"I can't believe it… No, I just can't!"

Ragnar held Eleanor as she sobbed into his shoulder. They'd run hard on their escape from Yggadrasil, using the destruction inside the city as a cover for their escape. And so now they found themselves, taking their first break in six days of constant flight. It was now that the terribleness of their escape caught up with them.

"I- I'm so sorry, Eleanor," He said, squeezing her tightly, "It's all my fault, everything… They've all died because of me. I'm… so useless."

She pushed him harshly away, and delivered a resounding slap.

"Don't you dare say that ever again," She said viciously, "Don't make my husband's death for nothing!"

Ragnar hung his head, standing alone in the snow as Eleanor walked away to sit by the fire. To sit by Annie, who was still unconscious, though she'd stirred slightly a few times in the last day or so.

It's the only bit of good news…

"Ragnar, can we speak for a moment?"

He turned to find Dio standing next to him, a wide grin on his face. Ragnar had had enough.

"Who are you, really?"

Dio's grin stretched even further, and he hook his thumbs into his belt loops.

"I see you inherited your father's propensity to do away with courtesy," He chuckled, "I am, as your father introduced me, Diomedes Johnson. I am also, the Mad Titan, who served the Crystal King. And a former soldier who fought the Titan's when they first appeared."

Ragnar raised an eyebrow.

"The Crystal King? You mean my father?"

"Yes, yes, of course," He noted a glint in the man's grey eyes, "Humanities savior, the one who led them out of the Holocaust, across several thousand miles of titan infested territory. Across an even greater stretch of ocean… Though, he did only make it with half of the original allotment…"

"So you really are an old timer, like my father." Ragnar said, looking at the man with slightly widened eyes.

"Whoa, whoa," Dio said, waving his hands, "'Old-Timer'? I prefer to think of myself as chronologically challenged."

"Dio…"

"Sorry," He covered one of his eyes with his hand, rubbing it, "Well, you see…"

"Subject Three, do you understand the risks?"

Diomedes sat, restrained by his wrists and ankles, within one of the massive hangars that served as a research center for the Army. A dozen technicians in lab coats scurried around him, readying the plethora of equipment that surrounded the chair.

"Yes, sir. I am ready."

A large robotic arm descended from above, a terrifyingly large needle at its tip.

He'd become attached to the research group as a guard, along with the rest of his team, but all of them had become test subjects as a matter of course. And now, they'd chosen him as the third attempt to control a titan.

"Excellent, procedure commencing," The arm dipped down, its needled poised above his heart, "Initiating."

The needle, carrying an unknown concoction, jabbed downwards.

"Heart rate increasing! Six-zero beats per minutes and climbing!"

Dio heard the call, but his mind was upon the fire that was racing away from the needle, throughout his body. He convulsed, his arms slamming against their restraints, again and again.

"Heartbeat now one hundred and twenty beats per minutes! One thirty! One fifty!"

He felt it, felt the furious beating inside his heart. But something else… Another presence crept into his mind. His body began to come back under control, the convulsing and shuttering finally ceasing.

"Neural sensors indicate high levels of activity in expected areas, beginning mapping."

His eyes bulged as another arm dropped from the ceiling, this time with a thick, flat piece of equipment on it. It rotated around his head, making a slight buzzing noise. He watched it as it completed three revolutions before returning to its position above him.

"Implantation of the Titan seed program is complete. Testing complete. Subject, how do you feel?"

"Fine, sir. Is there any chance I could get out of these-" The needle tipped arm moved down again and jabbed the back of his hand.

Fire burst through his veins once again, until…

He opened his eyes, and felt disoriented.

I must have gotten launched into the air, but how? He thought to himself.

Then he noted wreckage flying about him, and how he wasn't falling as he should have.

Oh, god…

"Test successful! Manifestation of will by Subject Three is successful!"

Cheers sounded around him, as the first successful person to control a Titan looked down at his new form.

"So you're telling me that you were the first Jotunn?" Ragnar said, disbelieving.

