He Told Me to Live

25 | Power

The wall quaked and it was a signal to us all that the titan had arrived at the wall. Rod Reiss had arrived at the wall.

I jumped to my feet, ready for attack. But as I did, the wind blowing in my face changed direction and seemed to turn on us as smoke and blinding heat hit my skin.

While it did little to compare itself to whips and blades, I heard screams of agony and pain through the smoke.

I shut my eyes, trying to listen for a voice of reason.

"Y/N, run through as backup!" I heard Levi's voice and jumped to action.

I sprinted through the smoke, grabbing anything warmer than the air surrounding me to try and remove them from the heated scene.

"Levi!" I grabbed a few buckets and placed them in front of him. "Water."

"Got it. Cadets!"

As they dumped buckets of water on themselves to shield themselves from the heat, I took my position behind Erwin, covering my ears once again.

He raised his flare and shot. "Now! Commencing attack!"

With Eren's titan emerged, Hange's odd invention with its only alias being 'this' was launched from both sides at the titan's hands gripping the wall. As it toppled over, its mouth opening according to plan.

Eren grabbed the sling of explosives and threw it into the titan's mouth.

At the sight of the mass explosion, Erwin ordered, "All units! Finish it off with ODM gear!"

I swung into the mass of flesh plummeting down, slicing at every chunk I saw until I see blood splash onto my blade.

From the side of my eye, I saw Historia swing by me, violating an order from Erwin. I could never do so. But at the same time, I am not a queen. And I cannot say that a queen would never bow to the orders of her subject.

She swung down towards a chunk of flesh, only a meter or so, and I had this strange sense that she was about to slice our target.

Or rather, hers.

I saw her slice through it and everything came crumbling down.

My eyes turned to Levi for guidance and he nodded, knowing exactly what I wanted.

"Historia!" I called out to see if she would react to my voice, but she was out. My ODM gear gripped onto the roof of a building and I grabbed her before she made an almost inevitable plummet to her death.

I gently set her down onto a tarped cart and sat next to her, awaiting her awakening.

What would she say when she awoke?

I learned soon enough.

Citizens gathered around her, all of which witnessing her fateful slice. They asked me if she was alright, if she was hurt, her troop, none of which I answered. I wanted her to do so.

Her eyes flickered open and she first saw me, seated silently beside her, then was overwhelmed by the crowd's noise.

"Were you the one who finished off the titan?"

"What troop are you?"

She glanced at me and I shrugged. "They ask for your identity."

Historia gathered herself and rose to her feet. "I am Historia Reiss. The true monarch of these walls."

•••

I knew that this wouldn't go down in the history books as the 'defeat of Rod Reiss' or 'Rod Reiss' downfall.'