"i think i should open an orphanage here too." historia smiled to herself as a gentle wind brushed her hair from her face.
"it's too soon, we've only just retook wall maria, there may still be titans this far out." i balanced out her irrational thinking with the harsh reality, although we walked through the meadows behind wall maria, we could be attacked at any minute. however, the survey corps promised every titan had been cleared. at least with the many she had built within reach of wall rose, they were safer from disturbance.
"maybe in the future." historia grinned, easing her mind.
"can i ask you something?" i questioned once we grew silent, the only sound being an influx of wind and birds singing from the forest areas surrounding us.
"of course." historia halted her walk to look me in my eyes, taking my hands in hers.
"after you found out about marley, did anything come back to you? maybe of frieda?"
"nothing. but i wouldn't sweat it, i'm sure she had a reason not to tell you, or us."
"it doesn't make sense though, why did i have to find out about her after all those years. and why did you think she was your sister?" i grimaced, so many questions coursing my mind that it began to grow as a headache in my brain.
"for your protection. you had to find out about the titans the way everyone else did, or you would have met the same fate as your parents." historias face softened as she mentioned my parents, the topic still sensitive despite all those years passed. one of the first objectives historia set out on following her coronation was research into my parents death. although the leads were few and loose, she linked it back to the military police. we had supposed since then that their daughter being a titan shifter had something to do with it. although frieda could remove others memories, it appeared to not work on immediate family - or she chose not to. for that reason, my parents must have died in vain of frieda. that's why she revealed herself after those years, with the absence of my parents who couldn't protect me, she led me to be an adolescent with historia. somewhere she knew was able to frequently visit.
"y/n." historia softly whispered once she noticed my spacing out, causing me to retrieve my composure and smile towards her.
"let's head back." i simpered, starting to advance back through the beds of flowers with my arm behind me, forcing historia with me.
"race you there." historia shouted behind her as she sped past me, causing me to shake my head with a laugh. despite her head start, i managed to catch up with her and gave her a grin as i passed her, picking up my pace.
"no fair!" she threw her arms up in protest as she finally reached me. i waited for her, my arms crossed over my white summer dress as she came into view.
"you cheated!" i laughed as her lips curved devilishly, the pair of us in hysterics as we reentered the newly built manor. as we passed the gate, a herd of children noticed our arrival and began sprinting over to us.
"historia! historia!" one flew into the blondes arms as she crouched down before her, the child in a frenzy of tears "eren said if i don't eat all my carrots he'll feed me to the titans."
historias eyes widened as she tried to console her laugh, however gently patted the girls head to stop her from crying. the girl instantly felt safe in historias arms, and squealed as she was hoisted onto her hip.
"shall we go teach him a lesson." historia grinned, causing the others around her to cheer as they flooded back into the house. i proceeded into the cooler house behind historia, noticing levi and his recruits all gathered in the living room.
"eren. apologise to yumiru." historia sent daggers into the mans direction, who stood beside the fireplace talking to armin.
"fine." eren sighed, sauntering over to the angry looking girl and took yumiru from her hip. he cradled her in his arms, causing the little child to giggle hysterically. he tickled her stomach, until she begged him to stop in between chortles.
"yumiru, i am sorry. sorry for when the titans eat you." eren grinned as he set the girl down, instantly chasing after her and rounding up the children, who all screamed in terror to run away. he followed them into the backyard, their laughs and calls still heard from our position. historia held a smile widely on her face but shook her head.
"who's caused this mess." levi looked disapprovingly at the imprints of tiny shoes that left mud on the floorboards. in his hand he held a mop and the other a cloth.
"eren, i'll make sure he cleans it." i simpered courteously, to which levi scoffed and exited the room. proceeding to the backyard to retrieve eren, i stood in the doorway in awe as he played heartily with the children. if someone told me the boy who cried the first time i saw him in a irate fit over titans during training would be this content, i would laugh in their face. my mind wandered as i watched the scene for a while, until eren eventually caught my stare.
"make the most of it." eren snapped me from my trance as he advanced towards me, leaving the kids to independently play. he too leaned against the doorframe beside me, looking out into the expansive garden.
"i wish we could stay like this forever." i sighed in deep joy, knowing what met us behind the walls was much more gruesome.
"we retook wall maria, we can soon clear out the island, i promised you one thing, and that was to keep historia safe." eren tried to reassure me, but my wandering eyes proved my discomfort. i turned to face him as he looked down upon me, noticing in the afternoon light how intense his eyes had become. the lively teal they once were became a tired, destructive emerald. he had also began growing his hair out, a few strands blowing idly in wind as it passed.
"whatever's beyond it scares me." i confessed, allowing my most vulnerable secret to be shared. despite our differences, i felt safe around eren, as though i could tell him anything and he would find a way to destroy my worries.
"i wish i could tell you something to make you feel better, but i'm not sure myself." he shrugged, even from where my eyes fixated on the distant hills, i felt his stare upon my face.
"i feel as though it's always one sided. but eren, i promise to always fight alongside you."
