stare voicing his displeasure. He softened when he frightened Bertholdt and looked at him sympathetically. Annie stood and the dogs followed.
"Just enjoying the nighttime. But we were just going in." She answered, her lie believable. Bertholdt nodded to credit her and stood as well to merit her point. Suspicion crossed Reiner's eyes for a moment, but he degraded it, shaking his head.
"You should be in bed. You have school tomorrow."
Annie agreed.