----TWO MONTHS LATER: CAPITAL MITRAS, ROYAL HALL----
Everyone in the military was there, Military Police, Garrison Soldiers, The Royal Services. Everyone.
I let out a long groan as I plop myself down on a free couch at the side of the hall. Jean, Connie and Sasha follow shortly after. All their injuries have healed completely, allowing me to smother them in hugs and small, friendly pecks on the forehead or cheek.
As it was now early autumn, it was slowly getting colder and colder, so I had to wear my 'winter military coat', which is almost the exact same as the 'summer' one but it has thicker insulation on the inside.
"Ugh, the journey here was so long but at least the feast after this will be big." Sasha practically drools on my shoulder. I push her away lightly.
"Ew, stop fantasizing over food, Potato Girl." I snicker. She shoots me a nasty glare.
"Shut up. I thought I told you to forget that!" She growls, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away, like a grumpy toddler.
I giggle. "You are such a 3-year-old."
"Am not!" She snaps, sticking out her bottom lip.
"She's right. You are a toddler in a teenagers body." Connie reasons, lifting his hand in a reasonable manner.
She huffs and stands up. "I'm going to see if there's any food. Historia better have whipped somethin' up, or the beast is gonna come out." She storms off and Connie sighs, standing up.
"I'll go keep an eye on her so she doesn't eat all the food." He points in the direction Sasha ran off in with his thumb.
"Alright, Jean and I will be fine here." I reassure him, waving my hands in the direction of Sasha. He smiles and runs off after her.
I let a groan escape my lips and I fling my head back. "She really is an animal when it comes to food."
Jean hums in agreement. "Yeah, she's been lke that ever since the start of the Training Corps."
The Training Corps, huh.
"Hey, Jean?" I ask, looking over to him. He turns round to face me.
"Yeah?" He raises a brow.
"Since you mentioned the Training Corps, what is your favourite memory from that time?" I lean forward and put my elbows on my knees, supporting my chin with my hands.
His lip's form an 'o' shape. "My favourite memory, huh?" He thinks for a few moments before his face goes beet red. He shakes his head vigourously and looks at me. "The time you fought Cliff for the first time, you were such a badass."
I raise an eyebrow. "You sure it wasn't the time you caught Mikasa working out with just shorts and a sports bra behind the barn?" I tease. I thought his face would go red again, but it didn't... He smiled. A genuine smile curled his lips up.
"No, that was just embarrassing. Anyways, I don't have my eyes on her anymore. There's another girl I've got on my mind." My eye twitches.
"Ohh~ Who's the lucky girl? Sasha?" He shakes his head, the smile still painted on his lips.
"H-Historia?" I stammer. He shakes his head again, with a small chuckle. I pause on thinking who it could be.
"I'm not telling you, Ezlyn. I'll maybe tell you when I've thought it through, a little." He grins. I squint my eyes and stare at him, looking to see if he's lying. But, not a single feature on his face tells me that he's decieving me.
"All right. Just remember I'll listen to anything you have to say, and keep it a secret for as long as you want me to, okay?" I smile softly.
His face softens. "Yes, I've noted that for as long as I've known you." He assures me.
"Good."
---
"Floch, shut up." I groan. "We know the brain named itself."
"Yeah, didn't you just remember that from when I told you?" Jean questions.
Floch had came over and annoyed us for ages, saying random shit that we already know. I was trying so hard not to say his hair was stupid.
"Hey, you heroes of the walls." A voice sounds behind me. I turn to see a fellow girl with short, ash-brown hair and fern coloured eyes. One of the prettiest girls that was in the Training Corps.
I bubble up with happiness. "Hitch!" I smile broadly, jogging over to her. "Long time, no see." I wrap my arms round her and she does the same.
"God, it's been six months since I last saw you, Ezlyn." She says, almost sounding relieved.
"Hitch... you came." I hear Jean mutter. I let go of her and stand back a bit.
"I just came to see you guys recieve your medals." She chuckles softly.
