Ehrmich, the southernmost district of Wall Sina, had always been a relatively busy city, with lots of people and commerce crossing over between Wall Rose and Wall Sina. But for the past few weeks it had been unusually busy, with many refugees from both Wall Rose and Wall Sina. With the two attacks on Trost and Mitras, people didn't know which places were safe anymore. Some had fled Wall Rose and entered Wall Sina, while others had fled Wall Sina and entered Wall Rose. Still others had decided to stay in Ehrmich and wait things out, and pray that no more attacks would come.

With all the unrest going on, martial law had been declared in order to maintain order and keep people in line and prevent a panic. Luckily for the military, with all the destruction in Mitras many wealthy businessmen and nobles had perished, and so they were able to confiscate all of their money and assets and use them to provide food and relief for the people affected by the recent Titan attacks. This helped calm things down somewhat, and kept the grim specter of anarchy at bay, at least for the moment.

At the military headquarters of Ehrmich the three heads of the military were meeting to discuss the difficult issue of rebuilding the government.

Erwin frowned thoughtfully. "So, all of the major nobles and officials are dead."

Niles nodded grimly. "Yes. It seems all of them were either killed by the enemy Titans, or perished in all of the chaos during the attack on Mitras."

Erwin rubbed his chin, his gaze calculating. "So, basically, it falls almost entirely to the military to maintain order within the walls for the near future. On the bright side, this leaves us with more flexibility to rebuild the government however we see fit."

Pixis eyed him cautiously. "And how exactly do you think we should rebuild the government?"

Erwin looked out the nearby window seriously, his gaze on the district's outer gate. "It's become clear that there is some sort of entity beyond the walls that poses a serious threat to us. They want the Founding Titan, and will do whatever it takes to acquire it. We cannot allow this to happen, and we cannot stand idly by while the enemy regroups. Under the circumstances we need strong men who are capable of shouldering the burden of the difficult times we have ahead of us."

Erwin turned back toward his fellow commanders. "With Zachary dead, I think the man most qualified to lead humanity's forces is you, commander Pixis."

Pixis closed his eyes. "You think so? Would you agree with this assessment, commander Niles?"

Niles looked slightly taken aback, but nodded. "Yes sir. I mean, realistically it would have to be one of us three, and I think you would be best suited for the job."

Pixis hummed. "Very well, I accept. I'll take over Zachary's position as well as the administrative roles previously belonging to the nobles. Niles, I'll place you in charge of the Military Police and the Garrison of Wall Sina, while Erwin will be given command of the Scouts and the Garrison of Wall Rose."

Niles saluted. "Sir!"

"I assume you'll be heading to Mitras?" Erwin asked.

"Yes. Until the capital is rebuilt, the regions of Wall Sina are going to be unstable, and we'll need to keep a sharp eye out for any looters or bandits who would try to take advantage of all of the unrest. I'll leave Eren and the preparations for our counterattack in your hands Erwin."

Erwin bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Niles frowned. "Do you really think we can count on Eren? From what I heard he's just a recruit, with less than a year of training."

Erwin shrugged. "He also has the power to turn into a Titan, and is the target our enemy will be after. In the grand scheme of things his age is irrelevant. He's a key player in the struggle over humanity's fate, whether we like it or not. Hopefully, if what he said is true, his father left us some information in that basement that will give us the upper hand against our enemy."


It was a bright clear morning, and the sun shone cheerily over the city of Liberio.

Marcel, Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie stood nervously in front of the gates, flanked on either side by Marleyan soldiers.

A moment later the gates to the internment zone opened, and the Warriors could see the crowd of fellow Eldians waiting for them.

At the front of the crowd were their two fellow Warriors who had stayed behind.

Pieck waved. "Hey guys."

Zeke smiled. "Welcome back."

The four Warriors rushed forward, and were quickly reunited with their families.

"Marcel!"

"It's so good to see you!"

"Thanks. I missed you guys. And I missed you too, little brother."

"I'm not that little anymore! I still think I deserved it more than Reiner."

"Hush. You'll still get to be a Warrior someday, and this way you'll live longer. So that's a positive, right?"

"I guess."

"Hey. I kept my promise. I came back."

"My daughter. I'm so glad you're safe. I hope it wasn't too bad on that dreaded island."

"It wasn't all that bad. Thanks to Marcel, we did okay."