"Yeah, the first two experiments didn't go very well," Dio said, now sitting on a rotting log. "But I was the first of the Titan-shifters. I don't know why your father had to go all Norse and change the naming convention. He always was a strange duck. You know he was actually the last of the Titan-shifters created?"

Ragnar eyebrows rose.

"Yep, he was the last. But being the last had its perks, since he was virtually immortal, and the strongest of the shifters. Though Rose and I could always give him a run for his money… But now he's dead, and the past doesn't matter."

"So it's true, my father was the one that blew up the palace." Ragnar's closed his eyes for a minute, wrestling with his emotions.

"He told me when he first awoke me, that he didn't have much time," Dio turned serious for a minute, brushing a lock of red hair out of his eyes, "Hoenor used a powerful weapon from the old time, a suicide device that was our only option to kill Titan's in the old days."

"When you say he awoke you, what do you mean?"

"Your father had several… special abilities. One of them was manipulation of the crystal that Titan's can secrete. He was able to lock me away inside a chunk of it, to serve as an insurance policy. And to protect the outside world from me…"

They stood in silence for several moments, before a voice from the camp interrupted their individual musings.

"Ragnar," He heard Luigi call, "Annie's waking up!"

He was to her side in a moment, the snow crunching as he went to his knees, looking down at her pale face. She was bundled into a number of thick blankets, but still, Ragnar could see her breath in the freezing weather.

I don't know if I can do this… tell her about… about…

"Am I dead?"

Ragnar looked down at her, and felt tears flowing down his face as her eyes opened.

"No! No, you're not, Annie."

"I feel… strange. What happened?"

She can't remember the blow?

The rest of the party had retreated some distance away. Ragnar would have to thank them for the privacy later on. He snatched a glance towards the sky, and saw the dark, dark clouds accumulating.

More snow… We need to get to the walls quickly.

"You fell off of your horse," Her eyes were foggy as she looked up at him, "The Surtr chasing us caught you… They cut you nearly in half. You were dead."

"But you saved me, again?"

Her lips quirked up a little at that, and tears streamed down both of their faces.

"Of course," He said, reaching out and grasping her hand, "We've gotten pretty good at saving each other…"

He helped her set up, and stuffed a pack under her back. Searching through the pack, he pulled out a canteen, and tipped her head up so that she could drink some of it.

"Thanks. So, where are we?"

"About six days out of Yggadrasil, heading southwest."

"Oh, where is everyone? Don't tell me just you and I made it out!"

She lurched forward, but grunted in pain, before flopping back down.

"Annie," Ragnar said, "Most of us made it out… But, Nick, Fell and Tyr were killed by Arthur, trying to defend me while I healed you. They... they bought us our freedom with their lives. Your grandfather, Dio and my brother cleared a path for us though. And, Annie, I couldn't save our child, when I healed you… I couldn't save our child…"

Ragnar closed his eyes, not wanting his words to be true. Tears ran down his face, as Annie looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes. Her hand went to her stomach, which until their escape from Yggadrasil had been slightly swollen. It was now as flat and muscular as when they had first become acquainted.

"Ragnar, no. No, no, no. Our child, I- was just getting used to the idea of- and Nick and Tyr… No, no they can't be!"

He held her, as she sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder.

The sky let loose a peal of thunder, as the snow began to fall, heavier and heavier. The state of the sky matched Ragnar's inner turmoil, as it finally resolved into a single thought.

I shall never allow anyone to harm Annie again. Never. On my own life I swear!

Eren came awake suddenly, looking up once again at a wooden ceiling.

"Why in the fuck does this keep happening…" He said, noting the utter darkness of the room.

And it's really damn cold too!

He sat up on his elbows looking about the small room, seeing that it only contained his bed, and a small desk next to it. Getting up, and pulling a heavy blanket over him, he cautiously opened the door.

"SASHA, GIVE IT BACK!"

Noise instantly assaulted his ears as Sasha yanked Jean's bread roll from his plate and dashed off. Instead of chasing her, he just shook his fist at her as she ran up the stairs to the upper floor.

"I hope you choke on it and freeze up there!"

Eren opened the door slowly, so that he could see everyone who was sitting at the table.