"i have no trouble believing you wouldn't." eren chuckled, to which i allowed myself to do the same as i looked up at him.
"i hope you're on the right side of humanity, eren." my face contorted into a serious expression. despite him doing everything i asked, the secrets of the wall and his power were still prevalent.
"i'm on whatever side my heart tells me to be on." he admitted, despite how little comfort that brought me - "although i felt trapped, like a bird, within these walls they still served as home. the people within them- you - will always be a priority."
"and if the other side happens to be right?" i questioned his morals, to which his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"in what world is trapping a population inside walls to live like cattle and forcing a percentage to their death right?"
"i was just asking." i allowed a smile to coat my distressed face at the boys response, to which he returned. the air grew silent between us as the noises of children playing flooded our ears in its absence.it was awfully serene, the bittersweet reality of how we lived forever etched into my mind. in the distance, a singular crow was airborne amidst the darkening blue of the sky. it lowered closer to the ground, landing on a desolate tree in the middle of a field behind the orphanage. for a second, it began to look around at the atmosphere. in that second, rain began to cascade down from the skies, breaking its serenity. it released a deafening squeak and retreated back into the skies in an attempt for shelter provided better than the falling leaves.
the children shrieked once their clothes began to dampen, the rain picking up into a heavy downpour and disrupting their play. once retreating back down the garden, they all fled inside for shelter.
"miss y/n, are you coming in." a little girl grabbed my hand from her protection inside, urging me through the doorframe. eren followed, returning back to the group who now shared cups of tea amongst them.
"eren. clean the floor." levi ordered once he noticed the boy return, whose wet shoes now caused more of a hindrance.
"yes sir." eren sighed, however obeyed his orders by reaching for the mop and bucket.
nightfall began shortly after, the children growing tiredsome as they all fought over the privilege to lay on historias lap. eren had eventually cleaned his mess, returning to the living room where the population of the house conversed.
"I think its time for bed!" Historia announced after looking down at the array of fatigued children spread across the couches. a series of moans followed, all the children too stubborn to want to rest, however tired they may be from play.
"come on." Historia laughed once she moved the abundance of heads from her lap. they all proceeded behind her up the stairs, begging for a bedtime story as they traversed. it was as though, with the absence of children, the house fell into an ominous silence.
"can you tell me about shiganshina now?" I directed my question towards the group of people before me, who much to my dismay, all experienced the action of the three enemy titans and now including two others. they all raised their head, expectant for someone else to answer.
"eren had almost sealed the breach, when a herd of titans blocked us into the walls, the beast titan operating it. reiner appeared and fought eren, luckily enough we had the recent development of thunder spears to ward him off." hanji began, their eyes bulging in excitement to tell the story - particularly at the mention of thunder spears, their latest creation. my mind wandered off into jealously at them meeting - or rather encountering - the beast titan. "so many of our men died, first it was the colossal titan who wiped out half of my squad by changing, then the beast began launching these boulders, killing many more." hanji was expressionate as they spoke, hands traversing the space around them trying to mimic the scene.
"long story short, Armin has the colossal titan now." Levi deadpanned, growing tired of hanji and their vague explanation.
"like, underground?" I furrowed my eyebrows, looking towards the distant blonde who's eyes fixated on the fireplace as it gyrated.
"no, he is the colossal titan."
my mouth hung agape in shock, "how?".
"we gave him the titan serum, he almost died by burning. it was him or Erwin." Levi explained, however looked off into the near distance once his words trailed off.
"erwin is dead?" I couldn't believe my own words, and only begged they weren't true for the sake of him and myself. Erwin couldn't be dead. the room fell silent, giving me my answer.
"the kids are all asleep" Historia chimed as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her face falling once she noticed everyones sunken expressions. she paused for a moment, lingering in the doorway as her eyes scanned the scene.
"I forgot to give you this." hanji disrupted the deafening quietude, taking an enveloped letter from their back pocket and reaching towards Historia. she took it hesitantly, tracing the paper in her hand. apprehensively, she pried it open and began scanning the pages. her eyebrows knotted, causing her to retreat back up the stairs as she continued to divulge the words.
after around twenty minutes, she failed to return. I thought it best to check up on her, mostly because my body felt devoid of slumber as the sky had long since turned black. upon entering my bedroom, Historia rest inattentively atop the sheets, her hands beneath her red cheek as light breaths left her mouth in her sleep. much to my prevail, the letter still rest on the beside table, from this distance I gathered a signature at the very bottom.