"I see..." Jean utters, looking down at the ground. I knew what he was thinking. Marlo was Hitches 'friend', and he passed as he was in the cavalry charge. "Marlo was... brave all the way till the end." He says awkwardly.
Hitch nods. "Yeah." Jean puts one of his hands on my shoulder and the other on Floch's.
"Right, Ezlyn? Floch?" He asks. I purse my lips together in a hard line as I didn't know what to say.
"He- He was brave. He helped Erwin, Levi and I raise everyone's morale, unlike someone." I growl the last bit, glaring at Floch.
"Marlo Freudenberg was an urgent recruit, just like me. Like Ezlyn said, he managed to bring us recruits together. The situation was hopeless and the Survey Corps were on the verge of ruin." I furrow my brows, as to me he was lying. "We thought all was lost and were stricken with fear. But he... Only he inspired us."
"Yeah?" Hitch sighs, wanting him to get to the point.
"He was an amazing person-"
"I know." She interrupts. "That's why... That's probably why he never listened to me." She looks down at the ground out of sadness. She probably loved Marlo.
"But in the end..." Floch starts in a grim tone. "...I'm sure he regretted being there." Hitch looks up in horror but quickly composes herself.
"Thanks." She waves and turns round. "I'll laugh if you screw up the ceremony." She walks off, sounding like she's choking back her sobs. I grit my teeth and turn to Floch.
"The hell did you do that for?!" I hiss. He looks over to me.
"Because... Someone has to tell the truth." He knits his brows together.
"You call that the truth? 'The situation was hopeless', what a load of shit. There was hope because... Erwin was there." I growl in a low tone. He scoffs and glances behind me, where Armin stood. I step aside and stand next to Jean.
"I know how desperate you were to revive Commander Erwin." Armin admits, a sad look on his face.
"Damn right. it should've been he commander not you. And, I'm not the only one that thinks that." Floch snaps, turning himself so he's facing the timid, blonde boy. "We all do. Everyone who read the report thinks the same thing: 'Why wasn't Erwin the one picked?'"
I feel as if everyone in the room is watching us, as all the converstions nearby seem to disappear. Eren's hands ball into fists. "What the hell do you know about Armin? Tell me!"
The corners of Flochs' lip curl up into a smug grin. Nothing at all. I'm not his childhood friend, and we're not chums, either. But I can still tell you why Armin was chosen. It's because you two and Captain Levi brought your emotions into it. You thought the injection was all yours and made a totally irrational decision! Basically, it was too hard for you to let go of someone important."
I grind my teeth and storm in front of Floch. "Hey, you should shut your mouth." I snarl, digging my nails into the palm of my hands to contain my anger. Blood was dripping onto the ground.
Floch puts his nose in the air and looks down on me. "Ezlyn, deep down inside, I bet you think you're always in the right." I slam my bleeding fist into my thigh.
"It's Captain to you. Anyways, what do you know?! Huh?!" I ask, fighting the urge to slap his ugly face.
"Oh, I know all right." He grins insanely. "I know because your father's main personality is self-righteousness!"
He done it. He struck a cord in me and I lunge for him. "Shit! Ezlyn!" Jeans arms go under my armpits and he pulls me back.
"Why the fuck did you mention him?! You piece of shit! You've seen how badly injured the people that fight me walk away! Ha! Some of them can't even walk afterwards!" A hand goes over my mouth and I'm dragged away from Floch and the others.
Someone spins me round. "Ezlyn, your acting crazy." Levi scolds me. "He wants you to act in that way so you make a bad reputation for yourself. It'll make it worse since you can shift into a monster. You don't want what happened at court to happen all over again, do you?"
I calm down a bit and shake my head. "Good, now, just stand and watch. Make sure it doesn't get outta hand." He ruffles my hair and moves so he's next to me. Eren and Floch were arguing now.
"Your also sanctimonious, just like your sister, so I guess it runs in the family. That's why you never gave up in the end. Just like a brat that won't listen." Floch laughs. Eren goes to step forward but, Mikasa stops him by putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Eren, just leave him alone." She says nonchalantly.