Connie, Armin, Krista and Jean sat at the table. He could see Hanje sitting in a chair near the door, balancing precariously on its rear legs. But there was no sign of Mikasa.

"H- hey guys!" Eren called, stepping out into the hallway.

"Eren, you're awake!" Armin was the first to him, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug, "We were scared that you wouldn't wake up! So much has happened since the operation to free you."

Jean slapped him on the back, while Historia and Connie waved to him and shouted pleasantries. Hanje didn't even stir from her chair. He sat at the table and they offered him a bowl of soup, which he happily ate.

"So, how long have I been out?"

"A week," Armin said from where he was stoking the fireplace, "And like I said, things have changed. For the worse."

Eren put down his fork, and sat back into his creaking chair.

"Well, it doesn't seem like I have a whole lot going on," He turned his attention to the rooms sleeping occupant, "What's the Squad Leader's problem?"

"Captain Levi has kept her really busy, patrolling the perimeter," Jean said, resting his head on his hand, "He's done the same thing with us… Two hours of patrol for each of us, followed by cleaning… cleaning and more cleaning… I don't think I've ever seen that man sleep… He's like some kind of-"

The door slammed open, letting in a cold gust of wind and snow. Levi stood there, flanked by two others, a man and woman. Hanji woke up, but her chair tipped over, and she sprawled out over the floor.

"No, Jean, finish your sentence," Eren felt Jean tense and saw his eyes widen, "Comeon, I'd like to hear it."

"Uh, Captain, I- uh… what I meant to say is that… Um…"

Levi scraped snow off of his civilian jacket, while the man behind him close the door.

"Forget it, I see that the sleeping dumbass is awake," Eren almost uttered a retort, but felt better of it when Levi's guests pulled back their hoods, revealing Commander Erwin and Mikasa. Everyone stood and saluted the Commander, which he returned as well as he could with only one arm, before pulling off his heavy winter clothes.

"Excellent, Eren, I need you to start by explaining why you deviated from the plan for your release, and why you hadn't awoken earlier," Erwin said, as he took a seat at the table, resting his chin on his hand, "It cost us, having to defend you, you know. Six men and women from the cover team."

"Commander, I- I honestly don't have a great answer," Eren said before stopping and grinding his teeth for a moment, "I just got this strong urge to, to go north. And then I shifted and… I was in that other place. Looking through the eyes of that Ragnar fellow."

"Tell me, what did you see?" Erwin questioned, while everyone at the table, including Hanje and Mikasa, who had joined them, watched and listened with great interest.

"I…" Eren held his head, searching for the memories that he needed, "I was ambushed… I mean Ragnar was ambushed by an enemy that he'd been fighting a war against. He was betrayed I think. All of his men were killed except for a handful, but… he killed all of his attackers. And Annie… Annie was there again. Then it went dark for a long while, and then…"

He looked down and saw that he was shaking, as the memories flooded into him.

"And then… I saw her, dead."

Armin looked up at him sharply.

He always did fancy Annie...

"Saw who dead?"

The Commander raised his hand to silence him.

"It was Annie… She'd been cut in half by a sword blow," Eren felt a pang in his heart at that vision, "And then… pure rage. That's all Ragnar felt. He killed the man who killed Annie, and then-"

Eren let out a gasp as a spike of pain drove its way into his mind. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw Hanje out of the corner of his eye.

"Erwin, we can't push him any further, could we retire for the evening?"

Erwin looked from Eren to Hanje, then to Levi, who nodded his agreement.

"Alright, I believe we can allow Eren to rest until tomorrow," He paused, before pulling a piece of paper that looked like one of the announcement flyers that were posted all about before a big event. "This is the second reason I came here. Commander Dot Pixis has been arrested."

Eren heard Krista let out a gasp, and felt his own jaw drop.

"Why would they arrest Pixis, sir?"

Erwin turned his cold, calculating blue eyes on Eren, and he felt himself flinch back from that unwavering gaze.

