God of Hate
[We found it. Deep in an abandoned mine.]
The Eldians Restorationists looked around a vast cave in amazement, filled with ruins from a people even older than Eldia.
[We never really knew what we found.]
Before them was a giant pool of a black, oil-like substance that glowed with spotted lights of azure and gold.
[Some of us called it the Lake of Death.]
They set up a hidden base within the tomb, studying the strange substances collected in the pool-Especially Grisha.
[We felt something there. A pull. Like a memory we had all forgotten.]
No matter what Grisha did, it would not dilute, evaporate, or change in any way. It was just...there.
[We thought it had to be related to the Titans, to Ymir herself. What else could it be?]
Then, one day, Grisha stared down into the pool. And within the blackness, he saw his sister. He saw Freya, crying and being ripped apart by dogs. He saw the man who did it. He saw his parents who tried to ignore that it ever happened. He saw everything in this world he ever hated.
[I came in there one day and Grisha...]
Hate swallowed him whole.
[He fell in.]
Everyone rushed to the edge, Grice and Dina first among them. The lights of the oily pool dimmed ominously.
[And when he came out?]
A great, golden beast emerged, roaring and wrathful as it pulled itself out of the pool.
[But he only had two heads.]
Then, just as suddenly, he vanished in a burst of lightning. Grisha lay collapsed on the floor, his comrades rushing to help him.
[Grisha thought we had our ace against Marley. No, we all did.]
The smile on his face wasn't hate though. It was relief. It was amazement. It was hope.
[So, we tried it as well.]
And one by one, each of them went into the pool.
[All of us.]
Except for Dina…she was special, for some reason.
[It didn't work for all of us.]
Some emerged in disappointment.
[Most of them turn into something like me.]
Others leaped forth in other forms. Like a winged serpent or a bat-like creature.
[Only Grisha got that one though.]
And for once, Grisha was confident that they could take back their lives, their future and their freedom.
[But we didn't know how to trigger the transformation again.]
They tried biting their hands, bathing in the pools, and even drinking it. But nothing worked.
[Then, one day...someone betrayed us.]
A child, small with blonde hair and Grisha's face, his eyes horrified and sad.
[They took us here, the Marlayeans to turn us into Titans.]
But not before they were tortured.
[But when they tried...]
The Marleyean guards looked up in horror as the Eldians turned into monsters, things far worse than Titans. They swarmed their wall, killing them all and destroying their ship with a savage vengeance.
[But now, we were stuck. On this island and in these forms.]
The small horde of monsters roamed Paradis for weeks and months.
[Me and the others, we had to eat the Titans, just to keep sane.]
And some of Grisha's willingly given flesh.
[Eventually, the Owl found us again.]
Eren. Eren Kruger.
[He was one of the Nine. The Attack Titan.]
The man's muscular Titan wrestled with one of the more starving Crawlers.
[He told us things. Things, I'm not sure how he knew. The truth about the Coward King and the Vow.]
He stood before the beasts as a man, Grisha's two heads looming over him protectively.
[He also knew some things about what we turned into.]
How to hibernate. To speak. And more.
[He never told us how and none of us were sane enough to ask that at the time.]
Not even Grisha. Especially Grisha.
[His wife, Dina. She...was turned into a Titan before we transformed.]
Why did that woman seem almost familiar...?
[He couldn't kill her. So he...we left her to be at the time.]
But she still followed them. Slowly.
[The Owl left after that. He was running out of time.]
He was dying, but from what...?
[We stayed like that for a long time. Weeks? Months? I don't know.]
They were getting worse.
[My comrades, they...most of them died.]
They tried to stop them.
[They went mad from the hunger and just...ate each other.]
It wasn't like the Titans. Titans weren't starving and in pain. The Titans weren't desperate.
[Me and the others learned how to stave it off with bouts of hibernation. Grisha woke us up.]
Until he didn't.
[Last time, he woke only me up. He found how to turn into a human. He had a plan.]
To go inside the Walls.
[I don't know what, if anything, went wrong. The next thing I know, I hear Yeager's roar and came to the walls.]
And here we are.
Everyone stood in silence as they absorbed the sad, tragic tale of Grisha Yeager. From the death of his sister to joining the Restorationists. Not to mention all the strange things in the outside world that they had to just try to imagine: Large flying machines? Horseless carriages? Horseless steel caravans at that, traveling on paths made by lines of metal and wood.
It hammered home to Hange that while the government had kept them stagnate, the outside world had pressed on in the past hundred years.
