Historia cried out in pain as she was thrown to her knees, forced to kneel on the hard stone floor of whatever room she had been led to. The burlap sack that covered her face was removed and she blinked rapidly in the dying light of a spectacular sunset, unable to get her bleary eyes to focus.
One moment she had been lying in the dark on the cold floor of her cell, the next she was being dragged onto a wagon blindfolded and rushed to what she now could see was her castle; or it had been many years ago. She had been taken to a large high ceiling room on the West side of the fortress; the entire wall facing the setting sun was made of colored glass, through which a large balcony could been seen.
She was surrounded by a sea of faces, all of them standing around her in a large circle and staring down at her prone form. The Council loomed in front of her, backed by the light pouring in through the windows. Their expressions were righteous and mocking, as if nothing could have given them more pleasure than to see her like this. The others seemed to be a mixture of soldiers and noble men and women; a small group of which were dressed in colorful garb against their curious olive skin. Foreigners? All of them were wearing the same look of satisfaction as panic took over and Historia began to pull at the binds that held her arms behind her.
"What is this?!" She screamed, directing her fear and fury at General Loren who stood at the forefront of the gathered Council. "Where is Ymira?!"
The High Priest Isaac Elias gave a cruel laugh. "Your daughter is no longer a concern of yours, your majesty." Scattered laugher filled the room, and tears began to slide down Historia's petrified face. "As for what this is, it is the dawning of a new age; the mighty phoenix arising from the ashes, born again into the highest power!"
The people around her cried out:
"New Eldia be praised!"
"Our hearts and souls to the cause!"
"Blessed be the return of the savior!"
As the sounds of their reverence died away, Loren stepped forward, raising his hands into the air as he addressed the expectant crowd.
"You are all here to bear witness to our salvation; the shifting of the tides and the rebirth of Eldia on what will become our Holiest of days! In the light of the burning sky we offer the vessel; the carrier of gods to be united once more with our great liberator, Eren Jaeger. We will send her unto heaven as tribute for the gift they have given the Eldians of Paradis; a gift that will bring us that much closer to our rightful place on this scorched earth!"
With this declaration he gestured to one of the guards stationed along the wall, who made his way through the crowd which parted around him like water. He held Ymira's hand tightly within his own, leading her shaking body towards the Council and Historia flung herself towards her.
"YMIRA!" She yelled, nearly toppling over in her attempt, drinking in the sight of her daughter. She did not look to be injured in any way, but when she turned her head to look at her mother's distraught face, it was almost as if she couldn't see her there.
General Loren took Ymira's hand from the guard and pulled her close to him with triumph blazing in his eyes.
"This false queen has lied to you, my child. Your mother has kept you from the greatness that you are, hiding you away from a world that would praise you until the end of days! Good people of New Eldia, I give you princess Ymira, daughter of Eren Jaeger Himself, born again into the flesh of his kin so that we can become strong once more!"
As the spectators roared around her, Historia wept. Everything that she had done to protect her daughter was meaningless now; they were going to sacrifice her in front of all these people as tribute to Eren and Ymira would be left to the will of the Jaegerists, forced to bear their children in hopes that Eren's power would once again be reborn into the world. Just as she had been meant to. The horror was too much to take, and Historia let out a scream of anguish.
Once again Loren held up his hands, this time to silence the now rowdy group among them.
"But first, let us be rid of those who would keep this glory from us."
The doors behind Historia opened and two more people were brought in, dragged into the center of the room and forced to kneel beside her, their eye coverings removed roughly.
Commander Uric Halsen was barely recognizable, his face bloody and full of fear as he stared at Historia with huge eyes.
"Your highness!" He croaked. "I am so sorry… I couldn't protect you."
Fresh tears flowed down her cheeks as she looked upon her courageous commander, the man who had stood by her for so many years, guiding her, helping shape her into the leader that she had become. Historia let out another gasping sob, then turned to look at the man that had been thrown to her right. All at once her tears froze on her face, and numbness crept into her heart.
No, please no…
"Ben?" She whispered, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. Instead, her husband stared endlessly at the cobbled floor, his face nothing but a shell of the man he had once been. His brown hair hung limply in front of his grief-stricken face, and through cracked lips he let out a shuttering gasp. Historia could barely see him through the heavy fog of guilt that encompassed her, and her words stuck in her throat.
"You lied to me." He said, his voice emptied of all the lightheartedness it once held. "For years you lied, all to protect another man's child. Was it all just an act? Some ploy to make sure no one knew you carried the spawn of the devil?!"
He spat, wild and manic eyes finally meeting hers as she floundered for the words that could possibly make it right, but there were none.
"I LOVED YOU! I LOVED YMIRA! BUT IT WAS ALL A LIE!" His scream cracked and splintered, blood vessels in his eyes rupturing with the force of his pain. "JUST KILL ME NOW SO I DON'T HAVE TO SEE THEIR FACES!".
Before Historia could tell him that he was wrong, that even though she had used him in the beginning she HAD come to love him and that she was sorry beyond words that existed, a single shot rang out behind her. In an instant his screaming stopped, and he fell forward into a pool of his own blood and brain matter.
"NO!"
The shooter walked around her to stand behind Uric now, raising his gun to the commander's head. Halsen turned his sights to the queen, filling his mind with the image of her face one last time.
