Ancient Eldian Historical Discoveries:
"Where the Power of the Titans came from is a heavily debated topic in history, and religion, making it a very sensitive topic to address. However, most agree that at some point, Ymir was a human, or lived as one in any case. Thus the question becomes, where she came from. Most that know not all Eldians are of Ymir's blood just assume that she was a member of the original tribe of Eldia. After all, if she was from another tribe, that tribe would unlikely to be forgotten, being the birth place of the Primordial Titan herself.
However, another plausible theory is that she came from another tribe that was absorbed into Eldia. It is impossible to know if Eldia was already absorbing other tribes into their own before the time of Ymir began. Yet depictions of Eldians from Pre-Ymir times and the early days of the Empire describe most Eldians as being dark of hair. Ymir's blond hair places her origins to the south-southwest of Ancient Eldia. It is not unlikely that Ymir came from a dying village and came to start a new life in Eldia, and thus the name was forgotten even in her own time.
A third possibility is something much less realized; It was very common in this era for both people and places to have names ending in -mir. It is entirely possibly that Ymir's name was similar or even the same as her birthplace, and thus was unintentionally phased out as languages changed and records were misinterpreted as meaning something else about Ymir the person rather than a location."
Ymir found herself laying listlessly as the moonlight shined through a window, moving slowly as the hours passed on. She couldn't sleep. And trying to force it only made her more awake.
With great care, she slipped from the sheets next to her master. The children were still asleep and, true to Fritz's word, both of Maria's feet were out from under the blankets. She gave a small smile at that before silently leaving the room. The guards gave her curious glances, but didn't stop her. She didn't explain, giving them a gesture to remain quiet as she slowly closed the door. They nodded in apparent understanding. Disturbing the king AND the princesses wasn't a danger anyone wanted to risk.
A short walk later, she found herself outside. "Lady Ymir?" one of the guards addressed in surprise, keeping his tone low. "Taking a stroll?"
Ymir paused in consideration before nodding. She supposed that was true. The guards did not pry further as she walked off to the side, her path lit only by the moon's pale light.
This village really was just like Eldia use to be. Just like hers use to be as well.
She didn't remember her parents well, but she recalled many things about her village. Little details, scattered memories with only vague contexts. The empty old well nobody was suppose to throw rocks into, for some reason, but everyone did so anyway, for no reason at all. A wedding performed before a wooden carving of a bear someone had made a long time ago, to honor the god Bjorn. A strange dog no one owned but everyone took care of. A tree that somehow grew lopsided enough to have its "top" branches pointed downward. Children whose names she couldn't remember. And the grave of someone she couldn't recall.
She remembered her mother's smile and long flowing hair. Her father's beard was prickly and he smelled after a day of work.
The only thing she couldn't remember at all...was the name.
It saddened her, not being able to recall the name of her homeland. But that wasn't what was keeping her from sleeping tonight.
It took her a little while to find them in the darkness, but she did: the pile of bones that had been placed out to one side of the path. The remains of some nameless souls that had the unfortunate luck to die out here, likely alone. Were they murdered? Was it a sickness? An infection? No one would know now, save the gods.
It was a pointless, meaningless thing. But she felt a desire to do it. Besides, she was helping in a way. She was sure no one wanted to see these bones laying about.
She certainly didn't want her daughters to see them either.
Meanwhile
Fritz frowned as he realized that Ymir hadn't returned yet. That was a long trip to relieve one's self. Not too long ago, his first instinct might be to assume she was trying to run away. But that was a foolish notion even disregarding his new insight into her. She had a great many chances to flee before now. She was the Titaness for the sake of the gods! And he knew that Ymir wouldn't abandon her daughters, or Eldia. No, this was something else.
With a grunt, he stood and shrugged off the blanket, looking over at his daughters to make sure he hadn't woken them. They were still dreaming the night away, and he decided not to dwell on why or how Sheena ended up sleeping upside down.
"Morning, King Fritz," the guards greeted quietly as he stepped out. "Everything well?"
"Where, by the Forts, is Ymir?" he asked gruffy while massaging his temple.
"She was taking a walk outside, King," one of them informed calmly.
Fritz nodded. That was good. If his guards didn't know where she was, then they wouldn't be doing their job right. With a mighty yawn, he walked outside, being greeted by the guards there as well. He grunted, giving this one a very pointed and curious look.
The guard didn't need further prompting, knowing exactly what Fritz wanted to know. He tilted his head to the side and pointed down the path to his left. "We have another two keeping an eye around the back side," he answered vaguely. Fritz didn't like his guard being cryptic, and his frown showed it. "Lady Ymir is...well, we offered to help, but..."
