Three small starlings fluttered and danced together along the soft air currents high in the sky as Arya watched them from her bedroom window. Her body still ached from her ocean adventure and days of sitting in a bumpy caravan, but the sheer emotional exhaustion had lulled her into a long and startlingly undisturbed sleep that she had only just arisen from.
She wasn't dead yet, and to Arya that counted as a major win. Her door was locked and guarded, meals pushed forcefully through a hinged gap at the bottom, but by some miracle and all her theatrics the Council had agreed to send for General Loren. Considering how long it had taken for the message to be sent and returned he had to still be somewhere in Mitras, which hopefully meant that Historia and her daughter were just as close.
The hours dragged on, and Arya began to pace back and forth within the confines of her room, running her hands restlessly through the bottom of her hair. Even greater than the worry for herself was the stress of not knowing the condition of her friends. Had the Azumabito prototypes gotten them over in one piece? An image of fiery wreckage against a mountainside appeared in her head, and she shook her head violently to be rid of it.
Peering out the window again Arya took to searching the neighboring roofs, side streets and any dark corner within her view. She was sure that one of them held Mikasa; perhaps she could even see her now. Having the knowledge that she was being tailed and guarded by someone of her renown was both humbling and reassuring, though even with their skills combined there was little they would be able to do in the face of an entire Jaegerist army. They would need everyone for this.
Thanks to Mikasa's run in with the Braus family during one of her excursions into the Capitol, they had a fairly solid means of relaying information back and forth between each other and the landing party coming down from the North. They were all relieved to find that they weren't as alone as they had thought.
Though most of Historia's supporters had either defected in fear or gone underground after her capture, Artur Braus and his family had become pivotal in turning their half-cooked plot into something much more feasible.
According to Armin and Connie they had originally been just as worried over Artur's choice of remaining on the island with his people as they had been with Connie's mother, hardy as they were, but now it was obvious that they're strategy would have fallen apart without them. It was possible that by now her companions could have already reached the rendezvous point passed the foothills and met with the escort of horses, riding full speed towards her as she stood there wrestling with her anxiousness.
Not only had his people provided the Northern team with a way to reach Mitras swiftly, Artur's wife Lisa and their adopted daughter Kaya had found positions within the kitchens of the castle three weeks prior, giving them eventual access to Arya in her cell during mealtimes.
Though the Council was aware of their history and connections, the Braus family's ranch and cavalry was much too precious a resource to go unused by the Jaegerist government. Their necessity meant that all Arya had to do to pass along any information she gathered for the rescue team was leave a small slip of paper tucked under her plate; not that this had proven useful yet.
How am I supposed to do my part if I am stuck in this cell the whole time?
As if the universe had heard her pleas, the lock in her door began to rattle.
Not five minutes later Arya was being herded through the entrance to the courtroom where 3 years earlier she had heard the truth for the first time. Unlike that particular event the only people in attendance for this hearing was the Council, who were now regarding her cautiously. Having turned at the sound of her arrival General Loren watched her approach with a scrutinizing stare, and just as she had back then Arya tried to wipe the nervous expression from her face.
"General, sir!" She exclaimed, rushing forward to meet him with a hearty salute. "Thank you so much for coming, sir, I didn't know what else to do." Though her eyes were welling with tears, hatred pulsed fiercely in her heart.
Liar. Monster. Devil.
Though he was still looking at her cooly, a small piece of his icy exterior seemed to crack, a flash of relief passing quickly across his face sending a wave of nausea to the back of her throat.
How dare you care for me after all you have done.
"Oh my god, Arya! You're okay!"
Startled, she turned around to look at the two elites that had walked past the open door behind her, now running in her direction.
"Jaime? Elise?"
How had she not considered that they would be here, the people she had once called her friends? When had she last thought of them and their fate: stuck on Paradis with their minds being poisoned with Jaegerist hate?
They both hugged her tightly, Jaime nearly crushing her with his thick arms. He looked almost the same as he had when they were cadets: tall and wide, a goofy smile playing around his lips underneath strands of reddish-brown hair. Elise choked back a sob, dirty blonde ringlets bouncing against her round and kind face.
"We thought you were dead!" She sobbed, pulling her in for another embrace.
Jaime scoffed. "No way, if there was anyone who could fight their way off of enemy land and find their way back home it would be Arya!" He beamed at her. "But man, are we glad to see you."
Guilt threatened to drown Arya as she looked at them. From the moment they had met in the Cadet Corps, these two had idolized her. It didn't matter what quality it was of hers that they focused on, she was always on a pedestal. They had trained together, laughed together, and built a friendship that was grounded in the defense of Eldia and her people. How long had it really been since the last time she had thought of them, and how she had left them behind? To Jaime and Elise she could do no wrong, a true patriot of Eldia. But what would they think of her once they knew what she truly stood for?
For now, they were both still beaming at her.
"We are Elites now!" Jamie was saying, lifting his chin with pride. "Chosen by General Loren himself! Can you believe it? And now that we have you back, we have a real chance to show the enemies of the world our strength and teach those filthy heretics the might of New Eldia!"
Arya was nodding along as they spoke to her, but she could barely hear them through the buzzing in her ears. They were so deep in this now; was there any way that she would be able to save them from this in the short time that she had?
General Loren cleared his throat loudly and Elise and Jaime whipped to attention, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Back to your stations, Elites."
"Yes sir!"
Giving Arya a quick wave, the two of them headed back through the doors, Jaime giving her a wink as he closed them behind him.
"Captain Halbrand." Loren cleared his throat again and stepped in her direction, eyes raking over her. "It seems the years have been kind to you, regardless of your current injuries. Please, come sit."