"It was an honor, your grace." He said, holding his head high. "GLORY TO THE ONE TRUE LEADER OF PARADIS, QUEEN HIS-"
But he was never able to finish his final salute as another shot was fired, and his life came to an end. Historia choked on the blood that splattered onto her face, and she whipped her head back to look at Ymira, who was staring at the red pools that were spreading out across the floor towards her.
I really am the worst girl in the world.
"YMIRA LOOK AT ME! I'm so sorry, Ymira! I'm sorry I kept who your father was a secret from you! I only wanted to protect you and give you a chance at freedom from a world that would use it against you!" Her words came in a rush from her mouth as she begged, stuttering passed the tears that burned down her face. "Please, Ymira! Don't let them take you from me!"
Commander Angelo stepped forward from his place next to the General and scoffed heartlessly. "Your pleas fall on deaf ears, Historia. Your daughter no longer belongs to you, but to all of Paradis. You should be grateful for this honor! It a matter of moments you will be reunited with Eldia's harbinger of divine retribution, bringing forth the wrath of-"
Angelo's speech was cut short as the sound of a struggle could now be heard from the corridor outside the room, and the crowd began to whisper furtively amongst each other. Through her sobs Historia could hear someone shouting, demanding, but had clearly been met with resistance. Suddenly the doors burst open, revealing a woman to be the cause of the commotion outside.
Her clothes were loose on her small body, a thick cloak splattered in blood draped over her thin shoulders and a deep purple bruising blooming across one of her cheeks. But to Historia this woman did not seem frail; if fact, her whole body seemed to be lit from the inside, strength and resilience burning out from under her skin.
Deftly locking the doors behind her, the woman marched to the edge of the circle, onlookers scurrying away to make room between her and the Council. Every soldier raised their weapons in unison as she approached, locking onto her delicate face which was boring icy holes into General Loren's shocked expression.
"ENOUGH." Echoing around the once noisy room, her demand was met with aghast silence.
"Arya, what is the meaning of this?!" Historia looked quickly to General Loren and was stunned to see that he wore a look of both anger and fear as he regarded his untimely guest. "Return to your room, I will not ask you a second time! How dare you-"
"No, how dare YOU." Arya seethed; fists clenched. "How dare you stand in front of these people and lie through your disgusting teeth? This has gone far enough, Caleb. I told you that if you stood in the way of our people and the peace they deserved, then I would be here to stop you." She took a step closer to Historia. "So here I am."
"What are you doing, Arya?! Stop it!" One of the guards had stepped closer to them and Historia shrank back, trying to inch herself closer to Arya while the soldier pleaded with her. "This isn't you! WE are your people! You're a Jaegerist Elite, born to serve Eldia!"
Arya's answering tone was less severe but just as determined.
"No Jaime, I'm not. The only person I have ever been is one who wanted to see the people she loved safe. Years ago I thought that meant serving the Jaegerist Regime, set to take on the whole world, but now I know the truth. I cannot allow this Council to manipulate you and our terrified people into thinking the only way forward is to go to war. I don't fight for them anymore; I fight for humanity."
Angelo's face contorted in rage, panic dripping in his scream. "SHOOT HER, DO IT NOW!"
"NO." Loren screeched, holding an open hand up to the lines of troops that had stepped forward at their commander's orders.
"You stupid, insolent little brat! You let those ignorant creatures across the sea twist your mind enough that you would threaten me? Threaten this Council?! I SAVED you, put a roof over your head and food in your belly. I put you through cadet training and made you one of the highest-ranking officials on this island and you DARE to oppose me?"
As the General screamed at the woman behind her, Historia's mind raced. The people across the sea? Did that mean…? Realization hit her like a ton of bricks as she gawked at Arya.
She's with Armin and Mikasa! They came for us!
Thinking hard, she tried to imagine the next step Armin would have made in the plan he had created.
Then… then this isn't just a girl standing up to the powers that be, this is a distraction!
Just as this thought had appeared in her head, out of the corner of her eye Historia saw one of the glass doors to the balcony behind the distracted Council begin to open.
Ripping her eyes away in fear of discovery she focused all her attention on Ymira, who was still standing frozen behind Loren. Could she make a break for her without getting shot at the second that she moved? Surely whatever idea they had come up with would keep Ymira safe? Her daughter was surrounded; the Council stationed tightly around her. If she could only move closer…
From behind her Historia heard Arya chuckle quietly, effectively silencing Loren's tirade and pulling all eyes to her.
"You misunderstand me, General." She sneered, a smile erupting across her face. "This isn't a coup d'état: it's a diversion."
The balcony door made a soft clink as it connected with the paneled glass, and the sentry nearest to the sound turned to investigate. Barely visible against the blinding light, the balcony held just one crouched figure.
"COMMANDER!"
The clang of ODM gear pierced the air as one singular cable shot into the room. Flying in between the Council it reached Historia, wrapping itself tightly around her waist. With a mighty yank the cord retracted, sending her flying through the crowd who dove out of the way and out the open doors. She hovered there for a moment, then she was pulled up and over onto the roof above in the blink of an eye.
At the same moment, Arya freed the clasp on her heavy cloak, releasing the gear that had been strapped up against her lower back and hidden underneath the folds of her baggy clothes.
Within seconds she had her steel blades loaded, the aiming reticle of the attached guns pointed directly at General Loren's chest. Time seemed to slow to a crawl: The last moments of Arya's life dragged on as she took one last breath and pulled the trigger. Yet before she could tell if her shot had made contact, the floor beneath her feet shook violently; the glass wall shattering into a million pieces as the balcony erupted into flames.