But Erwin and Pixis glanced at one another subtly, both very sure that Grice was avoiding some key, important details in the story. Parts that were irrelevant or too personal? Or, perhaps, something he wanted to tell Eren directly in his own time?
Armin silently tried to take in these reveals, eyes wide as the implications overwhelmed him. But it was Mikasa who looked back out and saw that Eren was unnaturally silent and deep in thought. No growls, no glares, just empty expressions of contemplation. She wondered, what must be going through his head, hearing all of this?
If only she knew.
"I hid in that plugged-up hole you have, until the fighting started," Grice finished after a moment.
"So, that's why we couldn't spot you. Your slithering ass was right under our noses," Levi remarked with a frown.
"In my defense, I had no idea what was going on anymore," Grice said. "I thought Grisha might be in trouble. But that's about all of my story. Any questions?"
"Only about a million!" Hange answered with a wide, wide grin before her face turned serious, looking at Frieda with a mild glare. "But I think we have one more story to hear."
Frieda hummed softly. "Grice. Did Grisha tell you what his plan was, in coming here?"
"If he did, I don't remember it," Grice answered gruffly. "My memories get fuzzy when the hunger sets in."
Frieda paused, leaning heavily on her walking stick. "The day Maria fell, he came to me. He wanted me to stop the Titans. But he knew I couldn't. We both transformed. The full power of the Founder might have stood a chance that day. But even without the vow, I was still inexperienced and new to the Founding Titan. He defeated me, and..."
Everyone stared at her intently, waiting for her to finish.
"He killed the whole bleeding family," Kenny finished bluntly. Caven gave him a look but didn't say anything, even as several gasped or looked on in shock. "The dad, the mom, and the entire litter of siblings Frieda had."
Eren jerked back in alarm, but none questioned it as he remained speechless.
"That's a lie!" Mikasa exclaimed suddenly. "Mr. Yeager may have had a lot of secrets, but he was always a doctor. Grice's story confirms that much. He would have never done something like that."
There was a brief silence before Erwin spoke up, looking up at the Crawler. "Would you agree, Grice?" he asked evenly. "The Grisha that lived in the walls might be very different from the one you knew. Would your Grisha have ever done such a thing?"
Grice stood on the roof, deep in thought. "Before we came here, I would have said no. That doesn't sound like Grisha. But now..." he looked to Eren. "Did he love your mother?"
Eren's entire body coiled as he snapped out of his shock, his heads staving off their individual reactions to the memory of his mother's death: Eins's rage, Zwei's solemnness, and Drei's sorrow.
[[[[Yes. He did.]]]]
Grice nodded slowly. "I know I'm stepping on a mile of nerves, but I have to ask. When the Wall fell...was she alive?"
Eren froze immediately, slowly turning to him with wide eyes.
[[As far as he knew.]]
[[[S-she died that day.]]]
[...]
[[[[He didn't know.]]]]
Grice turned back to the group as a whole. "Family has always been important to Grisha. Losing his sister is what put him on this path. After we came here, losing his family nearly destroyed him. Even as we adapted at first, he was still in a hell of his own. So, if it was to save his second family?"
"How would killing an entire family save anyone?" Armin asked in morbid, unsettled curiosity.
Frieda sighed heavily. "Because, the Vow, Karl's Curse, only affects the royal family. He believed we'd try to take it back if he stole it. That's the only reason I can think of."
There was just one issue with that line of reasoning, they all knew.
[[[[...You survived.]]]]
Krista swallowed deeply. "Yo-you survived...?"
Frieda looked her half-sister in the eye before holding up her arm, pulling back the sleeve to reveal her scars with an ominous look on her face.
Eren stared intently. He could taste it in his mouth. Her flesh, her blood, and a morsel of...
{{{{Power}}}}
"I managed to escape with my life. It left me scarred and my powers unable to heal me," Frieda answered with a frown. "Grisha retreated. I presumed he overused his own powers. After that...I was in a coma for years. When I awoke, the Vow Against War had been lifted, but my ability to use the founder had been crippled."
"That's...new," Ymir remarked with a frown. "At least, I think it is. I've never heard of a Shifter's powers being crippled. And Shifters can normally heal from anything that doesn't kill them."
"It's never happened before, no," Frieda confirmed, glancing at Pixis and Erwin. "I'm sure you great commanders have noticed that the tunes of the court have changed much in recent years?"
Many gave Erwin and Pixis curious looks.