"Because of his involvement in our escape, since he provided us with surplus Garrison equipment," The Commander paused, closing his eyes for a minute, "Most of his aides and all other high ranking officers within the Garrison have been likewise arrested. The start of this entire debacle though, is the death of Niles Dawk."

"The Commander of the Military Police?" Eren dimly remembered the man, who had always so poorly presented himself, "How could he be dead?"

"It appears that the King has grown tired of the Military Police's utter incompetence, and has sent one of his personal guards," Erwin looked at the flyer again, as Erwin continued to speak, "The Military tribunal tried him and found him guilty. They turned him out of the service, but it appears that the royal guard, Lars Gottschalk, killed him in front of the Tribunal, before taking command of both the Military Police and Garrison. Levi, have you ever heard of this Gottschalk fellow?"

"Nope, never heard of him."

"I have, Commander!"

All eyes turned to the little nymph sitting next to Mikasa.

"I know I told you everything of relevance when you freed me, sir," Historia said, her delicate features set, "But Lars Gottschalk is… if he's the leader of the military now, it isn't a good sign."

"Why, Ms. Reiss?"

"Because, he's a high ranking member of the Wall Cult. I remember him from when I was young. He is a cruel man, prone to fits of violence. I never knew he was a member of the royal guard... If that's true, than the Cult has had at least one man in close proximity to the King for several years."

Erwin seemed to digest this, rubbing his chin.

"So he would have available to him the support of the Wall Cult, and he would wield the word of the King wherever he went… Unacceptable," He slammed his hand down onto the table, "We must rescue Pixis and his men, they have been good comrades to us, and put their own lives on the line for us. His trial is in three days, too soon for us to mount a proper rescue operation, but if I'm correct, they'll all vote for the death penalty. Following proper procedure, the execution of a high ranking officer will take place a month to the day after his trial. It is then that we shall strike."

"It'll be a trap, you know."

Erwin smiled as Levi pointed that out.

"The best way to avoid a trap, Levi, is to walk into it knowingly. We'll use them 'trapping' us, to our advantage."

A month… A month… Why does that keep coming up in my head.

Then it hit Eren, as he sat there, and he blurted it out.

"They're coming here!"

All eyes turned to him as his own eyes widened in surprise at his outburst.

"Who's coming?" Jean asked.

"R- Ragnar! I remember now, his enemies attacked him and drove him out of his home. Someone, I guess his King, sent him on a journey to the walls with a few people!"

"Interesting… Well, I believe it is quite late," The Commander said, looking at Levi, "Captain, you're in charge."

Eren watched as Levi turned to Jean.

"Guess who's going to go patrolling with me tonight?"

Jean groaned.

"Suttungr, why won't you listen to a bit of sense? If we head north, we can link up the guards around Elfheim and-"

"For the last time, Sigmund, we are on a mission that Father gave us. We must go to the Walls."

Sigmund growled angrily from where he sat next to the fire. He and Eric had been obstinate in wanting to return to Jotunheim and try to start a resistance.

Suttungr sat with Arnora, while Griselda played in the snow nearby with the children. Astrid was nowhere to be seen though, probably off exploring, although both he and Arnora had warned her not to go too far.

He turned his eyes towards where Ragnar sat, Annie pressed close against his side. They'd both cried themselves dry over the last few days, and had offered little conversation.

"Ragnar," Suttungr called, seeing his brother look up with unfocused eyes, "Now's the point where you choose which path to take. We can either go East or West."

Ragnar looked at him, seeming to ponder it.

"We will go West, since to the East is Muspelheim."

"We need to be careful with the western path though, since as you remember Ragnar, there was that group of feral Jotunn."

Ragnar nodded, before squeezing Annie just a little tighter.

"If they get in the way, I'll just kill them all."

Suttungr sighed, hoping that he hadn't lost his brother.

He's suffered so much tragedy in the last few days, I hope it doesn't break him…

Sorry for the late update, another long week! But expect another chapter by thursday (I get work off, woopee!). I hope you all enjoy it! Remember to favorite, follow or review if you like it! I'd love to hear what everyone has to say, what i can do better, etc. etc.!

Updated 11/26/13 8:33 PM