Fritz shook his head and decided to go see for himself, heading off down the path. He spied two guards standing by a house, staring at the last building on this edge of the village. He was about to address the soldiers, who were glancing between him and something else, when he heard it.
The sound of soil being dug up.
He hummed, brow furrowed, as he changed course slightly and headed around the corner of the final building.
He rose an eyebrow at the sight of Ymir the Titaness, wielding a shovel as she poured dirt over a freshly dug hole. "Ymir?"
She looked up in alarm at his voice, holding the shovel close and looking very unsure of herself.
He frowned harder, looking down at the hole. It was dark out though, and she had already started burying whatever was in it. "What are you doing?" he asked, regarding her intently.
"...Grave," she answered softly, nodding down to the hole. "Bones."
Fritz rose an eyebrow. "You wanted to bury the bodies we found?" he supplied, getting an nod. "Why?"
"Someone. Should," she answered softly, looking down. "I'm. Sorry."
"You could have told someone else to do it," Fritz pointed out idly. "I was thinking about burning them, but...well, I suppose this is less noticeable for the girls than a fire."
Ymir nodded, glad he shared her thoughts on this. Slowly, hesitantly, she returned to burying the bodies. Fritz watched her for a moment, moving the dirt one shovel-full at a time, before sighing. "Where did you find that?"
Ymir stopped again, tilting her head to show her lack of understanding.
"The shovel, Ymir," he explained with a groan as he massaged away some grogginess, wishing she had at least picked a different hour to do this.
Ymir's eyes widened and, for some reason, she suddenly appeared uneasy. Carefully and silently, she placed the shovel against the wall. He grew very interested as she looked around cautiously, bringing one hand forth...
Fritz bit his tongue to hold back his alarm when Ymir's hand started to glow softly. Before his very eyes, flesh-stone began to spread out of her palm. It formed a staff, a handle and eventually an entire shovel. It turned from white to grey, before resting in Ymir's hand.
"...How long have you been able to do that?" Fritz asked in an entirely level tone.
"Just. This. Night." Ymir answered honestly, bowing her head. "I'm. Sorry."
"If you only figured it out now, why are you sorry?" he asked with a scowl.
"You are. Upset. With Me," she answered meekly. "I. Should have. Figured. This out. Sooner. Master."
Fritz gave her a strange look. "Ymir, I wasn't angry that it took this long for this...new power to show itself. I just thought you were keeping it secret."
Ymir looked surprised by that. "Master. I. Do not. Have. Secrets," she answered, as if she was stating the obvious.
Fritz rose an eyebrow. For a woman with no secrets, she was a grand mystery at times. "Give it here," he prompted, taking the shovel from her and holding it experimentally. It was a bit heavier than a normal shovel, and the balance felt off, but it would do. "Well, let's get this over with," he said with a sigh as he began to shovel the dirt himself.
"Master?" Ymir asked in shock.
Fritz sighed. "Ymir, I don't give two shits about whoever is in this grave. But this is obviously important to you. So let's get this over with," he stated bluntly.
Despite the tone, Ymir didn't flinch. She almost smiled even, as they made short work of the pile of dirt.
"There. Gods, why couldn't you have done this at dawn?" Fritz grumbled as he wiped the dirt from his clothes.
"I'm...sorry."
Fritz's grogginess vanished instantly, replaced by alarm as he noticed Ymir panting heavily and leaning against the wall. "Ymir? What's wrong?"
"I. Don't. Know," she answered, looking very exhausted and pale. "Flesh-Stone?"
Fritz scowled. "It must be harder to use that like this instead of as the Titaness," he guessed, reaching his hand up to her nose before examining it. No blood, so that was a good sign.
"I'm. Sorry," she said, leaning fully against the wall now. "You. Told me. Not to. Overdo it."
"Yes, and neither of us knew you could do this at all when I said that," Fritz reminded with an eyeroll as he grasped her arms and helped her take a seat on the ground. "Is there a reason my Titaness went through all of this?" he asked idly as he sat beside her.
Ymir took soothing breaths, feeling her body calm down. It was like she had ran a great distance in a single instant, and now her body was trying to readjust. That gave her time to ponder his question, and her answer. Why was this important? For all she knew they were murderers and thieves. But by that same token, they could have just people that got lost between someplace else and the capital.
"Master? May I. Ask. A question?" she requested softly, longingly.
Fritz looked very interested by her tone. "Yes, Ymir?"