"I have noticed a good number of nobles retiring or...passing away over the years, and that their successors are much more pleasant and some might even be generous," Pixis mused to himself, feigning fondness. "I was wondering just who was shuffling the courts around."
"The attitude to the Scouts has improved somewhat, not to mention that Niles seemed to be very...busy and short-staffed for a while," Erwin noted with narrowed eyes. "I thought that some corrupt element of the Military police had grown too bold and required some unseen purges."
"You're both right in a lot of ways," Frieda admitted with a tired look.
"After Frieda woke up, she was a changed woman," Kenny said with a chuckle. "We've been busting heads and moving things along in the shadows."
"To what end though?" Hange questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Frieda managed a small smile. "Changing the status quo isn't easy to do, short of an open revolt."
"Queen of the Walls," Grice said with something that almost sounded pleased. "Are you implying what I think you are?"
"That I have no intention of Eldia fading away into memory," Frieda answered solemnly. "I thought it would be Grisha I'd have to convince that we were no longer enemies. But now I'm standing before his son."
"You would have worked with the man that killed your entire family...?" Krista asked in disbelief.
Their family, no one said aloud, but it was heard all the same.
She was acutely aware of Eren's head looming behind her, watching intently. And probably wondering the same thing.
Frieda gripped her walking stick harshly. "I don't know. Ever since I awoke, I knew things had to change. But when I thought I'd stand before Grisha again, I just wanted to know one thing. An answer that I wanted him to tell me himself," she paused, eyes glancing past Krista and right into Eren's eyes. "Why did my family have to die when I was spared?"
[[[[...]]]]
{{{{...}}}}
"But it doesn't matter. There has been too much hefting the blame of the past onto the next generation," Frieda said simply, looking up at the giants. "I'm not asking you to pledge yourselves to me. I'm only asking if you can bring yourselves to trust me, to work with me to save our people and stand against the hateful world that awaits us."
Eren's middle head growled something out. Grice translated before Krista could. "And if we can't?"
"Then kill me," Frieda offered bluntly.
"Frieda, the hell are you doing?" Kenny asked warily, his face tinged with unease as he eyed everyone for any hint of taking that invitation.
"Making a point," Frieda answered as the situation became tense, glancing around at everyone in the room. "If you think I'm your enemy still, you should strike me down now. I won't blame you. It's why I haven't claimed the throne openly yet. I want what's best for Eldia. If that's my death, then so be it."
"Let's tone it back a moment with the martyrdom. I'm...hardly in a position to know what is best for the people of this island," Grice said in surprise, glancing toward Erwin, Hange, and Pixis. "As far as I can tell, you lot are some kind of authorities here, right?"
[[[[They're two of the highest authorities in the military, and Hange is a genius that studies Titans.]]]]
Grice nodded quietly to that as the commanders look intently at Frieda. "Am I understanding it right that you are asking for our support?" Pixis asked, getting a nod in response.
"Why?" Erwin asked skeptically. "You could have easily taken the throne "officially" without any of this. You didn't have to reveal anything. So why?"
"Because revealing the truth to the people at large will spread doubt and suspicion throughout the Walls. If we are to survive and have a future, we can't succumb to infighting. Eren is the hope people need to rally behind. I can steer the People of the Wall on the path to surviving and defeating our enemies. And I don't want to do that from the shadows anymore," Frieda answered simply
"Yeah, but..." Ymir spoke up uneasily. "Even if we don't trust you, won't killing you just make it so that the Founder is given to a random newborn somewhere?"
"Terrifying," Levi summarized, imagining what a clueless infant might accidentally do with all that power.
"Depends on how you kill me," Frieda answered simply, looking up at Eren meaningfully.
[[[Can we trust her?]]]
[I don't know, but she IS a shifter!]
[[So is Ymir.]]
[We barely trust her.]
[[[But she might be a big help!]]]
[[If she can recover her powers, yes...]]
[Do we care who's on the throne?]
[[[As long as they're doing their job right.]]]
[[And not getting in our way.]]
[[[[...]]]]
Krista watched the exchange before nodding as Eren finished with a growl to her. "Eren says he doesn't care. He'll trust the commanders on this one. For now."
Erwin nodded. They didn't need Eren's approval, obviously, but having the giant titan-killer distrust their monarch could cause problems in the long run. "I'm not sure if we can truly trust you yet, Queen Frieda, but we do appear to have a common goal."
"So long as you preserve and protect the People of the Walls, I will not speak against you," Pixis granted with a warning edge to his grandfatherly voice, before smiling. "Besides, any woman that can enjoy a drink as you can is one I can respect."