"Mikasa's the one who behaved like an adult. At least she gave up in the end." I bite my lip to hold me back from doing something I'll regret. A look of pure horror forms on her face and she lets go of Eren.
Jean steps forward and pushes Floch and Eren away from eachother. "Hey! What the hell's wrong with you two?" He looks over to Floch. "Floch, let's not do this during a funeral for our fallen comrades, all right?" He lowers his hands. Connie steps forward.
"What's done is done, so let's drop it." He says, motioning his hands to 'calm down'.
"I seem to remember that while you two didn't disobey your superiors, you did nothing to stop Eren or Mikasa either. You just stood there and watched. Medals for what?" Floch raises his voice so everyone could hear. "A funeral for who? You guys better start telling the truth when you go to enlist more recruits. That way, you won't get cowards like me joining by accident. What the hell are we supposed to do now without Erwin?! Because... even fodder like me... I get that I'm completely expendable, but... Even fodder like me... has a right to decide if it's worth dying for!"
Everyone is silent. I walk up next to Sasha who was sitting in a single seat. "Floch is right." Armin mutters. I gasp and look at him. "Commander Erwin is the one who should've lived. I'm not the one who can turn this situation around."
Eren furrows his brows and waks over to his blonde friend and sits his hand up his shoulder. "How can you be so sure of that?" Armin doesn't reply. He just stares at te ground with a sad look in his eyes. Eren lifts his hand from the blonde boys shoulder. "I really can't say if it was the right decision or not. None of us know what the future holds. For starters, have you seen beyond the walls? What is there beyond the walls?"
Armins face seems to light up at that question. "The sea."
Eren smiles. "That's right, the sea. You haven't seen it, right? None of us really know anything! Fiery water, lands of ice, sandy snowfields! The possibilities are endless out there! On the other side of the wall, freedom is-" He stops. I feel a zap of electicity and images barge in front of my view.
Faye getting taken away. Faye getting mauled by dogs.
A hand fly's over my mouth to stop myself from being sick. There won't be freedom outside the walls. There'll be more hell.
"Hey, brats." Levi interrupts. "It's time, line up." He points over to the steps in front of the throne with his thumb.
---
I place my hand over my heart in respect for the Queen's presense. I was knelt between Levi and Eren. The other two military divisions behind us, standing in orderly rows of eleven by twelve.
Historia lifts up a bolo tie from the cushioned tray and walks over to Hanji. She lowers it, putting it round under Hanji's collar and adjusting it so it fits nicely round her neck.
She offers Hanji her hand and she plants a respectful kiss on her hand.
Historia does the same with Levi before moving onto me. She lowers the bolo tie over my head and round my neck. She then pushes up the green stone that has the Wings of Freedom behind the polished crystal.
She offers me her hand and I take it in mine. I lean forward a bit and gently place my lips upon the back of her hand. Her skin was soft and smelt like flowers. I let go of her hand gently and she walks towards Eren.
She repeats the same thing; Pick up the bolo tie, put it on the honored soldier, and give them your hand so they kiss it. But with Eren, he kisses it but I noticed a miniscule flash of yellow.
His eyes widen in shock and he grits his teeth in horror.
Did he unlock more memories?! It would make sense because Historia is from the royal blood line, but why didn't I get any.
And if they were memories, why is he so horrified?!
-------------
Ayooo! Two more chapters to go till this book ends and I start the sequel!!!! The next one will be a little filler chapter because, I want this book to have exactly 69 chapters because I'm *WeIrD*. But there won't be any freaky things happening in it, (sadly ;~;)
I had planned out this whole chapter and i was gonna make Jean confess his love, lol, but I thought it was too rushed so I'm gonna go with my original plan (hehe) because, I can.
I'm also sorry for not posting sooner, I had to rewrite half of the chapter because of the reason I just explained in the second paragraph.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a lovely day/night my gorgeous/handsome reader-chan. I wish to see you in chapter 68, '8th of February, 851'
Sayonara