The Queen of Pain - Levi Ackerman

Chapter 31

"I don't think... she's technically royalty, Rubes."

"Whatever. The point is, I'm scared. We all are. I'm... I'm mostly scared about what's happening to Historia..."

"You mean about-"

"Eren hates the idea. But we don't have a choice. Someone with royal blood has to inherit the Beast Titan."

"Still...I can't believe she's doing this to herself..."

"Honestly...if I were in her position... I can't say that I wouldn't do the same." Ruby admitted. "But I could never ask Eren to... you know what I mean...for that very reason."

"Do we know who the father is yet?"

"I don't." Ruby shook her head. "But maybe somebody else does. I haven't bothered to ask because I keep trying to deny its possibility. But the bigger I see that bump getting the more I keep thinking that this is all real. We don't have any other choice but this."

"We just can't catch a break, can we?" Cayden sighed. "I'll be happy when this war is over."

"Won't we all be?" Ruby exhaled. "I'm going to head up to the graveyard. Even if this isn't hers...I want to leave this on Anna's gravestone."

"Right... I'll see you then, Ruby." Cayden waved, going to help the others with finalizing the mission preparations.

Ruby trekked her way to the enormous graveyard, filled with countless rows of thousands upon thousands of headstones to honor those who lost their lives fighting the Titans. Families from far and wide across Paradis would visit this graveyard on a daily basis.

Ruby scanned over the names of her fallen comrades as she walked down the aisles of headstones, reading names she recognized like "Marco Bodt", "Thomas Wagner", "Erwin Smith", "Hannah Diamant", "Franz Kefka", "Ian Dietrich", "Ilse Langnar", "Luke Siss", "Marlowe Freudenburg", "Mike Zacharius", "Moblit Berner", "Mitabi Jarnach", "Petra Ral", "Gunther Schultz", "Eld Gin", "Orou Bozado", and many, many others.

She came to a stop before the headstone reading "Annalise Kasahara-Ackerman; loving wife and Humanity's Strongest Soldier". Forever missed but never forgotten". It wasn't the headstone itself that stopped her, but the fact that Levi had in fact made it to the graveyard before her and was asleep up against the tombstone, coddling Anna's old Scouting Legion cape in his hands.

Ruby, with a saddened smiled knelt down and carefully slipped the cape out of his hands and wrapped it around his shoulders instead. "See? Like she's giving you a warming hug." she whispered, taking out the wedding ring and placing it in his grasp instead. "As long as we believe, Anna's always with us." but her eyes slowly glanced over to the few headstones beside Anna's.

Cullen Gretzky

Rosaline Lariviere

Ruby hadn't visited her sister's grave often, if ever. She just couldn't bear to see her sister's name written in stone even after all these years. But she pulled herself together and sat down right in front of her sister's grave.

"I don't know if what I'm about to do is right, Rosie..." she said quietly, shutting her eyes. "But I have to believe that it's for the greater good of humanity. Zeke claims this is the only way. But how do we know if that's right? I'm scared. I just want to go home at this point. But I can't turn back now."

Her eyes glanced around as the sun began to set. "If Anna is with you...there in the after life...could you tell her that we miss her? All of us. Mostly Levi. He still mourns everyday for her. I think somedays... he would've liked to grow old with her. Have children. See the sunset over the shore peacefully together. Do you think...a life like that...was ever possible?"

Ruby sighed, drawing lines and circles in the dirt. "The Titans are gone, by the way. We killed them all. Except for us Shifters. I'm going to be dead in seven years. Then I'll have to pass my power onto someone like you did for me. I've still been thinking of who I want to give it to. With Historia's current situation... I could never ask Eren to have children with me and give them our Titans. I don't think... I even want children. Heh...well... You can't help much, can you? You're dead." she stifled a quiet sob. "Eren doesn't really talk to anyone who isn't on his side with destroying Marley anymore. He's distracted himself from Armin, Mikasa and even me. I've always kept my distance from the other two but without Eren here as the connecting link I don't feel like I can really confide in either one of them... actually, it doesn't feel like I can confide in anyone anymore. No one really believes nor do they fully trust me." she breathed shakily, her eyes glossing over.

"I wish you were here, Rosie..." Ruby cried, putting her head into her hands. "I've never felt more alone."