Reiner heard all of this, but didn't pay too close attention, focused as he was on his own family.

As he hugged his mother, he could also see Bertolt hugging his father.

Reiner smiled, happy that they were all home again.

But as he thought this, he unconsciously recalled the countless homes and families he and the other Warriors had trampled on, and how many people on that island would never see their families ever again because of what they had done.

Reiner brushed the thought aside. They were the good guys, and the people on the island were just devils. It was that simple.

Right?


Eren's Titan stood upright, its mouth hanging open slightly.

"Wow!" Hange shrieked. "Three times in a row?! That's incredible! Okay Eren, if you can hear me, do some jumping jacks!"

Without warning Eren's Titan collapsed to the ground, landing face first with a heavy thud.

"Huh?!" Hange yelled. "Eren, what's wrong?!"

Moblit and Mikasa had already run over to the nape, and as they pulled Eren free they could see that he had passed out.

Hange ran over and gasped. "Oh wow, I can actually see where his face connects to the Titan tissue!"

Moblit gently touched Eren's forehead. "He's out cold."

Hange looked at him in confusion. "What are you talking about? His body temperature is abnormally hot when he's in Titan form."

Moblit shook his head. "You know what I mean. I think we'd better call it a day. We don't want to push him too far too fast. It would be counterproductive, and besides, I think Mikasa would murder us in our sleep if we overworked him."

Mikasa fiddled with her scarf nervously but didn't dispute Moblit's claim.

Hange sighed in disappointment. "Oh okay. But I'll have plenty of more tests lined up for him tomorrow!"

Moblit and Mikasa carried Eren back to the cabin, while the other members of Hange's squad, Keiji, Abel, and Nifa, gradually dispersed, knowing their work for the day was also done.

Hange's squad had been tasked with studying and analyzing Eren's power, while also being there to keep Eren in line just in case he went on a rampage while in Titan form. So far they had learned a lot, and Eren had gotten the hang of his Titan powers relatively quickly, but it was also clear that they still had a lot to learn.

Moblit and Mikasa got Eren into bed, noting that though the strange markings on his face had faded, he was still warm to the touch.

Moblit sat down in a nearby chair. "It's lucky they were able to find those old books and journals at the Reiss estate that went into more detail about how the Titan powers work. Even basic things, like figuring out that drawing blood and having a clear goal were the requirements for transformation would have taken quite a bit of trial and error, so it's made things a lot easier. If we can determine how to do the hardening techniques the books described, we'll have a much better shot at plugging that hole in Wall Maria."

Mikasa grimaced. "How do you put up with her?"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean Hange?"

Mikasa nodded. "Yes. She's so…loud. And her obsession with Titans is a bit creepy."

Moblit chuckled. "Yeah, she's a bit of an oddball. But in a way, she has a point. If we want to defeat the Titans, we need to know everything we can about them, and there's still a lot of gaps in our knowledge. Hopefully, with Eren's help, we'll be able to fill in some of those gaps."

Eren stirred, and slowly opened his eyes.

Mikasa leaned over and grabbed his hand. "Eren!"

Eren looked over at her. "Oh, hey Mikasa."

He sat up with a groan. "What happened? Were the tests successful?"

"Mostly." Moblit replied. "It seems the third transformation took a lot out of you, as you promptly passed out right afterwards."

Eren lowered his eyes. "I see. I'm sorry."

Mikasa squeezed his hand. "You don't need to apologize. You're doing the best you can, right? Don't be hard on yourself."

Eren nodded unenthusiastically. "I know. I know I need to be patient, especially since I don't understand this power anymore than anybody else. But at the same time, I know everyone is counting on me. And…I don't know if I can do it."

Eren held up his other hand and looked down at it. "I mean…we're up against at least four people who are like me, right? People who have the power to turn into a Titan. People who have had years of training, and who understand this power far more than we do. Even if I master this power, will it be enough?"

Moblit smiled softly. "There's only one way to find out. And hey, just bear in mind, even if you're the only one here who can turn into a Titan, you're not alone. We may be counting on you, but you can count on us too. We're all in this together, and as long as we keep fighting, we can pull through. I know we can."

Eren let out a small smile. "Thanks."

His smile faded. "I just wish Dad had been more honest about things. He could probably answer a lot of our questions. And seriously, where the hell has he been for the past two years?"

