Nest & Wings (Annie Leonhardt x Male Reader)

Chapter 34: Gamble Paid Off

Commander Erwin asks, "How so?"

"Annie's personal motive has always been to protect her father. Everything she did was a means to that end. All I did was give her a better way to accomplish it. You'll understand what I mean once I explain the truth about titans." You explain.

"The truth about titans? Go ahead, I'm all ears." he asks.

"To prove our usefulness to humanity, Annie and I successfully sealed the walls and reclaimed Shiganshina. We also found Eren's basement and retrieved the information his father left behind." You say and hand him the books as proof.

"This... is beyond what I expected." He says as he flips through the pages, reading Dr. Jager's Notes.

You explain the history of Eldians, the war with Marley, how the king fled to Paradis and built the walls, and how the remnants of your people around the world are oppressed in the internment zones.

Annie then shares her own experience growing up in the pathetic conditions under the Marlean authorities and how it led her to become a warrior. She explains how Marley would use any excuse to detain Eldians and 'Send them to Paradise.'

"As long as I carried out their missions, they would keep my father safe and make him an 'Honorary Marlean.' It's a title given to the warriors' family members and was the only way Eldians could live a normal life." Annie explains.

You follow up and share what you saw at the beach, "We saw them turn about a dozen of our people into titans and unleash them on our land. If you were wondering where the titans came from, there you have it. The enemy is Marley!"

That statement makes a huge impact on the Commander as it was the answer he had been looking for. He looked uncharacteristically taken aback as he says, "My whole life... everything I did was to get to this moment right here. We planned to retake Shiganshina in a little over a month. I was ready to sacrifice the lives of all those new recruits if I had to. But the two of you... and without a single casualty..."

He takes a minute to let everything sink in. After settling down a bit, he asks, "So... what's your plan?"

You explain, "The alternative I came up with for Annie is to bring all the Eldians in Liberio here. That way, her father and the others can live free from Marlean oppression. We need the government's cooperation to achieve it and that's what I wanted your help with, Sir."

"I see... But suppose we did that, how would it benefit us?" He asks.

"Like I said, the power of titans is exclusive to Eldians. If we bring them all here, Marley won't be able to create any more titans. As far as the other titan shifters are concerned, most of them will have no reason to serve Marley once their families are safe. All things considered, it's the most efficient solution to our conflict, won't you agree?" you answer.

Commander Erwin says, "Hmm... looks like I was right to trust you."

You knew he probably had you figured out, but you never expected him to trust you, so you were completely dumbfounded by his statement. "What do you mean, Sir?"

He explains, "I figured you knew something the moment you mentioned the existence of people outside the walls. Officially, I can't condone withholding information. But I myself have bent the law for the greater good on several occasions, so I decided to turn a blind eye. Hange noticed it too in fact."

"Wait... she did? When?"

"Right before the operation in Stohess when you told her about the Founding Titan. She probably saw through your story. After you escaped, she and I pleaded with the council and asked them to give you a chance. We figured you had a plan and it turned out we were right." He explains.

"But... if she saw through the story, then she knew I lied to her, right? How could you trust me after that?"

The Commander answers, "Let's just say it was a hunch. You probably had your own reasons, right? Both Hange and I have suspected that someone inside the walls didn't want us to learn the truth, so I can relate to finding it difficult to trust the authorities. That said, the information you gave her—story aside—came in handy for us not long after."

Commander Erwin explains how your insight on the Founding Titan all but proved their theory and led them to take precautions to protect Eren ahead of time. It prevented him from getting captured.

He then gives you a brief rundown on the event's that led to Reiner and Bertolt's escape, to which you corroborate by adding how you witnessed them leave Shiganshina. He tells you about the Beast Titan's attack and Annie shares what she knew about Zeke.

Commander Erwin tells you how the government was overthrown and how Christa—or rather, Historia as she's called now—was crowned the new Queen. It was a lot to take in as the entire political landscape had changed within a month. Afterwards, Commander Erwin offers to represent you in court for your trial and ends the meeting.

The Soldiers who were waiting outside come in and escort you and Annie to prison where you were to await your trial. It was a relief to know that Commander Erwin was on your side, but you weren't out of hot water just yet as everything would be decided after the trial tomorrow.

Annie was in the cell adjacent to yours. She asks, "What do you think will happen to us tomorrow?"

You reach outside your cell and hold her hand as you reassure her, "I don't know... But no matter what happens, I'm on your side."