Ymir.
my face grew unbearably hot in rage, wanting to rip the paper in pieces yet I refrained from doing so for historias sake. as I stepped around the bed, I noticed a few dried tears cascaded down historias face, her still in her day dress and hair in an uncomfortable up do which made my grimace at the cause of her going to bed so disheveled. however, I gathered she needed her sleep. I made sure not to disturb her restless body and took my space beside her, the girls body unconsciously faced towards me due to my actions, and settled itself further into me. my hand raised to comfortingly caress her hair as I mindlessly stared at the wall ahead of me.
despite my fatigue, slumber would not take me that night. laying awake for hours in the grim darkness, my mind traveling to far away places that caused me to become perilous. my mouth grew grotesquely dry, forcing me to shift my legs from the bed and onto the cold wooden flooring. careful not to awaken the girl next to me, my body cautiously moved until I had reached the door and it released an unearthly creak once I had pried it open, however the girl failed to shift in the bed. the floorboard beneath me creaked until I reached the first floor, finally the silence allowed me to move about as I please.
it wasn't until I had reached the kitchen, my body froze in trepidation. a silhouette leant over a candle, book in its hand with an uncomfortable looking posture suggesting they had been there all night. once I noticed the figure was in fact eren and not an intruder, my body gained its composure and I released a breath of relieve. with this. eren raised his head to my position.
"you gave me a fright." I stated as I began to walk towards the cupboard in order to retrieve a chalice, my voice playful. I received no reply, however accounted the turning of a few pages behind me. once I had retrieve water from the jug, I pivoted around to face eren. his eyes were wide yet narrow in tiredness, so much so that his under eyes were a dark shade of purple and his hair was disheveled.
"what's the matter?" i furrowed my eyebrows at his state, coming closer in attempt to console and converse with him. he watched as I did so, motionless and mute.
"you remember you said Frieda had the power to control minds?" eren finally spoke after studying my face in the bleak light for a few seconds.
"yes?" I confirmed although it appeared to sound like a question.
"and when I turned those dozens of titans onto reiner, I could also show people things they've forgotten?" eren recounted the previous events leading up to this day - I had no knowledge of the reasoning behind his outburst, so I simply nodded. he raised a finger and pointed to a page in the book that was coated in black ash, as though someone had tried to cover it yet failed.
the founding titan has a distinct type of power, although it allows no physical combat advantage other than its strength and agility, the founding titan allows for titan control and creation, as well as mortal manipulation. this power can be used even when the beholder is in its human form, and its usually activated during periods of extreme emotion or by screaming. in accordance to this, the titan is susceptible to human emotion and can radiate this. for example, during times of war when the population is in a state of anomie, angst and hatred - the titan can feed of this and develop those traits. however, someone the titan has a fateful connection to is likely to reap the disadvantages of this, as the founding titan unwillingly controls theirs too.
once I had finished reading, I looked towards eren with confusion etched across my face - I was oblivious as to why he was showing me this. eren noticed this, and tilted his head towards the table whilst releasing a solemn sigh.
"your sister - she had the power to make everyone forget. she also kept you happy in times of distress and your parents death by manipulation." eren stated, his words became careful yet still cut me deep. I had never told eren about my parents death, causing questions to arise which I counteracted - "you think Frieda had the founding titan?"
eren again ignored my question, only pointed towards another paragraph a few pages after the one aforementioned.
to truly access the founding titans power, the beholder must be of direct royal blood of fritz, or be in close proximity of someone with it. without this, the titans powers are near to useless other than the combat advantage it brings.
"then its impossible. Frieda sent me to Historia because it was safe, not because she knew the Reiss bloodline. I know that, which means she couldn't have manipulated people." I affirmed.
"you're so oblivious." eren took a hand towards his forehead and rubbed it harshly against the skin. when he removed his hand, a red mark raised onto his smooth skin.
"frieda is royal blood." he finally acknowledge my uncertainty, however I scoffed in response - "no, she's my sister. she is not royal blood."
"look." eren removed the book from the top of the pile and retrieved the one labelled "The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History". he flicked through the masses of pages, until reaching his desired text and once again pointed his finger towards a page titled "The Fatalistic Life of Abe L/N"
a shepherd once retold the story of how it all happened. the little girl and boy frequently trespassed the field he owned, until one day she ran after a sheep that they had scared off. Abe attempted to follow her, however grew lost once he reached the forest edge. We noted how the ground was rough, caves emerged all across the forest floor and on the cliff face before it. He searched for his lover, until a deafening roar sounded from the largest cave ahead of him. The sheep ran out, an unearthly sound emitted from its throat, Ymir soon followed. It was that day she changed, Abe swore it was in that cave she accumulated her powers from the devil. She was no longer the Ymir he loved, and she became power hungry.
To fill the crevice in his heart from the loss of his lover, he married Ymirs sister to retain a piece of her. It was said, however, Ymir and Abe rekindled their love for one night in a fatal act of adultery. One of Fritzs' children, Maria, is said to be in fact Abes. L/N, in that sense, became a direct descendent of the royal line until it merged. Heartbroken with the death of Ymirs sister, Abe spent the rest of his days in the Asian region. Maria frequently visited him, where she met Artie Ackerman, her lover who consumer her in mercy of her suffering. L/N are a result of the Fritz and Ackerman bloodline tragedy.
"this is why they killed my parents." tears began brimming in my eyes at the sudden realisation. eren looked at me longingly, concerned once he witnessed me in my most vulnerable state.
"and why they trusted you with Historia. the reason why you're so protective of her, not only do you have the Ackerman loyalty,
... she's your cousin."