Moblit shifted uncomfortably.

Eren looked at him uncertainly. "What?"

Moblit winced. "Oh, it's nothing."

Eren frowned skeptically. "It's not nothing, what is it?"

"Oh…well…"

Moblit sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "…you'll learn about it sooner or later, so I suppose I might as well tell you now, but…according to some of the notes left by the Reiss family, they had a special ritual for when it was time for the Founding Titan to be passed down to the next heir. And the method for transferring the power was to turn the heir into a Titan, and have them eat the holder of the Founding Titan, which would enable the heir to absorb the power and claim it for their own."

Mikasa and Eren froze.

"No way…" Mikasa said.

Moblit nodded grimly. "So, while it's not confirmed, the likely reason that your father has been missing for the past two years…is because…"

Eren gripped his hair tightly, his eyes wide in horror. "Shit! You've gotta be kidding me! I…"

"I'm sorry."

Before long, Moblit left to give the two twelve year olds a moment alone.

"Eren…" Mikasa whispered softly.

Eren looked deeply unsettled, and Mikasa couldn't think of any words that would comfort him. She certainly knew that she wouldn't have taken it well if she'd just found out that she had eaten one of her parents.

Unsure of what else to do, Mikasa squeezed his hand again, and was heartened when he squeezed it back.


Several days after the Warriors returned home, there was a major meeting with Marley's military leaders. Magath, Zeke, and Marcel were included in this meeting, as their input would be taken into account when deciding what to do next.

Admiral Calvi looked down at the detailed map of Paradis spread out on the table before them. "While the mission didn't go quite according to plan, I think it's fair to say that so far the operation on Paradis has been a success. Now, the only question is, what should we do moving forward?"

Calvi shifted his gaze to the leader of the Warriors. "Marcel, you have the best knowledge of the island, what would you suggest?"

Marcel looked down at the map. "We know that the Founding Titan is being held by Eren Yeager. We also know that despite being ineffective against our Titans, their military was able to adapt surprisingly quickly to our movements, and they also now know about Eren's power. We need to capture Eren, that is without question. However, underestimating their military could be a fatal mistake. While I was able to kill most of the soldiers that got close to me without any difficulty, there was one soldier that posed a serious threat, the one that forced me to withdraw instead of trying to take Eren right then and there. They most likely have other soldiers with similar skills. They've developed weapons specifically designed to kill Titans, and they know how to use them quite proficiently. Furthermore, they now know a lot of our tricks, and so will be better prepared next time."

Zeke raised his hand. "May I make a suggestion?"

Calvi nodded. "Ah Zeke. Of course."

Zeke stood up and looked at Calvi seriously. "As Marcel said, the enemy will be better prepared for us next time, and they will be on their guard. Consequently, attacking Wall Rose might not be the best idea. Instead, I propose that we set up an ambush at Wall Maria. If they want to reclaim their lost territory, they'll have to seal the hole in Wall Maria. Now that they have the Attack Titan on their side I think it's likely that they'll soon discover the hardening ability Titans possess, and plan to use it to seal the hole. If we let them come to us, we can establish the battlefield on our terms rather than theirs."

Calvi frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm. A sound idea."

Zeke continued. "Furthermore, I believe that Pieck and I should go with the others back to the island. The enemy now knows about the Colossal, Armored, Female, and Jaw Titans, and will likely come up with strategies to counter them. However, they are still entirely in the dark about the Beast and Cart Titans. Adding in more unexpected surprises for the enemy could be the key to our victory."

Calvi inclined his head. "Indeed. Your proposal seems reasonable enough. We'll need to discuss things further before we make our final decision. You Eldians are dismissed."

Zeke and Marcel saluted. "Sir!"

After they had left the room, Calvi glanced at his fellow officers. "Quite remarkable, aren't they?"

Magath folded his arms. "I am impressed with Marcel's performance. However, I still think it was madness to entrust the entire mission to four children, and despite their talents it was probably sheer luck that all four of them made it back alive. If we tempt fate too much I fear our luck will run out soon."

Calvi smirked. "While I can understand your caution, I think you worry too much."

Calvi leaned forward. "Now, aside from the operation on Paradis, there is one more matter we need to discuss."


Armin and Historia walked down the dimly lit corridor nervously, trying to keep up with the Marleyan soldier ahead of them, who had a rifle strapped on his back.