Her interrogation was detailed but short. Arya described her capture after catching the Allied team's escape; how she was questioned at length about the Jaegerist's intentions and secrets, which she vehemently denied providing, and the means of her escape. The lies came smooth and easy to her lips, feigning innocence in the faces of those who would do away with the world she had come to love in an instant.
Though Arya did find herself speaking quite a bit of truth as well: how the Allied Nations had granted her freedom to live among them, to train and practice medicine if she kept her head down didn't cause any trouble, and the strides she had made in the world of prosthetics. Even as she twisted these truths to present them as something she hated, a small bubble of courage swelled in her chest.
This is what we are fighting for. She thought, as her speech wound to an end. A world where everyone is free to choose a life for themselves no matter where they were born, and I'll be damned if I let you take that away from our people.
"I am just so happy to be home, and I hope to take my place once more within the glory that is New Eldia!"
When she finished, the few Council members in attendance didn't speak for a time, glancing between one another quickly. Loren simply looked at her, holding her face in a hard stare that seemed both knowing and accusatory, and Arya returned it with as much forced innocence as she could.
After what felt like an impossibly long time, Loren turned to his counterparts and gave a curt nod. Alarm bells started rings in Arya's head as she watched in confusion as all Council members save for the General stood up and walked from the room without another word.
"What's going on, General?" She asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
Loren was still watching her, a disapproving frown on his face.
"My dear Arya… Did you know I was there the day you were born? Your father and I were friends as you know, from the moment he saved my wife's life after she miscarried our first and only child. I watched as you grew; smart as a whip you were, but unfalteringly kind. These traits followed you to this day, accompanied by an incredible amount of skill and insight."
Arya's pulse quickened as he spoke, body tense.
Why is he telling me all this?
"It is with this knowledge of you that I find myself surprised and saddened." He continued, eyes never leaving her now pale face. "You couldn't possibly have believed that the Allied Nations were the only ones with agents among their enemies?"
What little color that had been left in Arya's cheeks drained, her eyes going wide.
"Hmm, pity." Loren muttered, sitting up taller in his seat. "Your façade was immaculate I'll admit, and despite the courage you must have needed step back onto your motherland alone, it seems you remain ignorant. You see, through these tangled webs our forces were able to strike an…agreement with a particular Marlyean extremist group: our aid in the capture of one Levi Ackerman, who turns out to be very much alive, for information regarding your whereabouts.
Ackerman's capture was quite straightforward; even bagged us a few "Heroes of Humanity" in the process. However, before we were able to transfer them into Jaegerist hands their complex was compromised, almost solely by one person: a woman that fit your looks and fighting style to the letter."
Arya's hands were slick with sweat and shaking, her breath aching in her throat. It hadn't mattered how hard she had tried; they had known from the beginning. They all knew where her loyalties lied from the moment she had stepped onto the island. The plan was lost and so was she. All pretense faded from Arya's face, and she fixed General Loren with an icy glare.
"Then why am I here?"
Loren slammed his fist onto the table, sending sheets of paper into the air and skittering onto the floor.
"Because I KNOW you, child! Unfalteringly loyal but easily manipulated! Those bastards across the sea have warped your mind and turned you against your fellow Eldians, using your skill for their own personal gain. They seek to destroy us, and what better way that to corrupt us from the inside out."
Getting to his feet, he closed the small gap between them and knelt at her feet. Arya shrank away, arms flying up in defense. Loren made no move to touch her, leaning in until his face was all she could see.
"Whatever those devils told you is not the truth. The truth is here, held tightly in the hearts of all Eldians! It is that feeling we need to protect, and fight back against a world that would see us all die. I will help purge their lies from your mind, Arya, so that you can once again be the true Eldian Elite that you are!"
Overcome by anger and desperation, Arya straightened and bent forward as he had.
"The only warped mind in this room is yours, Caleb. Across those waters is a world looking for peace even after YOUR administration assisted Eren in bringing about the downfall of humanity. You sit on this island and warmonger, forcing fear and hatred down the throats of our people just as Marly did to our brothers and sisters for a hundred years.
Eldian, Marlyean, who fucking cares? We are all people of this Earth, no one better than the rest and all of us deserving of a future. And if you and your Council are going to stand in the way of our people and their freedom, then make no mistake I WILL be there to stop you."
The large room rang with her words, powerful and certain. Loren's expression disappeared behind a featureless mask as he stood, towering over her.
"Once again you misunderstand." He said, his voice a raspy whisper. "I WILL return you the glory that you once were… by any means necessary. It may be quite painful for you… but one day you will thank me."
He turned from her then, heavy footfalls making their way to the door behind them. Before he opened it to whatever horrors were in store for her, he spoke once more.
"Your arrival heralds the coming of a new age, yet it also forces our hand. We planned to wait until the new moon, but I am certain your disgusting heretic comrades will not be far behind you. Tomorrow night as the sun sets, Queen Historia will be sacrificed to Eren Himself to reunite them unto heaven above, their one true gift left to us to wield: their daughter."
With that the doors swung open and soldiers appeared, gripping Arya tight as her head swam with realization and fear.
Ymira is Eren's child.
No sounds could be heard through the frantic beating of her heart as Arya was escorted back to her room, the lock clicking loudly behind her back. She swayed dangerously on her feet as her breath came in ragged gulps, silent tears obscuring her vision as only one thought echoed in her mind.
They aren't going to make it in time.
Throwing herself to her knees, Arya retrieved a piece of paper and a pencil from underneath her straw-filled mattress, frantically writing out her words of warning. Dinner time came and went, and as her tray of empty dishes was retrieved and sent back to the bustling kitchen, she prayed.