COMRADES • Eren Jaeger

CHAPTER 12: Uprising

WHEN EREN AWOKE, he found himself shirtless and chained up. A metal gag was stuffed between his teeth, and in the distance he could hear gunshots and a female voice yelling.

Oddly enough, it felt like he had been in the bright crystal cavern before. The girl with black hair came swimming to mind, and with a start he thought of you.

The last thing he could remember seeing was your disappointed face as he slid of out consciousness, then the sound of you shouting in frustration as you fired more shots from the moving wagon. He grunted against the gag, wishing he could scream.

"Eren?" piped up a girl's hopeful voice from below. The dark-haired boy looked down to see if it was you, but it was just Historia.

"We were wrong about my father — it's true he troubled the Scouts, and his men did kill Pastor Nick, but he had no other choice! Everything he's done was for the sake of humanity!"

Lord Reiss and Historia came up the podium to touch his bare back, and his father's memories came flooding back to him. Eren was horrified to find out that Grisha Jaeger had murdered the entire Reiss family, failing to kill Rod Reiss while he stole the Founding Titan.

"Oi!" called a man, emerging from the door. He held a girl by the shackles, and Eren's heart dropped when he saw that girl was you.

"I hope y'all know a bunch of shit is goin' on outside. They found out the monarchy was a fraud and changed sides," Kenny shoved you onto your knees. "This gal was dumb enough to come all alone!"

Eren wildly looked at you, disbelieving that you hadn't evaded capture. Down below, your mouth was pressed into a thin line, doing your best to look restrained and defiant.

"You better get it over with, Reiss, before the rest of the military come in. Luckily L/N wandered in like a mouse to a cheesetrap. Just like her rodent of a mentor," spat Kenny.

Suddenly, before anyone could react, you pulled out a flare gun from underneath your shirt and fired an acoustic shell. The sound rang throughout the cavern, signalling the others at the chapel to commence the operation. Kenny quickly pushed you to the ground and took the flare gun.

"Take your squad and defend the entrance," ordered Reiss. "Leave her there. It seems she was one step ahead of us."

Kenny left. Historia looked nervous as his footsteps echoed away.

"Welcome, Y/N L/N."

"Cut the crap," you replied icily. "I don't have the heart to greet the instigator of my family's murder."

Rod Reiss regarded you, unimpressed by your empty insults. After all, why should he fear you when you wear shackled up before him and the powers of the world was soon going to fall into his hands? Still, there was something good about pretending to be tough. It almost made you feel as though you were, when in reality you were anxious for Eren's situation and for all your friends behind you.

"I would offer you my sincerest apologies, but no doubt you're too cross with me to hear them out."

"Father?" Historia asked, looking horror-struck. "You killed Y/N's parents and all of Beaurlin?"

"The First King said the L/Ns were enemies to humanity. However, the same way Urie ended the Ackerman persecution, Frieda spared the ignorant one among the L/Ns, and that was your friend Y/N."

"Ignorant?"

Rod Reiss regarded you. "Have you ever had strange dreams that felt real? A tendency to sleep in?"