They had been kept in an underground cell for about a week, ever since they had arrived in Marley, and now suddenly a Marleyan soldier had arrived and was escorting them somewhere else.

After being informed that the two of them were essentially clueless about everything beyond the walls, their guards had taught them the basics about the history of Eldia and Marley, and made it quite clear that humanity was not actually on the verge of extinction. But beyond that there was still a lot that the two frightened twelve year olds didn't understand.

"W-where are we going?" Armin asked anxiously.

The soldier didn't turn around. "Who said you could speak, Eldian?"

Armin flinched and looked at the ground.

Historia frowned. "It was just a simple question."

The soldier glanced at her in annoyance. "Cheeky brat. I'm taking you two to your new home within the internment zone. There you'll be put to work."

Historia felt her heart sink. "What kind of work?"

The soldier suddenly looked flustered, and hastily looked ahead again. "I'll explain later."

They walked up several flights of stairs, and before long reached a metal door.

The soldier paused. "Oh, by the way, put these on."

He turned around and handed them two pieces of red cloth.

Historia looked at it curiously. "Armbands?"

The soldier nodded. "All Eldians are required to wear them when outside their homes. If they take them off…well, you'd rather not know. Just don't take them off."

"...okay."

Historia and Armin put the armbands on. It felt weird and wrong, like they were being branded, but they knew refusing would only make things worse.

This done, the soldier opened the door, and the three of them stepped out into the streets of Liberio.

Armin and Historia gazed around in awe, as the buildings were quite a bit taller than the ones they were used to seeing, and the architectural style was different too.

"Come on, don't just stand there."

"Oh, r-right."

They continued to follow the soldier as he led them down the street. Most of the other people passing by just went about their business, but a few of them spotted the two children wearing armbands and sneered. A handful shouted insults that they didn't understand, but were still hurtful.

Armin glanced down. So this is how our people are viewed here. I suppose it was naive of me to think that the outside world was all nice and peaceful, and that if we got rid of the Titans everything would be fine. It's more complicated than that.

About twenty minutes later they arrived at the internment zone, which was separated from the rest of the city by a large wall, though it was tiny compared to the walls on Paradis.

As the gates were opened, Armin and Historia could see several Marleyan guards and Eldian civilians standing inside, watching them curiously. They waved, and, appreciating the first sign of friendliness they had seen that day, Armin and Historia waved back.

The soldier gestured at them to keep following him. "Don't say anything. You can talk to your new neighbors later."

Armin and Historia lowered their hands, and meekly followed behind the soldier. They did their best to ignore the curious gazes that followed them.

The soldier took them to a small two story house, and escorted them inside, shutting the door behind them.

He glanced at them with a frown. "You can tell the other Eldians whatever you like, but I'd advise against telling them you came from that island. They probably won't react well to that. Just tell them you came from an internment zone in a remote part of Marley, that's probably safest."

The three of them went upstairs, and walked into a very nice looking bedroom with a desk, a dresser, and a large bed.

Armin looked at the soldier nervously. "So, um…what sort of work are you going to have us do?"

The soldier looked uncomfortable, and Armin's dread increased.

He'd tried not to think about it on the way here, but now his imagination ran wild. Would they be forced to do hard labor? Would they be expected to work in factories with dangerous machines? Would they be placed in unsafe mines, where the tunnels could cave in and leave them trapped underground to starve to death?

As he glanced at Historia, he could tell from her fearful expression that similar thoughts were running through her head. The soldier's prolonged silence certainly didn't help.

The soldier cleared his throat and finally spoke, though he seemed unable to make eye contact anymore.

"These are your orders from Marley. Follow them without question, and you'll be just fine. You two are the last of the royal family. The royal bloodline has special properties that Marley would like to utilize someday, and consequently doesn't want the royal bloodline to die out. Therefore, since you two are a couple, your job is to make more members of the royal bloodline."

Armin froze. Blood rushed to his head, his face heated up, and suddenly he found it hard to breathe.

"I…what?" He choked out.

Historia's face was bright red. "You…you mean…you want us to…"

The soldier jerked his head, and still didn't make eye contact. "Yes, Marley wants you two to sleep together. If that's a problem, we can always arrange for you two to sleep with other people."

"NO!"

The two mortified twelve years old shouted out at the same time. They glanced at each other before hastily looking away again, their faces extremely red with embarrassment.