"Do you. Remember. My village?" she asked distantly. She knew she was ignoring his question, and she shouldn't do that, but...It felt like this was somehow the answer, in a way.
Fritz froze, completely motionless and expressionless. "...Yes," he answered without infliction. "What of it?"
"Can you. Tell me. The name?" she requested, bringing her legs up to her chest and hugging them.
"What?" Fritz asked in shock, head turning to her in a snap.
She was staring up at the sky, her beautiful face marred by melancholy. "I can't. Remember. The name," she repeated, feeling ashamed. "I do not. Even remember. When I. Last Heard it."
"That's...that's all?" Fritz asked slowly. "Just the name, nothing else?"
She finally looked towards him, in confusion. What was he saying? What was she suppose to be asking?
"You aren't going to ask me why?" he asked, utterly baffled.
Ymir didn't blink, or even look shocked. Her eyes just softened into a sad, knowing look.
"I know why."
The answer came so soft and certain, Fritz couldn't believe she said it, even as he stared into her solemn eyes.
"...Himir," he answered after a second. "Your village's name was Himir."
Ymir nodded slowly. "Himir. Thank you."
Fritz stared at her as many old questions resurfaced in his head. What was going on with her head? Why didn't she hate him? Or at least get angry over the memory of her village's destruction? She just sat here and thanked the man that destroyed her li-
"Master?" Ymir spoke up again, pausing his thoughts. "Did. Himir. Have. Slaves?"
And suddenly, he was reminded of who Ymir was, who he knew her to be. "...Yes, they did."
Ymir looked up at the moon. "We are. All. Very. Cruel," she mused to the heavens.
Fritz watched her for a moment before gazing up at the moon with her. "Do you remember the day you became the Titaness?"
Ymir lowered her gaze, pushing away the memories of arrows, dogs, running, and blood. "Yes," she answered, hugging her legs harder.
"Do you remember when you came back to the village?" he continued.
Ymir stopped, blinking as she flowed through her memories. "I. Think. So?" she answered uncertainly. She remembered most of it. The whole thing had been a blur after she fell into the tree.
Fritz snorted. "Everyone thought we were going to die," he stated bluntly. "We thought this giant...thing was here to destroy our village."
Ymir didn't say anything, letting him talk. If he was going to punish her for scaring the old village, he would have done it all those years ago.
"I knew it was you."
Now she looked to him with a stunned expression.
Fritz shrugged and explained. "It seemed a strange chance, a slave girl sent into the forest, then a female giant with the same hair color emerges from the Ash-tree."
Ymir stared for a moment before nodding. She supposed it was a good point and an obvious conclusion. She just...had never thought about what that day had been like for everyone else.
"I said it once, I'll say it again: I thought you were going to kill me. I was prepared for that," he admitted before smirking. "The giant kneeling down, you emerging from the neck, and falling onto the ground? That caught me off guard. Then I saw your wounds healing as you-
"I stood up. I walked. To you. And I knelt," Ymir finished in a lost tone, deep in her own memory.
Fritz nodded. "For the next three days, I swore I would wake up one day and the whole thing would be a strange drunken dream."
Ymir glanced to him a few times before carefully adding in something of her own. "I thought. I was. Dying. And. Imagining. Everything."
"That was my second guess," Fritz remarked, giving a half smirk. "Though, you would have already been a full grown woman by then if it had been my dream."
Ymir said nothing to that, wondering where this was going. Where had it even started? What...was this, this moment? She didn't know, but she was sure it would end if she asked.
"All I dreamed of for the first year was using you to destroy all of Marley, lay every city to rubble and burn the rest," he admitted darkly as Ymir bowed her head.
She'd do it too. Ymir knew she'd do it if he told her to. Marley was suppose to be the biggest empire in the world. How many people would she have to kill, to kill them all? How much more blood would she have to spill until it was enough?
Fritz suddenly sighed before shaking his head. "But then I stopped being an idiot."
Ymir looked to him in surprise. "Master?" she asked in concern, never hearing him speak ill of himself.
"Don't mistake me, Ymir. Marley could sink into the sea and I wouldn't shed a tear for the bastards. I'd probably finish off the survivors. But..." he paused, weighing his words. "At some point, between uniting the tribes and decimating Marley's armies, I figured something out. Right now, conquering Marley wouldn't work. We just don't have enough people and warriors to keep control of that much land. So, I had to pick between my two greatest desires: Destroy Marley or create a future for Eldia."
"A future," Ymir repeated, her mind drifting to Maria, Rose, and Sheena.
