Her Majesty's Knight

Chapter 63 - Eren

AN: Bonus chapter! And look who it is! Finally...

Song inspired this chapter: Let's Get Ready to Rumble. Sorry not sorry 😂

I turn my back on Captain Levi and Historia as I take my leave.

Historia offered to walk me back, but I declined, not wanting to intrude any longer.

I've outstayed my welcome long enough.

It's the least I could do for the future suffering that I'll inflict upon her. For the future suffering that I'll inflict upon everyone...

Instead, my former comrade-in-arms offers me a hearty farewell as I retrace my steps back to the gate, and all the while, I can feel the captain's burning eyes boring into my back.

I expected the hostility from him, even now that we seem to have the same goal in mind; keep Historia safe. But his sharp eyes are not the only pair that I feel.

I peer over my shoulder, and there they are... those giant haunted eyes of Tilly's.

The child won't stop staring at me, and my heart thumps when the realisation dawns on me.

Does she know?

I recall what Armin and Mikasa told me about the time they spent with Tilly at the orphanage, and they said she was smart for her age. Too smart in fact.

Yet she's just a kid. There's no way she could know what I'm planning.

Just a kid...

Just a kid... like the day I was when Wall Maria fell and crushed my house, killing my poor mother as a result. And then I vowed to kill every last titan that roamed the earth.

Seems things haven't changed. Yet instead of titans, now I wish to kill every last human being who lives outside the walls. Anyone who so much as threatens our way of life on the island, and now I think back to that vow I made on the ferry when we were escaping Shiganshina...

"I'm going to kill them all... every last one of those animals..."

Tilly still watches me when I reach the bottom of the yard, and now I stop, looking back.

"Don't fret, Tilly... I'm doing this for you after all. For us... There are people outside of our walls who'd do far worse than what those animals did to you down in the underground... trust me. Just ask my Aunt Faye. She was just a little girl like you too..."

It's not as if Tilly can hear my thoughts, yet I go on.

"Have no fear... I will put a stop to all the hatred in this world. I'll save you, the queen, the captain, everyone... You will all live long, fulfilling lives... even after I'm gone..."

Tilly's black eyes shimmer sadly, but I still tell her my feelings regardless. It just feels great to finally tell someone.

"I'm doing this for you, Tilly..." I say out loud now.

The small girl lowers her head, and I see she doesn't wish to stop me. It seems she understands what has to be done in order to save the island, and I guess Armin and Mikasa were right; she does seem to be pretty smart for her age.

Finally, I turn back towards the gate, leaving the farm at last.

It's just as well. The captain and Historia have just called Tilly over. The child runs back towards them, and now all three sit beside the tree and read, and they really do make the perfect family.

Not unlike the one I had once upon a time...

I set my eyes on the horizon again, ready to set the world ablaze as I march forth.

Time to set everyone free.

AN: Tilly, what are you doing? Stop him!

Tilly may or may not know exactly what Eren is planning, but I wanted to explore that intuitive part of her personality again. She should really consider saying something though if she does know... She'd save a hell of a lot of stress later, and important characters may live 😥

I was nervous about writing Eren for a while as it was hard to know what was going on inside his head, but now that we've had POV chapters from him, it helps. Besides, I don't think Eren's POV would have worked with the flow of this story. It would have disrupted it.

I started watching the anime back and seriously... why are we all so surprised by Eren? The kid was ten years of friggin' age and he vowed to kill giant monsters all by himself... There was a point where he wanted to run back to Wall Maria, ALONE, and kill the titans, a small peasant boy... The signs were all there...

Well, since I created an open ending, I may as well write the sequel now... so keep on the lookout.

Update: I will be looking to post chapter one to the sequel this weekend 😁

Thank you all again.

CartoonPrincessSigningOff.