The soldier nodded stiffly. "Very well then. Get busy. You should be grateful that that's all you're expected to do."

Armin stuttered. "B-but we're still so young! I'm not even sure if we can get pregnant yet!"

The soldier winced slightly, but his voice didn't waver. "Well, even if not, you might as well get some practice in."

He pointed at the nearby desk. "Oh yeah, those books on that desk over there should answer any questions you have about the rules and customs of living in the internment zone. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

The soldier left the room. A moment later they heard the front door open and close, leaving them alone in the house.

The two of them sat down on the edge of the bed, and neither spoke for several minutes. The relief they'd felt from learning that they weren't going to do hard labor was eclipsed by the unbelievable awkwardness that had settled in.

Armin tried to swallow, and found that his throat was dry. This is insane. We haven't even kissed yet, and now we're expected to go all the way, just like that.

"Armin?"

Armin forced himself to look at her, and felt his face redden again. "Y-yes?"

Her own blush had faded slightly, and she looked at him anxiously. "Do…do you think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course!" Armin exclaimed. "Of course I do! And I do like the idea of kissing you and hugging you and…"

Armin looked away, his gaze melancholy. "It's just…I always figured we wouldn't do certain things until we were older. And now…suddenly…"

Historia nodded slowly. "Yeah. But…that choice has been taken away from us. It's not ideal, far from it."

She reached over and rested her hand on his knee. "But…I'm glad it's with you."

Armin looked back at her. "Historia…"

After hesitating for a moment, she leaned over and kissed him.

Armin briefly stiffened before relaxing into it, enjoying the sensation of her lips against his.

The kiss was shy, tentative, but sweet.

Armin gently caressed her cheek, before pulling back.

He looked at her seriously. "Historia…I know we'll have to do it eventually…but, if you aren't comfortable with it yet, if you aren't ready, we don't have to do it right away."

Historia smiled at him before sighing. "I know. But…I'm afraid of what might happen if we put it off. I don't know if there'll ever be a moment in the near future where I'm truly ready, and I don't want us to be separated. So…"

She leaned over and kissed him again, this time entwining her fingers in his hair. Armin kissed her back, and their breathing became more and more heated as they slowly let go of their inhibitions.


It was late in the evening, and most people within the internment zone had already gone to bed.

Marcel descended down the stairs until he had reached the basement. He briefly glanced over his shoulder before continuing on.

He entered the small poorly lit room, and found Zeke sitting on a small chair.

Zeke looked up. "Oh, hello Marcel. I was starting to wonder if you were coming. You weren't followed?

Marcel shook his head. "As far as I can tell."

"Good."

Zeke leaned forward, his expression serious. "Now then, we need to discuss our plan to save Eldia."


Author's Note: As Robot Chicken Shyamalan once said, What A Twist!

So I am taking a few liberties here, because like I said, we don't know all that much about Marcel as a character considering that he was dead for most of the canon story. Granted Reiner tried to imitate him, but beyond that there's not much to go on. So it's possible that perhaps Marcel overheard Zeke and Xaver talking, and when he asked Zeke about it ended up going along with the plan, and the two of them decided that Marcel would eat the Founder, and then he would find Zeke and use it to fulfill his plan.

And if you think about it, none of this contradicts the canon. It's entirely possible that Marcel was key to Zeke's plan, but then of course he got eaten, and so that fell by the way side. Then, when Zeke learned about Eren, and their shared blood, he was desperate for Eren to be the person he was looking for not only because they were brothers, but also because he needed someone to replace Marcel, and he wanted it to be Eren.

Obviously, there's nothing in canon that supports this idea, but there's nothing that contradicts it either. And I always found it slightly weird that Zeke seemingly never even tried to share his plans with any of the other Warriors, though I suppose I can understand his caution, since if he thought he could trust them and was wrong that would be the last mistake he ever made. Of course, he thought he could trust Eren, and that ended up being the last mistake he ever made.

And poor Armin and Historia. It's not as bad as some of the alternatives, but it's still pretty messed up.

Anyways, be sure to leave a review letting me know what you thought of the chapter. I have the climax and finale of this story mostly planned out, but if there's any character moments or interactions you'd like to see then let me know, as I'm still working on the outline for the next chapter. I'll try to have chapter 8 up before the year is over, but I make no promises.