"That's why I accepted their surrender," Fritz explained. "They relinquish some nearby territory, stop raiding our lands, and I don't unleash you on them."
That made sense to Ymir. And if the threat of her led to less fighting, she supposed that was a good thing. Except for one detail: The Assassination. "And now?" she asked, knowing Fritz was a cruel and vengeful man to his enemies.
"I don't know," he admitted stoically. "I'd rather avoid restarting the war, but that's in Marley's hand now, and how they react to my warning. Either way, I just want to leave as few problems for Maria as possible."
"Maria?" Ymir repeated curiously.
"Yes? She is the oldest," Fritz reminded, wondering why that wasn't obvious. He also had no particular reason to think Sheena or Rose should be given the throne over Maria. Yet at least. Who knew how those two would turn out later.
Ymir paused before looking to him curiously. "What. About. Rose. And Sheena?"
"One day at a time, Ymir," he said with a headshake. "For now, they are just children."
Ymir almost smiled at that.
"Come on, lets get back to bed," Fritz grumbled as he stood up, Ymir following suit as well.
Without another word, they began to head back to the main hall. Ymir paid it no mind, but Fritz couldn't help noticing the interesting looks the guards gave them as they passed. They thought they were being discrete, but they weren't. As did the guards at the main hall, but one of them was at least brazen enough to voice their suspicions.
"King, Lady Ymir," Baugi greeted, leaning next to the door, eyeing their dirt-stained clothes with a knowing look. "Glad you're enjoying the night,"
Fritz rubbed his head as Ymir looked unfazed by the assumption. "Why again, did I leave your brother behind for this trip, Baugi?" Fritz grumbled with a sigh.
Baugi just chuckled as the royal pair passed him, as did the other guards.
Fritz didn't have the energy or patience to care at the moment, so he ignored them in favor of returning to the bedroom.
He and Ymir returned to bed, only pausing to glance at their daughters quizzically.
"Now. They are. All. Upside down," Ymir observed in confusion, wondering how all three of them ended up sleeping on the opposite ends of their makeshift bed.
"First time in less than a bed," Fritz murmured, waving her to bed.
They still had a few hours before dawn, thankfully...
The call of a raven, its eye staring upon her.
Hands of dying men reaching to her desperately, pleadingly.
A room of trophies, each pedestal dripping with blood.
A white tower in the midst of a desert.
Lightning striking a city, shattering it to ruins, and then it was naught but ash.
A giant wolf, bigger than any horse, stood viciously over the corpses of Eldian warriors. Fritz alone stared the beast down without fear, a sword in his hand.
A cold voice in her head, and in her heart:
"You should have let him die."
Ymir awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath as she clutched her chest. Her eyes darted frantically around the room.
This was the bedroom she and her family had been staying in. Right, they had left the city to do some tests with her powers.
Her breathing slowed to a more normal pace. It was just a bad dream, just a night terror. A strange one, admittedly. She hadn't any in a few years now, and those had always been less...cryptic.
Shaking her head, she looked around the room again and confirmed what she saw the first time: she was alone. Her daughters and Fritz were already up, and had left her to sleep.
She wondered why that was, but didn't dwell on it as she rose.
She used to be very sore when she laid on the floor, when she was younger. But after becoming the Titaness, that didn't really happen anymore. Any stiffness in her joints vanished as soon as she opened her eyes every morning, unless she overused her powers.
She wandered out and the hall was empty as well, meaning they were outside. She exited the door, finding a few guards gathered near it.
"Lady Ymir," they greeted, standing a bit straighter.
She looked from them to the abandoned village, seeing some warriors wandering about or doing some task or another, and hearing noises not too far off in the distance.
"King Fritz has the princesses practicing their riding skills," one of the guards supplied after a moment of silence..
Ymir glanced to him and nodded minutely before heading down the path. Her gaze drifted towards the sun. It wasn't that high in the sky. Mere hours had passed since dawn. Why wasn't she awakened? Then again, they were not at the palace anymore. She had awakened every day, just as the sun rose, with servants bringing her breakfast, and news of anything Fritz might have planned for her today.
Given the nature of their stay here, she had assumed she would have been awakened at dawn to begin the tests again at the earliest chance.
She found her way to the edge of the village, and saw the soldiers and wisemen were eating a stew, the large pot steaming over a fire.
Not only them, but two of her daughters as well.
"Lady Ymir," Baugi greeted with a nod from his seat on a log, drawing the attention of Sheena and Maria, who were sitting next to him.