Frieda tipped her head to them. "Thank you."
"But if I so much as smell that Vow of yours coming back, you will be the first human I eat," Grice warned dangerously.
"I'll hold you to that," Frieda said with a voice that spoke more of relief than fear.
The group fell into an uneasy silence.
[[[[...What now?]]]]
Krista repeated the question but almost felt like everyone already guessed as much.
"It seems we have at least two very...large allies, possibly more in the future," Erwin remarked. "Neither of them can turn into a human form."
"One of which has a feeding problem," Levi reminded as he looked at Grice.
"I have it under control," Grice stated, non-defensively. "But I do see the point."
"Umm..." Armin raised his hand, getting everyone to stop. "Permission to speak?"
"Granted, Armin," Erwin granted.
"Well, I know it wasn't exactly what we had planned, and the civilians might not be happy, but perhaps we should turn Trost into an area for them to stay?" Armin suggested.
"Living as a giant monster in an abandoned city is kind of what we've been doing outside the walls anyway," Grice said in agreement. "It's a good idea, kid."
"But what about this fella?" Kenny said, motioning to Eren. "Getting out won't exactly be easy for him."
"About that," Armin spoke again. "I don't know how easy it would be, exactly, but I think Eren is small enough to get out of the breach if he moved the boulder. So, we just need Grice to move it back and climb over the top?"
"Me?" Grice said, looking his head back in surprise, eyeing the boulder in the distance. "Uhhh, maybe? I don't know if I can do that on my own."
"Do you have any more comrades outside?" Armin asked.
"...I'm not sure if any of them are still sane," Grice answered with remorse. "But even just one might be able to make it easy. Me and Yeager will just have to be careful about it the first time.
"This could work best for us," Hange said with wide eyes. "If we can still go through here, we won't need to have to make an entirely new route from one of the other gates and set up new supply points."
[[[What about when we retake Wall Maria?]]]
Everyone glance to Eren's left head for an instant before Krista translated.
"We'll cross that road when we get there," Erwin answered in acknowledgment.
Eren decided to leave it at that.
"Now, I think we have a prisoner that requires a visit," Frieda said with a meaningful smile. "Section Commander, Captain, would you care to join me?"
"Why?" Levi asked warily.
"Because four-eyes over there really wants to," Kenny said with a snort, seeing the disturbingly eager look in Hange's eye. "And Frieda knows you don't trust me."
[[That was already obvious to everyone.]]
"Shut it, brat," Levi said, not even waiting for an interpretation.
Eins snorted, ever satisfied with Levi's displeasure.
"Fine, sure, let's go see what our traitor has to say," Levi said with a head shake.
Armin shifted uneasily. He wanted a chance to speak with Bertholdt again, but knew now was not the time.
With that, Frieda left with Kenny and Caven, Hange and Levi following after. But not before Frieda turned to Krista with another smile. "I'm come by afterward, Historia."
There was silence as the door closed. Mikasa raised a brow at the girl. "Historia?"
"It's...my birth name," Krista answered with a sigh. "I'll explain some other time, please."
No one else dared to pry into the troubled girl's business.
Erwin and Pixis frowned before looking to Eren, who nodded. None of them trusted Frieda yet. They were all on the same page, for now.
"So, umm, what about me?" Ymir asked slowly, pointing to herself. "Do I need to...go back in a cell or what?"
"No, I think we're well past that point," Pixis said with a laugh. "Merely remain within Trost for now."
"Ahh, keeping me with the other monsters, gotcha," Ymir said with a nod. She was suddenly aware of said monsters giving her dirty looks. "Geez, you dicks, it was a joke," Ymir said under their stares.
Krista said nothing, glancing around with a troubled look on her face.
[[[...Can we have a moment to talk, Historia?]]]
"What?" Krista asked in surprise.
"Eren wants to have a talk with the princess," Grice translated.
"What? Why?" Mikasa asked with a frown.
"You were listening to the same story, right?" Grice reminded pointedly. "Come on you three. I'd like to hear what Grisha was up to while I was asleep. And I'm sure his son would be biased."
"Probably not in the way you think," Armin murmured before turning to Mikasa. "Come on, Mikasa, I think they need this."
Mikasa relented in understanding, "We'll be nearby when you're done, Eren."
"Yeah, I'm not going," Ymir said firmly.
Eren gave her a look.
"I'm not leaving Krista alone with you. You already tasted Krista before I did!" Ymir defended.