"Good Morning, Mother!" Sheena greeted with a smile, almost spilling her bowl of stew in the process.
"Mother," Rose gave as well, more quiet and uncertain.
Ymir almost smiled, but looked around at the others in obvious search for her eldest, or for Fritz.
"Father took Maria horse riding," Sheena supplied, pointing out to the forest. Sure enough, through the trees, Ymir could see two horses riding along, one of their riders distinctly smaller than the other. "Rose is next, and I already went," Sheena said proudly.
"Our smallest princess actually tried to race Fritz back here," Baugi said with a laugh.
"I would have won too, if I had a better horse," Sheena protested with a pout.
"Ha! Good luck finding a horse better than Blood Hoof!" Baugi said with a laugh.
"Blood Hoof?" Rose asked in confusion. "Is that what Father named his horse?"
"Huh? You mean to tell me you never heard the story of Blood Hoof?" Baugi asked in surprise, looking between the two as if they just told him the sky was green.
"I have!" Sheena answered eagerly. "I heard the people that take care of the stables talking about it! They said Blood Hoof smashed the head of a Marleyan general!"
"Well, that's the short version of the story," Baugi murmured to their interest.
Ymir's as well. When had that happened? The only thing interesting she remembered about Blood Hoof was that time the Marleyans tried to burn her with catapults hurling flaming boulders at her. That had been a bad day. She was fireproof as the Titaness, but the Eldian warriors were not, and they hadn't been expecting the flames. She spent most of the battle trying to keep her master and his army from being burned. Blood Hoof had been one of the horses unafraid of the fire.
Baugi grunted as he rose from his seat. "Sorry for rambling a bit, Lady Ymir, I'll go let the King know you're here."
Ymir watched as the man headed off towards the tree line. With nothing to do, she looked to her daughters who were watching her curiously. Ignoring the feeling of everyone else's eyes on her, she took a seat with them, Sheena promptly moving aside so that there was space between the two sisters for their mother.
Sheena looked between her silent mother and her uncertain sister with a frown before deciding to break the quiet herself. "Mother, did you eat anything yet?" she asked curiously. Ymir looked to her and shook her head in negative, prompting Sheena to jump off her seat. "I'll get you a bowl!"
Ymir watched as her daughter walked away for a moment before looking back to her second born. If they were alone, she would ask what was wrong. But speaking with so many others close by made her hesitate, watching as Rose fidgeted under her gaze. Was she making Rose feel unsafe? She didn't like that thought, but she didn't want to make Rose feel like that.
What did mothers do to comfort scared children?
There was one, obvious answer.
Rose froze as she felt her mother's arm wrap around her shoulder and pull her into a soft embrace. She quivered and shook before latching onto Ymir desperately. "I love you, Mama," Rose whispered into her robes, soft tears staining the cloth.
Ymir's only response was to hold Rose tighter, resting her forehead against her daughter's.
Ancient Eldian Historical Discoveries
One mystery that may never be solved is the origins of Blodughofi, the Blood Hoof. There are many tales of this horse throughout the histories of Eldia, supposedly having riders across the centuries. Where as Ackermans are best described as Titans in human form, Blood Hoof was often dubbed as a Titan in horse form, having allegedly slain great foes, even without a rider. Obviously, the general consensus is that there were many Blood Hooves, all named after the legendary figure, but the original Blood Hoof is hard to place.
The only clue to a potential origin of the tale is a fragment of a Marleyan text, telling how a "Stallion of Bloody Hooves bore Fritz from the battle." However, the fragment is only a copied piece, the original having been lost to wear and tear long ago. As such, it is impossible to know if the original was authentic and when it was written, let alone which member of the royal family this refers to.
Some believe it was ridden by Ymir herself when not in Titan form, given as a gift by a suitor. Others believe it was a horse raised by Sheena herself. It is entirely possible that Blood Hoof was just a folktale that became so popular that it became a part of history. Whatever the case may be, many have been named in honor of this perhaps mythical steed. The most popular are the Blodug cavalry from the sixth and seventh century of the Eldian Empire, Bloody Hooves the race horse, and a Blodhofi Academy created to train those aspiring to join an illustrious cavalry unit.
End of Chapter
Aaaand there we go. Oi, I did not mean to put off this chapter for so long. But here we are. Ymir and Fritz had an odd moment together in the middle of the night, Ymir had a strange dream, and things are improving between Ymir and Rose.
Hope you all are still enjoying this piece of mine, and are enjoying the anime. I'll say it again, I've been enjoying building up this ancient world.
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