"He did what?" Grice asked in alarm.
Eins's mouth opened in shock, Zwei froze while refusing to respond, and Drei looked away with wide eyes and a soft glow in his throat.
"Huh, so that's how he blushes," Armin murmured in surprise while Mikasa had a disturbingly blank look about her.
"Ymir," Krista said in exasperation. "I appreciate the sentiment, but...please?"
Ymir looked alarmed before biting her tongue. "If that's what you want," she said in disappointment.
The trio of humans left while Grice climbed off the building, moving down the street, hopefully out of hearing range.
[[[[...]]]]
[[[...]]]
[[...]]
[...]
"Well?" Krista asked with a sigh. "What did you want to say, Eren?"
[[[[What am I supposed to say? I'm sorry? I wish he hadn't killed them?]]]]
Krista took a breath. "I...didn't even know them. I doubt they even knew I existed."
[[And now they never will.]]
[[[And that's why you're sad.]]]
[But that's not all, it is?]
"No, of course it isn't!" Krista screamed in frustration, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "I thought I was just some noble's bastard! That's what Kenny told me! Now it turns out I'm part of the royal family, my half-sister is the secret queen, and everyone else is dead because your father killed them! Oh, and my family has the Founding Titan but couldn't use it because of a curse or vow or something?! Then there are people outside the walls that want to kill us all, Ymir is decades old, she's been working with my sister, and-and-UGGGH!"
Krista suddenly kicked a nearby chair, sending it crashing over, but probably hurting her own foot more than anything.
She didn't care though, breathing heavily and ignoring the pain in her foot. "I just...feel like I don't know anything anymore. That everything in my life was a lie, that everyone was using me and I'm not even sure what for anymore."
Eren let her rant off, taking it all in with thoughtful concern.
[[[[What do you want?]]]]
Krista opened her mouth before closing it with a bitter look. "I don't even know. I've lived my whole life wanting to be seen as this selfless girl, who'd die and be remembered fondly. Because I thought that was the only meaning I could have in life anymore. Now...?"
[[[What about Ymir?]]]
Krista brought a hand to her face, rubbing her eyes. "I will always be Ymir's ally, I promised her that much. But I don't know what to feel about her right now, or anything else."
[[You've found out the most secrets, even more than me. It makes sense you'd be the most overwhelmed.]]
Krista sighed as she removed her hand. Eren was sure her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
[If you want to be alone, I'll leave. If you want to vent, I wouldn't share even if I could.]
Krista almost laughed at that. "T-thanks, I think I needed that," she said before a strange look came over her face. "What about you, Eren? What do you think about all this?"
[[[[...I don't think Frieda is telling us everything.]]]]
The blond nodded in agreement, she expected as much to be honest.
[I don't know why my father killed her family.]
[[[If you want nothing to do with any of this, you don't have to be here.]]]
[[Grice can translate if needed.]]
Krista was silent before letting out a soft chuckle, tears leaking down her face. "I'm sorry, it's just...I think this is the first time anyone ever asked me what I wanted."
[[[[It sounds like this is the first time you tried to do what you wanted, just for yourself.]]]]
Krista shook her head. "I'll stay. I want to help, I really do. But...Eren?" she paused with an unsure look. "Do you remember...anything after your heads grew back? Before you snapped out of that...trance?"
[[[[...]]]]
{{{{...}}}}
Krista stiffened minutely as if looking past Eren, at something that wasn't there.
[[[[What did you hear?]]]]
"Not much, but...there were two words that I could make out, barely," Krista said cautiously.
She had Eren's full attention now. It was just a bit intimidating, all six eyes watching her.
"Maggots. Whelp."
{{{{...bidibidibidi...}}}}
End of Chapter
So, yeah, that's the big diverence point in the story so far. Grisha and his group found this "Lake of Death" that turned them into Kaiju-shifters. They had no idea how to trigger it, but it went off on its own when they were sent to Paradis.
Frieda and Grisha fought, but she survived at the expense of being crippled. And she's been changing things behind the scenes for when she openly takes the throne and expose the truth to everyone.
Oh, yeah, and Krista/Historia. Yeah, at some point, I realized that she recieved more reveleations than Eren did and decided this would be the perfect time for her to have an overwhelmed heart-toheart with Eren.
And as for that last line...if don't know what bidibidibidi means, that's how the onomatopoeia for Ghidoriah's iconic roar. Yeah, just going to leave that out there.
Early viewing of chapters 25-26 avaliable on my pat-reon:
p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64